hello from a brand-new computer! The past week or two, posts have been coming from a psychedelic green and purple screen. After some poking around in the wiring (thanks Dad!), it was time to say goodbye to the old girl. Still working, but only at an unreadable angle, I've upgraded to a new, cheap, model, and am working out the kinks of a new keyboard, complete with number pad. However, nothing is new around the fashion of my life today.
Summer has again returned (check here for an explanation of Indian Summer & it's terrible, horrible, no-good name), so I've broken out one of my absolute favorite dresses for a final, non-layered summer airing. I searched and searched for this particular one, dreaming of something that made me feel like I belonged along the Amalfi coast. I love a traditional, full-skirted, tightly bodiced dress that wears as well with a cardigan or bare arms as it does high heels or ballet flats.
Some days I'm all about the traditionally pretty silhouette, something straight from Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday (who doesn't want to run around Rome, pretending to not be a princess, and having Gregory Peck buy you gelato?). Plus, I'm a sucker for stripes. There is something magical about the occasional foray into a June Cleaver dress and all the dreams of "ideal" American womanhood it represents, even for the most tried-and-true feminist. Of course, half the time it's paired with brogues and electric blue tights and a studded belt, but we can't be too picky with a versatile, pretty dress.This one fits the bill, and managed to transport me mentally somewhere I'm not. It's all the Rivera in the summer, traipsing through markets and shops, flirting with men on the street, stopping for snacks and three hour lunches.
That brings me directly to homemade ricotta. When you're mentally off across the Atlantic, you want to be eating that way, too. I have no claim to this being my own, though I did tweak the recipe in the most minor of ways...then I added stuff to make a delicious spread. It's pictured here with some crackers and a Provencal flatbread (plus apple tart), but it is delicious on anything.
Homemade Ricotta (shamelessly stolen & re-purposed from Smitten Kitchen; makes half the amount pictured above)
3 cups whole milk
1 cup half-and-half
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Heat the milk, cream, and salt in a heavy saucepan to 190 degrees. Use a candy or probe thermometer, making sure that it does not rest on the bottom of the pan. When the dairy has reached 190 degrees, remove from the heat and pour in the lemon juice. Stir gently, then let rest for five minutes. It should separate into clumps. If it does not, add another tablespoon of juice and allow it to rest for another five minutes.
Then, pour into a sieve lined with four or so layers of cheesecloth. It is easiest to do this over the sink, then have a large bowl handy to place the apparatus into. Allow the cheese to drain for an hour or two. (I have a terrible issue of playing with the draining mixture, lifting the cheesecloth, stirring the cheese. This won't ruin it and is fun, but isn't really recommended.) Once the cheese has firmed to your desired thickness, you can simply place in an airtight container and refrigerate until it is entirely consumed & you're liking the bottom of the container to eat the final crumbs.
Lemon-Garlic Ricotta Spread (don't make this, as you'll be required to supply it at all parties you attend or throw from now until your death)
1 batch Homemade Ricotta (really, you'd better make a double batch)
zest of 1 lemon, finely minced
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
extra salt to taste, if necessary
Mix above ingredients well, adding a splash of milk or wine if the cheese it too thick or crumbly to spread easily. That is all. Do be careful not to consume the whole batch in one sitting...but if you happen to have an outfit and location that make you imagine you're enjoying a late summer afternoon on the Italian coast, have at it.
"Be well. Do good work. Keep in touch." - Garrison Keillor
Summer has again returned (check here for an explanation of Indian Summer & it's terrible, horrible, no-good name), so I've broken out one of my absolute favorite dresses for a final, non-layered summer airing. I searched and searched for this particular one, dreaming of something that made me feel like I belonged along the Amalfi coast. I love a traditional, full-skirted, tightly bodiced dress that wears as well with a cardigan or bare arms as it does high heels or ballet flats.
That brings me directly to homemade ricotta. When you're mentally off across the Atlantic, you want to be eating that way, too. I have no claim to this being my own, though I did tweak the recipe in the most minor of ways...then I added stuff to make a delicious spread. It's pictured here with some crackers and a Provencal flatbread (plus apple tart), but it is delicious on anything.
3 cups whole milk
1 cup half-and-half
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Heat the milk, cream, and salt in a heavy saucepan to 190 degrees. Use a candy or probe thermometer, making sure that it does not rest on the bottom of the pan. When the dairy has reached 190 degrees, remove from the heat and pour in the lemon juice. Stir gently, then let rest for five minutes. It should separate into clumps. If it does not, add another tablespoon of juice and allow it to rest for another five minutes.
Then, pour into a sieve lined with four or so layers of cheesecloth. It is easiest to do this over the sink, then have a large bowl handy to place the apparatus into. Allow the cheese to drain for an hour or two. (I have a terrible issue of playing with the draining mixture, lifting the cheesecloth, stirring the cheese. This won't ruin it and is fun, but isn't really recommended.) Once the cheese has firmed to your desired thickness, you can simply place in an airtight container and refrigerate until it is entirely consumed & you're liking the bottom of the container to eat the final crumbs.
Lemon-Garlic Ricotta Spread (don't make this, as you'll be required to supply it at all parties you attend or throw from now until your death)
1 batch Homemade Ricotta (really, you'd better make a double batch)
zest of 1 lemon, finely minced
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
extra salt to taste, if necessary
Mix above ingredients well, adding a splash of milk or wine if the cheese it too thick or crumbly to spread easily. That is all. Do be careful not to consume the whole batch in one sitting...but if you happen to have an outfit and location that make you imagine you're enjoying a late summer afternoon on the Italian coast, have at it.
"Be well. Do good work. Keep in touch." - Garrison Keillor
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