It was Isaac’s birthday on Sunday.
I had to give him his birthday present a month early so that I would have a kayaking friend up in the Adirondacks. So for his actual birthday I declared it an Isaac-gets-to-do-whatever-he-wants weekend. Lucky for me that meant kayaking, lamb burgers and a really nice hike.
I was just going through photos for another post and I was finally able to take the time and check out these photos of a sunset that I took several weeks ago. They’re so pretty. I just had to share.
There’s been so much going on this May, that I haven’t been able to tell you about all the things I have wanted to. So here we go!
First up: Eggplant Soup. Yes. Eggplant. Soup. If you thought squash soup was weird, you’re going to think eggplant soup is bonkers. But you’ll be wrong. It is delicious. I first tried it at Destino in Chatham, and then Mexican Radio in Hudson had a version of it, and then it was a special at Destino again. And though it was different at the two Mexican restaurants, it was delicious at both. It is silky and yummy and very, very easy to make at home. Grill or roast a few eggplants, caramelize some onions, add some broth, puree and add creme fraiche, crema or heavy cream to your taste and garnish with a little salsa fresca and a squirt of lime. Yum!
Next: Sifting. We’ve been doing a lot of this. First I had to sift the compost pile. Twice. And then there was the tomato garden, which we’ve been sifting for weeks now. But it’s almost done, to the point where I was able to make some beds and plant some tomatoes (though I’m not sure they’re going to make it, they were all kind of weenie, and it has been hot Upstate this week). And then there was flour. I made pancakes from scratch for the first time ever a few weekends ago, after an aerobic spate of dirt sifting. I don’t know if I was just very hungry ofrif these really are the best pancakes ever, but I’m going with the latter. Sadly, I left the recipe Upstate (it’s, naturally, from Amy Bess Miller’s The Best of Shaker Cooking) so if anyone has a copy laying around, email me the recipe for Apple Pancakes and I’ll post it here. *
Cluck cluck! Head below the jump for a favorite farm and a very cool old diner.
Are you a New Yorker? A frequent visitor? Maybe you’ve been here just once?
Yes? Have you ever been to Andre’s Cafe? No? Tsk tsk.
Oh, come off it Ann! A Hungarian place all the way up in the barren no-man’s land also known as the circle of hell the Second Avenue Subway hath wrought? Why should I bother?
Why? Because your preconception of Hungarian food is probably wrong and you like good coffee. Oh, and because you deserve a pastry today!
Well, sure, I always deserve a pastry, but aren’t Hungarian pastries stuffed with, uhm, poppy seeds and gummy cheese?
Gasp. Get yourself to Andre’s, stat!
We went this weekend for lunch and it was great. Everyone thinks of Hungarian food as paprikash and strudel and sticky pastries and these things are available at Andre’s, but when they’re done properly and well (read not by your mother in the ’80s as an attempt to cook something new and exciting) they’re utterly sublime.
Oh, and the coffee! As we sat rhapsodizing over how delicious and balanced it was, the little old lady sitting next to me leaned in, “Isn’t it divine?” she asked, “It’s the best coffee I’ve ever had. It’s what keeps me coming back, well, that and the pastries. Every time I eat here I call my brother and say ‘You have to come to New York and try this coffee!’ That’s how much I love it.”
Yeah. That pretty much sums it up.
But coffee, coffee’s just a beverage Ann! What about the food?
Andre’s specializes in both savory and sweet strudels (I’m going back for the cabbage strudel, you can be sure) and palacsinta; crepes filled with delicious things like pepper stew (lecso), mushrooms (the couple that replaced the old lady oohed and aahed over these) and cheese with dill and bacon (I’m going back for that too). And as if that wasn’t enough they also serve full dinners, sandwiches, soups and yeah, pastries.
The map of Columbia County is littered with little roads that are public, and yet, ostensibly private, like Spangler Road. And they’re perfect for walking.
We found another one last weekend, White Bridge Road, about three-quarters of a mile down Route 13 from the ridiculously picturesque hamlet of Old Chatham.
To get there you pass a spooky old graveyard and a mysterious little building set into the hill, filled with water that I think was maybe at one time a spring house (does anyone know?).
Chipmunks and foliage and tipples, oh my! Head below the jump for more from our walk.
A Chicken In Every Granny Cart 
People Are Clucking About