Reading Material - Halloween Edition

Vineyard | North Fork, Long Island | Image: Laura Messersmith

Welcome to the all trick-or-treat edition of Reading Material in which I tip my pointy witch’s hat to Halloween. I thought this photo of the vineyards at dusk I took last weekend was appropriate to accompany the moody occasion, yes?

Hope you're all ready to go - treats acquired, costume elements collected, I have my black horn rimmed glasses all ready to go to fulfill my decades-long dream of doing a couple's Wayne & Garth costume when Mike and I attend an SNL-character themed party on Saturday night. What? Don’t tell me that Alice Cooper’s thoughtful discussion of Mil-ee-wau-kee isn’t one of the best scenes ever. Also, I personally prefer Tia Carrere's version of Ballroom Blitz - she wails!

Anywho, without further ado I give you some cool Internet links that celebrate tomorrow’s spooky and sweets-centric fun.

Reading Material:
All hail Chrissy Teigen for donning the scariest food-inspired Halloween costume evar. Hint: he has spiky blonde hair... (via Eater)

These food shots inspired by The Shining are hilariously macabre – who knew cupcakes could be so creepy? Yes, I have been saving this for today since I saw it oh, four months ago in The New York Times. Please don’t judge my commitment to sparkle motion.

Oh Pinterest. You are both a source of delight and heartbreak. I’m using that term loosely to describe these Halloween #pinterestfails, some of which are truly horrific. (via Buzzfeed)

I originally read about the fake restaurant/art installation Lura Café in Providence on Eater, but this piece at City Lab goes a little deeper. Quite a trick on the unsuspecting hipster population.

If you haven’t organized a costume yet Vogue has a great list of iconic and cult characters from TV and movies to help inspire you. Edward Scissorhands might be a triffle hard to pull off in 24 hrs, but I have faith in you!

Lastly, I came across this interesting piece from The Atlantic archives on how candy became synonymous with Halloween.

Scouting: Food52 Holiday Market

Erin McDowell's Dessert Creations | Image: Laura Messersmith

When I’m looking for guidance on a recipe or cooking technique (and Ina isn’t available to help with her words of wisdom) I check out Food52 to see what their experts have to say. So I was excited when I found out that the site was organizing a holiday pop-up shop downtown complete with demos and classes to help home cooks step up their game for holiday entertaining.

As soon as I saw the list of offerings I knew immediately that I wanted to sign up for a session called “Make Your Desserts Beautiful” with Erin McDowell a food stylist and test kitchen manager for Food52.

Erin in Action | Image: Laura Messersmith

Check out this description – doesn’t it sound amazing?

"Fancy cakes and pies aren't just for bakeries. Erin McDowell will teach you foolproof ways to make intricate pie crusts and decorative cakes. She'll demo tips for braided pie edges, the perfect crimped crust, the classic swirled cake icing, and more."

Classic Crimped Edge Pie Crust | Image: Laura Messersmith

Classic Lattice Pie Crust | Image: Laura Messersmith

I went full-on honor society, showing up early, sitting right in front, asking 1,000 questions, and Erin could not have been lovelier or more approachable. She showed us her tricks of the trade for frosting and decorating cakes beautifully, proper technique for rolling out pie dough, and how to do fancy things like cut out top crust. She also introduced us to a brilliant creation of her own devising called the “fattis” aka a fat lattice crust (photo evidence below.)

The Fattis (aka Fat Lattice) Pie Crust | Image: Laura Messersmith

I probably should have taken better notes, but thankfully Erin has several pie specific how-to articles on Food52 in case I need to jog my memory. I left feeling so jazzed about making pie and finally conquering a food group that’s always intimidated me. I’d sign up for this class again in a heartbeat, so while I wait for Erin to open up her own pastry school it’s going to be pie central around these parts while I practice these new skills. Step 1: try the All Buttah Pie Dough. Consider yourself warned.

Scouting: Greenflea Market

Greenflea Market | Image: Laura Messersmith

Every once in a while one of those lazy, not-much-going kind of weekends comes along when there’s plenty of time to do a little browsing through New York’s flea markets. I love the sense of discovery that comes from carefully surveying a booth that’s packed to the brim and the flashes of nostalgia when I spot something familiar from my childhood.

But let’s be honest - the dizzying array of souvenir postcards, 80s lunchboxes, vintage sunglasses, and mid-century doodads can be overwhelming if you don’t have a plan. Luckily, I went into last Sunday’s Green Flea Market with a clear mission: search for new additions to our kitchen and “tabletop” collections as they call it in the Pottery Barn catalog.

Greenflea Market | Image: Laura Messersmith

As I’ve taken more pictures of recipes I’ve been looking for ways to complement the final dish with a place setting that contributes to it’s appeal and continually keep the photos interesting… Are you tired of the white plates with blue stripes yet?

Sometimes it’s contrast that makes an image pop - a delicate tart on a stoneware plate - while other times a giant steak looks just right in a rustic cast iron skillet. There were some solid contenders in the schoolyard at PS 87 - I was definitely tempted by the mother of pearl butter knives and the earthenware bowl in particular. But, the search continues, so those blue and white plates will still be in heavy rotation for a little while longer as I continue to search for great finds around the city. Stay tuned!

Greenflea Market | Image: Laura Messersmith

Greenflea Market | Image: Laura Messersmith