a tribute to "injun summer"

Since October 1907 the Chicago Tribune ran the article and illustration called "Injun Summer" by John T. McCutcheon on the front cover of their Magazine section.
A few years ago they stopped printing it.

I wanted to post this as a tribute to this wonderful article I have loved since childhood. I love that it had a wonderful and magical simplicity about it that transcends the years for me. You have to read it with the understanding that the piece was written in 1907.

I also wanted to share with you the stunning beauty and warmth of my beautiful Indian Summer weekend through a few photos. I will be writing about my wonderful experiences of this past Indian Summer weekend as the week goes on...please stay tuned.

INJUN SUMMER
John T. McCutcheon
Chicago Tribune September 30, 1907

Yep, sonny this is sure enough Injun summer.
Don't know what that is, I reckon, do you?
Well, that's when all the homesick Injuns come back to play.

You know, a long time ago, long afore yer granddaddy was born even, there used to be heaps of Injuns around here—thousands—millions, I reckon, far as that's concerned.
Reg'lar sure 'nough Injuns—none o' yer cigar store Injuns, not much.
They wuz all around here—right here where you're standin'.

Don't be skeered—hain't none around here now, leastways no live ones.
They been gone this many a year.
They all went away and died, so they ain't no more left.

But every year, 'long about now, they all come back, leastways their sperrits do.
They're here now.
You can see 'em off across the fields. Look real hard.
See that kind o' hazy misty look out yonder?
Well, them's Injuns—Injun sperrits marchin' along an' dancin' in the sunlight.
That's what makes that kind o' haze that's everywhere—it's jest the sperrits of the Injuns all come back. They're all around us now.

See off yonder; see them tepees? They kind o' look like corn shocks from here, but them's Injun tents, sure as you're a foot high. See 'em now?

Sure, I knowed you could. Smell that smoky sort o' smell in the air?
That's the campfires a-burnin' and their pipes a-goin'.
Lots o' people say it's just leaves burnin', but it ain't.
It's the campfires, an' th' Injuns are hoppin' 'round 'em t'beat the old Harry.

You jest come out here tonight when the moon is hangin' over the hill off yonder an' the harvest fields is all swimmin' in the moonlight, an' you can see the Injuns and the tepees jest as plain as kin be.
You can, eh? I knowed you would after a little while.
Jever notice how the leaves turn red 'bout this time o' year?
That's jest another sign o' redskins.
That's when an old Injun sperrit gits tired dancin' an' goes up an' squats on a leaf t'rest.

Why I kin hear 'em rustlin' an' whisper in' an' creepin' 'round among the leaves all the time; an' ever' once'n a while a leaf gives way under some fat old Injun ghost and comes floatin' down to the ground. See—here's one now.
See how red it is?
That's the war paint rubbed off'n an Injun ghost, sure's you're born.
Purty soon all the Injuns'll go marchin' away agin, back to the happy huntin' ground,
but next year you'll see 'em troopin' back—th' sky jest hazy with 'em and their campfires smolderin' away jest like they are now.

© John T. McCutcheon

I hope that you all enjoyed this look back in time,
at an Indian summer of by-gone years.

A… is for apple galette

I love apples all year round.
I routinely carry at least one apple when I go out on photo shoots for the day and always pack a few for any long journey by auto, train or plane. They have always been my go-to food to keep me healthy and safe from any hunger pains that would force me to rely on fast-food.

Autumn at farmers markets, farm stands and even at your local mega-marts is an apple lover’s paradise…so this is heaven for me for certain.This beauty of this fruit is as timeless and classic as Eve and the diversity of its uses in sweet and savory recipes is truly endless.

With my love of apples in mind, I proceeded to go a bit overboard with my apple purchases this Friday at the Farmers Market…
(blush…)
Cameo, Cortland, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jonagold, Jonathan, Braeburn, Empire, Fuji, Gala, Ginger Gold, HoneyCrisp, Newton Pippin, Pink Lady and I think a few other varieties filled my canvas bags to bursting.

As I drove home from the market, the sweet apple-y scent filled my little red auto and all I could think about was a delicious apple pie. A sweet and spicy slice of goodness encased in a light and flaky buttery crust. But I know that I am not a master baker, my pie crusts are not anything I would feed to my dog. And if I had a dog, I am certain that he would reject them, too.
I needed a plan…and…I needed a simple recipe to make lovely spicey, apple-y, flaky and light desserts for friends and family.
(And yes fill that pie crave…!)

I searched through the posts of my fellow food bloggers for a simple and delicious recipe I could master for using all my apples. There was always inspiration to be found amongst these talented and generous people.

Et viola…!
I came across a wonderful recipe for an apple galette from Nicole at Pinch my Salt. She had just posted a simple and delicious looking recipe that I just knew would satisfy my cravings for apple pie…and it said it was NO FEAR…I was hooked.

I made several small individual apple galettes using the recipe apple galette: the no fear apple pie from Nicole’s blog. The recipe directions were easy to follow with clear images that illustrated the whole process and foolproof, even for me.
And the results…the results were not only very delicious, but beautiful.

The dough in this recipe produced a light and flaky crust and the scent of the apples and cinnamon and nutmeg (the only addition I made to her recipe) perfumed my home for hours and gave it a warm and homey feel that cool October evening.

During this lovely season of autumn where apples are abundant, inexpensive and just simply at their beautiful best, I encourage you to buy some apples, as many as possible and try this wonderful recipe…and share the results with those you love.
But save a slice or two for yourself for a bed-time snack with a lovely cup of tea or ice cold glass of milk…your choice.

(Merci beaucoup, Nicole…Pinch my Salt for your wonderful recipe…!)

of pumpkins (part deux)…pretty in pink

My favorite pumpkin of the season is the beautiful French heirloom Brodé Galeux d’Eysines, which means embroidered with warts from Eysines (a small city in the southwest of France). To me this pumpkin is a visual masterpiece, a slightly flattened orb with a pale salmon-pink skin covered with cream-colored squiggly veins of protruding warts.

The warts resemble peanut shells but on some pumpkins the warts resemble a delicate frosting on a pink cake. These bumps are sometimes called “sugar warts”, because they’re caused by a buildup of sugars under the skin. The pumpkin’s flavor is most concentrated just under its skin and again in the seed mass.

The moist orange flesh of this pumpkin has a sweet, slightly nutty flavor and a smooth and tender texture. The flesh is quite fragrant and quite sweet with a hint of sweet potato and apple. The very delicate flavor lends itself to just about any spice from subtle nutmeg to pungent curries.

Because of the delicate mild flavor, it is a favorite to add to bake breads and cakes,
but can hold its own as savory side dish.
This pumpkin unusual has unusual versatility.
For its size this heirloom yields more than the usual amount of smooth, rich pumpkin for the traditional pie.

The Galeux d’Eysines is best utilized for pumpkin butter and soup because the texture of the cooked fruit is so very smooth because this pumpkin is not stringy as most of the many orange skinned varieties.
When made into a soup, you can use the easy to carve shell for a astonishing and beautiful soup tureen for serving your amazed guests.

A Galeux d’Eysines pumpkin weighs about 10 to 15 pounds.
If picked before frost, it will store fresh in a cool room for up to six months. When choosing a pumpkin, pick one that is heavy for its size, sounds hollow when tapped and has a dry stem.From early autumn to early winter, Galeux d’Eysines pumpkins are available at most farmers markets, pumpkin farms and mega mart grocers like Whole Foods.

Brodé Galeux d’Eysines Pink Pumpkin Soup
(recipe adapted from several recipes on allrecipes.com and much experimentation)

ingredients

5 cups low sodium Chicken stock
(I use the Trader Joes brandor my own homemade if I have it on hand)

4 cups pureed fresh Brodé Galeux d’Eysines Pumpkin

1/2 cup sweet Onion

1 Shallot chopped fine

1 clove Garlic cut in half
( Remember, the larger the cut, the milder the flavor. A hint of garlic in the soup gives another dimension of flavorIf you cut the garlic fine it can overtake the delicate flavor of this particular pumpkin.)

½ cup heavy Cream
(you can use much less, but I recommend at least 1 -2 Tablespoons to round out the flavors.)

freshly ground white Pepper to taste

a few grinds of Nutmeg to taste (approx 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh Parsley and Chives

directions

In a large pot, combine the chicken stock, pumpkin, onion, shallots and garlic.

Over medium heat, bring to a slow boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.

Purée the soup in small batches (1 cup at a time) using a food processor or a stick blender.

Taste for texture and adjust if you need to purée the mixture further.

Return to pan, and heat to a low boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for another 30 minutes, uncovered.

Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Stir in heavy cream.

Stir gently for a few minutes to combine these ingredients.

Taste to adjust seasonings.
(You want this soup to have a delicate flavor like a symphony with many different notes that work together, with no one flavor note taking star billing.)

Pour into carved Brodé Galeux d’Eysines Pumpkin tureen or into individual bowls.

Garnish sparingly with fresh parsley and chives.
Be warmed and nourished by this autumn delicacy.

Although the Galeux d’Eysines id not your typical autumnal image of a pumpkin, I find this one extremely charming just because of its appearance.
It looks frilly and girly and designer-y and...
oh-la-la oh so French.
But on the inside, it is just as beautiful and delicious.

I live on good soup, not on words. ~ Molière

an amazing autumn afternoon

I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.~ Henry David Thoreau

Bengston’s Pumpkin Farm is an amazing place.

It is spotlessly clean, colorful, artfully produced place for Halloween FUN. . . !
As I said in the last post and will say it again, I had the most Halloween fun here that I have had since was a small child.
And I went there just intending to take a few autumn photos...

A haunted house, animatronics with cool voices, music, wierd sounds and smoke; a talking scarecrow and the wicked witch of the west; a great corn maze and hay rides to the vast pumpkin field; a petting zoo where you can feed carrots to gentle, exotic animals; hilarious pig races, rides on mild-mannered child-sized ponies, sweet baby animals and pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins of all types were just a few of the things that can be enjoyed here.

The animals here seem very contented, are so very well cared for, immaculately groomed and curried to a sheen. They make the children squeel with delight to pet their clean little heads.
And I have to admit, I loved petting the head of this darling baby alpaca who loved hay and carrots.
I was very pleasantly surprised to find that the food that is offered at the Texan-style barbeque stand here was top drawer. And since this is mostly a food blog, I want to talk a bit about the food that you can eat here.


What you can get is NOT fast food…but carefully prepared sandwiches with meats that are smoked with care right on the premises and served by people kindly attentive to your wants and needs.
The sliced pork sandwich I ate was huge by any standards and I ordered the small portion.
It was served steaming hot, tender, juicy, piled high served on a light brioche-like sweet bun.

I was able to add any or all of the available fresh condiments of jalapeños, home-made dill pickles, onions and a choice of four barbeques sauces. The meat had delicate smokey flavor and need no help from the barbeque sauce I choose as it was delicious all to itself.
At a price of $5.00 (tax included), I ate my fill and took the other half home for my dinner later that night. That is one of the best-kept secret values of this wonderful family attraction.

So many little expert touches make this destination a place that gives joy to anyone that visits, no matter what your age...

I am very persnickety and a bit skeptical about family orientated destinations that have huge seasonal draws. So many of them are care worn with sad little animals and chipping paint on the rides and attractions.

Not so at Bengston’s Pumpkin Farm...! ! !
This truly beautiful farm is fresh and clean with spicy Halloween flavor in a lively atmosphere with helpful people that seem happy to be there, and are even happier to help you have a great time.

This is a very special autumn destination...

If you are in the area, please take the time to see for yourself.
Take your children, take a loved one, take a friend or just venture there solo… but do visit if you can.
Walk, laugh, relax, look, be amazed, eat, buy a pumpkin or two and experience a day of golden autumn pleasure that will warm you all winter long.

pumpkin.moon.

"Men are like pumpkins.
It seems like all the good ones are either taken or they've had everything scraped out of their heads with a spoon."

Yesterday I spent the day at Bengston’s Pumpkin Farm.
I had the most Halloween fun that I have had since was a small child and experienced the colors, tastes, delights, thrills and chills of my first Halloween.

I will be writing my impressions of my wonderful visit and sharing many more images later in the week. But I just had to share this image that I took at the farm that made me laugh until I had tears streaming down my face.

Hope that this hilarious cheeky orange dude brightens your day where ever you are today.

of pumpkins...a history (part une) ~ Our First Annual Pumpkin Week

Welcome to the First Annual Pumpkin Week here at “feasting…on gluten-free pixels”.

I love this time of year because I adore pumpkins…
and they are everywhere I look.

I love that…!

I love that their bright, cheerful color brightens these days when the sun rises later and sets earlier. Pumpkins are like small balls of sunshine unto themselves just when the autumn sun gets scarce and filtered.

I love that in the hands of the right cook, pumpkin dishes have a comforting soft aroma and a poignant flavor and taste-memory of a warm and welcoming home.

I love:
pumpkin pie
pumpkin whole roasted stuffed with bread and cheese
pumpkin soup
pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting
pumpkin mousse
pumpkin muffins
pumpkin cheesecake
pumpkin scones
pumpkin brûlée
pumpkin and cranberry relish
pumpkin custard
pumpkin butter on 9 grain toast
pumpkin-peanut curry noodles
pumpkin fritters
pumpkin seed brittle
pumpkin bread
pumpkin-maple pot de crème
pumpkin ravioli
AND
pumpkin seeds roasted and salted and eaten as I watch a scary movie…

The list is endless.
At least mine is endless, and these are just a few of my favorite pumpkin dishes.
I am betting that you have a few favorites of your own.

In this post I wanted to explore the history, lore and use of the pumpkin, a common commodity available this time of year.
For many years I, as perhaps many of you, just thought of the pumpkin as a jack-o-lantern and a pie at the Thanksgiving table.
But this orange orb is so much more…


A Short History of the Pumpkin

Pumpkins are believed to have originated in North America.
Seeds from related plants have been found in Mexico dating back to 7000 to 5500 B.C. References to pumpkins date back many centuries.

The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word for large melon; which is pepon.
The word pepon was changed by the French into pompon.
Then the English changed pompon to pumpion.The American colonists changed pumpion into pumpkin.
Native American Indians used pumpkin as a staple in their diets centuries before the pilgrims landed.
They also dried strips of pumpkin and wove them into mats. Indians would also roast long strips of pumpkin on the open fire and eat them.

When white settlers arrived, they saw the pumpkins grown by the Indians and pumpkin soon became a staple in their diets. As today, early settlers used them in a wide variety of recipes from desserts to stews and soups.
The origin of pumpkin pie is thought to have occurred when the colonists sliced off the pumpkin top, removed the seeds, and then filled it with milk, spices and honey.
The pumpkin was then baked in the hot ashes of a dying fire.

Whole Stuffed Pumpkin Makes 6 generous servings
(This wonderful recipe is adapted from a recipe from dorie greenspan)

1 Pumpkin, about a 3 pound orb

6-8 ounces stale whole grain Bread, cut into ½ inch squares

6 ounces of a combination of Gruyere, Swiss, Blue, Cheddar Cheeses, cut into ½ inch squares

fresh Garlic cloves (2-4) coarsely chopped large for mild flavor, fine for a stronger flavor

heavy Cream, 1/3 cup

1 Egg

freshly grated Nutmeg (to taste)

Sea Salt (to taste)

Freshly ground black or white Pepper (to taste)

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, a silicone baking mat or find a Dutch oven that's the same diameter as the pumpkin.

With a heavy sharp knife, cut a cap off the top of the pumpkin.
Clear away any seeds and strings from the cap and scoop out the seeds and filaments inside the pumpkin.
(You can reserve the seeds to roast later if you wish.)

Season the inside of the pumpkin with salt and pepper and rub around the insides.
Place the pumpkin on the sheet or in the Dutch oven.

Alternate layers of bread and cheese and add the chopped garlic in between the layers.
The bread and cheese should fill up the pumpkin at least 2 inches from the top.
You might have a little too much filling or you might need to add a bit more bread or cheese, as it is hard to give exact amounts.

Beat an egg into the cream and season it with salt, pepper and grated fresh nutmeg to taste. Pour the mixture into the pumpkin until you see that the filling of bread and cheese are moistened. You may have a bit left over depending on the size of the pumpkin.

Put the cap back in place and bake the pumpkin for about 2 hours.
Check after 90 minutes, or until everything inside the pumpkin is bubbly and the flesh of the pumpkin is tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a knife.

You can remove the cap during the last 20 minutes of baking so that the top of the stuffing can brown a bit if you wish.

To serve, cut the pumpkin into wedges, and plate a slice of the pumpkin with generous spoonfuls of the beautiful stuffing.

What are your favorite Pumpkin dishes and recipes ?

Please add a comment and a recipe, as I would love to add your favorites to my blog.

Bon appetit…!

golden autumn treasure…

Chanterelle Mushrooms are among the world’s most prized mushrooms. They are in season in autumn and winter and since autumn in very much in the air, I am starting to crave these golden beauties once again.

This wonderful trumpet–shaped wild mushroom has a delicate nutty and sometimes fruity flavor and a lovely chewy texture.
The color ranges from golden yellow to orange.
They are called Girolles in France and Italy and in Germany they are called Pfifferling. Chanterelle mushrooms are usually imported from Europe canned, dried or fresh.

I have found them for sale in the US all forms at high-end markets like Whole Foods, Fox and Obel and Treasure Island.
I have also found beautiful fresh specimens at various farmers’ markets in mid autumn and during the winter at Chicago Green City Market when it moves to its indoor location.
They are not easily cultivated, but can be found growing in parts of the Pacific Northwest, upper Michigan and along the East coast of the US.

In Paris they are readily available in autumn and winter in street marchés. Tiny marché Les Halles on rue des Prouvaires (a few steps north of rue St-Honoré, right before you get to rue du Pont Neuf) always seem to have beautiful specimens from Spain (the owner says these are the best) The prices are much less expensive than at the megamart Monoprix and about half what the prices are in the US.

When you are shopping for Chanterelle mushrooms, choose those that are plump and spongy and avoid those with broken or shriveled caps.
Fresh Chanterelles should be nearly dry to the touch with a slightly fruity aroma like fresh apricots.

To clean fresh Chanterelles just brush off any dirt unless they are very dirty. If washing is required wash them right before you cook them so you are not storing wet mushrooms.


These mushrooms toughen when they are overcooked and cook very quickly.
So when adding them to a recipe, add them at the end of the cooking time.

My favorite simple ways of enjoying these golden treasure is to gently and quickly sautée them in a good olive oil and serve them alone or over a delicate pasta like the graceful capelli d'angelo (angel hair) or the sensuous tagliatelle. After plating the pasta and Chanterelles, I garnish with a scant sprinkling of finely shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano and fines herbes (rough chopped chives, chervil, parsley, and tarragon) for just a touch of complex flavors on the side that do not compete with the delicate Chanterelles.

When I am in Paris trying to stretch my Euros, I often make a tender egg-white omelet for dinner. I add the fresh Chanterelles when the eggs are almost finished cooking.
With a crusty baguette and a lovely French wine, this meal is a beautiful and inexpensive way to enjoy an elegant meal without an elegant price tag in the comfort of your own kitchen.