Autumn Arrives!

Happy first day of Fall!

(All root vegetables beware.)

Farewell Gladiolas

A Gladiola Haiku

Gone is your season
Flamboyant blooms for summer
See you in April.

Rainy Day Eggs

Last weekend Chicago was hit with four days amounting to record rainfall as the tail of Hurricane Ike washed over us. For me, the perfect antidote to a soaking city is Gosford Park and a plateful of eggs. But having recently dropped and broken my VHS copy of Altman's masterpiece I was forced to focus all my efforts on the eggs, and settle for a Dirty Jobs marathon (not such a travesty thanks to the always-charming Mike Rowe.)

I came across this lovely combination of poached eggs on Parmesan toast with Basil Pistou. It was simple and delightful. I have a forest of Basil growing in two terra cotta pots in my kitchen, which inspires me to find new ways of harvesting the leaves before Winter renders my perennials dull and fruitless. Pistou shares roots with its Italian counterpart derived from a line by Virgil, but the real difference between the two is that pine nuts make no appearance.

This meal requires no exact recipe. I simply processed a handful of basil with a few glugs of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and several cloves of garlic (though I believe only one is advisable.) I cut the remnants of last night’s baguette in half lengthwise, (though brioche or challah would be amazing) threw on some Parm Reg, and toasted the two. Bring a few inches of salted water to a simmer (with a splash of vinegar) and gently break the eggs into the water, poaching for about 3 minutes. Top your toast with the eggs, drizzle with Pistou, season, and be glad to enjoy the hurricane and Kelly MacDonald from the comfort of your couch.

Envirosax

Find yourself burning through plastic bags all the time? I certainly do. Many of us remember to bring canvas bags when we hit the grocery store or farmer's market, but for myself I find the plastic that accompanies an unplanned retail adventure can send me into an ebb of guilt, and add to the mound of non-recyclable, barely reusable plastic bags nesting under my sink. It's usually an unexpected detour to the pharmacy, or a stop at Target on the way home that contributes to this shameful pile.

Luckily there are gifted people out there devising easy short-cuts for making our lives a little more green. My sister received a pack of these Envriosax for a birthday gift this summer, and gave in when I nagged her for one. They come in numerous patterns, and are capable of packing a surpisingly large volume load. The best part is that they fold up into tiny rolls that fit in your purse, car door, or messenger bag with ease. Keep one on you at all times, and that nasty nest of plastic under your sink that you feel guilty about throwing away will begin to shrink (or at least keep from multiplying.)


Buy them individually at Whole Foods or in packs on the web:

http://www.envirosax.com/
The original ones are poly but they've just come out with lines of bamboo, linen and hemp.

Brilliant Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake is a dessert favorite for me. As I tend to take after my German ancestors and bear the burden of an underdeveloped sweet tooth, falling in love with dessert is a rare experience. Most days I'd happily take a crispy dill pickle or briny black olive in lieu of a cookie or cupcake. But this Carrot Cake that I recently tried stands so far above its dry, over-spiced competitors that I'm prepared to never look back.

I've come across a few recipes that employ an embarrassing single cup of carrot or use vegetable oil instead of butter. Jamie Oliver's recipe (from Cook with Jamie, currently my favorite and never out of arm's reach) uses a laudable 10 ounces of carrot and incorporates orange and ground almond in the batter. The lime mascarpone icing is a major contribution to the brilliance of this cake with the lightness of the mascarpone and the freshness of the lime zest complimenting the sweet and delicate spice of the cake.

CARROT CAKE WITH LIME MASCARPONE ICING

• 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 2 cups light-brown sugar
• 5 large eggs, separated (retain yolk and white)
  
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• 1 slightly heaped teaspoon baking powder
• 1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground cloves
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup ground almonds (almond meal in some stores)
  
• 4 ounces shelled walnuts, chopped, plus more for garnish
• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour, sifted
• 10 ounces carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
• Sea salt
• 4 ounces mascarpone cheese
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 scant cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
• Zest and juice of two lime

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x9x2 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper. (Questionable at first, but definitely makes life easier). Set aside.
2. Process butter and brown sugar (use your kitchen aid or Cuisinart), then add egg yolks one at a time allowing each to incorporate. Add orange zest and juice, then baking powder and all your spices, combine well.
3. In a separate bowl whisk egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in almonds, walnuts, flour, and carrots; fold cake mixture into egg white mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cake cool in the pan 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together mascarpone, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and lime zest and juice. Place cake on your favorite dish, spread icing over top of cooled cake and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.