At the Market:: Concord Grapes & Concord Grape Pie

As you might have noticed I took a little baking break, which was partially due what I mentioned in  yesterday's post. Sometimes I am just too tired.  But I am back today with my series At the Market where I am giddy with excitement because table grapes, in particularly concord grapes have arrived.  They actually came to the farmer's market that I frequent in the end of August, earlier than I expected so every Saturday since I have been buying them by the pound wondering just what to bake with them.  I settled on a Concord Grape Pie, a lip smackingly good pie that captures the essence of fall in just one bite. 

Currently Inspired :: Pinterest Picks

Happy Friday everyone! I am looking very forward to the weekend since I have something very exciting in the works tomorrow, it is this burgeoning side project that I cannot wait to share with you soon.  In the meantime, here has what has been inspiring me recently on Pinterest (you can follow me here). The mood of fall has inspired me recently, here are just some images that conjure up this quiet season. Have a great weekend!

New Foodie Crush:: The Artful Desperado

(Greek Yoghurt Olive Oil Cake with Orange Blossom Glaze)

For this weeks food installment I am going to tempt your taste buds with the beautiful work created by Gabriel of The Artful Desperado.  His photographs and recipes just pop off the screen. He combines different flavors to create interesting recipes from Dark Chocolate Ice Cubes to a Greek Yoghurt Olive Oil Cake with Orange Blossom Glaze.  Here is just a glimpse of the tastiness that you will stumble upon this site.  If you are in need of delicious recipes and some major eye candy check it out!

(Chocolate Meringue Cake with Fresh Berries)

Peaches with Lemon Verbena Cream

Plucking fruit from a tree makes me impossibly happy.  I am not sure if it is the nostalgic element or the fact that I know I am going to be biting into something delicious.  Over the holiday weekend we went peach picking which also led us to picking our own vegetables, something I haven't done since I was a child. We are in the prime of tomato, zucchini and eggplant and let me say I took full advantage. I picked so many cherry and sun gold tomatoes that have been eating them non-stop. We headed up to Fishkill Farms, my favorite by far in upstate New York not only for what they produce but also the rolling green hills and the mountains in the distance.  Peaches were at their peak, I gladly stuffed bags full eager to eat and bake with them.  Instead of doing a traditional peach pie I decided to make something a little lighter.  I roasted peaches in the oven and then topped them with Lemon Verbena Cream, an incredibly fast and easy dessert.  

White Layer Cake with Strawberry Buttercream

If I could, I would bake a cake at least once every two weeks.  This has nothing to do with my sweet tooth either, it has more to do with the process of creating something beautiful.  I always say that my four favorite passions all phonetically begin with the same sound - fashion, food, flowers and photography.  When I can pair a few of these things together it makes me impossibly happy.  To relish in the end of summer, I decided to create a white layer cake with strawberry buttercream and decorate it with soft pink lisianthus flowers.  This recipe is unique because it incorporates two different types of frosting - a buttercream and an Italian meringue.  The latter takes a bit of time to make but it is definitely worth it.  It takes on the consistency of fluff and melts in your mouth.

New England Clam Chowder

We have had a fantastic summer when it comes to the weather. There have been very few unbearably hot days with more days in the high 80s and cooler evenings.  On a recent weekend, the temperature was perfect to enjoy some New England Clam Chowder on our porch.  While there were plumes of smoke floating from neighbor's grills, it was nice to enjoy a comforting bowl of soup that is a staple in New England year-round.  Traditional chowder is cream-based, I decided to lighten it up using whole milk.  I have found that when a recipe calls for heavy cream, you can substitute quality whole milk (I love Ronnybrook Farm) and you will not even miss its heavier counterpart.  

At the Market:: Apricots + Browned Butter Apricot Shortcakes with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

Stone fruit season has arrived - peaches, nectarines and apricots are creating a beautiful kaleidoscope of color at the farmers market.  There is nothing quite like biting into a juicy peach or nectarine and letting the sweet floral aroma take over your taste buds.  One variety of stone fruit that I typically never gravitated to was the apricot, it reminded me of the store-bought dried versions that always left a little to be desired.  I decided to give this fuzzy fruit a second chance and I am glad that I did.  Not only are they easy to eat as is, they are a fantastic fruit to incorporate into your summer baking.  I decided to give the traditional shortcake recipe an upgrade by making Browned Butter Apricot Shortcakes and topping 

it with cinnamon infused whipped cream.  This recipe is definitely a crowd pleaser because of the different textures it takes on - the shortcakes are moist with a sugar crusted exterior, the browned butter apricots practically melt in your mouth while the cinnamon whipped cream lends the perfect finish.   

Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches with Sea Salt Flakes

During the hot summer days there is nothing like treating yourself to ice cream.  Growing up, one of my favorite seasonal treats was an ice cream sandwich that was usually obtained by waiting for the ice cream truck to drive by our house.  I was feeling a bit nostalgic and decided to make my own super soft chocolate cookies and filled them with gelato, Talenti, to be exact.  Having made a different variety of ice cream sandwiches before, the key learning is to bake the cookies just until they are set, so that once they are cooled they are chewy and can be easily enjoyed with ice cream. Topping the cookies with Maldon sea salt flakes is the perfect way to take a childhood treat and elevate it to something 'grown-ups' will like.  

At The Market:: Cherry Skillet Crumble

Last year on a very hot summer day we headed to Upstate New York to go cherry picking. It was one of my favorite memories from last summer.  This year we will not be picking our own, but luckily the farmer's market is bursting with pints of this ruby fruit.  For a recent dinner, I wanted to get off my pie kick (something that is hard to do since I find baking a pie like therapy) and stick within the same family and make a crumble and bake it in a cast iron pan.  If you are like me and you love crumb topping you will love this recipe since there is a nice layer of crumbly goodness sitting atop juicy cherries.  

White Peach & Rose Lemonade {I HAVE MOVED TO ROSE & IVY JOURNAL!)

To discover more recipes and beauty, please visit Rose & Ivy Journal by clicking here!

Growing up I loved lemonade for it's sweet and tart taste and how it could put a few dollars in our pockets by having a stand on our suburban sidewalk.  As I have gotten older it hasn't been a drink that I have gravitated to as much, until now.  I decided to get creative and craft a more feminine and grown-up version of this iconic sip by blending fragrant white peaches with rose water for a refreshing summer drink. Not only is the shade of this drink beautiful, but it strikes the perfect balance between sweet, floral and tart.  The white peaches and the rose water lend a delicate floral aroma while the lemon provides the right amount of zest. 

At the Market:: Gooseberries & Blackberries (Gooseberry & Blackberry Pie)

It is officially berry season! Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries  and my new favorite berry, the gooseberry.  While you can purchase berries all year long (frozen or fresh), there is something extra special about eating them while they are in season and local.  They just taste much better being ripened by the warmth of the sun.  I have been picking up as many cartons as I can carry at the farmers market, since not only are they great to eat raw but they have a great way of making your complexion look better.  When it comes to berries I am not partial to one kind, although I have been eating crates of raspberries and blueberries and as I mentioned a new favorite, the gooseberry.   They look like grapes and have the same juiciness but they have the floral sweetness of a raspberry.  They are great eaten as is or a wonderful addition to a pie or crumble.  Also, blackberries, when in season taste completely different then their over-sized grocery store counterpart that are heavily seeded.  In season, blackberries are incredibly tender and sweet, with not nearly as many seeds.  In order to celebrate the season, I made a Gooseberry & Blackberry Pie, perfect after a summer dinner.  This pie is the perfect ratio of tartness to sweetness!

Strawberry Soda

Growing up there can be many rules that you do not understand at the time, one rule that my mom had was 'no soda in the house'.  Actually at the time, we were living in Ohio and called it 'pop', but our move to Vermont made us transition to call the fizz drink 'soda'. Anyways, out of all of the rules, this was one of them that I am very glad my parents instated.  Besides being loaded with artificial ingredients (have you ever checked out the label - caramel flavor and high fructose corn syrup? No thank you) it can lead to weight gain, which can then bring on unwanted disease.  Last Christmas my husband received a Soda Stream, one of the best gifts ever, that allowed us to not only make seltzer with the click of a button but also allowed me to experiment in the kitchen.  I love carbonating cucumber or lemon water for a refreshing drink. I recently purchased two pints of strawberries from the fresh market that were unfortunately not that sweet.  Instead of turning them into pie, I opted to make equal parts jam and strawberry syrup.  One basically creates the other so you can get more out of doing less, don't you just love that? 

A Few Beautiful Things

Happy Friday everyone! So glad the weekend is upon us, it has been one of those weeks.  I have a fun project going on this weekend, but other then that it should be a fun summer weekend. New York is heating up, weather wise, and it feels great! Before I leave you here are a few beautiful things that I stumbled on this week.  Have a great weekend!

These photographs are works of art, Nicole Warne and her boyfriend Luke Shadbolt are a dynamic duo beyond compare (one glimpse is above)

This is one styling and photography workshop I would just love to attend

Finally, a long awaited post is live on What Katie Ate

I love seeing where creatives work, I adore Apartment 34's new loft space

And a few posts you might have missed here:

Escape to Cinque Terre, Italy, postcards from our honeymoon

At the Market: Fava Beans and Fresh Ricotta, the perfect summer appetizer

The perfect summer outfit, head to toe in white
A breathtaking retreat on the island of Ithaca in Greece, the best part is you can stay there

At the Market:: Fava Beans (Fava Beans & Ricotta)

Fava beans are one of those quick to arrive and quick to leave vegetables that grace us with their presence in the late spring and early summer.  Just like ramps, garlic scapes and rhubarb, you have to act quickly in order to enjoy their goodness.  I was very lucky to get a preview of fava beans while in France and Italy since they were over-flowing in wooden bins at the open-air markets.  Returning home, I anxiously awaited their arrival and low and behind nearly three weeks later they arrived.  My mind was swaying back and forth, what to make exactly - do I go the soup route or maybe even humus, however, I decided to recreate a dish that I recently enjoyed at Il Buco Alimentari (one of my absolute favorite restaurants) in New York.  Split with a friend we enjoyed homemade ricotta with fava beans and a generous drizzle of olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon.  It was mind-blowingly good, so I decided to re-create it.  

A Clean Plate:: Healthy Black Bean Tacos

If there is one type of food that I crave it is Mexican.  The delicious combination of cilantro, mixed with creamy black beans and some cotijo cheese makes me salivate.  During the warmer months when it is too warm to turn on the oven, I like to opt for meals that are easy, fast and healthy.  I have been making these healthy black bean tacos for quite some time, and I thought that this is the perfect season to share them with you.  They combine good for your ingredients that can literally be thrown together in about fifteen minutes or less and are packed with ingredients that offer a nutritional punch.  

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Rose Scented Whipped Cream

This is definitely my favorite time of the year at the market - ruby red strawberries are available by the carton next to the long stalks of rhubarb, snap peas are piled high and fragrant green garlic pave the way for the soon to arrive fava beans, blueberries and peaches.  I love pairing these fresh market finds together to create seasonal dishes, whether for dinner or dessert.  One of my favorite combinations is strawberry and rhubarb where the former lends a sweetness while the latter adds a tart bite.  On a recent Sunday dinner with the family, I decided to make Strawberry Rhubarb Pie and topped it off  with Rose Scented Whipped Cream.  This pie is truly summer in a bite!

A Site to Love: Dagmar's Kitchen

Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Brownies

While traveling there is one thing that I miss, my kitchen.  Despite it's incredibly petite size, it is the place that I enjoy being in the most.  I got to enjoy quite a few delicious meals that have inspired me to try to attempt my own variation, so this weekend that is where I will be, my kitchen.  Until then, I am excited to share a new site that I stumbled upon recently, Dagmar's Kitchen, written by Sonja a food and lifestyle photographer based in Sweden.  Not only is the photography stunning, but the recipes are healthier than normal since they are gluten-free are without refined sugar.  Here is just a glimpse into her delicious world. 

Bergamot Syrup

Classic Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie is a classic recipe that should be in every devoted bakers/non-bakers recipe arsenal.  It is a fairly easy recipe that can be made in three parts. On a warm summer day or a cool summer night, it is the perfect light dessert that will not weigh you down.  This pie is deliciously tart, but in all of the right ways. The tangy lemon curd sits atop a flaky pastry crust while whipped meringue floats like a cloud on top of the curd.  

At the Market:: Rhubarb

Blogging Over Thyme: Rhubarb Meringue Cups 

I am excited to bring you a new column here today called At The Market where I will highlight seasonal fruits and vegetables that are gracing the local fresh markets and delicious recipes to accompany each find.  I will be baking/cooking as well as finding inspiration from some of the best food sites around.  Today I am excited to start out with rhubarb, the pink-tinged vegetable that is especially delicious in a pie or made into a jam.  Rhubarb is now available at farmer's markets and grocery stores.

Adventures in Cooking: Strawberry Rhubarb & Tarragon Tart Tartan

(Apt 2. B Baking: Rhubarb & Gin Sorbet with Rose Cream)

Mother's Day Brunch:: Blueberry Crumble Cake (SELF Magazine Feature)

Are you looking for a delicious and easy recipe to prepare for your Mother's Day brunch Sunday? I recently collaborated with Self.com to create a recipe that was inspired by a recipe my mom used to make growing up, so I settled on a Blueberry Crumble Cake.  This cake is incredibly moist and it has an addictive layer of crumb topping that makes it irresistible when paired with coffee.  You can find the recipe here. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!