Friday, August 16, 2024

Friday Favourites: Baking, Flowers, Books

 


In the evening light the garden glows. I hate to admit to the waning of summer, but it's coming. Days are shorter, nights are cooler. Hydrangeas mellow from bright blue to soft mauves and beiges. Still beautiful. 


This week we enjoyed dinner with friends, eaten outdoors in just the right temperature. We didn't linger long, though, as cool air drifted in with the twilight. I made a peach-plum galette for dessert. Extreme cold last winter ruined the stone fruit crop in our province's fruit growing area, so peaches are imported from the USA - Georgia or California. I confess that they are not quite the same as our local ones, but still sweet and delicious. Not a crumb is left of the galette. 


Most of my poppies self-seed and are of the double pink variety. One lone stem of darker purple ones grew up among the squashes this week. I've marked it and will save the seed in hopes of having more next summer. Also in the garden, dahlias, zinnias (finally), rudbeckia, and roses continue to bloom. The grass is dry and brown, typical for our area, and shrub leaves are beginning to show that weary green colour of late summer. 


This week I also baked a fig clafoutis. The two of us polished it off over the course of a couple of days. I love this rich season of produce and try to use what's in season. 

No book photos, but I recently finished The Private Patient by P.D. James. I love all the descriptions of rooms and houses in the book, along with the puzzle of figuring out who did the dastardly deed. Always a delight to read this author. 




25 comments:

  1. Dearest Lorrie,
    Yes, the summer is winding down and soon we will find more and more leaves coming off trees and shrubs.
    Hydrangeas are stunning over quite a long period.
    Glad that our Georgia Peaches reach your area for providing the filling for delicious desserts!
    You fig clafoutis looks yummy too. All our Italian Honey Figs got picked off by children of a now family of 10.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  2. I am definitely noticing the shorter days. As I am listening to my a/c roaring away outside the window, I have to admit I am longing for less heat and open windows.
    Both of your desserts look delicious. I'm wondering if the fig clafoutis is on your recipe blog. My son has a huge fig plant and he won't eat them. I am happy to use some of the harvest. Figs are new to me so I am on the lookout for good recipes.

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  3. Here in the UK we are beginning to murmur about Autumn. The intense heat is passing by, days are misty and evenings are shorter. I dont feel that we have had a 'proper' Summer.

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  4. A delicious blog post. I hope, next year, we can get out your way.

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  5. Lovely photos, Lorrie. Your food pics look delicious. And I must look for that P.D. James novel.

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  6. The dark purple poppy is so lovely. Hopefully you will be able to keep seed and have more than one blooming next year.

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  7. Lorrie, one of my favorite things about summer is fresh fruit, especially peaches. I only buy them at the farmers market because I don't like the ones from the supermarket. The local fruit is so much more delicious. I have never tried a fig clafoutis, that sounds tempting. I usually use cherries or plums for clafoutis - I will make one tomorrow with fresh plums from the farmers market. So good. Do you make yours with almond flour? I found a recipe for that and we really like it.
    Do you still have poppies? Mine have withered several weeks ago and I eventually pulled them out when they became so dry because I didn't want any fuel in my garden for fires. I also only wanted some of them to re-seed, because they had already taken over parts of the garden. However, I do love them, and the color of the one in your photo is spectacular. Oh, and P.D.James! I like her books a lot, especially those with Adam Dalgleish. One of her books - Devices and Desires - inspired me to visit the Norfolk Broads in England and I fell in love with this part of the country and went back several times.

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  8. Anonymous8:23 PM

    The sight of that galette is increasing the hankering I already had to make some kind of fruity dessert soon, inspired by all the fruit that is in abundance. I was thinking a cobbler, but I have never made a galette before, and they seem so simple to accomplish -- and delicious! Maybe I will have enough plums from my trees to fill one...

    Gretchen Joanna

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  9. the desserts look wonderful! The days are much shorter now for sure and it is cooler at night. I am not sorry to have lost that boiling humidity which lasted so long 5is summer.

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  10. Your fig clafoutis looks delicious. It will make for a nice tea on a winter's afternoon.

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  11. Your peach galette sounds delicious; the fig clafoutis looks rather...sexy!
    I'm a great lover of poppies, and wish you plenty of them next year!

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  12. We are missing the Okanagan peaches over here as well...but thankful to have Georgia peaches as a substitute. Your peach galette looks yummy! That poppy photo!!! Beautiful!

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  13. We enjoy the beautiful summer evenings that still exist.
    Dear Lorrie, your cakes are wonderful... delicious... I could take a bite straight away :-)
    In any case, I will bake the peach galette, I found a great recipe online... I hope I can find good peaches too, I will go to the market on Wednesday. And when I get some decent figs I'll also try making clafoutis... wonderful.
    Last week I made apricot jam, maybe the clafoutis can also be made with apricot...
    A warm greeting goes to you... it's starting to rain here and it's going to cool down.
    However, I like the warm summer nights.

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  14. That poppy is really such a deep pretty color. The galette and clafoutis look delicious. Our orchards took a hit here so no local peaches or apricots. Happy new week to you.

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  15. Your desserts look scrumptious. Peaches are plentiful for us this season. I enjoy making jam, but not this year as I haven't made the time. The poppy is beautiful. I didn't know they came in that rich purple color.

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  16. That peach-plum galette looks delicious and we often have a clafloutis but usually a rhubarb one, I bet that fig one was wow!

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  17. Your recipes are also glorious and decadent looking. You surely do enjoy baking. Yes, summer is winding down; we enjoy the cooler nights especially. Still the day temps will hot for several weeks. I wish I could grow hydrangeas!

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  18. Marilyn M.11:53 AM

    Your baked goodies look so yummy! I love all the seasons of hydrangeas.

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  19. Your baked treats look scrumptious!

    I also noticed that it was starting to get dark earlier...it was also chilly during my afternoon walk. I'm ready to cozy up in my cardigans!

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  20. I am glad the temperature went down here it was so hot. Your hydrangeas have a beautiful colour makes me think I must cut some to dry. The fruits we have got here in the shops are not ripe and have no taste. Love your baking!

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  21. Your garden sounds beautiful as it transitions to autumn, with those hydrangeas and the lone purple poppy.
    The peach-plum galette and fig clafoutis both look amazing—perfect for enjoying the last of the summer's bounty.

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  22. Hydrangeas... still beautiful. Absolutely! Yours look gorgeous. And your photo is excellent as well.
    The photos of the desserts made me think I should try beautiful baking as well. :) Most certainly the desserts disappeared fast.
    Late summer is a wonderful season, with special light, temperatures and smells. Happy August days to you!

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  23. Your hydrangeas are beyond gorgeous. And oh -- your galette and clafouti. Someone was very happy at your dinner table!

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  24. Hi Lorrie~ Your hydrangeas are so pretty! I have seen them in so many beautiful colors this summer! I hope that you can get enough seeds to reseen that amazing poppy, it's so pretty. My flowers have just loved all the sun and heat this summer, it's almost a shame to watch them dwindle down. I have a few really nice geraniums that I need to winter-over for next year. Your desserts look so delicious! I'm glad you were able to enjoy all of the fruits despite the frosts. We get most of our peaches from Utah, which is only a few hours from us, they're always delicious. Enjoy these last few weeks of summer! Hugs, Barb

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  25. Dear Lorrie
    Stopping by to say thank you for your kind thoughts and condolences on Eddies passing.

    I do hope to get back to regular blogging soon.
    In the meantime, my thanks again to you.

    All the best Jan

    PS Your clafoutis looks yummy!

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Thank you for your comment. I read and value each one, cherishing the connections we can make although far apart. Usually, I visit your blog in return, although if you ask a question I try to contact you directly.

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