tiny inklings: food

Showing posts with label food. Show all posts

nerd-tastic treats

Sooo....can you guess I got an ice cream maker? And can I just say - Best. Investment. Ever! I had made a few easy sorbets with it thus far (lemon-lime-ginger; tangerine prosecco), but last night, I decided to tackle an actual ice cream recipe (custard base and all). I was a little freaked out about curdling the eggs, but it was easier than I thought. Now, I have two quarts of delicious frozen goodness taunting me from the freezer until dinner tonight.

My friends M. and D. have been hosting weekly dinner-and-movie nights. We're trying to re-watch all of the Harry Potter movies before the big finale in July (don't judge, we know. Hence the post title.). :) Anyway, each week, we've kind of decided to create a Harry Potter themed something-or-other. Last week it was Butterbeer. Everyone raved, but I admit I couldn't get past the idea of drinking butter, so I passed. This week? Honeyduke's "In Case of Dementor Attack" Chocolate Sherbet. Sooo....good. I may or may not have licked the bowl before pouring the ice cream base into the machine.

I also whipped up a quart of ...wait for it....Candied Bacon Ice Cream. As a connoisseur of the bacon doughnut (my fave is from here), I knew when I saw this recipe that I had to make it. It's fantastic! Only trouble is that I can't come up with a good Harry Potter-esque name for it. Candied Hippogriff Ice Cream just doesn't really have the best ring to it. Haha.

Either way, I'm sure my friends are going to enjoy these treats tonight. You should make them too! Here are the links to the recipes by David Lebovitz:

Candied Bacon Ice Cream

Chocolate Sherbet

Images via David Lebovitz

monday eye candy

Over the weekend, J. and I went to The Huntington Gardens in Pasadena. We could have easily spent hours in there wandering around and taking pictures. I think of all the different gardens, I loved the succulent and cactus garden the best (big surprise, right?). I took a few snaps of some of the centers of different specimens. I love how architectural they look up close like this. And I think the pictures came out not too bad for all being taken on my Blackberry.

We also stopped at Enjoy Cupcakes in Los Olivos on the way down. If you're ever in that neck of the woods, you MUST make a stop at Enjoy. I got to chat with Kevin for a few, which was great. Man, what a nice guy. And the cupcakes? I had a pomegranate-mimosa cupcake and an apple cinnamon cupcake. One word: Nom.

inspired by: warm treats

Mmmm. 'Nuff said.

image credits, clockwise from top left: 1 2 3 4 5

cinnamon-scented breezes

Well, I am back home in California after a week in Colorado and I must say that a little vacation was just what the doctor ordered. We had such a great time and the weather near Denver was gorgeous! It was a little hard to come back to the dreary California coastal weather we have been having, but it is nice to be home all the same.

I've been enjoying flipping through all the Fall magazines, and though it doesn't quite feel like Fall yet, I can't help but make a little wish that it comes sooner. I LOVE Fall. The changing color of the leaves, the crispness in the air, and the desire to stay inside and bake. Now if you know me, you know I don't bake. But Ms. Fall has wrapped me up in her cinnamon-sugar scented breeze and now I can't resist. What is happening? I'm not going to fight it.

With all that said, the Fall issue of Sweet Paul came out yesterday and it doesn't disappoint with all of its autumnal goodness. Perhaps I'll try my hand at a rustic apple tart to share with friends.

More eye candy and recipes here.

mmmm...cake

Okay, if you know me, then you know that the title of this post is a big fat lie. Don't hate. I don't know what it is, I just would rather eat pie. Or cobbler. Or doughnuts. Mmmmm....doughnuts. I have to admit that I always feel a little left out at parties and weddings when everyone else is "mmmm"-ing over their slice of cake. Kinda makes me wish I actually enjoyed it. Now, pictures of cake (especially ruffly, fancy, girlie cakes)? That I can get on board with. In fact, I'm feeling a tad bit inspired by these beauties. What about you? Are you Team Cake or Team Pie?

image credits left to right from top: 1 2 3 4 5 6

And speaking of cake, the cake paintings from Paul and Jordan Ferney's art show "Let Them Eat Cake" are available for purchase in Paul's online shop. I love these!

Oh yum.

Ginger cakes with white peaches and blackberry coulis spotted on Sprouted Kitchen this morning. I think these would also be so lovely for a wedding or bridal shower dessert. A little unconventional, a lot of YUM! I know what I'll be whipping up this weekend!

Images via Sprouted Kitchen.

Wow. Just, wow.

My heart stopped for a second when I saw this image. The contrast of the white interior of this Mexican patisserie with the bright colors of the macaroons is so breathtaking. It's this kind of quiet, elegant simplicity that (quite literally) takes my breath away.

(design by anagrama. via lushlee)

Sprouted Kitchen

I'm always coming across new cooking blogs and I have to say that I'm pretty picky about which ones I add to my Reader. I like me a good mix of types of recipes: not too many desserts (since I'm not really a dessert person), the recipes have to be fairly simple (because, honestly, who has the time and effort to prepare something crazy elaborate? Not me.), and the photography and styling has to make me want to lick the screen. So, when I came across Sprouted Kitchen, I clicked 'add' after only about three and a half minutes on the site. It meets all of my requirements, and then some. Have a look-see.

Chocolate covered macaroons by Sara of Sprouted Kitchen.

For those of you who are interested, here are a few of my other faves:
Tartelette
Piece of Cake: Freshly Baked
Cannelle-Vanille
Orangette
Sunday Suppers
The Jewels of NY

Do you have a favorite food blog? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to find a new favorite!

New in the shop!

I have a few new items slated to hit the shop this week, so I though I'd post them here as I go. First up, a delightful little set of recipe cards! These can be found and purchased here in my Etsy shop. Thanks for checking them out!

Figs!

In the local Trader Joe's yesterday, I was roaming the aisles, hungry, and looking for goodies for dinner that night. Rounding the corner from the milk aisle, I stumbled upon a tiny table, atop which, were little baskets of California Mission Figs. Now, usually, I buy my figs at the farmer's market, but as they sat there, the little bundles of sweet deliciousness, my hunger took over and I became helpless to the calls of the fig. After paying for my bounty, I didn't even make it to the car before I opened the package and bit into, what is for me, the essence of summer. Like candy. I had forgotten the sweet taste and the subtle crunch of the seeds. I vowed to make jam this year before the fleeting season of figs was gone again. Well, needless to say, my first basket of figs was practically inhaled; raw, stuffed with blue cheese and drizzled with balsamic vinegar, filled with mascarpone cheese and a touch of honey for breakfast. Back to the store I go for another basket, maybe they will make it more than a day this time.

Here is one that I am dying to try, and from one of my fave foodie mags, Cooking Light (photo just above):

This recipe is great with dried figs, sublime with fresh ones. The Gorgonzola is a great combo with the sweet fig jam, but feta or any other soft, pungent cheese will work.

Yield

12 servings (serving size: 2 crostini)

Ingredients

Jam:
1 cup dried Black Mission figs (about 6 ounces)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cups water
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Dash of salt
Onions:
Cooking spray
2 cups vertically sliced yellow onion
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water (optional)
Remaining ingredients:
1/2 cup (4 ounces) Gorgonzola cheese, softened
24 (1-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut French bread baguette, toasted (about 12 ounces)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Preparation

To prepare jam, remove stems from figs. Place figs and juice in a food processor; process until figs are coarsely chopped. Place fig mixture, 2 cups water, syrup, and dash of salt in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until thick. Cool completely.
To prepare onions, heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add onion, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cover and cook 5 minutes. Uncover and cook 20 minutes or until onion is deep golden brown, stirring occasionally. While onion cooks, add 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup at a time, to keep onion from sticking to pan.
Spread 1 teaspoon cheese over each baguette slice. Top each slice with about 1 teaspoon onion mixture and 1 teaspoon jam. Sprinkle evenly with thyme leaves.