Daring (grande) dames

How old (or young) must a woman be to say, "This is me." with her personal style choices? There are plenty of fashionable ladies out there, but the ones with real gumption so often seem to be under seven or over seventy. A couple on the upper end of that spectrum happen to be the subject of recent films. It's a great chance to look in awe at and be inspired by their approach to personal style and, so much more invigorating, their approach to life.

"There's only one really good life: 
there's the life that you know you want and you make it yourself."

Diana Vreeland had a long career at Harper's Bazaar where she set all sorts of fashion trends and spotted all sorts of 'big' personalities. She also managed to fit in being the inspiration for Kay Thompson's character in Funny Face.

Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel - Official Trailer (HD) from Sawyer Studios on Vimeo.

 And then there is the so-playful and oh-so-inspiring Iris Apfel.

Ms. Apfel is the subject of a recent documentary by Albert Maysles, a guy who knows a thing or two about unconventional ladies.

Are you inspired yet? Sure, there are things that can be more easily pulled off by a real 'dame', but I am still convinced that what these trailblazers are saying is: 'Don't wait too long... begin now!'.

Little last-bit-of-summer

I didn't make nearly enough ice cream this summer. Maybe because it just doesn't pack well for a picnic. Or maybe because I have big fall & winter baking plans and was saving it up as a 'garnish' for many cakes... we shall see.

But with a bounty of basil, I was inspired to glean one last flavor gasp of summer: basil ice cream. And, though this may sound a bit strange, it pairs quite well with all of those perfect tomatoes right about now.

2 cups heavy cream*
3/4 cup milk (1 or 2%)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
15 to 20 basil leaves, torn or chopped into 1/8-inch pieces
5 large egg yolks

Yields about 1 quart


1. In a medium heavy saucepan, stir together the cream, milk, half of the sugar (1/4 cup), and salt.  

2. Put the pan over medium high heat. Add the basil leaves to the pan. When the milk just begins to bubble around the edges, remove from heat and cover the pan. Let steep for about 20 minutes, or until a sweet basil flavor has infused into the milk/cream. 

1. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the yolks just to break them up, and then whisk in the remaining sugar (1/4 cup). Set aside.

2. Uncover the cream mixture and put the pan over medium high heat. When the mixture approaches a bare simmer, reduce the heat to medium.

3. Temper the eggs by adding about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture and, whisking the eggs constantly, add the cream to the egg bowl.  Repeat, adding another 1/2 cup of the hot cream to the egg bowl.  Then, return to the pan of cream on the stove and stir the cream as you slowly pour the egg and cream mixture into the pan.

4. Continue to cook the mixture carefully over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is thickened, coats the back of a spatula and leaves a clear mark when you run your finger across it, 1-2 minutes longer. 

5. Strain the base through a fine-mesh strainer and into a clean container. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the base for at least 2 hours or overnight. 

6. Freeze in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Freeze for at least 4 hours & enjoy!


*I used whole milk instead of cream and added an additional egg yolk for richness, which resulted in a less creamy, more gelato-like texture. 



Slightly adapted from Food52