Rosh Hashanah 5778/2017-18

Shana Tova!

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At Home: On Labor Day, Final Franks for the 2017 Summer Season

While Labor Day marked the unofficial end of summer, it was, as it always is chez nous, the official last day for franks this year.  I closed out the season (which began, also as usual, on Memorial Day Weekend) with the Hebrew National franks known as “specials.”

There were just the two of us. I served the usual accompaniments and drinks.

Batampte Sour Kraut & Garlic Dill Pickles

Homemade Cole Slaw

Busch’s Vegetarian Baked Beans

Heirloom Tomatoes from the Clayton Family Farmstand

The heirloom tomatoes arrived at the Clayton Family Farmstead later than usual this year. Weather issues, they told me. A couple of weeks ago, they were ready. A baker’s dozen!

Documenting the evidence:

I bought this colorful assortment:

They also grow heirloom cherry tomatoes. I always buy those as well.

Putting this bounty to good use:

I dressed the heirlooms with a good sprinkling of sea salt, a light application of extra-virgin olive oil, and some fresh basil. Yes, lusciously delicious!

C & J Farms

With the closure of Stattel’s Farm, there is just one farm left close to our house, C & J Farms. Their stand is located on Route 9 North, about 5 minutes away. (I regularly pass their growing fields along Tennent Road when driving to Route 9.) Though I’ve always known the stand was there, I wasn’t a regular customer. That is about to change.

As you can see by the sign, they open at 9 a.m. But C & J’s hours have always puzzled me because I noticed that they always close sometime in the afternoon. So, I asked the young woman at the register if they had “regular” hours. (Stattel’s was open 9 to 6 daily except Wednesday during the summer months). She told me their afternoon hours depend on when they run out of their daily corn harvest. During the week, that’s usually between 2 and 3 p.m. But on weekends, around 1 p.m. Since they have lots of other produce, I asked why it depended on the corn supply. She replied that they have many customers who get very upset, even nasty, if there is no corn. Seems a mighty strange way to determine your business hours, don’t you think?

I was thrilled to see that they grow fairytale eggplant which I’d been getting at the Clayton Farm in Freehold. Shelves along the walls (which I didn’t photograph) hold lots of vegetables, including their own hot peppers. Michael loves them! A whole basket cost $1, way cheaper than buying then by the pound at Delicious Orchards. We had the corn at lunch yesterday. So sweet!

At Home: A Totally Cloudless Sky

It’s pretty rare to have a totally cloudless sky around here. I first noticed it when driving back earlier from doing an errand. Even on days when, as today, the weather couldn’t be more perfect — low 80’s with no humidity — there are usually some clouds. But not today. Definitely needed to document the evidence.

For sure, this is “Rozy Weather”!

At Home: Salade Niçoise

Salade Niçoise is one of our favorite salads. Restaurants often use fresh tuna (here’s an example), but I use canned. It is a French salad, and whenever we ordered it in France, it always came with canned tuna; therefore, I think it’s safe to surmise that canned tuna is considered traditional. Lettuce, tomatoes (here I’m using local Jerseys), hard-boiled eggs, and potatoes are also traditional. I did, however, depart slightly from two other traditional ingredients. Haricots verts were unavailable, so I picked out the thinnest regular green beans. (I actually did such a good job, the cashier at Delicious Orchards first rung them up as the much more expensive haricots verts.) As for the olives, I use Kalamatas because they’re more readily available than Niçoise. For the dressing: a classic vinaigrette. I dressed the lettuce separately in a bowl, plated everything, took the photo, and then spooned vinaigrette over the rest.

I’ve always believed we eat first with our eyes. This colorful, eye-catching salad definitely said, “Eat me!” And it was as delicious as it looked.

At Home: Fish Chowder

Summer seems to be taking a bit of a hiatus. It’s been unseasonably cool along with lots of rain. Today, the temperature barely made it above 70 — about 15 degrees below the norm. It was the perfect day for some fish chowder. I used this recipe. As written, it makes six servings, but I cut it down to two. Delicious!

At Home: Summer on a Plate

NJ Peaches & Heirloom Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella, Balsamic Vinegar, Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Basil

At Home: First NJ Peaches of 2017 Season

They’re from Fralinger Orchards, in Bridgeton. Bought them at Wegmans which carries them every year. A peach of a peach!

le 14 juillet 2017: The last time we saw Paris…

…was in June 1999. No iPhones back then.  I used my iPhone to snap these photos which were taken with a regular camera.