Page 10 - Blog

Jo-Anne van den Berg-Ohms
John Scheepers * Bantam, CT

This is one of our favorite comfort soups for the fall and winter. It has a velvet-creaminess and a luscious essence-of-leek taste that everyone seems to love. The onion and shallot give it a deeper, more resonant taste topped off by the homemade croutons and chopped chives.

There are few nights that we wouldn't enjoy this easy and delicious creamed spinach. It goes with everything: roasted chicken, grilled steaks and fish of all sorts. On lazy nights, we heat up left overs and serve it topped with poached eggs. On the weekends, we use it for special breakfasts in our Nestled Baked Eggs Florentine. We add it into omelets and even scrambled eggs. It's one of the best most versatile leftovers ever.

The Totally Corn Cookbook
by Helene Siegel and Karen Gillingham
Published by Celestial Arts
Produced by Becker & Mayer! available at Penguin Random House
The series of Totally Cookbooks unlocks the breadth of recipes available for corn, garlic, potatoes, strawberries, carrots, chile peppers, eggplant, tomatoes (and other key ingredients like chocolate, shrimp or mushrooms). Perfect for corn-loving kitchen gardeners in a summer gift basket, The Totally Corn Cookbook has really wonderful recipes to make the most out of the peak of the corn harvest. This simple recipe takes the steam-bath heat out of the kitchen since you don't have to preboil the corn in a big pot of boiling water. Infused with sweet-savory fennel and onion, it is the most luxurious, delicious creamy corn imaginable, perfect as a bed under grilled fish or poultry or as an elegant side dish. Once you taste this silky corn ambrosia, it will become your family's signature corn recipe for generations.

Four Season Farm
Harborside, Maine
Four Season Farm

John Scheepers
Bantam, CT
We love avocados but are embarrassed to confess that we often wait for them to ripen, and then find them over-the-top ripe and unusable. This recipe has helped us a lot, because we can make it when the avocado is perfect, then enjoy the dressing for a good week. It is creamy, a little zesty and just delicious. You could also use it as a dip.

Founder/Co-Owner Danny Meyer and Chef/Partner Michael Romano
Union Square Cafe
101 East 19th Street
New York, NY 10003
Phone: 212.243.4020
www.unionsquarecafe.com
The Union Square Cafe Cookbook
Served with grilled lamb chops and sautéed insalata tricolore at the Union Square Cafe, this magnificent potato gratin is rich, velvety-smooth and absolutely delicious. If you haven’t experienced Union Square Cafe, you must do so. Until then, their irresistible cookbook reveals the secrets behind the restaurant’s marvelous trademark dishes from appetizers to desserts. Its imaginative, yet relatively easy recipes burst with the flavor of fresh, seasonal vegetables and herbs. We suggest creating this gratin with homegrown Yellow Finn or Red Ruby Potatoes. (HarperCollins Publishers 1994.)

This silky, light corn dish is a wonderful bed under Lemon Chicken. It is so delicious.

John Scheepers
Bantam, CT

Creeping Zinnia Sowing Instructions
Planting Depth:0”
Seed Spacing:1”-2”
Plant Spacing:5”-6”
Days to Germination:10-15 days
Germination Temperature:55°-60°F

Sanvitalia procumbens. Easy to grow: Direct-sow seeds in full to partial sunlight after the last frost date, just pressing the seeds lightly into the soil, as light is needed for germination, or raise as transplants 6 to 8 weeks before transplanting out after threat of frost has passed. Provide even moisture and strong light. Harden off the seedlings by gradually acclimating them outside over 1 to 2 weeks before transplanting out. Once seedlings are 2" tall, thin or transplant 5" to 6" apart. This mat-forming miniature sunflower look-a-like thrives in heat and humidity. A great annual groundcover, it’s also a wonderful plant for containers. Early summer- to fall-flowering. Height: 4" to 8".

Shade Tolerance

Cress Sowing Instructions
Planting Depth:1/4”-1/2”
Row Spacing:12”
Seed Spacing:1/2”
Days to Germination: 3-5 days
Germination Temperature: 45°-85°F

A snap to grow in almost any soil, Cress is vitamin rich and a lovely addition to soups and salads. Sow Cress seed as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring, every 8 to 10 days, in rows spaced one foot apart for a continuous harvest. For larger plants, thin seedlings to 4" to 8" apart. If you plan to harvest Cress in the “cut and come again” method, you don’t need to thin out the seedlings. Cress can tolerate a bit of shade in the garden and tastes best if grown in moderately fertile, moist soil. Try starting some Cress indoors in a sunny, well-ventilated area in flats for very early spring salads. Watercress loves wet soil and is traditionally grown next to streams. To replicate these conditions, use a 4" high pot with a deep saucer and keep the saucer filled with water at all times.

Success with Cress
The secret to growing good

We adore these crunchy, zesty-yet-mild, delicate crispy Fried Shallot Rings. They elevate in-home steakhouse dinners to a whole new level.