Lemon Loaf Cake from Back in the Day Bakery

Posted by spoonandshutter on April 18, 2012
Posted in: Kitchen. Tagged: , , , , , . 2 comments

From Spoon: My bakery fantasy (see our post on Kittery, Maine’s Beach Pea Baking Co. here)  continues with a recent column for The Record featuring the “Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook” by the adorable Cheryl and Griffith Day.

I have – sadly – never been to Savannah, but if I were to find myself in that storied city tomorrow, my first stop would be the Day’s quirky bakery, housed in a former general store and decorated with vintage kitsch, including Cheryl’s collection of Easy-Bake ovens. Where Beach Pea is pure southern Maine, Back in the Day Bakery is pure southern – serving up treats like Buttermilk Biscones, ‘Nana Puddin’ and Creole Brownies. Of course it was hard to choose just one, but the winner was this aptly named Lovely Lemon Loaf – the lemony-est lemon cake of all time (and from a gal who loves her lemon desserts, that’s saying a lot).  The column and recipe are here.

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Bacon: Photo of the Week

Posted by spoonandshutter on April 9, 2012
Posted in: Photo of the Week. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

This week’s photo of the week is from a  shoot I recently did with Chef Mark Ladner of Del Posto in NYC.  As with all my shoots with him, this was done in the restaurant.  I have been shooting with Mark for a couple of years now, and it is always a fun time full of good food, good conversation, good laughs, and ultimately good photographs.

During my last shoot with him we were photographing a variety of food items, but he wanted to isolate them to show them off on their own.  There were going to be a range of items from pasta, to sauces, to proteins and vegetables.  So we had to come up with an idea that could be consistent from item to item, and due to time restraints, allowed us to work quickly.  Together, we came up with the idea to shoot the food items so they looked like they were floating.

Now that you know the concept, here is how I did it.

Because I was shooting on location and had to transport everything I needed, I wanted to keep the shoot equipment as simple as possible.  However, as simple as this shot looks, it does require a fair amount of gear to make it work.  As I have mentioned in other posts, when I shoot tethered it is into Lightroom 2 via Camera Control Pro 2.  Although a bit outdated, it works until I upgrade my version of Lightroom.  If anyone wants to send me a copy, or Adobe, if you are reading this, if you want to send me a copy, I will greatly appreciate it.  Back to how I did the shot.

The first thing I did was to place a 36″ square piece of plexi (I used plexi as it is safer to transport) between two tables.  Anything would work for this part.  Since the tables were there I used them.  I then placed diffusion material on the plexi and a smaller piece of glass on top of that.  In hindsight, I would have used a piece of frosted Plexiglass and not had to worry about diffusion material.

Next I placed a white surface on the ground to reflect the light. In this situation I simply used a white tablecloth from the restaurant and taped it down.  Of course you could use white seamless, foam core, a bed sheet, or any other white surface large enough.

I placed two profoto heads on c-stand arms and with umbrellas I bounced the light off of the white surface.  The heads and umbrellas were under the glass and off to the side.  I had those powered about 2 stops brighter than the main light on the bacon.  To light the bacon I used a Nikon SB 900 with a softbox above and slightly camera left triggered with a pocket wizard.  Because shutter speed is not important in a shot like this I arbitrarily chose 1/160 of a second.  To be certain that I achieved the right balance of light I was looking for I placed a silver reflector close to the bacon on camera right and to give some extra highlights I used a small mirror (one of my favorite tools – and retrieved on bulky trash night from someone’s garbage) near the reflector.

Once this double smoked bacon was done being cooked, I placed it on the top piece of glass, took a few test shots to check the styling, and then shot the final image. My camera was mounted on a side arm onto my tripod and placed directly over the bacon. To avoid any flare from the lights below, and to avoid losing contrast, I placed black paper around the bacon leaving enough room to allow enough white to show through and give the illusion of floating.

After the image was captured, I made some adjustments in Lightroom to complete the vision I had for the shot.  The adjustments included, blacks, lights, darks, and color temperature.

Shooting Data

Camera: Nikon D700

Lens: Nikon 24 – 70 f/2.8 set at 65 mm

ISO: 500

Exposure: f/11 @ 1/160 second – remember in this application, shutter speed is irrelevant.  It just needs to be fast enough so the ambient light does not have any effect.

Final camera height: approximately 3 feet above bacon

White Balance : 5600K and a -8 green

Beach Pea Baking Co.’s Cowgirl Cookies

Posted by spoonandshutter on April 3, 2012
Posted in: Kitchen, Out & About. Tagged: , , , , , . 2 comments

From Spoon: In my fantasy life, I own a bakery. I get up before dawn to roll out pie crusts, stir chocolate chips into cookie dough and slather cupcakes with icing. Happy customers line up to buy my famous scones and my days are spent in a swirl of cinnamon scented air. Screeeech (think brakes slamming) … reality check!! As much as I love to bake, I could never own a bakery – no way could I get out of bed in time to make the doughnuts. And, as a former restaurateur, I know all too well how much hard work it is.

Thomas Roberts, owner of Beach Pea Baking Co. in Kittery, Maine

But every so often, when we visit a great bakery, the fantasy kicks in. It was running at full throttle the minute we walked through the door of Beach Pea Baking Co. in Kittery, Maine.  Run by Thomas and Mariah Roberts, an adorable young couple committed to making high quality, natural baked goods and offering a delightful environment for the community to gather, Beach Pea is the place to pick up artisan bread, stop in for a morning coffee and croissant or meet a friend for lunch. We discovered it when Ted photographed Thomas for Share Our Strength Maine.

Thomas was kind enough to give us a copy of Beach Pea’s cookbook, “Artisan Breads, Pastries, Cookies and Desserts.” These cookies (with a few tweaks by me) are representative of the bakery’s philosophy; they are both a sweet treat and wholesome.

Beach Pea Bakery’s Cowgirl Cookies

2 1/2 tablespoons crushed pineapple (I used apricot jam)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3 cups evaporated cane sugar (I used light brown sugar, loosely packed)

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups rolled oats

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour)

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoons fine sea salt

2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup shredded coconut

Combine all dry ingredients except the sugar in one bowl. In a second bowl, combine the chocolate chips, walnuts and coconut.

In a mixer, cream the butter until it’s pale and fluffy. Add the pineapple puree and mix on medium speed until combined.

Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the sugar. Mix together on speed one, stop and scrape down the bowl again, then continue mixing on medium.

Add the eggs and vanilla, scrape the sides of the bowl, and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy.

Stop the mixer and add the dry ingredients. Pulse the mixer on low until the dough begins to come together. Stop and scrape down the bowl, add the chocolate chips, walnuts and coconut, and mix again to incorporate (Because there was a lot of dough,I had to take the bowl off the mixer stand and do this by hand.)

With a large spoon or ice cream scoop, portion the cookie dough onto a sheet pan, leaving enough space for the cookies to double in size.  Gently flatten the dough with the heel of your hand for consistent baking.

Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are light brown. Cool on a cooling rack.

Makes about three dozen.

Vinho Verde: Wines To Drink Right Now

Posted by spoonandshutter on March 30, 2012
Posted in: Out & About. Tagged: , , , , , , . 3 comments

From Shutter: The first time we experienced vinho verde was sitting at the bar at Seabras Marisqueira in Newark, where it seemed everyone was quaffing the refreshing wine with their seafood. Since then, due in large part to Ted’s ongoing photo project in the Ironbound section of the city, we’ve become big fans of anything Portuguese, especially, the wines.

Ted recently attended a vinho verde tasting at the hip restaurant Saxon + Parole in Manhattan, co-sponsored by the European Union and the Comissao de Viticultura da Regiao dos Vinhos Verdes (the organization of vinho verde producers). The importers and distributors represented included our friends at Jose Maria da Fonseca (imported by Palm Bay International), who have been instrumental in introducing us to Portuguese wines.

Our friend, Maria Stevens of Palm Bay International, represents Jose Maria da Fonseca wines

Manuel Pinheiro, executive president of the Comissao de Viticultura da Regaio dos Vinhos Verdes (left) and Rui Boavista Marques, trade and investment commissioner for AICEP (Portuguese Business and Development Agency)

Carla Cunha, marketing director, Comissao de Viticultura da Regiao dos Vinhos Verdes

Vinho verdes are made in a demarcated region in the Northwest of Portugal from a variety of grapes, by many small producers. The name vinho verde literally means “green wine” but is translated as “young wine.” We generally think of the variety as a white, but it there are red and roses too – all are meant to be consumed within a year of bottling. The whites range from pale – almost green – to straw color, and are mildly fruity, light, crisp and refreshing, a Portuguese version of pinot grigio (but better).  Some, like some of the fruity roses, have a hint of sparkle. I’ve never tasted the reds, which are not terribly popular here in the U.S. and Ted said they were sparsely represented at the event.

Vinho verde has become our go-to wine for the warmer weather. Its relatively low alcohol content, budget price (many are under $10 a bottle) and food-friendly characteristics make it an easy choice with the seafood and salads that we’re eating now. The wines are also a perfect apertif. As the Portuguese say “Saude”!

Braised Pheasant: Game On

Posted by spoonandshutter on March 22, 2012
Posted in: Kitchen. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 1 comment

From Spoon: Just in case you may be wondering what happened to all of that glorious meat, charcuterie and game from Ted’s recent photo shoot for D’Artagnan, a good bit of it landed in our fridge and freezer. In the last three days, I’ve come home to dinners of buffalo tenderloin, lamb chops and tonight, this delicious braised pheasant, which in a first-ever move, Ted both cooked and photographed.

This rustic preparation, inspired by a recipe he found on a pheasant hunting website, includes ventreche, the French version of pancetta, plenty of thinly sliced garlic, and both fresh and dried herbs. D’Artagnan’s pheasant is domestic and therefore less gamey than the wild version, but it nonetheless has a rich flavor that is distinctly not chicken. Your local market probably won’t have it, so if you don’t know a hunter, you can order it online from D’Artagnan.

Ventreche

Braised Pheasant

2 1/2 – 3 lb. pheasant

5-6 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

3 1/2 ounces ventreche (or pancetta)

5 tablespoons minced onion

5 large cloves garlic, sliced thin

3 tablespoons dried oregano

4 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, plus additional for garnish

6 tablespoons fresh minced basil leaves

3 tablespoons brandy

1/2 cup chicken stock

3/4 cup dry white wine

3/4 cup water

3 ounces duck bacon

Rinse the pheasant and pat dry before cutting it into parts. “I butcher all birds the same way,” says Ted:

First, use kitchen shears to cut out the back bone; spread the bird out flat. Remove the legs, leaving each leg and thigh in one piece. Remove each wing in one piece. Flip the bird over and use kitchen shears to cut the breast into two pieces. This should leave you with six pieces of pheasant.

Duck bacon (left) and diced ventreche

Heat a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Add duck bacon and cook until crisp. Dice and set aside.

Heat oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the pheasant pieces, skin-side down, and cook, about 5 minutes, or until the skin side is brown. Turn the pieces over and add the ventreche (or pancetta) and onion. Cook until the ventreche and onion are browned.

Add the garlic and herbs, and stir in brandy and chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen all the good bits. Cook uncovered, over medium heat, 4-5 minutes, turning the pheasant pieces once. Turn the pieces skin side up again, reduce heat to low, cover the pan and cook for about 8 minutes. Add the wine and water, cover and cook for 12 more minutes.

To serve: garnish with the diced duck bacon and chopped parsley, with the pan juices poured over the pheasant.