An Ode to Summer's End {and a lovely cilantro sauce}
Regretfully, I am no poet. The title of this post may mislead you to anticipate romantic prose about summer breezes, blue skies, and bountiful produce. I can only hope that my photos from Labor Day farmers markets and a recipe for a cilantro sauce will suffice as worthy visual and taste-bud poetry.
Toigo Orchards peaches at DuPont Circle Farmer's Market
I know I shouldn't be sad about the end of summer. After all, I love Fall and all its wonders: beautiful leaves, perfect outdoor temperatures, pumpkins, apples, cider, and the anticipation of holidays.
But I am sad.
Is it because I love tomatoes? Yes, that's a big part of the equation. And Toigo Orchards sweet corn and delicious peaches? I'm addicted to both. And all the fresh herbs- especially the basil. And peppers! I've become spoiled eating Bigg Riggs Farm assorted peppers that have such a superior flavor.
With summer's end in mind, I visited two farmer's markets this weekend. Ironically, I visited two markets which will be open year-round. (Perhaps this was an inadvertent coping mechanism.)
I began at the Old Town Alexandria Farmer's Market Saturday where I quickly stopped by Bigg Riggs Farm to get some of the above mentioned bell peppers, a few tomatoes, and an eggplant.
On Sunday, I had more time to spend at the farmer's market, so I headed up to the bustling DuPont Circle Farmer's Market. 
Anchor Nursery had an impressive assortment of tomatoes, including my favorite little orange sweet tomatoes.
At Tree and Leaf beautiful flower arrangements. . .
fresh basil, cilantro, and tomatoes. . .
and garlic chives. . .
Which not only taste good, but served as a lovely decorative touch in the pretty flowers I bought. See?
Ever since trying Chris' Crab crabcakes last week I've been looking forward to a simple repeat of a fantastic meal (crab cakes with corn salad). I purchased Jumbo lump crabcakes, but when I began to assemble the accompanying corn salad at home, I realized that I was missing some of the ingredients I had previously used: lime juice and arugula.
As if that could stop me.
I simply tried another combination. I experimented with a combination of garlic, onion, cilantro, cider vinegar, and grapeseed oil. After adding a little hot sauce and pulsing it a few times in the food processor, I took a test taste.
And. . . . it was actually really good. The pureed onion and garlic gave it a nice creamy consistency. The combination of flavors was well balanced, with a good amount of heat.
The cilantro sauce was good enough to stand alone as a sauce for our crabcake. It was also excellent mixed in with the corn salad or simply drizzled on top of a raw tomato slice. I have a hunch that it would be excellent drizzled atop scallops or pan fried fish.
Here is my recipe for cilantro sauce.
Cilantro Sauce
- 4 TB diced onion
- 2 large garlic clove, minced
- 5-6 TB cilantro (about 8 sprigs)
- 1/3 cup grapeseed oil (or other neutral flavored light oil)
- 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/8 cup water
- 2-3 dashes Kosher salt
- pinch of black pepper
- 1-2 dashes of hot sauce
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until a nice consistency forms.
Serve atop a crab cake, poured over a corn or tomato salad, or as an accompaniment for fish. And then, enjoy these last final days of summer, anticipate the turning of the seasons and the good things that Fall will bring.
