Dinner from the Garden

One of the great things about the Fourth of July is that it marks the beginning of harvest season.  There is nothing I like better than to serve a meal that features something I've grown myself.  Such was the case this evening when I served filets topped with sauteed mushrooms, "Trash Can Potatoes" (recipe and explanation at the bottom of this post), along with the purple beans I'd grown in a container on the patio. (They turn a dark green when cooked and have a buttery taste that far exceeds plain old green beans.)

Newly sprouted Phaseolus Vulgaris a.k.a. Purple Queen Bush Bean (though I have found them to be climbers, hence the little metal obelisk). This is a fun vegetable to grow in a garden. It is easy and forgiving with dark green leaves and deep purple string beans that turn green when cooked and have a wonderful flavor.

They will turn into lovely deep purple beans that cook up a rich green with a buttery taste.

If you have trouble getting your kids to eat green beans, wow them with these purple ones, and engage them in the cooking process so they can watch them turn from purple to green.

You're probably wondering about the name of the potatoes.  Back when my husband and I were dating, he had a long drive to come pick me up and, as a consequence, he'd sometimes (more often than not, if truth be told) make a pit stop in the powder room just off the entrance hall shortly after arrival.  The powder room also served to have the most convenient waste basket for getting rid of junk mail.  I tend to toss junk mail rather willy nilly without giving it much thought.  My husband, who then as now, simply cannot throw anything away, fished a real estate brochure out of the trash during one of his, ummm, visits, because he spied a recipe on the back that looked tasty.  Come to find out, it IS tasty and it's become a summer favorite for 16 years now.  The actual name is "Saucy Skillet Potatoes," but we tend to call them trash can potatoes since that's where he found the recipe.

Trash Can Potatoes a.k.a. Saucy Skillet Potatoes

1 T. butter

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1 T. sugar

1-3/4 t. salt

1/4 t. freshly ground pepper

4 medium potatoes, cooked, peeled and sliced (4 cups)

1 T. freshly chopped parsley

1 T. bacon, cooked and crumbled

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions; cook 2-3 minutes or until tender-crisp.  Stir in mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.  Add potatoes; cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until heated through (do not boil).  Garnish with parsley and bacon.  Makes 4-6 servings.

This post is linked to: Seasonal Sunday, Metamorphosis Monday, Made by You Monday, On the Menu Monday, This Week in My Garden and Outdoor Wednesdays

BLUE HEAVEN KEY LIME PIE

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am not a pie person.  In fact, my parentage has often been questioned because of it, seeing as everyone in the family, young and old, absolutely adore it.  I was once heard to refer to pie as "the liver of desserts" and I meant it.  Quiche, I like.  Tarts, I like.  Savory pies, I like, but hot fruit in a soggy crust has just never really been my thing.  But I've mellowed with the passage of time; I've come to appreciate the artistry that is pie making, and now try to make one or two annually.

Today's effort was of the citrus variety, largely because I came across a container of frozen key lime juice while cleaning out the freezer and thought I'd better make use of it before this year's crop comes in.  It was as delicious as it was beautiful.

The recipe I used is an amended version of the one from the Blue Heaven Restaurant in Key West, FL.

Here is the recipe, with my revisions below:

BLUE HEAVEN KEY LIME PIE

Graham Cracker Crust:

4 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs

3/4 cup Granulated Sugar

1/4 cup Butter -- melted

Filling Ingredients:

2 cans Sweetened Condensed Milk -- Borden's

1 cup Key Lime Juice -- fresh

8 Egg Yolks

Meringue:

8 Egg Whites

1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar

1/3 cup Confectioner's Sugar

Directions:

Graham Cracker Crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix the cracker crumbs, sugar and butter together. Line a 9 inch pie tin with the cracker mix, pressing firmly to line bottom and sides. Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Filling:

Whisk the condensed milk with the lime juice and egg yolks in a stainless steel bowl. Pour into the pre-baked graham cracker shell. Set aside while making the meringue.

Meringue:

Beat the egg whites to a soft peak - add cream of tartar and continue to whip to a stiff peak. Continue whipping and add the sugar, whipping until the meringue forms stiff peaks. Decoratively add meringue on top of the custard. Bake for 15 - 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Cook until the meringue has good color. Check with a wooden skewer or cake tester to be sure the custard is done.

NOTES: The measurements for the crust are way off. Four cups of crumbs was just way too much, and only 1/4 cup of butter for all of this plus the sugar yielded graham cracker dust. Double the amount of butter and halve the amount of crumbs and you'll get a beautiful and easy-to-cut crust.