Fall Perfection

When did the whole corn maze thing take off? It has certainly gotten out of hand. We shudder each time we pass Alstede's in Chester where hundreds upon hundreds of cars are parked and many more people are swarming around the moon bounce, the "petting" area where they buy grain to feed to cows, horses and llamas, line up for the hay ride to the pumpkin patch and THE MAZE. That said, it sure is a brilliant source of income for farmers and who can blame them, especially those who choose to farm in the Garden State? Not I.

In Ringoes there is a maze in the form of a train that one gets to by taking a ride on an actual train. Also in Chester, there is an election year maze that spells out VOTE 08. Apparently they hand out election info at various points within. Never mind that the mazes could be spelling out anything they want - the visitor has no way of knowing on the ground. Add that to the list of things that make Amercians just plain stupid. Sorry. I'm a little down on "my fellow Amercians" right now.

The lone exception to this insanity happens to take place right on Mom and Dad's farm in Mendham. "Frank the Farmer" decided to get a piece of the farm maze action a few years back but he does it the old fashioned way (if there is such a thing in where corn mazes are concerned). In the front field he has a big, wide hay bale pyramid for climbing and a long, dark hay tunnel for the little ones. His tractor pulls the hay wagon around and up to the back field all day long arriving at a beautiful corn maze on the top of the hill that doesn't spell anything at all.

Frank does not map out an elaborate route with a computer program resulting in a clever image to be promoted through aerial images on direct mail pieces. When corn maze season arrives, he heads into the field with a machete and starts slicing out a path. He also has impressive pick your own pumkin and gourd patches. We picked up nice goose neck and turban squash, a creamy white pumkin and a cool, green apple-shaped gourd, but he also has long, snaky 3-foot gourds and odd pumkins that look like they have a bad case of leprosy or worse. While we enjoyed the sunny day perusing the gourd patch and chatting with friends, the girls spent over an hour running the maze above.

What does any of this have to do with food you may ask. I could stretch it and describe the caramel apple I watched Joe eating for a while but the real answer is nothing. It was just part of a great fall day at Mom and Dad's that started by dividing and digging plants in Mom's extensive perennial gardens with Clara, followed by a walk through the back field towards the stream. The blue sky, warm sun and brilliant folliage were fall perfection. Then there was lunch! Tomato and mozarella salad, red cabbage cole slaw, the last corn on the cob of the summer and grilled Griggstown turkey burgers and sausages served with Cousin Frannie's Relish and all enjoyed on the terrace. Delicious. For dessert Celia and Maeve had helped Datu make carrot cake in early celebration of Clara's birthday next week. Thibault and Celia took generous charge of the icing. Yum.

My Red Cabbage Slaw (it's just as good with green cabbage)

1 large or 2 small cabbages (about 2 pounds)

3-4 carrots, peeled and grated

1 small sweet red pepper, sliced or diced

3 scallions, sliced

3 Tbs. chopped Italian parsley

Dressing:

1 cup vegetable oil

1/4 granulated sugar (I use natural cane)

1/3 cup white vinegar

1 Tbs. stone ground mustard

1 Tbs. celery seeds

1 tsp. salt

grindings of black pepper to taste

Cut cabbage into quarters lengthwise. Cut out cores and slice as finely as possible crosswise. Place in a large bowl. Prepare and add other veggies.

To make the dressing, combine the remaining ingredients in another bowl. Add to the cabbage and toss with clean hands. Store in fridge. The longer it sits the better it tastes.

http://www.griggstownquailfarm.com/

Official Summer Ice Cream Survey Part I: New Jersey

Maeve recently spent a week with us in New Jersey to attend art camp with Nora at the Visual Arts Center. The girls share many things in addition to the special relationship that only cousins have. One of those things is a deep love of ice cream. I proposed that they taste-test ice cream at various locations in the area during the week and I would publish the results on my new blog. Though pre-adolescent, they found nothing to object to in this plan!

Ice cream was evaluated for creaminess, cone, texture, sweetness and toppings and rated based on the following scale:

1=marvelous

2=great

3=good

4=okay

5=poor

Our first stop was the new Home Plate Dairy on Route 57 in Stewartsville (former home of Custard's Last Stand, an entrepreneurial ice cream establishment that switched to deer processing in the winter months). Home Plate came highly recommended by Rachel and Gardner but could it pass muster with true experts in the field? Nora had a chocolate and vanilla twist in a wafer cone and Maeve had a twist in a waffle cone with chocolate crunch sprinkles. It became immediately clear that these were some tough critics. The overall score for Home Plate was only a 2.8/good with the highest marks a pair of twos for texture and sweetness.

The next stop was Ricky's on Springfield Avenue in Summit where Nora sampled Cake Batter ice cream in a cup with M&Ms, whipped cream and chocolate syrup and Maeve went for Rocky Road with whipped cream in a waffle cone. Ricky's has a free toppings bar and clearly they have cornered that market earning them a top score of 1/marvelous for both toppings and sweetness. "Okay" marks for the cone brought the total score to 2.2/great, sadly shy of the coveted "marvelous" ranking.

The last stop in Part 1 of this exhaustive survey was the one and only MF or Magic Fountain, also in Summit on Morris Avenue. Here Nora and Maeve both ordered Cookie Dough with Nora opting for a wafer cone and Maeve for a sugar cone. Our critics gave MF respectable marks of 2/great for creaminess, texture and sweetness but it did not excel in any areas and suffered from the same inferior cones as Home Plate and Ricky's. The overall score? A 2.5 bringing MF in squarely in between Ricky's and Home Plate.

The results:

1st place- Ricky's for its marvelous toppings and unparalleled sweetness

2nd place- Magic Fountain which is just plain great if you ignore the cones

3rd place- Home Plate Dairy just couldn't compete

Stay tuned as the girls continue their efforts and strive to maintain this rigorous schedule of tastings in the Official Ice Cream Survey Part II: Maine and the Official Ice Cream Survey Part III: The Hamptons!

http://www.candyconesandchaos.com/

Friends Who Feed Me

Friends who feed me are in a special category. For years after we had the Cafe, it seemed that no one invited us over to eat and if they did, each dish was accompanied by a disclaimer about the food. I recognize that it is intimidating to cook for a chef, even one who specializes in home-style "cuisine de femme," but I think that because I do cook, I appreciate their efforts even more.

Melissa and Hafnaoui

In late June we were the happy guests at an Algerian mechoui at the home of friends Melissa and Hafnaoui. A mechoui features lamb slow-cooked on a spit over an open fire. The lamb went on at 11 a.m. that morning and was still turning and being basted with an olive oil and rosemary marinade when we arrived around 4 p.m. Now if this were France the men tending the beast would have started drinking promptly at 11. Even though the cooks did not imbibe in alcohol, things did get a little boisterous later on as some of the key players in the production jostled each other for the most desirable pieces of meat.

As a veritable mechoui veteran by now, I should be used to and flattered when a stranger rips off a good morsel with his bare hands and then hands it to me to be eaten. That's what I get for hanging around admiring the beast! And it was so good.

Dinner consisted of the lamb (of course), grilled chicken, halal turkey hot dogs, Hafnaoui's amazing hummus and tabouli, various other salads and an assortment of incredible, home-made sweet nut and honey phyllo pastries plus everything provided by the many guests. We partook to capacity and enjoyed every bit of it - what a treat!

Alyson

More recently I spent a wonderful, relaxed evening with Melissa and Alyson down the road. The occasion was the proper celebration of Melissa's birthday that had passed unnoticed amid the chaos following the removal of Caroline's tonsils (her youngest). We sat on the deck as night fell and the fire flies came out. It was a really thick and dark New Jersey summer night but with little of the traditional humidity.

Alyson cooked up one of her amazing rich desserts, this time a berry shortcake with obscene mounds of whipped cream. Melissa brought chocolate-dipped strawberries. I got off easily with a bottle of Mumm Cordon Rouge that has been waiting in the fridge for many months for just such an opportunity! We talked and laughed and told stories by candlelight - I feel so lucky to have found these ladies.

Liz and John
The same weekend we had dinner with Liz and John in their great new place in Brookside - a beautiful old home on Main Street next to the post office and across from the Community Club. It is always a pleasure to hang out with these two and this was a rare evening in that we were without children. We sat on the back patio in the garden and enjoyed chilled prosecco. Through the backyard I could see the old house where I grew up down the road. I forget how close everything is in Brookside. It felt good to be back.

Dinner was simple and so good - my favorite kind of meal. Big pieces of chicken marinated in yoghurt, lemon and herbs, skewered with chunks of red peppers and red onions and grilled over charcoal. This was served with a really garlicky cucumber sauce, white rice and a salad of mixed greens tossed with Liz's vinaigrette. I love that vinaigrette. Dessert was coconut and raspberry sorbets.

In this crazy world, cooking and sharing food with family and friends has become a lost art along with letter writing and telling time. When I break bread with friends it is almost like stepping out of time and into an altogether different and welcome zone. Thank you!

Communing with nature at the Tewks

Tonight after work I met Mom and Dad and the girls at the Tewksbury Inn for an early supper on the terrace. Sylvain had his Thursday night soccer match. On the downside ( I like to get that out of the way), we were seated at the back of the terrace at a sunny table and though the day felt cool in comparison to yesterday, it was hot sitting there! Flies were drawn our way whenever food was on the table. When Mom mentioned the sun and the flies to our server, she informed us that they had just ordered an electric fly swatter that very day! An electric fly swatter? Did I get that right? Hmm.


At any rate, we started off with glasses of wine and Shirley Temples for Maeve and Nora. So civilized and festive! Dad and I had the mussels and shared with those who were interested. The girls filled up on bread swiped in olive oil. The mussels were fine but I wasn't blown away (mussels can really do that at times). We did much better with dinner.

Dad and I both selected the delicious Canadian Turbot special- delicate fillets gently pan fried and served atop a mashed potato island in a shallow pool of lemon butter with scattered haricot verts. Perched on the fish was an "herb salad," maybe my favorite part. Mom enjoyed the Chatham Cod with roesti potato, English pea puree, and bacon and Vidalia onion. The girls both had the Bistro Chicken (with "wilted spinach, olive oil whipped potatoes and natural thyme jus"), clearly the favorite dish at the Tewks and one dish that doesn't change and never comes off the menu even as the chefs come and go. I think it is safe to say that we all were pleased with our selections.

Nora, Maeve and Dad all rallied for dessert. Not surprisingly, the girls were immediately drawn to the milk chocolate mousse cake with whipped cream and fresh raspberries. Dad had three scoops of sorbet - lemon, mango and raspberry. Tasty but again, not mind-blowing. I also tasted the "cake" and it wasn't my favorite. It was neither mousse nor cake, it was too sweet and too rich and the taste of orange zest was overpowering to me. The girls loved it and were given permission by their grandmother to use their fingers to finish the drizzles of chocolate sauce. I was seated in between them. It was gross.

http://www.thetewksburyinn.com/

Nora's Favorite Restaurant

Sunday was the day that we held Nora's postponed birthday party which had evolved from a "Survivor" party at our house to lunch at her favorite Clinton restaurant, Nick's a.k.a. Towne Restaurant, followed by an afternoon at Art in the Open at the Hunterdon Art Museum. Three of the four girls enjoyed Nora's favorite meal at her favorite restaurant, grilled cheese with french fries and a chocolate milk. At Nick's no one asks what kind of bread? or what kind of cheese? because who would want anything other than American on white bread? Zoe opted for a cheeseburger. At a nearby table, Sylvain had a Nicoise salad (I tried to dissuade him) and I had the always reliable Greek salad.

Then it was into the downpour to the children's art festival. They began in the very wet moon bounce with an impromptu game of Marco Polo before they were evacuated and the whole thing was deflated in a rush of water. Face painting ensued. Nora's skull and cross bones tattoo was only briefly very cool but thanks to my skill running with an umbrella, Kyra's elaborate face remained intact for the day. Balloon "art" was a big hit....

http://www.clintontownerestaurant.com/
http://www.hunterdonartmuseum.org/

A Happy Birthday at KC's Chiffafa

Last night we met up with Mom and Dad for dinner in celebration of Mom's birthday at KC's Chiffafa in the center of Mendham. Our reservation was for 6:30pm. I'll get my complaints out of the way now - the service was friendly and knowledgeable but much too slow! We finally left at 9:30 p.m. Sylvain, starting work bright and early this morning, couldn't wait any longer for his dessert (did we really wait 40 mins.?!) and had to leave. Also, with a prix fixe of $75, it wasn't cheap for a BYO and it would have been nice to know that up front when I made the reservation.

That said, the food was excellent and the place was casual, quirky and a lot of fun. Everyone starts with a plate of bread with anise butter and a dish of warm, roasted pecans. Sylvain and Dad had the mussels which were fabulous. I don't say that lightly as for some reason, as easy as it is to prepare mussels to perfection, few pull it off. Mom and I had the gazpacho with truffles and creme fraiche. It was delicious with a taste more of smokey tomatoes than onion and peppers and a little spicy kick at the end.

For our main courses, Mom and I stayed in step with the monk fish wrapped in bacon. Dad had the Russian wild boar with mushroom risotto and Sylvain the fillet mignon with braised greens and potato puree. The monkfish was quite good and stood up well to the wide slices of lean bacon. It was served with roasted tomatoes and new potatoes.

K.C.'s is only open for dinner on the weekend and they have live music, in our case two fellows having a good time on acoustic guitar and piano regaling us with everything from Marshall Crenshaw to The Searchers. At one point two women who were clearly fans arrived rushing over to kiss them. One then came to our table and planted a big kiss on Bapu. We all scratched our heads and had a good laugh over that. Even in the dim light his blush was visible!

There was a choice of two desserts. Sylvain and Dad ordered the Tupelo Honey Souffle and Mom and I ended up eating Sylvain's. It arrived at the table hugely inflated accompanied by a smalled dish of apricots in a brandy sauce that were poured table side carefully into a slit made in the souffle. Nice!

What did Nora have? She enjoyed Lobster Macaroni and Cheese without the lobster (which she now avoids after being stared down by one on her plate last year in Maine). This was a sophisticated version with rich, more complex cheeses for adult palates. For dessert she chose the Frozen Hot Chocolate which came in a tall glass topped with whipped cream, marshmallows and sprinkles.

Overall we really enjoyed ourselves and loved the food. Clearly born of a couple's vision and their love of food, I was reminded of our own Cafe du Soleil.

http://http//events.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/16dinenj.html

The Clam Hut

Today was a gift. After much deliberating over whether or not I could "afford" to take a day off, I used a comp day to spend Friday with Thibault before surrendering him to Keewaydin Dunmore for two months. We dropped off Nora at camp and headed straight to Sandy Hook for a morning of sun and ocean. It was a beautiful day in the 70s with ocean temperature probably in the high 60s. Once we were in it was great.

In no time we had worked up appetites for lunch and headed to Highlands to see what was around. Of course I was immediately drawn to the "Clam Hut" and we followed the signs to a place on a pier. Usually I would choose steamers or clams on the half shell (sliders in New Jersey shore speak?) but felt strongly about trying the fried clam strips with a side of "hut slaw." A draft beer would have made the meal complete but it was noon with a bit of a drive ahead. Sad. Thibault enjoyed a fried flounder sandwich. Rambling conversation, the beach, great simple food and much laughter - does it get any better?

http://www.theclamhut.com/

http://dunmore.keewaydin.org/

Tito's is the Bomb!

I managed to escape the office to walk over to Tito's for lunch. So glad I did! It was a beautiful day all cool and sunny. I tried the southwestern chicken burrito special with pico de galo and it was perfect with green salsa from the free salsa bar and a squeeze of lime. Unfortunately the town was overrun with roving bands of preppy middle school bubble-dwellers. It must be the last day of school in Summit. But I made my way over to a park bench and enjoyed the feast accompanied by a bottle of Calypso lemonade and surrounded by nannies, their charges and Latinos lounging in the sun. If I can figure out how to download pix from my cell phone (Thibault????) I'll post them. I forgot my camera.

http://titosburritos.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/sssleestak

Lovin' the Juice Caboose

I stopped by the Juice Caboose in Summit yesterday to grab lunch and say hello to cousin Steve Clark. I left with a #4 a.k.a. "Re-Fuel" (I beleive). I was quickly drawn to that name on a Friday that signaled the end of another excruciatingly long week. It was fabulously filled with orange, lemon, carrot and ginger juices and made while I waited. What was the magic fifth ingredient? Accompanied by a small container of garlicky noodle salad and another of chickpea, it made for a really good and healthy meal. Yum.

Herbie's Drive-In and Shades of Death

Tonight I granted Thibault's oft repeated request to find Shades of Death Road. It turns out to be oddly nearby in Great Meadows. Since we did not see any ghosts, "orbs" or supernatural anything, the kids were quite disapointed. We did see a creepy scarecrow with a skeleton head but they remained unimpressed. The fox that crossed the road and then paused on a rock on the edge of the forest to stare at us was a little better.

Spirits dampened by lack of spirits were lifted by a visit to Herbie's Drive-In on Route 46 in Liberty Township, an old-fashioned hokie place where everyone was strange, strangely friendly. I am not a big ice cream fan (though I never tire of gelati) but this stuff was good. And it was soft serve - custardy and rich with a little grittiness. Wow. Nora had a "dirt sundae" of ice cream, oreo pieces and gummy worms, Thibault a vanilla cone and I, chocolate. http://www.herbiesdrivein.com/

Strawberry Festival

Today was the long-awaited day of the Strawberry Festival at the United Methodist Church in Changewater. For I think the 3rd year we biked over in the heat. We were greeted by freindly fellows in red church t-shirts and queued up for the selection of beef barbeque on potato rolls, hot dogs, potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, potato chips and a choice of sweetened or unsweetened iced tea. The usual crowd was there - it could have been a church dinner in Ohio or anywhere in the US for that matter. Dessert is always the best part - white cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and sliced strawberries with sugar. For $7.50 I picked up a nice-looking pineapple upside-down cake to take home in my bike basket. The plate was included. http://www.changewaterumchurch.org/