Just Peachy with Simon and Garfunkel

I recently stumbled upon a recipe from none other than the granddaughter of Roald Dahl, the best-selling children’s author of all time. I cherished Mr. Dahl’s stories during my childhood and still do in my mid-twenties. His tales are timeless and inspire the human imagination to run wild with stories about The Twits, The BFG, Matilda, The Minpins, The Witches, George’s Marvelous Medicine, The Magic Finger, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory…I could write an entire post dedicated to this writer!


But, as I was saying, when I saw this recipe from Sophie Dahl I obviously had to try it. And it is a simply delectable one for roasted peaches. On a separate note, click here if you’d like to read Sophie’s interview with House Beautiful magazine.

And boys and girls, Christmas come early with this peachy treat. The baked cinnamon, brown sugar and butter taste like the holidays had a party in your mouth. But the color and flavor of peaches are perfect during the summer months and make for a great dessert after dinner or for a late afternoon snack.

Tonight I enjoyed dinner and a movie downtown with a friend of mine. We dined on sushi at Bluefin and watched The Philadelphia Story at the Orpheum Theatre. Does it get any better than Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant? Much to my astonishment, I’d never seen The Philadelphia Story (given that my mother is the queen of old Hollywood films). This movie is adorable! And it’s funny! I highly recommend it for a movie night at home.

I also discovered Bluefin’s happy hour, but on sushi rolls not cocktails. Basically, a waiter will bring around a platter of rolls that the chef has made for “happy hour”, and all rolls are $3.  You just grab the plate of rolls that you want from the tray! Such an awesome deal. We each started out with a roll from the happy hour platter and then went for the gusto, ordering the And the Oscar Goes to..., Blues Club, and Bluefin rolls. De-li-cious!! I'm pretty sure I could eat my weight in this stuff.

The Orpheum presents 10-12 Broadway shows each year, as well as Ballet Memphis and Opera Memphis performances. During the summer, they also feature movies on the big screen. And tomorrow it just so happens that they are having their annual Estate Sale (June 18th) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. I went last year, and it’s pretty cool to see all the old show posters and props they sell. I bought posters from Oliver and Les Miserables. Now they’re hiding in my attic somewhere instead of The Orpheum’s attic ; ) But it's worth the trip if you have some free time this Friday, perhaps during your lunch break.

You can see the gentleman playing the organ before the film started. This is such a fun thing to do in downtown Memphis.

I hope to go to the Memphis Farmer's Market and spend a little quality time by the pool this weekend. But before that happens, I must leave you with this beat for your listening pleasure; it’s Simon and Garfunkel’s "Only Living Boy in New York". They are such an iconic singer-songwriter duo. And if we're talking about literature, imagination and sweet summer eats, I think this melody compliments each of these ideas.



Have a great weekend!
Julia

Sophie Dahl's Cinnamon Roast Peaches with Vanilla Yogurt:
4 peaches, ripe but firm
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter or sunflower oil
2 cups low-fat Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon agave syrup or honey
Fresh mint leaves (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Wash and halve the peaches, removing the pits, and place in a small roasting pan. Sprinkle each peach half with a little cinnamon and brown sugar and dot with the butter or oil. Cook for about 10 minutes.
2. While the peaches are cooking, mix the yogurt with the vanilla and agave syrup or honey.
3. Serve the peaches in bowls doused with the yogurt, and garnish with a little fresh mint if you feel fancy.