Wednesday, December 29, 2010

2011's New Year's Resolutions



Now that shouldn't be so hard, right?

These handy guilt-shellacking pillows are available through Alexandra Ferguson's Etsy shop for $89 each. She doesn't sell any that say "Save Your Pennies," though that sure would be helpful, too.

Happy New Year, and see you later 2010.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Cake Splitting

Let us talk for a second about food porn.  Ah yes, food porn, the delicious, and often gratuitous, images that inspire us to cook, bake, eat, and all the while keep looking.  Some food porn is better than other food porn, and yet, we are shamelessly drawn to it, tickled by it's temptation.

We are obsessed with the photographs of our friend Susan Surface - she's got a keen eye and a divine sense of the uncanny.

One of her latest projects (of many, we must ad) is for Victor Agran's course, Drawing and Architectural Form, at the Yale School of Architecture is making us drool.  Drawing inspiration from Gordon Matta-Clark's  communal gastronomy projects as well as his deconstructive architecture; she made 20 pounds of cake to photograph and then share with her fellow classmates.  


The images are beautiful - she capitalizes on the strangely intimate moment of cutting into a fresh cake and revealing its many colors, layers, and secret flavors.   In the artist's own words: "I was inspired by the pornographic gaze evident in the video recordings of site-specific works such as "Splitting." I am also engaged with historical uses of food in art and architecture, such as in the traditional vanitas, still-life, and memento mori - how depictions of food force us to consider our own materiality and mortality. I combined this with some thoughts about artificiality and preservation in the use of something so inorganic and nontraditional as inkjet print and edible spraypaint on frosting."


Enjoy - we hope you don't drool all over your computer like we did.
















Or if you just need a quick hit - there's always Food Porn Daily - NSFW.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Gift Guide: For a Useful Gent

This holiday season we are having quite the time finding a good gift for our handsome gents.  Men notoriously difficult to shop for, but we have a few tricks up our sleeves yet!  What is sexier than a man who can fix anything, cook a mean steak, whip up breakfast in the morning, fix that damn broken sink, and more importantly, be able so slice up some cheese and open a bottle of wine on the fly.


So we bring you Gastronomista's pocket knife guide for this holiday season::


For the Gentleman of style and distinction: this Laguiole Knife made of Mammoth Ivory & Ebony is absolutely perfect for a quick snack whilst a fierce game of chess.  This is quite the classy tool - goes well with top hats and spats.






For the James Bond in training: The Furtivo knife made out of Carbon Fibre.  This gorgeous knife is designed by Ora-Ito, and is made by Forge de Laguiole.  Essential when you're suddenly in a precarious situation and only your charm (and slick gadgets) can get you out of it.



For the more modest man of distinction, the Shun Large Higo Nokami Gentleman's Knife is a classic addition to a man's wardrobe.  Perfect for charming the ladies in the park with cheese and bubbly, or if you a served a steak with a sub-par steak knife.  




For the Studying Sommelier: the Chateau Aubrac Horn Corkscrew.  When your gent's showing off his curated knowledge of the grapes.








And this one for the ladies: The Peanut Pocket Knife: tool and jewelry all in one - perfection!




Thursday, December 16, 2010

Rough Rider

any russian speakers want to translate?

Now there's a girl who knows what she wants. More cheeky illustrations by Russian artist Valery Barykin here.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Is Anyone Nuts for Nesselrode Anymore?

Any girl named Sandrine Sobriquet is born to be a lover of words, and one such word I adore for its many charms is “Nesselrode.” History buffs and foodies can argue over the virtue of the statesman and the eponymous pie, but few know of either one these days. Count Karl Nesselrode was a Russian diplomat (born in Portugal of German decent, by the way) for whom an iced pudding of pureed chestnuts and candied fruits was made in 1814.



No one knows for sure who concocted this technical feat. Rumor has it that Antonin Carême himself might have been behind the dish, but it is more likely that the count’s chef Monsieur Mouy was the architect. Equally curious is why Nesselrode was so deserving of the frivolous noble privilege of having a dish named after him. It could have been his official status as the Russian representative at the Congress of Vienna the same year. Or perhaps it was his unabashed appreciation of chestnuts and pudding. The former is not terribly compelling and the latter is dubious at best. Is anyone even nuts for Nesselrode anymore?

An informal poll leaves me wondering. Anyone asked who is younger than 50 has never heard of it. There is no consensus among those who were alive in the dessert’s final heyday of the mid-twentieth century. The responses range from, “I never liked Nesselrode pie,” to “I can’t remember,” to “I am sure I did.” A few profess that they just loved it and cannot remember when they last had it—probably because no pastry shops sell it with the rare exception of Christmastime upon request. But the mere mention of the name “Nesselrode” conjures some sense of pleasure and a quest for rediscovery.

Check out Arthur Schwartz’s thoughts on Nesselrode, as well as a 1988 article from The New York Times on the mystery of this now elusive dessert. Perhaps it might make a comeback…Lesley M. M. Blume, should we bring it back?

Monday, December 13, 2010

Crushing It

(Sorry folks, but we're going in for some double pun fun on this one.)

Spice up this holiday season with these incredibly cool mortar and pestle sets by Pakistani-Canadian product designer Tahir Mahmood, available from Caviar 20 for $110-190. We love them as much for their functionality as for their design. The solid Indian Rosewood pieces are shaped using traditional lathe turning techniques and the vibrant sap-based resin colors are applied with palm leaves.





Saturday, December 11, 2010

Hot Body Toddy


Now there's a girl who loves getting in hot water.

As Miss Emma Emerson recently showed us, tea parties aren't just for kids anymore. Host your own by getting your lips on the Naked Girls tea set by Netherlands-based illustrator Esther Horchner.

a classy alternative to these

Featuring delicate line drawings of girls in various stages of undress, Horchner's playful tea set would be great for your afternoon Earl Grey. But given the season, we think these girls would look even better taking a dip in some brandy too, don't you think?

Don't forget the sugar.

Available now, at The Future Perfect. For more examples of Miss Horchner's work, check out her delightful website.

Yeonju Sung - Wearable Food

We are loving the work of Yeonju Sung who takes gorgeous photos of food and the phantom muses wearing these "garments".  Such a shame we will not be able to wear this eggplant frock at our holiday parties this year....sigh.


 Eggplant


Bubble Gum


Chicken

All That Fruitcake...





Pee Wee's Playhouse Christmas SpecialOne of our favorite things about Christmas in our youth was watching Pee Wee's Christmas Special.  Ok, we maybe watched it during the other times of the year too. 

Given that Pee Wee is having a Renaissance (we are dying to see him on Broadway), we thought it would be a good time to share this amazing bit of pop culture with our dear readers.  If you have half an hour to spare, we recommend making some eggnog, putting your feet up, and enjoying a little Holiday Cheer.




There are so many incredible moments - and an incredible star studded cast: Frankie Avalon, Whoopi Goldberg, Joan Rivers, Charo, Del Rubio Triplets, Annette Funicello, Magic Johnson, Dinah Shore, Grace Jones, Oprah Winfrey, k.d. lang, Little Richard, and Zsa Zsa Gabor.


Present Stealing Popsicles in the Freezer

For a play by play, I Mockery has a pretty great breakdown with some great gifs.

The lesson we've taken from Pee Wee - is to re-use and recycle!  Pee Wee receives so many fruitcakes during the show that he turns them into a Fruit Cake Palace inside his playhouse.  Brilliant!  We are baking away trying to get all the fruitcakes ready - and we will need a few beefcakes to lay the bricks.  Volunteers?




Catherine's Palace has the Amber Room, The Playhouse has the Fruitcake Room

images via I Mockery.

Love Spells


She's Put a Spell on Us.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Eat the Beatles

On last night's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Sir Paul McCartney himself dropped by to perform the original version of "Yesterday", with "Scrambled Eggs" as a lyrical placeholder. Watch it all below. But first, our favorite Paul picture. He's just scrumptious.

Daily Fortunes

Back in January of '08, Jennifer 8. Lee's New York Times article exploring the origins of the fortune cookies came with a big reveal: they're far more Japanese than they are Chinese. Regardless of their origins, no one can deny the simple pleasue of unwrapping a cookie to find your fate inside. Designer Jason Dean of The Best Part has created a series of fortune posters based on real cookie slips.


The whole lot of 8 is available for $50, or you can leave the selection up to lady luck, and have one sent to you for $10.



via NotCot

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Cheeky Tea Set



Perhaps it's about time to Bring Back Tea Time.  Crumpets, Butter, Cucumber Sandwiches, Petit Pastries, Milky Tea, and Delicious Gossip. 

And we know the perfect tea set for a proper modern lady:  this amazing tea pot with matching creamer and sugar bowls in the form of lips.





4:00 Tea Time Ladies - wear your finest lace gloves and largest hat.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Mustache Madness

Our love of a good mustache is well-documented here, here, here, here, here and, dear God, here, but when our friends over at Sir Kensington's Gourmet Scooping Ketchup sent us this adorable new video, we took to Etsy in search of food finds in celebration of a well-maintained upper lip. We share with you our favorites.



DIY cupcake toppers by Des Moines, Iowa-based designer goldylocks, at 5 bucks a pop:




Your morning mustache, on the go, by a mega-mustache enthusiast for $14.40:



The Canadian baker and design blogger behind Pure Paper Extract has put together a collection of iced sugar cookies to fit your fancy, whether that be more Burt Reynolds or Johnny Depp. A dozen for $29.95.



In further celebration of the many varieties of mustaches, an apron by The Gold Banana, $12.

Gratuitously, guns blazing. The Handlebar Hold Up poster (also available as a t-shirt) for $20 by FuzzyInk.

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