Two End Of Season Faves

The summer season is winding down yet there is still time to enjoy grilling and a garden bounty. This was evident in both Dave Tanis' A City  Kitchen and Cathy Barrow's  piece in  Wednesday's New York Times'Dining section. Both food writers offer ways to still enjoy the warm weather and the culinary gifts it brings.

Mr. Tanis writes about grilling lamb which is perfect for this time of year. September is a great month for cooking outdoors. It's not  as hot or humid as July and August are.It's cooler  and that means you don;t mind cooking over an open flame. Leg of lamb is perfect for this because it does require a longer grilling period.It does take half an hour for the meat to be prop-erly roasted, Mr Tanis gives it more flavor with an orange juice based marinade and then serves it with couscous and a dried apricot salad.

What would go well with this is Cathy Barrow's article on preserved tomatoes. This is a great recipe for those with extra bumper crops of the fruit. The dish would be good now or even  gracing a Thanksgiving or Christmas table as well.She prefers working with the Brandywine variety as well as the Rutgers genus.The recipe is simple Just add them along with store bought lemon juice and kosher salt. Then it's just cooking and jarring them as you would preserves.

The summer may be winding down but that doesn;t mean you have to forgo your faves. Use the grill and thecooling temps to make delicious lamb dishes. Serve with fresh made tomato preserves for an extra boost.Voila - you can still have your wamr weather treats and eat them too!