Four proteins pulled from different kitchens — Asian, Mediterranean and steakhouse — over a deliberately nut-forward set of sides

Worth flagging: this is a nut-heavy week by design. Pistachios crust the halibut, pecans run through both the Brussels sprouts and the salad, almonds top the cobbler, and pine nuts finish the green beans. Four separate dishes carry tree nuts, so if anyone in the house has an allergy or a guest is coming, tell me and I will rebuild those four properly. Picking nuts off a finished plate is not a nut-free dish, and I would rather cook the alternative than pretend otherwise.

The berries and the peaches are the reason this menu looks the way it does. Both are at the short peak of their season right now, so I sourced them the morning of the cook and let them set the direction. The arugula and berry salad keeps them raw and cold; the protein peach cobbler cooks them down under almonds until they collapse. In February I would not put fruit into two dishes on one delivery — in late July, for a Houston kitchen, it would be a waste not to.

Reheating, in order of patience required. The halibut wants 375°F for six to eight minutes uncovered, so the pistachio crust dries out again rather than steams. The orange chicken bites are good cold and better after four minutes in an air fryer. The filet mignon is already medium rare, so treat it as finished — slice it over the arugula salad and skip the heat entirely, or you will lose the centre.