nervous energy

Beautiful jewelry (and more) from former
Harvard Graduate School of Design
student, Jessica Rosenkrantz at Nervous System

Delicious dragonwort

Tarragon Butter

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon tarragon
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced shallots
salt to taste


In a small bowl, cream butter with an electric mixer.
Mix in lemon juice, tarragon, black pepper, and shallot.
Season to taste with salt.
Chill for at least one hour.

frog (DOGS)

Colette

French Bulldogs must be slightly addictive...
Colette usually had a small pack of brindle bulldogs and Yves Saint Laurent kept brindle pieds all through his life. When one dog passed away, he would simply replace it with another of similar markings, always calling them Moujik. At the time of his death he was on Moujik number four.

Yves Saint Laurent with one of the Moujiks


Moujik IV photographed by Hedi Slimane

SEA CREATURES

Prints of crustaceans,
like something from the voyage of the HMS Challenger.
Found these at the fantastic Brimfield market this weekend.

The natural history laboratory aboard the Challenger

Brimfield

Beads found at Brimfield + a milk glass tray to keep them organized

BOMBAY TALKIE

Found this postcard from a 1977 Hindi film at a
contemporary gallery in Dubai...

Early Merchant-Ivory : all singing, all dancing, all fantastic!

In search of lost summers : CANNES 1929

Fortun(at)e

something stupid

The ukulele adds such poignancy to this old
Nancy & Frank Sinatra song...

Achates

Red agate beads wrapped & strung on a pale blue silk cord.

'Agate enhances creativity and strengthens the intellect, making it
a beneficial stone for both students and artists'

APRICOT & SAGE

APRICOT - SAGE SCONES

Makes 8

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup chopped dried apricots, (about 4 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage
• 1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing
• Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Work in butter with fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in dried apricots and sage. Add cream; gather mixture with your hands until it starts to hold together.
2. Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured work surface. Quickly bring dough together; pat into an 8-inch circle that is 1 inch thick. Smooth top with a rolling pin. Cut into 8 wedges with a bench scraper.
3. Arrange wedges on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush tops with cream; sprinkle generously with sanding sugar. Bake until cooked through and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Immediately transfer to a wire rack; let cool at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Scones can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month.

from Martha Stewart

SOUR CREAM - BROWN SUGAR ICE CREAM

• 2 cups half and half

• 6 egg yolks

• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

• 3 tablespoons dark corn syrup (optional)

• 2 cups sour cream

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp extract and 1/4 tsp vanilla bean

• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom



Pour half and half into a large, heavy saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Remove from heat

In a large metal bowl, whisk together egg yolks, brown sugar and corn syrup until blended. Slowly pour hot half and half into the yolk mixture, mixing constantly. Return the mixture to the same saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring slowly and continuously until the custard begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Do not allow to boil.

Pour the custard through a medium-mesh sieve set over a clean bowl. Add the sour cream, vanilla and cardamom and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate custard until cold, 2 - 3 hours.

Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer ice cream to an air-tight container and freeze.

Ice cream will keep for 3 or 4 days.


Adapted from a recipe from
Williams-Sonoma Ice Creams & Sorbets.
I made ice cream sandwiches using this ice cream + ginger snap cookies for a 4th of July BBQ. They were a hit!

amorphous organic substance

I have always loved the feel of amber... it's waxiness makes it seem as if it is still somewhat liquid. My great grandfather was originally from the island of Fano in Denmark, an area that is considered part of the 'amber belt' of northern Europe.



Traditional dress of Fano, late 1800s

POD

Banksia seed pod vase
A gift that I've always adored, from my friend Athalie who, though we don't see each other that often, I've also always adored!

Nouvelle Vague

'Parenthetically, now's the time to describe their feelings'

And the pursuit of happiness...

For inspiration every month: Maira Kalman's lovely blog in the New York Times...

GEORGE

Grandpa George

A brass key chain found at Grandpa George's house after he passed away. I don't think that he ever went to Paris... I added the Eiffel Tower from a trip made several years ago. He was stationed in Guam during World War II. Maybe an army friend, stationed in Europe, brought it back for him...


The Beatles pillow fight in the Hotel George V Paris, 1964

CAPE COD CRAB

There are two ways to live your life – one is as though nothing is
a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle.

Albert Einstein

TOASTED ALMOND & HONEY ICE CREAM

• 1/2 cup almonds, unblanched

• 2 cups cream

• 1 cup milk

• 1/2 cup honey

• 4 egg yolks

• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and toast the almonds on a cookie sheet until dark brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Chop the almonds until medium coarse and set aside.

Bring the cream, milk and honey to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add the almonds. Steep for 2 hours.

Strain the cream mixture into another pot to remove the almonds. Bring the strained mixture to a boil over medium heat and temper the yolks by slowly whisking them into half a cup of the hot cream mixture. Return the egg yolk mixture to the pot.

Cook until the base thickens slightly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Strain, add the almond extract and chill for 2 to 3 hours or overnight.

Chill in ice cream maker and freeze to set.

Ice cream will last for about 1 week.


*Adapted from an LA Times recipe

The Little Store by the Shore

If you're on Nantucket this summer, visit our friends Joe & Rachael at The West End Market in Madaket. They have an extensive wine selection, well curated beach reads, and wonderful {original} t-shirts and totes. Plan a picnic and say 'hello' from me!

JANE

Grandma Jane, circa 1955
Green Lake, Wisconsin


I restrung my Grandma Jane's square crystal beads
recently and wore them to a holiday party.
So nice to have these mementos to restore
and bring out into the world again!

WATERMELON & LIME SORBET

Makes about 1/2 gallon

• 3 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 cups seeded, chopped watermelon
• 1/4 cup lime juice

Bring 3 cups water and sugar just to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Cool.

Process sugar syrup and watermelon, in batches, in a blender until smooth. Stir in lime juice. Cover and chill 2 hours.

Pour mixture into the freezer container of a 1-gallon ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

* I added about 1/4 tsp of salt along with the sugar to balance all the sweet!

SUMMER READING

Ruben Toledo's fantastic new covers for Penguin Classics... available this fall!

SALTED CARAMEL ICE CREAM

• 1¼ cups sugar
• 2¼ cups heavy cream
• ½ tsp flaky sea salt
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract or ¼ tsp vanilla bean
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 egg yolks

Heat 1 cup sugar in a dry 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat sugar evenly, until it begins to melt, then stop stirring and allow to cook, swirling skillet occasionally so sugar melts evenly, until it is dark amber

Add 1¼ cups cream (be careful, mixture will spatter!) and cook, stirring, until all of the caramel has dissolved. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the sea salt and vanilla. Cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, bring milk, remaining cup cream, and remaining ¼ cup sugar just to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally.

Lightly whisk eggs in a medium bowl, then temper the eggs by adding half of hot milk mixture in slow stream, whisking constantly. Pour back into saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard coats back of spoon. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, then stir in cooled caramel.

Chill custard until very cold, at least 3 to 6 hours.

Freeze custard in ice cream maker (it will still be quite soft), then transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm.

Ice cream will keep for 1 week.


Adapted from GOURMET magazine

FROLIC!

SUMMER IN THE DUNES...

Eugene O'Neill, his wife Agnes, and their son in Provincetown.


Ballston Beach, Cape Cod