Nova Clutch

Blackberry tart with oat almond crust

I had this tart when my friend Carlin made it from the New York Times for a potluck dinner. From the photo in the recipe I would never have made it. But don't be deceived by something that seems run-of-the-mill. This is a fantastic recipe that is definitely going to become a regular in my repertoire. I think you could use any berry in this crust, and almost any fruit. I shall try it out with the fall fruit and let you know.

The crust is perfect – a crumbly mix of oats and almonds is contrasted with the sharpness of the fruit, it's almost like a crunchy oat cookie crust. Plus, it's really, really easy. Which is good when you find yourself so busy you don't have time to cook, which is the situation I find myself in these days.

Download 20080908_dess_berrytart.pdf

Engineered Garments Sweatshirt

It was my friend Brian's birthday yesterday & I suppose I know him well enough now to just get him a scented candle...what is it with scented candles any way??               So I braved yesterdays arctic conditions & made my way over to Stuart & Wright - my neighborhood clothing shoppe, & got him this gorgeous Engineered Garments sweatshirt.
He was grinning from ear to ear all evening after opening his prezzie, & I think he's still grinning right now as he's driving upstate with his new sweatshirt on feeling like a million dollars. It's in a Heather Navy Cotton, with ribbed cuffs & waist, the collar has a nice cross-over detail, the gusset is elasticated which makes it easier to put on & also adds to the level of comfort, & finally the reverse side is in a real warm fleece-like fabric...or maybe it is fleece, dunno.

We are so sorry.

Good lord yes, we are so sorry for dropping off the face of the earth for the past week. Actually, it wasn't that dramatic, we just went to Georgia for a couple of days and have been trying to get back into a New York State of mind ever since. No, silly, not the Georgia that was recently overtaken by the Russian battalions, the one that has seemingly been overtaken by good food, great cocktails and considered living. What's more, I must say that our Georgians were a hell of a lot more friendly and welcoming to us than those in the Caucasus were to their unexpected guests.

So, we ask for just a bit more patience as we get our Yankee legs under us and download our photos and memories of the Georgia on our minds. In the meantime, please enjoy this picture that I took while walking the trails of The Inn at Serenbe with Natasha. I call it, "The Turtle, the Millipede and the Fly", you may be able to see why.

Cardamom honey carrot cake with orange cream cheese frosting

Yesterday I went to my first book club meeting. I don't know if this makes me decidedly bourgeois? If it doesn't, me bringing along a carrot cake definitely does. But so what? I enjoyed Ian McEwan's On Chesil Beach, talking about it and eating cake while talking about said book. The cake has about 20 ground cardamom pods in it and a good dose of honey. The cream cheese frosting has the zest of a whole orange in it. The book uses sex as its through line so I needed something to shore me up as I talked about sex with a room full of women I didn't know. I am British, after all.

Chinatown Hotcakes

One of the many wonders of New York's Chinatown is the hotcake vendor. Like an endangered and exotic animal, it is hard to find her and she only appears when you are least expecting it. Contrary to capitalist common sense, she never stays in the same location to sell her tiny cakes. Instead you must wind your way through the bustling streets and hope you catch sight of her. During a recent jaunt down Catherine Street I was lucky enough to find her. I walked right past her stand when the delicious scent of sweet batter turned me around. Fifteen miniature puffy cakes for a dollar is ridiculously cheap. I always want to give her more. The cakes are warm and golden smell like waffles. Truly worth the effort.

Billingham Camera Bag

Billingham is a family owned business formed in 1973 in the West Midlands, UK.
They originally manufactured fishing bags until in 1978 the owner, Martin Billingham began noticing that his bags were being used by New York photographers & thus started producing bags geared towards photography whilst keeping the original shape. The first bags were so popular that almost all production was shifted from fishing bags to camera bags within a year. This one is called 'Packington' & is one of the original models from the late 70's. The main body is a heavy canvas with tan leather trim & brass fittings, it has a quick release opening & the inner is padded & equipped for your camera & accessories.

And if you don't have a camera it's still a really good looking, beautifully made, functional bag that you'll have forever. I actually bumped into a lady in the city who had been carrying one for 20 years - it had aged so well, & prompted me to post this.

*photo courtesy of Billingham

Espresso ice cubes

As those rather strange people that don't have children, we are not usually up and about at the weekends too early. We're not lolling around in bed until midday or anything, but when someone knocks on the door around 9 or 10am, I'm probably shuffling about in my slippers and my favorite t-shirt that says "I ♥ TEA" on it.

Some Saturday mornings we are fortunate enough to have one of our neighbors come to visit with part of his ever-burgeoning family. A couple of Saturdays ago, Dedy brought us some of his famed espresso, piping hot and a real treat for us tea drinkers. The following Saturday, in weather conditions that almost (I said almost!) preclude a hot coffee, he brought espresso frozen into an ice cube tray and a jug of milk. We poured the slightly warm milk over the espresso ice and enjoyed the best iced coffee of the summer while playing a little loft soccer with his youngest son.

If only all Saturdays began like this.