Cake Book

I flipped through this new cookbook, Vintage Cakes, the other day and it is a beauty. Every recipe from Portland-based baker Julie Richardson has a vintage origin with a few updates and innovations thrown in. I think it would make a great birthday present for a sweet-tooth, especially if you pair it with a homemade cake. Have you come across any fun cookbooks lately?

Light House

This 164-year-old New York townhouse was renovated, and one of the updates involved knocking out the back brick wall and replacing it with huge windows. So smart since I always look as those beautiful townhouses with their tiny windows and think they must get close to no natural light. Even cooler, the glass wall is embedded with lights. It's like a personal starry sky, and stars are hard to come by on New York nights.

[spotted on: enpundit; photos courtesy of: Fractal Construction]

Sweet Treat: Cream'wiches

The cleverly named 'wichcraft serves some very tasty sandwiches and is a great place to grab lunch in the city with its dozen or so locations. But they also have a dessert that's worth a visit, cream'wiches: cookie sandwiches with yummy fillings. I stopped by last week, picked up all five flavors (they're just a $1.15 a piece) and poured a glass of milk for the taste test. The chocolate chip is the crispiest of the cookies filled with a mild, sweet vanilla frosting. The lemon poppy seed is soft and chewy with a tangy fruit preserve filling. Peanut butter is crumbly and extra peanut buttery. The chocolate is the richest, two crunchy cookies brought together with a dense, fudgy ganache. The oatmeal uses incredibly soft cookies and a caramelly cream cheese filling. I think I've settled on the oatmeal as my favorite, but I might need to perform a second trial just to be sure.

Weekend in Photos

Last week felt like a looong one, so Friday afternoon called for a little Italian wine and antipasto. We spent some time in the East Village, had great Chinese food: dumplings, string beans and steamed pork buns, followed by some good old frozen yogurt, which promptly melted while we were walking around outside. All in all, a hot and happy weekend.

Food Fiction

Graphic designer Dinah Fried created this clever series called Fictitious Dishes, in which she depicts meals eaten by famous characters in literature. Above you've got Alice's tea time, Holden Caulfield's cheese sandwich and Oliver Twist's bowl of gruel. It gives me an appetite for books and food all at the same time.

[photos courtesy of: Dinah Fried]

Game, Set, Match

In the last couple of years, I've become a matchbook hoarder. If I see them out at restaurants, my eyes light up and I think, "Free matches! Grab, grab, grab." I guess it's not completely unhealthy because I do actually use them. Although, I have ended up comparing the quality of matches, and I definitely have favorites that I try to avoid using, so they last longer. So there's just a tiny bit of crazy to my collection habit. Do you collect anything?

Grilling Peaches

If you start with a grilled peach, it's pretty tough to mess it up. With any luck, you'll make it even tastier. This dessert looks unusual and impressive, but it's incredibly easy to make. The mascarpone topping isn't overly sweet, the pistachios add a nice crunch, but the peach remains the real star and rightfully so.

Grilled Peaches with White Chocolate Mascarpone Cream and Pistachios
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

2 ripe peaches, halved and pitted
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping
4 ounces mascarpone, room temperature
2 ounces white chocolate, melted
1/4 cup pistachios, roughly chopped

Combine melted butter, brown sugar and vanilla. Cut peaches in half and remove pit with fingers. Use a melon baller to clean up the hole left behind. Dip peaches cut-side down into butter mixture, then grill peaches cut-side down over medium heat for about 1 minute. Reserve remaining butter mixture. Whisk together melted white chocolate and room temperature mascarpone until combined. Dollop about a tablespoon and a half over peaches. Drizzle with remaining butter mixture and top with roughly chopped pistachios. Serves 2.