Juniper Designs

I can't get enough of food photography right now - especially this photo from April '07 Food & Wine - taken mid-meal there is a casual elegance about the image - you want to crawl in and pull up a chair...

who needs a reason to drink?

Not only is the color of this coaster the absolute best – the sharp aqua lends itself beautifully to the subject – I love the vintage image of the martini shaker and glasses – some things simply never go out of style.  By Sesame Letterpress at Buy Olympia.

tgif - i think...

We have such a crazy weekend coming up; I think I may have to finish it off Sunday night with one of these – yummy!  Have a lovely weekend…

___________________________________________________

Rasmopolitan {makes 1}

2T citrus-flavored vodka

2T raspberry-flavored vodka

1T Chambord

1T lime juice

1T simple syrup

2T cranberry juice

raspberries for garnish

~ Fill cocktail shaker halfway with ice.  Add vodkas, Chambord, simple syrup and cranberry juice.  Shake until well chilled – strain into martini glasses and garnish with raspberries.

{photo and recipe from Martha Stewart Living}

find of the week: who wants seconds?

I have a confession to make – sometimes – when I cook – I pretend I have a show on the Food Network.  I don’t talk out loud – or look up to an invisible audience or camera – but I do narrate in my head – I am a little food obsessed.  After my first go at college I worked at numerous bakeries and patisseries, eventually working as the lead apprentice to a Pastry Chef at a Hotel restaurant.  I was in process of applying to the Pastry program at the Culinary Institute of America when I was slapped with a dose of insanity and decided to join the Navy and move to Italy instead.  I have no regrets about any of my life decisions, but I often wonder where I would be had I followed that path.  Needlesstosay, I am a fan of dessert – in its purest form to it’s most complex; and in turn I am in love with my new discovery – the Ex-Pat blog Who Wants Seconds.  The simple, easy to follow recipes are wonderfully written and the photography is simply sublime – and though she blogs about all sorts of dishes, her dessert page is delish - don’t be surprised if your sweet tooth begins to throb while cruising though this delightful site.

{photo by Moira of Who Wants Seconds}

tgif: this weekend i will...

… make lemonade!  Though the truly intense heat has subsided for now, it will still be in the low 90’s this weekend – very warm days – but promising to be beautiful evenings.  As such, I think we will fire up the grill and make our first pitcher of homemade lemonade of the season.  I love this idea from Martha Stewart of everyone customizing their drink – it is perfect as I love mine sugar sweet and Den takes his a bit tart.  Have a lovely weekend!

__________________________________________

“Since some like their lemonade sweet and others prefer it tart, let everyone mix a glass to his own taste. Provide separate containers of fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup, and water (along with glasses, ice, and stirrers). A good starting ratio is one part juice, two parts syrup, and three parts water. Prepare the sugar syrup ahead by bringing equal parts sugar and water to a boil until the sugar granules have completely dissolved; cool before serving. To get the most juice from a lemon, roll it firmly between your palm and a work surface before squeezing. The pressure crushes the fruit’s inner membranes, causing them to release more liquid.”

{recipe and photograph from marthastewart.com} 

back to the kitchen...

We are rediscovering our kitchen – it is a nice little space - cramped for my taste but such is life in a house built in 1926.  After stripping out the two layers of linoleum to reveal distressed wood floors, I painted the bottom cupboards a glossy black, ripped off the doors on the upper cabinets and added a fresh coat of white paint and painted the walls a delicate purple-gray.  We added an oversized antique chandelier some friends had given us, and a beautiful deep purple and maroon area rug we bought in Turkey.  Now it is definitely more me – we did this a year ago – in the majority of that last year I have either been pregnant or with a newborn – can everyone says “take-out” with me?  But I have returned – baby steps mind you – to my cozy little Parisian-apartment inspired kitchen.   As our five-year anniversary approaches this Saturday, we have been reminiscing about our wedding and that happy day at a quaint little Inn called Tuddenham – we dined there often after our day and I always, always, always ordered the Banoffee Pie.  One of the girls at the Inn was sweet enough to obtain the recipe for me before we retuned to the States – but it has been sitting in my recipe book now for nearly three years.  So, in honor of our anniversary, I thought I would give it a go… and it was divine – and a beautiful mess as I don’t think I let it set-up long enough!  Here is the recipe if you would like to try it out – it is a bit time consuming but oh so worth it!

Banoffee Pie!

2c graham cracker crust

1 stick butter

2 14oz. tins of sweetened condensed milk

4 large bananas

heavy cream

sugar

_____________________

- Pour graham cracker crumbs into large bowl

- Melt butter and pour over crumbs – mix until combined

- Add to pie dish and press out to form crust

- Let the crust set-up in the fridge for at least 2 hours

- Meanwhile, peel the paper off the tins of condensed milk – bring a pot full of water to a boil and drop tins in – make sure water is completely covering them

- Boil continuously for 3 hours

- After 3 hours, pull tins out with tongs and let cool completely

- After the tins have cooled open and pour into prepared crust – it should be a warm, rich caramel color – toffee!

- Thinly slice bananas and completely cover the top with slices

- Whip cream and sugar to create whipped cream – spoon the cream over the bananas

- Let it set-up in the fridge for at least two hours (overnight is better) and garnich with banana slices before serving

tgif: this weekend i wil...

What do you buy the man who has everything and needs nothing?  Cake of course!  As my husband fancies himself a Tiramisu aficionado, I thought we would give the Tiramisu Classico Birthday Cake from Bake Me a Wish in New York City a try – they guarantee next day delivery – and hello – a cake delivered to your door?  Does life get any sweeter?  Have a lovely weekend!

my heart's desire...

I am in love – always will be – with all things British.  Whether it be my ingrained ancestry or the three wonderful rain-filled years I spent living on the Norfolk/Suffolk border in East Anglia, I do not know – nor do I care – only that I can cling to this passion for the rest of my days.  When I saw “The Best of British” June issue of ‘British Easy Living’ I didn’t even have to flip through it before dashing to the checkout – and I was far from disappointed upon arriving home and pouring over the issue.  An A to Z guide of what truly defines British culture – from Ascot and Fish and Chips to Liberty, M&S (or Marks and Sparks!) Knickers and Wellies – it was a captivating visual reminder of all that I long to return to...

Liberty, whose iconic signature floral prints have become synonymous with the department store on London’s Regent Street beg for sunny days and Pimm’s Cups – and when the sky begins to open and drizzle the ever ominous British afternoon rain, they remind you that the sun will most certainly return – even if it is for a few hours…

… and while afternoon tea is a secret pleasure of Americans – it is a national siesta in Britain.  Whether you be a lady of leisure who takes tea at the Ritz or working in the lush landscape of the English country – time stops for tea…

...and wellies - are just - well, the coolest!

… and those who deem British gastronomy lacks flavor may not have experienced the surprisingly eclectic British pub fare of the country or the haute cuisine of some of the cities finest restaurants.  My favorites include Le Boudin Blanc – a French bistro in London’s Mayfair whose tiny, candle-lit interior is as cozy and romantic as their ambitious menu; and I could not write about British food without mentioning my favorite chain – the Slug and Lettuce, whose addictive soups kept us warm while strolling Cambridge’s windy shop-filled alleys in the Fall; and of course our local pub – The Bell Inn, whose fried camembert drizzled in a delightful cranberry jam and a succulent rack of lamb drowning in mint sauce still dance in my mind.  With such desires ringing in my heart, I think I will try the following recipe – and I must serve it in such a delicate teacup!

Passion Fruit Syllabub

8 ripe passion fruit

3T dessert wine

Juice of ¼ lemon

1 ¾ caster sugar

9oz whipping cream

1.  Halve the passion fruit and scoop the pulp into a sieve set over a small bowl.  Press on the pulp with the back of a spoon to extract all the juices.  Reserve the juices and discard all but 1T of the seeds.

2.  Mix the passion fruit juice together with the wine, lemon juice and sugar.  Add the cream and whip the mixture slowly using a whisk until the peaks form.  Fold in reserved seeds.

3.  Spoon into teacups or wine glasses - chill for an hour before serving.

{All images and receipe from 'British Easy Living'}

this will not be my last post about cheese...

I love cheese - I mean - really - love cheese.  A few years ago my parents flew to England to spend a surprisingly cold January with my husband and I while we were living in a small, picturesque village on the Suffolk/Norfolk border called Botesdale.  In the evenings, a gentle – almost surreal snowfall greeted us as we headed up the hill to the neighborhood pub.  The nights in which we could not pull ourselves away from the glow and warmth of an open fire were spent drinking single-malts and martinis that spilled over with blue cheese-stuffed olives - feasting on apples, grapes, local chesses, jams and bubbling baked crab dip – I don’t recall having a traditional dinner very often while they were visiting… and I loved it.  Occasionally, after putting the girls to bed – my husband and I will relive that time with artisan cheeses we have found at the market and sweet jams spread thick on English water crackers.  Only recently have we been able to find a good variety of cheeses – the city’s first WholeFoods opened just months ago – before that we ordered from a wonderful online purveyor – igormet.com – the selection is outstanding and they offer some of the most notable regional cheeses from all over the world – if you love English cheeses, I highly suggest the Sage Derby, Blue Stilton and the Dorset Farmhouse Cheddar…

oh joy!

Happy day!  Today – waiting on my doorstep as I checked the mail was a package from Joy – my Tea Cup Swap partner!  Not only was I thrilled that fate dropped my name at her doorstep for the swap hosted by Just My Cup of Tea – the teacup and saucer could not possibly be cuter!  The tea fills my senses with running through sprinklers, sipping icy lemonade and popping cherry bubble gum bubbles in the summer sun!  Thank you so much Joy!  The entire package was truly a divine treat!