kthread / Kristen Taylor

envisioning sugar plums

Many, many moons ago, I was the Sugar Plum Fairy, and looking back, I’d rather have presided over midsummer’s sugar plums, glorious fruit without the tart skin of most plums, than the confection the fairy takes her name from. Yesterday morning, I simmered sugar plums and peaches in butter and honey,

just the thing for yesterday’s pancakes or this morning’s oatmeal, as the fruit throws off a beautiful syrup (recipe) that can be stirred into drinks or a savory sauce with mustard.

My close friend Ben and I found the sugar plums on Saturday morning at the Prospect Park market,

one of the first places I wanted to show him on his trip to Brooklyn. We then perused books, clothing, and fantastic retro clock faces on streets and stoops on our way through Park Slope to the food coop, the dumpling truck (Ben recommends the Watermelonade),

and finally the waffle truck, where we saw someone from the dumpling truck recognize us and smile, writing his favorite drink on the chalkboard next to mine—I like how the different trucks support each other and often park nearby.

Into Manhattan for one of our many train rides that day, we heard tapping in the Union Square station,

laughed off a terrible movie with very good burgers at Dumont in Williamsburg, before meeting Solana on a rooftop where we learned how the gendered ice sculptures were created,

and chatted with mustachioed men before dancing until three at a neighborhood club…and a few hours later, we met Solana (who unfailingly glows with energy) and other Global Voices (Lova, Juhie, Jillian, Anas) for a Superfine brunch in DUMBO,

wandering the market near the Brooklyn Flea,

where I found a new vintage dress (for the next kthread cooks where I warble and (for Amanda) introduce you to the new kitchen), liked the shiny bottles,

and decided Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory’s vanilla was as good as spending the afternoon with information activists I respect and almost as good as a weekend with an old and very wise friend who is off soon to new adventures near other bodies of water…

Solana:
July 28th, 2009 at 10:40 am
Are you sure you’re not bored in Brooklyn?
Mica :
July 28th, 2009 at 10:58 am
The sugar plums make a beautiful topping for pancakes! I’m glad to hear that they don’t have pucker-inducing skins; that’s my least favorite part of plums.
Kristen :
July 28th, 2009 at 11:27 am
Solana, how could I be? Thanks so much for inviting me on these adventures–

Mica, thank you! I think you can find these at markets near you (and they are also a good topping for ice cream)…
Ben:
July 28th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
It was a glorious weekend that left visions of sugar plums dancing in my head. Bored in Brooklyn sounds inconceivable to me. Slightly overheated and sweaty, yes, but never bored. Every neighborhood needs roving food-trucks staffed by cute and unpretentious hippies. For now, the new burrito-cart in downtown Cville will have to suffice.
Amanda :
July 29th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Hooray! A view of the kthread kitchen! :)