Just another grey day in Portland since we've been back, but there are blue skies ahead. M is going to visit and things will cheer up, I'm sure.

I am loving the juicy pluots at the market, pork tenderloin with oranges from this book, missed tv shows, daydreams about wearing these clogs in a few weeks, and Uwajimaya for all of my favorite Japanese groceries.

I'll be busy making tuna/mayo onigiri tonight for breakfast tomorrow.

[1. Emilie Hardman]

I know that I already addressed the amazing fruit in Malaysia, but it just keeps getting better. My fiance picked up this juicy mango from a stall in Kota Kinabalu. It had been picked that day and was warm from the equatorial sun. It was absolutely divine. 

[1. c. lynn]

There are so many new types of fruit to try in KL. Lychee, rambutan, papaya, and mangosteen—I love them all, but I am obsessed with mangosteen. I can eat through bags of them.

The one fruit that I do not have a taste for is durian. This strong smelling fruit smells distinctly of rotten onions, which has led many hotels and transportation stations to prohibit it as many find it distasteful. I pride myself in having an adventurous palate, but after one bite of a durian-filled chocolate cake, I had to reach for several glasses of water to try to flush the taste from my mouth. The aroma and flavor are very persistent, so take caution. 


[1-3. c. lynn]

I found the most beautiful tomatoes at the market today. Each one looks like a Murano glass paper weight.

[1-2. c. lynn]

Before my mom visited last month, I had not been thrifting in a long time. I did, however, thrift a lot as a teenager—always on the hunt for vintage beaded clutches, antique baubles, and fun, oversized sunglasses. It was something fun to do with friends and always led to some creative and ambitious project like refurnishing an armoire or rewiring a lamp.

Today, a walk into a thrift shop worked out wonderfully in my favor as I found a lovely WMF wire basket designed by Ole Palsby for a dollar fifty. Woohoo!

[1. c. lynn]

I am loving my little porcelain fruit carton from Roost. These bone china baskets are perfect for displaying all kinds of berries for easy rinsing and eating, which is more than I can say about their paper carton cousins. Find them here.

[1. c. lynn]

I knew I was going to make a pie out of those beautiful peaches, but I didn't realize that we'd eat most of them before I got around to it. So, after a frantic run to the health food store across the street almost turned up fruitless (well they didn't have any peaches,) I found myself baking a blackberry peach pie. Thanks to M for her pie crust recipe, and her help with the "to bake ahead or not to bake ahead" queries. Voila, a whole pie to work on this weekend. Now, I have to convince A to make a vanilla ice cream run—I think these photos will help!

Peach and Blackberry Pie
adapted from the Peach and Blackberry Cobbler recipe from Bon Appetit with help on the piecrust from M and Tartine's Flaky Tart Dough Recipe

PIE CRUST
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 sticks cold butter
1/2 cup ice-cold water

FRUIT MIXTURE
2 pounds peaches, halved, pitted, cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices (about 5 cups)
1 1/2-pint container fresh blackberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons raw sugar

FOR PIE CRUST (LATTICE TOP AND BOTTOM)
Add the salt to the ice water and stir to dissolve. To make the dough in a food processor, put the flour in the work bowl. Cut the butter into 1-inch pieces and scatter the pieces over the flour. Pulse briefly until the mixture forms large crumbs and some of the butter is still in pieces the size of peas. Add the water-and-salt mixture and pulse for several seconds until to dough begins to come together in a ball but is not completely smooth. You should still be able to see some butter chunks.

Divide the dough into two equal balls and shape into a disk. Wrap well in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.

Roll out the dough for the pie crust and place into the pie dish. Here are some of Martha Stewart's tips for rolling out a perfect pie crust. Refrigerate while you make the fruit mixture.

FOR FRUIT MIXTURE
Combine peaches and blackberries with sugar, crystallized ginger, and cornstarch in large bowl; toss to coat. Let stand until juices begin to form, tossing occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Pour the fruit into the chilled pie shell. Roll out the dough into a 12-inch round and cut the strips into 1/2-inch strips. Follow this helpful Bon Appetit video, for detailed instructions.

Brush the edge of the pie shell and the lattice with an egg wash. Press the edges of the pie shell together to seal and trim the overhang to a 1/2 inch. Fold the edge of the pie dough under itself and crimp decoratively.

Transfer the pie to the oven and place a baking sheet in the bottom to catch any drips. Bake for 30 minutes and cover the edge of the pie with foil and bake for about 40 minutes longer, until the filling is bubbling and the crust is deeply golden on the top and bottom. Transfer the pie to a rack to cool completely. Serve with vanilla ice cream.