Eat, Read, Go: Peach Crumb Bars, “The Grand Paloma Resort,” and Cape May

EDITOR’S NOTE

Happy Saturday. If your feeds and group chats were dominated by approximately one story this week, well, you’re in good company. Let me fill you in on a few things you might’ve missed…

• That was Selena Gomez’s bachelorette party — and her own photos look so fun, I almost wish I had a friend’s bachelorette to attend. Also, I need the details on those Cheetos-filled margarita glasses.

• If you thought you were The World’s Most Egregious Overpacker™, I promise you’ve got nothing on King Charles (spoiler: furniture and artwork are involved).

• Apparently, everyone will soon be wearing itty-bitty crochet skullcaps — basically, so offensive, they make spring’s adult bonnets look cute.

• I’ll admit, I didn’t expect Riz Ahmed to have such controversial (read: diabolical) opinions on pillows, but here we are. 

• While I’ll usually defend any fashion choice made by Katie Holmes, I have *notes* on what’s being called “her new it-bag for fall.”

• Finally, this comfy and undeniably chic footwear trend is seemingly “cooler than any boot” — which is the second-best news I read this week.

— Melissa Goldberg / Senior Editor / Washington, DC

These Spectacularly simple Peach Crumb Bars Will Disappear in Minutes

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Ah, stone fruit season — aka our annual reminder that we don’t have the time, skills, or patience to make a jaw-droppingly gorgeous tart or pie. That might explain why we have Broma Bakery’s Brown Sugar Peach Crumb Bars on repeat. Ideal for backyard barbecues or “just because” sweet treats, the no-peeling-required recipe features a buttery crust, a crunchy topping, and an irresistibly jammy filling loaded with fruit — so it’s about the best thing you can do with your overenthusiastic peach haul. Besides, of course, eating them all standing over the sink.

The Time Commitment: About an hour — leaving you with plenty of time to do more important things, like soak up the final days of summer.

Key Tips: For the best results, Sarah Fennel (or, Broma Bakery) says it’s important to use ripe, high-quality peaches. So if the ones at the market are looking a bit…sad, use plums, nectarines, or any other fruit instead. Also, in the event you don’t devour the bars in one sitting, store them in the fridge for maximum freshness.

Other Takes: Got a little carried away at the market? Consider it an end-of-summer rite of passage and try…

• The Best Peach Cobbler, which is smothered in something less like a biscuit and more like a slightly underbaked sugar cookie, so it absolutely lives up to its name.

• Perfectly caramelized Peach Upside Down Cake. It may look fancy — but it’s so easy, it can even be made at 7 pm on a Monday (speaking from experience).

• Cinnamon-Oat Peach Crisp. If you also don’t know why anyone in their right mind would ruin a crisp’s crumbly, golden topping by adding nuts, this dream of a dessert is for you.

The Grand Paloma Resort by Cleyvis Natera

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Take The White Lotus, remove some of the entitled guests, add more overworked employees — and you get Cleyvis Natera’s The Grand Paloma Resort. Set over seven days, the gripping thriller follows Laura, a local woman who’s worked her way to manager of a top Dominican Republic hotel, complete with Venus and Serena Williams-designed tennis courts and shaman healing sessions. But just as she’s about to land a life-changing promotion, her younger sister, Elena — a pill-popping babysitter at the resort — puts everything at risk when a guest’s daughter is seriously injured on her watch. What follows is a chain of events as potentially devastating as the approaching category-five hurricane in this tale of class, community, and the true price of paradise. We asked Natera a few questions. Here’s what she had to say…

Q: What’s the last thing you read that you can’t stop thinking about?

Natera: Quiara Alegría Hudes’s forthcoming debut, The White Hot. This slender novel is about a young mother as she struggles to come to terms with the choices she has made and the all-consuming rage that envelops her. It’s an epic tale that addresses so many complex issues around motherhood, class, gender, and race … [It] ended up on such a hopeful note that I wanted to [reread] it immediately after I finished it.

Q: If you were stranded on a desert island and could only eat one thing, what would it be?

Natera: My mother’s oxtail guisado with moro. The dish is lush and bright with notes of tomato and cilantro. The meat is tender because it must be cooked slow, over several hours. She makes the rice with black beans and coconut milk, which lends it the most aromatic and soft texture.

Q: If you could be the world’s leading expert on one thing, what would it be?

Natera: Beaches. When my husband and I honeymooned in Bora Bora 15 years ago, I remember gazing at the crystalline seawater and wondering exactly what I’d have to do to make beach reviewer and sand-rater a legitimate profession.

Forget What You’ve Heard — Fall Is the Best Time to Visit This Jersey Shore Gem

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We know what you’re thinking: A beach town? On the final weekend of summer? But, rest assured, this is no mistake. Because, as many New Jerseyans will tell you, family-friendly Cape May is even better in the fall. Sure, the weather is a bit cooler, but crowds flee, prices drop, and everything gets quieter — perfect for admiring the candy-colored Victorian homes, strolling the Cape May Promenade, hanging out at a local winery, and getting cozy at a charming boutique hotel (we’re partial to The Virginia). Not to mention, the water is technically still warm enough for the occasional dip — if that’s your thing.

🌅 Cape May’s pristine beaches are wonderful, but the area’s natural beauty extends beyond the shoreline. Rent a bike at Shields’, then cruise to Cape May Point State Park — home to scenic trails and the historic Cape May Lighthouse (the ocean and bay panorama is worth the 199-step climb) — and Sunset Beach, known for, shocker, its namesake views and “Cape May diamonds” (essentially, nature’s cubic zirconia). Or, for a different kind of ride, swing by Revolution Rail to rail-bike through marshes and meadows filled with monarch butterflies and migrating songbirds. Oh, and speaking of birds, Cape May has ranked among the world’s top bird-watching spots, so join a guided walking tour at Cape May Bird Observatory.

🛍 Whether you book a trolley tour or do your own thing, spend a day exploring the ridiculously quaint town. Start at Emlen Physick Estate to wander around the 146-year-old mansion’s meticulously restored rooms (warning: they may or may not be haunted), then make your way to Perry Street, Jackson Street, and/or Ocean Street — all of which have a high concentration of daydream-worthy Victorian homes. From there, head to Washington Street Mall, a three-block shopping district that includes standouts, like: Givens for chic clothes and accessories; Sea Bags for nautical-inspired totes; Madison’s Bakery for outrageous sticky buns; and The Cheese Shop for, well, you know what.

🍴 Seafood is practically synonymous with any coastal city — and that’s certainly the case in Cape May. The Lobster House is a local institution serving up, yes, lobster, but also oysters and clams in five dining rooms and on a 130-foot-long sailing vessel moored dockside. Looking for something more upscale? Snag a seat at one of Beach Plum Farm’s family-style harvest dinners, featuring veggies, herbs, and meats from the 62-acre property. Finally, for the sweetest end to the evening, pick up a Peace Pie ice cream sandwich, stuffed with a layer of pie filling. We’ll give you a moment to process.

The lead-up to vacation can feel like a full-time job. But Booking.com makes it easier to find budget-friendly flights that make sense for your schedule, with a comprehensive search that lets you compare prices across airlines. So you’ll have more time to do your laundry, plan your outfits, get your nails done, go to the dry cleaner, etc.

We asked you to vote on an etiquette question you’d like answered. The winner was:

Q: I shared a beach house with friends, and someone brought a couple bottles of wine. I assumed it was just a nice gesture, but afterwards, I received a Venmo request for my portion. Am I wrong to be annoyed?

“All too often, people treat social occasions like commercial transactions…and while this is sadly common, it doesn’t mean it’s gracious. When someone voluntarily brings something like wine to a gathering, it’s totally reasonable to interpret it as a gift to the host or the group. If that isn’t the person’s intention, then that needs to be clearly communicated before the cork is popped. [In the future], if you aren’t sure, you could ask: ‘Is this wine your treat, or should those who are having some chip in?’ [Though it should be] on the person who brings the wine to make clear it isn’t a gift.

[If you want to bring it up with the person], that’s fair. [You could say something like]: ‘Hey, I got your Venmo request for the wine. I thought the bottles were a gift for the house, so I just wanted to check, were you meaning for us to split them?’ The trick is to use a tone that is seeking to clarify, not shame.”

Unleash your competitive side with today’s games and puzzles. Choose from an anagram word search, digital jigsaw puzzle, or crossword (with a twist). Better yet: Try them all.