for the love of pie: kimberley hasselbrink

            ‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹ The truth is, I love a crumble almost as much as a pie. I love those tiny bubbles that spatter up around the edges. And how the top stays crunchy and the centre soft. So, when Kimberley suggested crumble as her favourite over pie, I was totally on board.     Her blog is one of those places I'm always come back to. It's genuine in a way that makes you feel like you could breeze in her back door for a cup of soup. For a good long chat about vegetables and markets and just about whatever else.   Her instagram is that kinda place too, genuine and interesting. And beautiful too. And well, I figure that anyone that likes a rice cooker as much as I do is someone I'm meant to be friends with.   So, with no further ado Kimberley and Leela's Peach and Berry Gingersnap Crumble. Find the recipe and a little more about the two of them below. xo, n  
FOR THE LOVE OF PIE — a series that celebrates the simple things.
 
WHO?
Me and my sweet pal Leela Cyd.
  WHAT? I loved the challenge of this because I am both gluten free and terrible at making pie crust! My summer go-to fresh fruit desserts have always been crisp or crumble. And it was so much fun to collaborate with Leela - I am a total believer in the whole being greater than than its parts and that's very much the case here. Leela had made a crumble before with a cookie topping; I had originally considered a pressed ginger snap crust but I loved her idea, and the results: a crunchy, sweet and salty cookie topping and the fresh, jammy fruit beneath.
 
Plus we had so much fun picking blackberries together and happily fatigued in her hot kitchen - it was a scorcher of a day in Portland! And we realized why smart grandmas back in the day would make their pie early, before it got too hot to turn on the oven. Lesson learned! When it was finally done, and photographer, we stood in the kitchen spooning butes of warm crumble and cold ice cream  with her husband and sister-in-law and sweet baby nephew and it was heavenly.
 
WHERE?
I live in San Francisco, but stopped to visit Leela in Portland, Oregon on my way to Montana. We went to the lovely Sauvie Isalnd to pick blackberries, and picked up the peaches at a farm stand there. I got the blueberries the day before with Camille Storch in Corvallis, Oregon.
 
This crumble would be perfect on a warm afternoon or evening, outdoors ideally, with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream.
 
WHY? I adore fresh summer fruit more than almost anything, and crisps and crumbles perfectly encapsulate everything wonderful about summer fruit without a lot of fuss.
 
ONE OR TWO THINGS
I have a huge obsession with mountains and those in northwestern Montana are my favorite. There are grizzly bears, elk, moose and all kinds of other crazy wildlife, not to mention all kinds of interesting, slightly wild, people too. It's the place where I forget one part of me in order to remember a more essential part of me. I like to think of this place as my spirit animal.
 
 
 
PEACH AND BERRY GINGERSNAP CRUMBLE Yield: about 6-8 mini crumbles or one large crumble
 
FOR THE FILLING
2 cups blueberries
2 cups blackberries
2 ripe yellow peaches, pits removed and diced
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 tablespoon cornstarch
 
FOR THE TOPPING
 3 cups Mi-del ginger snaps
1 cup oats
1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds
2 tablespoons brown sugar1 heaping tablespoon crystallized ginger, minced 1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
 
In a large mixing bowl, combine the berries, peaches, sugar, lemon juice and spices. Whisk in the cornstarch and stir until blended. Spoon fruit mixture into small (4-6 ounce) containers of choice (oven-safe tea cups, small mason jars or ramekins work great)
In another large bowl, crush cookies with a fork (or your fingers!) so that they are about half-way mashed, leaving a few big cookie chunks. Stir in remaining dry ingredients. Add the melted butter to the dry mix and combine. You may have a small bag leftover with this recipe. It keeps well in the freezer for up to a month - this way you can have impromptu ginger crumble whenever fruit is ripe.
 
Generously top each crumble with the cookie mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling at the edges. Let cool for five minutes. Best served with some goat milk ice cream!
Photos & Styling: Kimberley Hasselbrink

a word on fall and italy!

  I can feel fall sneaking into the air here. The days are still summer hot by the afternoon, but the evenings are cool and the mornings, crisp.   There's still heat enough for ice cream in the park and lazy saturdays at the market. There's still weather for shoes with no socks and dresses with no tights. But I feel that familiar fade, that familiar tugging of fall.     It's good though. I'm going to make apple pies and coffee cakes. I'm going to make crème caramel and late summer crisps. And in a couple weeks I'm going to leave it all behind for Italy. (!!)     So, I need your help with recommendations. I'll be in Abruzzo (about 10 minutes from Roseto delgi Abruzzi) for the first bit of my journey and then down in Puglia (about 20 minutes from Lecce) for the last bit. Anything I shouldn't miss? Olive groves, farms, markets, restaurants, shops, beaches, parks or anything at all you loved while visiting Italy?       xo, see you soon! n       this dress this hat the third and last photos in this post this dress the strawberries in this post these oxfords these pants a new for the love of pie post soon! this photo the photos in this post were taken by michael graydon and styled by me for garden making magazine. wave white and astrid navy cuffs want to be notified of new blog posts? sign up here. and we made the cover!

for the love of pie: anne sage

  FOR THE LOVE OF PIE — a series that celebrates the simple things. Today, Anne & Kate’s Cherry Hand Pies! And that little thing called friendship.       ‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹ I'd planned to tell you all about the goodness that's happened around here in the last month. Planned to tell where we've been and what we've been up to.   I wanted to tell you of our trips to Vancouver Island and New York City. About all the talented folks we've had the pleasure of working with lately.     And of just how extraordinary I think the internet is at introducing like-minded people.     But then I remembered Anne's pie post and I thought, perfect! You see the first day Anne and Kate met in person was the day they got to making these pies. And to me, that's a pretty great thing.   Find a little more about Anne & Kate and their recipe below. xo, n    
WHO? Anne Sage, Blogger at The City Sage WHAT KIND? The official name for this recipe is Cherry Hand Pie. However I've dubbed it Friendship Pie, as I asked my lovely friend Kate Arends to my house to bake it with me. Kate is the blogger at the beautiful site Wit & Delight. We've been online pals for years, but the sunny Tuesday morning when she visited San Francisco was the first time we'd ever met in person! I like to invite people over to bake individually sized foods, such as small pies or pizzas, for example. It provides an activity around which the gathering can center, and it helps to break the ice. WHERE? These little pies are super versatile. Kate and I ate ours fresh from the oven with tea at 10 am, so they were more like a homemade pop-tart breakfast than a dessert. Once cooled, they were packable and portable, perfect for picnics or potlucks. WHY? I have a crippling weakness for cherries, so I'm always on the lookout for recipes that make the most of them. In fact, I've always thought that if I were a fruit I'd be a cherry--a bit sweet, a bit tart, and requiring of some effort to enjoy but worth it in the end.
BEST... ...when made by a team. Because sure, it doesn't actually take two people to prepare these pies, but everyone has a lot of fun when they get their hands in that dough.
ONE OR TWO THINGS: Little known fact: prior to going full-time my various media gigs, I worked as the chef at a tech start-up here in San Francisco. I definitely know my way around the kitchen and have a few culinary tricks up my sleeve that I like to pull out now and then, but on the whole I was quite happy to hang up my apron.
 
CHERRY HAND PIES Makes 12 This recipe is from one of my favorite food blogs, Spoon Fork Bacon. A collaboration between photographer Teri Lyn Fisher and food stylist Jenny Park, the recipes on the blog are foolproof and the writing is gut-bustingly hilarious. How can you possibly resist commentary like this? "Single serving pastries. The stuff dreams are made of. They prevent a hog situation from arising yet still satisfy everyone."   I tweaked the recipe ever so slightly by adding 1/4 cup granulated sugar to the dough; I knew I wasn't going to be putting the glaze on the pies, so I wanted to inject a little extra sweetness. Though Kate and I both agreed that the real hero in this dough recipe was the cream cheese.
 
  PIE DOUGH 2 cups all purpose flour ¼ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt ¾ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes ¼ cup cold cream cheese, cut into cubes 2 Tablespoons buttermilk FILLING 3 cups cherries, pitted and quartered 2/3 cup granulated sugar 3 tablespoons minute tapioca 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons almond extract EGG WASH 1 egg 1 tablespoon heavy cream CHERRY ICING (not shown in these photos) ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted 2 tablespoons Kirshwasser 1 tablespoon heavy cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract  
DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 400°F. 2. In a bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. 3. Add the cold cubs of butter and cream cheese and cut in with a pastry knife or your fingers until a fine crumble is made. 4. Add the buttermilk and gently work together, until a dough just comes together. 5. Form the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. 6. While the dough chills prepare the filling. Place the filling ingredients into a bowl and mix together until well combined. Set aside and allow the mixture to sit for 10 to 15 minutes. 7. Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface until ¼ inch thick. 8. Cut twelve 4 inch circles from the dough and fill each with a small amount of cherry filling. 9. Whisk together the egg and cream. 10. Brush the perimeter of each hand pie with the egg wash and fold/pinch together, creating ½ circles. 11. Press the ends with the back of a fork to seal and brush the tops with the egg wash. 12. Using a pairing knife, cut 3 small slits on the tops of each hand pie. 13. Place them onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. 14. Allow the hand pies to cool completely on a cooling rack. 15. While the hand pies cool, place the powdered sugar, Kirshwasser, cream, and vanilla extract into a small bowl and gently stir together with a fork until fully incorporated and smooth. 16. Drizzle the icing over the hand pies and serve.  
And big thanks to Edyta Szyszlo for the beautiful photos in this post! 

for the love of pie: aran goyoaga and nadia dole

  FOR THE LOVE OF PIE — a series that celebrates the simple things. Today, Aran and Nadia and their Summer Berry and Yogurt Tart!   ‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹ I'm not sure how often it is you come across two people as kind hearted and talented as Aran and Nadia.   Aran's blog, Cannelle et Vanille is one of those places, where magic happens. Where images and words mingle together to tell a story of a passion for food and family that is altogether, inspiring.     Nadia's blog, La Porte Rouge is one of those places too. Written about her and her family's corner of the countryside Nadia writes in a way that reminds you to take note of all the magic out there, of all the good.     And the two of them together make a pretty extraordinary team of whom I'm honoured to have here. Find a little more about Aran and Nadia and their recipe below. xo, n     WHO? Aran Goyoaga and Nadia Dole   WHAT KIND? Summer Berry and Yogurt Tart. Gluten free borwn rice and millet tart dough filled with a yogurt and lemon custard and studded with black raspberries, blueberrues and red currants. But any summer fruit works well for this tart. We love it with nectarines and cherries!   WHERE? Aran is originally from the Basque Country in Northern Spain, but currently resides in South Florida. Nadia is originally from Montreal but lives on the most beautiful hill in Vermont. All the miles apart cannot keep us apart so Aran traveled to Vermont and baked a berry tart in Nadia's kitchen... ah the light there. We shared the tart there with Aran's two children and our friend Romina. 
 
WHY? Aran loves custard and Nadia likes a crusty pastry. There are many blueberry bushes near Nadia's home and lots of berry picking spots all around. Just couldn't resist.
 
 
BEST SERVED WITH? A dollop of vanilla bean whipped cream or ice cream. And rhubarb ginger ale to top it all of.
 
ONE OR TWO THINGS? Nadia loves fog and Aran wants to roll in a field of wildflowers. And we love to converse. Very much so.      RECIPE: Summer Berry and Yogurt Tart by Aran Goyoaga Makes a 9-inch tart   PASTRY DOUGH 2/3 cups (90 g) superfine brown rice flour (or regular brown rice flour but the superfine gives it a nicer and less grainy texture) 1/2 cup (60 g) millet flour 1/4 cup (30 g) cornstarch 1 tablespoon natural cane sugar 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 8 tablespoons (110 g) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 6 to 7 tablespoons ice water Combine the first five ingredients in the food processor and pulse to aerate. Add the diced butter and pulse ten times until the butter is the size of peas. Add the ice water and pulse until it comes together. It will not form a ball. Transfer the dough to your work surface and knead a couple of times. Wrap it in plastic wrap, flatten it, and form it into a disk. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Dust your preferably cold work surface with superfine brown rice flour. Roll the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Fill a 9-inch tart mold with the dough. Cut off excess and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Lightly dock the bottom of the tart dough with a fork. Cover it with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove beans and bake for another 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F (180C).   BERRY AND YOGURT FILLING 1/4 cup (50 g) natural cane sugar 1 teaspoon lemon zest 3 eggs 3 tablespoons almond flour 1/2 cup (125 ml) whole-milk yogurt (I love sheep’s milk yogurt) 1/2 cup (125 ml) whole milk 2 cups (280 g) summer berries (blueberries, currants, red and black raspberries, blackberries, strawberries… or even stone fruit) Combine the sugar and lemon zest in a bowl and rub them between your fingers until very fragrant. Add the eggs and whisk. Add the almond flour and whisk until lump free. Whisk in the yogurt and milk until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prebaked tart. Top with the berries. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the custard is set. Let the tart cool for 15 minutes before cutting. ps: watch out for Aran's forthcoming book, it's sure to be amazing!
PHOTOS + FOOD: Aran Goyoaga PROPS + LOCATION: Nadia Dole

for the love of pie: {this is glamorous}

  FOR THE LOVE OF PIE — a series that celebrates the simple things. Today, Roséline and her Banana Toffee Pie.     ‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹ Roséline's blog, {this is glamorous} is one of those places you'll get lost.     It's one of the first blogs I followed one of the first I left a comment on and one I continue to visit. I like that it's a bit like a mini vacation  via the internet.     It makes me dream of shops I want to visit and of trips I'd like to take. Of pastry shops I wish to frequent and parks I've never been. It's a bit like a fairytale sorta dreamland over there and I really love that.   Find a little more about Roséline and her recipe below. xo, n     WHO? Roséline WHAT? Banana Toffee Pie [or what is officially and affectionately known as 'Banoffee Pie'] WHERE? This pie is as perfect toes curled on the sofa, wrapped in cashmere beside a crackling fire and a glass of Bailey's, as it is in the decadent heights of summer, preferably on a rooftop terrace, the humid night air swirling with falling stars and midnight kisses. WHY? With Wimbledon recently, and the Olympics, thought a quintessential British dessert would be perfect; also, with all the summer soirées and weekend gatherings on the calendar, it's a fairly simple pie to make that does not require baking --- perfect for languid summer days and long sultry nights . . . BEST SERVED WITH? An elderflower champagne cocktail & someone you love. ONE OR TWO THINGS?  Dessert & summertime are two of my very favourite things on earth -- at this time of year, it's early rises and as many reasons to be outside as possible -- morning walks to a favourite shop for coffee, and afternoon walks to the flower markets in filmy dresses and sandals; and as for dessert, do not think have ever turned it down . . .       RECIPE: Banoffee Pie by Curtis Stone [serves 8] CRUST 9 oz / 280 g graham crackers or Marie or digestive biscuits 1 stick / 150 g butter, melted TOFFEE SAUCE ½ cup (packed) dark brown sugar 1 14-oz / 395 g  can sweetened condensed milk 1 stick / 125 g butter FILLING 1 1/4 cups heavy cream 5 small ripe bananas (about 1½ pounds / 750g  total) TO MAKE THE CRUST: 1. Line the bottom of a 9-inch / 22-23 cm springform pan with parchment paper. 2. Chop the graham crackers in a food processor until they are finely ground. 3. Pour the melted butter over the crumbs and process to blend well. The crumbs should stick together when pressed. 4. Press the crumb mixture over the bottom and 1½ inches / 3 ½ cm up the sides of the springform pan. Refrigerate. TO MAKE THE TOFFEE SAUCE: 1. Combine the sugar and 3 tablespoons of water in a medium saucepan. 2. Over medium heat stir until the sugar dissolves. 3. Increase the heat and boil without stirring until the color is deep amber, occasionally swirling the pan and brushing down the sides with a pastry brush dipped into water, about 5 minutes. 4. Stir in the condensed milk and butter. Continue stirring for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. 5. Remove the toffee sauce from the heat and spread 1 cup of the sauce over the prepared crust and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until the toffee is semi-firm. 6. Keep the remaining toffee sauce at room temperature.
TO FILL THE PIE: 1. Using an electric mixer beat the cream in a large bowl until thick and very soft billowy peaks form. 2. Very thinly slice 3 of the bananas into discs. 3. Fold the sliced bananas into the softly whipped cream and spoon into the prepared pie crust. 4. Slice the remaining bananas and arrange them decoratively over the pie. 5. Re-warm the remaining toffee sauce gently over low heat. 6. Drizzle some of the sauce decoratively over the pie. If the sauce has thickened too much to drizzle, stir a few tablespoons of milk into the sauce to create a thinner consistency. 7. Cut the pie into wedges and transfer to plates. 8. Drizzle each pie wedge with more sauce and serve.