of horses and young men

Deborah
Two very special guests came to my house last evening, their combined age under five. These two adorable toddler boys entertained us with their joyous curiosity and impeccable table manners.

The evening was partially devoted to watching the Breeders' Cup Classic horse race, where the superstar mare Zenyatta was to run her final race (against all male horses) as a retiring six year old after 19 starts undefeated. You go girl! (For an eloquent description of the race and its ramifications check out my husband's blog post)

The race was exhilarating and the finish an unbealiveable loss by a nose for our horsey princess. Oh well, back to visiting with friends and family and let's eat dinner already.

Having fed plenty of kids over the years, I was not stressed about making any special concessions to young palates other than a big batch of fresh applesauce to appease the picky and cranky (I'm talking about the adults now.) Fortunately there were big smiles all around!

In addition to wine, cheese and a bouquet of flowers, my house gifts included this magnificent cauliflower. What color!

Our theme for the evening, other than horses, was a continuation of my month-long fasination with France. We had some French wine (Les Amies Chanteuses, Cotes Du Rhone) and some French cheese  (Epoisses Berthaut) and I made a big batch of stuffed vegetables, a dish I first learned to make when I lived in the South of France many years ago. Our two young eaters set the example for the rest of us cleaning their plates so they could have ice cream with chocolate sauce for dessert.

 Zucchini is a classic vegetable for stuffing. It is easy to carve out the boat shape with a spoon.

 Fennel bulbs and onions cut into slabs with a well cut out of the center make a great vehicle for the stuffing.

recipe
Stuffed Vegetables
4 zucchinis- cut in half length wise
4 medium small onions ends trimmed and cut in half
1 large fennel bulb cut into 2 inch slabs
3 Tbs. olive oil
4 cloves garlic finely minced
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup grated parmasean cheese
1 egg beaten
3 Tbs. fresh herbs, chopped
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

Heat oven to 400 degrees
Scoop out the center of the zucchinis and set the removed flesh aside. Arrange zucchini shells in a baking dish. With a sharp knife carve out a small well or depression into the onion halves and the fennel slabs, reserving the removed flesh and arranging the vegetables in the baking dish with the zucchini. Drizzle a Tbs. of the olive oil over the vegetables and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put in the oven for 20 minutes, until vegetables start to become tender.

Chop up the reserved vegetable flesh with the minced garlic till it is more or less a small dice. Add the brown rice and the egg and grated cheese and stir well to combine. Remove vegetables from oven and carefully spoon about 1 large tablespoon of filling into each vegetable shell (divide all the filling up between the vegetables, the zucchinis will hold more.) Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over everything and drizzle with the rest of the olive oil. Continue to bake vegetables for another 35-40 minutes till the onions and fennel are tender when piereced with a knife.
Serve immediately or at room temperature as part of a buffet.
serves 6-8

Amanda
First, I am so impressed that the kids ate stuffed vegetables! Makes me wonder where I have gone wrong?! Possibly my son would try it - but definitely not my 5 year old daughter. That's wonderful that the boys are so "adventurous".

Deb - do the onions and fennel get stuffed as well, or do they get placed inside of the zucchini? The recipe sounds great! I like the idea of pairing a red with this dish. Especially to go with the parmesan flavors. I'm thinking of Sangiovese, the Italian grape variety most known for its contribution to Chianti, Morellino di Scansano, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano, Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino, and super-Tuscan wines, to name a few.

A young, fresh Sangiovese will typically have fruity flavors reminscent of strawberries; but when aged in oak barrels will take on  spicy, oaky characteristics. Sangiovese can produce light wines, so often other varietals will be employed to give the wine more body and structure. In other instances, extensive oak treatment will be used to achieve the same results.

For Deb's dish, a Rosso di Montalcino would work well. Hailing from Tuscany, this "baby Brunello" is made from 100% Sangiovese, and is typically lighter and fresher than a Brunello. And a lot more affordable.  It is grown in the same delineated area as Brunello di Montalcino, but the wine does not have to be aged as long as Brunello. A good Rosso can be found in the $15-$20 price range.

Michelin Stars and a pot luck

 Deborah
What a week! Cooking lunch in a public school kitchen everyday is hard work! For my day off I was invited to a pot luck supper and naturally I needed to COOK. Well, I am never happier than when I am in a kitchen (unless I am laying on a Caribbean beach or sipping wine in a Paris cafe) so it was a natural transition to the weekend to be ruminating on what to make for this LOCAL ingredients pot luck party.

Pumpkins were floating in my head and I had a vague notion of making a pumpkin lasagne. My husband took pity on me when I crawled home Friday evening and he whisked me out to dinner to our favorite restaurant in Queens- Danny Brown Wine Bar and Kitchen on Metropolitan Avenue. We had been dying to get over there to help them celebrate their recently awarded Michelin Star!!!!! They truly deserve it (delectable food and impeccable service.) On their menu Friday night was a special: PUMPKIN RAVIOLI- well, it was all meant to be. I tried it and loved the dish and knew that was indeed what I wanted to make for Saturday's pot luck.

Saturday's party in Nyack, NY had a harvest festival theme and was hosted by Pam and Charlie of Hook Mountain Growers.  The fall colors inside and out were a perfect reflection of the season.

Pamela and I check out what is growing at her fabulous homestead micro-farm, still in full production this late in the season.

The sun was already beginning to set when I got there so these photos don't do justice to the crops.
clockwise from top left: Passion fruit, celeriac, cayenne, fennel and chard


And inside at the party:

wonderful local cheeses!

 Delicious homemade dishes beautifully arranged, made from local ingredients.

clockwise from top left: beet salad, yogurt and herb dip,
beet and pasta salad, farro pasta with white beans

The wine was great too. Hudson Wine Farm's Red Banks Red Blend and their Chardonnay were the selections and they went perfectly with the meal. Someone even brought a venison stew made from a deer they had shot with a bow and arrow themselves, braised with shitake mushrooms they found growing right on their lawn (what don't they do in the Hudson Valley?)

My pumpkin lasange was a success. I found some local pumpkins at Gourmet Garage and I raided my herb garden for the sage. It is more laborious a recipe than I usually feature here but the procedure is not complicated and it makes a great seasonal dish.

recipe: 

Pumpkin Lasagne

• quarter a whole small pumpkin and scoop out the seeds,

sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in a hot 400 degree oven for about 25-35 minutes until tender when pierced with a knife.

• scoop the flesh away from the shell of the pumpkin with a large spoon and put into a food processor (about 1.5 cups)

• add a quarter cup of apricot jelly or a fruit chutney (I used mango chutney, yeah, I know, not local. If I had been more energetic I would have used very tart homemade applesauce)

• add 4 oz. goat cheese and continue to blend till smooth

• make a beshemel sauce with 4 Tbs. butter melted in a sauce pan, add 4 Tbs. flour and mix well with the butter to create a smooth paste. Add 2 cups of milk and bring to a low boil to thicken sauce, whisking constantly. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, freshly ground nutmeg and 4 or 5 torn up fresh sage leaves and allow flavors to blend at a simmer for a few minutes.

• toast in a small saute pan 1/2 cup of peppita seeds and 3/4 cup of bread crumbs in 1 Tbs. butter on a low heat until golden. Process the peppitas and bread crumbs in a food processor till finely ground, then set aside.

• assemble lasagne by covering the bottom of a baking dish with some of the beshamel sauce, followed by a single layer of large sheets of wonton wrappers lined up edge to edge to cover the entire surface of the pan. Add a layer of the pumpkin puree, the beshamel and then the bread/peppita crumbs. Repeat to make two more layers, ending with the wonton wrappers, beshamel and crumbs.

• Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes till hot and bubbly.

• garnish with fresh sage leaves that have been dusted in flour and then fried for 30 seconds in hot olive oil in a shallow pan.

I know it is a lot of steps, but it is a recipe that can be played with when you are relaxed and have the time. Adding the fruit jelly or chutney will give the pumpkin some needed sweetness. Danny Brown garnished his pumpkin ravioli with pomegranate seeds, which was an inspired choice. The tart fruit is a great counterpoint to the earthy depth of the pumpkin.

Amanda
That dinner sounds amazing! Right up my alley.  Love the pics too! Yes, the pumpkin lasagne definitely requires more work than most of your recipes - but I wouldn't say it's labor intensive - which is a nice thing! I have to make it a point to get out to Hook Mountain Growers - seems like a fabulous place!

The pumpkin lasagne looks to me like the ideal Fall dish. I think a variety of wines would work well. My first choice for white would be a dry, crisp Riesling. I think the vibrant acidity of the Riesling would be great paired with the sweet flavors Deb incorporates into the lasagne. It would also serve to cut through the rich characteristics of the bechamel sauce. Be sure to pay attention to which Riesling you are buying - stay away from anything sweet. A dry Riesling is what would work best here.

A red would also work well with this wonderful recipe. An Argentine Malbec would be a great accompaniment, with its lush texture and ripe fruit flavors. Malbec from Argentina will not have the same tannic structure as one from France, which will tend to be more "rustic" in style. I would prefer something a bit more fruit-forward to sip with the lasagne. Argentine Malbecs tend to be "juicier" and softer as well - qualities that will marry perfect with Deb's dish. Susana Balbo, an outstanding producer in Argentina (one of my favorites), makes an affordable line of wines called "Crios", meaning "offspring". The Malbec is a delicious, everyday wine and can be found for around $11.99.

I think I'd like to plan a dinner party around this recipe! Looks so delicious - perfect to share with friends!

one potato, two potato

Deborah
A crowd-pleasing recipe is always something good to have in your back pocket. When catering large buffet parties I always like to include a dish that will knock everybody's socks off. I look to classic comfort foods for this, something that will resonate with most guests and ensure that people feel pampered and spoiled.

It is hard to go wrong with the fresh potatoes coming into the farm stands these days.

French chef and cookbook writer Madeleine Kamman's potato gratin suits the bill completely. This recipe is uncomplicated to make and deeply satisfying to eat. I always include it in my annual family Christmas dinner. It a great compliment for large spreads and goes especially well with roasts and braises of any kind.

These two well thumbed copies of her books have served me well. I had the pleasure of taking a cooking class with Ms. Kamman several years ago and my copy of her The New Making of a Cook is signed!


Last weekend I made this gratin for a party I catered for 30 guests. There was a lot of peeling, I went through ten pounds of potatoes and more than 1 quart of cream, but the beauty of the recipe is that it can easily be scaled up or down. The potatoes can be peeled and sliced the day before cooking and stored in the fridge completely covered in water. Once baked it can be kept warm in an oven for an hour or two before serving. Very forgiving, this recipe won't fail you. It is rich and decadent and perfect for a dinner party.

Potato Gratin
-based on a recipe by Madeleine Kamman
1 garlic clove
2 Tbs. butter
4 large potatoes, thinly sliced
pinch of ground nutmeg
s &p to taste
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Rub garlic onto the bottom amd sides of an oven proof cassarole dish. I use a paper towl to hold the garlic and really crush it down as I rub. Discard the remains of the garlic and rub the dish with the butter. Layer the potato slices in  the dish, adding salt and pepper and nutmeg to each layer as you go. Pour the cream into the pan and shake a bit to distribute around the potatoes. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, using a spatula every now and then during baking to push the potatoes down and allow the cream to rise up. There will be a golden brown crust when the dish is finished baking.
Will keep for at least two hours in a warm oven before serving if needed.

serves four.

Amanda
MMMMMM. How can this recipe not be delicious? As this would be a side dish, and not a main meal, you would pair a wine with the main course. However, the simplicity of this dish, and the "basic" flavor profile of really allows it to be quite wine-friendly.

I have a few thoughts in mind regarding wine choice. For a white, you could go in one of two directions - complement, or contrast. Both these schools of thought work quite well when it comes to pairing wine with food. A rich, buttery Chardonnay would be a great match if you are looking to "complement" the potatoes. The similar qualities in the wine and food are perfect together. If you are looking for a contrast, I would look towards something with crisp acidity to "cut through" the rich, buttery flavors of the potatoes, perhaps a Sauvignon Blanc. A "contrasting" wine will help cleanse the palate as well. Why not choose one of each and see for yourself?

For reds - though many would work, I am thinking specifically of Beaujolais. How could I not? Fall and the holiday season makes this delightful red a real treat.  Most of you are probably familiar with Beaujolais Nouveau, and Beaujolais Villages. What I'm thinking of are the Cru Beaujolais - these are site specific, made from the top Villages. The wine takes the name of the village from which it came. There are 10 different "crus", all producing wines with different characteristics. The wines are food friendly, and are a must-have at Thanksgiving. And, even the Cru Beaujolais are not too expensive. Most can be found for between $10 and $20.

The grape used for the production of Beaujolais is Gamay. For Deb's Gratin, I would choose a Beaujolais that is a little fuller bodied. A Morgon would be nice, with its earthy undertones.  A Moulin-a-Vent also would work well. A little oak aging gives this wine nice structure and roundness, perfect for standing up to the richness of Deb's dish. Sometimes, you might see the words "futs de chene" (oak casks) on the label which will indicate the wine has seen some oak.  These wines will typically be the more full-bodied of the Beaujolais. These reds have great depth, and are very fruit-forward. If you are not familiar with these wines, definitely check them out! For consistenly good wines, look for Georges Duboeuf. 

The store wine store I work for just got in several different DuBoeuf Cru Beaujolais at the shop. If you are interested in reading more about them, please check out Carlo Russo's Wine and Spirit World on line.

picture perfect

Deborah

"...that is, to acknowledge that there is more beauty than our eyes can bear, that precious things have been put into our hands and to do nothing to honor them is to do great harm." 

-Marilynne Robinson, Gilead

Traipsing through the Louvre last week I was stunned to discover that you are free to photograph ANYTHING you want in the museum! No flash allowed, but that rule was ignored by the masses clustered around the Mona Lisa. Indignant art history major, I worried about the future of these gorgeous masterpieces, and wanted to enforce the rule myself, but thought better of it as I was seriously out-numbered.

If you can't beat them, at least follow the law of the land. I took a few flash-free snaps of some of my favorite images like this one:

How could I resist this charming Dutch lass?

 

Paintings of food never fail to grab me. I have a future fantasy life of being a vegetable portrait artist. 

When I came across this magnificent cauliflower at a local produce store this week I felt compelled to bring it home and at the very least, take it's pic. And then eat it.

Doesn't it look like a sexy lady with her dress falling off? Well, I think so:)

My recent sojourn in Paris  failed to turn up much in the way of many interesting vegetable recipes. In fact, I believe the French are not all that different from Americans in their vegetable eating habits. Most French meals are based around a prominent meat offering with vegetables as serious second fiddlers. Admittedly, The French know their way around a salad and I bow to their vinaigrettes.

For simple, insanely delicious vegetable recipes Mario Batali knows his stuff. I looked up cauliflower in his Molto Italiano cookbook and found Penne with Cauliflower which in his own words is "...a recipe so simple that it seems, well, almost pathetic."

Pretty funny, Mario!

Penne with Cauliflower-adapted from a recipe by Mario Batali

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbs. crushed chili peppers

1 head cauliflower, broken into florets

salt & pepper 
1/4 cup white wine

1 lb. penne

1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs- parsley or basil

1/2 cup grated parmasean

Heat oil in saute pan and add the garlic and crushed chili, cook for two minutes till garlic is golden. Add the cauliflower and salt and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes. Add about 1/2 cup water and cover the pan, cooking for another 10 minutes. Add a splash of white wine and continue cooking, uncovered till the cauliflower is tender, maybe two more minutes.

Cook the pasta al dente, drain and add to the cauliflower, tossing to coat the pasta. Add the chopped herbs and the grated cheese.

SERVES 6

ps- has anyone been to EATALY yet? Have not had a chance to get over there and battle the crowds. Maybe next week.

Amanda
I have heard a lot about Eataly, but have not yet had the opportunity to make the trip. One of these days I will venture into NYC to check it out. I've heard it's a mob scene, as one might imagine. But I am sure it is well worth it!

Deb, once again, your pictures are so beautiful! Especially the one of the cauliflower - you should enter that one into a contest!

I have some cauliflower at home - so I might just make this dish for dinner! Looks great. Deb, how long does cauliflower last when kept in the fridge? I bought mine several weeks ago, and it still looks perfect. And did you use the leaves in this dish? It looks like you did in the picture. Just wondering since I never thought of using them.

I think any white wine would really work here. I would buy a decent bottle of white, and use it for the dish, and also for sipping. I would be inclined to go with a nice Pinot Gris - just keep it on the dry side. Pinot Gris is rich and has great texture, with nice acidity as well. It is extremely food-friendly. The grape is known for producing wines with flavors of peach, citrus, apple or pears. Pinot Gris from California will be rich and fruit forward, while in the cooler climates of Europe the wine tends to be more crisp with greater acidity. In Italy, this wine is known as Pinot Grigio (which would also be a great choice for this dish).

Zind Humbrecht is one of my favorite Alsace producers who makes an outstanding Pinot Gris. Not inexpensive, their regular bottling can be found for around $20. Trimbach is another terrific producer in Alsace to look for. But because there are really no "bold" flavors, seasonings, spices, sauces, etc - you can really not go wrong with your wine choice here. I would, however, stick with white.

back from Paris

Deborah
There are a million wonderful reasons to visit Paris. For me it begins here:

The first cup of coffee!

 

The museums, gardens, sculptures...

everywhere you look!

The cafes with cute names,

the details,

the markets,

markets,

markets!

One memorable afternoon along the banks of the charming canal St. Martin...

 

we had a wonderful lunch at the chic and trendy Hotel du Nord. I almost did not order this dish because it was described as a stir-fry with Pastis. How very strange?!  Pastis is an anise flavored liquor. I wasn't getting the concept, but made a leap of faith anyway. Oh la la! So so so good. There was fennel in the vegetable mix and the Pastis echoed that flavor. I then reflected that five spice seasoning, which is a stir-fry staple, has fennel seed in it so everything was starting to make sense.

Our trip was amazing and I still am on a cloud of aesthetic overload. The city is insanely beautiful in countless ways and I really think I should become a Paris blogger now. Well, in the meantime, I attempted to recreate the delicious stir-fry I enjoyed so much. I went out and bought a bottle of Pastis when I got home (I couldn't find it at the duty free).

I happened to have all the vegetables I needed from the local NY farmers market and I am happy to report that my version is close to a perfect match.

Can you see that little dish of sel de mer (sea salt) on the bottom right? This was my big shopping splurge in Paris. I got a bargain large bag of grey sel de mer for under three euros! 

Stir- fry Vegetables with Pastis

The version of this dish in Paris had asparagus in it as well, but I wanted to keep the ingredients seasonal for my version, pictured here.  I loved the radishes in the original dish, an inspired choice that I would never have thought to add to a stir-fry.

3 Tbs. Olive Oil

10 radishes cut into thin strips with a mandoline or knife

1 fennel bulb, cut into thin strips with a mandoline or knife

6 carrots, peeled and shaved into thin strips with a mandoline or vegetable peeler

1 teas. salt

3 Tbs. Pastis or Pernod

Heat oil in wok. Add the radishes and cook till barely tender for about two minutes, stirring constantly, add a pinch of salt as they cook. Remove from wok and add the fennel and another pinch of salt. Cook for two minutes and remove from wok. Add the carrots and another pinch of salt and stir fry for two minutes. Add the other vegetables back into the wok and then add the Pastis or Pernod. Let the vegetables simmer in the liquor for another minute until the liquid is absorbed. Garnish with a sprinkle of sel de mer and serve immediately.

Amanda- we drank some wonderful Côtes de Provence Rosés while in France, all fantastic and all very inexpensive! Do you think that is a good choice with this dish?

Amanda
I'm glad you had a terrific time! The pictures are beautiful and I would love to hear more about some of the fabulous meals I am sure you enjoyed! This stir fry looks marvelous - I never would've thought about the Pernod or Pastis as an ingredient for this kind of dish.


You mentiond enjoying the Cotes de Provence Roses - I think you hit the nail on the head. There is nothing I can think of that would make a better complement. A fruit-forward Rose with a hint of spice and plenty of fruit would be simply ideal for these vegetables. The spice notes in the wine would just marry perfectly to the licorice flavor of the Pernod. (as I am sure you already know since you had the pleasure of savoring this combination on your trip).


Roses from the Cotes de Provence are typically a blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah. For those of you unfamiliar with Cinsault, it is a red grape (sweet and juicy) which grows on the hillsides of France.  The grapes are used for blending, and give great aromatics to the wine. (It is one of the 13 varietals allowed to be used for Chateauneuf-du-Pape, one of France's superstars).  When used in Provence Roses, it lends beautiful structure and softness to the wines, making them elegant and "feminine". The Syrah gives the wine it's spice.

The great thing about Roses from Provence is not only the quality, but the price. It is very easy to find wonderful examples in the under $15 price range. Domaine de Pourcieux makes a very fine Rose possessing beautiful ripe fruit flavors. I imagine it would show perfectly next to Deb's recipe. For $11.99, this is a true bargain. Deb - I suggest you locate a bottle and cook up your stir-fry, pull out some photos and reminisce about your trip! Though, it would probably be near impossible to re-create the original experience!

please, eat your vegetables

 Deborah
The New York Times has been running articles about how we Americans don't eat enough vegetables. In fact we are eating less and less. This is a pity for all the obvious reasons. I am an admitted omnivore yet I consider vegetables to be one of the greatest joys of life. The fact that they are healthy for our diet is only part of the story. I am enamored of the way they grow, the way they look, taste, and smell. Jane E. Brody who writes a weekly science column for the Times has challenged her readers to propose ways to increase vegetable consumption in this country. Marketing schemes are already under way but certain obsticales have to be overcome. The fact is that vegetables are much harder or should I say, more confusing to cook than meat. Vegetables come in all shapes and sizes, they may have to be peeled, or cleaned of sand and grit or cored or seeded or destemmed. Some can be eaten raw, some have to be cooked. Some taste great both ways.  A lot of variables need to be considered. Storage, freshness, provenece are also considerations.

There are plenty of fresh greens in the farmers markets right now. I simply stir fry any mix of greens with some garlic, olive oil and a squeeze of lemon to finish.

Let us begin where we can by trying to eat some vegetables everyday. Salads are easy, no? A head of romaine lettuce roughly chopped with a drizzle of oil and vinegar can be part of a daily meal.

Look for cook books that have simple recipes so you can make a meal quickly.

Kylie Kwong Simple Chinese Cooking is a wonderful book to find really flavorful yet easy to prepare recipes for vegetables.

Look for vegetables in Asian markets, where they can be found in abundance and at very good prices because of the large demand.

Kylie Kwong's really simple stir fry of snow peas took no more than 10 minutes to prepare.

Heat oil in wok, stir fry snow peas and a pinch of salt for 2 minutes, add crushed garlic and a pinch of sugar, stir fry another minute, add a splash of water to get the snow peas simmering till tender for another 2 minutes. Splash on some sesame oil and serve.
The splash of sesame oil at the end of cooking seems to be Kylie's signature flourish and boy is it good!


This is a subject I will continue to revisit. As for now I am off to Paris for a week to see what the French do with their vegetables and wine!

A bientôt!

Amanda

I definitely need to check out these articles in the NY Times! I have not seen them. But I have to say, I don't necessarily think that veggies are more difficult to cook - I think it's more about what we're used to. Take for example, a whole chicken. I wouldn't know the first thing about carving it or cutting it up properly. Or all of the numerous cuts of beef out there - which one to use for which preparation. Stews, roasts, steaks, stirfrys, etc. And then, what to do with them once you have them in your kitchen, as far as trimming, prepping, seasoning, and cooking. I think in general, for the mere fact that people don't eat a lot of veggies, they just seem more daunting. It's what we're used to. People are "comfortable" with meat. Not so much with veggies. I would venture to guess that the majority of people find meat easier to deal with only because that's what they eat most of the time. But I think those who normally don't eat many veggies would actually find them quite simple (relatively) to prepare (with a little education and patience, of course).

Take, for example, the recipe at hand. How could any meat dish be as simple to prepare?  Not to mention healthy. I find vegetarian cuisine so much more exciting than meat or fish dishes these days. The possibilities are endless. In my opinion, there are limitations to what you can do with meat and fish dishes. This is really what led me to adopt a more "vegetarian" lifestyle - boredom.  I am constantly reading and learning about new ways to incorporate veggies into wonderful, new dishes (thanks, Deb!), and I fall in love with each new recipe a little more than the last!

As for wine, Deb's snow peas really call for a crisp, light white. Something simple and inexpensive. I would love to sip a Gruner Veltliner, or Albarino with this delightfully light, healthy dish. Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand would also be a great choice.





going for the gold

Deborah

A trip to Union Square Greenmarket yesterday left me dizzy with possibilities. This time of year is the absolute height of summer harvest and the choices were overwhelming. I had the urge to set up a stove and start cooking right in the middle of the market having all the amazing produce within arm's reach. Needing to narrow this fantasy down a bit I found myself gravitating towards the glowing golden summer squash. When I got home and glanced out the window to my backyard that same golden color dotting the gardenscape. Ah, the charms of early fall!

My husband and I are planning a trip to Paris and we leave next week! In anticipation I have been browsing the internet for interesting items to add to our itinerary. What bliss when I discovered a charming charming oh so charming blog called Paris Breakfast. The photos are sublime and the point of view is tres chic! Today's color story is an homage to Paris Breakfast. Merci Madame!

The golden summer squash I picked up at the market reminded me of a recipe I have not made in a few years: a summer squash gratin. It is a deceptively delicious dish with a surprisingly rich flavor. I once brought it to a dinner party hosted by four strapping brothers, not realizing they were dedicated carnivores who never entertain vegetables. This humble dish was passed around the table and the brothers gave it full approval. One of them commented that it tasted like Thanksgiving. Not bad, right?

Summer Squash Gratin

4 small yellow squash, thinly sliced

1 onion, thinnly sliced

3 Tbs. Olive oil

1/4 grated Parmesan Cheese

3 Tbs. chopped fresh Thyme

salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a saute pan and cook the onions slowly till golden brown, about 10 minutes. In a baking dish arrange a layer of half the sliced squash, top with half the onions and half the herbs. Repeat with remaining squash, onions and herbs. Sprinkle the  cheese on top and drizzle a little more olive oil over the top. Salt and pepper to taste. Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes until the squash is tender.

Amanda

I definitely get the connection between this dish and Thanksgiving! In fact, this dish will likely appear on my table on that day, my most favorite of holidays! I love the simplicity of this recipe and the wonderful results I'm sure it yields.

I don't talk much about Merlot in our blog. It's just not one of my regular "go to" wines. Not that I have anything against it. It just escapes my radar for some reason. But funny. When I read Deb's post, I instantly thought of Merlot as the ideal match for this Gratin. Merlot not only displays ripe plum and dark fruit flavors, but it commonly will give off hints of tobacco, tea leaf, rosemary, thyme, fennel, mushroom and sage on the palate. The idea of these characteristics mingling with the parmesan and thyme flavors from the dish delights me! Remember - you want to match a wine to a dish based on the sauces, marinades, or herbs used - not necessarily the main ingredient. So the thyme, parmesan and carmelized onions are really what has driven me to the thought of Merlot. My mouth waters thinking about it!

If you are looking for something inexpensive that can be enjoyed on an everyday basis, the Columbia Crest Horse Heaven Hills from Washington State is a good place to start. For $10.99, the wine is a true bargain. For a little more money, St Francis in Sonoma County is another reliable source for Merlot, and can be found in the $17 price range. And, if a special occasion calls for a higher-end wine, the Merlot from Rombauer in the Carneros area of Napa is a sure-fire hit. Sitting around a table with family and friends while enjoying Deb's gratin and sipping a glass of Rombauer is a recipe for a spectacular night!