Berries in Bronxville

Chris, Karina, Lisa and I
Berry Crumble

Todd, Jorge, Adam, Steve, Josh and Lee

About two years ago, Lisa, a friend from my old job, and her husband, Steve, hosted a bunch of friends from work to a beautiful dinner party. She set a high standard for entertaining; great food and a beautiful table. Two years have past and many dinner parties later, the inevitable has happened. Chris and Josh sold out and moved to Pelham. Three months ago, Karina and Jorge off to Bronxville. Now, Lisa and Steve are moving to a suburb of Boston. The last 4 stand strong. Todd and Adam are safe for a little while longer.


Our diverse crew is headed to the burbs and even worse, they are trying to PUSH the burbs on anyone who will listen. Our friends, Karina and Jorge, have become real estate agents. "Why do you live in the city? If you lived in the burbs, Lee could be closer to golf, you could have a big kitchen and Lee could still lie on the couch all day!"A great pitch, but not so fast....Although, the stench from grilling in my apartment is getting old.


Last night, Karina and Jorge had a lovely party to say goodbye to Lisa & Steve. Karina made a beef tenderloin with olive oil and rosemary that was cooked to perfection. Along side, she served a fabulous spring mix salad with pine nuts and pears and Persian rice with cherries (mmm... for those Venezuelan Persian friends!).

Earlier yesterday, my 9-year old niece, Stacie, and I baked a berry crumble for dessert. I first made this over two years ago for a bridal shower to rave reviews and haven't made it in a long time. It's easy to make and is a perfect summer dessert with vanilla ice cream and/or some whipped cream! It looks so good in this picture thanks to Todd, who taught me that you don't take pictures of your food with a flash. Ooops.

Mixed Berry Creme Fraiche Crumble
FoodNetwork.com, Serves 8

4 cups mixed berries (I used 3 packages of blackberries, blueberries and raspberries)
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup creme fraiche*
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup melted butter

*If you can't find creme fraiche, you can substitute 1 cup of creme fraiche with 1/2 cup each of sour cream and whipping cream; or 1 cup whipping cream and 3 tablespoons buttermilk; cover and let stand 12 hours.

Preheat oven to 375. Mix together the berries, flour and sugar and pour into a 8 x 8 baking dish. Spread the creme fraiche over the top of the berries evenly. Mix together the brown sugar, flour and salt. Mix in the melted butter. Top the creme fraiche with this mixture. Bake for 35 minutes or until topping is golden brown (the recipe calls for 25 minutes, but it doesn't bake enough in 25 minutes...).

Bon Appetit!