j 9/29/12 j 9/29/12

Happy Coffee Day!

Here's how to celebrate Coffee Day: Start with some fresh whole bean:

Grind them in a burr grinder:

Brew in a French press:

Savour with a fresh pastry:

j 9/27/12 j 9/27/12

Complete: Asymmetrical Henley

Finally done! The cotton slub knit asymmetrical henley.The original design: http://jlamode.com/concept-asymmetrical-henley/ [You may say it's backwards from the design. On the contrary - it's exactly what I see in the mirror]

Composed with diverse methods; I used a chisel and mallet to cut out the button holes.

j 9/23/12 j 9/23/12

Peaches and Cream

Parslied peaches with organic vanilla youghurt; served over homemade granola.

j 9/19/12 j 9/19/12

Avocado Bisque and Lemongrass Rice

If you love avocado, this zippy preparation will hit the spot. The bisque is prepared by pureeing:

avocados
parsley
key lime juice
salt
spinach

The rice, white jasmine, is simply cooked with the addition of prepared lemongrass as well as coconut oil and salt.

The fragrant, sweet rice meets the mellow, mild zest of the bisque in an unexpected and delightful experience.

j 9/15/12 j 9/15/12

Brioche!

This is nearly more of a cake than a bread; heavy on the sugar and eggs.

I'm often asked about the recipe, but I merely mix things together until it seems right. That said, here's some basic guidance:

Follow the typical bread ingredients: Flour, water, sugar, salt, yeast and some sort of fat. Again, add more sugar than normal, and a couple of eggs.

First, in a mixer, not a bread machine, cream butter and sugar. Then add the normal amount of water, yeast, salt and half the normal amount of flour. Pitch in some eggs and the mixture should be like a thick batter.

Let raise and then add in the proper amount of flour to make a soft dough. kneed and portion the dough for a loaf or rolls.

Brioche is a cool raise bread, so it should experience its final raise in a cool room, or the refrigerator (overnight). Bring it to room temperature before baking in a 350F degree oven for ~20 minutes. Remove from oven and apply an eggwash before returning to the oven until it's finished baking.

It's mindblowingly good. And rightly so! A traditional brioche is ~25% butter.

j 9/14/12 j 9/14/12

Fresh Fruit Skewers with Lavender-Vanilla Youghurt

The perfect summer treat!

Garden fresh cantaloupe with strawberries and blueberries. Served with a Vanilla Greek youghurt, flavoured with fresh lavender flowers.

j 9/10/12 j 9/10/12

Cold Frames

To keep food growing through the winter, a shelter is needed. I built the cold frame out of two halved 2"x10"x10' treated planks.

Align the boards and drill pilot holes:

Screw the ends together:

Add a stabilizer, if you like. This just helps keep the structure square during transport:

A prefect square frame. Position in your garden and line with cardboard.

I added fill dirt and potting mix (about 2 inches of each):

Now it's ready for a cover (glass, poly, blanket, etc.) to keep out the bitter cold. It only needs to be covered when the temperature is freezing.

Stay posted to see what grows!

j 9/6/12 j 9/6/12

Fall crops planted: Amaranth

Most of the fall crops got planted just a few days back. Already the eager amaranth has germinated.

Check back next week for more details about the fall crops and new raised bed. This year, I'm going for a 12 month harvest cycle - something growing outside all winter long.

j 9/5/12 j 9/5/12

Flores Rosa

On the island of Guam, this is called Flores Rosa. Hawaiians (and haolies) call it the hibiscus. In ~60 days it'll be frosty here, but I cultivate these to enjoy the island life, year round.

j 9/1/12 j 9/1/12

Grilled Portabella Burger

Served on a made-from-scratch wheat bun with seared baby corn.

Seasoned with apple-wood smoked salt and olive oil.

j 9/1/12 j 9/1/12

Quilt: coutoure is more than clothes

At the request of a dear friend, I set out to design a quilt that reflected people, places and times in someone's life.

First sketch:

Sample for approval:

All of the fabric was gathered from friends and family:

Then construction began - slow but steady work:

Finally, the core was finished:

The border was added and final asyembly was complete!

I got to use my new, custom printed jLAmode tags:

The final product:

About 35 hours of construction (even with someone else cutting the fabric into strips)
114 Linear Feet of fabric strips
38 rows

Quilt making is massively time consuming, but it’s rewarding.

j 8/25/12 j 8/25/12

Avocado Salsa

Avocados are amazing! To take it to a new dimension, I added corn, tomatoes and olives and salt. This builds on the mellow avocado flavour a complex and savoury dimension.

This recipe works best with avocados that are almost fully ripe. They shouldn't be plasticky or mushy.

j 8/21/12 j 8/21/12

Southern Fried Okra

So many people hate okra. Honestly, after seeing the way okra is prepared and served at restaurants, I would hate it too. So, I'll show you how to make a proper okra dish with a Italian twist.

slice the okra in chunks, nearly cube shaped
prepare an egg wash with egg whites, a smidgen of water, Greek youghurt and truffle salt
saturate the okra with the egg wash and then bread in cornmeal
fry over medium heat until golden brown

Fried okra, served here with spicy seared green beans and ranch mashed yams.

For dessert, pure, unadulterated chilled cantaloupe.

j 8/19/12 j 8/19/12

The latest from the garden

The garden is nearing the end of its productive season for the summer crops. There are a few tomatoes left, but okra is the only thing still growing strong. A few scarce peppers are still growing; green beans and the last of the cantaloupes. Now's the time to plant the fall crops: garlic, lettuce, cabbage, etc.

Check back later this week to see how these ingredients combine to make a delicious Southern meal.

j 8/17/12 j 8/17/12

Dolmas

I harvested the grape leaves from my vines. The filling contains:

turmeric rice
sautéed tofu with onions
olive oil
truffle salt

Served with grilled green beans and fresh cherry tomatoes.

j 8/13/12 j 8/13/12

Euro Travels

A few months ago, I wrote that I was going to take a little break for inspiration. It came in the form of a month-long trek through Europe's finest art museums and sampling the cuisine. Here's some of the highlights:

Countries visited: