A Last Taste of Summer

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Although most of us think Labor Day marks the close of summer, the season’s official end is still several weeks away. The markets and farmers’ stands are certainly still laden with late summer crops, tempting me to use that luscious produce imaginatively. As a result, I’ve been cooking like crazy, making soups, salads, and fruit crisps with my purchases.
One dish—a chilled yellow squash creation—has become a new favorite, and happens to be simplicity itself to prepare. Sautéed squash and onions are simmered in chicken stock, then pureed and enriched with creamy mascarpone. A hint of red pepper flakes adds a touch of heat, while a garnish of julienned basil provides a fragrant garnish.
I’ve served this soup several times to company in the past few days, and on each occasion guests have asked for seconds as well as the recipe. Offer it as a first course or as a lunch or light supper entree accompanied by a salad or sandwich.
This soup actually improves in flavor when made a day or two in advance. Oh, and if the weather turns crisp and cool, just serve this potage warm. It’s good that way too.
Chilled Yellow Squash Soup with Mascarpone
1 1/2 pounds yellow squash
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock
3/4 cup (6 ounces) mascarpone, divided
Kosher salt
Scant 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons julienned basil plus 6 sprigs for garnish
Trim and discard the ends of the squash. Halve squash lengthwise (quarter the squash lengthwise if they are large), and then cut each half, crosswise, into 1/4-inch slices.
Heat the oil until hot in a large, heavy pot (with a lid) set over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté, stirring, until softened, for about 2 minutes. Add the squash, and stir and cook 2 minutes more. Add the stock and 1/2  teaspoon salt;  bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and cook at a simmer until the vegetables are tender, for about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Puree the soup in a food processor, blender, or food mill, and return the soup to the pot. Or, use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot. Whisk the mascarpone in, a little at a time, until well blended.
Cool the soup to room temperature, then cover, and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. When chilled, season the soup with more salt and red pepper flakes if needed. Chilled soups often need extra seasoning to intensify their flavor. (The soup can be prepared 2 days ahead.)
             
Divide the soup evenly among 6 shallow bowls. Garnish the center of each serving with some julienned basil and a basil sprig. Serves 6.

A Last Delicious Taste of Summer

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A Last Taste of Summer
Although most of us think Labor Day marks the close of summer, the season’s official end is still several weeks away. The markets and farmers’ stands are certainly still laden with late summer crops, tempting me to use that luscious produce imaginatively. As a result, I’ve been cooking like crazy, making soups, salads, and fruit crisps with my purchases.
One dish—a chilled yellow squash creation—has become a new favorite, and happens to be simplicity itself to prepare. Sautéed squash and onions are simmered in chicken stock, then pureed and enriched with creamy mascarpone. A hint of red pepper flakes adds a touch of heat, while a garnish of julienned basil provides a fragrant garnish.
I’ve served this soup several times to company in the past few days, and on each occasion guests have asked for seconds as well as the recipe. Serve it as a first course or offer it as a lunch or light supper entree accompanied by a salad or sandwich.
This soup actually improves in flavor when made a day or two in advance. Oh, and if the weather turns crisp and cool, just serve this potage warm. It’s good that way too.
Chilled Yellow Squash Soup with Mascarpone
1 1/2 pounds yellow squash
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock
3/4 cup (6 ounces) mascarpone, divided
Kosher salt
Scant 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons julienned basil plus 6 sprigs for garnish
Trim and discard the ends of the squash. Halve squash lengthwise (quarter the squash lengthwise if they are large), and then cut each half, crosswise, into 1/4-inch slices.
Heat the oil until hot in a large, heavy pot (with a lid) set over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté, stirring, until softened, for about 2 minutes. Add the squash, and stir and cook 2 minutes more. Add the stock and 1/2  teaspoon salt;  bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and cook at a simmer until the vegetables are tender, for about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Puree the soup in a food processor, blender, or food mill, and return the soup to the pot. Or, use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot. Whisk the mascarpone in, a little at a time, until well blended.
Cool the soup to room temperature, then cover, and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. When chilled, season the soup with more salt and red pepper flakes if needed. Chilled soups often need extra seasoning to intensify their flavor. (The soup can be prepared 2 days ahead.)
             
Divide the soup evenly among 6 shallow bowls. Garnish the center of each serving with some julienned basil and a basil sprig. Serves 6.

Twice Ginger Gingerbread Muffins

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Typically, gingerbread is baked in a pan and then cut into squares, but in the following version the batter is ladled into standard-size muffins tins. When using tins, the baking time is cut almost in half, a big advantage for busy cooks. These muffins rise above the rims of the molds, but do not spread out as much as traditional ones. They are especially moist and tender because of a generous addition of butter, and have a deep brown hue from plenty of dark brown sugar and molasses. There’s also a double dose of ginger in these little cakes; ground ginger (along with other fragrant spices) is added to the batter, and halfway through the baking, chopped crystallized ginger is sprinkled atop each muffin.

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Four-Hour Roasted Pork Shoulder for Pulled Pork Sandwiches

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I grew up in the American South where pulled pork barbecue sandwiches were at the top of the food pyramid. My parents thought nothing of driving well over an hour to indulge in the best pulled pork in the region. The pork featured here could easily rival those of my youth. A boneless shoulder is rubbed with a handful of seasonings, then roasted slow and low until it is so tender it can be “pulled” apart with table forks. When ready to serve, you mound the pork atop soft hamburger buns, then slather on the simple homemade barbecue sauce.

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Ladurée comes to New York City!

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Photograph by Stephen Carlile
One of Paris’ oldest and most famous pastry shops is opening its first U.S. outpost in New York this month. Ladurée, founded in 1862 and celebrated for its macarons (those ethereally light meringue-like cookies made with egg whites, ground almonds, and sugar), is due to open, according to its website, on August 27th at 864 Madison Avenue. Ladurée shops span the globe now and can be found in England, Japan, Turkey, Italy Ireland, and other distant locales.
Photograph by suziedepingu
A longtime fan of their elegant Parisian boutiques with the pastel-colored walls and exquisite packaging, I adore not only their macarons, but their other confections as well. Now I can indulge on this side of the Atlantic. Laduree is credited with inventing the double decker macaron available in a variety of tempting flavors and sandwiched together with ganache or butter cream. You’ll find their chocolates, pastries, and cakes just as tempting. (I once bought a lime- and ginger-scented mille feuille at their store on the rue Bonaparte in Paris and spent weeks in vain trying to figure out how to reproduce it!)  
At the beginning of this week, I went by the Madison Avenue store hoping that it might have opened early. There was still a lot of work to be finished, so I’d recommend checking their website before making a trip. (Please note that the site is in French. Cick on “Les Maisons Ladurée” on top tab, then on “Dans le Monde,” and finally on “Etats-unis,” and you’ll see the date in French which is easy to read.) I definitely plan to go back on my next visit to the Big Apple this fall.
Ladurée
864 Madison Avenue (between 70th and 71st)
New York, New York  

Le Figuier de Saint-Esprit 14, Antibes, France

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Le Figuier de Saint-Esprit 14, rue Saint-Esprit, or 7 promenade Amiral de Grasse (two entrances), Antibes 06600, France, 33-4-93-34-50-12

An extraordinary dessert at Le Figuier

While my family was in Provence this summer, Kathie Alex, our friend and a fellow cooking teacher, suggested that we book lunch at Le Figuier de Saint-Esprit, a fairly new restaurant in the picturesque coastal town of Antibes. The chef, Christian Morisset, she explained, was exceptionally talented, and was a genius at using the freshest ingredients in the market. We called for a reservation on the spot. The “figuier” refers to a large fig tree that stands tall in the center of the restaurant’s enclosed terrace, while “Saint-Esprit” Continue reading →

The Great Lobster Debate

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Perfectly steamed lobsters ready to be devoured.
Though lobster is one of my favorite foods, I’m not an expert at cooking this crustacean.  A transplant to New England, I grew up in the South far from the shore and spent many years in the land-locked Midwest. So last week, when Catherine, a good friend who had been in Maine for the summer, offered to bring a cache of fresh lobsters for an overnight visit, I called my pal, Karen, a life-long Cape Codder, for cooking directions. (I also decided to use a recipe from my new book as a sauce for the lobsters.)
Without missing a beat, the Cape cook rattled off the number of minutes for lobsters from 1 1/4 to 3 pounds. She was adamant that I steam, not boil, the critters. “Use a large pot with a lid, fill it with 4 inches of water, and bring it to a boil,” she explained. Most important, though, she told me to grab each lobster by the back and hold it head down over the pot for several seconds until it stopped flapping and the tail relaxed. Then you drop it in; when all have been added, cover the pot. For 1 1/2-pounders the steaming time was to be 18 minutes.
Catherine holding a lobster above the pot to relax it!
Well, that was my plan, until our houseguest arrived.
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Sunday Roasts has arrived!

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I can’t believe I’m holding two copies of Sunday Roasts in my hands. It’s my 9th book, my 5th with the wonderful people at Chronicle, and I love the way it turned out.

Susie Cushner did the gorgeous photos, Maggie Ruggiero was the talented food stylist who made all those roasts so tempting, and Randi Brookman Harris provided the exquisite props for the pictures.

When my assistant, Diana, arrived last week, the first thing I did was to tell her about the early publicity for Sunday Roasts in the September issue of Country Living! Check out the digital edition or pick up a copy at your newsstand.

Editor’s note, October 2, 2011:

I’ll be signing copies of this new book in October and November here, or you find copies at Amazon!

A Show Stopper Salad for Warm Summer Days

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Salads are quintessential summer fare, but they don’t have to be the predictable mixed greens drizzled with oil and vinegar or the ubiquitous Caesar. With some imagination and a small amount of extra effort, you can definitely make this course the star of your menu.

Take the Haricots Verts and Chorizo Salad that follows. I created this colorful and robustly flavored mélange of tender blanched green beans topped with sautéed chorizo and sieved hard-boiled eggs while in France last summer. Tossed in a mustard dressing made with sherry vinegar and shallots, it was the pièce de résistance at a dinner for friends in Paris. When I included this recipe at my annual salads class here in New England, its popularity was confirmed again when my students voted it their favorite.
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