Stop the Presses – Maine Governor Declares October Lobster Month & Lobster Mac & Cheese

Who’d a thunk it? That New England could be blessed with gorgeous foliage and big, beautiful lobsters all in the same month. When most people think of lobster, they think of the Fourth of July. If you’ve been around long enough you may remember huge clam bakes on the beach over Labor Day Weekend. How could you forget the backbreaking work of digging a giant hole in the sand and filling it with seaweed, lobster, clams, corn and sausages? Or maybe you’ve forgotten all the work and just remember the fun that came afterwards. Anyway most towns passed laws banning ginormous holes and open fires on their beaches two or three decades ago.

But bans and can’ts are the mother of many inventions. Several clever lobster lovers and chefs have come up with ingenious ideas for cooking these delicious crustaceans. Many involve twenty gallon trash cans, slow steady fires and seaweed. Before you melt your trash can (your old Rubbermaid won’t do, you’ll need a non galvanized steel model) or get cited for a bonfire in your backyard, consider cooking them inside . You can always bring them out to the picnic table with lots of fanfare and flourish. A few theatrics will make everyone forget that you cooked them on the stove. And if someone makes a fuss, well, just take them off your list for next year.

A big, oversized kettle will do the job in no time. And once you buy one, you’ll wonder how you ever survived without a twenty or thirty quart kettle. Finally, you’ll have a pot large enough to make chowder or chili for the entire neighborhood. It will also come in handy when you want to turn the Thanksgiving turkey bones into a nice rich stock. (In case it’s slipped your mind, Thanksgiving is right around the corner.)

But back to lobster and why October is the perfect month for a lobster feast. A few years ago I was writing a story on eating locally and met one of New Hampshire’s lobstermen. Among other lobster trivia, Bobby Nudd told me that the fall was the best time to eat lobster. That’s when the catch is plentiful and therefore cheap. Sounds to me like the perfect combination for any thrifty New Englander. As we ended the interview, Bobby left me with one particularly wise piece of advice, “You haven’t had enough until the butter is dripping off your elbows and you can’t get out of the chair.”

If we’re lucky, we’ll have one more warm and wonderful Saturday or Sunday afternoon before we hit nearly-winter, early-winter, well-and-truly-winter and will-winter-never-end. That’ll be the day to drag the picnic table around the backyard until you find a sunny spot and gather everyone together for lobster. Can you think of anything better than one last lobster feed, especially if it is against a gorgeous backdrop of red and gold? In a week or two, a long and lazy meal outdoors will be nothing more than a sad and distant memory.

And what if the weather doesn’t cooperate or too many soccer games get in the way or you just can’t seem to get organized for a backyard bash? Well, you can still enjoy lobster. You might even want to take it up a notch with an elegant lobster stew or homey lobster and corn chowder. Then again with cooler weather, maybe only a comfy, cozy, absolutely decadent lobster mac and cheese will do.

Enjoy Lobster Month and bon appétit!

Mac & Cheese with Lobster & Sundried Tomatoes
This rich and decadent dish is best served after a busy day raking leaves or a long hike! Enjoy.
Serves 8-12

3-4 (1 1/2 pound) lobsters
Olive oil
1 shallot, diced
cheeses, grated
3/4 cup white wine
1 bay leaf
2 cups heavy cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Pinch nutmeg
1 pound pasta – cavatappi, medium shells, penne or elbow macaroni
1/2 cup oil-packed sundried tomatoes, well drained and chopped
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
4 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano or a 50/50 mix of Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano
4 ounces Fontina cheese, grated

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the lobsters for 6-8 minutes. When shells are bright red, remove the lobsters from the pot and immediately throw them in ice water. Remove the claw and tail meat, cut into bite-sized pieces and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Heat a little olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat; add the shallots and sauté until translucent. Add the white wine and bay leaf. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook until the wine is reduced by half. Add the heavy cream, nutmeg and season with pepper to taste. Let the cream come just to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and let the cream simmer and reduce for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta, according to package directions less 1-2 minutes in a large pot of well-salted boiling water.

While the cream is reducing and the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a skillet. Add the breadcrumbs and herbs and sauté until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Transfer the breadcrumbs to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Add 1/4 of the Parmigiano-Reggiano and toss to combine.

Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Stir in the cream, add the Fontina and the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano and toss to combine. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Add the lobster and sundried tomatoes and toss to combine. Cover and cook over low heat until the cheese has melted and the lobster is cooked through, 3-5 minutes.

Give the pasta a final stir, spoon into shallow bowls and sprinkle with the cheesy breadcrumbs.

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One Year Ago – Sausage, Kale & Potato Soup
Two Years Ago – Soupe au Pistou
Three Years Ago – Mulled Cider

Do you have a favorite lobster recipe? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below.

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new stories and recipes.

Want more? Feel free to visit my photoblog Susan Nye 365 or click here for more recipes and magazine articles or here to watch me cook! I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good.

© Susan W. Nye, 2011

In the Kitchen – How to Make Cornier Corn Chowder

On a cool fall evening or cold and rainy August night, corn chowder is a delicious and easy meal. Same goes for risotto with corn (if you haven’t tried it – do and by all means garnish with seared scallops and roasted tomatoes). Most people use chicken broth for their corn chowders, soups and risottos. I like to use a 50/50 mix of corn and chicken stock.

As long as you are willing to spend a few minutes of prep time and hang around while it simmers, making corn stock is a snap. Why not cook up a big batch of homemade corn stock on the next rainy afternoon? Use some now and freeze the rest.

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How to make corn stock:

12 ears corn
1 large onion
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Cut the kernels off the cobs. You should end up with 9 or more cups of kernels. Store the kernels in the refrigerator until you are ready to use. Blanch any extra kernels (cook in boiling salted water for 1 minute, plunge into ice water to stop the cooking and drain well) and then freeze them.

Snap the corn cobs in half so they will be easier to handle. Put the corn cobs, onion, celery, carrots and thyme in a large soup kettle and season with salt and pepper. Add 5 quarts of cold water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 – 2 hours.

Cool the stock to room temperature, strain the stock and discard the solids. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to ready to use.

Makes 4-5 quarts of stock. If you have a really big kettle (I have a 22-quart pot for cooking lobsters), use it for an even bigger batch!

Want more? Click here for more tips, tricks and tools! 

What’s your favorite kitchen trick or tip? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. © Susan W. Nye, 2011

Confessions of a Sweet Corn Bandit & Grilled Corn, Black Bean & Avocado Salsa

Forget the Fourth of July fireworks, sand castles and the Hospital Day Parade. No summer event is more eagerly anticipated, more impatiently awaited than the first ears of sweet corn. Want perfection? Minutes after it’s picked, husk a ripe ear of corn and plunge it into a pot of boiling water. Cook it for exactly 4 minutes and enjoy bliss with a little butter and salt.

Like many women, thirteen was one of the worst times of my life. I was plagued with the usual angst of adolescence. I had my fair share of pimples. My unruly curls produced a never ending run of bad hair days, particularly in the summer. And, I had braces. My teeth were encased in torturous steel, wire and rubber bands. Not only painful, braces made it virtually impossible to eat corn on the cob. After the first bite, kernels were hideously and obstinately embedded in every steel nook and cranny. Taking pity on me, my mother tried cutting the kernels off the cob. It just didn’t taste the same. In despair, I gave up fresh corn for the duration.

When I moved to Switzerland I was again deprived of sweet corn. For close to twenty years I lived near Geneva; where, until fairly recently, corn on the cob was only for cows. About the time I packed my bags to move back to the States, corn on the cob began to trickle ever so slowly onto supermarket shelves. Grown in southern Africa, by the time the ears arrived they were a poor and pitiful shadow of what sweet corn should be.

There is a lot of open farm land surrounding Geneva and the Swiss grow cow corn in abundance. After all it takes a lot of corn to feed the cows to get the milk to make all that cheese and chocolate. Bicycling through those fields was one of my favorite weekend activities. I always looked at those fields with longing (for sweet corn) and despair (because it wasn’t). One particular Saturday, some friends and I went on a long bike ride past row after row of ripening corn.

After the ride, we joined forces for an impromptu potluck cookout. Preparations were well underway when a few of us were hit by the nagging sense that something was missing. Corn on the cob of course! Fueled by optimism and hope, we decided that there must surely be a tiny window when cow corn was sweet and crisp. And of course we figured that the tiny window was open at just that very minute.

And so began the great Corn Caper. We donned baseball caps, hoodies and sunglasses, hopped back on our bikes and went off to pilfer the nearest field. Our band of merry thieves was not made up of foolish teenage hooligans but foolish thirty-something professionals uncontrollably driven by delicious memories of fresh sweet corn. At least for the moment we didn’t care if our families were shamed by scandalous headlines (Foreigners Arrested in Agricultural Heist – Deportation Imminent). Nor did we worry that the farmer might skip 911 and fill our backsides with buck shot.

We completed our raid without apprehension or worse and returned to the party with backpacks stuffed with corn. Working against the clock, we husked the ears and threw them into boiling water. With great anticipation we all took the first, long-awaited bite. Edible, but tough and tasteless. We were denied that sweet taste of summer … and home.

Of course there was an upside to the whole debacle. Since our caper could hardly be called successful, I was not tempted to quit my job and begin a life of crime. Enjoy summer’s bounty and,

Bon appétit!

Grilled Corn, Black Bean & Avocado Salsa
This salsa is great as an appetizer with tortilla chips and delicious as a side dish with chicken or seafood. Enjoy!
Makes 5-6 cups

Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil plus more for the corn
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon or to taste minced jalapeno
1 teaspoon cumin
Kosher salt to taste
2-3 ears corn, shucked (about 1 1/2 cups of kernels)
1 pound tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups chopped tomato)
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced or about 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups (15-ounce can) cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
2-3 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro leaves
1-2 avocados, chopped

Put the lime juice, olive oil, garlic, jalapeno and cumin in a small bowl, season with salt and whisk to combine. Let sit for at least 10 minutes to combine the flavors.

Preheat the grill to high. Brush the corn with a little olive oil. Lay the ears directly on the grill and cook for 3-5 minutes, turning to cook evenly. Remove from the grill and when they are cool enough to handle, use a sharp knife to remove the kernels from the cobs. (When fresh corn is not available, stir-fry frozen shoepeg corn in a little olive oil over medium-high heat until lightly browned.)

Put the corn, tomatoes, scallions and black beans in a large bowl and toss to combine. Pour the lime juice-olive oil mixture over the vegetables and toss to combine. Add the cilantro and toss again. Let sit for 15-20 minutes or up to a few hours in the refrigerator to mix and meld the flavors.

Add the avocado, toss to combine and serve immediately as a dip with your favorite tortilla chips or as a side dish with grilled chicken or seafood.

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One Year Ago – Crostini with Goat Cheese
Two Years Ago – Corn & Chicken Chowder
Three Years Ago – Joe Nye’s Perfect Lobster  

Did you suffer through braces in middle school and high school? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below.

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my other, cleverly named blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or photoblog Susan Nye 365. You can find more than 250 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more on my website. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2011

Weekend Special –Father’s Day Celebration!

Somehow I don’t think of brunch for Father’s Day. After all real men or maybe it’s just some men don’t eat quiche! Whether you get together for a Father’s Day lunch or dinner, why not make it a cookout. It’s his day – let him hang out in shorts and his favorite t-shirt. I’m betting most dads will appreciate a casual get-together with family and friends. Here are a few ideas!
Dad Joking with his Youngest Granddaughter

To Start:
The season is so short, if you can still find some, start your celebration with some LOCAL Grilled Asparagus. Nibble on a spear au natural or dip it in Peanut-Sesame Dipping Sauce. For a heartier hors d’oeurvre, make bruschetta with my Feta & Walnut Spread and garnish each piece with a grilled asparagus tip.

The Main Event:
If your dad is a meat and potatoes guy, you can’t go wrong with Grilled Tenderloin Tips with Roasted Potatoes & Roquefort Salad. It may be a salad but this one-dish dinner is hearty and men love it.

Then again, maybe your dad is a lobster lover like mine. If that’s the case, try Joe Nye’s Perfect Lobster or my Lobster Salad. (My local MarketBasket supermarket will cook the lobsters for you while you shop. As long as the steamer isn’t already full with someone else’s lobsters, it takes about ten minutes.) At our house, lobster is always served with kettle chips. Dad’s favorites are from Utz. Whether you go with boiled lobster or lobster salad, I like to add something crunchy (besides the chips!) like Jicama Slaw or Asian Slaw.

Sweet Finale:
It’s too early for local blueberries but I might just have to bake up one of Dad’s favorite Blueberry Pies. Then again, Strawberry & White Chocolate Fool sounds pretty yummy. I’m keeping my eye on the Pick-Your-Own strawberry field at the end of the street and impatiently waiting for it to open.

Have a great day with your dad! Bon appétit!

Grilled Asparagus

Lots of fresh, local asparagus, woody ends snapped off
Enough walnut or extra virgin olive oil to lightly coat the asparagus
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Enough white wine vinegar or lemon juice to lightly on spritz the asparagus

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill. Fire should be medium hot.

Toss the asparagus with a little oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the asparagus, turning once, until tender about 1 minute per side. Transfer the asparagus to a platter, sprinkle with a little vinegar or lemon juice and serve.

What are serving Dad on Father’s Day? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below. I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Want more? Click here for more seasonal menus! In addition, I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. © Susan W. Nye, 2011

Asparagus & Asparagus & Goat Cheese Tart

Memorial Day has come and gone. June brings sunny days and warm nights. Lilacs, lupine and iris bloom. Beautiful brides put jitters aside and walk gracefully down the aisle. Students dread, cram and cram some more for final exams and then celebrate joyous graduations.
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And cooks, we do our own little happy dance. Fresh, local asparagus is in the market.

In case you are wondering what to do with early summer’s bounty …
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1. Wrap it in up. Roll up whole spears in sheets of buttery phyllo. Add a sprinkle of parmesan and you’ve got a wonderfully simple appetizer.

2. Steam it until it is tender-crisp. Whatever you do, don’t overcook. No one but no one likes soggy grey asparagus. Finish the bright green stalks with a drizzle of lemon butter. If you want to get a little fancy, dress it up with hollandaise.

3. Roast it. Before you slide it in the oven lightly coat with walnut oil and white wine vinegar and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

4. Grill it on high heat after a light toss in extra virgin olive oil. Hot off the grill, add a squirt of lemon and serve.

5. Put it in the blender and turn it into a smooth and creamy soup. Serve hot or cold.

6. Throw it in a salad. Raw, steamed, roasted or grilled, asparagus is a great addition to a summer salad. Try it with dandelion greens or a colorful mesclun mix. Top it off with a sprinkle of toasted walnuts or crumbled gorgonzola or both!

7. Toss it with pasta. A little extra virgin olive oil, finely chopped shallot, a touch of garlic and a squeeze of lemon turn asparagus and pasta into a heavenly feast. Sprinkle with grated lemon peel, chopped parsley and crumbled feta. Dinner is served.

8. Stir it into risotto. Who doesn’t love risotto? Add chopped asparagus about five maybe ten minutes before the risotto is al dente. A definite winner!

9. Stir fry it. Start with a little garlic, a little ginger and a touch of spicy hot pepper flakes. Add the asparagus and toss until it’s tender-crisp. Top it off with a splash of soy sauce and lime juice.

10. Bake it in a tart. Combine asparagus, tangy goat cheese and creamy custard in a flakey pastry shell and bake to golden perfection.

For big celebrations, simple family suppers or romantic picnics, June is the month for lots and lots of asparagus.

Bon appétit!

Asparagus & Goat Cheese Tart
This versatile dish is great for brunch, lunch or a light supper. Enjoy!
Serves 6-8

Savory Flakey Pastry (recipe follows)
Olive oil
About 12 ounces asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces
1 small shallot, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
2 ounces parmesan cheese, grated
4 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup half & half
1 teaspoon Dijon
Pinch nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and arrange the rack in the middle of the oven.

Roll out the pastry dough on a lightly floured surface. Line a 9-10 inch pie or tart pan with the pastry leaving about 1/4-inch for shrinkage; crimp the edges. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the asparagus and shallot and season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes. Cool the veggies, sprinkle with flour and toss to coat. Put the vegetables in the pie shell. Sprinkle with the cheeses.

Whisk the eggs, milk, mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the pie shell, adding just enough to come within 1/4-inch of the top of the shell.

Transfer the tart to the oven. Cook for 5 minutes and lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the custard is set and quiche is golden brown. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Savory Flakey Pastry
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening, cold, cut into small pieces
2-4 tablespoons ice water

Blend flour and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and shortening; process until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Sprinkle with ice water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time and process until the dough comes together in a ball. Remove the dough from the food processor and flatten into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic; chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.

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One Year Ago – Not Your Ordinary Burger
Two Years Ago – Strawberry-Rhubarb Soup

Do you have a question? An idea, a few thoughts or an opinion you’d like to share? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below.

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my other, cleverly named blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or website www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2011

It’s Apple Picking Time & Apple Crisp

I am a bookworm. Whether it’s the latest best seller or something more serious, I love getting lost in a book. When I went off to first grade I soon discovered that the best thing about school was not recess but trips to the library and learning to read. Of course picture books were great but I became absolutely, positively hooked when I graduated to “chapter books”. It was wonderful to escape into new, interesting, even magical worlds. Life in my quiet suburban neighborhood was nothing but dull compared to the fascinating lives of Pippi Longstocking, Nancy Drew and Mary Poppins.

By the time I was in the fourth grade, the Upham School library was one of my favorite haunts. That’s where I discovered history. There were at least a couple of shelves devoted to the biographies of famous and not-quite-so famous Americans. I’m pretty sure I read them all from Louisa May Alcott to Booker T. Washington. Thanks to those books I aced the history questions in Trivial Pursuit. I read about humanitarians, inventors, patriots, politicians, soldiers, activists, artists, educators and writers. I learned about the revolution, George Washington and Paul Revere. I read about fascinating inventions and Eli Whitney, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington Carver. I was particularly interested in the stories of famous and a few not-so famous women. There were the nurses, Clara Barton and Florence Nightingale. There were the reformers, including the likes of Betsy Ross, Lucretia Mott and Helen Keller. And there were even a few colorful divas; the courageous and ever so lively Dolly Madison, the unsinkable Molly Brown and the charming Juliette Gordon Low.

I always had a special fondness for anyone who chose an unusual path, a road less traveled. I still do. Johnny Appleseed certainly fell into that category. Before I read his biography, I think I might have assumed that Johnny Appleseed was a myth or fictional character, the Jolly Green Giant of all things apple. Truth be told, Johnny Appleseed’s story sounds a bit more legend than fact. However, unlike Paul Bunyan, the Headless Horseman and Rip Van Winkle, Johnny Appleseed was a real-live folk hero. At eighteen he left New England and headed west to become an itinerant horticulturist and preacher. For sixty years he wandered barefoot through the countryside sowing apple seeds, cultivating orchards and preaching. Rumor has it that some of his orchards still exist today.

While apples are available from China and South America throughout the year, there is nothing like a tart, juicy, locally grown apple. Along with the spectacular foliage, a crisp, McIntosh or Cortland is the very definition of fall in New England. Picking-your-own is a wonderful way to enjoy an afternoon outdoors. Family farms can be found throughout New Hampshire and many open their orchards to the public in September and October. While you are there, don’t forget the apple cider. It’s wonderful cold and just as wonderful mulled with a little cinnamon, cloves and ginger.

Enjoy apple season. Take a long walk through an old orchard and pick a bushel or a peck. Next fill your kitchen with the fragrant perfume of apples, cinnamon and nutmeg and delight your friends and family with a delicious old fashioned crumble or pie. If you don’t feel like baking, grab one of those just picked crispy apples and settle down with a book in your favorite armchair for a good read.

Bon appétit!

Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp with Cranberry Coulis
Apple Crisp is great for fall, an easy crowd pleaser and a favorite of young and old alike. Enjoy.
Serves 10-12

5 pounds Macoun, Granny Smith or McIntosh apples, peeled, cored and cut in wedges
Grated zest of 1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1-2 tablespoons calvados or Apple Jack
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a large baking dish.
2. Combine the apples with the zests, lemon juice, calvados, brown sugar and spices. Pour into the buttered baking dish.
3. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples. Put the crisp on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake for 1 hour until the top is brown and the apples are bubbly. Serve warm with a spoonful of cranberry coulis and vanilla ice cream.

Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
12 tablespoons (6 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature and cut in pieces
1 cup oatmeal

1. Combine flour, sugar, salt and spices in a food processor; pulse to combine. Add the butter, pulse until the mixture resembles coarse corn meal. Add the oatmeal and pulse a few times to combine.

Cranberry Coulis
2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 cups apple cider
1 tablespoon calvados or apple jack
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch nutmeg

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and gently simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and cool.
2. Transfer the cranberry sauce to a blender and process until smooth. If the sauce seems too thick, add a little more cider. Strain through a sieve into a bowl; discard the seeds and skins.
3. Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Freeze any leftover coulis in a plastic container for up to 1 month.

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One Year Ago – Ravioli with Sage Pesto
Two Years Ago – Brie & Sun-dried Tomato Omelet  

What is your favorite apple recipe? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below.

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my other, cleverly named blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or website www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2010

Flag Days & Strawberry Gelato

It’s happened to all of us. A song gets stuck in our heads and refuses to budge. It could be Wheels on the Bus from nursery school, Frank’s version of New York New York or any one of a dozen one hit wonders. Different songs take up residence in my head throughout the year and vary by season. Twelve Days of Christmas seems to take hold for the entire month of December. Old Girl Scout camp songs come and go throughout the summer. As for Motown hits, they can catch hold at anytime.

From Memorial Day through D-Day commemorations, Flag Day and the Fourth of July, it’s not a song but a poem that creeps into my brain and refuses to budge. It’s Henry Holcomb Bennett’s famous poem. Whenever I pass a house with flags flying I get the urge to shout, “Hats off! The flag is passing by!” And then maybe rave a little about bugles, white stars and crimson stripes.

It’s my sister’s fault.

My sister Brenda is a few years older than me. I still remember when she memorized Mr. Bennett’s poem. It was not on a lark but a school assignment. I don’t know whether she chose that particular poem or if it was thrust upon her. I do know that for days on end (or so it seemed) she memorized and rehearsed; out loud and often. She rehearsed. And rehearsed. And rehearsed.

I can’t speak for the rest of my family but she practiced until I knew the poem by heart. Heck, I still remember parts of it all these years later. Truth be told, it’s a bit like having Muskrat Love stuck in your head for all eternity but much more patriotic.

And so now if it’s not there already, I’ll stick it in your head. Mr. Bennett’s poem that is, not “Muskrat Love”:

The Flag Goes By

Hats off!
Along the street there comes
A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums,
A flash of color beneath the sky:
Hats off!
The flag is passing by!

Blue and crimson and white it shines,
Over the steel-tipped, ordered lines.
Hats off!
The colors before us fly;
But more than the flag is passing by.

Sea-fights and land-fights, grim and great,
Fought to make and to save the State:
Weary marches and sinking ships;
Cheers of victory on dying lips;

Days of plenty and years of peace;
March of a strong land’s swift increase;
Equal justice, right and law,
Stately honor and reverend awe;

Sign of a nation, great and strong
To ward her people from foreign wrong:
Pride and glory and honor,—all
Live in the colors to stand or fall.

Hats off!
Along the street there comes
A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums;
And loyal hearts are beating high:
Hats off!
The flag is passing by!

Henry Holcomb Bennett, 1900

Happy Flag Day on June 14th! Unfurl your flag, enjoy the early days of summer and bon appétit.

Strawberry Gelato 
Strawberries are in season. A perfect excuse to pull out the ice cream machine that’s been sitting in the back of the cupboard all winter. Enjoy!
Serves 6

.

1 pound fresh strawberries*, hulled and roughly chopped
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups half & half
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Framboise** (optional)
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Fresh berries for garnish

In a blender combine the strawberries, sugar, half & half, vanilla and Framboise. Puree until smooth.

Refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.

Transfer the mixture into an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a plastic container and freeze for up to one month.

If the gelato comes out of the freezer rock hard, put it in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes. It will soften a little and be easier to scoop. Garnish with fresh berries and serve.

* You can substitute blueberries or make a batch of each! Add a scoop of Brown Sugar Gelato for a star spangle bannered dessert.

**Framboise is a French raspberry liqueur.

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One Year Ago – Asparagus Soup

Do you have a question? An idea, a few thoughts or an opinion you’d like to share? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below.

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my other, cleverly named blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or website www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2010

What to Do with Rhubarb & Rhubarb Crisp

It’s been a funny spring, a meteorological adventure. We wore sundresses on Easter Sunday but within a day or two were assailed by rain and snow. And then more heat, more snow, more rain and on and on it goes. Proving once again, if you don’t like the weather in New England, just wait a few minutes or at the most a few days.

At least for today there is no snow in the forecast and the sun is shining. When I look over my shoulder and out my office window I am rewarded with a forest of dazzling color. The maple and beech trees are in full leaf. Far from pale and demure, the bright and brilliant spring green leaves are practically florescent.

My brave daffodils are fading fast but the lilacs are in bloom, the lupines are beginning to bud and the rhubarb is at least two feet high. The rhubarb is a gift from my sister. When I moved into my house near Pleasant Lake there were no gardens just a lot of grass and a few bushes. Brenda came over with boxes and buckets filled with day lilies, Siberian iris, lilac, rhubarb and advice.

After I got it planted, I began to wonder what to do with the rhubarb. I asked Brenda if she had any great ideas. If I remember correctly, she told me that she grew rhubarb more for its good looks than for eating. With its big dark green leaves and red stalks it is indeed beautiful. My Pop Nye grew rhubarb when I was a kid. I remember his rhubarb plants were huge, at least as big as a five year old me.  However, I don’t remember eating his rhubarb. Thinking back it is doubly strange because my grandmother did a lot of baking, even during the summer.  She made lots of pies, cakes and crisps with blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, maybe even cherries, but not a one with rhubarb.

The first year, the plant was small so I followed Brenda’s advice and simply admired it. I think I did the same in year two. Eventually, I decided that I needed to make something out of it. I thought of pie. My friend Julie bakes rhubarb pies. She bakes them often enough that rhubarb pie might qualify as one of her specialties. She tops them with a fancy lattice crust which makes them all the more special. I decided to keep it simple and settled on rhubarb crisp; some call it a crumble.

I like the flexibility of a fruit crisp. You can use lots of different fruits. In the fall and winter my favorite is apple, with and without cranberries. In the summer, I make it with blueberries, peaches and plums. While I usually use fresh fruit, I have used frozen. They are homey and friendly, perfect for a casual get-together or a simple celebration. I’ve baked crisps and crumbles for cozy dinners for three or four as well as for parties of 100 or more.

Crisp seemed like a good starting point for my culinary experiments with rhubarb. My parents had nothing better to do so I invited them to take part in the research. I made it worth their while by throwing in dinner. We all agreed that it was delicious, a little tart and a little sweet. Now it is one of my go-to spring desserts; year round actually since rhubarb freezes beautifully.

Since that first rhubarb crisp, I have made rustic rhubarb crostatas and flan, rhubarb muffins and cakes as well as strawberry-rhubarb soup. Rhubarb and yummy rhubarb desserts are now among my favorite signs of spring.

Enjoy and bon appétit!

Old-Fashioned Rhubarb Crisp or Crumble
Who doesn’t love a good crisp or crumble? If you have never made one with rhubarb, give it a try! Enjoy!
Serves 6-8

1 tablespoon butter
2 pounds rhubarb, washed trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
Grated zest 1 orange
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Generously butter a 2 quart baking dish.

Combine the rhubarb with the orange zest, Grand Marnier, brown sugar and spices.  Pour into the baking dish. Sprinkle with the crumble topping.

Put the crisp on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly, 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Crispy-Crumbly Topping
3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 pinch nutmeg
4 ounces cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup quick-cooking oatmeal

Combine the flour, sugar, salt and spices in a food processor; pulse to combine.  Add the butter, pulse until the mixture resembles coarse corn meal.  Add the oatmeal; pulse until the topping comes together in small lumps.

*To freeze rhubarb, wash, dry, trim and chop the stalks into bite size pieces. Then, store in plastic re-sealable bags. Do not thaw before using. 

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One Year Ago – Spicy Grilled Steak

Do you have a question? An idea, a few thoughts or an opinion you’d like to share? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below.

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my other, cleverly named blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or website www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2010

On Becoming an Expatriate & Lavender Infused White Chocolate Crème

Moving to a new country provides wonderful opportunities to see new places, meet new people and experience a million and one new things. I recently ran into a list of 100 reasons to become an expatriate. I like lists; I was an expatriate, so I immediately gave it a read through. In spite of its length, it was hardly exhaustive. After all, every expatriate has his or her own particular, often peculiar, rhymes and reasons for pulling up stakes and moving to another country.

Some people move abroad to fulfill a lifelong dream while others are chasing a fantasy. They want to live like Ernest Hemmingway, Josephine Baker or Jack Kerouac. They dream of wrestling fish or picking grapes, falling in love and capturing it all in the next, great American novel. Does it count if the book is written overseas? Doesn’t that make it the next, great Tunisian novel or French novel or at the very least expatriate novel?

Some people change countries for practical reasons; a new job, to learn a language or because there is no extradition treaty with the Unite States. Others have more romantic motives; a new spouse, dreams of finding Prince Charming or if he’s unavailable, to date an Italian (a real Italian, one with an Italian accent). Some expatriates are running away, some are running to and some are just running.

I was an accidental expatriate. I sort of lucked into it. I was in my mid-twenties and finishing graduate school when I was offered an internship. One thing led to another and another and another and somehow or other I forgot to come home.

For almost two decades.

For most of that time I lived in Switzerland and traveled all over Europe, the Middle East and Africa. For a year or two I lived on the west coast and traveled all over the world. And yes, with my New England roots, I indeed felt like an expatriate in sunny California. I never picked grapes or wrestled a big fish although for a while I harbored a small fantasy of writing a book. I even picked out the title: Notes from aBroad. As far as I can remember these were my whys and wherefores when I picked up stakes, moved and then stayed in Switzerland:

1. For heaven sakes why not? It’s only eight weeks. And I can spend a month in Italy afterwards.
2. And then…it’s only for a year. I can see lots more than Italy! (And I did!)
3. And then…it’s a great job offer; really interesting work at a decent salary! The US is in the middle of a recession so interesting jobs are few and far between, any job is few and far between. Besides it’s only for two more years.
4. Because Switzerland is in the middle of it all. It’s quick and easy to get anywhere from there… to visit the Louvre and eat oysters in Paris, to buy a suede jacket and eat pasta in Florence, to bicycle through the countryside and eat duck in Provence, to see a show and eat Chinese in London, and, and, and…
5. Because after years of mediocrity as a terminal intermediate, I might finally become a decent skier (and learn to make fondue).
6. Because I stayed in the US during my junior year of college. I guess I sort of wondered what I might have missed.
7. Because it was different, because no one else was packing up and moving to Europe.
8. Because there was no way I was ready to settle down or settle.
9. For the adventure, for the challenge…
10. For the fun of it all.

Bon appétit!

Lavender Infused White Chocolate Crème

I love the smell of lavender. When I returned to the US, a basket of dried lavender was packed away into one of my many boxes. It took awhile to find it but as soon as I opened the box and pulled out the basket, the room was filled with the scent of summer adventures in France. Bicycle trips, river rafting, hiking and wonderful dinners under the stars. It helped me feel at home again in my home country. Enjoy!
Serves 8

7 ounces good quality chocolate, chopped
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons dried edible lavender flowers
6 large egg yolks
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch cloves
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon kirsch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fresh raspberries or strawberries for garnish

1. Put the chocolate into a medium bowl and set aside.
2. Bring the cream, honey and lavender to just a simmer in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and let steep for 30 minutes. Pour the cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and discard the lavender.
3. Fill a large bowl about half full with ice and water. Set aside.
4. Whisk the yolks, spices and salt together in a heavy saucepan. (If you use the pan from step 2 wash it before using it again.) Whisking constantly, slowly pour the cream into the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until it registers 170 degrees on a thermometer.
5. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into the bowl with the chocolate. Let set for a few minutes; whisk to combine. Stir in the kirsch and vanilla. Set the bowl of custard into the large bowl of ice water. Stirring frequently, let stand until cool. Refrigerate until very cold, at least 6 hours.
6. Beat with an electric mixer on a high speed until the crème increases in volume by about 50%. Return to the refrigerator and chill for 2 hours. Spoon the crème into small dessert or wine glasses, garnish with fresh raspberries and serve.

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One Year Ago – Lemon Tart

Do you have a question? An idea, a few thoughts or an opinion you’d like to share? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below.

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my other, cleverly named blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or website at www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2010

Fashion Don’t! & Rustic Apple Tart

It’s time for fall fashion. In fact, it’s probably already past time to hit the stores for the latest and greatest from New York, Paris and Milan. I confess I only give a passing nod to fashion. I like to think that I stick to the classics. My young nieces disagree and don’t hesitate to remind at least a few times of year that I am hopelessly out of date. These young fashion police have tried to help me. They even walked me into a bunch of trendy boutiques in Newburyport one chilly afternoon last fall. I quickly steered us out and over to the book store. Infrequently, very infrequently, I somehow manage to redeem myself with a sweater or scarf which by pure chance meets their approval.

How did I become a fashion don’t? First of all, when it comes to clothing I’m more interested in fabric, color, pattern and texture than what’s in. To compound matters, I’m probably too independent or just too plain ornery to be told what to wear. And finally, I found a look I liked a long time ago and stuck with it. It all started with Diane Keaton and Annie Hall. With a few minor adjustments, I am more or less stuck in the eighties. When some combination of khakis, interesting hats and scarves, odd sunglasses, vests, sweaters, Brooks Brothers shirts and turtlenecks are in style, well so am I. Or as close to being in style as I get. On a few rare occasions I have strayed into something a bit more fashionable but it didn’t take long before I stumbled back.

So that’s what my nieces have to bear when I take them around town or to the movies or mall, a short little aunt trying to look like long and lean Diane Keaton. I usually spare them the interesting hats unless it’s raining or snowing. And I never wear or wore a necktie. Okay maybe for a few weeks but it was right after I moved to Europe and people do strange things in foreign countries. Besides I was far away and the girls had not been born yet.

But that’s just my casual look. For many years I had to dress like an Important Business Woman. I bought my first Important Business Woman suits in the mid-eighties. They had big shoulders which I could square importantly and pretend I was Joan Crawford or Katherine Hepburn. Both in the office and on the weekends, I always wanted to look like tall, elegant movie stars. Even though I fall short by at least four or five inches.

Luckily for everyone those oversized shoulder pads slowly deflated and women could wear a suit without looking like a linebacker. And those blouses with the bows and ruffles also went to fashion heaven or hell. Until now. I recently read that the eighties are back or at least those Important Business Woman suits with the big shoulder pads are back. Thank goodness I now spend my days writing in my little home office and testing recipes in my kitchen and get to work in my pajamas, a pair of jeans or khakis. It’s been a while since I donned a suit so don’t expect to see me looking important any time soon.

On the other hand … I do like to pay at least a little attention to changes and trends in the food world (okay maybe more than a little). I’m not sure if it is an occupational hazard or occupational perk. One of my current favorites is eating locally. The farmers are busy harvesting squashes and pumpkins and apples are ripe for picking. It’s time to get out and about and visit a pick-your-own orchard, your local farmers’ market or farm stand. Enjoy the harvest and the autumn sunshine,

Rustic Apple Tart
What could be better than an apple tart after a busy afternoon in the orchard? Enjoy!
Serves 8

2-4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of salt
4-6 apples, peeled (optional) and thinly sliced
Grated zest and juice of 1/2 orange
1 tablespoon Calvados or applejack (optional)
Flakey Pastry (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, toss the apples, orange peel, juice and Calvados together.

Roll out the dough into a rough circle, about 14 inches in diameter. Add the sugar-flour mixture to the apples and toss to combine. Leaving a 3 to 4 inch border, arrange the apples evenly over the pastry dough. Gently fold the edge of the dough over the fruit.

Dot the top of the tart with butter. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is tender, about 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.

Flakey Pastry:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) chilled butter, cut into pieces
3 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening, cold
2-4 tablespoons ice water

Blend flour, sugar and salt a food processor. Add butter and shortening; and process until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Sprinkle with ice water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, and process until dough comes together in a ball. Flatten the dough into disk. Wrap dough in plastic; chill until firm enough to roll, at least 30 minutes.

Feel free to make a comment; I’d love to hear from you. Just click on comments below.

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One Year Ago –  – Oktoberfest Sausages & Sauerkraut

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new stories and recipes.

Want more? Click here for more recipes and magazine articles or here to watch me cook! I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. Feel free to visit my photoblog Susan Nye 365 or take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2009