Squash Au Gratin

Squash Au Gratin is just one of many favorite garden vegetable meals which are prepared here in the Gaspard kitchen. Also called "yellow neck squash", it is a prolific grower and sometimes you can become overwhelmed with the amounts of squash you are able to harvest from the garden. 

Next time, when you are wondering how to prepare them in a different way, you might want to try out this recipe for size. It's easy to prepare and quite delicious. 

Summer Squash

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. yellow squash, sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 Tbs. butter
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 cup cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg

Squash Au Gratin

Instructions

1. cook squash and onions until tender then remove from heat
2. in a different bowl add salt, pepper, butter, bread crumbs, 1/2 cheese, milk and egg
3. stir together until well blended
4. pour into casserole dish and sprinkle remaining cheese on top
5. bake at 350°F. for 20 minutes

Bon appetite!

Extra-Hot Pepper Jam

This Extra-Hot Pepper Jam recipe is not for the faint of heart, but if you dare to try some, I guarantee it will lift your spirits to new heights.


Ingredients

• one large red bell pepper, minced
• one large orange bell pepper, minced
• 1 1/2 cups fresh jalapeños, minced (no seeds)
  
• 1/2 cup fresh habenero, minced (no seeds)*
• 7 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)
• 2 (3 oz.) pkg liquid or powdered pectin

Instructions

1. combine first 6 ingredients in a 3 quart pot and bring to a boil
2. continue to boil for 6 minutes, stirring frequently
3. remove from heat source and skim away the foam using a spoon
4. add the liquid or powdered pectin into the mixture and blend well
5. bring everything back to a boil for a couple minutes and remove from heat
6. with a ladle, scoop and pour the pepper liquid into hot sterilized half-pint size jars (or smaller)
7. leave 1/4 inch head space
8. wipe the rim of the jars clean, cover immediately with metal lids and proceed to screw-on the bands
9. process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes

Note: You may substitute 1 Tbsp. habanero powder instead of the minced peppers.

Yields about 7 half-pints of jam and 2 half-pints of preserves. It may take a few days for the jam part to set so be patient. Store the jars of jam in a place where no one will shake or handle them.

You can of course add the seeds to this recipe but unless you are a glutton for punishment it's best to keep the Scovilles toned down a bit, or use milder peppers to tone-down the Scovilles even more. I advise you to use latex gloves to cut and mince the peppers ... Ahheee! C'est Bon!

Enjoy!

Ahhh ... the Sweet Success of Hot Chili Peppers

In the 1860s, Edmund McIlhenny, the inventor of Tabasco Hot Pepper Sauce, would hand-out free samples of his secret concoction to friends and relatives in used French par-fume bottles. The bottles' legendary shape became his trademark and easily identifiable by millions throughout the world today.

Five generations later, his ageless condiment remains a popular household name. You can still find it in countless homes and restaurants across our planet.

The taste of his new hot-sauce was exciting! Everyone loved its unique flavor and bouquet. It took time, patience and diligence to cure and age his pepper-sauce, but it finally paid-off. His formula for success, however (in my opinion), was when he put it into the hands of the fiery Cajuns who had settled the area of his processing plant a century before. They used it unsparingly to spice-up their love and passion for French foods.

The tipping-point came when McIlhenny began ordering the par-fume bottles for his famous sauce, in large quantities, straight from the overseas Paris manufacturers. A new industry was borne.

There was no better ingredient for success--one Irish saucier in the midst of a nation of French exiles who loved to cook. You can read more about the history of the Tabasco Company at http://www.tabasco.com/tabasco_history/mcilhenny.cfm