When summer’s end robs us of vegetables that peaked earlier in the season, we can always count on eggplant as a farmer’s market lure with its high gloss and firm form. Its meatiness holds up well to grilling and it marries well with tart or sweet condiments, marinades and sauces.
luscious shiitake mushrooms from Pine Fork Farm at the SOJ Farmer’s Market
They were the biggest, fattest, meatiest shiitake mushrooms I had seen. So impressively massive, in fact, that I had to ask Teal Brooks of Pine Fork Farm if they were a particular type or new cultivar. Nope, she replied, they were standard issue, but perhaps the clean and clear conditions at her farm in Quinton, Virginia were responsible for their luscious largeness, or perhaps they were grown with love.
Two ingredients – bacon and light brown sugar. Two words – absolutely, and without a doubt, delicious. Last weekend I made two appetizers and two desserts for our neighborhood progressive dinner. Appetizer number two was medjool dates stuffed with homemade herbed cheese. Fruit and nut chocolate bars made it to the dessert table, as did green tea chocolate almonds.
herbed mushroom spread with Bonnyclabber Cheese‘s “Cendre” grapevine ash coated fresh goat cheese, caper berry and pink peppercorn
When I have a taste for snacks, I think spreads, dips and what Sheila Lukins, the late, great cookbook author of The Silver Palate series, refers to as “slathers”, as in something savory you can generously slather onto flatbread, croutons or thin slices of English cucumber.
When winter’s chill is in the air, your fireside alcoholic beverage of choice may be hot cocoa with a splash of Kahlua, mulled wine or hot spiced apple cider with a splash of rum. I love to warm up with a hot drink but a chilled, tart and not-too-sweet cocktail hits the spot and whets my appetite for the piping hot dinner feast to come. My favorite beverages live among the innovative cocktail offerings of Acacia Mid-town here in Richmond, Virginia. Alas, evenings out on the town are limited, so if I have a hankering for a cocktail the mixologist must be me, or perhaps my neighbor Janie, who makes fabulous themed cocktails for dinner gatherings with friends. For this autumn’s outdoor viewing of the film noir classic Gun Crazy, Janie prepared sidecars, the vintage mixed drink, authentic and refreshing, with her usual verve and enthusiasm.
The last of the tomatoes are on the vine. Time to rescue them before they fall victim to frosty nights. I have friends who swear that late season green tomatoes will eventually turn crimson if you patiently watch over them on your windowsill. This offers fleeting pleasure and tests patience. Why not enjoy green tomatoes throughout the cold weather months in the form of a spicy chutney? Green tomato chutney can be both down home and elegant, enlivening hot and cold appetizers, salad dressings and grilled meats and seafood. It makes a terrific sandwich spread, elevating simple cold cuts and cheeses to the sublime. When unexpected company arrives, you can impress with a snack of green tomato chutney, creamy cheese and a base of flatbread, crackers or slices of toasted baguette.