Sunday in Brooklyn was horrible. The sky white, the air on the terrace hot and thick. Inside the apartment the air conditioner roared, and we were grateful.
After baking a peach and almond cake in the middle of the night on Saturday (what can I say? I needed cake), I did not really feel like turning the oven on again, and wasn't brave enough to stand outside and cook over coals, either. The answer? Leaf wraps.
Lots of rinsing and chopping later, the loaded smells of fish sauce and fresh lime, the chicken caramelizing with sugar and shallots, and the SE Asian leaf wraps now reside, at long last, next door, at 66 Square Feet (the Food). They are a summer staple, when the mint and basil on the terrace are booming.
Rain came at last, from the west, and the air felt better. We ate outside, feeling tropical, and smelling the sweet Abyssinian gladiolus, blooming only two months too early.
Marie, I envy the heat over there..! Cool and very wet here. Constant, tiring rain. Very pretty terrace table by the way. If we tried to eat outside there would be significant risk of drowning!
ReplyDeletePoor jelli - I don't know how you are all coping. It must have a big effect on mood. I dislike summer in New York but you are right - we do get blue sky and we have sunlight!
ReplyDeleteomg !! I'm making this very soon. Love the chameleon plates - so pretty
ReplyDeletexoxo Susan & Gang
Next summer maybe try growing perilla. They make great wraps, the bees love the flowers, and they grow like weeds. Good for you too.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan - let me know how it turns out...
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, you read my mind - I have perilla. Just about ready for its first picking.
LOVE the pinks on the table. It's so cool (and hot, too) and refreshing. Make this heat go away!! aargh!
ReplyDeleteLovely table, colorful and romantic!
ReplyDeleteYes Marie, it does affect mood - I'm very much a summer person and therefore feel terribly cheated. But who do you complain to??
ReplyDeleteLovely table setting... beautiful colors!
ReplyDeleteSomehow I missed this all these months ago. Your plates are awesome! what pattern is that?
ReplyDeleteThose were from Anthropologie...new. Chameleon pattern :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I was just so curious. They are very pretty!
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