Apples + Onions

Apples sautéed with onions is quite possibly one of my favorite combinations.

Throw in some browned butter, sage, chèvre, and toast and you have a delicious appetizer - or, in my case, breakfast.  Something about this is reminiscent of stuffing (probably the onions and sage) and everything about this says fall.  Heck, I picked the sage from my Mid-Autumn garden this morning.

Speaking of fall, the trees on the south side of my home have begun dropping leaves!  This is exciting, because I can start taking food photos inside again.  Yeah, yeah, it was seventy-two degrees yesterday, but I wrote this post this morning and the high today is in the forties.  Not bad, but it's nice to keep my breakfast indoors and eat it while it's hot.  Plus, I have a cold.  Or allergies.  I still haven't decided three days into it.

After making these crostini, I realized that the apple-onion-sage combo would also make just about the best home fries ever.  Tossing a couple chopped potatoes (all standard or combined with sweet potatoes) along with the onions would be fantastic.  Something to think about for your next, ahem, dinner party (Thanksgiving side dish).

*Side Note: I use tags and labels for every post, along with putting links to each in the Recipe Index. Recently, I have been trying to tag everything that is vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free, but also want to include tags when each is just an option.  Today, for instance, the butter can be switched for olive oil and the cheese left off.  And with crostini, gluten-free bread isn't so bad. I plan to update the Recipe Index to include separate sections for these categories, too.  Librarian-ed.

APPLE ONION CROSTINI

• 1/4 cup butter, separated
• Sprig of fresh sage, with about 8-10 leaves
• 1 onion, sliced thinly hull-to-hull
• 2 apples
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 6-8 slices good-quality, artisan-style bread
• Chèvre, to top

After rinsing sage, separate into individual leaves and dry thoroughly between the layers of a dish towel. Set aside while melting three tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.

Once the butter is melted and starting to foam, add the sage leaves.  Allow them to crisp up and became fully saturated with the butter.  If the butter starts to brown, that's great!  Turn the heat to low until the sage is cooked (or take off the heat if using an electric stove).  The whole process can take a few minutes.

Remove the sage leaves to a paper towel and set aside.  Add sliced onions to the skillet and turn up the heat to medium-high.  Salt the onions to help them break down and develop flavor.  Tossing only occasionally, allow the onions to soften and begin to brown.  While you are waiting for them to cook, dice the apples, then add them to the skillet.

I pretty much always use a non-stick skillet, but also love some browning.  To achieve this in a non-stick skillet, resist the temptation to stir often.  I tend to toss ingredients in the pan once every few minutes.  During the few-minutes-waiting-periods, butter the bread slices with the remaining tablespoon of butter and place under a broiler for about 3 minutes, until toasted and golden, depending on your broiler.  Of course, if you have an actual toaster, you can use that, too, logically buttering the toast afterwards.  No kitchen fires, please.

When the apples and onions are softened and some edges are browned, turn off heat and stir in apple cider vinegar.  Divide the mixture evenly over the toasts and top each with chèvre and fried sage leaves. Serve warm.

BYO-Lobster Bake

Yep, right here in the mountains.  Well, the city in the mountains, where it is actually pretty easy to come by a lobster.

It'll cost you probably twice as much as it would if you live in New England, but it's certainly worth it to learn a new skill (new in my case) among good friends.  I followed along with the experts, but I also had this helpful chart on my plate.

Okay, so the lobsters weren't technically baked, but steamed with corn and seaweed.  And served with plenty of melted butter and hot sauce, if so inclined.  I'm always inclined towards butter, but I forgot about the Frank's Red Hot.  Next time.

Not one lobster "screamed" when it hit the pot, contrary to popular belief and although I mentally prepared for it. I picked up my lobster at a nearby seafood store on my way to our host's house - I decided I wasn't mentally prepared to have a creature ambling around in my fridge, even just over night.

In the case that you are not ready for the possibility of your lobster shrieking or walking away, you can always hypnotize it.  We tried it.  You rub the little guy in between the eyes and he'll relax.  We learned this tip from our lobster-hauling friend who lives on an island in Maine and we had to see if it works.

Supposedly, once hypnotized, you can get a lobster to rest on its head.  We had limited success, but I certainly saw the lobster relax before its trip to the pot.

I call that a humane death, but I struggled with the process of eating it.  It's impossible to separate the thought of the animal from the thought of the food when I'm dissecting the food I'm eating.  I took it slow and engaged in conversation and took deep breaths.  I'm not sure if it is difficult because I was a vegetarian for so long or if it's just the way I am.  But, it was nice to know that I wasn't alone in this...one of the other participants hit that wall, too.

I find that butter and good company helps with this apprehension.  Plus, breaking off the first claw wasn't so bad. And it was delicious.

When I reached the point of breaking the tail off the body, well, that was a little more difficult.  That body section is full of not-so-appetizing stuff.  I know I should enthusiastically embrace this knowing-what-I'm-eating thing.  I do.  But with lobster, it may just take some practice.  In the meantime, my lobster meals may rely heavily on corn. That's fine, too.

Hey, I even had a little bit of leftovers.  Of tail meat.  I plan on making that Lobster Mac & Cheese I keep hearing about on television and the internet and at restaurants.  And overall, nothing was wasted - one friend gathered up all the remains and is making a wonderful lobster stock as I write this.  We're practically neighbors, so I might get in on some lobster bisque!

That lobster claw is bigger than her hand!

Now I know how to procure, prepare, and eat a lobster.  I cannot think of a better way to say goodbye to summer than having great food and fun with great people on a beautiful Colorado afternoon.  I may even feel a little readier for the new season.

***A HUGE thank you to my friend Dan, who hosted and dreamed up the whole idea in the first place.  I had such a lovely time!  I owe you some baked goods.

Garden Series Part I: Radishes & Sage

With the garden salad as a warm up, I thought I might share a recipe from the garden each week or so as new produce can be harvested.

In the past week, the various lettuces have indeed provided many salads - I can practically feel all the vitamins and nutrients flowing through my veins!  Radishes also popped up, and by "popped up" I mean they were pushing themselves right out of the ground.

I haven't come across many people who share my love of radishes, but I would like to put in a good word for them.  Not only are they quick to mature in the garden, but also come in a wide variety of shapes and colors and can be eaten raw or cooked.  I prefer the bright and cheerful French Breakfast radishes shown here, but I would love to try other heirloom varieties, too, like the "Watermelon" or even "Red Meat."  I have tried growing a "Green Luobo" radish, but unfortunately without edible results...

If you are a non-believer when it comes to radishes, you might try cooking them.  It brings out the sweetness and cuts the heat.  I have read about the French tradition of dipping radishes in anchovy butter, so I thought I would start with that idea and cook my radishes with anchovies in a pan of browning butter.  And what else goes well with brown butter?  Well, sage and pasta, of course!

At first I was going to cook the radishes in anchovy butter and eat them as a side dish, but then mixed it all together to see what it was like.  That was a good decision, I must say.  I also had some leftover ricotta from the last post's ravioli, which added to the dish.  Now, I am out of radishes and am disappointed I won't get to have this dish every night.  Forever.  At least those radishes are fast-growing!

ANCHOVY BUTTER RADISHES & SAGE PASTA

• 6-8 oz. fettuccine pasta
• 1 bunch radishes (about 8-10)
• 2 T. butter
• 1-2 anchovy fillets, or about 1 t. worth
• 4-5 leaves fresh sage
• ricotta cheese, for serving (optional)
• salt to season

Cook pasta according to directions, drain, and set aside.  I used fresh pasta here, since I had dough ready and I have a pasta machine to make noodles at home.  I'm planning on a special Friday post this week about making pasta at home.

Meanwhile, trim and halve or quarter radishes so they are bite-sized pieces.  Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat.  When the butter begins to brown, turn the heat to low and the whole sage leaves to the pan.  Let them fry until they are dark green and translucent throughout, a few seconds on each side.  Remove the leaves from the butter and set aside.

Turn the heat back to medium and add the radishes.  Cook until softened, tossing or stirring them frequently. Remove from heat until the pasta is cooked, if it's not done already.  Add the pasta to the butter and radishes, toss, and heat through.  Season with salt.

Divide among two dishes and top each serving with a dollop of ricotta and the fried sage leaves.

*I forgot the anchovies the second time I made this dish.  If you're vegetarian, it is still good without the anchovies - but if you are not, remember to add them.  They add really nice balance and complexity to the dish.

Hollandaise Magic

I am not much of a breakfast fan, but brunch... brunch is perfect.

When I go out for brunch, I usually opt for savory dishes.  Any menu item with hollandaise sauce gets priority at ordering time. Think about hollandaise for a minute.  It's buttery, creamy, and if I get my preference, quite lemony.  And while the traditional Eggs Benedict is a great choice, if that's the only way you have had hollandaise, you might not know how great it is with greens.

Yesterday, I was unable to decide whether I wanted to make brunch or go out.  I just could not make the decision, but I had known that I required hollandaise sauce either way.  As I was working and chatting with coworkers and trying to make up my mind about brunch, I eventually realized that I had planned an entire homemade brunch menu.  Love it when my subconscious helps me out like that.

I hadn't made hollandaise sauce in a while and I felt up to the challenge.  Turns out that it's no challenge at all - especially when you use a "cheater" blender recipe that isn't really cheating at all!  The only things that are missing from the process is a lot of whisking and a sore arm.  The result is brilliant - in flavor, texture, and ease.

If you wish to try out my very own version of Eggs Benedict, hmmm... let's call it the Cole Benedict... swap the English Muffins for home fries, the Canadian bacon for sautéed greens (kale always seems to be on sale), and poached eggs for fried eggs.  Serve with a side of (good ol' American) bacon and with plate of fresh fruit.  The strawberries we had yesterday were the best in months! Drain off and save the bacon fat (for something like maple-bacon caramels) and use what's left in the pan for the eggs.

And the hollandaise-greens combo is seriously a perfect pairing. If you just sauté some greens and top it with hollandaise sauce, you have a very good plan.  And maybe just a little bit of magic.


CHEATER'S HOLLANDAISE
(adapted from Eric Ripert's Blender Hollandaise)

• 10 T. butter
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 medium lemon
• pinch salt

Melt butter over medium low heat in a small saucepan.  Swirl to melt thoroughly.  You may skim off the milk solids if you are so inclined, but it's not necessary.

If your kitchen is cold and the egg yolk is straight from the fridge, you may want to pre-warm the blender pitcher with hot water.  Dump water and dry pitcher.  Blend together egg yolk and the juice of one half lemon.  With the blender running, remove the center of the lid and slowly pour in the melted butter in a thin stream.

Once combined, taste sauce.  It will probably be very thick and I will always want more lemon.  Add a pinch of salt and lemon juice to taste.  Blend again and taste to adjust salt.  Pour all over everything on your plate.

This recipe will serve four well, but will generously serve three.  As a rule, hollandaise does not keep well, but yesterday's third serving is miraculously still in the fridge intact.  Don't use any metal ever when working with lemon juice and eggs.