twilight at morningside: snapshots from the connecticut coastline

leFarm’s pink lemonade

Twilight at Morningside — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 21:29:06 +0000

Feeling disappointed you didn’t score a spot at second Souterrain on October 3? There was a mere 6 hour window before this dinner sold out! Don’t despair, you can whip up a taste of Souterrain in your own home. The fine folks at leFarm in Westport, Connecticut have graciously shared the recipe for the “pink lemonade” featured at the August Souterrain.

On this long holiday weekend, why not embrace raspberry season? Mix up this refreshing cocktail and be sure to enjoy in the late summer sun.
Cheers, liz

leFarm’s pink lemonade
servings: 1

Ingredients
2 oz vodka
2 oz St. Germain
½ lemon, juiced
½ lime, juiced
1 tsp agave nectar
handful of raspberries
splash of club soda, Prosecco or Sprite

Instructions
Add raspberries to the bottom of a glass and gently muddle. Fill glass with ice cubes.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add vodka, St. Germain, lemon & lime juice, and agave nectar. Shake vigorously.
Strain contents of cocktail shaker into the glass, leaving room to top with a splash of club soda, Prosecco or Sprite.
Garnish with lemon & lime wedges.

Recipe courtesy of Andrea Dinan of leFarm in Westport, Connecticut

Notes:

leFarm’s vodka of choice is Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
St. Germain is a sweet elderflower liqueur that can be found at many liquor stores.
Agave nectar is natural sweetener with a lower glycemic index than sugar and a more neutral flavor than honey.
It can be found in many grocery and heath food stores.

raspberries at bishop’s orchards

Twilight at Morningside — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:37:42 +0000

It’s raspberry season here in Connecticut. Many folks seem to be surprised that it comes so late in the summer, but typically picking starts in mid August and runs into September. On Sunday, Eunice and I drove out to Bishop’s Orchards in Guilford. Hours vary so be sure to call ahead. (203) 458-PICK.It was hot out there, even at 10 am. My advice? Go raspberry picking on an overcast day. Every year “sin bin” sign is out. I never realized the proceeds go to the Guilford Land Trust.I don’ t snack in the fields. I’m there to fill that white bucket up as fast as I can and head for some shade!Check back after Labor Day, next week the blog will feature a raspberry lemonade recipe from leFarm in Westport.

do you like twilight?

Twilight at Morningside — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:57:20 +0000

Twilight at Morningside is now on Facebook >> http://www.facebook.com/twilightatmorningside
While you’re visiting: catch up on recent features, browse the advance chatter on upcoming posts and go behind the scenes with photos that are FB-only! For those of you with a Facebook acount, go for a thumbs up and tap the “Like” button on the top of the page.

married: terry & kim

Twilight at Morningside — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:52:05 +0000

Terry and Kim tied the knot in St. John! As in the U.S. Virgin Island, St. John! We already had committed to travel for two weddings this summer… one in Seattle and one in Austin, so we sadly had to send our regrets. Don’t you just hate when your job cramps your vacation plans!?! Last weekend Justin and Aimee hosted a soiree for the rest of us back in Connecticut. Of course there was plenty of bubbly.and gluten-free cupcakes, just for the bride.

isabel toledo

Twilight at Morningside — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:08:03 +0000

New catalogs flood our mailbox in August and I get the itch to shop for Fall while it’s still blazing hot out. I simply had to have these very affordable Pom Pom flats from designer Isabel Toledo. I’ve been a fan of Isabel and Ruben Toledo’s work since college, especially his whimsical illustrations. I just went looking for my copy of the Style Dictionary and I can’t find it anywhere… I hope it turns up.

bbq heaven: kreuz market in lockhart texas

Twilight at Morningside — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:45:37 +0000

Yesterday was the first time I ate brisket in a few months. When we returned from Texas, I declared a moratorium on bbq. I sampled way too much brisket during our June trip to Austin. I’m just barely at the point where I can bear to look at these photos again.

On our first visit Austin in 2008, my cousin brought us to the Saltlick. I opted against returning when I read they don’t have air conditioning. I knew these 4 wimpy Yankees couldn’t handle a sweltering 95 degree summer lunch. Instead, we made the 35 mile drive south to Lockhart Texas in search of other pilgrimage-worthy bbq. We opted for Kruez Market on a quiet Thursday afternoon and had some amazing ribs, sausage and brisket. Smitty’s is the other noteworthy nearby competitor.After this meal we all prompty fell deep into a food coma for the rest of the afternoon.

high line

Twilight at Morningside — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 02:43:26 +0000

I took my first trip to the High Line in January and even in the bleak bitter cold, you could sense the brilliant vision giving new life to this elevated railway. The High Line is one of the most exciting public spaces I’ve seen in years. So exciting, I suppose, that I forgot to take out my camera on my visit earlier this month! Jo and I hopped on near Chelsea Market, where we soon found shaved ice, literally… this fellow was planing a huge block of ice and was attracting quite a crowd.I also got my first look at the Standard Hotel as it straddles the High Line.

robert treat farm in milford

Twilight at Morningside — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 03:37:12 +0000

I’ve done a number of posts about the Woodmont Farmers’ Market, but I wanted to share a few shots from Treat’s, the farm that hosts this Wednesday event. It broke my heart when they got rid of the ramshackle shed a few years ago. It was always dark and sweltering hot in the summer, but you felt like you were buying produce on a farm. The new barn/market is much bigger & cooler inside and now Treat’s is such an enjoyable place to shop on a warm summer day. I have a few favorite things here…

native corn (don’t touch! tell them how many you want and they’ll hand select the ears for you)
orange flesh melon (appearance: honeydew-like on the outside, cantaloupe-like on the inside. Taste: always amazingly sweet)
Smyths’s Trinity Dairy milk (you’ll get your deposit back when you return the thick glass bottle)
Judies baked goods (my favorites are the the assaggio shallot and the peasant baguette)
pies from Blackbird Bakery (wild blueberry crumb!) and Scratch Baking’s mini pies
jumbo-sized fresh eggs in the refrigerated case (so big, there are often double yolks)
chocolate cookies with nuts (see glass jars between the middle cash registers). This is my #1 impulse item.

I wish they would bring back Milford’s own….Buck’s ice cream… but not really… who needs that kind of temptation every weekend!?

nespresso… what else?

Twilight at Morningside — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 21:38:40 +0000

Visiting friends in New York City occasionally nets me a beautiful cup of Nespresso. I’ll admit, I am taken by the rainbow of colorful pods and have been wanting one of my own. We have a coffee maker and really don’t need another machine on the counter, so I’ve managed to avoid a purchase so far…

baked, brownies & scratch baking

Twilight at Morningside — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 11:55:45 +0000

Remember my post on Scratch Baking, the new start-up at the two Milford, CT farmers’ markets? Well I went back for more on Saturday and got some amazing little apple plum pies. After devouring my pie, I started wondering about the woman behind the magic. Her name is Lesli Flick and it turns out one of her recipes entered my house earlier this year. Back in April, we got our first taste of Red Hook, and I fell in love with Baked. In a fit of grumpiness that I live so far away from Brooklyn, I purchased of the Baked Cookbook. Turns out Lesli is the “superstar pastry chef” behind the original brownie recipe in this cookbook!

Baked’s Matt Lewis @brooklynbaker recently gave Lesli a shout-out on Twitter and I absolutely agree that our little town of Milford is so lucky to have this talented chef. I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but these brownies have been praised by The Today Show, America’s Test Kitchen and were featured as one of Oprah’s favorite things. You can see photos of Scratch Baking in my previous post or simply find Lesli at the Wednesday or Saturday farmer’s markets in Milford, CT. (FYI there’s no Saturday farmers’ market on August 21 due to the Oyster Festival).