It is still Summer here so Saturday night we ate some for dinner.

Summer. We ate some Summer for dinner. Summer is the subtitle I have given to a Tomato, Basil and Cheese Pie I prepared for Saturday's dinner using the luminescent red tomatoes purchased at the morning Farmers' Market and the whole cup of tender basil leaves plucked from our herb patch. The basil leaves are blended with eggs, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese and poured over a freshly baked, golden tart crust layered with tomatoes. On top, a second layer of the succulent reds, brushed with olive oil. Oh, and did I forget to mention the grilled corn on the cob? Not local (here it ripens in June), but from just to the North--an exotic and complex flavored, ancient variety raised in the Ute Mountains of Colorado. Summer.

Ours is a culinary family; the seasons are shaped by religious holidays and prized recipes that use (mostly) local, fresh produce. Here in the micro-climates of Central Texas, late summer is often unremarkably limited to eggplant and a few withering herbs. But, the weather this year has been remarkably different. So instead of looking forward to a fall crop of tomatoes and the winter greens, we are actually still eating the summer crops. Even our hens, who become famously unproductive in the hot days of late summer, are laying eggs almost daily.

Sunday night, I gave the shapely, Autumnal eggplant another chance. Despite its dramatic purple hues and elegant curves, the eggplant has never been a popular choice for most of us here at the Suburban Ranch. The Prof enjoys a well-prepared eggplant and has even grown them with some success. There was a recipe starring the eggplant in our Smith & Hawken cookbook that leapt out at me as I searched the pages for some new cuisine. Eggplant Sandwich Casserole: Sliced, fried eggplant on the top and bottom with tomato sauce and mozzarella in the middle and topped off with some parmesan and bread crumbs. Despite all of those savory flavors and the richness of oils and cheeses, the eggplant flavor disappointed us once again. Thankfully The Prof was pleased and took the rest for lunch today.

As for me, I will hold on to Summer a bit longer. Sunshine asked this morning if there was any Summer left and I told her there are still a few weeks remaining and still of couple of slices of it in the fridge.