The Best Seasonal Recipes for September Menu Planning

What a crowd-pleaser: This combination of warm, tangy cheese, aromatic honey, and salty nuts is ridiculously delicious and addictive. Even better, the dish takes just a few minutes to make.

Celebrate autumn with this vibrant chicory salad, featuring sweet roasted delicata squash, crisp apples, and a savory seed and seaweed granola. The black tahini dressing adds a nutty, creamy richness that ties the ingredients together beautifully.

Preparing squash two ways creates a delightful combination of textures and flavors. The miso marinade gives the seared squash briny umami depth, which is a pleasant counterpoint to the pickled squash. Hemp purée is an earthy base while arugula oil adds both freshness and richness.

Some butternut squash soups can be too sweet; here, almond butter, lime juice, and slightly spicy salad mix-ins keep the flavors lively. For a heartier dish, add a few cooked medium shrimp (warmed first in a little hot water) to each bowl.

Use up the last of summer produce. “This salad is the little sister of the Provençal dish called a grand aioli,” says Chef Amaryll Schwertner. She omits the seafood of the grand version and focuses instead on “the colors, flavors, and textures of summer produce.” To make a half-batch of aioli (a deliciously garlicky mayonnaise), whisk it by hand and use 1 egg yolk rather than half of a whole egg.

Contrast the feathery textures of baby Asian greens with the crunch of quick-pickled onion, Asian pear, and sesame seeds. This salad is especially good made with red or green mustard, mizuna, and edible chrysanthemum, but feel free to experiment.

These savory hors d’oeuvres can be assembled in advance—ideal for relaxed entertaining.

Some of corn’s best partners–medium-hot chiles, chorizo, and basil–join up in this simple dish. It’s substantial enough to call a chowder, but light enough for end of summer.

This salad goes all-in with the mushroom flavor, while salty pecorino and crunchy celery provide balance. Tearing the shiitakes into pieces makes for easier prep, and the jagged edges get nicely brown when sautéed.

Chef Chad Valencia brings Filipino flair to the roasted cauliflower with yogurt combo that’s so popular these days. His sweet, tangy pickled onion and currants are based on a condiment called atchara. The vinegar with the yogurt is inspired by sawsawan dipping sauces.

It’s possible to get a whole roast chicken on the table in 40 minutes. Served with arugula salad, this makes for the perfect weeknight meal.

Created by chef Nobu Matsuhisa in New York more than 20 years ago, this delicate, buttery dish has fans around the world. We’ve adapted a version from former San Diego fisherman Zack Roach that features green onions and ginger.

A rustic-luxe dish is shot through with the essence of saffron.

The steakhouse classic, traditionally prepared tableside, gets the grill treatment here. The cooking goes fast, so have all your ingredients measured and next to the grill beforehand. If time allows, salt the steaks and chill, uncovered, for up to 3 days before grilling—they’ll be even more thoroughly seasoned and tender.

The whole family will love these taquitos. Serve with some salsa and guacamole.

Made with white wine, vegetables, and aromatic herbs, nage–a French-style poaching broth–preserves the delicate texture and moistness of fish. Nearly any fish will work in this recipe, but the broth’s flavors especially complement mild, white-fleshed ones.

The start of fall means the start of football season. Serve up this veggie chili on game days.

“This is a grown-up braise—a company braise,” says Piper Davis, co-owner and cuisine director at Grand Central Bakery in Portland and Seattle. “It’s a technique more than a recipe.” The keys to that technique: cooking the meat in cider with one set of seasonings, straining and reducing the liquid, and then adding fresh vegetables toward the end. The cider’s acidity tenderizes the meat, and its sweetness balances the savoriness of the pork. “I don’t think anything goes better with pork than apples,” says Davis. “There’s a reason it’s a classic combination.”

Consider this another smart way to use up that summer zucchini and corn.

The secret to this dish’s success is to use firm tomatoes, such as those sold on the vine. Roast them on a rack near the top of the oven.

Concentrated apple cider flavors these doughnuts from the dough to the glaze. Inside they’re cakey and delicate and outside a bit crisp, especially while still warm.

You know those sweet, drippy peaches you dream about all year? When you’ve had your fill standing over the sink, bake up the rest with dark brown sugar, booze, and a tender topping. And if you see them in late summer, try the recipe with O’Henry peaches: Firm yet satiny, they have a perfect sweet-acid balance and freestone flesh, meaning they’re a cinch to pit.

Our favorite new way to serve Fuyu persimmons (the ones that look like tomatoes) is in this juicy, spicy pie, which accents their delicate fruitiness with cinnamon and lemon. For the best flavor, let the persimmons ripen at room temperature until they’re bright orange and have a slight give; this may take as long as a week.

For her version of the layered pie, Naomi Robinson of Bakers Royale grinds up Oreos for the crust and adds a dark chocolate pudding filling. The recipe comes from her book, Baker’s Royale: 75 Twists on All Your Favorite Sweets.

A Chez Panisse staple, Alice Waters’ galette is sure to impress year-round and can be made with any sturdy fruit you can find at the market, like pears, peaches, plums, or apricots.