Why September is THE BEST!
I would like to make a case for why exactly September is the best month of the year in New England. September is like the best combination of summer and fall. You get some incredibly beautiful, sunshine filled days and gardens are in full harvest mode, but the best parts of fall have arrived too - kids are back in school (so my neighborhood is much quieter), football has started, and those warm days don't mean suffocating nights, it gets nice and cool. It's tank top and flip flops during the day, then pull on a cozy sweater as the sun sets. Oh, and the sunsets in September...ah-mazing.
This combination of over-flowing produce, cozy nights, and football also turns my cooking into something that comforts and satisfies. Not that my summer cooking isn't satisfying, but fall and football yield good old comfort food - some of it traditional, some of it twists on classics. Here are two recipes I cooked in September, if these can't convince you that September is the best month for a Vermonter, I don't know what else I can possibly do!
Stilton Sirloin Burgers with Onion Jam
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ large red onion, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
1 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 thyme sprig
Freshly ground pepper
2 pounds ground sirloin
4 ounces Stilton cheese, cut into 8 slices
4 brioche buns, kaiser rolls, or ciabatta rolls, split
4 tablespoons Mayo for serving
Lettuce for serving (arugula, Boston lettuce, whatever you like)
1. In a skillet, heat the oil. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the red wine, vinegar, honey and thyme and simmer, stirring, until the liquid has evaporated, 15 minutes. Season the onion jam with salt and pepper; discard the thyme.
2. Light a grill. Generously season the sirloin with salt and pepper. Mix gently, then shape into 1” thick patties; season again with salt and pepper. Grill the burgers, turning once, until charred on the outside and pink within, about 4 minutes per side. Just before the burgers are done, top them with the Stilton. Transfer to a platter. Lightly grill the buns. Spread 1 tablespoon of mayo on each bottom bun. Set the burgers on the buns. Top with the onion jam and lettuce and serve.
Roast Chicken with Plums
Serves 8-10
*From NYTimes Melissa Clark
This recipe, which roasts two chickens at the same time, has been engineered to feed a crowd. Feel free to halve the recipe if you’d rather, but be sure to reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees.
Ingredients
2 large lemons
2 tablespoons ground sumac
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, grated or minced
2 chickens, 4 to 4 1/2 pounds each
1 bunch thyme, more for garnish
FOR THE PLUMS:
2 ¼ pounds plums, halved or quartered if large
4 shallots, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
1 bay leaf, torn in half
1. Grate the zest from the lemons and place in a small bowl. Set aside the zested lemons. Stir sumac, salt, pepper, cinnamon and allspice into the lemon zest. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the garlic. The mixture should feel like wet sand. Rub it all over the chickens, including inside the cavity.
Divide thyme bunch in half and place in the chicken cavities. Place chickens on a roasting rack set over a rimmed baking sheet, and let marinate, uncovered, in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
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| photo credit: my mom, thanks mom |
This combination of over-flowing produce, cozy nights, and football also turns my cooking into something that comforts and satisfies. Not that my summer cooking isn't satisfying, but fall and football yield good old comfort food - some of it traditional, some of it twists on classics. Here are two recipes I cooked in September, if these can't convince you that September is the best month for a Vermonter, I don't know what else I can possibly do!
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ large red onion, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
1 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 thyme sprig
Freshly ground pepper
2 pounds ground sirloin
4 ounces Stilton cheese, cut into 8 slices
4 brioche buns, kaiser rolls, or ciabatta rolls, split
4 tablespoons Mayo for serving
Lettuce for serving (arugula, Boston lettuce, whatever you like)
1. In a skillet, heat the oil. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the red wine, vinegar, honey and thyme and simmer, stirring, until the liquid has evaporated, 15 minutes. Season the onion jam with salt and pepper; discard the thyme.
2. Light a grill. Generously season the sirloin with salt and pepper. Mix gently, then shape into 1” thick patties; season again with salt and pepper. Grill the burgers, turning once, until charred on the outside and pink within, about 4 minutes per side. Just before the burgers are done, top them with the Stilton. Transfer to a platter. Lightly grill the buns. Spread 1 tablespoon of mayo on each bottom bun. Set the burgers on the buns. Top with the onion jam and lettuce and serve.
Roast Chicken with Plums
Serves 8-10
*From NYTimes Melissa Clark
This recipe, which roasts two chickens at the same time, has been engineered to feed a crowd. Feel free to halve the recipe if you’d rather, but be sure to reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees.
Ingredients
2 large lemons
2 tablespoons ground sumac
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, grated or minced
2 chickens, 4 to 4 1/2 pounds each
1 bunch thyme, more for garnish
FOR THE PLUMS:
2 ¼ pounds plums, halved or quartered if large
4 shallots, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
1 bay leaf, torn in half
1. Grate the zest from the lemons and place in a small bowl. Set aside the zested lemons. Stir sumac, salt, pepper, cinnamon and allspice into the lemon zest. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the garlic. The mixture should feel like wet sand. Rub it all over the chickens, including inside the cavity.
Divide thyme bunch in half and place in the chicken cavities. Place chickens on a roasting rack set over a rimmed baking sheet, and let marinate, uncovered, in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
2. When ready to roast, let chickens come to room temperature for 30 minutes. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
3. In a large roasting pan, toss together plums, shallots, honey, oil, salt, cinnamon, allspice, bay leaf and 2 tablespoons water. Spread out plum mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Place chickens on the rack over the plums in the pan. Roast for 30 minutes. (Add more water to plums if they are looking too caramelized too quickly.)
4. Meanwhile, squeeze 1 tablespoon juice from reserved lemon and mix it with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Drizzle this over the chicken, then continue to roast until the birds are golden-skinned and cooked through, about 30 to 45 minutes longer. Let chickens rest, covered lightly with foil, for 10 minutes. Carve and serve with the plums and more thyme for garnish.
3. In a large roasting pan, toss together plums, shallots, honey, oil, salt, cinnamon, allspice, bay leaf and 2 tablespoons water. Spread out plum mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Place chickens on the rack over the plums in the pan. Roast for 30 minutes. (Add more water to plums if they are looking too caramelized too quickly.)
4. Meanwhile, squeeze 1 tablespoon juice from reserved lemon and mix it with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Drizzle this over the chicken, then continue to roast until the birds are golden-skinned and cooked through, about 30 to 45 minutes longer. Let chickens rest, covered lightly with foil, for 10 minutes. Carve and serve with the plums and more thyme for garnish.
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