retrolillies

September 21, 2015

Six Impossible Things

Here we are! At the crossroads of summer and fall. There is, despite the sadness I feel as I see summer go, something beautiful about this seamless changing of seasons. The days are hot but the nights are cool. Peaches and tomatoes are as abundant as ever, but local apples have taken up residence in…
September 11, 2015

Honey and Za’atar Roasted Carrots with Cumin Aioli

The problem with holiday meals is that the classics can get old, fast. The brisket is repetitive, the honey cake’s too dry, and the elaborate dishes you once thought were new and exciting are suddenly, due to the realities of life, too time consuming to attempt. To remedy that, here are these carrots. Carrots are…
September 8, 2015

Fig, Pear & Frangipane Rye Galette

If there is one thing I appreciate about this in between season, it is the fruits of summer and fall that overlap. In the place of fresh pink watermelons, we have dusky plums, and the juiciest peaches. As the berries slip away, floral sweet figs and small, crisp apples take their place. And as multi-hued…
September 3, 2015

The Best Of Summer Days

Last week, we decided to wake up early one morning and go fruit picking. We drove upstate and stepped out into the most beautiful, fragrant air. The sky was a picturesque blue and filled with cottony clouds, and sunflowers lined the way to our favorite orchard. The orchard was virtually empty, and overflowing with fruits…
August 31, 2015

Heirloom Tomatoes with Chili Oil, Pesto and Mozzarella

Here is a little recipe for the unofficial last day of summer. Except, this isn’t a recipe so much as a suggestion, in the way that tomatoes suggest a sprinkling of salt, and that pesto suggests gratings of cheese, and that it all suggests a hunk of bread. In other words, here is a plate…
August 25, 2015

Blackberry Buttermilk Rye Scones

Scone dough is messy. It sticks to sun-warmed countertops and leaves buttery streaks in the bowl. It dusts me with a layer of flour and threatens to leak fruit as I work it. But scone dough is also restorative. It demands that you to knead it together. It requires that you worry about things like…
August 21, 2015

Spiced Stone Fruit Crumble Bars

I don’t want to think about it being late August, or August at all. I don’t want to think about summer ending and taking with it its bounty of everything good. I don’t want to think about the ice cream maker that will sit collecting dust for a year, or about the peaches I won’t…
August 17, 2015

Six Impossible Things

Happy Monday! We’re in Mystic, Connecticut for a short vacation this week and I can’t wait to explore all the town has to offer. I’m looking forward to relaxing by the beach, taking boat rides out on the ocean, and soaking up some sun. Hope you all have a wonderful week and make the most…
August 12, 2015

Eggplant & Tomato Jam

I am going to hazard a guess and say that right now, in the dead of August, you are probably not interested in a recipe that involves a lot of time in the kitchen, especially time that is spent frying, blanching, peeling and simmering. I know. Neither am I. But the thing is, when I…
August 7, 2015

Blackberry & Blueberry Cornmeal Crumble Pie

What is magic? Depending on the day, my answer varies. Sometimes, when the kitchen smells like a patisserie and my hands are covered in flour, I will say that magic is watching 1,000 layers of a croissant expand. Sometimes, if I have just seen a tar-black black sky explode into color, I will tell you…