A Dish A Day: 30 Things To Cook In September

Earliest fall is one of our favorite seasons for produce. Summer favorites like stone fruit, corn, melons and nightshades like eggplant, okra and tomatoes are still very much the stars of farmers markets. Here are 30 things to cook in September with extra passion, because this time next month it'll all be gone!

This beautiful tart makes a gorgeous centerpiece for a vegetarian meal or a contribution to a buffet or potluck. You can switch  up the vegetables depending on what's fresh at the market; roasting them really brings out their flavor.

When it comes to the basics, look no further than a cookbook by renowned Test Kitchen master Pamela Clark. Her simple, triple-tested recipes are delicious and genuinely foolproof, two things you'll want when tackling homemade tapas. This no-cook recipe for classic prosciutto and melon is updated with the simplest stuffing of all — a smear of creamy ricotta cheese.

My first jobs in food media were as an event planning intern and a publicist, and the clubhouse of the people I worked for was the Red Cat, Jimmy Bradley's restaurant in Chelsea, where this dish has been a stalwart of the bar menu for more than a decade and a half. It has all the visceral appeal of something I would have ordered at T.G.I. Friday's (which was my favorite sit-down restaurant as a teen) and the sophistication—or at least a price tag—that made it acceptable in Manhattan. I include it here because it was one of the first restaurant vegetable dishes I thought was awesome, even if now I can see more clearly that it was just playing to my inner fat boy/deer that likes a salt lick. But that's okay — not all vegetables need to be the sort of thing you'd split with your yogini.

There an impressive menu at Clarkson, a new restaurant by Georges Forgeois of Bar Tabac and Cercle Rouge fame, right on the border of NYC's Greenwich Village. We dreamed about this outstanding burrata dish long after devouring the final bite. There's always room at the table for burrata, that wonderful creamy-stretchy mozzarella that pairs so perfectly with ripe tomatoes.

This takes the toasted sandwich to another level. Made without any bread, these crispy waffles with oozy cheese are a perfect gluten-free option, but everyone must try them at least once!

My take on the pepper-and-anchovy antipasto that is so deservedly popular with Italian cooks is a little different from the usual, and very easy to throw together. Serve it as an antipasto, or as a contorno to go with grilled meat or fish, or chop the finished peppers with all the other ingredients and use it to top a dish of pasta. I use big late-summer peppers, mostly red but throwing in a few yellow ones for a colorful touch. I figure on half a pepper per serving — so two peppers will serve four, but use your judgment: Smaller peppers from the farmers' market might come out to two per serving.

Corn is one of my absolute favorites during the summer season. To prepare it I use two of my favorite favorite kitchen tools: a microplane and a corn zipper. The corn zipper is really great in getting corn off the cob quickly and fairly mess free. The flavor combination here works really well: A little bit of butter and a good amount of lime juice married with local manchego cheese microplaned on top with a touch of chili flakes. To prepare the corn, throw it into the oven or grill without husking so it will keep the flavors and won't dry out.

This is a very popular vegetarian take on lasagne. Using really fresh ingredients makes a huge difference to the quality of this dish. Do use scamorza if you can — it's a little more expensive than fior di latte, but it's well worth it for the delicious smoky flavor.

To achieve super-juicy white meat, Elliot sears the chicken breasts with the skin on, then bastes them with a garlicky thyme butter.

Being French, I did not know that corn soup had such flavorful potential (in France, you rarely find or eat fresh corn). Once I had a taste, though, I could see I had been missing out. I've tried my hand at many corn soups, and while I liked them all, I think this one is the best. It is especially good when, to add more body, I top it with steamed clams and aromatic parsley oil. This makes the soup a bridge between terre et mer (earth and ocean), a beloved theme in my cooking.

A drink as summery as summer can be! Depending on the natural sugars in your fruit, this blend can potentially benefit from an extra touch of sweetener to enhance the flavors.

Smoked mozzarella (which has a savory, meaty quality), salty Parmigiano-Reggiano, sweet roasted red peppers, and broccoli (with its vegetal and slightly bitter flavor) add up to a complex, balanced, and satisfying breakfast or brunch dish. Save the broccoli stalks for soup or salad.

Cauliflower pizza with mozzarella is what's for dinner! Donna Hay, Australia's go-to home cook, has a new collection of recipes out that will inspire you to eat more healthfully while sacrificing nothing in terms of flavor and aesthetics. Whether you're making yourself a casual lunch or masterminding an upscale dinner party, this is one book that will help ensure that everyone is nourished, satisfied and eager to know where you got the recipe.

Don't reserve walnut miso butter strictly for beans. Try it slathered on carrots, tossed with broccoli or even mixed with a mélange of steamed veggies.

Satay dip is not only good on grilled chicken skewers, but it tastes darn good with cool cucumber spears when the summer sun is at its highest.