serious luxury

1. missoni cashmere legwarmers from net-a-porter

2. a leather helmet from Tod's

3. jewellery boxes and cases from Smythson, Pickett and Anya Hindmarch

and i thought there was a recession on...

Burfitt

action shot - probably the furthest shortlegs Flor has ever got off the ground

  

wedding dresses from j crew

not that i'm engaged or anything, but one of my dearest friends is, and i have been "helping her" by spending way too much time browsing wedding sites. before that i spent many hours looking at engagement rings with her fiance.

anyway, i have developed a huge liking for the wedding dresses that j.crew sells. they're beautiful in their simplicity and elegance. no frou frou crap.

i need to get a life (or get married).

STYLE

I conclude (after years of voraciously style-stalking people) that the Milanese do it best, followed by the Parisians, the Londoners and then the New Yorkers.

ITALIAN STYLE

FRENCH STYLE

LONDON STYLE

NEW YORK STYLE

This just arrived in my inbox:

CESAR MILLAN was scheduled to perform at the Patriot Center on Sunday December 6, 2009, at 5:30PM unfortunately that performance have been cancelled. You will receive an automatic credit back to your charge card minus the non-refundable processing fee of $4.00. If tickets were purchased at an Outlet or the box offices please contact them directly.

I am in mourning.

La Flor y El Chiquitin

Snail Omelette and Chanterelles

Sounds gross I know. I forget the French name, which sounds so much more inviting.

Anyway, I used canned snails which meant half the work was already done. I sauteed them in olive oil with garlic (which I then discarded), shallots and chopped parsley. I splashed in a little chicken stock as it was quite dry. In another pan, I sauteed the sliced chanterelles in lots of butter (around three tablespoons), seasoned with salt and then set them aside in a warm place. In a third pan, I made up an omelette and when almost cooked I placed the snails on one half, flipped it shut and then popped it on a plate. By the way, I put in a bit of heavy cream when making the omelette, it makes the end result a little bit fluffier than when using water or regular milk. I served the mushrooms alongside the omelette. Not bad considering I had nothing in the fridge, so to speak!

Pecan Pie and Apple Tart

The pecan pie was surprisingly fast and easy to make. I used a premade wholemeal pie shell (what a cheat) for this pie. Pecan halves, eggs, light corn syrup, butter and sugar. 40 mins at 325 F and it was done.

I made the sweet pastry crust for the apple tart (flour, sugar, butter and 1 egg). I stewed some sliced apples for about 1 hour in lots of butter and light brown sugar, basically a light caramel...then added some thinly sliced rounds of apple in the last 20 mins. I blind-baked the crust for about 15 mins then filled it with the stewed apple, placing the lesser cooked rounds of apple on top, and baked the tart at 350 F for 25 mins.

You can tell the apple tart has a homemade crust, no?!!!

The Stuffing....

Given there are so few days left to Thanksgiving, and I have to go to work inbetween now and then, I thought I'd start on some dishes tonight.
I also picked up the brussel sprouts and the turkey. All 18lbs of it...! After a major springclean of the fridge, I was able to find space for the bird to inhabit until Wednesday when I will cook it.

I made the stuffing today - it can keep in the fridge, well covered, until Thursday. Very easy and hopefully it will be tasty. I am going to put it inside the turkey rather than cook it separately.

Clean and empty out your turkey - boil up the neck and giblets for one hour. Drain and reserve 3 cups of the water. You can dispose of the neck and giblets (Flor was thrilled with her rather fancy - in dog cuisine anyway - supper) at this stage.

Breadcrumbs, shallots, celery, 4 eggs, salt, pepper, sage, thyme, rosemary. Mix it all together. Add the giblet juices (for want of a better name) and mix well. Voila, you have your stuffing. Mine is now in the fridge, tightly wrapped and ready to be inserted into the turkey in 48hrs.

Tuscan Bean Soup

I made this up (!) based on a minestrone soup and used lima beans and Fuet sausage.

I boiled the beans and set them aside in hot water for a couple of hours to soak.

Fry some chopped garlic and diced fuet on a medium high heat (the sausage will give off a fair amount of its own oil).

Add carrots and celery, season with salt and pepper. Mix in the beans.

Pour in beef stock and some tomato frito (you can get this in cans if you don't want to make it from scratch) until the beans are almost covered. Stir in 2 tablespoons of tomato paste to give the soup some body.

Leave on low heat for 2 to 3 hours.

Serve with warm bread and enjoy.

If you like your food a little spicier, substitute the fuet for some spicy chorizo.

Parenting your children Cesar Millan--Dog Whisperer style

Check out this post in the NY Times today.

I wonder how an unruly child would respond to the TSSSST jab in the neck technique? Hmmm.

Talking of the Dog Whisperer, I am quite addicted to his programme. Sadly, many of his techniques don't have much effect on Flor. I know, I know, it's not her, it's ME! I still watch the show though, and occasionally practice my DW techniques, in the hope that one day something will magically work on the stubborn little ****.

I just bought tickets to see Cesar Millan in action at the Patriot Centre, Fairfax, Virginia on December 6th. My friend Jens, is bringing her chihuahua who apparently has the upper hand despite weighing just 7lbs. We can't take our dogs with us, so unfortunately there will be no laying of hands on Flor. Damn.

a birthday lunch that turned into supper, and an impromptu discotheque a la francais

what a fabulous way to spend a sunday.

S's birthday lunch - 23 people around one humungous table. his mother in law cooked a delicious meal -- courgette soup, a warm and hearty cassoulet served with couscous, colonel (lemon sorbet drizzled with vodka), fruit and apple tarts, mucho vino -- which everyone devoured. the house was filled with grown ups, toddlers, babies and it was lots of fun.

it began at 2pm, and it ended (regretfully) at 10pm with me having to drag a certain person away from some serious 80s grooving.

Thanksgiving Update

The meal of the year will take place in three days.

Today, I have a total of 3 acorn squashes.

The lamb has been ordered, to be collected tomorrow.

The turkey will be purchased and cooked tonight. Too late to get a pre-cooked bird.

[insert very UNAMUSED face]

G is taking care of the flatware, glassware and crockery, chairs too I hope. Not to mention the 2 extra tables (one for the young adults and the other for the food). Booze is also in his baileywick.

Thankfully I have Tuesday afternoon and all of Wednesday off work, so I will be that woman in Wholefoods on a mission, who on discovering there are no brussel sprouts left, will dissolve onto the floor amongst the fallen cheese sample bits, weeping bitterly.

Sushi-Ko, Wisconsin Avenue

Quite a disappointment. We sat at the bar. The service was good. The food was average at best. I went home with a very unhappy digestive system.

Not recommended.

Engagement Dinner at the Chef's Table, Brasserie Beck

Saturday night was Jen and Dave's engagement dinner. KK booked the Chef's Table -- five courses paired with wine and/or beer. Or orange juice if your name's Elaine.

In a word -- excellent.

Our chef was Brian K, the executive sous, and he did a marvellous job.

grouper over a potato rillette, duck breast, cheese selection, a delicious dessert (banana mousse inside a swiss roll) -- they gave us a vegetarian option too for one of the guests.

It isn't a cheap evening out, but it's worth it. The food was well above what we expected (given that we didn't think much of the cuisine on the regular menu) and the service was good.

We enjoyed it far more than the Tasting Table at Restaurant Eve.

Highly recommended for a treat!

18 for Thanksgiving dinner now...

This called for a pit stop at Sur La Table where I picked up some of those great paper cake cases that you can bake into and serve -- also super practical if you're taking the cake as a present and need to transport it. No need for cake pans. I got 2 tart cases, 2 loafs and 2 deep cake cases. That should keep us covered for the holiday season next week. I also got some silicon oven gloves as the regular material ones have not done such a good job lately - if they're even the tiniest bit damp after being washed, the heat goes right through them. Now I've developed an almost Pavlov-like reaction when I wear them--I don't even have to be touching the freaking oven trays and I am already in pain. Let's hope the silicon gloves fix that.

Picked up some more cheesecloths, and some little bouquet garni pouches. They also tempted me with, and I gave in when I saw them, some soup stock socks -- same as the bouquet garni pouches except much larger, meaning you can put all of your veggies etc into the broth and boil away for hours, and there's no need to sieve the veggies out afterwards. They promise a clear broth as a result. We shall see.... Anything to avoid skimming and sieving the fat off...

As you might have guessed, I love SLT *sigh* and could spend every day in there for a month.

The reason I went in the first place was to run in and get an engagement gift...of course once I was inside, the speedy stop turned into 30 minutes of oohing and aahing. Pathetic.

A second stop (enroute home) was at the Paper Source where I couldn't resist getting some of those bird stamps...and then placecards....and not forgetting the letterstamps too.... I have now made 18 placement cards for Thanksgiving dinner. It was so much more fun that I'd thought it was going to be. I kept finding mistakes that irked me, and that just gave me another excuse to redo the (almost invisible) mistakes and continue stamping away to my little heart's content. The sad thing is, they look as though a 10yr old did them, but I love them and they are today's achievement!

Now I'm off to make ratatouille for supper.

this made me laugh!

SOMEONE READS MY BLOG

he (Richard) even has it on RSS -- not that i have the faintest idea what that is, but I so don't care because I have a reader!!

The A-Z of winter style rules

The Times fashion team lays down the law on the season’s latest trends, from bare legs to hair colour and coat lengths:

Avoid angora It is poor man’s cashmere. Also, it leaves fluff on the inside of your Balmain-inspired pointy shouldered blazer and gets stuck in your nose.

Bare those legs It may seem a mite counter-intuitive, but for true fashion warriors now is the time to start anticipating spring/summer 2010 — and bare legs comes with the territory. Unsheathed gams are ten-a-penny midsummer, but hit a midwinter party fashion-forward (and sans tights) and you’ll be the one making maximum impact. So be bold in the cold.

Can the tan Alas, it’s time to ban the tan Forsake the Tango-ed rabble Once burnished winter skin said jet set, Mustique, Mick, oh yes, and Margaret (as in the Princess, not Drabble). Now it just screams Jordan.

Dye your hair blonde While everyone else is busy stuffing their hair into hats and shuffling around under a grey sky, there is something wonderfully defiant about dyeing your hair an utterly frivolous shade of blonde. Besides, there is no better time of year to achieve that perfect golden shade: no sun to interfere with your highlights, no swimming pool to turn them green. Looks excellent with red.

Equilibrium is the key to harmonious hems If you think that a coat is a tool for warmth protection, you are missing the point. A coat is the closest fashion comes to architecture, and for that reason, there should be no toying with its clean, balanced lines. Richard Rogers would never finish his latest injection into the sky with a billowy awning — neither should you let you skirt dangle too far below your coat hem. Under-hang must reach no more than five — nicely tailored — centimetres.

Fight the frump The sloppy cardigan is the wet fish of fashion: it’s able to reduce perfectly fashionable dresses to sartorial slush. Two words: dump it. Three more words: buy a blazer.

Glove Rage: Oil? Land? Religion? To be honest, we can’t get that worked up. But losing a glove, not being able to fit your slinky new elbow-length Italian beauties under your elasticated sleeves or over your bulky new elbow-sized cocktail ring and bangles — now those are genuine people’s problems. And they’re happening ON A DAILY BASIS. End the grief cycle by buying two matching pairs, donating the digit jewellery to Frieze’s next Sculpture in the Park project and investing in brooches instead.

Heels Boots, schmoots In Yakutia, Siberia (the coldest place on Earth, come winter) they build their houses on stilts to minimise contact with the permafrost. Heels do precisely the same for your feet. And you are allowed to wear socks.

Invest in a whooshy thing Incredibly, this command has yet to make it on to the cover of Vogue. Don’t be fooled, though. The Whooshy Thing, this season’s sleeper hit — capes, cloaks, huge chunks of knitwear that no one, least of all the Polish sales assistant in River Island, has yet worked out how to wear — lacks a certain hanger appeal. This is good news, since with any luck they’ll all end up in the sales and you can unleash your inner origamist, layering, draping and sneaking in the odd safety pin to your heart’s content. You’ll be warm, chic and slouchy. In a good way. And everyone will think that you’ve been to Rick Owens.

Juggle seasons Controversially, the powers that be (us) have decreed that as of this moment, you can wear next season’s trends now. Why should Gwyneth and co get to flog them to death while you patiently play by the rules and wait til spring? It’s not as if you don’t already know what’s going to be massive in 2010. So work those patterns and nude shades. If we all stand shoulder-to-shoulder on this, we could cover 2015 by the end of next year.

Knot your scarf  From the French twist to the slip knot, dedicated scarf-wearers should repel the snood-pseuds by experimenting with tying techniques this winter. Long, chunky scarves (cashmere, please) are particularly versatile.

Let your toenails breathe Winter is the one time when you can afford to skip the nail polish (although not the pedicure, unless you want to emerge in spring with feet resembling those of an armadillo). Seeing your toenails without their customary coating of varnish may come as a shock at first (there is always a certain unpleasant greyness to the nail), but it will do them good to get some air. Cut them short, give them a buff and treat with a little almond oil.

Make like Madonna and wear a hat If your hair is short, stick to a style that you can wear on the back of your head and still show some fringe. Accessorize has a huge selection of berets to choose from, starting at £10. Long, straight hair needs a hat that isn’t too tight to avoid the nasty “hat line” around the hair. A trilby is a stylish option, or a deerstalker in a dark colour looks fabulous with longer hair and is the ultimate in warmth. Try men’s departments for simple colours and styles.

Needles at the ready A new Womens Institute-friendly generation has seized on knitting as a form of therapy. Casting on allows them to cast off 21st-century pressure to have it all, and channel instead the pre-feminist delights of “simple” hausfrau life. Pah, to that: we can have it all — and that includes knitting, just for the sake of making beautiful things.

Outerwear as outerwear Would you choose a blanket over a duvet? No. So why suffer in old-fashioned overcoats when the bad weather sets in, then? There is nothing wrong with something thick and Michelin Man-esque. Thanks to Moncler, the glossy European down jacket experts, long, puffy outerwear has broken free of après ski.

Purple reigns It is unfair to categorise purple as just one colour when there are so many options — mauve, violet, electric, plum — a shade to suit everyone. It looks great with almost any other colour, too; greys and blacks for the office, other shades of purple for a tonal look, or clashed with yellow or orange for a bold statement.

Queue to get a pot of Chanel’s hot winter nail varnish shade — which is, somewhat mysteriously, green. Jade and Jade Rose have been the surprise hits of the season, causing unseemly dashes in department stores among fashionistas keen to get their hands on this hot catwalk trend. Currently sold out, Chanel is expecting a new batch before Christmas.

Rock red Because it’s sultry. And Miuccia Prada used it as her only accent to an otherwise brown winter collection — we aren’t going to argue with her powers. If nothing else, find your perfect red nail varnish.

Sunglasses Who says shades feel out of place without a bikini? Not us. The right (read: biggest) sunglasses add a shiny slick of attitude to woolly things.

Tights: the thicker, the better Unless you’re looking to shock and awe (see point 2), tights are an inevitable part of your winter wardrobe. Best in opaque — preferably woolly — black.

Unleash your calves There is a certain breed of corporate woman who thinks it is OK to wear knee-high pointy boots with knee-length pencil skirts. She is wrong. That offending slice of goose-bumped skin left shivering in the middle should be proof enough. The proportions are all wrong, too: a clunky boot with a slim skirt gives way too much emphasis to your calves. Do your legs a favour — keep long boots for the weekend.

Venerate your eyebrows Winter faces tend to look dull and tired at the best of times. Add a few late nights and rather too many glasses of cava, and the eye area may find itself in need of a serious boost. Nothing opens up the expression as much as a well-shaped eyebrow. Threading, waxing or plucking, it’s up to you, but threading produces a clean, precise line and is relatively painless. Take a couple of paracetamol before you go.

Work a snood Snoods are an issue that still divides the fashion team. Happily, this entry is being written by a pro-snood-er. Similar to walking around with a warm hug around your shoulders, frankly, what’s not to like?

X = ZY2 A complex equation that we’ve devised to figure out when it is cold enough to wear thermal vests. Yes, we know, they sound about as sexy as cold sores, but if you really can’t say “thermal” and “vests” in the same sentence, listen to Uniqlo. The Japanese outfitter calls them Heat Tech, which sounds impressive, but does exactly the same job. Goodbye woolly layers.

Yes, you can have surgery January: a month for monkish withdrawal, sober contemplation of the year ahead, and detoxification. That’s the line to trot out when in fact you’re at home watching Loose Women and changing the dressing on your abdominoplasty scars.

Zoom in on ankles: this is simple. Socks and ballet pumps are not OK. Socks slouched above ankle boots are sublime. You choose.

Italians' plea: Don't mess with our mozarella!

by Alex Renton from the Times Online
November 19, 2009

"I got my hands on some real mozzarella the other day — in fact I was elbow deep in a trough of very hot water, wrestling the raw molten cheese into the knots and tennis balls of fior di latte [from fresh cow’s milk]. This was hard work. The cheesemakers beside me at Francesco Cito’s Lanzillotti dairy in the Puglian town of San Vito Dei Normanni had hands that looked like boiled hams. But it is very pleasing. Stretching and shaping the fluid is one of the great sensual labours of food making — on a par with kneading pizza dough, shelling broad beans, or thrashing an octopus to tenderise it.


Like most of us in this country I was pretty ignorant about mozzarella. We admire the Daz-white of its virgin state, the gloopy chewiness when melted. But the British don’t really go for things that are more about texture than taste, or not since suet was removed from the national diet. Like so many Mediterranean ingredients that come in specialised forms — olive oil is one — we don’t understand mozzarella and we abuse it.

At many delis, even when the fresh buffalo mozzarella sells for nearly £30 a kilogram, or £7 a tennis ball, you’ll find it hard to discover whether the snowballs of cheese in a bowl of the salty water is made from the milk of buffalo or cows (fior di latte). But these are important distinctions. Of course most southern Italians would spurn any “fresh” mozzarella more than 24 hours old. But they are eating mozzarella as God intended it, unpasteurised.

Here we’re now aware that you can eat mozzarella in a salad. But I’ve been in restaurants where they’ve used the stuff that comes shrink-wrapped in a brick. And drenching good mozzarella with balsamic vinegar is barbaric — as much of an insult to the delicate salty flavour as loading it with ketchup. But the thing that amuses Italian cooks is our squandering of the expensive stuff — fresh and wet — on pizza toppings. That is plain ignorant.

You can occasionally get fresh, unpasteurised mozzarella at Borough Market in London, but it will have been flown in from Italy. Most of the few British makers, like the McCreerys at Gifford near Edinburgh, have been warned off using raw milk by health and safety concerns. But at Golden River Farms, where 60 buffalo are kept in the Purbeck Hills in Dorset, unpasteurised milk is used. The farm pledges to send mozzarella within 24 hours of making it. In DC, you can get it fresh at Vace on Connecticut Avenue.

Edinburgh’s famous deli Valvona and Crolla sells good pasteurised mozzarella, and occasionally the extraordinary treat of burrata. This is a shell of mozzarella encasing thick, very faintly sour cream. It’s the cheese equivalent of a great chocolate truffle, and about as costly. Mary Contini, the chef and co-proprietor of Valvona’s, says she would use fresh mozzarella in some cooked dishes — particularly winter fillers such as lasagne al forno or an aubergine parmigiana, where the mozzarella adds a gorgeous creaminess. If you want a parmigiana recipe, there’s an excellent one in Jamie Oliver’s Jamie’s Italy cookbook.

Unlike most cheeses, mozzarella is not named for place, but how it is made. Mozza is a Neapolitan word meaning “cut”, and the cheese is indeed chopped, torn and even knotted when it is a mass of coagulated curd in the hot salty water at Francesco’s dairy. Another variety he and his mother sell is stracciatella — from the Italian verb meaning “tear to bits”: it becomes little shreds of mozzarella inside a shell of the stuff. It was blissful eating and the children crammed it in.

I like my fresh mozzarella served in the style known as caprese or tricolore — the latter because the basil leaves, sliced tomato, and mozzarella make the same three colours as the Italian flag. But this salad is not as easy as it sounds: if the tomatoes aren’t full of flavour and perfectly ripe they’ll let you down like a drunken dad at a wedding. I asked Mary Contini how she would eat mozzarella. “The way my ancestors did in Mondragone: fresh, from the farm dairy, sliced with a little olive oil and salt, at room temperature. A treat, like an ice cream.”"

I may go to hell for saying this but...

As we all know, DC is hardly the epicentre of style; it's not even close to the perimeter of taste.

Project Beltway is a DC style blog that has a large, dedicated following. Once a week I take a peek to see what's happening in this hotbed of a sartorial crapitol city, and have today been blown away by something so vile, I had to post it.

If this is what our style maven is touting, then just kill me now.

Is there any woman out there who really still wants to style themselves like Carrie Bradshaw???

best dog picture ever (and no it's not of Flor)

i know some people are not pug fans, likening them to a boiled raisin, but how can you not love this fellow?

image courtesy of imgur

Aeroplane food

I know just one person who enjoys (not tolerates but really likes!) aeroplane food. She is a hoot, so it's not surprising. There is little in this world she doesn't see the positive side to.

Most everyone else hates it with a passion.

I have tried to get around the usual "CHICKEN or PASTA???" by pre-ordering:

1) low-sodium -- 2 stale biscuits and a salad sans dressing. i was so hungry i could have eaten the plastic fork.

2) diabetic -- shame on me i know but...all potato and no pudding. oh, but you get aditional stale bread rolls. joy.

3) gluten-free -- don't even go there. it should read taste-free with textures that make you gag uncontrollably.

I thought G was the only person in the world who did this, ha ha...!

Here's the Guardian's list of the top ten miniature pets!

I'll take a hedgehog please

No need for a miniature pig though -- we already have Flor

Who is my audience?

Last night G got me thinking about who my audience is.

Errr, nobody?

So why do I write on this blog?

Well, it's is an outlet for me to post my photos and write about anything that might cross my mind. If anyone is reading this, well that would be fantastic, but I'm not selling or promoting anything, so it's really all about self-indulgence and vanity, ahem. Oh, and FLOR!!!

I love taking photos -- only when they come out well though. I am eternally grateful for the invention of the digital camera. There was almost nothing more disappointing than getting a roll of film back from the 1-hour speed printing to discover all or most of your photos were shite. Allelujah for Photoshop/Microsoft Picture Manager too. Who doesn't love anything that can make you look normal in a photograph?

I like to post photos that show part of my life, but not too much of it. G has banned me from showing any photos of his face (he is super private), which is why you get to see a lot of his hands. I enjoy other blogs that have a "look into my life" feel to them, and I suppose that guides what I do here too.

The bottom line is, I am very nosey.

There's a gadget that allows me to show my Followers. I am too chicken to implement that, as it's not really cool or ego-pleasing to have a big fat ZERO is it? Hmmm.

See, I told you it's all about self-indulgence....

Red Lipstick

As someone who wore red lipstick many years ago but then discontinued it as I realised it made my teeth look yellow (ugh), I am tempted to rediscover the colour...but hopefully with a shade that flatters my bouche this time!

this is Jenny who totally rocks the red

true love

the laying down of the gauntlet (well, the squeaky toy mouse actually)

this is their daily routine

there's usually much more chewing going on but no teeth or claws

this looks like a lot of activity but in fact it's just one roll. mother nature was not kind when she gave Flor the shortest legs in the world...

Flor wearing cableknit rosa mexicana

that's her tail no less

Flor

 

Flor's favourite place - next to me at the top of the garden stairs

rice pudding

all you need is:

rice, milk, egg yolks, a cinnamon stick, orange peel, sugar, butter

+ nutmeg for decoration

Best job in the world: animal photographer!

Take a look at the etsy site of Sharon Montrose where she's selling her cute and affordable photographs.

Dear Santa

I know Christmas is 5 weeks away, but there's no harm in early planning. I would dearly love any of the following at any point in my life, but if anything should be available this year that would be lovely and I wouldn't complain.

Fiat Cincquecento, aka the Fiat 500
Synonymous in England with Fix-It-Again-Tony, I am totally fine with that having seen lots of these cute cars in Italy. If the Italians drive them, they must be okay! Sadly [insert big sigh and silent weeping], I doubt these cars will ever make it to the US because they are so small. Americans tell me that small cars are not safe on the motorways over here. Right. Try telling that to the Germans with their autobahn.

In baby blue, dark grey or really any colour, I'm not fussy.

Furs. I know, PETA is screaming right now, but I don't care. I eat meat, wear leather and I love animals (I have 5 for god's sake, and probably prefer them to humans most of the time). My pets love my furs more than I do, and given half the chance they would be sporting them atop their own (Miau would wear hers with diamonds).

Hmm imagine that for a Christmas card photo: Miau-Mink and Agatha-Fox decorating the tree, Chiquitin-Rabbit reclining by the fireplace, Bear-Beaver sipping his sherry, and Flor-Leopard playing bridge. I'm kidding about the Leopard.... and the bridge, it'd more likely to be Snap.

Shoes. Of course. No list would be complete without shoes. Or boots. Preferably in suede. Flat. Handmade. Italian. Ginger or butterscotch suede/nappa leather *dreamy expression on face, eyes glazing over*

Clothing. A good well-cut, tailored to perfection, flat-fronted trouser suit. In dark grey chalkstripe. The finest wool. Skinny cut.

Books. Do coffee table books count as literature? Tod’s New Limited Edition ‘Italian Touch’ Coffee Table Hardcover; Richard Avedon's Women in the Mirror;

Furniture. A table lamp, something in glass with rounded lines.

Santa's reply: Go and play the lottery and keep dreaming you overindulged, spoilt brat.

A light supper

Fried artichokes in butter:

6 small/baby artichokes -- wash and prepare them, ie remove the outer smaller leaves at the base of each artichoke and then slice each into 3 wedges. Dredge them in flour and then dip in beaten egg yolks. Now fry gently in 3 to 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter (over a medium heat) until the artichokes are tender and browned. Salt to taste. Serve with lots of melted butter.

Serve alongside a plate of charcuterie (wild boar salami, prosciutto, etc) with olives.

Adding a cheese platter doesn't hurt too much either

We brought back several Italian treats -- Bini and panforte; both to die for and they won't last long

Bini is a torrone (nougat) wrapped in rice paper. Chewy, sweet, delicious

Panforte is dense sweet cake with orange and lemon rind to name just a few of its many ingredients...

from Wikipedia:

Documents from 1205 show that panforte was paid to the monks and nuns of a local monastery as a tax or tithe which was due on the seventh of February that year. Literally, panforte means "strong bread" which refers to the spicy flavour. The original name of panforte was "panpepato" (peppered bread), due to the strong pepper used in the cake. There are references to the Crusaders carrying panforte, a durable confection, with them on their quests, and to the use of panforte in surviving sieges.

The process of making is fairly simple. Sugar is dissolved in honey and various nuts, fruits and spices are mixed together with flour. The entire mixture is baked in a shallow pan.

Currently there are many shops in Italy producing panforte, each recipe being their jealously guarded interpretation of the original confection and packaged in distinctive wrapping. Usually a small wedge is served with coffee or a dessert wine after a meal, though some enjoy it with their coffee at breakfast.

In Siena — which is regarded by many, not least most inhabitants of that city, as the panforte capital of Italy — it is sometimes said that panforte should properly contain seventeen different ingredients, seventeen being the number of Contrade within the city walls.

FLOR! A gratuitous puppy photo of my girl

Angulas; Tiger Prawns; Boeuf Bourgignon and Chocolate Cake

Sunday evening, we had the family over for G's belated birthday supper, and he had requested boeuf bourgignon as the main course. As I am still wearing the mantle of crap and useless gift giver (my gift to him arrived and was returned to sender because we weren't there to sign for it - however, it finally arrive in time for a belated celebration), I decided I would prepare/make everything....the aperitifs (cold meats/salamis from Spain), the starter (salt shrimp) and the main course (the beef). The nephews had made and were bringing the pudding - chocolate birthday cake.

The starter: Angulas (baby eels Spanish style)
We picked up the large tiger prawns from our friend Santi along with some meats and some eels. Yes, eels. See photo of the pan which looks as though it contains white worms. Gag. Anyway, they are really delicious - heat them up with olive oil, freshly fried garlic and piquillos (we brought these little peppers back from Italy), and serve with warm bread. It took me months to get over the grossness of eating eels that resemble worms, but I'm glad I did. We also served some lomo, serrano and figs.

The proper starter: Shrimps Spanish style
I washed the prawns (gagging more than a few times when removing their long antennae), rubbed them with olive oil, then dredged them in rock salt. I then left them covered in the fridge for 2 hours to fully absorb the oil and salt. Just before you're ready to serve the dish, get your griddle, drizzle over 2 tablespoons of good olive oil, fry each prawn for at least 3 mins on each side over a relatively high heat. You'll generate mucho smoke...be warned... toss over a handle of parsley and give the prawns a final flip over or two - then serve with lime wedges.

The main dish: Beouf Bourgignon
I never thought I'd try a recipe for a classic French dish as written by a non-French person...but having watched Julie/Julia on the plane last week, I couldn't resist.

The beef dish was surprisingly time-consuming; though I kept reminding myself that this was the Cordon Bleu style, not cooking.com and to just get on with it...anyway, by the time it was done, I felt like I'd really achieved something very grown up! I used this website link...

http://cooking.knopfdoubleday.com/2009/07/13/julia-childs-boeuf-bourguignon-recipe/

I opened up the thumbnail pdf of the recipe and off I went.

I found it helped to have everything cut, prepared and measured out before I began. A little bit Blue Peter but it worked.

All was going swimmingly until I got to the part at the end that tells you to see page 483 for how to stock braise the onions. Nice. I'm not sure what came over me, but I decided to wing it - I used small white onions (as used for boiling or pickling) and sauteed them in lots of butter until they softened - then when the butter had all but gone, I added a cup of beef stock. I left this to simmer for 10 mins and threw in a couple of sage leaves. No salt, as the beef had plenty enough.

Other than the made-up onion part, I followed the recipe to the word - doing the long version where you separate the sauce from the meat and finish it off in two parts.

I served the beef alongside a small piling of fresh fettucine - drowned in butter just before serving.

Divine

Pudding:
Chocolate cake made by Claudia. Delicious, as always.

Thanksgiving countdown

Normally, Thanksgiving wouldn't warrant a mention this early, but we have to start planning rightaway. We will have 17 guests for dinner. What the hell is wrong with us?

I found out just now that Wagshal's sells pre-cooked turkeys that we can reheat on the day. Is that lazy and cheating? I so don't care, I'm not even sure our oven can take a 20lb turkey.

I can compensate with making the stuffing and gravy by hand, though, no? I'll also do the brussels sprouts and butternut squash, not forgetting the pecan pie and apple tart. Claudia (mi cuniada) is making the mashed potato, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and a pumpkin pie. We thought about doing macaroni cheese with white truffles but I think we'll do that for the following day -- to serve alongside the turkey tacos :-)

Los hombres will handle the drinks.

We have a large dining table that will sit all the adults, the children have the kitchen table -- so space will not be a problem. *Wipe sweat from brow*

Do we have enough crockery and silverware? Errr no. Ridgewells here we come.

I'm surprisingly relaxed about all the preparations. Perhaps my jetlag hasn't worn off fully yet...

It will be a huge family celebration, and not one of us is American. I don't think that matters though, it's about family travelling across the country (literally) to spend time together and give thanks for all that is good in our lives.

My cousin, Ellen, the very talented jeweller

One of my cousins is an extremely talented jeweller in Scotland (as well as being extremely wonderful, fun, crazy, hilarious and the most down to earth lady ever).

I asked her to make me a brooch -- as soon as I saw the design I knew I had to have it. It's outrageous and I love it. I got the smaller one.

Ellen's designs are perfect for someone who likes to make a statement and raise an eyebrow or two :-) Take a look at her website, she takes commissions!

Among her other brilliant pieces (which I have my eye on...) are

this galloping horse pin

 and this goose

Headgear

I love headgear, though God didn't necessarily give me the face or head to carry any of it off particularly well... Nonethless, I like other people in headgear enough to keep my obsession in check. Imagine wearing this out in uber-conservative, no style Washington DC.

Photo via Rack And Ruin

The black and white editorial was photographed by Richard Bush in the British highlands. Sarah Richardson styled the shoot. The bejeweled bottle cap and studded battle helmet is made by Scott Wilson. Scott is a jewellery designer who studied at the millinery at the Royal College of Art. While still in college he won a work placement with Karl Largefield in Paris whom he was commissioned by to make “mystical” wire head and body pieces for a fashion show. After a few seasons of making these pieces his work became very recognizable in the fashion industry. He has also collaborated with other fashion houses, like Hussein Chalayan.

A little bit Viktor and Rolf, a little bit Ann Demeulemeester

Some cool pieces on this Etsy blog

Fun reading

The Gallery of Regrettable Food

Baileys Home and Garden, Herefordshire, UK

i love this store. i love the website, the images, the products....and even more so that it's located not too far from my brother! guess who i will be badgering to pick up goodies for me...

Umbria

Tuscany

Milan

milan has the most beautiful cathedral/duomo. the work is breathtaking. and it's the only city i know that has maps with just the shops on it. fashion heaven...

for accommodation, grand hotel et de milan - on via manzoni

for shopping - just about everywhere you look

for breakfast, cova - what a treat!

Istanbul

First stop was Istanbul which was so underwhelming that I realised on looking through my photos today, this was subconsciously reflected in the crap pictures I took. I could blame it all on the camera, but that'd be unfair on Sony, so I will admit that had I not had a brilliant travel pal with me, I would have been peeved. We had a good laugh - so many things went wrong...from a short taxi trip to a local restaurant ending up being 40km outside of the city, costing us $150 and the dinner at the other end costing us as much...for fried chicken and a salad. Everything was in Turkish, the menu and the bill (see below), and at that point we didn't care anymore! And that was just on day one...

The weather was awful - cold and rainy every day, and I am sure this didn't help. It is also the most outrageously expensive city I have ever been to. $8 for a can (a CAN) of coke. In terms of attractions, the Blue Mosque was very disappointing (see below #1). Hagghia Sophia was on the other hand, stunning (see below #2). The Grand Bazaar was another confusing attraction - why were the prices in the bazaar more than those in the stores? Odd, especially considering everything that was sold was either black market fake (with signs reading "Genuine Fakes") or just touristy tat.

The locals were nothing if not super persistent with literally dragging you off the street into their shops. After a few days this became unbearable. We resorted to being Spaniards who couldn't converse in English - it was a shame that the chap who accosted us happened to speak Spanish. The next time I ran into a man who looked just like him, but wasn't him and therefore couldn't speak Spanish, I was so confused about what language I last used that I pretended to be hard of hearing and partly mute. I should have just told him to sod off but of course I didn't want to be rude. Sigh.

The best part of the trip, and the one thing I highly recommend to anyone visiting Istanbul, is to have a hamam. Visit a Turkish Bath, the one we went to was excellent - Camberlitas Hamam.

The women's section is separate from the men, although both building interiors are identical. We chose the luxury package which was a scrub down, bathing and a massage. It was a bit of a treat to ourselves for having survived the city with our nerves and tempers intact. What a treat it was. We were scrubbed down, soaped from head to toe, lay down on a warm marble slab of a table (sauna like effect), sat in the jacuzzi, got washed down all over again, and then had a relaxing massage. It's a topless event (you're given fresh new knickers if you don't take your bikini bottoms with you) - but there's no need for embarrassment or awkwardness as the masseuses are also topless....I have to say that it was a little disconcerting at first to see the women walking around basically letting it all hang out (literally) but we got used to it, and it was really liberating to be surrounded by women who had shed both their clothing and their body insecurities.

Oh and did I mention that there were cats everywhere?

The Topkapi Palace was half closed unfortunately, but we did see the Treasury and gawped at the emeralds that were the size of duck eggs. We lef the last part of the Palace until the end, but then chatted for too long over a cup of tea and before we knew it, the guards were asking us to leave as the Palace had closed. Oops.

We did wonder why everything that could have gone wrong did...perhaps it was our room number.

flor and flores

Salt-Baked Chicken + Pear and Honey Tart

I baked a whole chicken in a salt crust scented with lapsang souchong tea leaves, accompanied with cauliflower cheese.

Followed by a pear and honey tart, served with vanilla ice cream.

Seduction cuisine for bachelors and a recipe for Devilled Kidneys

from The Times October 22, 2009

Seduction cuisine for bachelors, by Alex Renton

When I first started to cook for women, I was impressed by a pasta-for-dummies book that featured the simple sauce — a dressing, really — aglio, olio e peperoncino (garlic, oil and chilli). The blurb ran: “This exquisitely simple yet elegant supper is a favourite of the Roman bachelor, who might make it in his apartment for a lady friend on returning from an evening at La Scala.”

 

I pictured myself dinner-jacketed, humming Verdi as I briskly chopped the parsley to finish the dish; perched on the kitchen counter would be Sofia Loren in an off-the-shoulder dress, the look on her face as she watched my deft hands a tumult of hunger and desire.

The reality, of course, was more hum-drum. “Would you like to come back to my place for spaghetti with garlic and chilli?” I would suavely ask my date as we left the movies. “You what?” she would reply, deeply sceptical. “You call that dinner?”

“Well, I’ve got some Parmesan.”

But the spirit of this dish is right. Bachelor cooking should — in the Playboy world where Cary Grant or Sean Connery wields skillet withoutbreaking sweat — be elegant, simple and apparently effortless. Ian Fleming, Bond’s creator, only published one recipe: it was for scrambled eggs with fines herbes, served with pink champagne. I had a mate whose reputation was built on just one kitchen trick, but that was a perfect cheese soufflé: it would appear without fuss, immaculately risen and a golden tropical tan on top. A sure-fire pulling dish — a tightrope recipe executed with insouciance.

Classic bachelor cuisine is spicy and eye-opening: the man-about-town’s store cupboard needs anchovies, capers, truffle oil, smoked roe and Tabasco in it. Perfectly formed savouries — devils on horseback, kidneys, anchovy toast, a spicy welsh rarebit, an immaculate mushroom sauce — are proper chaps’ dishes. But they’re not necessarily useful for seduction. Girls are more moved by artifice: my wife’s fondest memory of food for love is a perfect mango, beautifully cut (not by me).

I’ve asked lots of women what was the first dish a boyfriend cooked for them. Many complain that the kitchen revealed the caveman: slabs of meat or fish to prove the potential mate’s skill as a hunter-gatherer. I used to do surprising risottos: squid, ceps and chianti was a favourite. This had its failings but it came out a wonderful purple. I would serve it with a radicchio and chicory on white plates amid mauve candles. That was the 1990s of course. I looked up GQ magazine to see what today’s young buck is cooking — or what style gurus think he should cook. What I found was a recipe for “beer-braised beef”, a dish for lads, not suave bachelors.

Gentlemen, of course, cook mainly offal. The writer William Coles, who has just published a life of that kitchen bad boy, Lord Lucan (Legend Books), claims to have uncovered the dish that Lucan would cook late at night to bolster his spirits after a ruinous evening at the Clermont Club. It was devilled kidneys. Some people can’t stand kidneys: the smell and leathery texture closes a door on many women. But devilling, with its Raj-era spicing is a gorgeous way to serve any pungent meat.

Here I’ve slightly adapted Fergus Henderson’s recipe for kidneys, which comes from his great “nose to tail” cookbook The Whole Beast, which every red-blooded bachelor should own. Henderson suggests eating them for breakfast with Black Velvet (champagne and Guinness, mixed 50/50); but I like serving them at the end of a dinner party, as a savoury.

Devilled kidneys
Ingredients
8 lambs’ kidneys (two per person is quite a lot)
3 dessertspoon flour
1 tsp hot cayenne
1 tsp Colman’s mustard powder
Knob of butter
Worcestershire sauce
30ml chicken stock
Wholemeal toast

Clean the kidneys until their skin fat and gristle is gone (the butcher may do this for you). Cut them in half lengthways with a sharp knife (or smaller if you don’t like kidneys pink in the middle) . Mix all the spices with the flour and roll the kidneys in them until well coated. Melt a good chunk of butter in a hot pan, and cook for two minutes each side, with a hearty splash of Worcestershire sauce. Then add a further splash of chicken stock. Remove the kidneys and put them on the toast, turn up the heat so the sauce reduces and emulsifies, and pour it over.

I am not sure that --even if Cary Grant had served me-- devilled kidneys would have done the trick...

Launch of the American Fashion Cookbook

'My colleague keeps a packet of chocolate buttons on her desk and every Friday - as a treat - eats half of one'

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) have launched the American Fashion Cookbook.
Great, your average food adverse fashionista needs a cookbook, like a fish needs a bicycle. It contains the favourite recipes of 100 designers.

 read more

bouchons chocolat

bouchon = cork

3 ½ ounces bittersweet chocolate, such as Valrhona Guanaja 70%, chopped 3 ½ ounces unsweetened chocolate, such as Scharffen Berger 99%, chopped
1 ¾ cups cake flour
1 ½ Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, such as Ghirardelli

Adjust a rack to the middle position, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 12-well muffin pan or mini popover pan with butter or cooking spray.

In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the bittersweet and unsweetened chocolates together, stirring occasionally. When the chocolates are just melted, remove the bowl from the heat and set it aside.

Sift the flour, cocoa, and salt together into a medium bowl. Set it aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer (or a mixing bowl), beat the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the melted chocolate until well incorporated. Using a rubber spatula or spoon, stir and fold in the dry ingredients in three additions. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine. The batter will be quite thick.

Divide the batter between the wells of the muffin tin or popover pan. Bake the cakes for 15-18 minutes, or until they still feel quite soft in their centers when pressed lightly with your index finger. Do not overbake them, or they will be dry.

Remove the pan from the oven, and allow to cool on a rack for about 10 minutes. Carefully remove the cakes from the pan and cool completely before eating or storing.

wallpapers

when i have my dream house, which of course will have a dressing room/boudoir especially pour moi (!), it will have wallpaper like this...

or this

available from Rockett St George

Irving Penn RIP

There are just too many beautiful Penn photos to choose from. One of the world's greatest photographers, without a doubt.

my dream garden

if I could have my dream garden, it would be one with enough nooks and crannies to hide behind;

deep borders in which to plant rows of cottage-style flowering plants of all shapes, sizes and heights;

some lawn on which Flor can rolypoly upon to her heart's content (and G to his too);

some trees from which to hang a couple of hammocks and where the gatitos can (literally) hang out like leopards;

and maybe even a pond (though Flor fat-head can't swim so that might be a no-go).

more than anything though, what i'd really love is a secret garden, tucked away at the back, accessible by a gate strewn with honeysuckle. sigh.

my bulbs just arrived -- tulips, anemones, hydrangeas, paeonies, bearded irises, crocuses...this weekend (if the rain holds off) will be dedicated to gardening.

calligraphy updated

I am dying to find a reason to use these scripts...

both from Betsy Dunlap

Why don't my always skinny Gap jeans look this good on me?!!

this is my kind of shoe tree (courtesy of Roger Vivier)

fashion queen

sleeping in the sun

birthday dinner

Grand Marnier Souffles

Having put this off since my cooking class at CulinAerie, I finally took the plunge and attempted to recreate some Grand Marnier souffles....I amazed myself - they came out well! No explosions, no sunken messes, and no centre-less crusts! Success. I made a creme anglaise to put inside and that gave it an added touch of deliciousness.

Yorkshire Puddings and Roast Beef

Incredibly, I had my first homecooked roast beef and yorkshire pudding in the States just last week.

I'd never made yorkshire puddings before so it was a bit nerve-wracking. Like with meringues, the formula is really simple but also has enough science in it to render it nigh on impossible to get right.

Mine were okay, not great, but they held their shape and tasted good. The only thing I didn't like was that their bases weren't crisp enough.

I roasted a shoulder of beef - also very simple, just salt and pepper, stuffed in a few garlic cloves and popped it in the oven. It came out nicely.

The gravy was also homemade using the fat and juices from the meat. That was probably my favourite part of the whole meal.

The World of Flor

You'll often hear French Bulldogs described as 'gregarious' or 'friendly', which is usually a polite euphamism for 'they're sort of slutty and will ditch you for the first person to offer them a scratch on the head'. So true. Tart.

Did you ever wonder why stubborn people are referred to as 'bull headed'? Implacably stubborn, always determined to get their own way, and a challenge to obedience train, Frenchies prefer things be done their way, or not at all. Flor is the queen of manipulation and cunning. When she really doesn't get her way she will sulk (with the occasional pissy grunt thrown in in case you've forgotten that she's there, still sulking, 10 mins later).

You know that rare oriental carpet that you're so attached to? Well, your Frenchie just peed on it. Oh, is that a toy under the table? No it's a pooh. One of the most incredibly difficult breeds to housebreak. Goodbye carpeting, hello wooden floors (and Cesar Millan's odor destroyer spray now purchased by the gallon).

The advice: Accidents WILL happen. If you catch her right in the midst of the act rush her outside.
What happens in real life when I follow the advice: Trail pee all around the house as you dash with puppy in your hands with arms outstretched trying desperately to avoid pee ending up on your head, clothes, feet - and by the time you get outside, the peeing is over and the puppy is wondering what the hell just happened, and why your hair is wet.

You're getting ready for bed, and suddenly you hear it - Is it an animal caught in a trap? Someone/thing choking to death? WTF is that horrific screeching/screaming sound? It's just Flor, expressing her opinion about being put to bed earlier than she thought fair. It's called the Frenchie death yodel. Nice.

They said: Watchdog - Somewhat. Will bark at perceived dangers. Dangers? Oh, you mean the flowerpot that fell on her head after she headbutted it to get to the plants inside it. Or even the can of mosquito spray that fell over and made a little tinkling sound when it landed. Or the leaf that blew past her nose a little too quickly for her liking.

They also said: Energy level is Moderate. Low impact dog. Enough energy to act silly, play a bit, take a walk and curl up on his owners lap. LIE LIE LIE. Flor is the most active little s*** on the planet. Nothing wears her out except for obedience training when her poor little brain is exhausted after 10 mins of Sit, Sit, SIT, Staay, Staaaaaaaaaaaaaay, STAY SIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTT NOOOOOOOOOOOW. Otherwise she will run/skid/tumble for 30 mins, walk fast continually for an hour, sit for 20 seconds, roll on a dead mouse, then start all over again. And low impact? More like ability to crack my skull open with one small misplaced butt of the head.

spot the difference: his and hers

his kind of kitchen

my kind of kitchen

spot the difference.

the sartorialist is coming to dc next week

i am still not sure what to make of scott schuman, aka the sartorialist. his fame has grown astonishingly and he has a loyal pack of followers and supporters. he is probably as well known for his website in paris as he is in new york where he first began his blog. i liked his site from the first time i stumbled across it some 2 plus years ago; it would give insights into an individual's tailoring habits and choices. it was very much about style rather than fashion. these days it still covers both -- but less of the former and for me, too much of the latter. regardless, the majority of his photographs are beautiful, for their compositions, content and his take on what's worthy of being in his blog - he has a great eye.

after exhibiting his photos at the danziger galleries in dc over a year ago, mr. schuman is back in dc next week to sign copies of his new book... The Sartorialist, a collection of Schuman's photographs, published by Penguin Books.

the signing is at 9-10pm @ Masa 14, a new restaurant in dc owned by 2 renowned local chefs - Kazuhiro and Sandoval, and on the 19th (date of the book signing) the restaurant will be just 1 week old. that is reason enough for me to pop down there and see what's what.

pea and ham soup a la heston blumenthal

pea and ham soup - when i hear that i think of the owl and pussycat rhyme.

i got the recipe from Heston Blumenthal (well not him directly, rather his piece in the Times Online). it took a lot longer than one's average soup...in that i had to make the broth first. the recipe called for ham hock. as this was nowhere to be found at 7pm last night, and i am not convinced i could find it by that name this side of the ocean regardless, i substituted the hock with feet. i know, how revolting. still, it was just for the stock, not for the eating.

so the recipe was somewhat bastardized to accommodate my larder and shopping capabilities.

instead of pancetta, i used high quality fresh bacon (from our Saturday farmer's market).
instead of ham hock, i used 2 pig feet (gag). this meant no ham hock shavings to add to the soup - i used extra bacon rashers instead (and didn't get any complaints!).

the rest of the recipe i stuck to. in hindsight the proportions in the recipe were off - it says it was for 6 people but using the same amount of ingredients last night, it was more like a serving for 4 at the most.

i used way too much butter when sauteeing the shallots....i used closer to 100g and that left a super buttery flavour which was a bit sickly...but when i boiled the soup up before serving, most of the buttery fat rose to the top and i was able to save the soup by skimming it off. also i would have liked the soup to be a little less watery, so next time i will use less stock.

served with warm crusty rolls, it was a great supper for an autumnal evening.

Pea and ham soup by Heston Blumenthal

This is currently on the menu at The Hinds Head, my pub next to The Fat Duck. Although it is a warm and deeply satisfying dish, it has a fresh and vibrant character.

If it were possible to pick peas from the pod and cook them within a matter of hours, then I would insist that everyone used fresh peas, but the so-called fresh peas that are available to us in the supermarket are less fresh than the frozen variety. This is because the latter are frozen within minutes of being picked, preserving the intensity of the fresh flavour.

For the ham-hock stock
1 small onion, cut in half
1 large carrot, cut in half
1 celery stick, cut in half
1 large leek (white part only), cut in half
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 bay leaf
4-6 sprigs of thyme
4 black peppercorns
1 ham hock
2 litres water

For the soup
50g butter
200g shallots, sliced
75g pancetta, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
500g frozen peas, defrosted
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To finish
2 smoked bacon rashers, cut into 1cm dice
180g frozen peas
Combine all the ingredients for the stock in a large, heavy-based pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Skim any scum from the surface, reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 2 hours until the ham hock is cooked. Remove from the heat and leave to cool, then strain the stock through a fine sieve, reserving the ham hock on one side.

For the soup, heat the butter in a large pan, add the sliced shallots, pancetta and garlic, then sweat for 10-15 minutes until the shallots are tender. Add the stock, bring to the boil and skim any scum from the top. Add the peas and return to the boil, then purée in a liquidiser. Pass through a fine sieve into a clean pan, bring back to the boil and correct the seasoning. If the soup is too thick, add a little water until the desired consistency is achieved.

Shortly before serving, fry the smoked bacon cubes in a hot pan until crisp. Flake the meat from the ham hock. Cook the frozen peas in boiling salted water until tender, then drain. Divide the peas and ham between 6 soup bowls, pour the soup on top, then scatter over the bacon and drizzle over a little of the bacon fat from the pan.

crockett and jones

if you ever fancy treating yourself or your loved one to a pair of excellently made, last a lifetime shoes, crockett and jones is where you need to go. a bastion of englishness with tons of class thrown in, they make elegant, timeless pieces of footwear for men and women.

i was recently gifted with the most beautiful pair of chocolate brown suede chelsea boots - exactly what i have been hunting for in the states but had been totally unsuccessful in finding.

since i received my new boots, i have hardly taken them off.

just another reason i am happy that autumn weather is finally here.

Oaxaca

be your own barista. or not.

after several years of a Lavazza espresso machine that did all the work for us (using pods), we decided to branch out and get ourselves a coffee machine with just sufficient bells and whistles but not enough that we didn't have to do some work ourselves. i believe the term is semi-automatic. pffft. too much semi for my liking. introducing the beauty and bane of our lives: the expobar brewtus II. it looked good. very fancy in fact. after a very long time reading the manual we finally figured out how to use it; well, turn it on at least. we also discovered a hidden society for scarily serious coffee drinkers. for an example: "Brewing ratio" is the best way to specify what a "ristretto," "regular espresso," or "lungo" is. Brewing ratio is the ratio of dry coffee used to liquid beverage produced. For example, a 32 gram espresso shot prepared with 16 grams of coffee would have a brewing ratio of 16/32 or 50%. Previously I called this the "extraction ratio," but I believe "brewing ratio" is the more descriptive term. It is already used by the SCAA in defining brewed coffee parameters. When first introduced to this approach, many people feel the geek coefficient is too high. They feel more comfortable remaining confused and deluded, gliby mouthing the terms "ristretto," "espresso" and "lungo." But I think that many serious home and professional baristas are motivated enough to seek a better way to communicate. geek coefficient? you don't say. whilst we haven't joined the coffee community who take this more seriously than their day jobs, we have become quite proficient in coffee-making. we know the difference between good and bad crema, how much coffee to grind to make a weak, strong, super strong cup of coffee, how to do a single or double espresso etc. it's been quite the learning experience all round. i even know how to refill the machine with water (big hint: everything shuts down without any warning leaving you incredulous and p'd off). we don't rate illy coffee beans at all (we've tried their dark roast and regular roast). we much prefer the wholefoods range of beans - columbian at the moment. the crema produced by these beans is really good and the coffee just tastes better. as for the steaming milk option - there is a knack to getting it frothy enough so it has body rather than just bubbles on the top. i have yet to learn it, sigh. interestingly enough, 2 percent or skimmed milk froths better than whole milk. i am going to try it with soy too and see how that goes. now that i have crossed over into geek land, i am signing off before it's too late.

Poaching an Egg

First, heat a saucepan with about 6 inches of water in it. Put a splash of white vinegar in the water - this helps tighten up the egg. You can use balsamic (this adds a creamy colouring to the egg, which you may/may not like). When the water is just about to boil, gently create a "whirlpool" with a spatula...with the water moving in a circle, slip your egg into the pot. The reason for the whirlpool is that the movement helps the white wrap itself more uniformly around the yolk...so you don't get as many bits of white flying off in all directions. After about 3 mins, your perfectly poached egg will be ready to scoop out and serve.

the best salad dressing ever

6 vine tomatoes 2 cloves garlic honey dijon mustard sherry vinegar parsley olive oil salt to taste take your tomatoes and drop them into boiling water for 5 mins. once the skin starts to peel off, remove them and peel off the skins entirely. remove the insides of the tomatoes making sure you retain as much of the juices and seeds as possible - do it over a sieve if you have one handy - letting the juices run into a bowl. chop the remaining tomato "bodies" and put to one side - but strain out as much of the juices as you can - add this juice to the batch in the bowl. you can use the chopped up flesh for a salsa or something else... back to the juices... the collection of juices should be bright red and it's fine if there are seeds in there, it adds to the texture and flavour. chill this for 30 mins, covered with clingfilm. after half an hour, take the bowl out of the fridge - add the finely minced garlic, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar and mix well with either a whisk or fork. add in 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard (the kind with white wine and seeds) and whisk well again. add salt to taste. voila -- a lovely salad dressing that has the sweetness from the honey, the acidity from the vinegar but also an added special something from the fresh tomato juices. this dressing also goes really well drizzled over the top of steamed asparagus.

seared tuna in pancetta, with a chanterelle mushroom sauce

this was the starter - a rather adventurous precursor to the short ribs braised in red wine... it was easier than i thought (thank goodness) but the prep is a little time-consuming. slab of tuna (enough for 4 people) 6 slices of pancetta (strips if possible) garlic twine 1. take your strips of pancetta and lay them down crosswise on an oiled surface. 2. very lightly salt your tuna (the pancetta is salty in itself). now place the slab of tuna across it, wrap the pancetta over the tuna. tie closed with the twine. 3. sear the wrapped steak in a tablespoon of butter on all 4 sides til lightly browned (about 2 mins each side). 4. place the pan into your oven (350 degs F) for 5 mins - this will give you a medium steak. 3 mins will give you a rarer steak, 7 mins well done. of course this is dependent on your oven, and also how long you sear the steak for beforehand. for the sauce: olive oil a large handful of chanterelle mushrooms (use dried if you can't find fresh - just rehydrate them in hot water for 30 mins before use). 2 shallots finely chopped 2 cloves garlic finely chopped sherry vinegar salt and pepper to season 1. heat the olive oil (medium flame) - add the shallots and garlic and brown gently. 2. throw in the mushrooms and bring to the boil over a high heat - now splash in 2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar. 3. lower the heat and add the mushrooms. cover and leave for 3 mins or until the mushrooms have cooked through. 4. if the dish dries out, splash a little water in there just to keep things from burning/drying out. 5. season to taste. no photos of this i'm afraid, was too busy cooking it up and trying not to set anything on fire! pudding - the final frontier...i cheated. i bought blackberry crumble from Wholefoods, my favourite pudding that they make. DELICIOUS. with vanilla ice cream. DELICIOUS-er.

Short ribs braised in red wine, French style

this serves 4 people: short ribs (2 per person) flour 2 stalks celery, 2 carrots, 1 leek, 4 peeled and whole shallots 2 bay leaves, 2 stems of thyme, 6 sprigs of italian flat leaf parsley 6 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole salt and pepper to taste lots of red wine (1 bottle to be precise, yikes) 3 quarts beef stock olive oil 1. lightly dust the ribs with flour. now sear the short ribs in the olive oil and set the meat to one side. 2. in the same pan (dutch oven works well), fry up the vegetables, garlic, bay, thyme until lightly browned (around 7 mins). season to taste. 3. in a separate pan, bring the red wine to a boil - set it alight (hold a match above the fumes) and let the flames die naturally (this takes 2 or so mins). 4. back to the dutch oven and veggies - add the red wine, ribs and stock and bring to the boil. 5. put in centre rack of your oven (325 degs F) and leave to cook for 3hours. the meat will slide off the bone, and the sauce is less alcoholy than one might imagine! i served this with mashed potatoes. more than a little filling for a summer time supper but delicious all the same.

Fish and Chips G-style

served with a cauliflower & sweetcorn salad and farmers market tomatoes.

Farewell lunch for Mr. Martinez

last weekend we bade farewell to a dear family member who is off to join his beloved for a 3 year stint in Uruguay, Montevideo to be exact. the weather was beautiful, we grilled, ate and bid adios to someone we shall miss very much. we ate well - chorizo, steak, cuttlefish, all on the grill. delicious.

on the potomac, labor day

sailing on the potomac, labor day weekend

Introducing Flor

puppy training is hard work; even harder when the pupil is stubborn, small, has no worthwhile attention span and can pull a sad face that encourages pity 99.9% of the time. she is named Flor and is a French Bulldog puppy. we've had her 8 weeks now and she is almost 5 months old. the serious training started last night with a nice and patient chap called David, from barkbusters.com. the training sounded good - it comes with a lifetime guarantee (!) and promises visible changes almost immediately. in summary, i get to behave like a dog, think like a dog and assert myself as pack leader. perfect. it's harder than it sounds and i did feel rather idiotic making bark noises. it does the trick though. at one point, Flor was allowing herself to be pulled around the room on her leash by Chiquitin who was merciless in his baiting skills. Chiquitin is a 4 month old tabby kitten with no fear and apparently no brains either. i even have a chart on which to record our daily progress. we shall see if the changes stick longterm; i sincerely hope so as there's only so much barking i am happy to do in public.

quick pitstop...

i am back but only for a second - to say hello to claire :-) it's been 76 days (according to twitter) since i last posted. in that time, i have acquired a french bulldog puppy and a tabby kitten. the former is Flor, the latter Chiquitin. photographs will follow sometime in the near future.

worcestershire and gloucestershire

worcestershire - home of worcestershire sauce, morgan cars, malvern water and where i grew up and my family still lives. it's about 140 miles northwest of london. we took the train (2hrs) to great malvern, passing lots of cows and sheep in the fields enroute. we stayed at the cottage in the wood hotel - this is an old, established hotel in malvern wells - at the top of a steep hill, and with breathtaking views, where on a clear day one can see 5 counties. dinner at my parents' house where i grew up - delicious cantonese food, my favourite dishes including pork with bats ears (wooden ear mushrooms!), soy sauce, garlic and dried beancurd, to name but one. the following day we drove to gloucestershire to stay at a friend's hotel in northleach. a picturesque village in the cotswolds with one post office, a church and some local shops. very very pretty. georgie and sam own the Wheatsheaf - a gorgeous country pub with delicious food - see the website to give you a hint of how good it is. we had a great stay with them. if you're planning on visiting the UK, you must visit the Cotswolds - an area of outstanding natural beauty - think chocolate box cottages, wildflowers, farms...beautiful and a must-do. stay at the Wheatsheaf for sure! bread. i miss the bread in england. i stuffed myself with granary bread on any occasion i could find. photos to follow... after dinner and a walk around the village, we were back to packing - for scotland...

first stop london

we landed in london tuesday morning - to sunshine and clear skies. i highly recommend Number Sixteen, Sumner Place in South Kensington - boutique hotel, great service, lovely courtyard garden...relaxed atmosphere and in the best location. Close to South Kensington and Gloucester Road tube stations and walking distance to the Kings Road, Fulham Road, Brompton Cross etc...and for Harrods fans, only 15 mins by foot. dinner with D at Amaya in the Halkin Arcade on Motcomb Street. high end indian food but after having eaten the real stuff the weekend before, i was a bit disappointed they didn't have any chapatis :-( followed by good late night ice cream from Oddono's on bute street right by our hotel.

indian wedding

after several weeks away i am back in town. it was hectic and fun. first stop was houston for a friend's indian wedding. so much colour and so much dancing! the morning (8am!) started with a bharat where the groom rides in a procession on a white horse...surrounded by members of family and friends dancing and singing. fun! this was followed by the wedding ceremony which was informal and very family-orientated. it lasted 3 hours but guests weren't sitting to attention getting bored; they were walking around, having breakfast, chatting, children were playing - all the while the bride and groom were being married on the stage. it was a lovely, relaxed and at the same time, very special occasion. lunch followed - a selection of ghujarati dishes - all delicious. after a few hours break, we got dressed for the evening event. the bride looked resplendent in a beautiful blue sari with matching diamond accessories - stunning. after speeches and dinner (with cuisine from yet another part of india), the dancing began. compared to the weddings i grew up with where it takes a few glasses of vino to get people up on the dancefloor, the guests at this wedding had rythmn in their blood...everyone was up on the dancefloor dancing away, from 2yrs to 80yrs old - fantastic! the following day we had brunch at the groom's family home. more delicious indian food, this time from the groom's family's region of india...i am afraid i have forgotten the different areas.. i will post the very colourful photos later. we flew back home sunday evening and i packed for my trip to the UK which was the next day... ps my sari didn't arrive in time!

indian wedding here i come...

so tomorrow i fly to houston for a friend's wedding. she and her husband are having a traditional indian wedding commencing this evening with her mehndi party. sadly i can't make it down for that, but will be there this time tomorrow in the sunshine. my sari that i ordered several weeks ago is still in jaipur. sigh. even with the best will in the world it isn't going to get to me in time for saturday night's reception. now i have to decide what to wear...for the actual wedding ceremony (that starts at 8am saturday - in a temple, so covered shoulders), the evening reception...and tomorrow night's cocktail party. 3 outfits in 2 days. my dream. or so i thought until i realised i have to i) choose the outfits not to mention the accessories and shoes and ii) pack it all it into a carry-on bag. mission impossible. photos will come in around 3 weeks - after houston we fly to england for 10 days...for the scottish wedding (no outfit for that either, dramarama).

bday dinner

it was rodrigo's 7th birthday yesterday and as is fitting, he got to choose his birthday supper. he chose hamburgers. made by his mum no less. they were huge and tasty. he also got a book called walter the farting dog. excellent. even better (in his eyes) was getting the bible. not the st james version, no. rather it was the limited edition 3 in 1 book of all the Indiana Jones films, complete with photographs of a very young harrison ford. he is learning english and so he will be fluent in epic adventure-speak in no time. i didn't have a favourite birthday meal per se, but i got a black forest gateau cake every birthday as a child. not sure why one would give a child an alcohol-laden cake rather than a chocolate one with smarties, but that's another story.