viva la france!

hello everyone! happy bastille day! i just made a bunch of crepes for my office mates, and i'm heading home tonight to make macarons for a bastille day party sam & i are attending on saturday. in the meantime, i have the final stylecaster & hawaiian tropic video to share - along with a couple of recipes, including a galette, which is french. full circle.



galettes are free-form french pastries that are great for any time of year - a delicious, buttery pastry that you can fill with just about whatever meat, cheese or veggies you have hanging around in your fridge, mixed up with an egg and topped off with some salt and pepper. i also love rhubarb - it's only around for a short time of year, and it's sweet and tart flavor is well paired with juicy summer strawberries. the crumb i use here is good on just about any fruit you can cut up and bake - peaches, apples, or blackberries all make delicious crisps.

thanks so much for watching! i had so much fun making these videos with the guys from stylecaster, and i'm very grateful to hawaiian tropic for helping me keep my skin freckled but sunburn-free this summer.

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heirloom tomato & swiss chard galette

ingredients:

for the dough:

2 cups all purpose flour
a pinch of salt
12 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
1/3 - 1/2 cup of ice water

for the filling:

1 yellow onion, sliced
2 bunches rainbow chard, with stems removed
6-10 heirloom tomatoes of various sizes & colors, cut into thin slices
1/4 cup white wine
a splash of olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
salt
pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 eggs, beaten
feta cheese
thyme

directions:

1) cut the butter into small cubes and combine with flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl.

2) use two knives to cut the butter until it becomes pea sized pieces, adding a little bit of water as needed.

3) add just enough water so that it does not crumble and roll into ball; there will be bits of butter throughout the dough.

4) wrap it in plastic and refrigerate while making the filling.

5) preheat oven to 400 F.

6) cut and separate onions, swiss chard and tomatoes

7) sauté onions in a large pan with a splash of olive oil and butter until soft.

8) add the swiss chard and cook down until wilted; add white wine, salt and pepper. cook until most of the wine has evaporated.

9) add cream and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the veggies are coated with a thick liquid and little excess remains. Remove from heat.

10) roll out the dough into a large circle

11) beat egg in small bowl. stir almost all the egg into the chard and onion mixture, reserving a bit to brush the dough with.

12) put the mixture in the middle of the dough circle and tile the tomatoes on top of it in a mosaic type pattern. sprinkle the top generously with feta cheese, then a few leaves of thyme.

13) fold up the edges of the galette around the filling; there should be three or so inches of crust all around the edge. brush with the reserved egg, and then bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.


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ingredients:

for the filling:

4 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced in half
6-7 stalks of rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
vanilla

for the crumb:

1 stick of butter, cut into squares, chilled
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cup of nuts of your choice (I used almonds)
1 cup oats
1 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt

tarragon whipped cream:

several tarragon leaves, made into a chiffonade
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar


directions:

1) preheat oven to 350 F.

2) cut strawberries and rhubarb and place into ovenproof dish.

3) combine water, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla in a pot over the cooking range until boiling; stir carefully and let it boil for 2 minutes. pour this over the strawberries & rhubarb.

4) to make the crumb mix flour, oats, nuts, and brown sugar and salt together in a food processor until finely chopped. add butter and pulse the processor until you have a good-sized crumb. sprinkle this on top of the rhubarb.

5) bake for 30 minutes or until crumb is browned and the edges bubble.

6) for the cream, beat ingredients until cream makes soft, but stable peaks.

enjoy!

there is also a recipe for a cocktail i whipped up, straight of an ernest hemingway novel i read while sam & i were on the honeymoon - you can find it here.

all right! i hope everyone has a lovely thursday! one day closer to the weekend. . .

xo audrey

shimmer in the city

hi guys! last month i was approached by stylecaster and hawaiian tropic to collaborate on an exciting video project. they asked me to do a three-part web series featuring their products, my closet and my food. as a fair-skinned lady who loves the sun, dressing up and eating, i quickly agreed.

my favorite thing about the arrival of summer is visiting my neighborhood farmers' market every weekend — nothing makes me happier than being surrounded by ripe, juicy fruits and local meats and cheeses. this first video in the "shimmer" series features me going out for one such trip to the market.

and check out the next two videos, where i hang out by the pool and then (my favorite) put that farmers' market produce to good use. i'll be posting them here over the next couple of days, and they'll also be up on the stylecaster site.



what i (end up) wearing:

blouse: charlotte taylor
shorts: asos
belt: asos
shoes: thrifted, j crew
hat: some cheap store on manhattan ave

i had such a great time making these videos, so i hope you guys enjoy them!

thanks so much for reading,

xo audrey

california dreamin'

is it just me, or is this winter reallllly draggin' it's damn feet? today started off gross, but promising - wet and rainy, but nearly 70 degrees, and then quickly dried up and dropped to the low 40's. i'm starting to lose it. kohls asked me to remix some of their chaps capri pants in anticipation of the spring and summer, and i have been dying for a chance to wear them out, but i'll have to settle for a little dress up in my closet (which is clean and relatively organized, for once, so i thought it'd make a nice, sunny background.)





shirt: thrifted
necklace: random vintage jewlery store in atlanta
capris: chaps, courtesy of and only at kohls
belt: j crew factory outlet
shoes: courtesy of nine west

i'd like to note that there was nothing done to this in photoshop. no color balance, no bump up the brightness, no these-pants-aren't-quite-neon-enough. these babies are BRIGHT. i love them. i can't wait for it to be warm enough to let them see some sunshine!

in the meantime, something for all of you! kohls has been kind enough to give me two $125 gift cards to give away! two. $125. gift. cards. since i can't keep them for myself, leave a comment here, and i'll pick the winners on monday. good luck!