fresh blueberry crumb bars with lemon-rosemary crust

July 30, 2013

fresh blueberry crumb bars with lemon-rosemary crust | une gamine dans la cuisine

I grew up listening to my mom's old records (and cassette tapes) of Jacques Brel, The Mamas & The Papas, Françoise Hardy and Simon & Garfunkel - maybe a little Neil Diamond, too. Each song felt like a secret treasure to my young, eager ears. At the wise age of six I was utterly mesmerized by Françoise's clear, sometimes melancholy, voice and lush lyrics. "Dream a Little Dream of Me," as sung by Mama Cass, was pure perfection. Oh, how I wanted to know what it felt like to be so much in love that I'd ask someone to keep me in their dreams (and what do birds sound like when they sing in sycamore trees?). "Ne Me Quitte Pas" was deliciously heart wrenching (although the more recent version by Emilíana Torrini is equally haunting).

My favourite songs were, and always will be, anything by Simon & Garfunkel.  "Scarborough Fair," in particular, conjured up beautifully wistful images in my overactive imagination. Even now, "Scarborough Fair" makes me think of a blustery day (maybe in early autumn?). It's a surreal, strange weather kind of late afternoon; heavy clouds can be seen racing across the ground, outlined by a reticent sun. Someone somewhere is trying to remember something on the grounds of an abandoned carnival set just outside a thick forest of trees...not the shady kind of carnival; an old-school carnival with elaborate carousel horses + rusted swans and vendors wearing tweed vests would handing out cigars and women holding parasols. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme - I love each and every one. Not only for their ability to heighten the flavour of food, but for the unexpected beauty their presence brings to a rich, tapestry-like song.

Rosemary is a beloved herb, so I was overjoyed when this recipe turned out to be even better than I'd anticipated!

Cherry Slab Pie

July 24, 2013

Cherry Slab Pie | une gamine dans la cuisine

July

Tonight the fireflies
light their brief
candles
in all the trees

of summer -
color of moonflakes,
color of fluorescent
lace

where the ocean drags
its torn hem
over the dark
sand

~ Linda Pastan, from "The Months"

Bouchon Bakery chocolate chip cookies

July 18, 2013

Bouchon Bakery chocolate chip cookies | une gamine dans la cuisine


I never get hot. I'm that annoying person who is hugging their legs whilst bundled up in a sweater as soon as someone turns on the AC. Hi. Thanks to the current heat wave, everything has changed. This charmingly behind-the-times farm house does not have central air. For the last three days the small of my back has never been completely dry and my thirty-something forehead is back to the perma-shine of teenage years. Baking and cooking are out of the question - I actually had fast food two days in a row (something I haven't done in since college!). Thankfully I'm stocked up on Tums, bottled water, whiskey sour essentials, and "House of Cards" videos.

I did manage to eek out a batch of cookies. And when I say eek, I mean e e e e...k. Moving around my kitchen with the oven on feels like walking through molasses. The cookie dough was only supposed to be refrigerated for 30 minutes - it ended up chilling for two days. I'm not sure what the cookies would have been like after only 30 minutes, but after 48 hours of marinating they achieved star status.

On a side note (in case you were wondering), my cats are fine. They rotate from cool spot to cool spot on the wood floor and sleep a bit longer after playing with the hopefully invisible mice. Niles is currently perched on "his" window throne with a light fan breeze blowing on him. I recently read that it's good to wet their paws with a cloth to help keep them cool. This is not happening again. Ever. My legs look like I skipped through a barbed wire meadow. :P

Key Lime Pie with Cornmeal-Cocoa Graham Crust

July 13, 2013

key lime pie with cornmeal-cocoa graham crust | une gamine dans la cuisine


Yesterday, as I was about to commence the pre-weekend vacuum cleaner run, I heard a dusty, gritty, thump on the chimney flue - followed by another...and another. My cats, of course, were oblivious. I quickly herded the clueless "mouse hunters" out of the living room - which only required saying *voom* *voom* nonchalantly (they have an understandable dislike of the prehistoric "retro" vacuum cleaner).

I cleared most of the furniture away from the fireplace, except for the stupid lamp that will stop working if you just look at it funny, and I opened the patio door (luckily it's in the same room!). I grabbed the swiffer sweeper broom, removed the sweeper head, and, standing as far away as possible, tried using the headless end to pull down the flue opener. This seemingly-clever method did not work. The end of the broom was not strong enough to pull down the heavy, iron 'O.'  So I had to resort to plan B, the Hand-Pull & Flee technique. In keeping with the streak of cleverness, I placed a towel-lined basket under the flue, hoping the mysterious creature would fall in and allow me to calmly walk it outside. I pulled open the flue, made a stuntman-like dive over the back of the sofa, and peeked over the top. After only three seconds an adorbs little red squirrel came tumbling out. Naturally it landed far away from the waiting basket (apparently my flue is wider than an 8-inch Pier 1 wicker basket). It scurried around the chimney a bit and then, almost instinctively, made it's way outside via the open patio door - leaving only a trail of tiny paw prints.

The little squirrel immediately made his way up a nearby tree and onto a branch, where he proceeded to obsessively groom himself and chirp at me - I'm quite certain he's ok.

*phew*

Aside from the realization that I need to do a better job of dusting the fireplace when it's not in use (I don't want to think about the spider webs), everything ended well. My reward was a slice of key lime pie - which I was going to have anyway, but it felt more 'rewarding.'


Stone Fruit Pie

July 9, 2013

stone fruit pie :: une gamine dans la cuisine

Last night my mind refused to shift gears and go into serene mode. I tried the usual harbingers of sleep - reading, my 'sounds of the forest' app, ice cream & honey...nothing worked. Finally I just stared at the ceiling until a slow moving universe of dust and particles began making their way across my field of vision. This, in conjunction with the wistful soundtrack of loons and owls playing in the background and the soft hum of honey still in my throat, made me feel too existential - and miles away from calm.

So, onto movie watching. Immortal Beloved: Gary Oldman + Isabella Rossellini  x gorgeous music and a tragic love story. It doesn't get much better. I could watch this movie over and over and over...And after a slice of pie, which I'd previously forgotten about, everything was symmetrical. Theories of the cosmos, the "why am I here(s)?" and worries of an encroaching Andromeda galaxy, were put on the back burner of my mind's rusted crimson stove.

Pies are kind of a happy homestead - I don't think anyone can eat a slice of made-from-scratch pie and not feel idle and content - if only for a short time.

Cinnamon Orange Crumb Cake

July 4, 2013

cinnamon orange crumb cake | une gamine dans la cuisine

Happy Independence Day! I was going to hold off on sharing this recipe until tomorrow but after polishing off the final slice with my morning coffee, I couldn't wait. Speaking of liquid gold, does anyone else enjoy their coffee hot all year 'round? When I order my beloved coconut mocha at the drive-through, I'm always asked if I'd like it iced or frozen? Coffee loses a little bit of its mojo when it's cold, plus I tend to drink it far too quickly. I like to savour each warm drop of coffee and treat it like an experience. My friends don't understand how anyone can curl up with a piping hot mocha in 90 degree weather - then again these people prefer miracle whip over mayonnaise and ketchup over spicy mustard. Weirdos. ♥


One thing everyone can agree on is crumb cake. Crumb cake and caffeine (and sultry mornings spent arguing over crossword puzzle penmanship and the resurfacing of neon colours).
 

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