food blogger, gardener, rambunctious coffee fanatic
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Cuisine
--A new take on Red Velvet
Sorry again for no recipe - nothing got measured, but here's the ingredient list:
Bake until a toothpick comes out clean:
Cool on wire rack:
Then prepare the frosting:
Fresh vanilla bean - nothing else will do:
Whip then chill:
Final Product:
Original sketch found here: Concept: Asymmetrical Collar Pullover
Constructed from cotton blend interlock knit.
Final product:
Lots of friends over at jLAmode today. We cooked a mixed cuisine with Italian/Mediterranean, American and Asian food.
Towards the evening, we worked on some couture things. We didn't end up with a lot of final product, but had fun with design ideas and working with the machines.
I forgot to take photos before we devoured it all, but here's some of it:
Vanilla frozen youghurt with cocoa puree; garnished with fleur de sel and cocoa nibs.
On a whim, I decided to try making chocolate. It didn't work out at all, but I was able to repurpose the concoction.
First, take cocoa nibs:
(these are organic, fair trade cocoa nibs)
Then, pulverize them in a food processor with sugar, vanilla and olive oil... that's where things didn't work so good. Even processing for 3o minutes, it never got ultra smooth.
Since cocoa is about 50% fat, much of it saturated, it solidifies quickly.
Also, to ensure consistency, strain the purée.
This was the result:
It was surprisingly good and given its naturally rapid solidification, I supposed that it would make a good shell for ice cream (or fro-yo).
Most people who know me consider me a scientist, or a technologist. So, people are often surprised to find that I cook, design clothing and farm.
Science and Art, in spite of the contrast between the two, are fundamental friends. Architecture, for example, relies on science for stability and art for aesthetic.
Art can originate from composing music; composing an image with paint, charcoal or clay; composing clothing from fabric, or gastronomic works from raw ingredients ... the list goes on.
So, I feel thusly about recipes. They're like a paint by number - a metering of art. For food is art, fashion as well, and construction, generally, regardless of medium, is art. Thereby, how does one artist say to another, "this is ugly" or "that is beautiful" as beauty is, clicheedly, in the eye of the beholder. Recipes have a place for ensuring consistency and paint-by-number, despite its less-than-great-reputation, has its place as well. Both allow an individual to reproduce an existing thing.
This is why I provide ingredient lists rather than recipes. The list describes the art but lets the reader interpret and be inspired.
Easy and tasty:
First make the shortcake and let it cool. You can use a baking mix, or the following ingredients:
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes
Whip the cream with some sugar and vanilla - a few specks of nutmeg, too.
Stop whipping when the cream is soft
Dudes: impress your chick with this - she'll love you for it Chicks: make this for your dude - he'll love you for it
With plain muslin cotton fabric, you can create a classy custom gift bag.
This is a good beginner project because it is straight forward, however, it uses several techniques. It can be done (almost) entirely on a either serger or a plain sewing machine.
Some helpful tips:
Hungry for crêpe, but can't spare the time? Although blasphemy for a Parisian, flour tortillas can be a handy shortcut. The reality is, for me, crêpe is usually just a vehicle for Nutella.
Because I'm often asked for a recipe, or technique, I'm going to try to post at least two photos: the final product and the technique/ingredients...
Simply spread and grill until crispy.
Chèvre seared tofu with roasted red peppers and Greek/Spanish olives.
Sauté salted tofu until it's slightly chewy and let it cool. Then spread goat cheese on each side. Return to a hot, oiled pan for a few moments until chèvre is browned. Serve with whatever vege floats your boat.
