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Summer Perfection

My folks were in town last week, and my mom and I made a trek on Sunday out to the gay pride parade over on 5th Avenue. It was quite a celebration, after last week's legalization of gay marriage in New York (finally!). After the parade, we perused the shops near Union Square, and when we came upon Fishs Eddy with all of its milk glass and pretty plates in the window, my mom goes, "What's THAT?"

For those of you who don't live in New York, Fishs Eddy is an amazing store with row upon precariously perched row of glassware, serverware, and china. It started out selling old plates from restaurants and ships, and has evolved into the ceramics/glassware haven it is today. I was particularly happy to see that Todd Oldham has designed a collection using Charley Harper's illustrations. How perfect are these for your summer table? You can buy them right here.

Hope you're having a great week!

And We're Off!

Emi and I are going down to meet Elisabeth and Claire in Florida tomorrow. We've got some company retreating to do, along with some good old-fashioned R&R. While I'm packing, I'm wish, wish, wishing I was putting all of my various and sundry beach items in one of these bags from LAYERxlayer. I'm loving the "I've-been-working-on-the-railroad" meets "chic boy scout camp" meets "upscale denim" aesthetic. Do I detect a trend? Boy scout conductor chic? Who's with me?

Happy Birthday, Emi

I love you, sweet girl. Thank you for making my life so much happier. And decidedly more interesting.

Hey, Watch This!

Hi everyone! Sorry for the radio silence. To say we've been a little busy would be an understatement. But one of our latest (and favoritest) events is featured in Rue this month, and we thought you might like this video that Matt Sundin made while things were in full swing. More soon!
xo 

Queenie Cooks: Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote

Kiddos, I am seriously psyched. I heard today (not through the grapevine, but via the lovely and amazing Lucy's Greenmarket Report) that strawberries have made their debut at the New York City Greenmarkets! This is especially exciting news, as I was expecting strawberries to be a bit late this year, thanks to the cold, erratic weather we've been having around these parts.

But, no. The strawberries defied expectations and have arrived ahead of Memorial Day, and I am seriously psyched to get my hands on some this weekend.

See, strawberries and I go back. In fifth grade, when my elementary school held its annual Parents' Night, each set of parents was asked to identify their child's desk by reading the lists of clues left behind for them, which included a "Favorite Foods" section. Everyone else picked pizza or spaghetti - my parents knew right away that their daughter's desk was the one which read "strawberries and cucumbers."

So, yeah. Strawberries, man. When the first batch comes in, I typically gorge myself on a pint, then wipe the juice from my chin before making a batch of this strawberry-rhubarb compote. It's especially delicious on vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of syrupy, very old balsamic, or with Greek yogurt and a bit of honey.

Make sure to taste the compote before you cool and store it. I tend to like it a bit tart, but you might want something on the sweeter side, especially if you have little ones. We don't want to put them off the strawberries. I like to think I have a spiritual heir to the fruit-loving throne out there somewhere, you know?

Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote

3-4 stalks rhubarb, leaves trimmed, strings removed, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar (depending on taste)
1 quart strawberries, hulled and sliced length-wise into 1/4 inch pieces

In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, cook the rhubarb down till just softened, but still holding its shape. Stir in the sugar and heat till it dissolves in the rhubarb's juice, then stir in the strawberries.

Cook just until bubbling, then remove from heat. Once the mixture has cooled somewhat, spoon into a clean mason jar and refrigerate until you're ready to eat! It should last about two or three weeks in the fridge.

You can also eat it warm, if you so desire.

Makes approximately 3/4 quart of compote.

Queenie Cooks: Early Spring Jam Tart

Spring is here! Sort of.

It may be gray and rainy outside, and we may still be weeks away from strawberry season, but I'm starting to get antsy for fruit. Berries, stone fruit, apples - you name it, I'm craving it. But there's not a whole lot out there for a local eater to enjoy. Here in New York, we don't even see ripe rhubarb till mid-May.

What to do, then, when you're in the mood for a fruity dessert? Why, I'm so glad you asked! My go-to solution is one I learned from the lovely Deb of Smitten Kitchen - make a jam tart.

Jam - good jam, at least - is summer kept year-round in a jar. Opening a jar of Bonne Maman's strawberry preserves always makes me smile and think of warm June afternoons, and spreading it on pastry? Makes me smile even bigger. You should definitely consider kicking it up a notch and combining different flavors to fill your tart - maybe peach and strawberry? Or apricot and raspberry? Go nuts - you know it can't possibly be bad.

Even better,if you're a canner, you probably have some amazing, homemade preserves hanging around, just begging to be baked into a tart. Summer's almost here again - you need to clear that space on the shelves for this year's crop, right? So what are you waiting for?

Early Spring Jam Tart
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup stone-ground cornmeal or polenta
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
9 tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, whole
1 egg, separated
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups jam or marmalade
1 tbs. coarse-crystal or granulated sugar

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In a food processor, pulse the butter and 1/2 cup sugar together until smooth. Add the egg and egg yolk along with the vanilla and pulse until combined. With the processor on, gradually add the flour mixture through the feed tube and mix until the dough just comes together.

Transfer about one-third of the dough to a lightly floured counter and shape it into a log about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it until needed. If the shelves in your fridge are wire, place the log on a plate before putting in the fridge.

Transfer the remaining dough to a buttered 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Using your hands or the flat bottom of a measuring cup, press the dough evenly into the bottom. Press the dough up the sides to the rim of the pan and set the tart pan on a baking sheet. Refrigerate the dough-lined pan until firm, at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spread the jam or marmalade evenly over the dough in the pan. Cut the chilled dough into very thin discs with a sharp paring knife. Arrange them slightly overlapped in concentric circles over the jam to form a top crust. (I used a square tart pan, so I did mine in rows, and let the jam peek out a bit.) Using a fork, beat the remaining egg white with a teaspoon of water until frothy; brush evenly over the tart lid and then sprinkle with1 tbs. of coarse sugar. Bake until the top crust is golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.

Keeps very well, wrapped tightly, at room temperature.

Serves 6-8.