Apple-Soy Sauce

This sauce imparts a sweet and salty Asian flair to vegetables.

1 cup apple juice

1 tsp fresh grated ginger

2 tbsp tamari

zest of 1/4 orange

In a small saucepan, boil the apple juice to reduce by 2/3. Add ginger and zest when the juice is reduced by 1/2. Remove from heat, and add tamari. Use hot as a side sauce for sauted or roasted vegetables.

Hard Cider Sauce for Oranges

This sauce over fruit creates a fragrant, flavorful dessert that is not overpoweringly sweet. Wonderful over oranges - try other fruit, too.

1/2 bottle hard cider (Magners is good)

1 tsp fresh grated ginger

3 tbsp turbinado

3-4 oranges peeled and sliced

Arrange orange slices in individual dessert bowls. In a sauce pan, bring the cider to a boil. Add the sugar and ginger. Remove from heat when the sugar has dissolved. Pour immediately over the orange slices. Serve immediately or after cooling.

New! Recipes Label

This week I added a recipes label. Look here for things I have cooked that were successful and did not come from a cookbook. On that same note, don't look for baked goods - I'm a hacker, not a chemist.

Sweet Potato and Turnip Soup

A light and delicate soup made with only root vegetables, perfect for fall.

1 medium to large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 T butter
4 oz. white wine
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
2 turnips, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
2 carrots, chopped
vegetable stock (to cover)
1/2 tsp dill
1/2 cup cream
salt and pepper to taste

In a stock pot, caramelize the onions in the butter. Add wine to deglaze the pan. Add potato, turnips, and carrots. Add stock, just to barely cover. Season with salt. Add dill, cover pot, and bring to a boil. Simmer just until the vegetables are tender. Remove from heat. Puree, preferably with an immersible blender. The potato and onion should be smooth, there will be small flecks of carrot, and the turnip will look like little bits of tapioca. Stir in the cream. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 6-8.