Peaches!

While a lot of peeps are bemoaning the end of summer, I am looking forward to the upcoming crisp fall afternoons and football Saturdays. (Go Blue!) So far September has been a pretty great month with plenty of sunny skies and 70 degree days. But truth be told I’m still looking forward to those cooler 50 and 60 degree days. Maybe in October?

The one thing that I regretted about this past summer was not baking a blueberry pie. It’s totally my fave and I totally slept on it. I went out looking for berries last week and was only able to find blueberries from Canada. To be honest, I don’t even recall seeing many local berries all summer. Did I just miss the entire season? Did they not do well this year? New Jersey peaches, however, were still available in my farmers’ market last weekend, along with some killer tomatoes. And I don’t mean Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. That’s something else all together. (And highly recommended!) May I present, a very late summer, classic peach pie!

Classic Peach Pie

Crust:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 sticks (8 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/3 cup ice water, plus more if needed

Filling:

6 - 8 large, ripe but firm peaches (about 3 1/2 pounds)

1/2 cup sugar (or to taste), plus more for garnish

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, thinly sliced

Egg wash:

1 egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

1. In a food processor, pulse the flour and salt until combined. Add the butter and pulse briefly, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. (To mix by hand combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl then cut in the butter with a pastry blender.) Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and sprinkle the ice water on top. Stir with a fork until a crumbly dough forms. (Add more water one tablespoon at a time if needed.) Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead 2 or 3 times, just until the dough comes together. Cut the dough in half and form into 2 disks; wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each disk of dough to a 12-inch round. Ease one of the rounds into a 9-inch glass pie plate and transfer the other round to a baking sheet. Refrigerate.

3. Preheat the oven to 400°. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water. Using a sharp knife, mark a shallow X in the bottom of each peach. Blanch the peaches in the boiling water for about 1 minute, until the skins begin to loosen. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the peaches to the ice water to cool. Drain and peel the peaches and cut them into 1/2-inch wedges. Transfer the peach wedges to a large bowl. Add the sugar, lemon juice and flour, toss well and let stand for 5 minutes.

4. Pour the peaches and their juices into the chilled pie shell and scatter the butter slices on top. Brush the edge of the pie shell with the egg wash and lay the round of dough from the baking sheet on top. Press the edges of the pie shell together to seal and trim the overhang to a 1/2 inch. Fold the edge of the pie dough under itself and crimp. Brush the remaining egg wash on the top crust and cut a few slits for venting steam. Sprinkle with sugar.

5. Place the pie on a parchment lined baking sheet and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°, cover the edge of the pie with foil, and bake for about 45 minutes longer, until the filling is bubbling and the crust is deeply golden. Transfer the pie to a rack to cool completely. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

So Cosmopolitan

I might not have seen Sex and The City 2 had it not been for one very special guest star: Wendy Brandes Cleopatra earrings! (Kim Cattrall is really just the vessel.)


Kim looking hawt (not hot) in the middle of the desert thanks to THE earrings!


Cleopatra in gold and diamonds

I thought the first SATC movie was...ummm...terrible...so I had zero expectations for the follow up and planned to skip it all together until it was revealed that Wendy's Cleopatra earrings had made it big! Wendy immediately organized a viewing/wearing party on opening night, so a group of us descended upon the Ziegfeld (also a minor character in the movie) actually wearing(!) the Cleopatra earrings to see their debut in person. (You can read Wendy's fabulously detailed blog post here.) We all cheered when we saw them on screen, so proud of our friend!


The Cleopatra Crew

Cleopatra in silver

Although we stopped for drinks before AND after the movie, I still had a yearning for a good old fashioned Cosmopolitan (and by old fashioned I mean circa 1998). Although the drink has been around since the 70s (or 80s depending on who claims to have invented it) it became super trendy once Carrie and the girls started ordering it on the show. Of course then every bar had to start serving them up to be on trend with the ladies. The problem was, no one really knew how to make one properly. That red colored, Hawaiian Punch looking concoction you've seen in most places? Wrong! It shouldn't be red, but blush colored. You're not ordering a vodka cranberry-no ice, you're ordering a properly made cocktail like a Sidecar or a Margarita.

The only place I ever went where they served a properly made Cosmopolitan (other than my own kitchen) was Il Bagatto. You wouldn't necessarily think of going to an Italian restaurant for the best Cosmo in town, but the best bartender in town, Marco, made it perfectly and I spent nearly seven years going there to enjoy it (and the grilled calamari). Sadly, Marco moved back to Rome and Cosmos went out of style.

Some people have complained that SATC2 was desperate, too camp, and there just wasn't enough CITY. Perhaps. But I thought camp was really the only way to go at this point and the movie opened and closed in NYC so I was satisfied, the girls just went on vacation in between. If you're looking for high art or potential Oscar contention, go to the MoMA or see The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. No one is making you see this movie (except that Wendy's earrings ARE exceptional at 2 stories high!!!). Just like I wouldn't be caught dead ordering a Cosmo now (because I have a cocktail rep to protect obvs!) and the SATC franchise may be over, you can still enjoy both. In or out of style.

Carrie's Cosmopolitan

2 ounces vodka (preferably citron flavored)
1 ounce Cointreau or Triple Sec
1 ounce fresh lemon (or lime) juice
Cranberry juice cocktail

1. Pour the vodka, Cointreau, and lemon juice into a martini shaker filled with ice cubes. Add a very small splash of cranberry juice just to color the drink. Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a lemon peel. Makes 1 drink.

Harold and Maude

Last night I went to see Harold and Maude in Bryant Park.

Before

During

Since you have to get there super early to secure your spot on the lawn (Thanks, Chad!), I had plenty of time to enjoy a feast of cheese, cheese, cheese, crackers, cheese, and wine. Might I suggest that on your next picnic you consider a sparkling Malbec? We actually enjoyed some very nice red wine last night, but I did recently try the sparkling Malbec. The color alone is pretty spectacular but it tastes pretty good too. Try it! You'll like it! And if you don't, just send me the leftovers.

Sparkling Malbec