"C'mon, Fall..." Carrots

Problem : Baltimore might as well be on Mercury. It's supposed to feel like 107 today and right now I'm considering that a dangerously low estimate. It's terribly hot out there!


Solution : Lure in the cooler autumn weather by preparing classic fall foods, like these carrots. You have to believe that this will work. You just have to. For me.

3 to 4 purple skinned carrots, halved

3 tbsp olive oil

thyme, for garnish

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375F. In an ovenproof pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the carrots. Sprinkle the carrots lightly with salt and cook for two minutes. Toss in the olive oil a few times and then place the pan in the oven. Roast for 20 minutes. Turn carrots once and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven, season with salt and pepper. Garnish with a little thyme. Eat while imagining yourself raking leaves, carving pumpkins, and drinking cider. Feel cooler, yet?

.

Squash, Swiss Chard, and Goat Cheese Braid

It's been about a month since I last wandered through this small slice of the internet, but I promise it is not because I've been lazy. Since my last post, I've attended two amazing weddings. The first wedding saw me as a one of several photographers and I am just now finishing up going through the bazillion photos I captured. The second wedding also provided an exciting challenge: Sometimes was the caterer. We've never catered anything before and were incredibly humbled and excited to be asked to cater. It was a blast cooking all of the food and I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as we did.

But now that the dust has all settled, it's time to give Six Course Dinner my undivided attention for a bit. It feels good to back on my home turf. So good, that I didn't even mind running the oven this afternoon. And since I've been doing a bit of baking lately, I figured why not incorporate that into today's post.

So preheat that oven: we've got a stuffed braided loaf to make.

5 pattypan squash, sliced
2 poblano peppers, sliced
1 small bunch Swiss chard, cleaned
4oz. goat cheese
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp fresh dill
1 quantity pizza dough, preferably homemade
salt and pepper to taste

Prep pizza dough and allow to come up to temperature if it has been sitting in your refrigerator. Preheat oven to 400F. In a saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add squash and the poblanos and cook until just tender. Season with salt, pepper and dill. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Stretch or roll your dough until it is about 18"x9" on a floured sheep pan. Make two parallel marks running down the center, about three inches apart. On the outside of each mark, slice the dough into 1/2 inch strips. Spread a layer of goat cheese between the two marks and top with Swiss chard, and half of the squash and poblanos. Repeat with another layer.

Starting at one end, begin to "braid" each of the dough strips one over the other all the way down the loaf. You'll probably be able to figure it out very easily. Pinch the ends together when you get to the end of the loaf. Brush the top of the loaf with a little olive oil and bake for 35 min. Allow to fully cool before slicing and serving.




.