11 Recipes We Actually Tried And Loved This Month

I recently received a copy of Sarah Owens' new cookbook, Toast and Jam, which is filled with lots of cool baking projects.

There are few things I love more than an afternoon tea with homemade, straight-out-of-the-oven baked goods. So I decided to try my luck with Owens' currant cream scones, which looked fairly easy and doable. I actually skipped the currants, because I didn't have any at home, but the scones came out really nice and flavorful anyway, and their texture was perfectly soft and crumbly. The only mistake I made was rolling the dough a bit too thin so that my scones weren't quite as thick as I would have liked. But honestly, that was a pretty minor problem in the end and the result was really good.

To serve my scones, I picked a roasted rhubarb compote recipe from Owens' book. I loved making the compote in the oven rather than stovetop, as it made for a much less involved process. The recipe called for saffron and rose–infused honey, which is another recipe in the book. I didn't have time for that, so I just added regular honey along a teaspoon of rose water (honestly you could skip the rose water altogether and the result would still be delicious). The compote was downright amazing, and I kept it in my fridge for a few days and had it for breakfast with the leftover scones throughout the week. —Marie Telling

Get the recipe here.

Galettes have been having a moment for a while now (just see this for proof), and savory galettes are just now becoming popular. One rendition that I kept seeing on my Instagram feed was a stunning heirloom tomato galette ― and after buying a few beauties at the farmers market, I knew I had to make it.

This recipe fills a homemade pastry crust with shredded cheddar, mustard, and ripe tomatoes. I finished mine with torn basil and black pepper (mostly because my overgrown basil plant needed a trimming) and was not disappointed. —Jesse Szewczyk

Get the recipe here.

In my never-ending quest to find delicious ways to use zucchini, I made a batch of this bread as muffins (which cuts the baking time in half. Take that, loaf!). If you're looking for a super-easy and pretty quick recipe for zucchini muffins, this is probably going to make you happy.

My very favorite thing about this recipe is that it's a ~one-bowl wonder~. My second favorite is that it make a zillion muffins that I then freeze and bring one to work every day and feel like a little Pinterest goddess.

My one modification recommendation would be to listen to some of the commenters on the recipe and bump up the zucchini. Two grated cups really isn't a lot... I feel like you could probably double it and be fine! — Rachel Christensen

Get the recipe here.

In my humble opinion, it is almost as difficult to get adults excited about vegetables as it is to get children to eat them, so I was more than a little happy when my Chinese "dry-fried" green beans went over well at an office potluck.* Someone even told me they went back for thirds... I threw them together the morning of while I was also rushing to get ready, and they were surprisingly easy to prepare. I made a few adjustments to the recipe — I nixed the salt and I used honey instead of sugar — but overall, the green beans had a really great balance of flavors and the dry-frying really does make for a nice texture.

*I got really intimidated by the phrase "dry-frying," but it just means cooking a vegetable or meat quickly over a really high heat to blister and brown the skin. You can learn more here. —Emily Shwake

Get the recipe here.

Gâteau au yaourt is a true French classic. Not a fancy pastry you buy in a bakery, but a pinnacle of French home cooking. It was a staple of my French childhood and the first cake I ever learned to make.

It's a brilliantly easy recipe that uses a 4 oz yogurt tub as a measurement unit (for instance, you'll need four tubs full of flour, one and a half of sugar, etc.). Weirdly enough, 4 oz yogurt tubs of plain European yogurt aren't that common in the US, so I stopped making that cake when I moved to New York. But when I saw version of the recipe on Food52 with American-friendly measurements, I decided to give it a go.

The process is still ridiculously quick and easy, and the result is a soft, moist, and flavorful cake. The only thing you need to be mindful of is the type of yogurt you use: Don't use Greek yogurt, which is too thick for this recipe, but look instead for full-fat, plain European/French yogurt.

I served my cake with a compote I cooked up quickly with some strawberries that were about to go bad. It was delicious, but the cake would be good on its own too. —Marie Telling

Get the recipe here.

I love lentils, but for some reason cooking them has always felt intimidating. Recently, though, I was going through Julia Truschen's awesome cookbook (seriously, it's the best) and found this curried lentils recipe that looked too tempting not to try.

The process was super straightforward and easy; it took about 35 minutes from start to finish. The result was an extremely satisfying and flavor-packed bowl of lentils that I served with some rice, fresh cilantro, and yogurt. Will definitely make again! —Marie Telling

Get the recipe here.

Feeding people is one of the ways I express love — but one of my best friends has so many severe food allergies that cooking for her is a serious challenge. The woman is allergic to gluten, eggs, all dairy (including butter), black pepper, tomatoes, watermelon... The list goes on. So how the hell could I make her birthday cake?

Behold, this gluten-free, vegan chocolate cake recipe from the Minimalist Baker.

Baking this recipe feels like witchcraft because it allows you to summon a cake onto your counter without using any of the ingredients a cake requires. No eggs! No wheat flour! No butter and no cream! And yet somehow, like magic, it tastes delicious, looks impressive, and has the gooey, fudgey texture of decadent dessert.

(Pro tip: You can substitute whatever you want for the hazelnuts in the middle layer and topping on the cake. This time, I layered blueberries in the center and sprinkled sugar dots on top for decor.)

I've never been someone who subs margarine for butter or buys the carb-free or low-fat version of anything. "If you're going to eat cake, eat a damn cake" has always been my philosophy. That's why this cake impresses me so much: It tastes almost as good as the real thing. I brought it to my allergy-ridden friend's party this past weekend, and it impressed her and all of guests too. (I know they liked it because several of them came back for seconds.) Like I said, witchcraft. —Samantha Oltman

Get the recipe here.