Use herb butter wherever you would use the herb alone—on rice or noodles, steamed vegetables, grilled or roasted meat, poultry, or fish. Herb butter can be prepared more quickly and tastes just as good as most melted butter sauces. It’s easier to take herb butter to the table—or to the patio or picnics—than it is […] More
Apricots reach their full potential cooked. Compare the flavor of a raw apricot to one that has been heated up a bit in the oven—you will be convinced. The most flavorful of all apricot varieties is the Blenheim. The Blenheim—also called the Royal and the Royal Blenheim—is a petite fruit often with lightly green shoulders. […] More
PrintSimple All-Purpose Pie Crust RecipePrep 10 minsInactive 20 minsTotal 30 minsAuthor Steve AlbertYield 1 crust for a 9-inch pie Here is all-purpose pie crust recipe you can use for pies, tarts, and galettes. Ingredients1 cup flour½ teaspoon salt6 tablespoons cold solid shorteningInstructionsIn a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and shortening. With your fingertips or a […] More
Rhubarb is among the first crops of the year–along with asparagus and radishes. Use rhubarb that is firm like celery, not limp. You may want to “string” the rhubarb stalks before cutting them. Just hold the end of a stalk between your thumb and a paring knife and pull the strings down the length of […] More
Here is a tasty pumpkin ice cream that is easy to make: it is simply sweetened pumpkin purée, milk, and whipping cream, frozen. Because this recipe use a purée of just harvested pumpkin, you will need about 90 minutes to prepare the ice cream mix and another 2½ hours to freeze. ‘Sugar Pie’ is the […] More
Make pumpkin soup with sweet, sugar, pie, or cheese pumpkins (small baking pumpkins). Add onions and potatoes for a sweet-savory flavor or substitute tart apples for the potatoes for a sweet-tart soup. Small pumpkins are sweeter, meatier, and have less fibrous flesh than larger ones. (Varieties to grow next year include: Sugar Baby, Baby Pam, […] More
Pumpkin with curry combines the sweetness of the winter squash with the savory-spiced flavor of curry. It is a warming match appropriate for the crisp days when pumpkins and other winter squashes come to harvest. Pumpkin and other yellow-fleshed winter squashes such a kabocha or butternut squash are best cooked until they are just tender […] More
Classic pesto is made with fresh basil, Parmesan cheese, walnuts, olive oil, lemon, garlic, and salt. Pesto is the traditional pasta sauce. Pesto is also a flavorful addition to grilled vegetables, grilled chicken, salads, sliced tomatoes, pizza, bean and vegetable soup, and as a vegetable dip. Pesto—which is essentially a pureed herbal mixture—can also be […] More
Just picked garden corn makes a rich, sweet soup. Make this corn soup with sweet corn, water, and some onion. Serve hot or cold. Choose ears of corn with fresh, green husks. The top of the cob should be rounded rather than pointed. If the silk is brown and slightly dry, the corn is ripe. When […] More
Corn chowder is a hearty soup. It’s a perfect match for the late summer corn harvest—a whiff of autumn in the air and sometimes a hint of chill. Chowder is an American term with French origins—chaudière is a sort of iron cooking pot. As for corn, the shorter the time from garden to table, the […] More
Grilled and roasted corn is most flavorful when it is cooked fresh—very fresh. As soon as an ear of corn is picked, its sugars start converting to starch. As the sugars turn to starch, the sweetness of corn is lost—though it is true that some new breeds of corn will retain their sweetness for days. […] More
Bruschetta is an antipasto—a “before the meal” bite or first course—except when it’s its own meal. There is much to be said for the simple, traditional bruschetta—grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil and salt and pepper. That’s an antipasto. But when the summer garden is producing, bruschetta demands fresh, seasonal toppings—tomatoes, […] More
Stephen Albert