Archive for the ‘Nourish/Food’ Category

A few weeks ago, my husband’s grandmother celebrated her 88th birthday. My lovely sister-in-law picked up a gorgeous and delicious Tres Leches cake from Tartine Bakery. When she arrived, she pulled me over and asked if I could decorate the cake. Just by luck I had edible flowers from Berkeley Bowl with me that day (sounds crazy, I know — it’s like kitchen MacGyver). A sprinkling of petals around the edge and we had a beautiful custom cake for Grandma. Moral of the story? Edible flowers. They make everything better.

Have a great weekend, may it be filled with unplanned, unexpected beauty.

Through Character, the creative agency I co-founded and where I’m a creative director, I had the opportunity to work with Williams-Sonoma on their 2012 Thanksgiving Guide {alongside a very talented Character designer}. The Williams-Sonoma product selection was so inspiring that I ended up purchasing a set of their pie cutters {similar set}.

I made a raspberry and apple pie {recipe}. Not a fan of the overly sweet, I used Muscovado {or Mascobado} sugar instead of the refined kind. Muscovado is made from boiled sugarcane juice and has a smoky caramel flavor which tastes much milder than refined sugar. Chemical-free and sustainably farmed Muscovado can be found in many organic food stores. {Learn more about Muscovado.}

These photos were from last fall, but I thought I’d share them anyway. After all, pie is always relevant.

Have a great weekend!

For reasons that escape me, I am currently drawn to soft, pretty pink — especially when used in an ombre/dip dyed treatment. {1/ A party give away as simple as store bought candies are made special when wrapped in custom printed paper and tied with string. Photograph by Jane Cameron for Fete Press. // 2/ Color dipped store bought marshmallows! So fun and pretty … why didn’t I think of that first? Well, because Idlewife did. Imagine these pretties with chocolate dip and homemade graham crackers for extra special s’mores. // 3/ This lovely hand blown glass lamp by Studio WM has a subtle gradient. // 4/ Another great gift wrapping idea from Fete Press.}

The Doodle Leather Sofa is a result of absent-minded doodling by three members of Front for Moroso. {Via Design Milk}

I am not a football fan. At all. My idea of super bowl involves luscious, juicy berries and fruit — much like the photo above. However, my husband is one of those crazed, colors wearing football fans {who thinks nothing of driving 4 hours at the crack of dawn in order to watch the game in the comfort of his own home; who believes the halftime report and after-game analysis is as fun to watch as the game itself} with his own set of game superstitions. One of which apparently involves me cheering on his favored team otherwise they lose, so I’m told. Despite this, he’s a good guy. So, this Sunday, you’ll find me running to my favorite workout class, then hanging with friends, supporting my husband’s team. So, yeah, go team … Or something.

{The lovely image, of this equally lovely sounding recipe, is from this health food blog}

Have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend!

What could be more appropriate than making a dessert of Champagne for New Year’s dinner?

We were supposed to have people over, but our plans fell through. Although my husband and I were quietly spending New Year’s Eve together, I decided to make a dessert I’d been wanting to try since our last dinner party. I made layered gelée, which I served in these incredible wine glasses by Fferone Design via Fab. {I also own the champagne flutes and serving bowl.} Tolerant of hot and cold, the glassware are sturdy as they are pretty.

HOW TO //

Rose Cream Gelée // Stir 1 cup cream and 2 Tbs sugar in a pan over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to simmer. Remove from heat. Sprinkle approximately 1.5 tsp *agar agar over 1 tbs cold water; let stand until softened. Add to hot cream mixture and stir until dissolved. Add 1/4 tsp rose water and a dash of red food coloring. Strain into container.

Rose Champagne Gelée // Heat 1 cup rose Champagne and 2 Tbs sugar in a pan over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to simmer. Remove from heat. Sprinkle approximately 2 tsp agar agar over 2 tbs cold water; let stand until softened. Add to hot Champagne mixture and stir until dissolved. Strain into container.

Champagne Gelée // Heat 1 cup Champagne and 2 Tbs sugar in a pan over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to simmer. Remove from heat. Sprinkle approximately 2 tsp agar agar over 2 tbs cold water; let stand until softened. Add to hot Champagne mixture and stir until dissolved. Strain into container.

To layer, wait at least 30 minutes to set between each. Agar agar is a non-marrow/bone gelling agent. It’s a great vegetarian/vegan gelatin substitute. For a fully vegetarian version, simply skip the Rose Cream layer. I think I used a tad too much gelling agent — I prefer the gelée to have some jiggle — but I’m still trying to figure out Jello to agar agar equivalents. {Adapted from this recipe.}

{Images are my own.}

I hope your new year has been rosy thus far!

Farewell 2012. May the new year be shiny and bright.

{Gregory David Roberts quote from Shantaram, print by Meeralee Patel // Star crown by Giant Dwarf Design // Ever popular, ever festive garland by Confetti System // Adorable cookie mittens. So cute. So sparkly. // Chalk board scribble.}

For the last few years, I’ve been baking gingerbread cookies every Christmas. It’s become a little tradition for me — one that I’m really looking forward to this year. {Images above are my own.}

In addition to my usual gingerbread, I’m excited to try an amazing looking cheescake cookie recipe. {Cheesecake cookies.}

I found this clever edible snow globe with gingerbread house on a ground of chocolate pudding. {Via the adorably inspiring La Recta de la Felicidad food blog.}

I hope you have a sweetly peaceful holiday season. May you be surrounded by those you love.

My new favorite dessert to make is Champagne Gélee. Fun, light and pretty, it’s the perfect palette cleanser to a seafood meal. When we had friends over about a month ago, I made it for the first time {I also made my go-to dessert, Panna Cotta with Raspberry Sauce} to great success.

Instead of placing the fruit in the gélee, I floated edible flowers, berries, tiny grapes and currants on top. {I skipped the canola oil since I served it in a glass bowl. Recipe based on this one from Saveur.}

Offline life has been keeping me busy as of late. As a result, I’ve been slacking on blogging. While I do intend to get back to weekly blogging again at some point, I’ve been enjoying my little break.

My husband and I recently hosted a dinner party at our place. A friend, who happens to be a very talented photographer, was there to document the events. I’ll be posting more photos from the party at a later date. In the meantime, enjoy the sneak peek.

Wally Pup and I wish you a great Friday!