Bourbon Apple Pie: Yeah, you heard right.

So, start with six or so medium apples. The fresher, the better.


Peel them, cube them, and toss them in a bowl with lemon juice and zest so they don't oxidize. Also, microplane some ginger on it, as well.


In a separate bowl, combine 2/3c white sugar, 1/2c brown sugar, 1/2c flour, and cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. I know, MEASUREMENTS. But hey, this is almost baking, so the amounts kind of matter.


In yet another bowl, whisk together one egg and a couple of tablespoons of bourbon.


Dump the dry mix onto the apples, toss, then fold in the egg mixture.


Dump it into a pie crust that you've lightly poked all over with a fork. Yes, it's store bought. No, I'm not ashamed.


Ok, time for the topping. Oh yes, it gets better.
In a food processor, combine 1/2c flour, 1/3c brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Combine, slowly adding 1/2 stick of butter in chunks. Add pecans and pulse to roughly chop it.


Evenly spread topping on the pie, and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.


Oh. My. God.

A quick one: Hot Pepper Relish

So, you take about a pound of hot peppers (all varieties), and you roughly seed them.


Toss them in a food processor with a head of roasted garlic, a tablespoon of sugar, a bit of salt, and 2 cups of vinegar. Pulse until minced.


Simmer for a couple of minutes.


Pour, hot, into a canning jar.


Let cool, and chill. Add to food. WHOA.

Potato Eggplant hash with Hot Peppers and Sage

So, the farmer's market insists on giving us eggplant. What to do? First, cube them, and set them aside sprinkled with kosher salt.



Do the same with the potato, just skip the salt part.



Slight variation this week... These peppers come from the farmer's market. No serrano today.



In smoking olive oil, fry the potatoes until golden. Remove to paper towels to drain.


Add a bit more oil, and throw in some crushed garlic cloves. Remove when browned, reserving oil in pan.


Add Eggplant, peppers and onion. Sautee over high heat until cooked through. This is one of those recipes where the eggplant will not crisp up, so don't bother trying.


Return potatoes, and add sage. In this case, dried. Lower/turn off heat, and toss to combine.


Serve with a protein; in this case, broiled steak tips.

Mahogany Clams with Spicy Sausage

Chop onion and fennel, and saute with some crushed fennel seeds in bacon fat (yeah, I said it). When soft, add italian sausage, and brown (post photo hint: You'll get a better brown if you sear the sausage separately).


Add white wine, tomatoes, garlic, and oregano. Bring to a boil.


Add clams (by the way, cover them with cold water for at least 20 minutes, if not half an hour, so they purge themselves of a lot of really gross, sandy stuff), cover, and let cook 5 minutes.


Discard unopened shells, and serve with some fennel fronds over top.

Roasted Haddock with Anchovy Vinaigrette and Broiled, Marinated Eggplant

Slice eggplant into rounds, and marinate 20 minutes in a combination of soy, lime, garlic, ginger, and sriraccha (or some sort of hot chili paste). A touch of honey can balance out the heat/salt thing, if you'd like.


Place on broiler and char until browned and fragrant.


Meanwhile, combine shallot, a touch of dijon mustard, thyme, red wine vinegar, some minced anchovy fillets, and olive oil.


Place haddock on parchment, season with salt and pepper, and roast at 450 for about 10 minutes, or until just cooked through.


Top with vinaigrette, and serve with eggplant.

Shaved apple fennel salad

So, here's an easy one. Using either a mandolin or a really sure hand, slice both fennel and apple very thin.




In a bowl, combine lemon, oil, tarragon, and Pernod.


Toss, and serve (shown: Roast Chicken).

Sultan's Delight (don't look at me, I didn't name it that).

Cube and sear lamb with some salt in a bit of olive oil.


Remove, lower heat, and saute onions and garlic in cumin and paprika.


Return lamb, add a can of crushed tomatoes, and a bit of water. Simmer on very low heat, covered, for at least 2 hours.


Take a cute eggplant...


...and burn it alive.


Let it cool, peel it, and place it in lemon water for about 15 minutes.

(in other words, not shown.)

Place in a colander to drain for 45 minutes.


Make a light roux (equal parts flour and fat on low heat until just turning golden).


Add a bit of milk to make a thick sauce, add eggplant and parmesan, and smash the eggplant into a paste. Salt and pepper to taste; maybe a bit of lemon.


A few arugula leaves, tossed with a squeeze of lemon.


Arrange the plate with the lamb over top the eggplant, with a few leaves of arugula for balance.