Like many people who love food (and watching cooking shows on TV), I plopped myself down in a cool theater during last week’s heat wave to watch Meryl Streep expertly channel Julia Child.

What stuck with me after leaving the theater was not Streep’s pitch-perfect accent, but the very brief mention of a recipe for braised cucumbers.

It is quite possible that my brain latched onto this because at the very moment I was having a conundrum with what to do with all the cucumbers we’ve been blessed with from the heirloom garden this year (after a disastrous beetle infestation in 2008)

In this year’s garden we are growing:

Lemon Cucumber – An unusual variety, originally from Australia, but cultivated for more than a century in the US. The vines produce ovoid, pale yellow fruits with crisp white flesh, 2- 3 in. long. When skin is translucent, fruits are good for slicing. As plants mature, skin turns golden yellow and fruits are better for pickling.

Boston Pickling Cucumber –  Introduced around 1880, this has always been a popular and consistent variety producing small, dark green, smooth skinned fruits with black spines, 5 6 in. long. Used primarily for pickling.

West Indian Burr Gherkin– This cucumber is actually a separate species, but it is the original fruit used for pickling gherkins. It was first introduced into the U.S. from Jamaica in 1793, and probably originated in Africa. The 2-3 inch long fruit is covered with large, prickly burrs. Very distinctive taste.

Long White Cucumber –  This is a very rare heirloom which can grow to 6 lb. and is excellent for salads and fresh sliced. Smooth white-skinned fruit has very crisp, mild tasting flesh.

Chicago Pickling Cucumber – Introduced in 1888, this variety originated outside of Chicago. It has been used for making dill pickles for over a century. Vines produce medium green, blunt ended fruits, 5 6 in. long with thin warty skin. Plants are disease resistant and prolific.

Long Green Cucumber – Introduced in 1842, this variety is related to an older variety, ‘Long Green Turkey’ grown in the 1700’s. Plants are vigorous, productive and reliable. Fruits are 10 12 in. long, medium green with black spines. Good for pickling or slicing

Having already canned 16 quarts of pickles in every imaginable variety, I was eager to give a new cucumber recipe a try.  Alas, in my edition of Art of French Cooking, I could not find the recipe for braised cucumbers.

But the craving could not be subdued, so Sandy and I came up with our own.

Braised Cucumbers

Cucumbers become meltingly tender when cooked. The combination of rich butter and salt and the undeniable taste of summer that only a cucumber can provide will make this a classic on your table for years to come. (Which means a few less jars of pickles sitting on your shelf)

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 leek, white and tender green parts, diced and well washed

6 cucumbers, peeled in stripes with a vegetable peeler, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/2 inch thick

coarse salt (any cucumber variety will do)

fresh dill, snipped (optional)

Instructions

In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-low heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring occasionally until the leek is tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the cucumbers, season with salt and toss to coat. Add 1/4 cup of water and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter and cover the pan. Cook 3 minutes or until the cucumbers are crisp-tender. Uncover the pan, raise the heat to medium, add the dill, if using and cook until the liquid has almost evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes more.

All this summer we’ve been working with our friend Sandy Gluck to develop recipes fresh from the Beekman 1802 Heirloom Vegetable Garden.  There’s only two weeks left in this harvest season.  What will we think of next?