I've been absent, but still cooking tons!

I feel like Hurricane Irene, the end of summer, the start of school, etc, threw me for a loop. I have cooked so many things from the CSA my garden, local farms, other people's CSA's... It's time to catch up here!



One amazing thing I've made 3 times now is an apple tart. So simple. Just defrost a sheet of puff pastry, peel, core and slice thing 2-3 apples, place over pastry in 3 rows. Make sure pastry in on a parchment lined cookie sheet. spread a few TBSP of sugar over apples and dot with butter. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes, maybe less, until apples are browning. Melt a few TBSP of jam, preserves, whatever flavor, raspberry, apricot, in a small saucepan with a little bit of water. When it's all melted and smooth, brush over tar and let cool. Easiest dessert!!!

Apple tarte

Today I used the squash, apples and the garlic to make a delicious baked dish. Simply roasted the ingredients with olive oil, salt, pepper and some brown sugar.

baked squash & apples

I just realized the last time I posted was before the hurricane when I made mint ice cream. The ice cream sadly didn't make it through the great thaw of Irene. Nothing did. My fridge, freezer, extra fridge and freezer in the garage are always packed to the brim. I had to toss everything It was such a sight to see all the emptyness in my house! I had to document it.

empty freezer

Freezer! Never been this empty since the day it arrived!

I made this awesome tabbouleh salad. It's offbeat. I got the recipe from the NY Times last Wednesday. It involved parsley, pomegranate, smoked paprika, honey, red onion. It was great and unusual. And when telling a friend about the recipe, she told me a key way to peel and de-seed a pomegranate. Basically, underwater in a bowl. The white pith stuff floats to the top. And I'm so thankful!! No more bloody mess!

awesome salad!

With the overabundance of potatoes from the CSA, I made potato kugel, so traditional for almost any Jewish holiday. BUT, my friend Leslie told me about a different technique that made the kugel light, airy, crispy on the outside, just totally different than any kugel I've ever had. It involved sprinkling potato starch over the top, then pouring in boiling water. I was convinced this would be a failure. It was such a hit, I made it again tonight, a smaller version for Shabbat dinner.

Kugel to the MAX!

A few weeks ago we got some eggplant and I found that with ingredients so fresh from the farm, it was so great to keep it simple. I just sauteed the slices in olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic. INCREDIBLE. And it went great with the lasagna!

The season is winding dow. My garden is totally done. I picked the last of the jalapeno peppers today. I don't even have any green tomatoes to fry this year. The rain killed everything off. I still have plenty of herbs and plan on making some pesto to freeze this week. I still haven't tasted my pickles. I can't wait. And I have 3 jars of kimchi in my fridge from all the people that gave me their napa cabbage 2 weeks ago. I gave away a jar to my brother, who told me it kicked ass. That coming from my brother is major. He's trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and is an Asian aficionado, like myself, but he lives in the city with his wife and kids, so he still gets to eat at great ethnic restaurants. I guess that's why I make kimchi so much. The closest Korean place is White Plains. So sad, and no Vietnamese places. I'd kill for a Bahn Mi right now! After all the brisket and kugel, I need my Asian fix!