Thanks to Jillian for this gem… when we put out the call for favorite beet recipes you guys didn’t disappoint! If the beets continue, I’ve got big plans to make Roasted Beet Hummus, salads galore, AND honest to goodness beet cupcakes. Now watch, I’ve got all these grand plans and beet season will end next week. Humph.

I personally think this recipe is genius. I mean, everyone loves potato pancakes, why should beets be any different? Well, for one, these are sweet. Not just sweet as in totally rad (which they totally are), but sweet as in, are you sure you didn’t put sugar in there? The natural sugars of the beet caramelizes on the outside of the pancakes, leaving you with a sweet crunchy exterior and soft and decadent interior.

We made a few small modifications to the recipe, but for the most part it is undeniably perfect in its simplicity. We made multiple small pancakes instead of one large one, and the 2nd time we made this (yes, it was so good we did it again the same week), we substituted the thyme for rosemary. Personal taste, but I much preferred the thyme version, as I often find rosemary overpowering and perfumy.

A word of warning: if you have an apron, this would be the time to wear it. I’m not talking about a cute, practically-a-dress apron, because it’s going to look like you bled out all over the place when you’re done with this one so you better gosh darn put on an apron that you won’t mind if it gets splattered and stained with beet juice. Beets are messy. The apron is a must. Or at the very least a red shirt.

Beet Rosti (Beet Pancakes)

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from The Minimalist.

Ingredients:

2 pounds beets (3 very large or 4 to 6 medium)
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary (or thyme, if you prefer)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter
Minced parsley or a few rosemary leaves for garnish.

Directions:

Trim beets, and peel them as you would potatoes; grate them in food processor or by hand. Begin preheating 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Toss grated beets in bowl with rosemary, salt and pepper. Add about half the flour; toss well, add rest of flour, and toss again.

Put butter in skillet; heat until it begins to turn nut-brown. Scrape beet mixture into skillet, and press with spatula to form a round. With medium to medium-high heat -- the pancake should gently sizzle -- cook, shaking pan occasionally, until bottom of cake is nicely crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Slide cake onto a plate, top with another plate, invert the two plates, and return cake to pan. Keep cooking, adjusting heat if necessary, until other side is browned, another 10 minutes or so. Garnish, cut into wedges, and serve hot or at room temperature.

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Ok, bear with me here, because I think Taylor was thinking the exact same thing you are thinking right now. Salmon, cantaloupe, and, uh, horseradish? Weird, weird, double weird. Taylor gave me one of those looks that said, “are you nuts?” To be honest, when I picked this recipe my only thought was “celery leaves! we have a ton and this recipe actually calls for celery leaves!” I didn’t even stop to ponder just what it might taste like. And so on to the menu it went.

I don’t know what sort of illegal substance or hocus pocus was involved to think up such a bamboozling combination of ingredients, but you know what? It worked. It really did. It was bright and fresh. Downright summery. It was crunchy and tender and flaky all at the same time. Puzzling, yet fantastically tasty.

Salmon with Cantaloupe and Fried Shallots

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Food & Wine.

Ingredients:

Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
1/2 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Fried Shallots
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 large shallots, thinly sliced crosswise and separated into rings
Cornstarch, for dusting
Salt

Salmon and Garnishes
Four 6-ounce, skin-on salmon fillets
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 small cantaloupe, scooped into small balls or cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
Freshly grated horseradish
1/4 cup celery leaves

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the horseradish, lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar and olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil. Put the shallot rings in a colander and dust heavily with cornstarch, shaking to coat them well. Add the shallots to the hot oil in an even layer and fry over moderate heat until browned and crisp, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried shallots to paper towels to drain. Season lightly with salt.

Preheat the oven to 400°. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the salmon skin side down and cook over high heat until the skin is browned and crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn the fillets and transfer the skillet to the oven. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until the salmon is just cooked.

Meanwhile, divide the cantaloupe among 4 shallow bowls. Drizzle with the buttermilk and season lightly with salt. Lay the salmon on the cantaloupe and spoon the vinaigrette on top. Sprinkle with the lime zest and grated horseradish. Scatter the celery leaves and fried shallots over the salmon and serve.

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When you find yourself drowning in green onions, these pancakes are the obvious choice. They use a good handful of them, and you can probably sneak a couple more into the accompanying dish (green onion + ginger + soy = yum sauce). And did I mention we had a lot of green onions? We did everything we could to use them all up, and that meant pancakes. Lots of pancakes. Not that I’m complaining or anything.

Amazing how a simple ball of flour and water can turn into something so good. These pancakes make a delicious side for any Asian meal. They are great for sopping up sticky sesame and soy sauces that would otherwise go to waste.

The rolling technique looks tricky, but it really isn’t. You’ll have green onions squirting out of one side and vegetable oil coming out of the other. But don’t worry, that’s what it’s supposed to do. Once it’s crisp and golden brown delicious it’s all good in my book.

And what do you know, we used up all our green onions! It’s a miracle!

Scallion Pancakes

Makes 6 pancakes.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/2 cup warm water
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
vegetable oil
salt

Directions:

Mix flour with water until it forms a smooth dough. Knead for 2-3 minutes or until the dough is smooth and very elastic. Coat this ball of dough lightly in oil and put it back in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and roll into balls. On a lightly floured work surface, roll a ball into a thin circle (about 1/16" thickness). Brush circle with vegetable oil, and sprinkle liberally with salt. Sprinkle evently with about 1/4 cup of the green onions.

Starting on one end, roll the dough up tightly, creating one long snake of rolled-up dough. Then coil the snake into a round dough bundle. Pinch in end. With the palm of your hand, press the roll from the top to flatten it slightly, then gently roll into a 5-6" circle (about 1/8" thickness).

Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large heavy skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, pick up the pancake dough and gently set in the pan. It should sizzle, but not burn. Cook for 2 minutes on one side or until golden brown and bubbly. Flip and cook another 2 minutes or until the other side is golden brown as well.

Repeat with remaining pancakes.

Cut the pancake into wedges with a pizza cutter, and serve immediately with soy sauce or another dipping sauce.

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I’m delivering on my promise for MORE CUPCAKES! :) And these ones, if you’re as excited as me about peach season every year, you will love these dearly. It’s my new favorite cupcake outside of chocolate. They don’t scream peach, they whisper. Soft notes of bright peach and sultry bourbon float throughout both the cake and the buttercream. Not too sweet, extra moist, and perfectly delicious.

I topped them with marzipan fruit (peaches are almost identical in shape to cherries, I simply adjusted the coloring and the length of the stem). I know some people like to go crazy with elaborate flowers and decorations, but I like my cupcakes to look like what they taste like. And since a whole peach wouldn’t exactly work on top (can you say, cupcake and the giant peach?) I did a miniature version instead.

If you want a more in your face peach flavor, I’d try filling them with peach puree or peach preserves of some sort. But it’s really not necessary. At first I thought that the peach was too subtle; but after eating a few more I realized that no, it was just right. Too much peach and the frosting would go to mush. Too much peach and you might lose the hint of bourbon behind all that fruit.

I’ve been baking half a dozen cupcakes at a time recently. Especially as I try out new flavors, some of which fail miserably, and if they do, I only have to throw out a few cupcakes rather than a whole tray. But I really wish I had made a full dozen of these. Between my taste test, and our dinner guest enthusiastically helping himself to seconds, they were gone by the next day. But I guess that means I did good?

Peach Bourbon Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup almond meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup fresh peach puree (about 2 large peaches)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon bourbon

Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, room temperature
3-4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup fresh peach puree (about 1 large peach)
1 teaspoon bourbon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Whisk together coconut milk, peach puree, sugar, oil, vanilla, and bourbon. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix until relatively smooth. Fill cupcake liners with a scant 3 Tablespoons of batter (cups should be just under 2/3 of the way full). Bake for 20-22 minutes or until lightly golden, and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

For frosting, cream butter in electric mixer for 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Slowly add half of the sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and beat until smooth. Add peach puree and mix until combined. Add remaining confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and beat until well incorporated. Add bourbon and mix at medium-high speed until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add more sugar as necessary to achieve proper consistency. Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes.

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This was one of those meals that just worked. It came out of nowhere, mainly out of necessity and the need to use up more of those doggone green onions.

These are some meaty tacos. Meatless meaty tacos. Somehow, Taylor managed to make lentils taste like ground beef. The simple addition of some smoked paprika (maybe one of our favorite and most used spices of all time) and a dried ancho chili turned lentils into a delicious taco that even the most ardent carnivore would devour. Even Taylor ate these without commenting that they’d be better with meat of one kind or another.

The salsa on top may seem incomplete (and to be honest, we totally forgot to buy a tomato for it, that was our original intention), but the result is a bright and refreshing salsa with just enough crunch and spice to complement the lentils perfectly. You could add a tomato if you want, but it’s totally not necessary.

Make the effort to find French green lentils if you can; they hold their shape much better than the standard brown lentils, not nearly as mushy. But if you can’t, that’s ok, you won’t be missing out on any of the flavor. Just adjust the cook time accordingly.

More often than not, we follow recipes. Or mostly follow recipes. But sometimes, like for this dish, we just wing it. Pull out a bunch of random ingredients and turn them into something delicious. And to to be honest, those are the nights we enjoy the most in the kitchen. We just have to remember to write it down, or at least post it before we forget what we did.

Lentil Tacos with Onion Jalapeño Salsa

Makes 8 tacos.

Ingredients:

Salsa:
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup green onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup garlic scapes, thinly sliced, or 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, minced
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil

Lentils:
1 cup french green lentils
1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 dried ancho chili, finely chopped
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
salt and pepper, to taste

8 whole wheat flour tortillas, warmed
1 cup lettuce, torn into small pieces or sliced into strips
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)

Directions:

For salsa, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and toss to coat. Set aside.

Rinse lentils with cold water and sift through, making sure there are no small stones mixed in. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add lentils, and cook for 20 minutes or until tender but still slightly al-dente. Drain.

Heat a few splashes of olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and chili and cook until onion begins to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add lentils and paprika and cook until coated and heated through.

Spoon lentil mixture onto warmed tortillas. Top with salsa, lettuce, and mozzarella cheese.

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