A failed jelly transforms into a happy sorbet. I had been attempting to make a tomato (aka love apple) jelly using a pectin-making technique that involves melting down and draining green apples with tomatoes (like making herb jelly). I had followed what appeared to be an all-in-one technique in a new cookbook on preserving, which [...]
Archive for September, 2010
Apple and Tomato Sorbet
Posted in Apple, Sorbet, Tomato, tagged Apple and tomato sorbet on September 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Tomato Salad: Simplicity of the Season
Posted in Salad, Tomato, tagged Cooking with color, tomatoes and mozzaella on September 27, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
I cook with color. I am as interested in balancing the colors and textures of food, as I am the taste. I say, “balancing,” but that doesn’t mean “equal-equal.” Cooking with color allows me to emphasize seasonality, to make a completely green dish in spring and an overwhelmingly yellow dish in fall. Here is a [...]
Okra: Steamed, Stewed, Frittered and Fried – Part 3
Posted in Chicken, Fish, Okra, Stews, tagged Chicken gumbo, Fish gumbo, Stewed okra on September 26, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
After the steamed and fried okra served as sides and the pancakes as a main course, we made gumbo. Three ways: with chicken, with fish and a vegetarian version. Gumbo is basically a stew with a dark roux base (flour cooked in oil until very dark brown, like an over-cooked gravy base), stock (chicken, fish, [...]
Birds Fly South: Cowpeas and Collards
Posted in Beans and legumes, Greens, tagged Braised collard greens, Collards and black-eyed peas on September 22, 2010 | 1 Comment »
I am not remotely Southern but after eating okra and various gumbos over the past weeks, I can say that I appreciate Southern food. Collard greens are back in our CSA farm’s choice group. I’m always happy to welcome a member of the Brassica family, which includes cabbage and broccoli, because of the high nutritional [...]
Okra: Steamed, Stewed, Frittered and Fried – Part 2
Posted in Corn, Okra, Pancakes, tagged Okra corn pancakes on September 21, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
On we go with a bonanza of okra harvested weekly from our CSA farm. Here we have fritters (or more properly pancakes) that combined cornmeal and flour with buttermilk and eggs, and added okra, scallions and corn. They were served over tomato sauce and garnished with steamed okra and corn and snipped herbs. This recipe [...]
Okra: Steamed, Stewed, Frittered and Fried – Part 1
Posted in Okra, tagged Oven fried okra on September 20, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
With okra in great supply over the past month, I have been making it in all kinds of ways, often combining it with corn and tomatoes. Some people object to the texture of okra, which can get gelatinous. I harvest my own, between 2-4 inches and cook it soon afterwards, and it’s not gooey at [...]
Potato, Zucchini and Red Pepper Gratin
Posted in Peppers, Potatoes, Vegetable gratin, Zucchini, tagged Potato zucchini gratin on September 15, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
When the humidity drops and the nights become cool, late summer gratins seem like the perfect transition to fall cuisine. I am not ready for the creams and cheeses of the gratins of late fall and winter, but it does feel good to have a warm and homey dish that is still redolent of summer. [...]
Corn and Tomato Canapes
Posted in Appetizers, Corn, Tomato, tagged Corn and tomato appetizer, Creamed corn on September 15, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
These lovely little bites of creamed corn and miniature cherry tomatoes on puff pastry used up a little of this and that to make some tasty treats. Melissa Clark, writing in the New York Times this last week, talked about her summer-long obsession with creamed corn. This is not something I’d normally make but now [...]
Green Chard Tart
Posted in Greens, Vegetable gratin, tagged Green chard tart on September 15, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Chard is an easy and versatile green that finds its way into all kinds of dishes at our house. With frozen puff pastry, making the tart shell is a snap. The tart dough can either be fitted to a pan with a removable bottom or be slightly rolled out. I prefer the latter since it [...]
Asian-inspired Plum Sauce
Posted in Preserving, Sauces and dressing, Stone fruit, Tigress Can Jam, tagged Asian plum sauce, Canning plum sauce on September 15, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
I’m really happy with my first pass at a plum sauce: slightly sweet and sour, with a tang from the ginger and mustard seeds, heat from the jalapeno, and a rich spice flavor from star anise. I made a small trial batch so I canned only one 8-oz jar and had one 4-oz jar for [...]
