Dispatch from the Pumpkin Trail

While our generous Main Street merchants handed out candy to the kids, I ducked into Sylvester & Company for one of these adorable white chocolate ghosts.

Fish Tale

A few weeks ago, our friend Jon mentioned that he has been fishing off of Montauk on Saturday mornings, and catching some pretty big striped bass. So yesterday I cleverly asked him to dinner tonight, thinking that if I got lucky I would be skipping a trip to The Seafood Shop. Sure enough, early this morning I got a photo of what Jon said was a very big fish. "How big?" I asked. A couple of hours later he sent a second photo in response.

Enjoying the Frost-Free Fall

Due to our lovely frost-free Fall, late summer vegetables like eggplant and corn are still available at local farmstands. I picked up some eggplant, and a big, beautiful bunch of cilantro at Falkowski's (Scuttlehole Road, Bridgehampton) yesterday, to make a broiled eggplant salad (adapted from Vegetables Every Day), for dinner last night. Here is the recipe:

Broiled Eggplant Salad
Serves 4

2 pounds eggplant, stems trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
4 medium scallions, white and light green parts, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped

1. Position an oven rack closest to the broiling element and heat the broiler to high. Place the eggplant slices on a baking sheet, brush them on both sides with the oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil, turning once, until very well browned on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Let cool on the baking sheet, chop into bite-size pieces, and transfer to a serving bowl.
2. Combine the lime juice, fish sauce, chile, and sugar in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the eggplant, add the scallions, cilantro, and peanuts, and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Filling the Cookie Jar with James Beard's Molasses Cookies

In celebration of the grand new re-issue of James Beard's classic, American Cookery, the James Beard foundation has asked a bunch of food writers to cook from the book and write about the experience. To read about the molasses cookies I baked (the lard from
plays a large role), and for Beard's recipe, click here.

Wailing Museum

I had nightmares for a week after visiting the Whaling Museum on an Elementary School field trip in broad daylight, so I expect this evening event will be utterly terrifying.

Pictures from a Cookie Swap

Some of Sag Harbor's finest bakers came over to my house yesterday afternoon for a cookie swap, and here are some snapshots of what they brought.

Brightening up the Morning on Main Street

Even with my sunglasses on, I appreciated the IGA's newly installed blond wood floors this morning.