Ruth Reichl’s Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon: 1 t. saffron threads, 1 (31/2 lb.) chicken cut in quarters, 3 T olive oil, 2 medium red onion sliced, 3 garlic cloves minced, 2 t. ground ginger, 1 t. ground cinnamon, 1/2 t. ground turmeric, 1 t. lime juice, 4 T chopped cilantro divided, 2 preserved lemons, 1/2 cup purple Moroccan or Greek olives. Toast saffron in dry skillet until fragrant. Mash garlic with 1/2 t salt in mortar and pestle. In 12 inch tagine, toss oil with onions, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, lime juice, 3 T cilantro, 1 t. salt, 1/2 t pepper, reserved saffron. Arrange chicken pieces over the mixture. Chop the pulp of preserved lemons and sprinkle over chicken. Reserve the lemon peel chopped into small cubes. Add 3/4 cup of water to tagine and simmer, covered, 30 minutes until chicken is almost cooked through. Add more water if necessary to keep meat from burning or sticking to pot. Add olives, cover and cook 10 more minutes … sprinkle with lemon peel, cilantro and salt to taste.

From the Amish Pantry: Pickled Beets: Boil the beets until soft (but firm). Remove from heat. In separate saucepan boil: 3 1/2 cups of apple cider vinegar, 1 1/2 cups liquid from the boiled beets, 1 tsp. salt, 2 cups of granulated sugar. Double or triple this if you have lots of beets (like we did!). Cut your beets up into bite- size chunks and place in pint sized heated jars. Add 1/2 tsp. pickling spices to each pint jar. Liquid brine/cider vinegar liquid over beets until each jar is filled nearly to the top. Wipe edges of top of jar dry and place lids on jars. Process for 30 minutes in boiling water (enough to cover jars). Remove carefully and allow to sit until jar lids pop and the jars are cool. Store out of sunlight. I can eat a whole jar of these all by myself!

Corn Spoon Pudding by Mary Steenburgen. Normally I would never try a recipe with box mixes in it but this was an exception. Recipe: Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 13″ baking dish (I use a 9″ round ceramic casserole and think the end product is better since the smaller dish creates a thicker and nicer pudding). Combine all ingredients except the cheese: 1 (8 1/2 ounce) box corn muffin mix; 1 (7 1/2 ounce) can whole kernel corn (drained); 1 (7 1/2 ounce) can creamed corn; 1 cup sour cream (I use plain yogurt); 2 large eggs beaten; 1/2 cup melted butter; 1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese for the top (I skip this and think it is better without the cheese). Bake spoon pud for 35 minutes, sprinkle cheese on top, and then bake an additional 10 minutes. Pudding is done when a toothpick comes out clean. (I bake the pudding for 45 minutes straight through and skip the cheese).

This is delicious warm … and only okay cool. So if you have baked the pudding earlier in the day, heat it back up before serving. A great early autumn dish – possibly a new addition to my Thanksgiving menu.

Always eat one slice as soon as it comes out of the oven. Like fresh bread … it is never as good as it is the minute it is done!

This is not the official Midnight Farm. But, this is Cate & Emma at the beautiful Chilmark barn on the property we rent on the Vineyard … “our own Midnight Farm.”

Pimm’s Cup (single serving): 3 ounces Pimm’s; 8 ounces Ginger Premium Beer; 3-4 slices of cucumber, 2 lime wedges (1 squeezed), large branch fresh mint, lots of ice. A perfect warm weather drink!

The Barefoot Contessa’s recipe is as follows: Brush 2 lbs of very fresh tuna steaks (1 inch thick) with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook the tuna in a very hot saute pan for just 1 minute on each side. In a small bowl whisk 4 T olive oil, 2 1/2 t. kosher salt, 1/2 t. coarsely ground black pepper, the zest of 2 limes, 1 t. wasabi powder, 6 T. freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes), 2 t. soy sauce, dash of Tabasco according to taste. Add two chopped ripe avocados to the vinaigrette. Chop tuna in chunks in large bowl. Add 1/4 cup of minces scallions and 1/4 cup of red onion small dice. Pour the avocados with vinaigrette over tuna mixture and combine carefully before serving. This is a fantastic recipe. I like this salad with a glass of chilled sauvignon blanc.

Gratin de Fruits Rouges: (for 4): 101/2 oz. strawberries, hulled; 10 1/2 oz. raspberries; splash Grand Marnier. (cut strawberries and add raspberries with splash of Grand Marnier. If the fruit is not very sweet, add a tablespoon or two of sugar. Allow to sit for up to 30 minutes while making the sabayon).

For sabayon: 4 egg yolks; 4 1/2 oz. sugar; juice of 1 lemon; 1 gelatine leaf (optional) soaked in cold water and squeezed dry (I used a sprinkle of powdered gelatin); 3 1/2 fl. oz. whipping cream. Place egg yolks for sabayon with the sugar and the lemon juice in a double boiler over simmering water. With an electric whisk or beater whisk eggs yolks until they double in volume and have thickened enough to make a figure 8 clearly in mixture. Add gelatine (if using) and start whisking off heat until the mixture is completely cooled. Whip the cream and gently fold into sabayon. This can be done ahead of time and refrigerated up to one day in advance. When ready to serve, toss berries with liqueur  and let sit for at least a few minutes. Place berries in four heatproof plates or one large dish and top with sabayon. Glaze the gratin with a blow-torch until softly golden (or place under grill for brief minute). Serve immediately. This is a very special dish which I intend to use again and again with a variety of fruits (including nectarines and sprinkled with hazelnuts, etc.).

For our Friday evening meal, we enjoyed roasted chicken thighs with lemons and olives. I cut the recipe out of a Fine Cooking magazine some time ago and have now served it at two separate dinner parties to positive reviews. It’s a very simple dish with deep, satisfying mediterranean flavors (I always add many more herbs than called for).

Roasted Chicken Legs with Lemon and Green Olives: 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters 4-5 lbs (I use thighs alone and adjust roasting time); 3 T. extra virgin olive oil with more as needed; 1 t. dried thyme (I scatter lots of fresh thyme); 1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes; 1 lemon (I use 2 or 3) scrubbed, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into 1/8 inch thick half-moons (discard ends); 1/2 cup green olives (I use 1 cup).

Combine oil, thyme, and pepper flakes in bowl and then rub onto chicken. Arrange chicken on heavy baking sheet (not touching one another) and roast at 450 degrees for 20 minutes (adjust time for thighs alone). Put lemon slices and olives in small bowl. When the chicken has roasted 20 minutes remove from oven and spoon some of the fat over the lemon and olives (or use fresh olive oil as I did). Scatter the lemons and olives around the chicken on the baking sheet (careful not to place on top of chicken) and continue to roast dish until chicken juices run clear or an instant read thermometer registers 170 degrees F, another 20-25 minutes (or less for thighs alone). Serve immediately with twigs of fresh lemon thyme, a simply dressed green salad, a warm loaf of fresh bread and a white wine.

Ina Garten’s Filet of Beef (from Barefoot Contessa’s Parties cookbook) is a recipe I return to again and again. I bought two 5 lb filets. After drying each filet, rub each one with 2 T. butter (at room temperature), sprinkle each with 1 T. kosher salt and 1 T. ground black pepper. In a 500 degree oven, roast the filets exactly 24 minutes (in between rare and medium rare). Remove the beef from the oven, cover lightly with aluminum foil, and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. I will roast the filets in the morning and allow them to cool to slice for sandwiches – on wheat buns with arugula and a horseradish/mayo sauce.

About 45 minutes from picnic time, I will roast about 6 pints of cherry tomatoes to go with the sandwiches (another favorite Barefoot Contessa recipe – Roasted Cherry Tomatoes). Toss the tomatoes in olive oil and lay them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper and roast in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. When done, transfer them to a tray and sprinkle with chopped basil from the garden. As Ina Garten says, “how hard can that be?” I’ll serve sliced beef, arugula, wheat buns, roasted tomatoes, with a big slab of gorgonzola cheese, cold beer or sparkling water & limes, and brownies for dessert.

(I took the photos in this post last summer in Tobermory, Scotland on the Isle of Mull – a wonderful island vacation).

Trina’s Gravlax Recipe: (to save space the ingredients are listed horizontally): 1 (5 1/2 lb.) salmon fillet; 2 T. peppercorns; 1 T. coriander seeds; 4 1/2 ou. coarse salt; 1 c. superfine sugar; 2 bunches of fresh dill, minced. Freeze the salmon for 24 hours to make sure there are no harmful bacteria, then thaw. Remove any pin-bones and trim the edges of the fillet. Wipe off any scales with a paper towel and lay salmon skin-side down on a sheet of plastic wrap. Crush peppercorns and coriander seeds and mix with salt and sugar. Spread the minced dill over the salmon, then cover with the spiced sugar and salt mixture. Cut the salmon in two equal portions. Lay 3 of the dill sprigs over one piece then cover with the other piece of fish flesh side down – so that the flesh sides are sandwiching the dill. Wrap in a plastic wrap and freezer bag and place in refrigerator for 2 days.

Sweet Mustard Sauce: Make the sauce by putting all the following ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth: 3 T. brown sugar; 3 T. Dijon mustard; 3 T. white wine vinegar; 2 T. vegetable oil (I used a light lemon olive oil); 1 bunch of fresh chopped dill.

To Serve: unwrap the salmon and wipe off all the salt and sugar mixture with a paper towel. Hahnemann recommends the traditional cut beginning diagonally at one corner of the salmon, working backwards toward the center of the fillet. She suggests that we place the gravlax on a serving dish and garnish with dill sprigs. Serve this with the mustard sauce and bread … and serve on the patio.

(The photo above is from our summer vacation two years ago in Harbor Springs, Michigan. We stayed at the beautiful guest home of friends).

However, the purpose of Marmalade is very different. Over the years, I have collected and read several dozen cookbooks and enjoyed even more “books by foodies” from all over the world. Because I have run out of space on my bookshelves, out of desperation, I now need to start cooking the many recipes I have post-marked, dog-eared or highlighted. So, this is a new beginning and I am excited to discover if I enjoy cooking these recipes as much as I enjoyed reading them!