Some Color Inspiration for Bonbon

prettiness from noa noa

pale flower pinkishness from the gorgeous la rouge porte

detail of (and excellent post about) Babel from Tasting Rhubarb

my dried cardamom pods

lace finds from fine little day

Beautiful handmade vanilla marshmallows
from the wonderful foodbeam

Am in the process of getting ready to design my Spring/Summer 2009 Collections. I'm honing in on the "mise en scene" and I've almost got that down (tell you about that soon-think industrial revolution, handmade chains in pewtered silver and rich gold, lace and linen flowers) but right now I'm thinking in colors. Pale colors, almost shades of white with touches of vibrancy, the colors of early Summer, the colors that you dream about in Winter and Spring:

pale whites: marshmallow, old lace and linen, peony blush

green: pale cucumber & cardomom green

orange: apricot & cantaloupe

pinks: rhubarb & watermelon & plum, peonies and rose petals

yellow: citrus, squash & tea yellow

I can't wait to see what happens.

Sunday Menu: Cook until the Lightning Bugs come out

Louisiana Gulf Shrimp

Ready for the grill--poor little delicious guys. Sorry we ate you.

I dabble in making menus. Maybe it's the dorky thrill of making a list or knowing a cooking project will ensue with all my closest friends and/or family as the guinea pigs. Maybe I just like the way food looks on paper.

I consult with Jim, we think about the invitees, we sketch out a menu. I take out the cookbooks or get inspired by what's looking good in the market (or now that it's officially Summer, in my wee garden) and then, Jim and I will plan a course of action-how we can get everything done and still have time to hang out with our guests-I love doing this.

Usually our friends, who are all fantastic cooks, bring something incredible as well. This turned out to be a pretty decadent Summer Feast-- the fish at the market was just too fresh to pass up. Honestly it's an easy menu, it just looks long but the prep was pretty easy -- simple fresh ingredients and herbs, and mostly everything could be thrown on the grill or served cold.
We started around 3 pm and completed our goal of bringing out food 'til the fireflies came out and the cows came home.

the grill-meister, early in the day

Sunday's Menu:

All the wine we bought the day before, (see post below) chilled rosés
and sparkling whites and all kinds of beer

Appetizers
Grilled spelt and peasant bread drizzled with olive oil and rubbed with fresh garlic and tomatoes (aka pan con tomate)
along with White Bean and Garlic Scape Spread
(this is a perfect recipe--I added a little fresh mint to the scapes in the beginning--was really good)
Ana brought some wonderful cheese and an Italian Guacamole (made with basil) that maybe she'll leave the recipe for (hint)
Zucchini and Feta Tart made by Chris (incredible)

First Course(s)
Grilled Scallops and Jumbo Lousiana Shrimp and Grilled Sardines
rubbed with olive oil and sea salt
with a mint-basil-pineapple salsa (recipe below)
Grilled Giant Mushrooms
Carrot Salad in a Lemony Mint & Chive Yogurt Dressing
with Sweet Peas (recipe below)

Sardines before and After by Ana

Second Course
Clams steamed on the grill with sake and butter
The most delicious Grilled Marinated Tofu from Sandy

Giant Rainstorm Intermission in which we moved everything indoors.

After the rain, by Ana

Third Course
(Back outside)
Grilled Hot Sausage from the Green Market
thick-cut Porkchops served with Apricot Jalapeño Preserve designed by Jim
Fantastic Potato Salad with capers made by Tomoko

Last Course
3 big Grilled Striped Bass
stuffed with lemongrass, garlic scapes, onions and cilantro
served on a bed of Chinese Celery and cilantro dressed with nam pla and lime juice
Grilled Fresh Onions on the stalk
Summer Lettuce Salad

Dessert
Jen's Amazing Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with home-made Vanilla Ice Cream-
Did I say amazing?
Nami ate her ice cream a little early. Can you blame her?
photo by Ana

Encore
The fireflies came out again and Namiko went out to the yard to catch some.

Simple Mint, Basil Pineapple Salsa
I picked every kind of mint I have growing,
but plain peppermint is great.

In a food processor, process with a few garlic scapes,
1/4 c of lime juice
about a cup or more of fresh mint, any kind
about a cup or more of fresh basil, any kind

then pulse in some fresh pineapple-maybe about 3/4 of a cup, chopped
You can use canned I suppose
a pinch of sea salt and a crack of pepper
drizzle in slowly 1/4 c olive or walnut oil
ahh...garlic scapes--used these in the white bean puree, the basil mint salsa and also in the stuffing for the fish

Carrot Salad with Yogurt Mint & Chive Dressing & Sweet Peas
1 cup yogurt
1/4 c lemon juice
1 Tb good olive oil
handful of chopped mint
2 Tb chopped chives
1-2 tsp honey to taste
whisk all together
and add a a bunch of carrots that have been sliced into thin coins on a mandoline
add sea salt and pepper to taste and a sprinkle of more chives to garnish.
I added some shelled sweet peas to it and it was nice--
a sort of funny take on Peas & Carrots

The pork chops hot off the grill--Jim got to use the brand I got him finally--
the family crest, QZR or Quazar.

After the downpour

Chris had the idea that I needed a men's line.
They were showing me how good it could look in a photo shoot

sated

Lemonade and Dandelion Wine: Saturday continues

Saturday was a good dream...home after the market for a long nap--when do I ever get to nap? Did I just write the word nap? God that felt good. Woke up again for a long walk in the hood and a Franklin Street shop crawl, the changing-ever-changing street in Greenpoint we've watched transform over the past year.

I love that the newest additions to the Franklin Street Revival strive to maintain the Old Brooklyn Feel of this that is the "Historic District" of Greenpoint, a new generation of conscientious entrepeneurs showing appreciation for the past while moving steadfast into the future.

Especially loved the new shop Kill Devil Hill (I want that stuffed badger) (Jim just told me it was actually a muskrat) and spent a long (air-conditioned) time in Dandelion Wine--our newest greatest neighborhood wine shop.Picked out some lovely summery French and Spanish rosés, a chillable organic French red, and some Portugese Vino Verdhes, young whites with a slight green fizziness that we, at the risk of sounding pretentious, drank obsessively in Portugal last year.We were prompted immediately to get the cell phones out and to invite a few of our old friends over on Sunday to sit outside and grill and drink with us. (Post to come.)

Last stop on the Franklin Street train (and the way home) we were happy to stop by and contribute to the "Bake Sale for Obama" at Jan & Aya, the prettiest new shop on Franklin street...You can see Aya herself and Sophie, below, serving some perfect "Lemonade for Obama" and for us on a hot Saturday in Brooklyn.
T o make matters cuter, we finished off the day with a rousing game of boggle on our back porch, a commando trip into Chinatown for a foray to the fish market and home again in time to sit out back and see the first fireflies of the season pop their little tails on and off and on (and off) again. It was the kind of day I wanted to write about I guess.

(see Elaine's blog for the Franklin Street round-up!)

Life's a Bowl of Weekend, Part One

I had a pretty great weekend-- an all Brooklyn weekend--the longest days of the year are my favorites and I'm glad we spent them well and together.
Saturday, woke up early and picked up some foxy looking things from the Green Market at McCarren Park. More garlic scapes and lettuces, radishes and strawberries and my new favorite soft goat cheese from Consider Bardwell Farm, more jam (we are jam addicts this year) and fresh eggs and Jim picked out some awesome spicy sausage for the grill but best of all I picked up a big box of the first cherries of the year.
Cherries have always made me crazy with excitement. Maybe it's because they're so visually compelling, or the first sour-sweet taste of them that speaks... summer...spitting the pits out, hoping a tree grows in its place, juice the prettiest tint of red...

OH Cherries! You are folksy, American and innocent, so how are you so sexy and decadent and debonair as well?

Sneak Peak at What's Coming

This week, I'll be adding a few new pieces from our Heirloom Collection for Fall '08 to the site. I was pretty excited to have found these reverse-painted glass cabochons last year from one of our favorite dealers. We're thinking they're from the 1920's and 30's. We set them in 1940's enameled copper settings--the glass and the setting just happened to serendipitously fit together--and I've designed some different contexts for them-earrings, bracelets and these "bubble" necklaces that clasp in the front and look beautiful on, I think.
I couldn't find every sign in the horoscope but I've been wearing all of them--especially in love with the ducks for Autumn.

Canelle Vanille

More from my weekend getaway through wondrous blogland--I am the Alice Through the Looking Glass of pretty blogs this weekend.

This exceptional blog is called Canelle Vanille and it is...fantastically beautiful. All her dreamy glossy close-ups and warm writings are kind of taking me away I guess, to a land of perfect confections and days lingering in a pretty kitchen spent with seductive ingredients giving off delicious scents.
It's a Wonka-esque comfort blog of the best variety.
And even though I 'm not really much of a baker, a person can dream. Recipe for the Matcha Diamants here (anyone, feel free to let me taste one if you do it!) This one is for my friend at Tea Spot who I think is going to be really happy about this one...
I am also happy because I've found some very pretty blogs through this one, including the post below, la rouge port.