happy pie day, er, Thanksgiving

May you be further ahead in your baking than I…  If you need last minute recipes, Ina Garten teamed up with Google for more than just a logo…

working on more apples

When I mentioned that the last farmers’ market was all about squash, garlic and kale, a cousin in Southern California offered to send a photo of strawberries from her farmers’ market.  Snarky.

I’m taking advantage of a couple of days off to work through a huge bag of apples from Don Baker farm.  It was a lovely day for our last Hudson Farmers’ market of the season on Saturday and I stocked up.

This rather medieval gadget is now my favorite kitchen toy.  There’s even a warning label about keeping away from small children…

This is the apple peeler/corer that my aunt gave to me a couple of years ago, and it has given me a whole new perspective on apple desserts.  Which I’ve always loved to eat but not necessarily to make.

Applesauce – adapted from Joy of Cooking

Place in a large, heavy skillet or saucepan:

• 3 pounds cooking apples, peeled if desired, cored, cut into 1/2″ thick slices
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice, depending on juiciness of apples
• 1-1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, depending on tartness of apples
• 1 large cinnamon stick

Cover and simmer, stirring often, over low heat using tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes (maybe longer).  Stir in:

• Scant 1/2 cup white or turbinado sugar or 6 tablespoons mild honey  (I use local honey)
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground ginger (optional – but use it)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mace (optional – good thing, since I never have it)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cook, stirring, until the sweetener is dissolved and blended, about 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Discard the cinnamon stick.  For chunky applesauce, break up the apples with a wooden spoon.  For medium texture, crush with a potato masher.  For smooth sauce, pass it through a food mill or coarse sieve.

Serve warm or chilled.  Great on greek yogurt.

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On another note, I was attempting to make red wine ice cream as an alternative to pie for Thanksgiving.  In boiling the wine down to a syrup, I ended up with this burnt mess.  Tragic waste of two bottles of cheap wine.

burnt mess

Kitchen time ends now.

fall is here; winter, almost

The Kiss of the Radishes by Ju Duoqi

My checklist as the weather quickly turns (and then this afternoon, it seems, turns back):

• bulbs planted – check
• Squirrelly bastids dig half of them up – check
• leaves raked – check, for the moment
• garlic planted – check
• garden dug up and ready for hibernation – almost check
• first mega batch of butternut squash soup made & frozen – check

We sat out in the sunshine for lunch -  will that hold me until spring?  I’m hoping that I’ve remembered to do all my outdoor projects  as I’m ready for the indoor ones.  I’m trying to finish a book but I really feel like baking some scandalous desserts…

RIP Hudson Migliorelli Farm store?

First, there was a For Rent sign in the window.  Now, the windows are papered over.  What happened?