VittlesVamp

The Stones of Summer

I am ga-ga for stone fruit. Seriously love the stuff. When it all starts hitting the market each summer, I'm all in.

This summer has been no exception. The apricots above? Made individual Apricot Galettes for myself and some neighbors...

These plums?

I was inspired by The Amateur Gourmet himself, Adam Roberts' , who tinkered with a Marian Burros recipe and varied it up further with this Plum-Almond Torte...

And, then there are the copious amounts of cherries I can't resist...

In addition to simply gobbling them up at all hours, I also pitted a few to try a Cherry Clafoutis recipe from David Lebovitz...

And, peaches? Yeah, got these from Georgia...

And, baked up a Peach-Rye Cake recipe from pastry doyenne Zoë François...

Where are the nectarines, you wonder? I have eaten them so quick that I didn't have time to take a snapshot.

Have a few precious weeks of stone fruit season left. I've been jamming on making jam with some of it too. But, I think you can safely assume that you'll see a few more stone fruit treats appear in my Instagram feed soon.

Baby Got Back

Seeing diners flock to outdoor seating at restaurants in Brooklyn is wonderful and weird all at once. It's terrific that restaurants can start serving again. I'm glad that the city is making it possible by allowing for makeshift patios to be set in front of cafes, extending into the street.

Am I partaking?

Sort of. See that photo above of a cocktail? I enjoyed it at French Louie in Boerum Hill. But I did not sit out in front. That photos is from back - in their idyllic backyard garden.

Similarly, I paid call on Le Crocodile in Williamsburg and sat in their gorgeous patio/garden space, away from the street and close to this bottle of wine (recommended by the restaurant's ever-gracious wine director, Rafa)...

Oh, and I ate on both occasions as well. This Duck au Poivre from French Louie was incredible, perfectly seared...

And these Scallops at Le Crocodile - crudo-style - were lush and buttery, with a bright-tart, herby punch from a vinaigrette of Ginger, Parsley, and Meyer Lemon that made the dish irresistible...

Could I have enjoyed these meals in the dining area set out front? In ordinary times, sure. But, now? Too many Cov-idiots walking by. I'm all about the backyard gardens if I'm going to dine or drink out.

And with a setting like this...

...can you blame me?

P.S. If you are going out to dine, I strongly recommend tipping as much as possible!!!