Colors of Mid-Fall

This weekend, I plan to go back to the Isham Street Farmers' Market in search of more beets; until then, there's still plenty for David and I to enjoy...

The first thing I made from last weekend's green market purchases was a beet and goat cheese salad, Jean-Georges style.

After trimming and cutting the beet it into halves, I placed it into a pot of boiling water with a touch of vinegar (to hold the color); the bleeding beets made for a brilliant picture.

As the beets boiled, my kitchen became fragrant with the scent of boiling beets. By the time they were finished, it was quite late and I decided to let them cool overnight and save the beet salad for brunch, the following morning.

The next day, David sent me to pick up a few groceries from Fine Fare (where I also picked up goat cheese and bread) and some freshly ground beef from Broadyke Meat Market (Broadway and Dyckman Street, Inwood).

Neither David nor I had been there before and I was quite surprised to find such a gourmet selection of meat products and more. In addition to selling fish and crab cakes and rabbit, they also carry a variety of cheeses and artisanal breads. I only picked up a pound of beef, which the butcher ground fresh for me. $5.

When I returned home, I sliced the cooled beets and delicately arranged them on a plate with a few scoops of goat cheese and a sprinkling of salt and oil. On the side, a portion of French bread with an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing...

Just as good as JG's, if not better.

The following day, with the beef from Broadyke Market, David made a delectable cabbage casserole in béchamel sauce.

The only downfall to this dish was that it was too much for just the two of us and we had to put half of it in the freezer.

Monday night was my only free evening of the week and David decided, with the purple potatoes, to make potato croquettes!

David actually made two different kinds of croquettes: potato with diced ham and potato with butternut squash, seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg. I liked the potato and squash croquettes best, although the potato and ham ones proved to be most photogenic.

Hopefully, this Saturday's farmers' market will be as good as the last!