A girl and her tools.
You can find her work at Walrus and Provide, plus several other shops. See her website for a complete list!
If you're in Vancouver, enjoy the slushy rain! Back soon.
janis
p.s. Go Canucks!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
A Wood Working Woman
I had the pleasure of shooting Alex Henderson, of Henderson Dry Goods, for the current issue of House and Home magazine. I really love her work, especially her mirrors and her new line of trays. She works out of a garage turned workshop at the back of her home. A pretty great spot to hang out.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Baked
Slowly but surely, I'm making changes to my blog. A new banner, you can now subscribe to new posts, and google translator (for you Flo!). I plan to change up the images, in the banner, every season. What do you think?
To celebrate that I finally made some changes, I made a very labour intensive cake! I guess it's not too bad but, if you make it, set aside a good amount of time....like an entire day (probably just me). It's worth it though. Delicious.
Coconut Cream Cake
1 1/3 cups fresh shredded coconut*
* to make shredded coconut, pierce softest eye with metal skewer (I used my awl) and drain out liquid. Bake whole coconut on rimmed baking sheet in a 400f/200c oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Break shell with hammer (loved this bit). Using point of a very sharp and strong knife, pry out flesh. Pare off husk and cut into 2-3 inch pieces. Using a vegetable peeler shave edges off coconut. Arrange in a single layer on a wire rack until dry and slightly cured, about 24 hours.
1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/3 cups sifted cake and pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
Coconut pastry cream:
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 teaspoons butter
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
Icing:
1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream
Ok, here we go....
Grease sides of two 8" round cake pans, and line bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
To make the cake: In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir dry mix into butter mixture alternately with milk, making three additions of dry ingredients and two of milk. Divide batter between cake pans, spreading evenly. Tap pans gently on work surface to remove any air bubbles.
Bake in centre of oven at 350f/180c for about 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in centre, comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Coconut Pastry Cream: in a saucepan, heat milk until bubbles form around the edge. Meanwhile, in a bowl whisk together eggs, sugar, flour and cornstarch until smooth. Gradually add milk. Return to saucepan over medium heat, whisking, until just bubbly, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer gently, whisking all the while, until thick enough to mound on spoon, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and coconut extract. Scrape into bowl and cover with plastic wrap (directly on surface of cream). Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.
Icing: in a bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Alternately beat in sugar and cream, making 3 additions of sugar and two of cream.
To assemble: Cut cakes in half, horizontally (this made me nervous!). Place one bottom half and plate and spread with one third of the pastry cream. Top with one top half, then spread half the remaining cream on top. Top with remaining top half layer, and spread with remaining cream. Top with remaining bottom half, bottom side up!
Spread a thin coat of icing all over top and sides of layered cake. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Spread with remaining icing. Press small handfuls of coconut onto icing to cover cake, gathering and reapplying any that doesn't adhere.
There it is. If you make this cake, please let me know how it turns out!
By the way, I did a guest post today over at Good Good. There are several guest posts by a variety of bloggers and it's all about summer. Ahh, summer.
Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day. Back soon.
janis
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Sunday Observations
Did you all have a nice weekend? Finding it hard to believe that's it's over? I am.
Today, I checked out Isabelle Dunlop's "pop-up" shop here in Vancouver. It's located on the corner of Kingsway and East 11th. She's a talented fashion designer and sings in a band called Sex With Strangers. Does her talent ever end, I wonder?
Today, I checked out Isabelle Dunlop's "pop-up" shop here in Vancouver. It's located on the corner of Kingsway and East 11th. She's a talented fashion designer and sings in a band called Sex With Strangers. Does her talent ever end, I wonder?
My husband did this painting of Isabelle, as a 12 year old, with her horse Hamish.
If you love a little modern vintage style, you have to have this book. I "observed" it here, and bought it immediately. Finally had a chance to look at it today. Emily Chalmers is such a great stylist. Love her shop Caravan, in London, as well.
Vintage baking and cooking gear is the best. These were given to me by Carol, owner of a beautiful condo that I shot for an upcoming issue of Anthology. Thanks Carol!
That's what I observed today. What did you get up to?
Back soon!
janis
An update for you: I've posted a fun and easy Easter project, over at Poppytalk today. Seems some of you do want the recipe for those cookies so here it is!
Sugar cookies - makes about 24 (depending on size of cookie cutter, of course)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Glaze:
2 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy, then beat in egg and vanilla. Whisk flour with baking powder then add to butter mixture and stir. Separate dough into two pieces, flatten each and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for an hour.
Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out your shapes. In this case, I used a rather tall rabbit shape.
Place shapes on parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350f/180c for about 10 minutes, or until lightly golden on sides. Allow to cool on wire rack.
For glaze: Mix together the icing sugar and lemon juice. Add a little food colouring (I like the gel colours) to get the desired shade. The icing should be a little runny, so it's more of a glaze than icing.
That's it! Check out the entire project at Poppytalk. Thanks!
An update for you: I've posted a fun and easy Easter project, over at Poppytalk today. Seems some of you do want the recipe for those cookies so here it is!
Sugar cookies - makes about 24 (depending on size of cookie cutter, of course)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Glaze:
2 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy, then beat in egg and vanilla. Whisk flour with baking powder then add to butter mixture and stir. Separate dough into two pieces, flatten each and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for an hour.
Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out your shapes. In this case, I used a rather tall rabbit shape.
Place shapes on parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350f/180c for about 10 minutes, or until lightly golden on sides. Allow to cool on wire rack.
For glaze: Mix together the icing sugar and lemon juice. Add a little food colouring (I like the gel colours) to get the desired shade. The icing should be a little runny, so it's more of a glaze than icing.
That's it! Check out the entire project at Poppytalk. Thanks!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Tiki
I popped by the Waldorf Hotel here in Vancouver, to get a few shots for something else, but thought I'd share some with you. Let's just say, I now feel like a Mai Tai. Right now.
This hotel has been restored to it's original Tiki goodness. When you step into the Tiki Bar, you feel as though you've just stepped into a time tunnel straight back to the 50's. It's pretty much unchanged since then. Very "Blue Hawaii". I know it's kitsch, but it works and I'm glad it's still around.
I posted an iPhone pic of these chairs a couple of weeks ago. Here are some more images of Nuba. It's a great restaurant, located in the Waldorf as well. There are a number of elements I could see adding to our home. Love the chairs, the green chalkboard (I prefer green over black), the wood partitions, and cabinets.
These images are of the Leeteg room. It's named after Edgar Leeteg, the man that brought us modern velvet paintings. Velvet paintings make me smile. You can read more about him here. Again, everything is pretty much original, they've just added new chair cushions.
Back soon!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Baked
How was your weekend? Hope you had a good one!
It's a dark and dreary day here in Vancouver, so it's a perfect day to try making Hot Cross Buns. I've eaten many over the years, but I've never actually attempted making them. I always have an Easter brunch for my family, so I wanted to give these a try now, in case they were a bust. I'm happy to say, they were not a bust, but I do have to work on the shape. ;) Definitely worth trying out.
Hot Cross Buns - makes about 8-10
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup warm water
8g package of active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup warmed milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins (I used currants)
1/4 cup chopped mixed candied peel chopped into small pieces (I haven't included the recipe for candied peel, but let me know if you'd like it. I had made some a little while back, so I used it in this recipe)
Glaze:
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water
Icing:
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Dissolve 1 tablespoon of the sugar in warm water, in a small bowl then sprinkle yeast over top. Let stand for about 10 minutes or until it starts to foam.
In a large bowl, blend together remaining sugar, flour, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the centre of dry mixture. Whisk together milk, egg, egg yolk and butter and pour into well. Add yeast mixture and stir all together with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms.
Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place dough in greased bowl, and turn to lightly coat dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 75 minutes.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in peel and currants. Shape dough into a 12 inch log, and cut into 8-10 pieces with a serrated knife. Shape each piece into a ball, stretching a pinching dough underneath to form a smooth top. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet, about an inch apart. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for about 40 minutes or doubled in size. Bake at 400f/200c, in centre of oven, until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Glaze: in a small saucepan, stir sugar with water over medium heat, until dissolved. Brush over buns. Allow to cool on pan.
Icing: Stir icing sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Using a piping bag, with a round tip, pipe a cross over the top of each bun. If you're not into the cross, you could just spread a little icing over each bun instead.
Do you have anything special that you make for Easter? I'd love to know!
That's it for now. Back soon!
janis
It's a dark and dreary day here in Vancouver, so it's a perfect day to try making Hot Cross Buns. I've eaten many over the years, but I've never actually attempted making them. I always have an Easter brunch for my family, so I wanted to give these a try now, in case they were a bust. I'm happy to say, they were not a bust, but I do have to work on the shape. ;) Definitely worth trying out.
Hot Cross Buns - makes about 8-10
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup warm water
8g package of active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup warmed milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins (I used currants)
1/4 cup chopped mixed candied peel chopped into small pieces (I haven't included the recipe for candied peel, but let me know if you'd like it. I had made some a little while back, so I used it in this recipe)
Glaze:
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water
Icing:
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Dissolve 1 tablespoon of the sugar in warm water, in a small bowl then sprinkle yeast over top. Let stand for about 10 minutes or until it starts to foam.
In a large bowl, blend together remaining sugar, flour, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the centre of dry mixture. Whisk together milk, egg, egg yolk and butter and pour into well. Add yeast mixture and stir all together with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms.
Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place dough in greased bowl, and turn to lightly coat dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 75 minutes.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in peel and currants. Shape dough into a 12 inch log, and cut into 8-10 pieces with a serrated knife. Shape each piece into a ball, stretching a pinching dough underneath to form a smooth top. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet, about an inch apart. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for about 40 minutes or doubled in size. Bake at 400f/200c, in centre of oven, until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Glaze: in a small saucepan, stir sugar with water over medium heat, until dissolved. Brush over buns. Allow to cool on pan.
Icing: Stir icing sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Using a piping bag, with a round tip, pipe a cross over the top of each bun. If you're not into the cross, you could just spread a little icing over each bun instead.
Do you have anything special that you make for Easter? I'd love to know!
That's it for now. Back soon!
janis
Friday, April 1, 2011
Concrete Walls in Homes
How are you all? Hope you had a good week. I had promised a Wednesday post but, obviously, that didn't happen. My apologies. I really have to get better at multi-tasking. It seems when I have a crazy shoot schedule, I can do little else. I will work on that!
Lately, I've been dreaming of renovating. I deeply dislike my fireplace, and I think my husband finally agrees. It reminds me of a certain chain of restaurants, here in Vancouver, and that's not good. I'm thinking about introducing a little concrete to our home, and this might be the spot. I've seen quite a few "feature" walls in homes that I've shot and it can look pretty. I would definitely want to mix it with wood and warm it up a bit, and keep it to a small area. Hmmm. I'd love to know your thoughts.
janis
x
Lately, I've been dreaming of renovating. I deeply dislike my fireplace, and I think my husband finally agrees. It reminds me of a certain chain of restaurants, here in Vancouver, and that's not good. I'm thinking about introducing a little concrete to our home, and this might be the spot. I've seen quite a few "feature" walls in homes that I've shot and it can look pretty. I would definitely want to mix it with wood and warm it up a bit, and keep it to a small area. Hmmm. I'd love to know your thoughts.
x
Monday, March 28, 2011
Baked
This weekend I made some very simple lemon poppy seed muffins with my nephews. Actually, they really love lemon and poppy seed, but said they didn't like "muffins" so I told they they were cupcakes. They loved them ;)
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins - makes about 36 mini muffins
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup plain yogurt
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons lemon rind
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Preheat oven to 350f. Butter mini muffin tins or use paper liners.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Blend lemon juice and yogurt in a separate bowl. With an electric mixer, beat butter, lemon rind and sugar in a large bowl until just combined. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition until mixture is light and fluffy.
Beat in dry ingredients alternately with yogurt mixture. Mix until just combined. Fold in poppy seeds. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of batter into each muffin cup.
Bake for about 15-18 minutes, or until a skewer, inserted in centre, comes out clean. Cool in pans for a few minutes, then remove muffins from pans to a wire rack.
Have a great day! Back on Wednesday.
janis
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)