I can never tire of a rustic dessert, especially one made with fresh, perfectly ripe peaches. Fruits like these when at their peak always make the difference, turning a ho-hum dessert into a spectacular one. I'd like to think that peach desserts are an American specialty, particularly a Southern one. There is the traditional peach cobbler, peach crisp, and peach crumble. There are also the peach pie and tart. But when simply baked on a pan with the edges of the dough turned over, you have what the French call a galette and the Italians a crostata. An extra crispy crust sets the galette or crostata apart from pies and tarts.
This crispiness is achieved by baking at high temperature and can not only be attained by professional bakers, but by home bakers too. Preheat the oven with a pizza stone and after adequately heating for a half hour, bake the galette in a pan placed over the stone. This is the foolproof method for the crispiest crust, but what if it's sill soggy? The French secret to keeping the crust from getting soggy is a thin layer of ground nuts between the dough and fruit. The Italians use amaretti crumbs. The nuts or crumbs absorb the excess liquid from the fruit and create a thickened consistency. They almost go unnoticed in the finished dessert.
This weekend in the United States we celebrate Labor Day. A holiday that originated in the 1880's to give the working citizens of America a day of rest. 
Most people look at an artichoke and think: "What do I do with this?"
But artichokes only look intimidating, they're actually easy to prepare
once you know how. Originally from the Mediterranean, artichokes have a
history that dates back to Roman times. There are countless cultivated
varieties, especially in Italy, where artichokes are enjoyed in many
different preparations including raw salads, stuffed and baked, steamed,
grilled, etc. In the States we have just two varieties: the large globe
and small baby. The simplest way to prepare artichokes is steaming. Not
only is it easy to do, the method also retains the subtle flavors that
make artichokes so revered.
I'm still rolling through my office, trying to organize every inch of it, with the help of my friend, the professional organizer. We're making great progress. Tops of my desks have stayed mostly clear. My files are filling up. I'm finally seeing blank space on the shelves in my storage closet, the result of some purging.
I felt my big toe push a hole through my fishnet stockings as I stepped on the gas and drove south on Fairfax. I nibbled on the broken corner of my dark red thumb nail and made a right turn onto Pico Boulevard. I thought about lighting a cigarette to calm myself but didn’t.