Bryan and I were supposed to be in England for 3 weeks back in April. A few days before we left Bryan broke his foot, forcing us to postpone the trip. It was a bummer. We eventually managed to get to London for a shorter visit in late May. Despite the delay, and shortened trip, there were some silver linings. The postponement meant that we were able to center the new trip around gardens. We fulfilled a long-time goal of attending the Chelsea Flower show (obsessed), and visiting Great Dixter and Prospect Cottage (life-changing?). We also returned to Charleston, one of my favorite places on earth. It was all pretty incredible.

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The quickest of check-ins to share this giant pop-tart (galette if you’re fancy!) that I recently made for an 8-year-old’s birthday party. I used recipes in Camilla Wynne’s brilliant book, Jam Bakes. But essentially I rolled out two disks of galette pastry to about the size of a half-sheet pan (12×15?) and put them in the fridge to chill. Using parchment paper, I made a template of a giant “8” that used as much of the surface of the dough as possible. Cut each sheet of dough into an “8” using the template. I then put one of the two “8”s on a parchment-lined baking sheet and piped the filling onto dough leaving a 1-inch border along all of the edges of the dough. For the filling I used both vanilla custard (thick set- about 2 cups?) and a rhubarb and Amarena cherry jam that I had made (about a cup?). I then brushed the exposed edges of dough with water and very carefully placed the second “8” on top, carefully and gently bringing the edges together to seal. I used a fork to press the edges closed in a decorative pattern, and used a paring knife to cut some ventilation holes into the top of the dough. But here is the best part! I then put the entire thing into the freezer. And left it there for a week! (once it is frozen, wrap it well to protect it!) The morning of the party, I baked from frozen (I baked at 425°F for about 45 minutes, or until golden and you can see jam bubbling through vents). It takes about 2 hours to cool enough to glaze, so keep that in mind when planning the day. And then I made a glaze using the syrup from a jar of Amarena cherries, heavy cream, and confectioners sugar. I added a couple of drops of food coloring to make the pink brighter. Anyway, I loved it. The 8-year-old loved it! Would work with any number but you may get fewer servings with other numbers since the “8” really maximizes surface area. I think I managed to carve about 25 small servings out of this beauty.

That’s all! Hope you’re having a good summer.

We recently returned from three weeks in England. We spent a week in Somerset and the Cotswolds, but the bulk of the time was spent in London. It was a dream trip with origins in a week-long trip we had scheduled in 2020 that was canceled for the obvious reason and the longer it was delayed the more it grew. Revenge travel?

We ate a lot of good food in London, it is easy to do. Growing up I remember jokes about British cuisine, but these days I don’t think there is a city I enjoy eating out in more. It’s good fun. And so we had two weeks of meals at restaurants that were old favorites or recommended by friends or written about by people I trust. The funny thing about having that many nice meals in a relatively short amount of time is that it can be disorienting. Meals that might have stood out during a normal week suddenly seem less special. It got me thinking about what makes a good restaurant. And the main thing I’ve arrived at (and this isn’t original) is that it is never just the food. In fact, sometimes I think the food isn’t even at the top of the list. We ate good food at places that didn’t feel great for other reasons. There was a cool new place with incredible food where the staff kept telling us they needed our table in 2 hours (1 hour, 30 minutes, 15 minutes…), an iconic favorite that felt “museum-like” (to quote a friend I was complaining about it to), and another that was phoning it in and relying on an endless stream of tourists. We had good company and were on vacation at these spots, so none of this really bothered us. But you know when something is off. A handful of places felt so right that I keep thinking about them…

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The weird shit I’ve bought during this pandemic! Sadly, there are days when the only way to interact with the world or to feel anything is through commerce and so I find myself buying things I don’t need to feel alive. It doesn’t work! But one of the better impulse buys was a case of Seville oranges from a company in Florida with the wonderfully literal web address floridaorangeshop dot com. I ordered them and kind of forgot about it until they arrived on a snowy day here in the Midwest. To be honest, I was mostly annoyed that I now had an obligation to do something with them and spent the first day avoiding eye contact with the cardboard box that said something like “A Gift of Sunshine for You!” on the side. I started plotting ways to make them disappear in a way that wouldn’t lead to questioning by Bryan. What happened to all of those oranges? Eventually I accepted my destiny and mustered the energy to make some marmalade which in turn gave me momentum and lead to a brief increase in kitchen activity which I do not necessarily regret.

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Halloween is so fun and stupid. This weekend we spent like an hour in the Halloween section of Target and I never wanted to leave. Every animatronic monster and fake-elegant-goth serving bowl called to me. Bryan and I are very interested in someday hosting a fancy AND scary Halloween dinner party. We talk about it a lot, but still haven’t made it materialize. Maybe next year. We do know what cocktail we will serve. read more+++

[poster design by Claire Hungerford for Commune]

Please.

I’m really honored to be included in a wonderful series about cookbook over at Serious Eats. Maggie Hoffman has been interviewing some of my favorite people (Luisa! Amy! Dorie!) about their cookbook collections, I have been eagerly following the column since it started and so it was a real treat to get to talk about my own collection.

It has made me curious about your collections. What are the cookbooks on your shelves that are your absolute favorites? What am I missing?

Also, I promise to have my gift guide (including some of my favorite cookbooks from the past year) up by the end of the week. See you then.

The sun is out (it’s going to be nearly 70° today!), birds are singing, and it is supposed to snow on Monday. It is spring in Chicago—which looks a lot like winter in other places, with the occasional warm day. But after the winter we’ve had, I think we’ll take whatever we can get. Soon, our food will take a technicolor turn and I couldn’t be more excited.

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I had read Helen Rosner’s writing for many years before I finally had the pleasure of meeting her. She is as charming, witty, and warm as her words and I am very happy that she agreed to take a break from her work at Saveur and contribute to the anniversary celebration. I wanted a poem (we needed some culture around here), and she provided.

Visit the website of Lottie + Doof
Not yet having eaten your dinner,
And there you will find irrefutable proof
Of why you don’t get any thinner.

Each photo will drive you to whip up a snack,
These exquisitely cropped coups de grace:
From an overhead shot of a pie on a rack
To a beautifully-laid mise en place.

Whatever your taste, you’ll know what to make;
Your delight Tim will aid and abet,
With his black-pepper tofu, his poppy-seed cakes,
His lebkuchen, his cider vinaigrettes.

When I’m hungry I’ll visit, my palate to sweeten
With mouthwatering pictures and text.
And even if (as ever) I’ve only just eaten,
I’ll dream of the meals to come next.

 – Helen Rosner ♥

It seems like a good time to share this photo again. It is a picture from my wedding. This is what people in North Carolina and everywhere else in our country are so disgusted by that they want to make laws to prevent.

Patience is not a fucking virtue, we need to fix this now.

UPDATE 5/9/12 2pm: I guess Obama reads my blog?