Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged careers, chef, cooking, creativity, dreams, food, food photography, Inspiration, life, motivation, Photography, random thoughts on May 26, 2013| 3 Comments »
lime and apple mint
… but I did not dream of growing up to become a chef, like Jackie Hill did. Of course, I had a toy camera and I never dreamed of growing up to become a photographer. You never know what a day — or a life — will hold, do you? Those random thoughts were inspired by this beautiful article about a woman following her dreams.
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged cooking, food, food photography, garlic, Inspiration, lemon, Photography, quotes, recipes on February 19, 2013| 5 Comments »
“You could starve to death in the midst of plenty if you didn’t have garlic!”
— quote by SFH
I’ve always loved the idea that no matter how tart the lemons of life, you can always find some sugar to sprinkle on top. You know, sweeten things up. I forgot you can also mix garlic with lemon and create some tastiness too.
I was reminded of that fact this morning by that fellow in my life. He is quoted above. He is absolutely notorious for his use of garlic. And while one might think that he is joking about starving without garlic, let me assure you that he is not. In our time together, I have gained a whole new appreciation for garlic spears in steak, garlic-based marinades for beef, chicken and pork, and garlic-rubbed toasted bread served with sliced tomatoes and smoked salmon.
He is perhaps most famous for his pesto. Traditionally, he makes it with fresh basil, lemon juice, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, olive oil, some black pepper … and a ton of garlic. Now at the drop of a hat, he can make all sorts of variations to accommodate allergies, e.g. replacing pine nuts with carrots for my young cousin. At some point he started adding sundried tomatoes. When pine nuts became a bit scarce, there was a hazelnut experiment. Black walnuts didn’t work so well.
One day I hope to convince him to sit still long enough to write about his philosophies of food, especially around garlic. But I suppose most people would prefer he just keep cooking. 😉
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged birthday, colors, cooking, cupcake, dessert, food, food photography, friendship, Inspiration, sugar, sweets on December 9, 2012| 5 Comments »
There are few things more fun to photograph …
… than unexpected treats from friends. 😉
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged clementines, cooking, dessert, food, food photography, fruit, Inspiration, rasperries, snack on December 6, 2012| 3 Comments »
At first I wanted to title this image, “Cuddling,” but I thought that might be too sassy a title for my simple breakfast. Wherever you are in the world, have a good day, folks. 😉
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged black walnuts, breakfast, cooking, food, food photography, Inspiration, nature, recipes on October 24, 2012| 4 Comments »
Now I do not think that everyone would describe black walnuts as a beautiful food. Even for me it is a bit like cilantro. I can have a little, not a lot. But for Steve, black walnuts are one of those pungent, decidedly earthy fruits that should be savored and recognized as a culinary treasure. He and I have trekked through the woods of New England with plastic bags in hand searching out the trees, digging at their roots for the nuts covered in their brown-green husks, knocking squirrels out of the way if necessary.
The husks have come back home, sat in a basket in the hallway to dry out, and then the onerous process begins of extracting the nut from the husk. That process usually involves a hammer or vice grips. Now you see why these nuts are such a treasure. Steve has been experimenting with these nuts quite a bit. As unofficial taste tester, I’ve enjoyed Black Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies, Wild Rice with Black Walnuts (served alongside Duck and Kale), and I think there was even Black Walnuts with Strawberries spooned over vanilla ice cream (or I might be making that one up!). Most recently, he served up Black Walnut French Toast. I’ve told enough folks about this dish that I thought I should share the recipe along with the few photos I managed before all I could think about was eating. Enjoy. 😉
Steve’s Black Walnut French Toast
enough for 2 people for Sunday brunch or perhaps a decadent dessert
leftover bread, sliced thick
3 eggs
black walnuts, chopped, approx. half a cup
cinnamon
nutmeg
cream
In large bowl, mix the eggs, add cinnamon, nutmeg and little bit of cream. Once well mixed, toss in the black walnuts. Warm a frying pan and add some butter. Dip the bread in the egg mixture. Coat well and then drop in the frying pan, browning on both sides.
For those who might like the crunch of nuts, be sure to scoop out nuts from the mixing bowl and press into the toast.
Serve with butter, warm maple syrup and perhaps some bacon on the side.
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged color, cooking, food, Inspiration, Photography, photos, pictures, taste, texture on December 7, 2011| 3 Comments »
I am now used to going to the store and spying some cool vegetable, bringing it home to photograph and then turning to a startled Steve and saying, “Okay, you can cook it now.” In our time together, I have come to greatly respect both the aesthetics and the flavor of his off-the-cuff culinary expressions. What I’m not used to is walking through the door and him saying, “Wait until you see what I picked up at the market. You have to photograph it before we eat it!” It quickly became clear why this edible excited a science guy. 😉
I’ve seen exotic cauliflowers before but never one quite like this. A Romanesco. “Reminds me of the Mandlebrot set,” Steve said matter of factly. “See how each little sprig is self-referential?” Well … while I did have to look up a few terms later, I do understand what he was saying about the fractal nature of this little guy. It was fun to photograph, and more fun to eat.
In the end, Steve chopped it up then sauteed it in olive oil with minced garlic, a little chopped red onion and a small handful of chanterelle mushrooms. I can’t wait to see what he picks up at the farmer’s market this weekend!
