For those of you who’ve noticed the lack of activity here over the past few months, I apologize. I’ve been out living, eating mostly at restaurants (some good, others not so much), not cooking, and travelling around the country. Since the last post in May, I haven’t really used my camera. And my life changed. For the better. More on that as the months unfold and I ease back into this gig.
In the meantime, I leave you with a few of my favorite snaps taken sparsely over the summer. All from the west coast. For some reason, maybe just the awe of foreign surroundings, no other landscape inspires me to pull out the camera.
Bilson, Lagerfeld & Magnum ice cream, what’s not to love?
Seeing Rachel Bilson always takes me back to a few really good summers in Berkeley when a particular flatmate and I watched the OC on loop in between runs to Yogurt Park, pre crazed gelato era. The boho-chic icon is currently starring in Magnum ice cream’s US market launch campaign. Hard to believe, but these hefty little bars we take for granted in the UK are just now entering the States.
Thanks to Unilever I was able to try the new US version, which are decadent and avoid the Cadbury syndrome (high quality ingredients replaced with high fructose corn syrup when manufactured in the US) altogether. I highly recommend the Almond and Dark varieties. Magnum is currently serving the US with 6 flavors, including Classic, Almond, Double Caramel, Double Chocolate, Dark, and White.
Karl Lagerfeld is helping Magnum kick off the campaign with an original series of three videos recently released at the Tribeca Film Festival. They’re beautifully styled, but the story lines are kind of off. I’m partial to anything shot in Paris, but still prefer the 2008 Bryan Singer ad starring Benicio del Toro, which you can check out here. View the full Lagerfeld videos on Magnum’s website.
Have you tried Magnum in the US yet? What’s your favorite flavor?
These kitchens hail from some of the better Parisian apartments and homes on the market today (via Sotheby’s Realty, all should sell well over 2m USD). From the general modest tone, it’s clear that Parisians haven’t renovated their kitchens in a long while. There’s either a lack of interest or a lack of funds behind that choice, but considering that this is a higher end sample, I’m prone to believing it’s a cultural thing. Way to burst a bubble? I did find a few unique renovations to drool over. If fellow blogger Cristina from BA to Paris is any indication, dark holes be damned, the magic is still happening in small crevices all over the city. It’s only logical that talent and skill are what make the dish, not the kitchen, but to the obsessive cook, the kitchen is a temple!
credit: Sotheby's Realty; Clockwise from top left: 3th Place Des Vosges, 16th Foch, 16th Jardin Du Ranelagh, Champ De Marscredit: Sotheby's Realtycredit: Sotheby's Realtycredit: Sotheby's Realty
I’ve been posting a lot recently about how I’m not posting, recipes anyway. That being said, I still eat. And I eat well. So, there’s plenty going on in this kitchen. One of the things I’m a bit obsessed with these days is the lettuce wrap. I eat these maybe 5 times a week. No joke. I’m all about being low carb right now to bulk up on the fruits and veggies. These also happen to be one of the easiest things to make at home, or even in the abbreviated work kitchen (I dare you, let me know how it goes). Spring roll fillings tucked into a sturdy piece of lettuce, you can do that. I like to drizzle over the hot chili sesame oil. It burns my lips a bit. I like that.
Extremely messy, extremely pleased, just like muffin tops
What’s the deal with scones? Are they meant to be dried out and bland? I don’t understand the appeal, considering the sample that I’ve tried. I always harbored the idea that scones were meant to be just like the tops of a great muffin, with the sweet, crumbly and crispy perfection offering my cup of tea a decent companion. I’ve even tried a few recipes here in the kitchen, including Ina Garten’s. Unfortunately, I’ve never been much impressed, and as a result haven’t really ventured too far down the journey of making the perfect scone.
Feasting on nature’s posterchild for iron efficiency
beet tartare a la Madeline Bistro
Most of the vegans and vegetarians I know suffer from iron deficiency anemia. It’s an unfortunate consequence of forgoeing the red meat. The main symptom to look out for is extreme exhaustion. Does the change in altitude from the first floor to the second floor leave you breathless? If so, you may want to visit a doctor and increase your iron intake by eating foods rich in color such as beets, cooked spinach and kidney beans. Each are excellent sources of iron (1.8mg, 3.5mg and 1.6mg respectively per cup) vs animal based products, which contain anywhere from 2-3mg per cup depending on the quality of the meat.
Of course, topics concerning the body and nutrition are always a little more complicated than eat this, reap that. So, keep in mind that the human body has a more challenging time absorbing iron from non-animal-based sources, such as the foods listed above. Cooking iron rich foods on high heat, or pairing them with vitamin C is a good way to increase your ability to absorb the iron inherent in these foods. Caffeine, red wine and soy products tend to inhibit the body’s ability to absorb iron, so steer clear of these when pulling out the beets.
Can I admit that I abhor frozen puff pastry dough?!
This is a new discovery. Growing up, the novelty alone was enough to make them interesting and coveted to my naive little self. My mom indulged in making puff-pastried treats for parties, and occasionally if she was feeling especially nice would wrap Loma Linda fake hot dogs in the dough to surprise us with ‘pigs’ in a blanket. Now, that’s a good use of frozen puff pastry dough. I’ll have to do a post on those. Hold me to that.
But, using frozen puff pastry for the 2nd dessert in a row now, I realize how much I’m not a fan. The novelty has worn. I just don’t like the fact that no matter what I attempt to stuff in or on the pastry, all I can really taste at the end of the day is the dough. Flakes and flakes of the dry dough. This was especially apparent when I made these cheese danishes.
I found so many awesome images from my last kitchen photo mining expedition, that I decided to do another post. I’m not particularly fond of wood and/or black accented kitchens, but that being said, there’s definitely a way to do a black accented kitchen that works. The key is to balance the black with white: black cabinets with white countertops and vice versa. White marble counters with black cabinets is the ultimate dreamy combination in this color scheme. The first image mashup below highlights a ballsy design choice of pairing wood cabinets with black counters in a sleek and modern kitchen. The risk pays off in this particular case, but I personally wouldn’t be bold enough to take that chance. Drool away.
photo credit: Architectural Digest (top: unknown, bottom: Dec 2008)
There’s nothing more satisfying than stumbling upon a well-designed site with great content. Sites like Design*Sponge, Cupcakes and Cashmere and Food Nouveau are virtual places that put me at ease and make me want to put the kettle on because it’s going to be a while. After spending countless hours observing sites I love, and many others with great content that I honestly can’t stand to look at, I thought I’d compile a list of design do’s and don’ts for those of you out there presenting content in and around food…
First, it’s important to understand that the food experience is a full sensory one. It’s an experience that encompasses sight, taste, smell and touch; on occasion sound even plays a part when a crunchy element of a dish makes an appearance. When you translate food to the web you’re reducing a multi-sensory experience to a singular, visual one. Everything rests on your presentation. I’m sure more than a few of you were tricked into following the recipe of an excellent food photographer who can’t cook for beans (and whose URLs I won’t mention here). It’s happened to me. The blogosphere doesn’t really self correct for bad recipes because in reality the foodie blog world is all about looking at pictures of food and reading interesting stories of people’s lives. That being said, here are some tips for designing your blog to optimally showcase your food:
how to do the dark background: with a white content column
Built from a roux, this isn’t your mom’s mac ‘n cheese
A while back I caught an episode of Iron Chef America centered around spinach. I can’t remember who the contestants were, but one dish cooked that night has stayed with me ever since and had been begging me to recreate it in my kitchen. In an homage to that calling, I bring you spinach mac ‘n cheese, with a heavy dose of garlic thrown in as my own spin on the dish.
Mac ‘n cheese has been both a handicap and a love of mine for many years now. College opened the door to culinary freedom for me. It also presented the first time in my life that I was able to cook rubbish food. You see, my mother is an amazing cook who tends to make everything from scratch, and she can probably count the number of times she’s had a box of mac n’ cheese in her pantry.
