Mine vs Martha's- Ham, zucchini and gruyere frittata

Welcome to the second installation of mine vs marthas. It is not meant to be a competition so much as a riff on the classics. This week I threw together a very simple to prepare frittata with ham, gruyere and zucchini. A great thing to make for a brunch or a big group for breakfast. The only alterations I made to Martha's recipe were a 1/2 cup of half and half to the egg mixture and one diced shallot. It came out very well and was yummy gobbled up hot with a crisp arugula salad. But she may have bested me on the photo.. what do you think?

Mine Vs. Marthas- Peach Custard Pie

The other night I was invited to a dinner party and I decided to tote along a pie, inspired by the amazing peaches I spotted at the farmer's market in the morning. As per usual, I returned home with my groceries and immediately got Martha Stewart up on my browser to tell me what I should do with them. Peach custard pie sounded intriguing. I didn't master the arial shot as well as the folks at MS do, but I have to say I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. (Though I might change up the peach layout next time as a few mentioned it looked like a fried egg was plopped down in the middle) And so it begins: a new monthly tradition on the blog- "Mine Vs. Martha's" an exercise in food styling and recipe following. Interesting to see what food looks like sans studio lighting and assistants. You can get this particular recipe here. See below for my hints..

 

1. I love my perforated pie pans! But I wouldn't recommend using one where anything is blind baked. (for those who don't know: blind baking is when you bake the shell with no filling in it first) Because you have to poke some holes in the crust so it wont bubble up, it doesn't make the shell very water tight when you add the custard. Major whoops on my part. Remedied by putting a second pie pan underneath

2. I wanted to get fancy with the crust edge because I thought it would give me a leg up on the forked Martha version. I think it looks pretty but the dough could have gotten a little overworked in the process.

3. Martha doesn't tell you to egg wash the dough at any point, which seemed preposterous! Since to me that is pie 101, I couldn't help myself and thus the glossy twist.

4. Aforementioned egg yolk effect by putting half a peach in the middle could be avoided by doing a sassy quartering of the peach and creating a starry design.

5. I think my vintage pan grabbed a-hold of the crust a little too much and wouldn't fully surrender it when it came time to serve. The pan looks great in the pic and I could have swapped it out for a newer non stick style but I don't want to fudge things here on MVM. What you see is what you get. See you time!

Exotic boho tablescape

Hello readers, if there are any of you left while I have been taking a long break of sorts.. I wanted to fill you in on whats been taking up all my time recently. The event styling has really taken off and with summer in full bloom I must say that I am busy as a bee. Today I was featured on the wonderful wedding blog 100 Layer Cake for a tablescape shoot I did recently with Tory Williams and Rachel Mercier. The shoot was so much fun and I am really proud to share it with the wedding community. Go check it out!

Margherita Missoni wedding

Yesterday I read that Margherita Missoni got married and immediately I took to my smart phone for images of the dress. Touted as a boho style icon who always looks fresh faced and chic whilst somehow breaking all the rules, she has been on my radar for awhile. Then I saw the pic. Huh, sleeves in June. Huh... billowy shoulder things... I took a moments pause, and then declared it a success. Its a little wierd but i think she pulls it off. What do you think? Gambatista Valli worked with her seamstree gals at missoni and cooked up what I can only describe as a pavlova in dress form. A meringey embroidered ethereal thing that looks straight out of an oil painting. And check out her tables! I love that she stuck to her boho ways through and through, can you imagine Carine Roitfield kicking off her heels and sitting at one of those? But she did! And no towering cake to speak of- berry tarts for dessert!

Cinco De Mayo

So tomorrow is the fifth of May which means Cinco De Mayo baby (and also Kentucky Derby oddly enough)! I love this little breakdown of suggestions over at Kate Spade as to how you should celebrate your day. Also I have a new weekly spot on the Vecco Blog where I share recipes and entertaining ideas. Tomorrow you can see my recipe for a refreshing kumquat margarita. Muy Delicioso! 

What I've been up to

buttermilk scones

oyster lunch with my dad

fresh summer rolls

Gloucester, MA

Beautiful collections

eater egg decorations

easter tarts: plum, raspberry and goat cheese with honey on a whole wheat crust

My mom in Oprah

Check out this great little article about women discoving youth after the age of 30, and you'll find a photo of my own dear mum looking stunning as usual. She is not happy that they changed up her signature straight bob but I'd say her radiant smile and excellent bone structure makes up for that. Go mama!

Spring is here!

Happy first day of Spring everyone! I spent the day repainting our kitchen a creamy white (Benjamin Moore's Lambskin) and putting my winter coats into storage. Spring cleaning is so theraputic and essential to get me into the mood for sunny weather. Next on the list: a big bunch of daffodils!

I love this image from Downtown from behind discovered via Cup of Jo. Reminds me I need to get my bike fixed. Some meanie took both my wheels :(