today is a good day

first garlic of the season harvested

We woke up this morning to the sound of rain, refreshing relief after several days of intense, wilting heat, & headed south into the Massachusetts Pioneer Valley for breakfast.

my appetizer, a moist, rich chocolate mint cupcake

Café Evolution is a wonderful vegan restaurant in Florence, and is the present home of Oh Sweet Mama Bakery, legendary for their delectable baked goods that make vegans & non-vegans alike swoon. As hearty & delicious as chef Heather Bergeron's offerings are, I can't help but start off my meal with a cupcake, then proceed to fill myself to bursting with the yummy main course that was being prepared in the meantime.

Further on down the road, with bellies full & tastebuds happy, we drove into Northampton, & happened upon this fellow:

bullfrog out of his element

We weren't about to leave this little guy sitting on a curb in the middle of a busy town parking lot, so mustering up my childhood talent for frog-catching, I got down to work, & I'm happy to report that I've still got it!

handsome fellow, probably not terribly happy at this moment

Said frog was snatched up in one fell swoop, & after a few quick photos, we released him into a swampy little wooded area on the side of the lot, where we suspected he had come from.

My husband tells me that when I see a frog my face lights up & I look blissfully happy. Funny how some things never change...

my brother & I, filthy & blissfully happy

& yes, the frog was released shortly thereafter

craving

We've been experiencing an intense heat wave in the North East, & living in Vermont has made it quite obvious that we are not set up to deal with extreme temperatures on the upper side of the mercury.

This is the only thing that looks tempting to me today, from the kitchen of the very talented Emily...

Grapefruit Arak Sorbet

makes one quart

• 3 cups fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice (about 9 grapefruit)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup arak (or ouzo or pernod), chilled

• Make a simple syrup with the sugar and water by dissolving the sugar in the water and cooking it on medium heat until clear. Add syrup to grapefruit juice and chill until very cold.
• Freeze grapefruit-syrup mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. After 10-15 minutes slowly add the arak/ouzo/pernod. Continue to freeze until mixture becomes slushy, another 10 minutes or so. Transfer to airtight containers and place in the freezer for several hours.

Allow to temper before serving.

Besides being an incredibly talented cook & photographer, Emily is also fantastic at writing about her process & inspiring background behind her recipes. Be sure to visit her site for more!

from here

weekend DIY

Here's a weekend DIY I did a few years ago, a pair of Swedish mid-century dining chairs whose original tweed upholstery was far too nubbly & tempting for the cats to keep their claws off.

before

After treating the wood & covering up scratches, I reupholstered them with bleached linen on which I'd printed a hand-drawn twig pattern in a deep slate blue. I am happy to report that the cats have since left them alone for the most part, except to nap on during hot, humid days.

after

weekend DIY

I love this shelving unit, both for its clean, industrial lines, & the fact that it was made from reclaimed barn wood. Practical for West Coast folks & those who live in earthquake zones, too, as it is screwed into the floor & ceiling for extra stability, & perhaps for those, like us, with rambunctious felines, who seem to think all structures exist for their enjoyment.

from here, via here

chic to spare

A minimalist I am not. Anyone who has visited our home can tell you that we do not live a spare life. We own close to 1500 books, a variety of musical instruments including an upright piano, a herd of pottery, more paintings than we have walls & more chairs than we need on a daily basis, but which come in handy when friends come by.

Which is why this flat caught my eye...

I find I am often drawn to Parisian interiors, & this one in particular especially grabbed me. I love how unstyled & lived in it looks, striking what I find to be the perfect balance between minimal & collected, old & new design, time-worn & refurbished, personal & stylish, not looking as though it was put together in a DWR or Ikea shopping jag.

The airy bedroom linens, crisp gray kitchen cabinets & overall spareness co-habitating with piles of books, cd's, collected objects & groups of cushions & chairs make me swoon.

And, oh! Those floors!

The black tiles are such a classy choice. & oh, how I fancy a bath with no shower curtain - revelation!

If I were to move in, I would imagine myself hanging or leaning more artwork on those lovely, expansive walls, so perhaps it's a good thing I don't live here; that way it is not possible that I muddle up the beautiful openness & balance the owners have achieved.

via here

celebrating chocolate

Today is National Chocolate Day in the U.S., although some sources would beg to differ, naming October 28th, December 28th or 29th as the official holiday. There is even an American Chocolate Week in March, if one day is not enough for you.

last year's holiday fare, via Brattleboro Cooks

this year's Valentine's Day edition, rosewater fleur de sel caramels enrobed in dark chocolate

Every day is Chocolate Day in my book, & I have been happily experimenting with chocolate making for years now. I concentrate mostly on filled chocolates, since I find the myriad possibilities for flavoring ganaches to be most exciting & satisfying.

That said, I can not go to a family celebration without making a chocolate mousse for my niece, her favorite dessert in my repertoire, or to other friends' celebrations without a rich chocolate pâté, flavored with rum, a smokey whiskey or cognac & served with shortbread toasts.

And then, of course, there are chocolate truffles & filled chocolates.

my niece's favorite chocolate mousse

During the winter holidays I roll up my sleeves & make packages of 4 or 5 different flavored chocolates for friends & family. Last year's offerings included dark chocolate with our own homegrown mint ganache, another with black tea, a milk chocolate with coconut milk & spicy madras curry, & a white chocolate with saffron & honey.

In previous years Earl Grey tea ganaches, Vermont maple & cognac ganaches, chai tea ganaches, fleur de sel caramels, & Mexican coffee ganaches made with organic Mexican coffee beans, cayenne & cinnamon, as well as traditional deep, dark chocolate truffles rolled in cocoa powder, have found their way into the bellies of my favorite people.

It is important to me that I use organic, local butter & cream for the ganaches, as well as organic ingredients to flavor them, using homegrown & local whenever possible. The most important ingredient, of course, is the chocolate, & I use the finest I can find in my immediate area, such as Valhrona & El Rey, for the couverture.

I was thrilled when a fabulous woman, Jennifer, profiled me on her local cooking blog, which features a wide variety of fantastic foods made by local talent, including my favorite recipe for chocolate mousse. Her impressive daughter contributed a recipe for scrumptious chocolate mint brownies, definitely worth checking out for your Chocolate Day celebrations!

Voilá, xxx dark chocolate mousse:

chocolate mousse

3 oz. semisweet chocolate
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 Tbsp. cognac or your liqueur of choice
2 Tbsp. brewed coffee
4 eggs
1 cup whipping cream

Separate the eggs and set aside.

Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Melt chocolate with the brandy and coffee in a double boiler over low heat until it is smooth, glossy, and lump-free. Remove from heat and whisk the egg yolks into the chocolate.

Whip the cream until it holds a soft shape.

Heat the egg whites until they are barely warm by swirling the bowl above a burner/gas flame. Beat them until they hold soft peaks. Stir about a quarter of them into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the rest. Fold in the whipped cream.

Pour into individual serving bowls, or into a large serving bowl. Chill and serve with fresh whipped cream, cookies and/or fruit.

adapted from Chez Panisse Desserts by Lindsey Remolif Shere

getaway...

The Fourth of July weekend found us just west of the Finger Lakes region of New York State, a bittersweet time filled with family, bountiful food & beautiful countryside.

Western New York State is filled with lush, gently rolling hills, & long, limpid lakes. I went to college not far from here, & my husband spent his teenage years in this part of the world, a place that resonates deeply with him, where his mother's family settled when they first came to the U.S.

We met up with his sister, her partner & a cousin, & attended a memorial service for another cousin, an older gentleman who was their last blood relative in the area. Saturday was spent cleaning out his home, tracing the history of objects that went back a few generations.My husband & his family remember playing in the yard as children, & the many old photos we unearthed brought back memories & stories.

the old farmhouse, & magnificent old maple tree

A stop at the local Historical Society also turned up some family photos, as well as compelling artifacts from the area in general.

This time also marked 15 years of coupledom for us. While in some ways time has flown & it feels like just yesterday when we met & recognized each other, in other ways it is as though we have always been together. In celebration we stayed in a lovely old Victorian B&B & had dinner in a restaurant that was once a grand old library, both in the city my husband spent his high school years playing music & being a teen.

We would love to get back to this region sometime in the near future, to explore the hills & drink some of the delicious rieslings the area is known for, & hopefully next summer for a Singer family reunion.