BEACH HOUSE #8

 beach house #8

 ocean #8

My friend Yoko Kanayama is an amazing artist and photographer. Untitled consists of twelve 14" x 11" Gelatin silver prints of abandoned beach houses and twelve corresponding Chromogenic prints of ocean waves later taken in front of each of those houses. The photographs were taken at Crystal Cove State Park located between the towns of New Port Beach and Laguna Beach in Southern California. 

These beach houses not only embody different architectural styles of the 1930's and 40's but also symbolize precious memories of bygone summer vacations for those who once stayed in them. 

Yoko Kanayama
www.yokorabbit.com

STARING AT THE SUN, STARING AT THE SEA

I love these Mayan, Inca, and Egyptian inspired swimsuits from Mara Hoffman. Makes me want to go somewhere hot, tropical, and exotic.

ph//sex or chocolate//conner a.

FEELING PEACHY

Nothing says summer quite like juicy, ripe, drip down your chin peaches. Most of us are familiar with the yellow-fleshed variety but last summer I was introduced to white-flesh peaches at the Brooklyn Fort Greene Farmer's Market. Named for their unusually flat shape and resemblance to the rings of Saturn, Saturn peaches also go by Doughnut, Paraguayo, Pan Tao, Saucer, Belly-up, and UFO peaches. So, what makes them different from regular peaches? For one thing, they're sweeter with almond overtones. They're also less acidic, have little or no fuzz so don't have to be peeled, and are more resistant to frost, pest and disease. Saturn peach trees produce up to twice as many peaches as other varieties.

Next time you decide to bake peach pie, replace standard peaches for the doughnut variety. If you're feeling peachy and are ready to take the plunge now, here's a recipe I found at Gourmet for Honey Caramel Peach Pie.


Honey Caramel Peach Pie
all-butter pastry dough* (recipe below)
3 pounds ripe peaches
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1/4 cup mild honey
2 tablespoon water
3 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon whole milk

1. Cut an X in the bottom of each peach, then blanch peaches in batches in boiling water for 15 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop them cooking. Peel peaches and cut into 1-inch thick wedges. 
2. Toss the peaches well with cornstarch, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. 
3. Put a foil-lined large baking sheet in the lower third of the oven and preheat oven to 425º F.
4. Bring 1/2 cup sugar, honey, and water to a boil in a 2 quart heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then wash down any sugar crystals from side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Boil without stirring, swirling pan occasionally so caramel colors evenly, until dark amber, about 5 minutes. 
5. Remove from heat and add butter, swirling pan until butter is melted. Pour over fruit and toss (caramel may harden slightly but will melt in the oven.)
6. Roll out 1 piece of dough (keep the other chilled) into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Chill shell while rolling out remaining dough.
7. Roll out remaining piece of dough into an 11-inch round on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. 
8. Transfer filling to pie shell, mounding it. Cover pie with second pastry round. Trim, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Press edges together, crimping decoratively. Brush the top with milk, then sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Cut 3 steam vents in top crust with a paring knife.
9. Bake pie on hot baking sheet 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375º F. Continue to bake until crust is golden-brown and filling is bubbling, about 50 minutes more. Cool pie to room temperature, 3 to 4 hours. 

All-Butter Pastry Dough 

(9-inch double crust)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

6 tablespoons ice water, more or less

1. Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl (or pulse in a food processor). Blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse) just until most of the mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-sized butter lumps. 
2. Drizzle in 3 tablespoons ice water over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated. Squeeze a small handful of dough: if it doesn't hold together, add more ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated, then test again. Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough. 
3. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together, with a pastry scraper if you have one, and press into a ball. Divide in half and form into 2 disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour. 

GIVE ME S'MORE

My younger brother and his family recently visited from Alabama. Their 5-year old son, Gavin, who happens to be a picky eater shyly shared with me one evening that he liked marshmallows. 

I immediately shot back, "Then you must like s'mores!" 

After a long silence he said, "I don't know what that is." 

"Well," I said, "you like marshmallows, right? What about chocolate?" 

"Yes." 

"How about graham crackers?" 

"Yes."

"Then you definitely like s'mores."

"What did you say?" he asked softly. This is his way of saying he doesn't understand.

"A S'more," I explained, "is melted marshmallow and piece of chocolate squeezed between two squares of graham crackers."

"But I never had that."

"You've never had s'mores!" I exclaimed in mock horror. "Have you ever been camping?"

"No," he replied, his big blue eyes tearing up. 

"Then we'll have to make our own pretend campfire and get the fixings for s'mores. Do you know why they call them s'mores?"

Gavin shook his head no.

"Because after you have one you always ask, 'Can I have s'more?'"

That got a smile out of him.

I mean, really, what kid doesn't like s'mores? I found this brilliant variation on the classic at How Sweet It Is. S'mores and pie... need I say more?

S'more Pie

crust:

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 1/4 sticks butter, melted

chocolate filling:

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, room temperature

topping:

1 bag of marshmallows

1. Preheat oven to 325º F.
2. For crust: Add melted butter and graham cracker crumbs together until a crust forms. Press into a 9-inch pie plate. Set aside.
3. For filling: Combine milk and heavy cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Watch carefully and once it begins to simmer, remove from heat and add in chocolate. Stir with a spatula until chocolate is melted and smooth, then whisk in sugar and salt. 
4. In separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Slowly add eggs to chocolate mixture while whisking.
5. Pour chocolate filling into the graham crusted pie plate. Bake filling for about 20 minutes, or until the chocolate is set and its surface glossy. If you see any bubbles or cracks forming on the surface, immediately remove it from the oven as it means it is beginning to become over baked.
6. Top pie with as many marshmallows as will fit. Place under broiler for about 2 minutes or until marshmallows are golden. 
7. Let cool then place in fridge for 1 to 2 hours before cutting. Spray a knife with non-stick spray before each slice, otherwise just spoon out and eat. 

ph via how sweet it is

SONG FOR SUNDAY

I could feel at the time

there was no way of knowing

fallen leaves in the night

who can say where they're blowing

as free as the wind

hopefully learning

why the sea on the tide 

has no way of turning

more than this you know there's nothing 

more than this tell me one thing

more than this ooh there is nothing

it was fun for awhile

there was no way of knowing 

like a dream in the night

who can say where we're going

no care in the world

maybe I'm learning

why the sea on the tide

has no way of turning

more than this you know there's nothing

more than this tell me one thing

more than this no, there's nothing

more than this nothing

more than this

more than this nothing

Roxy Music, more than this

ph:  waldermar and max

EXPOSED

"The moment that you feel that, just possibly, you're walking down the street naked, exposing too much of your heart and your mind and what exists on the inside, showing too much of yourself. That's the moment you may be starting to get it right." - neil gaiman

Amazing keynote address by neil gaiman.

THIS LITTLE PIGGY

via speechless studios

How adorable is this??! A piggy bank to save mementos instead of money; keepsakes like ticket stubs or love notes. I collect fortunes out of Chinese fortune cookies. These tiny strips of wisdom tend to get lost among all my other odd treasures. Now, instead of stuffing them into drawers or shoeboxes, I can put them into a Memory Bank. Genius. Designed by Jessie Phillips Anderson.