Posts tagged #food

where art and cake collide

images by dunja opalko x wallpaper magazine

i haven't been baking much, even though it's summer time. very much unlike me, but i've been so busy with projects and fun stuff that i think it's okay.

the other day i stumbled upon danish designer kia utzon-frank and her london-based company kufstudios. naturally, there was kufcakes. each cake is in fact edible. kia prints marble texture onto fondant or marzipan before most meticulously folding it over cake. in turn, a beautiful stone effect is created, which freakin' insane. 

the cake itself is equally as stunning, with folds and layers of sponge cake thin enough to create a fine gradient.  "taste is as important as the look, and the cakes should be conversation starters and trigger our curiosity and interaction with each other," their website says. kia uses natural food coloring and fruit juices to dye the cakes. 

i think the thing that utzon-frank said that really spoke to me the most was this: "cake is just another material. if something catches my interest it doesn't matter what it's made of. i think there's a huge freedom in not knowing much about the material i'm throwing myself at, as i then don't know the 'rules' and therefore am more open to experiment."

food = experimentation = art

i wish i could do that.

enjoy your weekend,

⌇ 

 

Posted on August 20, 2016 and filed under blah blah blah, this was found, i share movies.

blanca

fresh pasta with carbonara 

fresh pasta with carbonara 

garbanzo soup with raspberry salt

garbanzo soup with raspberry salt

apple with shaved macadamia 

apple with shaved macadamia 

glass shrimp with kohlrabi 

glass shrimp with kohlrabi 

sweet potato chips with buttermilk 

sweet potato chips with buttermilk 

agnolotti with lapsang souchong tea

agnolotti with lapsang souchong tea

sunchoke and cardamom cake with cacao 

sunchoke and cardamom cake with cacao 

fresh stracciatella with asparagus

fresh stracciatella with asparagus

this is what we ate at blanca for mother's day.

have a great weekend.

 

Posted on May 21, 2016 and filed under i take photos.

summer breakfasts + a spiel

i don't remember the last time i posted a recipe, it's been that long. it's kind of incredible how busy i have been in comparison to last summer. i've been working on my VSCO artist initiative project (as i am sure you are all aware). i actually think it's safe to say that i am close to the stage where i get to design the book. i'm closer than i think i am.

i started the project last august, taking time here and there during the school year to photograph recipes and curate my pictures of new york. it was difficult, but i'm quite proud of the fact that i was able to manage it while being almost entirely stressed and focused on school. from this, i'm both anxious and exhilarated about the book. i have this new eagerness to finish what i've started and to publish the best work i possibly can. i love the feel of it.

as i am sitting at the dining room table, sipping matcha every few minutes, i realize how incredibly fortunate i am to have been given this awesome opportunity from such an awesome company. i know i am kind of getting off the subject of the recipe i'm supposed to share, but you, my reader, have no idea how supportive and motivating every single individual of VSCO has been. although i've met only a few of the company's employees (and/or co-founders), i feel like i have a whole team silently cheering me on as i continue my project. i love that feeling too.

my (soon-to-be and soon-to-be-titled) book has a message. one that i hold very dearly; however, i don't think it's the time to reveal it quite yet, but know that it is coming.

so, onwards (and back on topic).

this summer has been somewhat brutal– the heat, the days, the pile of books that i have to read (staring back at me as we speak). many of you know me for my pictures of food, also knowing that my favorite meal of the day is breakfast. for the majority of the year, i love to eat warm meals: oatmeal, pancakes, french toast, that sort of thing. when it's in the upper 90s, those types of breakfasts aren't as satisfying (*note: this is completely my own, weird opinion, i know you guys are like "izzy, pancakes everyday! who cares about the weather?!" i get it, but still).

the other thing is, i'm incredibly lazy during the summer, even though i have more hours in the day than usual. the past couple of days, i've been throwing together a simple bowl of raw oats, fruit of the season, buckwheat (for crunch) and cold almond milk. i guess you could just call it a "lazy" müesli. hm, that works. i'm not really sure if this lazy müesli really needs a recipe; just throw some stuff in a bowl and bam. breakfast. eh, i'll write one up anyways. 

these are only a few of the photographs i took. if you would like to see more, go here.

 

1/3 - 1/2 cup oats 

handful cut strawberries

handful raspberries

1 cut banana

buckwheat cereal 

3/4 cup almond milk

01/ get a bowl

02/ put oats at bottom

03/ "plate" fruit on top (so you can instagram it)

04/ drizzle almond milk

05/ sprinkle buckwheat cereal

06/ eat and probably get a second bowl

 

tgif.

 

Posted on July 31, 2015 and filed under blah blah blah, i make food.

super cool raspberry chia bars

i received a box from hatchery the other day. hatchery delivers small red boxes of artisan, hand-made ingredients directly to your door every month. my april box contained spices, some apple cider vinegar, jams, caramel, and mustard. 

i thought i'd experiment with just jan's apricot marmalade. sweet, tangy, the fruit spread was perrrrrfect for my raspberry breakfast bars.

this recipe is fast, delicious, and super healthy for you. it's also extremely versatile, so yeah, switch those raspberries with any other berry for pure awesomeness  – (or heck, add more).

i used my old recipe for raspberry jam as the base to my filling for these bars. holy yes.

i also dolloped a small spoon of white chocolate-cinnamon peanut butter from my hatchery box underneath the bar for a play on pb&j.

so off we go!


3/4 cup almond flour

2 cup oats

2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)

1 tablespoon chia seeds + 2 tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon of baking powder

1 tablespoon almond milk

3 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons brown rice syrup

 

2 cups frozen raspberries

1.5 tablespoons white chia seeds

2 tablespoons maple syrup

3 tablespoons of just jan's apricot marmalade

 

1 small dollop of white chocolate peanut butter

00/ preheat oven to 350˚F

01/ combine chia seeds and water in small ramekin and set aside

02/ thouroughly mix almond flour, oats, coconut oil, baking powder, almond milk, maple syrup, and brown rice syrup

03/ once chia "pudding" is thick, fold into oats batter

 

04/ combine raspberries, maple syrup, apricot jam, and chia seeds in a saucepan 

05/ cook until raspberries have broken down into jam; cool until thickened

06/ on a parchment-lined baking dish, press down 3/4 of the oat mixture (leave rest to sprinkle on top). over  the pressed oats, spread cooled raspberry chia jam. then sprinkle the rest of the oats

07/ bake for 25-30 minutes until top oat crumble is golden brown

08/ take out, let cool, and devour

 

09/ optional: when plating, place dollop of white chocolate peanut butter on plate and spread with a spoon . plate bars over. sprinkle with fresh fruit.

Posted on May 1, 2015 and filed under i make food.

pi(e)

yesterday was both my friend's birthday (happy birthday lil) and pi day. hoorah! 

it was inevitable that i made a pie (with my friend julia). a vegan blueberry pie.

the one thing about pi day is that you can celebrate by joining math and baking together. (not like they're related or anything...) 

although pie is one of my favorite winter/spring desserts, i've never actually made one without the assistance of an older individual... most likely because a) pies seem so difficult because of the butter-freezing and the dough-freezing and the crust-forming and rolling. b) the cooked-crust-consistency that varies from the bottom of the pie to the top. c) there's social stigma about pies.

but today was the perfect excuse to do all of these things. making a pie for pi day is also a perfect reminder that i actually have time to do stuff now because i'm on spring break. FINALLY.

so i present to you a simple, vegan, blueberry pie because blueberries are really great.

the crust

2.5 cups white-whole wheat flour

1 cup vegan butter, cut into small cubes + frozen

7-8 tablespoons ice water

pinch of salt

 

the filling

2 pints of fresh blueberries

3/4 cup turbinado sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

juice of 1/2 lemon

zest of the lemon

3 tablespoons corn starch

 

the topping

turbinado sugar

coconut / canola oil 

01/ preheat oven to 420-425˚F

02/ in the freezer, chill large mixing bowl and pastry cutter

03/ sift flour and salt and mix together. using the pastry cutter, combine butter and flour mixture until thoroughly combined.

04/ once combined, slowly incorporate ice water (tablespoon by tablespoon) until dough begins to form. (do not overwork or else the dough will not be flakey when baked.)

05/ with water-coated hands, split the dough into two even pieces. roll into a ball and flatten out into a disc. cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. 

06/ in the meantime, combine all of the ingredients for the filling. taste test if necessary, (always). refrigerate until the dough is ready to be rolled out. 

07/ when chilled, take out one disc of dough. flour the surface and rolling pin. from the middle towards the edges, roll out the disc until it's about 1/4" thick. (*note: the dough will most definitely fall apart. just keep smushing it back together until there are no holes.)

08/ spray your pie pan with canola oil. roll the dough onto the rolling pin and transfer it to the pan. roll out into the pan and begin to push dough into the creases and edges of the tin. pour filling into the tin and place in freezer. 

09/ repeat step [07] with the second disc.

10/ use a pizza cutter or knife to cut dough into 8 strips, each about 1" long. 11/when done, take out your unfinished pie. create a design of your own or make a lattice crust on top.

11/ freeze one last time for about 10 minutes. take out. brush with oil and sprinkle turbinado sugar on top. cover edges with aluminum foil to prevent them from burning. 

12/ bake for 45 minutes, taking off the foil after 20 minutes. let cool before cutting and eating. it will be very hot. 

 

Posted on March 15, 2015 and filed under i make food.

the time

* image from cancaramelo

a new season is just around the corner and i am getting prepared culinarily and mentally for the relief of spring. 

i thought it would be nice to pull together a set of delicious, spring-y recipes for you to all enjoy in the upcoming months ahead. 

plus all of the photographs are gorgeous, so enjoy those as well.

1/ asparagus + sugar snap pea pasta (w/ ricotta)

this is one of my favorite pasta recipes. the combination of asparagus, basil, ricotta, and lemon zest is the epitome of spring feels. 

 

2/ blood orange + fennel + beet salad

oranges? fennel? beets? this simple, warm salad is the perfect transition dish between winter and spring. it's also very pretty to look at, which is a definite plus.

 

3/ spring pea toast

avocado toast with a nice twist: spring pea hummus! a slice of ezekiel toast with this green hummus and slices of avocado would be the perfect breakfast or lunch. holy yum.

 

4/ cold soba salad

soba is my favorite noodle. made of buckwheat, soba is light, healthy, and just sooooo good. i usually julienne snow peas, carrots, and edamame and toss it with a sweet soy sauce and the soba. this is a slight variation of what i make, but it looks just as good.

 

have a great week everyone!

Posted on March 3, 2015 and filed under i share stuff.

what to do + eat on a rainy day

photograph by luise from green kitchen stories

it's raining in new york city today. really rainy. rainy and cold and nice and it's inevitable that i feel absolutely unproductive. but it is on these days that i really need a set plan to figure out what i'm going to make and/or do. for all of you who are experiencing boredom or are stuck inside because of the chilly weather, follow this short guide (for a very foodie experience).

 

1/ start your day with porridge

porridge is one of my favorite breakfasts of all time. it also just so happens to be a fantabulous way to start a rainy day. as i've talked about in previous posts, oatmeal is great because of the variety of toppings you can add to it. luise tops her porridge with raspberries, sliced avocado, and hemp seeds for a hearty breakfast meal. if you're not feeling so adventurous, you can top your oatmeal with more tradition toppings like berries, bananas, granola, or thick coconut milk.

 

2/ bake something sweet

baking really warms my heart (as you can probably tell from reading this blog). jessie is the author of one of my favorite blogs faring well. her recipe for coconut macadamia biscotti is actually brilliant. dipped in a cup of tea, these little treats will surely brighten your dark day (too cliché?). also, who doesn't love baking cookies in the winter?!

 
tumblr_nf7esew2M71r9ged7o1_1280.jpg

3/ explore

if you live in new york city, you live in one of the most vast cities in the world. so explore it. explore wherever you live. take a camera. capture the rain. visit new restaurants. visit new shops and parks. take a friend and just walk until you find something extraordinary. explore.

 

4/ grab a coffee. and a snack

because we all know you're still hungry. while you're wandering around your neighborhood or city, pop into a coffee shop. sip a warm (almond milk) cappuccino or latte. nibble on a muffin, talk to the people around you. take more pictures. always take pictures. 

 

5/ make a nice dinner for yourself (and others)

cooking for yourself is always so great. you can season according to your individual taste and can make whatever you'd like. did i mention that jessie is an awesome blogger? yeah... her recipe for this beautiful asian bowl with wild rice, roasted beets, and broccoli is not one to miss. holy yum.

 

i hope you survive the winter, wherever you are. (especially you australians with your warm weather).

have a great weekend everyone!

Posted on January 18, 2015 and filed under i share stuff.