If you’re searching for perfect September recipes, you’re likely looking for something simple and comforting. As the heat of the summer lingers, school restarts, and planning for the fall and holiday season creeps into your day, September is a great last chance for a little relaxation. The grill is still an option, the weather calls for something light, and most importantly, you don’t want to be spending all day making something. As it happens, our most popular recipes right now deliver on all those fronts. These recipes have been chosen based on Tasting Table’s internal data research as those that readers return to again and again in September. In them, you can see a balance between fresh summer flavors and the beginning of cravings for something a little more robust and comforting. Oh, and all of them are easy.
There are two sandwiches that feature twists on classic formulas to give them a little boost: a lamb burger and a French tuna salad sandwich. Both will make satisfying simple dinners or make-ahead lunches. Additionally, loaded beef enchiladas are there to carry you into fall, making use of any of your frozen leftover ground beef from grilling season and turning it into a rich and cheesy dinner in no time at all. And there are a few little treats too. There is a refreshing lychee martini for a relaxing late summer sip and a three-ingredient chocolate mousse to satisfy your sweet tooth. Sounds like our readers have some pretty great taste.
Classic Lychee Martini
With the warm September evenings, refreshing fruit flavors are still a welcome addition to your favorite cocktails right now, and this recipe from Jessica Morone puts a tropical twist on the staid old martini. Lychee is a small fruit that tastes like a cross between a strawberry and a pear, with some added floral notes. That complexity is put to perfect use in a simple martini, which uses a classic base of dry vermouth and vodka. It uses canned lychee, which is widely available, and also combines the lychee syrup into the drink for extra flavor. However, you can use fresh lychee and make your own syrup if you want it to be extra special. A quick shake and strain is all it needs, and you’ll find the light flavors of lychee are the perfect way to spruce up a martini without overpowering the crisp taste you already love.
Recipe: Classic Lychee Martini
Best Lamb Burger
Using lamb is a great way to put a twist on your burger without much extra effort, as ground lamb cooks similarly to ground beef. Still, the rich, slightly gamey flavor of lamb is a step up from the more mild beef, and this recipe from Jennine Rye brings in classic pairings like dill and mint for a Mediterranean flair. The patty itself gets mixed with onion, garlic, coriander, mint, and Dijon mustard to help cut through the fatty taste of the meat, and a topping of a lemony herb aioli with crisp onions and salad greens brings some added freshness for a perfect balance of summer flavors. Factor in the smoke of the grill, and you have what’s bound to become an end-of-summer backyard favorite.
Recipe: Best Lamb Burger
French-Inspired Tuna Salad Sandwiches
Leave it to the French to make the best use of canned and jarred tuna. With classics like the Niçoise salad and pan bagnat, the mild and meaty fish gets transformed by fresh greens and tangy, briny ingredients into something spectacular — and that’s exactly what is going on with our take on a French tuna sandwich. Dreamed up by recipe developer Michelle McGlinn, this tuna salad sandwich uses fresh herbs and microgreens to transform what are otherwise standard pantry ingredients. Crème fraîche, Dijon mustard, and cornichons add a real bite (and a little extra French flair), while chopped shallots, tarragon, chives, and chervil enliven the mayo mixture. And, of course, everything goes onto a nice, crusty baguette. It won’t look that different from your traditional tuna salad sandwich, but you’ve never tasted one like this.
Loaded Beef Enchiladas
Enchiladas are the ultimate weekday dinner hack. They certainly look (and taste) like a project, but with mostly pre-prepared store-bought ingredients, you can turn them out in no time. This recipe from Kate Shungu is as simple as it comes, but it doesn’t lack for crowd-pleasing flavor. The filling is a simple mixture of browned ground beef and onions with a little tang from some canned green chiles. It also gets an added punch from being layered with a creamy sauce of your favorite jarred salsa and sour cream. Wrapped up in a flour tortilla and topped with shredded cheese, the rich enchilada gets a little balance of brightness from the enchilada sauce layered on the bottom of the pan. Between easy prep and a quick stint in the oven, you can pull this meal together in half an hour. What more could you want?
Recipe: Loaded Beef Enchiladas
Super Easy 3-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse
You don’t need to go out to eat to get a smooth and indulgent chocolate mousse. In fact, making the dessert at home is so easy that you’ll be shocked you never did it before. Jennine Rye developed this combo of heavy whipping cream, dark chocolate, and confectioners’ sugar that can be thrown together in minutes. The only real time constraint is a hands-off hour-long wait to let everything set. Heating part of the cream lets you melt the dark chocolate right into it while you prepare some traditional homemade whipped cream on the side. Then, simply engage in a few rounds of folding the luxurious melted chocolate into the fluffy whipped cream, immediately transforming it into an airy chocolate mousse. Yes, that’s it, and, yes, it’s absolutely delicious.
