In case you weren’t aware, it is Labor Day weekend, prime time for cook-outs and celebrating the last days of summertime fun (sorry if that’s a depressing thought). For a lot of kids, this means heading back to school; for a lot of adults, this means it’s time for some pumpkin beer. If you’re hosting a huge gathering this weekend or just spending some time in the company of friends or family, I have some suggestions for your Labor Day Feast!
On Independence Day, I was stuck on the New Jersey Turnpike and couldn’t make it home in time to whip up the meal I’d had in mind. But dog-gone it, I’m not going to miss a second summer feasting opportunity. Here’s what I’ll be serving up:
Cal-Asian Turkey Burgers
Courtesy of GOOP, these are some turkey burgers that are flavorful and DEAD simple to make. There are a few curious ingredients in the meat mixture, like hoisin sauce and a ton of cilantro, but you won’t even care after you’ve tasted how rich and juicy the resulting patties turn out. P.S., I won’t tell anyone if you use gluten-FILLED breadcrumbs.
Fancy-Ass Mac N’ Cheese
Ok, pardon my French. This is really called “Herbed Mac N’ Cheese” from a French cookbook called La Laiterie, but if a cheesy recipe includes both Brie and Gruyere, I consider it pretty fancy-ass. I might have to challenge my brother, my family’s mac n’ cheese master, with this recipe sometime! It is a crusty, funky casserole of sorts, and is not drowning in cheese as some people prefer. Regardless, I ate a ludicrous amount in one sitting.
Apple Pie Wontons
Now this one… mmm… this one I invented myself. See, there is nothing a Labor Day Feast needs more than an apple pie for dessert. But cutting a slice, transferring it to and carrying it around on a flimsy paper plate, perpetually in danger of sliding off… no, that’s not for me. “America needs a handheld version of this,” I muttered late last evening, and as the clock struck midnight, a delectable treat emerged from my oven: Apple Pie Wontons.
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
serves 6-8
- 1 pie crust, thawed if frozen
- 3 apples
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (more or less to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
Procedures
- Heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Peel and core the apples. Slice into 1/4 thick slivers, and mix with the rest of the ingredients (aside from the pie crust) in a large bowl.
- Roll out pie crust and cut into roughly 2.5×2.5 inch squares. Spray a cupcake tin down with vegetable or olive oil. Fit the squares into each cup, gently pressing the pie crust down around the edges so it forms a little bowl.
- Scoop the apple mixture into each cup, trying to avoid overflow.
- Once preheated, place the cupcake tin in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until sliced apples are soft and the edges of the crust are crispy in each cup.