liz clayman photography

Strawberry Rhubarb anything - my favorite dessert, hands down. Growing up my mom often made it for my birthday cake.  This crisp came out a teeny bit soupy, but it made absolutely no difference in how fast an entire pan of this disappeared (less than an hour with a few hungry friends to help).  This recipe came from Ina Garten’s book ‘How Easy Is That?’ 

The Food Book Fair visited Wythe Hotel for a long weekend packed with cooking demos, talks, books and magazines; just about everything under the sun that relates to food and publishing.  While I was there shooting the scene, I also had the pleasure of meeting a lot of amazing folks in the field.  I left feeling dizzy with inspiration and motivation - and a heavy arm full of new reading material! 

Phew! Finally. A spring weekend doing nothing. Bennington, Vermont 

A visit to Reynard in the Wythe Hotel - a stunningly elegant space. Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 

Brunchin’s easy at Walters. No complaints here. 

#Walters, in Fort Green, Brooklyn

@BedfordHill Coffee just might be the cutest place in Brooklyn. Why don’t ALL coffee shops have beer and wine too? 

I’ve told you how I feel about cheese, right? 
Portraits of a hunk of Dorset from Consider Bardwell

Rhubarb Jam for Spring!

Outtakes from shoot for Sweet Paul Magazine, Spring 2013.

See the full story by clicking here. 

Hosted by the St. Austere, a pop-up dinner; chef Justin Bogle fed, and Patrick Cappiello paired wines.  Images don’t do justice to this delicious evening…  

A visit to Wiltbank Mushroom Farm, Saugerties, New York. Shot for the pages of Folk Magazine, Spring 2013. 

Grapefruits and Mandarin Oranges for breakfast - I just can’t get over how sweet the citrus is this year! 

Jams, Jellies & Marmelades 

Cutie potatoes turned vaguely healthy, totally delicious lunch!  I used frisee, almonds, and a dressing of yogurt, dill, mustard, garlic and olive oil.  (I think these are All Blues, Red la Sodas, and Yukon Gold)

Apple Tart - one of my absolute favorite desserts. Its so simple and just So. Damn. Yummy.  I adapted this recipe from Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse Fruit, adding cinnamon and nutmeg, and drizzled honey on top instead of the glaze. Win win situation.

Alice Waters’ Apple Tart

Dough: 

1 cup (125 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick or 85 grams) unsalted butter, just softened, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
3 1/2 tablespoons (50 ml) chilled water

Filling: 
2 pounds (910 grams) apples (Golden Delicious or another tart, firm variety), peeled, cored (save peels and cores), and sliced
2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter, melted
5 tablespoons (65 grams) sugar

Glaze:
1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar

MIX flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl; add 2 tablespoons of the butter. Blend in a mixer until dough resembles coarse cornmeal. Add remaining butter; mix until biggest pieces look like large peas. DRIBBLE in water, stir, then dribble in more, until dough just holds together. Toss with hands, letting it fall through fingers, until it’s ropy with some dry patches. If dry patches predominate, add another tablespoon water. Keep tossing until you can roll dough into a ball. Flatten into a 4-inch-thick disk; refrigerate. After at least 30 minutes, remove; let soften so it’s malleable but still cold. Smooth cracks at edges. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 14-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Dust excess flour from both sides with a dry pastry brush. PLACE dough in a lightly greased 9-inch round tart pan, or simply on a parchment-lined baking sheet if you wish to go free-form, or galette-style with it. Heat oven to 400°F. OVERLAP apples on dough in a ring 2 inches from edge if going galette-style, or up to the sides if using the tart pan. Continue inward until you reach the center. Fold any dough hanging over pan back onto itself; crimp edges at 1-inch intervals. BRUSH melted butter over apples and onto dough edge. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over dough edge and the other 3 tablespoons over apples. BAKE in center of oven until apples are soft, with browned edges, and crust has caramelized to a dark golden brown (about 45 minutes), making sure to rotate tart every 15 minutes. MAKE glaze: Put reserved peels and cores in a large saucepan, along with sugar. Pour in just enough water to cover; simmer for 25 minutes. Strain syrup through cheesecloth. REMOVE tart from oven, and slide off parchment onto cooling rack. Let cool at least 15 minutes. BRUSH glaze over tart, slice, and serve.

Ham and Champagne! Easter Brunch at Flo & Daniel’s loft was perfection.