I will say this for the recurring rain of the past week: it has made my herb garden go nuts. The herbs pictured are ones I harvested yesterday; left to right, chive, sage, lemon thyme and a crazy amount of Italian parsley.

Aside from the herbs busting out all over and the rains going away for the time being, Wednesday marked the end of the Deviled Egg Experiment for a while. I think the LSC might be a bit relieved for this because now our cholesterol can go back to normal. Next week will be my New Experiment but I’ll get to that another time.

Anyway, these deviled eggs are a bit different.

They don’t include mayo as a binder, nor do they include pickle relish, mustard or any of the usual Southern standards. But what they do include are some fun ingredients: black olives, lemon, garlic and yes, anchovies. Hey, wait, get back here! No need to run because I said anchovies. I mean, I’m not a fan of them laid out on pizza but finely minced or broken down in a puttanesca sauce, they add a whole other dimension. And no need to worry about a fishy taste either. Chopped, minced, blended with other ingredients, you won’t hardly know they’re there.

We’ll get to that deviled egg recipe that may strike fear in you in a second. I’ve got two more recipes to write about and at this rate, I’ll never get them done if I have to constantly reassure you about anchovies. Now I think about it, I guess we’re going alphabetical because my next two recipes include apples. Usually apple recipes are good for the fall, but sometimes I just can’t wait. First up is a variation on the tarte tatin I made a while back. Instead of making my own pie crust for the top, I took a page out of a book and used puff pastry. Of course, I didn’t make my own puff pastry—I am not that ambitious, yet—but used the kind you can find in your grocer’s freezer.

I have to say that I was quite disappointed with this recipe. My caramel never quite came together as I wanted and frankly, I think puff pastry is no match for a good homemade pie crust. And I thought I was being quite clever when I placed some leftover pecan halves on top for good measure. When inverted, I realized how horribly wrong I was.

The puff pastry crust was too weak to support the heaviness of the apples. There was no rich dark sheen like with the last one. Even worse, the day after, the whole thing turned an unappetizing shade of gray. (”I know I’m not a cook but I don’t think desserts should be this color,” said my husband.) If anyone has a better luck with the recipe, drop me a line.

Thankfully, the next apple recipe went much better.

Waldorf Salad is usually an unappealing (at least to me) combination of apples, celery and mayo. Now I like all of those things, but in conjunction with each other, not so much. But this recipe is more of a slaw and has vinegar; it makes it different, savory yet sweet, but much more in line with my tastebuds.

We ate this last night with roasted sausages and let me tell you: it was wonderful. The smoky saltiness of Italian sausage tempered with the bite of a sweet-sour slaw? Make it for your next picnic, I dare you.

Devilish Eggs

12 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled

3 anchovies, drained, rinsed and chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

3 tbl. minced black olives

zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce

salt and pepper

minced basil or parsley for garnish

smoked paprika (I omitted this as I don’t have any right now)

Cut eggs in half, reserving whites. Place yolks in a bowl. Add anchovies to yolks. With the back of a large spoon, mash the anchovies and yolks together until the anchovies are fully incorporated. Add garlic, black olives and lemon zest. Add the olive oil a little at a time and mix thoroughly. Add several drops of Tabasco to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Mix again. Using a melon scoop or a tiny spoon, stuff the yolk mixture into the whites. Sprinkle with minced basil or parsley and dust with paprika. Serve immediately.

Tarte Tatin

adapted from “Nobody Does It Better” by Trish Deseine (Kyle Books)

1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry, thawed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup salted butter

4 tart apples, peeled, cored and quartered

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take out a cast-iron or heavy ovenproof 10-inch skillet.

Roll out the puff pastry until you can cut a circle about 1 inch larger than your pan. Refrigerate pastry on a baking sheet while preparing the apples.

In the skillet, heat the sugar with 2 tablespoons water. When a syrup has formed, let it bubble gently until it begins to caramelize. Swirl the pan to help spread the caramelization throughout the syrup; don’t stir with a spoon or it could crystallize. When it turns golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes, remove the pan from heat and add the butter. The caramel will splutter and spit. Stir gently until smooth.

Add apples, rounded side down, in a spiral or in concentric circles, squeezing them to fit (you will need to cut some pieces to fit into spaces and might have some extras.) Cook over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully place the pastry on top, tucking it in like a blanket around the edges, pressing to seal the crust against the side of the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and let stand for about 5 minutes. Carefully invert tarte onto a large, deep plate.

Waldorf Slaw

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

grated zest of 1 lime

2 apples, cored (Granny Smith or Russet)

3 stalks celery, slant-cut very thin, plus 1/4 cup celery leaves

1/3 cup toasted walnut oil

salt and freshly ground white pepper

4 scallions, minced

1 tbl. tarragon leaves

In a very large bowl, mix vinegar and zest. Cut apples in matchsticks, tossing them in bowl as they are cut. Add sliced celery pieces and mix well. Add walnut oil, toss, season with salt and pepper. Fold in scallions. Toss.

Cover by placing a sheet of plastic wrap directly on surface. Refrigerate. To serve, add celery leaves and tarragon, check seasoning and toss again.