Starting the Alphabet-9/7/09
If you have not picked up the Gourmet issue for September, do so. I'm not just try to engender the favor of the editors of Gourmet here. The September issue is a blast. The whole issue is done in the theme of the alphabet. Recipes with ingredients from A to Z, new trends in food from A to Z, and three menus using the letters B, C, and P. If you've been looking for a new and different party theme, you have found it in this article. Maybe it's the school teacher in me on this one but Gourmet has always done a great job with their September issues. For a few years in a row, they did a music issue, a movie issue, and even pulled together a whole issue themed around television. 
This Labor Day Weekend we headed to Fort Smith, Arkansas to see Richard's mom. Richard was out of town early in the week so I wasn't able to get in any of September's recipes before we left. I picked several desserts to share with Mary, Richard's mom, his two brothers, James and Phillip, and James' girlfriend, Nancy.
On Friday, Mary loaned me her kitchen and I started my cooking through the alphabet adventure with Z. I made the Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cupcakes on page 114. These cupcakes seemed more like muffins than small cakes. They were quite dense due to the chocolate chips and grated zucchini. They were yummy but I don't think the cocoa powder was necessary. I think it
made them a bit too chocolaty. I know for some of you that is not possible but I like my chocolate a little more subtle. On Saturday, I focused on N, making the Nectarine Golden Cake on page 59. This was another dense cake and the nectarines added a sweet fruit burst throughout the cake. James, Richard's older brother, hates peaches and is not enthusiastic about nectarines so he took a pass but the rest of us enjoyed this cake. It was also quite simple to make. I just used a round 9-inch cake pan instead of the recommended springform pan. The cake came out easily and I'm sure would work well with any other stone fruit like peaches or plums.
Sunday, I had the best surprise of the weekend. The night before, James and Nancy had looked through the September Gourmet I'd brought along. They headed out to a local Asian market and picked up the ingredients for the recipe for Ginger Garlic Green Beans on page 48. I didn't have this recipe on my menu but any recipe made is one less I have to make later. The beans had an Asian twist and went great with the pork tenderloin that Mary had planned for dinner. I included a picture above of Nancy making the beans. She was great. She even grated in fresh ginger. I always cheat and use the tube of pregrated ginger. I think she'd agree with me that this was not a difficult recipe to make. Her description was perfect, this dish was almost more of a cold bean salad than a simple side of green beans. It had a mild but distinctive pop of flavor that let you know these were not ordinary green beans.
Our meal Sunday afternoon was truly a family effort. My contribution to the tenderloin and beans was the Heirloom Tomato and Herb Pasta Salad on page 51. We picked up some local tomatoes at the farmer's market in downtown Fort Smith and I used these in this salad with good results. They were more flavorful than the average grocery tomatoes. The fresh basil, tarragon, and thyme were not masked by the mild dressing. I did used sour cream as I couldn't find creme fraiche at the local Walmart. (I couldn't find lemons either. What grocery store doesn't have lemons?) This pasta salad was designed to let the tomatoes shine and I was glad 
I'd gotten fresh, local tomatoes.
For dessert, I steered clear of peaches for James' sake and made the Pear Butterscotch Pie on page 61. I don't know that I've ever had pear pie and I really liked it. I did not peel the pears because they were pretty ripe and I didn't want to bruise them. Unlike apple peel that can get tough and chewy, the peel of the pears softened and added a nice texture to the fruit. My crust was still ugly but it tasted good and the browning gloss from the egg wash looked really classic. I used light brown sugar and there was still a yummy butterscotch flavor. I really liked this pie and it disappeared pretty quickly so I don't think I was alone.
On Friday, Mary loaned me her kitchen and I started my cooking through the alphabet adventure with Z. I made the Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cupcakes on page 114. These cupcakes seemed more like muffins than small cakes. They were quite dense due to the chocolate chips and grated zucchini. They were yummy but I don't think the cocoa powder was necessary. I think it
made them a bit too chocolaty. I know for some of you that is not possible but I like my chocolate a little more subtle. On Saturday, I focused on N, making the Nectarine Golden Cake on page 59. This was another dense cake and the nectarines added a sweet fruit burst throughout the cake. James, Richard's older brother, hates peaches and is not enthusiastic about nectarines so he took a pass but the rest of us enjoyed this cake. It was also quite simple to make. I just used a round 9-inch cake pan instead of the recommended springform pan. The cake came out easily and I'm sure would work well with any other stone fruit like peaches or plums.
Sunday, I had the best surprise of the weekend. The night before, James and Nancy had looked through the September Gourmet I'd brought along. They headed out to a local Asian market and picked up the ingredients for the recipe for Ginger Garlic Green Beans on page 48. I didn't have this recipe on my menu but any recipe made is one less I have to make later. The beans had an Asian twist and went great with the pork tenderloin that Mary had planned for dinner. I included a picture above of Nancy making the beans. She was great. She even grated in fresh ginger. I always cheat and use the tube of pregrated ginger. I think she'd agree with me that this was not a difficult recipe to make. Her description was perfect, this dish was almost more of a cold bean salad than a simple side of green beans. It had a mild but distinctive pop of flavor that let you know these were not ordinary green beans.
Our meal Sunday afternoon was truly a family effort. My contribution to the tenderloin and beans was the Heirloom Tomato and Herb Pasta Salad on page 51. We picked up some local tomatoes at the farmer's market in downtown Fort Smith and I used these in this salad with good results. They were more flavorful than the average grocery tomatoes. The fresh basil, tarragon, and thyme were not masked by the mild dressing. I did used sour cream as I couldn't find creme fraiche at the local Walmart. (I couldn't find lemons either. What grocery store doesn't have lemons?) This pasta salad was designed to let the tomatoes shine and I was glad 
I'd gotten fresh, local tomatoes.For dessert, I steered clear of peaches for James' sake and made the Pear Butterscotch Pie on page 61. I don't know that I've ever had pear pie and I really liked it. I did not peel the pears because they were pretty ripe and I didn't want to bruise them. Unlike apple peel that can get tough and chewy, the peel of the pears softened and added a nice texture to the fruit. My crust was still ugly but it tasted good and the browning gloss from the egg wash looked really classic. I used light brown sugar and there was still a yummy butterscotch flavor. I really liked this pie and it disappeared pretty quickly so I don't think I was alone.
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cupcakes-B+
Nectarine Golden Cake-A-
Ginger Garlic Green Beans-A
Heirloom Tomato and Herb Pasta Salad-B+
Pear Butterscotch Pie-A
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