Pistachio » Love

How did I miss National Chocolate Cake Day?

Stephanie — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:27:34 +0000

Today’s as good a day as yesterday. via FuckYouVeryMuch

Universal awe

Stephanie — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:32:08 +0000

How sweet it is to marvel. Saturn and its moon Tethys, shot December 7 by the Cassini orbiter.

How to be friends forever

Stephanie — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 14:51:31 +0000

Invite me to this. Nickel Colbalt via ffffound

How happy will you be today?

Stephanie — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:14:53 +0000

via LetMeSay

World peas

Stephanie — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:20:25 +0000

To commemorate the Royal Wedding, mushy peas?

via ThisIsn’tHappiness and TheWhatever

Humility & mastery

Stephanie — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 18:21:18 +0000

A lovely mention by Renée Lavallée in her Chronicle-Herald column this week reminded me of how we met. She showed up at the back door of Cafe Henry Burger looking for work, tiny and seemingly timid. She was recently out of cooking school and had some interesting experience in Italy, which made it easy to recommend her. We were able to place her a few short weeks later, and once on her station, her talent instantly emerged. Strong, smart, and fiercely protective of integrity in her work, she went to town, and the restaurant was better for it. That was 1997.

In Halifax last fall to cover the World Culinary Tourism Summit, I got the chance to sit at her table and taste what she was doing with what her beloved purveyors were giving her. Dinner was understated and brilliant at the same time. It made me think of my favourite quip from Alice Waters:

“Humble yourself before your ingredients.”

Only a skilled hand knows how to let the ingredients tell us what to do. Only an insightful cook knows that embellishment is futile.. It can never make up for mastery.

Seven of us were gathered around the table that night: Jodi Lastman and Barry Martin of Hypenotic, Noelle Munaretto and Rebecca LeHeup of the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance, and lucky husband Doug Townsend of Taste of Nova Scotia . Zoe and Phillipe, their two little ones under two, were asleep upstairs.

We started with Metwurst, Whestphalia ham from Roselane Farms, and Dragon’s Breath blue cheese from “That Dutchman” in Economy, NS.

Then came bay scallops in white wine and herbs, cultivated by Nick Budreski and Père in Pictou. A stone’s throw from the bay in question, having lived land-locked all my life, I was pretty excited. These babies were glorious.

The rest of the meal deftly kept pace.

Harpoon-caught swordfish with sumac and coriander. Celery root and beet salad. Arugula with lemon juice, olive oil & shaved Old Growler gouda from “That Dutchman.” For dessert, salt-roasted Annapolis Valley pears with caramel sauce.

It’s been easy to admire Renée all these years. Share her gifts and adventures at FeistyChef.ca. You’ll come to admire her, too.

For lovers of the red grape

Stephanie — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:24:32 +0000

via 100LayerCake via fffffound

If Escher had done food

Stephanie — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:36:47 +0000

My cyber pal Kelly Hunt found this thrilling piece of art and sent it my way. Kelly’s Eat Local London blog is a revered, go-to source of local food from her region — as well as a way for her to ply her warmth, charm and love of good food. Give her a holler.

I went for the bacon to apple motif, below, because it’s a great fit for her last post: Berkshire Pork, Ambrosia Apple & Le Bonaporte on Naan.

Other variations on this theme.

More work by Oscar Ramos.

A fine trifecta

Stephanie — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:57:10 +0000

Chocolate. Absinthe. Donuts. Said to be the signature work of pastry chef Zac Young at Flex Mussels in Manhattan. No wonder why. Photo: Daniella Zalcman via WSJ

To all those who love & love chocolate

Stephanie — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:47:42 +0000

That’s all of us.

This is three ways we might express it.

Single-source Caribbean from Portland-based Moonstruck Chocolate.

via Lovely Package