A simple, delicious end of season dessert. A touch of brown sugar, pungent balsamic vinegar, and fruity olive oil give a bit of sophistication to this rustic dish
1 pint figs, halved
1/4 cup brown sugar
olive oil
good balsamic vinegar
vanilla ice cream
To make, just rub a little brown sugar into the figs and grill them over high heat until caramelized and they have grill marks (about 2-3 minutes). Serve on top of vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of fruity olive oil (rather than a sharp, grassy variety) and some good balsamic vinegar. Enjoy!
Longtime devoted fans and readers know about our obsession with Miss Ruby Sue- the pioneer woman behind the frilly, girly, vintage inspired headpiece craze that has now taken over the world, and Etsy. She was the first, we have to say. And not long ago did we feature her on the pages of Dujour’s most treasured issue, The Vintage Issue, which you can still read here. And Lori, the designer extraordinaire whose now a bold and beautiful fiery redhead, even took the time to make a headpiece just for you! Yes, you heard right, there is a limited edition Dujour by MissRubySue headband with your name on it.
The Dujour by Missrubysue
But we wouldn’t be true Dujour girls if we didn’t catch up and see what’s new with RubySue! So let’s get nosy and take an exclusive peek at where it all happens. You’ll need some popcorn and cupcakes, this studio tour is a good one! Not to mention we love the sound of her adorable kids playing in the background. Ahh, yet another mother who refuses to grow out of girly bliss. We’ve converted another one. Enjoy!
Peeks at the pages of The Vintage Issue with Missrubysue! Click to read.
I am finally starting to pull out my old jackets and leggings from last year (yep, its actually cooling down a little in Florida now) and have realized I need some new pieces for fall. So, I’ve been searching around on the internet and I stumbled on Fischer Clothing thanks to Ange at Lushlee. I really love the fall 2010 collection.
It feels as rich as velvet, but still slightly casual. And my favorite thing about the line? I could (and would) wear every piece with ease. Two cheers for ready to wear. At least this week.
We don’t know about you, but we still cringe and shudder at the sight of these ghastly things, but alas, we found that there is some use to those Croc sandals your Great Aunt Mildred gave to you for Christmas! If you are an avid gardener like the rest of us Dujour girls are, you can use those Croc sandals (or any similar-looking ones) as hanging planters. Scoop some dirt, pack it in, and add your favorite flower. Then, hang the planters by its heels – the holes are perfect for drainage!
Now, who says that Croc sandals are useless? Here’s to hoping another tourist-friendly shoe turned fashion phenomena sweeps our nation soon, as in, very soon!
We’re so anxious for our own knitwear issue come January that we couldn’t help but dedicate this week’s TSNC to the gorgeous fall issue of Vogue Turkey. Yay for international culture! What do you think of the styling? Don’t you just covet everything? Ahh a Dujour girl can dream…
I took Lioco Indica, a California rose, and turn it into a delicious Sangria based on its tasting notes printed on the bottle’s label. Simple, tasty, and a great way to spend a warm evening.
1 bottle light red wine or heavier rosé (I used Lioco Indica)
1 yellow peach
1/2 pint strawberries
1 valencia orange or blood orange
1 rhubarb stalk
2 teaspoons pink peppercorns, lightly crushed
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
Slice all of the fruit. Combine the rhubarb, peppercorns, sugar, and water over medium heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Add the fruit and syrup to a pitcher, add the wine, stir, chill, and serve over ice cubes.
Halloween weekend, yay! I’m planning on having a picnic tomorrow, and I wished for a Halloween themed picnic but my friends want a colorful picnic. Being a good friend and picnic sucker I am, I’m going with the colorful picnic. Oh well. Okay, enough about the picnic, I’m so excited about the recipe I have to share so lets get down to this spiced apple tart! The original recipe was a Normandy apple tart from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home To Yours book, but my family and I cannot have an apple dessert without that hint of cinnamon or spice. Is it the same for you? So I added about 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon to the applesauce and another dash of ground cinnamon to the egg wash. Now if you are a non-spiced apple lover you can just follow the original recipe and use vanilla. The tart crust on the other hand, is a different story, its really good, its almost overshadows the whole apple tart itself. I don’t know whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing. Its perfectly crumby and shortbread-y, just perfect. Love it!
SPICED APPLE TART
adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s
Pate Sablee
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoon butter, very cold, cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk
Apllesauce
2 pounds baking apples, such as Empire, Cortland, McIntosh, or Pippin
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon light brown sugar (I omit this)
1-4 tablespoons sugar to taste
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Topping
2 medium-sized, firm apples, such as Golden Delicious.
1 egg for egg wash (loosely whisk with a dash of ground cinnamon)
1/3 cup orange preserves
FOR THE APPLESAUCE:
1 Peel and core the apples, and cut into smallish chunks. Place into a 3 quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan.
Add in the water, ground cinnamon and brown sugar, and stir to combine.
Cover the saucepan and cook the apples over the medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure none of the apples scorch.
If the water seems to be boiling away too quickly, you can add in a little more. Over about 20-30 minutes, the apples should start reducing and softening in the bubbling water. Don’t leave the pan unattended for too long or the water could boil over or the apples burn.
2. When the apples are soft enough to be mashed with a spoon, remove the pan from heat. Scrape the apples into a food processor and blend quickly to turn into applesauce – don’t process too long or you’ll liquefy the apples. The applesauce should still be thick.
Taste and add sugar to taste – traditionally this applesauce is not meant to be very sweet, but you can add at your discretion.
3. Pour the applesauce into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap to the surface, and refrigerate until it is no longer warm before using. You can keep the applesauce in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
FOR THE TART SHELL:
1. Put the flour, confectioner’s sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the pieces of cold butter and pulse until the butter is cut into pea-sized pieces. Add the egg yolk and combine in several pulses until the dough starts to turn from dry to clumpy. Do not let the dough form one giant ball or it will be be overworked – just keep checking after every pulse and when the dough pieces looks like they will stick when you press them together, stop.
2. Butter a 9-in tart tin with removable bottom. Turn the dough out into the tin and press into the bottom and up the sides with your fingers. You probably will not need all the dough – save the extra for patching the shell after you bake it. Do not press the dough too hard or it will become tough – just enough for it to form to the tin.
Freeze the tart shell for at least 30 minutes. When you are ready to bake it, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
3. To partially bake the tart shell, take a piece of foil and butter the shiny side, then press the buttered side tightly to the shell. You do not need pie weights. Place the tart shell on a baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, until the shell is dry and lightly colored. If any places have cracked, repair with the extra dough. Let cool on a rack until room temperature.
BAKING THE APPLE TART:
1. When you are ready to finish the tart, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Fill the tart shell with the applesauce almost to the top of the crust and smooth the top. Place the tart on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silpat.
2.Peel and core the two apples. Cut each apple in half and then again lengthwise. Cut each apple quarter into about 7 slices – they will be quite thin.
Arrange the apple slices over the top of the applesauce in a pleasing pattern. I found that the apple slices shrink a bit while baking so be sure the edges overlap the tart crust and each other enough.
3. Make a egg wash by beating the egg with a teaspoon of water. Brush the egg wash over the apple slices.
4. Bake the tart in the oven for about 40 to 50 minutes. The applesauce will puff up a little bit and the apples slices will turn golden and slightly burnt at the edges. When the apple slices are soft enough to be pierced by the tip of knife, you can take out the tart.
5. Remove the tart and let cool on a wire rack. If you’d like to glaze the top of the tart, mix the orange preserves with a teaspoon of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Brush the glaze lightly over the top of the tart.
Longtime devoted fans and readers know about our obsession with 
