eggbeater

dessert poems

sucre
genoise
peach leaf syrup
sesame seed mousse
peach slivers layered like peonie petals
peach poach miroir

brioche
goat curd, minced rosemary, sel gris, orange blossom honey
caramelized blood oranges, raspberries
brunoise of raw rhubarb, nicoise olive oil
demerrera sugar

alphonso mango slivers
coconut toasted jasmine rice
vanilla bean sugar
coconut water caramel
fried taro
stolen kiss of fresh lime

paris. {photos seulement}

bakers, brethren, family, team, heart, home, love

 



  

these people, sans the 3 other women, have been my family for the last six months. a photo set has been begun on flickr and if you know me on facebook, you've seen even more.

my heart is breaking.

but I know it will break open wide enough to embrace and grow and nurture and protect all that I received and gave in this kitchen.

thank you could never cover what I feel, but it's the place where I'll start.

 

gone fishing. {paris}

in a few hours a train station will swallow me like a whale and spit me out in paris.
i'll walk out dazed
and seek butter.
then it will all be fine.
besides what i love, where should i go?
what should i see, who should i do?
all ideas welcome.
x

The Bakers Dozen Turns 20 Years Old!!!!!!

What is now considered yesterday here in London is still considered Tuesday in California, so I have just a bit of time left to say HAPPY 20 YEARS OLD BAKERS DOZEN!!!!!

And what I would have said had I been there,

I love to bake as much as I love to learn about baking and love teaching baking. I am a better baker because of Bakers Dozen. I am a baker's baker because the Bakers Dozen exists. And for all of these gifts and graces, I am eternally grateful.

Because baking is a craft, and craftsmanship is gained through experience, and craftsman's guilds are set up for apprentices and sharing of knowledge, the Bakers Dozen is not only an invaluable group to be coveted, but an noun turned verb!

             Happy Happy Birthday Bakers Dozen!

We deserve to celebrate the heart and minds of all the bakers who make up our wonderful group. Cheers for the women who founded the Bakers Dozen, and all of us who have fed and been fed by its existence.

{I'm so sorry I missed the celebrations today, but I live a little far away now.}

Hampton Court Palace. day trip from London by boat.

It was very sunny in London on Sunday April 19, the day of our field trip.
At 11 am we boarded a very small boat and sat on the deck, and opened snacks, and had strong tea and watched The Thames go by and listened to the captain point out sights and went through a few Locks and ate crisps and talked to strangers and were giddy and silly and laughed and blushed and got very sunburned.
We also saw a lot of houses we wanted to live in.

At 2 we arrived at Hampton Court Palace, a King Henry VIII residence.

We spread apart and saw different rooms and whispered about history and took photos and smelled lilacs and saw horses and trees shaved to look like hats and secret gardens where we could all imagine many a frolicking and giggleing and chasing and kissing and making love under the blossoming trees took place! I might have a lot of wives too if I had a garden like that attached to my house the size of Rhode Island.


I wanted the maze to be like the one in Orlando but it wasn't because it was dreadful because it wasn't very green and I got out of there as fast as I could. But because it was so sunny and there were wildflowers and tall grasses and lilacs and I was with friends and people I have known and loved for years and years,
this little annoyance soon disappeared.

The light coming through tiny lead seamed windows was gorgeous and subtle.

And it was nifty to touch the stone and to think that something as architecturally sound and full of profound history could still be standing.

A wondrous day indeed.
It was fun to be a kind of tourist or adventurer or get out of the city or sit back and relax for a 3 hour boatride or meet new people or take a tiny picnic of pocketfood or get sunburned.
If you want to see more of the bridges we floated under or the rooms and the tapestries and the light and the stained glass windows and the cobblestone hallways and the massive fireplace for roasting meats or just take a gander at the posse, check out the flickr page.

the only thing you can rely on is change.

and you never know when one chapter becomes another.
time takes time.
rushed bread develops little flavor.
cold egg whites aren't as strong.
flour is never what you think it is until you know it.
fruit is way more complicated than you, but neck in neck with love.
chocolate can be mastered but never owned.
anything fermented is cities of tastes.
perspective should never be underestimated.
no one can guarantee you anything, unless you believe in lies.
believe people when they tell you the truth about themselves.
passion and numbers do not the best bedfellows make.
craft
is a mightily powerful force.
actions are choices. even when we feel trapped.
relationships are built by verbs not observations.

failure is relative.
you can define success.
there are many types of victory.
you can start your day over at any point.
breakfast all day is a wondrous thing.
chocolate is a better addiction than heroin.
if you keep doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results, it will make you feel crazy.
transparency
is refreshing.
while honesty is relative, it's utterly important.
self knowledge can be a compass if you let it.
a strong work ethic helps and hurts.
loyalty is often blind.
people are not fruit. one cannot shave off the nasty bits and eat only the part they like.
sometimes strangers can say the thing you need to hear the most.
but those who love and know you intimately can usually cut to the chase faster,
and the rewards are life long.
sometimes you're not meant to know why you've moved 8,000 miles away.
40
is a meaningful number, in human years.
4 is my favourite colour because it's orange.
morning ritual is lovely, and grounding.
april showers bring may flowers.
chin up.

being a cook's cook is an important distinction in my opinion.
craft can never be mastered but it can be studied.
sometimes you have to look at how hard you're working
and hear it
when people say
you don't necessarily have to work harder
but you might want to work
different.
"there is no failure. I give you permission to erase it from your word box altogether."
the kitchen is a siren.
the ending is always the same.
fame is an illusion.

the only thing you can rely on is change.
what does that make pattern?
years are just broken up into patterns disguised as coincidences.
sleep is delicious.
home is complicated.
the ocean is vast. and alive.
baking is alchemy.
laminated dough is a series of folds, like envelopes
carrying thousands upon thousands of layers
of words
inked, pushed, pressed
monotype, letterpress,
lead & oil
pigment & plaster
conjure & whisper
only to be shared
by those in the know
carrying messages over land and sea, through snow and rain.
for there is no destination to reach.
just one sign,


the only thing you can rely on is change.

SLIDELUCKPOTSHOW, Friday May 8, San Francisco !

I hate that San Francisco is having all this fun without me.
Aren't they sad I'm gone?
Wearing black, tearing a piece of their garment and boycotting merriment?

I guess not.

Almost 2 years ago SLIDELUCKPOTSHOW came to San Francisco.
I told everyone I could about it.
Some of you came and I met you and we ate great food and laughed too much and flirted and then
sat down
in a massive white room
at the edge of a part of San Francisco named after many a state in a country United by them
and saw

some stunning photography. Truly. I kid you not.

And those photos were not simply gorgeous because they were shown on big white walls.

But because they were.

And this year, next month, those photos could be yours!

Or ones taken by people you know and love or despise but appreciate or loathe but sleep with or play with but don't date or wish they noticed you but don't or are your xlover's new lover or are someone you've never met but might because you will bring the same casserole they do or any or all of the above.

As you well know, anything is possible in the delicious enclave of Northern California known as The Bay Area.

From SLIDELUCKPOTSHOW's recent press release:

"The SLPS SF II slideshow will feature emerging and established Bay Area photographers and artists along with a selection of international artists. The theme for this Slideluck is NOURISHMENT and photographers, painters, and artists of all kinds are encouraged to submit cohesive, creative, and thought-provoking pieces that speak to NOURISHMENT of all kinds — physical, spiritual, environmental, creative, etc.  One half of the show will be unthemed, and General-topic entries will also be accepted.  Our guest curator, renowned photographer Michael Jang, will be helping us make the final creative decision about slideshows.

SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES

The SLPS SF crew is excited to be collaborating with Eat-Ins.org, a resource that helps people organize and participate in Eat-Ins.  Eat-Ins are also potlucks, designed to bring people together, to strengthen communities, and to broaden the food movement. To get people talking and thinking about the food we bring as well as the images we see, we are extending our theme of NOURISHMENT to food items also. We ask that you write down the ingredients of your dish for people with restricted diets -- and now we invite you to include an extra sentence about how the food you brought NOURISHES you, be it your grandmother's recipe, a favorite comfort snack, or super brain food."

Please consider attending this event. I think you will not be disappointed.
Unless you are too cool for school.
Unless you are jaded.
Unless you are getting married that night.
Unless you hate photography.
Unless you hate sharing food with strangers.
Unless you're working at the restaurant you own that night.
Unless you think better things go on in Oakland.

SLIDELUCKPOTSHOW    FRIDAY MAY 8, 2009

7pm Potluck  |  9pm  Slideshow  |  Afterparty to Follow
LeftSpace  | 2055 Bryant St. | San Francisco, CA 94110

London: Delicious Destinations.

As you may already know, I am a creature of habit. I travel but I am not a traveler. I have a keen memory for the senses but I am not a dabbler. When I find something I love, I go back over and over and over. And when I'm ready, I share my dot connecting with the right people.

I do not conjure press just for the sake of its inflatable ego. I don't just want you to know about a place I love, I want to introduce people I love to chefs and food and pastry chefs and sweet things and farmers and fruit to each other for long term relationships.

People evolve and change, and so will your favorite salad or peach or pork belly. Restaurants are bought and sold, killed and multiplied. Priorities change, as will the weather and economic climate.

And for every transition, every major move, every chapter of my wacky life, a theme is born. One dinner cooked ad infinitum, a restaurant is visited too many times. Fruits and veg come into season after a long awaited year, and everything is pushed aside in order to party solely with those who won't be seen or tasted for another long year.

I create plans so that my companions and I will walk by a certain doughnut stand, or I will make a weekly standing appointment near a particular restaurant. The point is that I will go completely out of my way for delicious food.

Whatever the habit at the time, I will stop at nothing to incorporate it as often as possible. And then, attempting to ensure it doesn't leave before I tire of it, I share. Well I don't always share, but most of the time I do.

I have begun compiling a list of my favorite spots. It's on the eggbeater page named 'Shuna lives in London now.'

But I wanted to share some specific reasons for my new crushes, my new loves, my secret lovers, my devout obsessions.

THE MODERN PANTRY Clerkenwell.
Four reasons:
Poached Tamarillo with Greek Yogurt & Manuka Honey
Beautiful location, interior, bathroom
Innovative, inspired menu
Square Mile Coffee

ANCHOR & HOPE The Cut, near Waterloo Station
always delicious, hearty, local, boistrous, friendly. loyal, long term staff. sublime desserts.

LOAFING Victoria Park
personal small bakery, made-to-order sandwiches, absolutely perfect lemon meringue cake, working proprietress, comfy, pretty glass cakestands, clotted cream & jam & scones.

TINA, WE SALUTE YOU! King Henry's Walk
I didn't want to tell you about this place.
It's a secret. I want it to stay that way.
It's around the corner from my house.
It's inconvenient for you to get to.
You'd have to take the infamous Overground and you wouldn't want to do that, right?
But if you must ~
homemade cakes, communal table, sunny corner spot, 3 blocks from Dalston Market, good sampling of savoury food & sandwiches or crumpets with honey, Square Mile Coffee with serious, dedicated baristas, neighborhoody, friendly, mine.

THE HARWOOD ARMS Fulham
I've only been here once but it made an outstanding impression on me. Service, design details, food, skylight, dessert: perfect. Perhaps it identifies as a gastropub but I would say it's being a very humble restaurant then. I've tried innumerable times to go back but it's always booked to the gills.

THE BROADWAY MARKET
five reasons {out of 5,000}:
small enough but packed without being claustrophobic, dedicated to local artisans of food & other, fantastic shops line street, Wild Beef, 20 minute bus ride from bus stop in front of my flat.

FLOUR STATION
The {only?} best traditionally made English Muffin, spot on & stunning Irish Soda Bread, real chelsea buns, my favourite London Eccles Cake.

BOMPASS & PARR jelly intersects with art installation
the most innovative, inspired, silly, outlandish, quirky dessert idea I have ever seen. i love it. i want to be a jelly roadie. fan for life. stalker. taster. anything.

ST JOHN  and ST JOHN BREAD & WINE
I don't believe I could ever tire of the menus, the humour, the aesthetic, the homage, the books. I am a tireless, resigned admirer and it is restaurants like this which make me feel humbled to be part of the industry.

All the websites & exact locations of these Delicious Destinations in London can be found on my continuously evolving Shuna lives in London now. page.

Have I missed any you think I should venture to? Do tell! I live for delicious food hunting..

can one protect & give at the same time?

one's heart
one's craft
one's soul.

can one protect and give at the same time?

can you?
how.
how do you keep your own well replenished.
how do you keep your heart protected.

kitchentransition

massive big changes are happening at my job.
people are leaving and coming.
another set of passionate hands has arrived in time for another to exit.
we are making delicate cakes and creamy pastries, specific ganache and tiny tarts.
danish dough is having a comeback, as is folding meringue into a myriad of recipes.
too much French butter is never enough, and almonds appear in countless doughs.
we are pastry chef banter at its best.
artistic vision far outreaching what practical business would suppose.
Easter pastels have swooped in.
thousands of Hot Cross Buns will be shipped, buttered, toasted, inhaled. and fingers will remain sticky long after memories.
London is awash with fancy chocolate eggs of all weights & measures. decorations range from camp & kitsch to art & design.
laws are changing, borders are tightening.
spring garden cleaning indoors        and out.
change in every direction is afoot and limbo appears to have loads of empty seats.
climb aboard, swipe a card, close your eyes.
destination here there and everywhere
but nowhere in particular.
I'm excited to learn new recipes, work with an opinionated gorgeous flamboyant outspoken pastry chef whose words are thickened with melted chocolate and whose accent could be my grandmother's.
attempts are made at grace and integrity, poise and professionalism.
no one can afford to leave an unattended package on anyone's desk.
for all of London's bakers are united by one person, one through-line of passion.

because even though numbers have no face, no heart, no flair, no unique flavour, no voice, no opinion

in the end. at the end of the day. year. forever.
food is passion. and passion cannot commodified, industrialized, deconstructed,
or achieved without a basic understanding of alchemy.

because while baking is a science and recipes are ratios
bakers are people
and people are variable, emotional, intuitive, craftsmen & women.

massive big changes are happening.
find me strapped in tight enough not to fall off the edge, but easy enough to reconstruct without dissolution.

spring is change.
welcome to it.