more veggies, please!

hello, there! it's been a long time. summer has passed. we had copious ears of corn and are still eating lots of varieties of nightshade (it's almost halloween!). now that's it's cooling down, let's get back to cooking. 1 hr 10 minutes – serves 8 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon salt 4 large apples (if you can, choose 4 different kinds) 2 large eggs 3/4 cup sugar 3 tablespoons dark rum 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Generously butter an 8-inch springform pan (or use a nonstick pan) and put it on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. 2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in small bowl. 3. Peel the apples, cut them in half and remove the cores. Cut the apples into 1- to 2-inch chunks. 4. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk un...

I eat this for dessert and breakfast, but you can really enjoy it at any time of day. 1 hr 15 min – serves 6 6-8 apples, peeled and cut into eighths 1 stick unsalted butter, softened ½ cup brown sugar juice of ½ lemon 1 teaspoon ground cardamom 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 cup old-fashioned oats, divided ½ cup white sugar ½ cup all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon salt 1. Place rack in middle of oven, preheat oven to 425ºF. 2. Butter a baking dish and stir together apples, ½ cup brown sugar, lemon juice, cardamom and cinnamon. 3. Stir together ½ cup oats, white sugar, flour, salt. Blend in butter until incorporated. Add final ½ cup oats until the mixture clumps. 4. Spread over fruit and bake until juices are bubbling, topping is golden and apples are soft when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly before serving. modified from a Gourmet recipe

I wanted to emulate my friend Peter Ekman, who had declared this summer the "Summer of Shakes." I declared this fall the "Fall of Pies." However, it has turned out to be more of a fall of tarts, mostly because I am not down with buying Crisco or lard to make the traditional American pie crust. What follows is what happened instead. 2 hours and 30 minutes – serves 8 Crust 1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour 3/4 cup powdered sugar 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced 2 large egg yolks Blend flour, powdered sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter and blend until coarse meal forms. Add egg yolks. Pulse until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap and chill at least 1 hour. DO AHEAD Dough for tart crust can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Filling 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom 6 large Rome apples (about 2...

2 hours – serves 6 This comforting compote should be served warm. I like it best with yogurt and slivered almonds. Yum! 4 apples, preferably on the tart side, peeled, cored and cut into sixths 3 ripe but firm pears, peeled, cored and cut into sixths 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (more to taste) 1 cup apple juice A handful of golden raisins 3 tablespoons chopped candied ginger 2 tablespoons honey or agave syrup 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1 tablespoon whisky 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a baking dish large enough to accommodate all of the fruit. Fill a bowl with water, and add 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. As you prepare the fruit, put it into the water. When all of the fruit is peeled and sliced, drain and toss with the remaining lemon juice in the baking dish. 2. Combine the apple juice, raisins, ginger, honey or agave syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and whisky in a small saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, a...

2 hours – serves 8 flaky egg pastry 1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface ¼ cup confectioner’s sugar ½ tsp salt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces 1 large egg, cold, beaten caramelized apples 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 6 large Granny Smith apples (about 3 pounds), peeled, quartered and cored 1. for the pastry : Pulse the flour, confectioner’s sugar and salt in a food processor until combined. Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients; process until the mixture resembles cornmeal, 7 to 12 seconds (you can also mix the butter in by rubbing the pieces between your fingertips, quickly). Turn the mixture into a medium bowl; add the egg and stir with a fork until little balls form. Press the balls together with the back of the fork, then gather the dough into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic, then flatten it into a 4-inch disk. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes (...

30 min – serves 4 ½ pound walnut halves (2 cups) ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil ¼ cup fresh lime juice Salt and freshly ground pepper ¾ pound peeled roasted beets, cut into 1/3-inch cubes 1 Fuji apple, cut into 1/3-inch cubes 1 Hass avocado, cubed 1 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced ¼ pound Manchego cheese, thinly shaved (1 cup) 5 ounces mesclun greens 2 cups tortilla chips, lightly crushed 1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Let cool completely. 2. Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the walnuts to a food processor. Add the oil and lime juice and pulse until the walnuts are coarsely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the beets, apple, avocado, fennel and Manchego and toss. Add the mesclun and tortilla chips, season with salt and pepper and toss again. Transfer the salad to plates, garnish with the remaining walnuts and serve right away.