Here’s another batch of colourful shots from beautiful Morocco. Bright hues and lots of texture. Enjoy!
Here’s another batch of colourful shots from beautiful Morocco. Bright hues and lots of texture. Enjoy!
Since I’m being super dramatic about not having summer sunshine around I decided to hit the sauce – the bourbon maple sauce that is. I made this quick and easy cocoa dumplings simmered in a boozy sticky sauce for Baked The Blog. If you’re also feeling like you need a little sumthin sumthin, then head over there – bottle and shot glass in hand – and get bakin’!
PS. I had this for breakfast and I must say the combination of sugar, butter, and alcohol was the best way to start my day.
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hey hey hey! Guess who’s back!? After a few – very much needed – weeks of vacation, I am back to reality and life. I’ve been slowly but surely selecting a few images to share with ya and it’s been a bittersweet experience; going through the memories of all these amazing places while hitting the wall of reality, it ain’t easy. First world pains.
So, instead of making a boring “travel guide” (there’s already 1000 guides for these cities) I will share little snippets of my favorite spots, it’s almost as if you could peek into my memories.
The cities I visited were Paris, Barcelona, and Munich in Europe and Fez, Meknes, and Chefchaouen in Morocco. Needless to say each place was unique and stunning. I’ll start with my absolute fave: Morocco!
These images are some moody snapshots of the medina in Fez, a 1200 year old city full of history that words simply cannot describe. The food, the colours, the culture – insanity!
Enjoy the show (oh and if you have any travel questions, just ask away! I’m happy to share any tips).
Everything in Morocco is as you would imagine: chaotic, beautiful, and mystical. It’s a country of stunning contrasts. Sometimes you feel you’re in a James Bond movie running away from the bad guys, escaping through narrow streets and busy markets, and then all of the sudden you become Carrie in Sex and The City sifting through precious fabrics and delicate oils and spices while taking a sip of mint tea.
It’s kind of surreal to see how some of the crafts in Morocco are still being done the same way they were done hundreds of years ago – almost as if time didn’t go by. Basically you peek through a family’s workshop door and you peek through time.
Sigh…this country will really romance your heart.
All photos: Artful Desperado
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By now I am away from my computer and probably crying a bit because that’s rare and much needed. Yes, friends, I am on a blog break! After a very productive (read: fucking crazy busy!) summer, I finally took some time to recharge. The bags under my eyes are fit for picking apples at this point, so yah, chill time was overdue.
Feel free to peruse around my Instagram feed where I’ll be posting some photos from wherever it is that I am.
See you in a few weeks!
PS. The photo above is for Roasted Artichokes with Miso Jalapeño Aioli that I made for Molly from Almost Makes Perfect, make sure to check her blog for when she posts it!
K, BYE!
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Hey yo. I have a little surprise for you! Today a few awesome fellow foodies and myself have launched a new site called Baked which is entirely devoted to food photography and – as the name says it – lots of sweet pieces of baked art!
For my first contribution to the site, I create this moist and deliciously-crumbly Greek Yoghurt Cake with Orange Blossom Cake. It’s an ode to the end of summer! (and it’s super easy to make).
I am seriously thrilled to be part of this new project along with some MEGA big foodie guns.
What ya waiting for? This cake is not gonna make itself, so go get baked!
Credit:
Styling and Photos: Artful Desperado
This week I’ll share a few things from recent work. Today is all about flavoured water. I don’t have an issue drinking natural water, but hey, if you can turn a mundane thing into a gourmet experience, why not?!
The photos above are for a project of natural-flavoured water that will help you stay hydrated and will also look beautiful by your desk. There are some unexpected combos like cilantro, lemon, and frozen grapes, but there are also a couple classics like apple cinnamon and peaches with mint. You can get all the recipes over at LUVO’s Fresh Blog
This post is going to be figgin’ delicious! HA! Get it?….ahem. As you probably have seen in your various social feeds, figs are in full force right now, popping out everywhere, from shakes to pies and upside down cakes. I don’t know what it is about them that just makes us instantly drool – they look like the fruit of the gods no? (along with pomegranate and grapes!). They are oh so romantic…hence the moody photos.
So anyways, while browsing through one of my favourite food mags (read: Bon Appétit) I found this recipe to make a bostock, which is basically a super charged french toast – actually it’s better than french toast! The original french bostock recipe is loaded with almonds, but for this twist, I added some pistachios which makes it a bit more mediterranean.
Perhaps you can even add a scoop of greek yogurt on top or froyo! Now that’s a healthy breakfast to get your day started! (why you look at me like that?!).
Get the full recipe after the jump
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup pistachios, roasted
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, soft + 1 tablespoon extra for brushing
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 large egg + 1 more for brushing
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- Brioche loaf (challah bread works too)
- 8-10 large figs, quartered
Instructions:
PISTACHIO CREME:
1. Preheat the oven at 350F
2. In a blender or food processor, pulse the roasted pistachios until they become a fine meal.
3. In a medium bowl, beat the 4 tablespoons of soft butter and the honey until they’re light and fluffy, it may look like it splits but after a few minutes it’ll come back together. Then add the 1 egg, flour, baking powder, salt, and pistachio meal and mix just until it comes together. Set aside
ASSEMBLE:
- Cut nice thick slices of brioche and place them on a baking pan with parchment paper.
- Lightly brush the top and sides of the bread with the extra egg.
- Spoon a big dollop of the pistachio cream and spread it all over the top of the bread slice.
- Add figs on top and brush them with a bit of the extra melted butter.
- Drizzle honey all over the bread
- Bake in the oven for around 25 minutes until figs are soft and juicy and the pistachio creme looks golden brown.
Let them cool for a bit and then dig in!! Figs always taste their best when they’re warm.
NOTE: You could also brush the figs with a bit of rum, it’ll add a nice boozy touch to it!
Now if you excuse me there are a few slices left from the photos so I’m gonna murder them. Bye.
CREDIT:
Photos and Styling: Artful Desperado
We all know some greens are better than others, so Luvo created this guide to good greens with photos taken by yours truly. Hop over to the blog to get all the wisdom.
PS. I must say, I kinda love taking portraits of leafy greens!
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It’s inevitable; corn is in the air, everywhere I look around! Seriously it is. I’m not sure if in your area there’s tons of fresh corn, but over here it’s like at the end of the summer the sky opens up and a rain of delicious crunchy kernels falls down on us. Me being Mexican and all I am all over that corny shiz. I mean, it’s the food of aztec gods!
If you have some farmers market nearby you should make some time to pop by to snatch a few fresh ones. And hey, since corn is latino at heart, why not adding a few spicy touches to it? Yeahaa.
For those of you who don’t know, chimichurri is a kind of rub or “latin pesto” that’s super herby and bold in flavour. You can use it as a rub on meats or even as a marinade or a type of salsa for crostinis and tacos. *DROOL*. For this recipe I substituted cilantro for basil, which adds a nice fragrant touch without hijacking the whole thing.
Chimichurri, butter, and crunchy roasted corn? Si si! Add a few other ingredients of your liking like feta, radish, and a squeeze of lemon juice and you’re ready for a taco partaay.
Full recipe after the jump!
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 small shallot, chopped
- 1 small garlic clove, chopped
- 1 Jalapeno whole, chopped (I didn’t de-vein it to keep the heat)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, soft
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 ears of corn
Instructions
1. Place all ingredients – except for the butter – in a bowl and combine them. Season with salt and pepper and adjust any ingredients if needed (e.g. add a bit more vinegar if it needs an extra punch or more olive oil if it’s too dry).
2. Add soft butter to the seasoned herb mix and combine using a spatula or spoon. Make sure there are no big chunks of butter left.
3. Place chimichurri butter in a dish and place in the fridge.
4. Peel the corn, brush it with a bit of canola or olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper on them and roast. If you don’t have a BBQ (I don’t) use the broiler in your oven. Once the kernels are roasted and soft they’re good to go (about 20 min).
To serve, place corn on a plate and smear a nice chunk of chimichurri butter. If you want, you can heat up some tortillas and make tacos!
For the picture below I used radishes, cow feta, greens, and the roasted corn with a squeeze of lemon. MHhhh…please feed me now.
CREDIT:
Styling and photography: Artful Desperado
I can’t believe people are already using the “f” word. Inevitably, all good things come to an end – but hey – if fall is going to be as fantastic looking as these styled images of Ferm Living, then hell yes! I am thrilled to welcome the new season, and so are you, right?
I’m not sure if you already knew about Ferm Living, the insanely good looking interior products Danish brand, which started as a labour of love from designer and founder Trine Andersen. Crazy how much it has expanded over the years!
Something I love about this brand is that they are not afraid to experiment with things, including sombre colours and wacky patterns. Also, they’ve been working with lots of Scandinavian bloggers and stylists, so they keep it all in the community. How great is that!
Anyways, if you want to drool and continue to inflate your already-overboard love for Scandinavian design, head over to Ferm Living.
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