A Little Fall Inspiration...

Who wouldn't feel a back-to-school thrill looking at APC's fall line?


And these items from Etsy are proving seriously inspiring too:

A Few Recs

I'm reading something I'm enjoying. That's all I can say, since I haven't yet finished it, but that's saying a lot, no? It's A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cossé, translated from the French. Pleasant and absorbing.

Also very, very good: Brother's Keeper, a classic documentary which you may have already seen, but if not it's on Netflix Instant Watch. That's all I'll say, since talking too much about a film, if it's good, can only detract.

Also saw Eat, Pray, Love, and after all the pans found it surprisingly watchable - which is not to say good, but perfectly engaging. Which, after all, is also true of the book. My problem with the book was that the author seems to think just enough to give the impression of depth, and while I understand David Denby's point that humor and self-awareness are rare in a seeker, I'm not sure they're required, really. Anyway, it's very pretty and Javier is very overwhelming and I've certainly spent more unpleasant afternoons.


(Step Up: 3D is also excellent.)

And what do we think about the new Arcade Fire? I can't love it although of course there's some good stuff. But gosh, you know how I feel about "suburbia" cliches - that felt tired when Eric Bogosian did it...and that was in 1994.

Monday Monday

I started my week with a solo dance party; I highly recommend it. This is the dance mix I've made and which I humbly submit as totally groovy.

Am dealing with some major apartment ambilvalence. On the one hand, we want to move. A lot. On the other, we can't. And moving is awful (I have the unhappy example of my parents' daily calls to remind me of that.)

It would be nice to be closer to produce, to food, to friends. I saw a woman being choked on the street. You can't walk after dark.

But then too, we have friends living nearby now; there's a new CSA; a small farmer's market; lovely new neighbors and sweet neighborhood kids.

Recently, L.D. moved up here from North Carolina and lives nearby: I was worried about the transition from beautiful roots to impersonal concrete jungle. But of course she has a huge container garden growing at their house and is on a basis of mutual adoration with every child under 10 on her block. I am selfishly glad of course to have another friend in the neighborhood and opportunities for impromptu drinks and settles and clothing swaps. To say nothing of a partner in crime for cooking and the dressmaking and flower-arranging classes we are contemplating (hey, a subway buddy's no joke either in this kind of country!) Last night she and her boyfriend J. came by to observe the block party; we had beers and spicy chips (I used Food52's idea) and I showed her my new cheesecloth cafe curtains and the stained sweater I'd dyed with coffee grounds. Then we went to L&B Spumoni Gardens in Bensonhurst. Friday, there was an impromptu rooftop potluck at Marie's house; they brought a goose lamp onto the roof and there was paella. Ruby works only 2 blocks away and I was able to bring her a piece of peach cake as a workday treat. In short, it might just be okay. (Although I'm still haunting Craigslist.)

MORE Baking

Today is our block party, and they are not playing: donations were solicited for a "bouncer" (read: bouncy castle.) Wowsers! (Technically, I suppose they are playing, but you know what I mean.)

Last year, I took the opportunity to essay a baroque and slightly vile mix-based pistachio-chocolate bundt, and it didn't exactly move. Now, since I feel my honor is on the line (and I really would like to contribute something people will like) I am going with the most tried of favorites: Rice Krispie Treats (even though I hate them) and chocolate cupcakes with ganache, weather permitting.

(As M said, "the hippies, in lieu of money or food, will probably be providing music.")

Recipe: Peach Cake

I have been much more myself lately, seeinf friends and getting things done (indeed, some might argue that I've swung in the distinct direction of mania!) Among other recent projects, I made a cake from my new favorite cookbook, The Craft of Baking. The author, Karen DeMasco, is the pastry chef at Locanda Verde, and the sweets I had there were so scrumptious that I was moved to request her book for my birthday. While the cover features a "Lamington Cupcake" that would look appetizing only to an antipodean, the rest of the photographs are as mouth-watering as one could wish, and everything I've made has been delicious.

I had some ripe peaches rapidly attracting fruit-flies (yummy, I know) so I decided to adapt her recipe for Caramelized-Apple Skillet Cake. I used peaches (obviously) used brown rather than white sugar for a more traditional upside-down cake effect and, because I always want more of the topping and fruit no matter hjow delicious the cake, I doubled that and added a layer mid-batter. I don't want to sound like one of those jackasses on Epicurious who changes absolutely everything; rest assured, the cake is all hers and it was the cake that, in its moistness and flavor, was really revelatory!

Peach Skillet Cake

Adapted from Karen DeMasco's "The Craft of Baking"

Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown sugar (I used light)
10 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, very soft
4 ripe peaches, peeled
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons coarse yellow cornmeal or fine polenta
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup whole milk

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In an 8-inch ovenproof skillet, preferably cast iron, combine brown sugar with 4 tablespoons water, stirring to make sure all of the sugar is damp.

Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and bubbling. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in 4 tablespoons of the butter. Pour half the brown sugar mixture into another bowl; reserve [if you don't want to do my second layer thing, just skip this step and halve the caramel.]


Slice the peaches and arrange half of them over the caramel in the pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, the remaining 6 tablespoons butter, and the vanilla. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the egg yolks, one at a time.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. In three additions, add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, to the butter mixture. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the batter into a large bowl.

Clean and dry the bowl of the electric mixer well. Add the egg whites and, using the whisk attachment on medium speed, beat to soft peaks, about 4 minutes. In three additions, fold the whites into the batter.

Spread half the batter evenly over the peaches in the skillet. Add the rest of the fruit and the reserved brown sugar. Cover with remaining batter.

Bake, rotating the skillet halfway through, until the cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, 45 to 50 minutes. Place the skillet on a wire rack and let it cool just until the cake is warm, about 30 minutes. Then run a knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto a plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The cake is best eaten the day it is baked but can be kept at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.

Small, Good Things

Why is life worth living? It's a very good question. Um...Well, There are certain things I guess that make it worthwhile. uh...Like what... okay...um...For me, uh... ooh... I would say ... what, Groucho Marx, to name one thing... uh...um... and Willie Mays... and um ... the 2nd movement of the Jupiter Symphony ... and um... Louis Armstrong, recording of Potato Head Blues ... um ... Swedish movies, naturally ... Sentimental Education by Flaubert ... uh... Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra ... um ... those incredible Apples and Pears by Cezanne... uh...the crabs at Sam Wo's... uh... Tracy's face ..

.

Obviously, that's Manhattan.

A few: the smell of a new shower curtain; a crushed basil leaf at a farmer's market; the last page of The Great Gatsby; all of Pink Moon; October on Madison Avenue; sense memory especially smells; maple bars from Red's Donuts; Chopin's Etude in E Major; my grandparents' honeymoon photos.

To be continued...