Harvest Monday: September 29, 2014

 Not much happening this week .. but I wanted to share this photo.  Evidence of what nibbled the last bit of my chard and carrots.  The picture was taken Saturday morning around 6:30 am.

The only harvest lately was this basket of herbs that I gave to a friend who helped with some much needed grooming of the garden: sage, rosemary,  thyme, tarragon, parsley.

Vegetable Pie

This is one of those dishes where you can add just about any vegetable you like.  If my broccoli had been ready when I made this, it would definitely have been included - maybe replacing the chard or the peas. Fennel would add a nice fresh taste if available.  And the buttermilk is not really necessary but that is what I had in the fridge.  I quite like the taste of buttermilk in this dish rather than a regular milk.

So I used what I had on hand - this was made a few weeks ago before my chard got nibbled.  I recently noticed some hoof prints around my fall planting of beet and carrots so I suspect it was deer that got the chard.

I've been rather busy with my day job so I've used a purchased pie crust.  Make your own if you do that sort of thing or this can just as easily be made like a shepherd's pie with the veggies baked in a casserole dish and a mashed potato topping (although that might be better if you don't also have potatoes in the filling - but then I really love potatoes).

Ingredients
1 bunch swiss chard
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves 3-4 cups roasted potatoes and carrots
1 1/2 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 Tbsp sour cream
2 pie crusts
Cheddar cheese
Peas




Wash the swiss chard. Chop the leaves and cut the stems to 1" pieces while still damp.  Cook swiss chard and thyme in 1 Tbsp butter.  Once they have wilted, add the flour and toss to coat.  Cook for 5 minutes.

Add the buttermilk and sour cream. Cook for 10-12 minutes until thickened.  Add in the freshly roasted (cut in bite size pieces) potato and carrot.  The starch in the potatoes will help thicken the sauce.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

In the bottom of one crust, add a thin layer of cheese and a handful (or two) of peas.








 Then add the potato/carrot filling and top with another crust.  Make a small slice in the top crust to allow the steam to escape.









Bake 40 minutes or until crust has browned.

Cheesecake Bars with Oreo Crumb Crust and topped with Strawberry Balsamic Jam

For a BBQ earlier this season, I offered to bring dessert (as I often do).  And I have become rather obsessed with the taste of strawberries roasted with balsamic vinegar recently.

First it was the free-form cheesecake with balsamic roasted strawberries trifle-style dessert.  Then I went with a balsamic roasted strawberry ice cream.

I actually made the jam first and was going to post the recipe ... then I realized it was very similar to these previous recipes and decided it wasn't worth it.   But then I decided to incorporate it into a simple cheesecake bar - perfect as a bring-along to a BBQ.  And maybe worthy of a post?

Ingredients:
Strawberry Balsamic Jam (see recipe below)
1 1/2 cups Oreo crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 bricks of cream cheese
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
vanilla

In a 9x13 pan, combine the Oreo crumbs and melted butter.  Press to form a firm crust on the bottom surface.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with sugar until fluffy.  Mix in eggs and vanilla and stir to combine.  Pour over crust.  Shake pan to spread out the mixture and let it settle.

Bake at 325 degrees F until firm.   This should only take about 30 minutes as it is quite shallow.

Refrigerate at least 2-3 hours.  Cut into squares and serve with a spoonful of jam.

Strawberry Balsamic Jam



I love the combination of strawberries with balsamic vinegar and have used it in many desserts.  This makes a terrific jam for toast and is great mixed with yogurt and oatmeal.

Ingredients:
2 litre strawberries
3/8 cup balsamic vinegar
5 Tbsp sugar




Roast strawberries and balsamic in 400 degree F oven for 30 minutes.  Pour into a pot and cook until thickened (30-40 minutes).  Note:  I usually wait until the jam has cooked down before adding sugar - amount depends on sweetness of strawberries.

Pour into glass jars and store in refrigerator or stores well in freezer.