Colors! Inspired by colors!

When I lived in Browne's Addition, my favorite walk was from my apartment on Poplar Street up to 1st Ave. by the art museum. It's not a long walk, but it's magical. In the winter, the turn of the century houses along that stretch look like they came straight out of your mantle's light-up winter village. In the spring, the budding trees and tulips always look the happiest of anywhere. The trees in summer make for lush and shady strolls, but you really can't beat the complementary colors of autumn that show up everywhere you look. Red and orange are warm and dusty, but this particular color of yellow gets me every time. On clear days, the leaves filter sunlight much like melted crayons on wax paper do. And on cloudy days, the contrast is like lemons on a gray tablecloth.

I'd like to think the spirit-of-the-season baking equivalent to a scene like this is like spicy, molasses-rich gingerbread with a dollop of zing. Voila.

East-West Ginger Cake with Lemon Cream
from David Lebovitz of Chez Panisse

This recipe uses a whole cup of molasses, a quarter cup of freshly minced ginger, and black pepper. The flavors are somehow still subtle in their spiciness. It's best while still warm with a dollop of lemon cream (make a lemon curd, cool, and fold in some plain whipped cream). I got the recipe for both cake and cream from the Classic Home Desserts cookbook, but you can find the recipe for the cake at Epicurious here.