The Gift of Spatulas...

Custom Spatulas aren't the perfect gift for everyone, but any at home baker is sure to love these Williams Sonoma Personalized Spatulas. 

Got a birthday or bridal shower coming up?Combine them with a cute apron (like this adorable one from Anthropology), and this petite pie mold from Sur La Table. 

Now we're gifting!

Back to School

It's September! Get out your wide ruled paper and Trapper Keepers (or whatever school supply kids flaunt these days on the first day of school). Lucky for me, I never have to go to school again (I'm not really the academia type). But, I do know that if I was in school, these are the supplies I would be showing off! 

1. Anthropology Imprinted Egg Cady  2. Sandwich Lunch Box  3.The Flavor Thesaurus   4. Letterpress notecards by Pie Bird Press  5. Alphabet Totes by Left Right Left  6. Ceramic Ruled Pitchers  7. Alphabet Filigree Candy Lollipops 

And while were on the topic, I suggest avoiding the old apple for the teacher gift. It seems to me that an apple is a pretty crappy gift–unless were talking about an Apple computer, that is. If you happen to be the sentimental type and want to give your teacher an apple, I suggest you upgrade and make these deliciously moist apple muffins adapted from King Arthur Flour. Give your teacher these and you're sure to make honor roll. 

APPLE MUFFINS

serves 12

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (4 ounces) King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour

1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar

3/4 cup (5 5/8 ounces) dark brown sugar, divided

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk

2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped, or 1 1/2 cups dried apple nuggets

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with parchment paper squares.
2. Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix in the buttermilk gently. Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.
3. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar on top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the oven, cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a rack to finish cooling completely. 

A Labor Day with Minimal Labor

Tom, the dogs and I left the city to spend this weekend in one of my favorite places in the world, Scituate, Ma. I love everything about this place: the people, the water and especially the Labor Day Parade! Here's a look at a few shots I took around Scituate this weekend. 

I'm incredibly sad to see this summer go. As an homage to this summer and in sticking to a stress free Labor Day, I decided to make a simple free-form blueberry peach tart. I never shy away from my deep love of blueberries and peaches (see last years blog entry). This is the easiest dessert out there. Fresh fruit, 1 pre-made pie crust (I usually wouldn't condone this, but who wants to make pie crust when you can relax by the seashore), a tablespoon of sugar, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a dash of salt and some cold cubed butter. Oh, and don't forget the egg wash on the  crust and a sprinkling of sugar before you put it in the oven. Cook for 20 min at 400 degrees. So long summer, you'll be missed.

Strawberry Delight

In these last few weeks of summer, my sights have been set on cooking with as many seasonal fruits as possible. I happen to love the versatility of strawberries, and they're readily available right now. I wanted to dress up a tasty buttermilk pound cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Well, that's all fine-and-dandy, but I've made dozens of those. I needed to step it up a notch, so I figured basil (also abundant right now) and a balsamic dressing would do the trick! Here's the recipe, followed by some of my strawberry favorites (sorry, they're not edible, but just as sweet.)

Pound Cake with Basil & Balsamic Strawberries

POUND CAKE
serves about 16
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups butter, softened (3 sticks)
2 1/2 cups sugar 
6 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup buttermilk 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In an electric stand mixer, beat the butter  and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until just blended. 
2. Add flour to the butter mixture alternatively with buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. Add the vanilla and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Pour the batter into a greased and lightly floured 10-inch tube pan or two loaf pans. 
3. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool completely and serve with Strawberries and fresh whipped cream. 

BASIL AND BALSAMIC STRAWBERRIES
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1.5 pounds strawberries, rinsed and sliced
10 large basil leaves, julienned 

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine vinegar and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in pepper and cool completely. 

2. In a large bowl, mix strawberries, basil and balsamic dressing. Serve with pound cake and fresh whipped cream. 

1. Strawberry Piñata 

2. Strawberry Letterpress Cards 

3. 60-Minute Strawberry Kitchen Timer 

4. Ceramic Strawberry Basket