Betsy Andrews

At the Bayside Cafe in Morro Bay, California, this classic West Coast salad is made with Dungeness crab caught in the coastal waters. Lump crabmeat is a good substitute.

This elegant icebox pie is in the rotation of popular desserts at Dad's Luncheonette in Half Moon Bay, California. If you don't have loose tea, use the contents of 15 tea bags. Chef Scott Clark keeps the tea leaves in the custard, which gives the filling a bit of texture—you can strain it if you prefer. Finish with a dollop of whipped cream.

This sandwich is a specialty at Dad's Luncheonette in Half Moon Bay, California, where chef-owner Scott Clark makes it with local maitake mushrooms. Using ghee to cook the sandwich components imparts a nutty flavor you wouldn't get by using butter.

Perhaps the vegetable that defines California's Central Coast most is the artichoke. Indeed, the town of Castroville is nicknamed the Artichoke Center of the World. Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero has been serving patrons since 1894. One of its specialties? This soup that's all about the thistle.

One of the specialties at Hidden Kitchen in Cayucos, California, is the blue corn waffles. They're served up in nine savory and sweet ways. The owners wouldn't part with the recipe, but this homage to the rancheros-like "Cayucos Cowboy" is pretty tasty.

Overlooking the surf in Cayucos, Ruddell's Smokehouse has been a landmark on California's Central Coast for two decades. When it's time to order, guests choose smoked meat, seafood or black bean patties in taco or sandwich form. We adapted their recipe using an easy technique for smoking on the grill.

Overlooking the surf in Cayucos, Ruddell's Smokehouse has been a landmark on California's Central Coast for two decades. When it's time to order, guests choose smoked meat, seafood or black bean patties in taco or sandwich form. We adapted their recipe using an easy technique for smoking on the grill.

Highway 61 is Minnesota's unofficial pie trail, and a stop for a slice is a must on a road trip. This summer pie recipe is adapted from Rustic Inn Café in Two Harbors.

Roasted beets add earthy sweetness to this riff on a summer classic from Lake Avenue Restaurant & Bar in Duluth, Minnesota. You'll end up with a big batch of infused gin for easy gin and tonics down the road. Experiment as you will--its earthy flavor plays nicely with bitters and amaros in other cocktails.

Serve this chunky smoked whitefish salad from chef Judi Barsness on toasted crusty bread, on crackers or mounded over a bed of salad greens.

Chef Scott Graden of New Scenic Café outside Duluth, Minnesota, pickles beets to use in the winter, but in summer he cooks them up fresh in preparations like this blueberry salad.

One of chef Kippy Kuboy's most popular dishes at the Poplar Haus in Grand Marais, Minnesota, is his walleye po'boy. Here we serve the walleye recipe deconstructed, but go ahead and pile everything on a soft roll if you like.

Lots of local ingredients show up on the menu at Tom Hanson's Duluth Grill in Duluth, Minnesota, like the wild rice in these rice patties, harvested by Bruce Savage of nearby Spirit Lake Farms.

This Italian tomato sauce recipe simmers for a long time, allowing some of the liquid to evaporate, concentrating the flavor. This easy recipe is perfect for meal prep--it makes a large batch, so serve some over pasta for dinner and freeze the rest for a quick meal in the future.

Italian for "linguine with clams," this seafood pasta dish includes tomatoes for a mashup between red and white clam sauces.

These potato wedges get magically creamy in the center and crisp on the outside as if they were deep-fried. But--surprise!--they're grilled for a healthier, easier and way-less-messy (but equally delicious) steak fry.

This versatile and easy side dish is a tasty way to showcase green beans. We boil the beans briefly before sautéing for perfectly crisp-tender vegetables that don't get mushy.