This is my ideal afternoon: a cup of tea, an hour or two in my favorite bookstore, and a stroll through Whole Foods.
I try to make this happen at least once a week. This week: I needed three.
Yesterday, Ryan and I picked up a catfish taco before driving down to Book People. We sat, we sipped, and we paged through magazines and books. With my appetite for food and knowledge satiated, we crossed Lamar and found our way into the place that cures most ills--Whole Foods.
Michael Jackson sang over the aisles of perfectly packaged treats. Babies giggled as their parents wheeled them through the maze of fresh fruit and vegetable bins. Men clad in green aprons handed out samples of rockfish and vegan donuts (separately, of course).
Ryan and I walked and talked. We picked up boxes and admired artichokes. We looked at labels on wine bottles and debated between fresh Mozzarella or a log of goat cheese. The chocolate fountain was flowing, the wood fired pizza oven was burning, and the smell of freshly roasted coffee filled the air.
But then, we saw the treasure of our shopping trip--a huge pile of plump and juicy blackberries. 3 packages for 6 dollars.
Beautiful! I exclaimed, and we picked up a carton to take home.
I try to make this happen at least once a week. This week: I needed three.
Yesterday, Ryan and I picked up a catfish taco before driving down to Book People. We sat, we sipped, and we paged through magazines and books. With my appetite for food and knowledge satiated, we crossed Lamar and found our way into the place that cures most ills--Whole Foods.
Michael Jackson sang over the aisles of perfectly packaged treats. Babies giggled as their parents wheeled them through the maze of fresh fruit and vegetable bins. Men clad in green aprons handed out samples of rockfish and vegan donuts (separately, of course).
Ryan and I walked and talked. We picked up boxes and admired artichokes. We looked at labels on wine bottles and debated between fresh Mozzarella or a log of goat cheese. The chocolate fountain was flowing, the wood fired pizza oven was burning, and the smell of freshly roasted coffee filled the air.
But then, we saw the treasure of our shopping trip--a huge pile of plump and juicy blackberries. 3 packages for 6 dollars.
Beautiful! I exclaimed, and we picked up a carton to take home.
With plans for a simple dinner with friends, I knew that our blackberries would need to make an appearance. But with only one container, I felt limited by the small quantity of those darkly hued fruits.
A blackberry pie was out of question. I should have picked up at least four containers, I thought.
Blackberry cookies sounded tempting, but for a dinner party, I wanted something special, something that would sit pretty on my dining room table.
When I think of parties, I think of cakes, and I felt confident I could find a recipe that utilized blackberries without demanding pounds of them.
My confidence was well-placed. This blackberry and apple cake is both simple and stunning. The cake batter comes together in minutes, relying on ingredients that almost any baker will have in house, and then the star of the dessert--the fruit--is delicately arranged on the top of the batter.
I made this using miniature spring foam pans, but a regular 9 or 10 inch pan will do the trick too.
Last night, after a good day of writing, reading, walking and shopping, Ryan and I enjoyed homemade pizza, a white bean salad, a bottle of red wine and this sweet cake with two of our dear friends.
The food was good, the company was better, and late that night, after everyone had gone home, I smiled, thankful that life is composed of both hard and good.
A blackberry pie was out of question. I should have picked up at least four containers, I thought.
Blackberry cookies sounded tempting, but for a dinner party, I wanted something special, something that would sit pretty on my dining room table.
When I think of parties, I think of cakes, and I felt confident I could find a recipe that utilized blackberries without demanding pounds of them.
My confidence was well-placed. This blackberry and apple cake is both simple and stunning. The cake batter comes together in minutes, relying on ingredients that almost any baker will have in house, and then the star of the dessert--the fruit--is delicately arranged on the top of the batter.
I made this using miniature spring foam pans, but a regular 9 or 10 inch pan will do the trick too.
Last night, after a good day of writing, reading, walking and shopping, Ryan and I enjoyed homemade pizza, a white bean salad, a bottle of red wine and this sweet cake with two of our dear friends.
The food was good, the company was better, and late that night, after everyone had gone home, I smiled, thankful that life is composed of both hard and good.
Blackberry and Apple Cake
*From Martha Stewart Living
Makes one 9-inch cake
Granulated sugar, for pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) cut into pieces
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
2 apples (a little under 1 pound), peeled, cored, and cut into slices
1 cup (1/2 pint) blackberries
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
whipped cream, for serving (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan, and dust with granulated sugar.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together melted butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, the milk, and eggs in another bowl. Whisk into flour mixture
3. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Arrange apple wedges over batter, and sprinkle with blackberries. Gently press fruit into batter.
4. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and the cinnamon, and sprinkle over fruit. Dot with remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
5. Bake until top is dark gold, apples are tender, and a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Let cool. Serve with whipped cream if desired.
Always,
Monet
Anecdotes and Apple Cores
PS...I'm joining in on a Kellogg virtual breakfast to discuss morning nutrition and the recently released 2010 Dietary Guidelines.
When: The virtual breakfast is happening on Wednesday, April 20, at 11 a.m. ET.
Where: In TheMotherhood – http://themotherhood.com/talk/show/id/62187
Who: Join Sarah Woodside, registered dietitian for Kellogg, and Liz Ward, registered dietitian, author and one of the Kellogg's Breakfast Council members, to discuss the nutrients a good breakfast should provide, options for healthy breakfasts on the go, recent research findings on nutrition, and more. Sarah and Liz will speak to us via live streaming video, while we chat and ask questions through a real-time, text-based conversation.
I hope to see some of you there :-)
*From Martha Stewart Living
Makes one 9-inch cake
Granulated sugar, for pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) cut into pieces
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
2 apples (a little under 1 pound), peeled, cored, and cut into slices
1 cup (1/2 pint) blackberries
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
whipped cream, for serving (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan, and dust with granulated sugar.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together melted butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, the milk, and eggs in another bowl. Whisk into flour mixture
3. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Arrange apple wedges over batter, and sprinkle with blackberries. Gently press fruit into batter.
4. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and the cinnamon, and sprinkle over fruit. Dot with remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
5. Bake until top is dark gold, apples are tender, and a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Let cool. Serve with whipped cream if desired.
Always,
Monet
Anecdotes and Apple Cores
PS...I'm joining in on a Kellogg virtual breakfast to discuss morning nutrition and the recently released 2010 Dietary Guidelines.
When: The virtual breakfast is happening on Wednesday, April 20, at 11 a.m. ET.
Where: In TheMotherhood – http://themotherhood.com/talk/show/id/62187
Who: Join Sarah Woodside, registered dietitian for Kellogg, and Liz Ward, registered dietitian, author and one of the Kellogg's Breakfast Council members, to discuss the nutrients a good breakfast should provide, options for healthy breakfasts on the go, recent research findings on nutrition, and more. Sarah and Liz will speak to us via live streaming video, while we chat and ask questions through a real-time, text-based conversation.
I hope to see some of you there :-)
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