Labor Day- What are you making?

What is your special menu or dishes for the holiday? I need inspiration. I am very ready to tell Summer 2019 goodbye; I would like a menu to honor late summer foods while saying hello to fall. (if that makes any sense...:)

Stephanie G
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4 Comments

PHIL August 27, 2019
tomato & mutz for sure with lots of fresh basil. Corn avocado salad. Kinda in the mood grilled calamari and vegetables with some lemon and fresh oregano over jasmine rice. pita and homemade tzaziki. I have herbs in abundance this year
 
Nancy August 25, 2019
As a hostess, I usually favor one theme or focus for a dinner, not two.
But if/as you want to do both, one fun idea might be a buffet with two ways of treating the same ingredient, one to reflect summer, the other to reflect fall.
Haven't thought this out completely but the summer versions would highlight produce in raw or lightly cooked (corn on the cob, tomato salad, peach cobbler) and the fall ones would have deeper flavors and more cooking (corn chowder or succotash, ratatouille or pasta in fresh tomato sauce, peach chutney on good cheddar).
For the proteins, maybe do steamed or grilled fish for summer, and an assortment of cured meats for the fall-oriented dishes.
 
Bevi August 23, 2019
I am making the Laurie Colwin/ James Beard tomato and corn pie, as recorded by Deb Perlman. It is so delicious, and a very special treat. Although Laurie Colwin disagrees with me, I feel it can only be prepared with fresh, home grown tomatoes and local corn. https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/08/tomato-and-corn-pie/

To go with , I am serving these cukes: https://food52.com/recipes/21383-cucumber-and-fennel-salad-with-a-chinese-vinaigrette

As well as this salsa:https://food52.com/recipes/17876-hot-and-sweet-salsa-with-tomato-avocado-and-melon

For dessert, I will make either Amanda's peach tart with plums, or peaches, or both.
 
Gammy August 21, 2019
A waning summer garden abundance leads me to some type of a fresh tomato salad, even if it is just fresh picked tomatoes sliced and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Second dish would be the old-fashioned very thin-sliced cucumbers and onions in a rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt and fresh dill dressing. But then I saw some butternut squash at the local produce market and am thinking a small cup of squash soup a la this one in today's Food52 article: https://food52.com/recipes/32241-thomas-keller-s-butternut-soup-with-brown-butter-sage-and-nutmeg-creme-fraiche. Yum!
 
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