An update and an apple tart.

Well hello. I've been away over the last week, and spotty internet access has thwarted plans for a couple of new Fresh posts. Mostly, I've been wanting to share an update about my whereabouts, and the exciting work that I'm going to be doing this fall.

The where is New York... Brooklyn to be exact. I've spent most of the last two weeks there, or on a bus between there and Phila. The what is an internship with Slow Food USA. While the 'internship' part may not sound ideal (as many of you know, I was on the hunt for a full time job) I have wanted to work for Slow Food USA (SFUSA) for so long that in some ways I feel like I've landed my dream job. I mean this. Last week, after going over a list of projects that I would be working on I had to stop myself from jumping up and down and clapping in my chair (not only would it have been embarrassing; logistically it just wouldn't have worked).

If you're not already familiar with SFUSA, I would definitely recommend a trip over to their website to get an idea of the scope of their work. If that sounds like a hassle, here is a quick overview: Slow Food is a food advocacy organization, whose international branch was founded in Italy in the late 80's. As the name hints, it was in part a response to a global increase in the presence of fast food, the idea being to recognize the importance of our food cultures and traditions, while acknowledging the connection between plate and planet. Because Slow Food is a member-based organization, chapters started forming all over the US until 2000, when Slow Food USA officially came into being. Now, the USA focus is grassroots advocacy for food that is good for us, good for the people who grow it and good for the planet.

The SFUSA mission takes its shape in various projects, campaigns and events, a great example being the Time for Lunch campaign that I mentioned the week before last. The campaign has been a very successful thus far, and I feel lucky to be there during this exciting and action-packed period of time. All of that to say, I'm looking at this internship like you might look at going back to school, as a learning opportunity. Thanks for bearing with me as I adjust to the new schedule, I'm looking forward to sharing the experience here once I get used to blogging from the Bolt bus.

And on an unrelated note, I baked my first tart yesterday. Early this weekend the weather seemed to say fall, and an apple tart seemed like the perfect Sunday dessert. Unfortunately, the temperature here cranked up near 80 yesterday, but that hardly damaged our enjoyment of baked apples on a sweet vanilla crust last night (a scoop of ice cream off-set the heat). I would consider this recipe a starter tart, perfect for those of you who, like me, aren't enthused by the idea of making a traditional tart crust. This version could not be easier, and I don't even own a food processor.