are two of my favourite things

This past June, we stayed for a few days in Paris, at a friend’s house, in Marais. I had already gone to Paris a couple of times, but this was special: I wandered the city alone and did absolutely everything I wanted to do: peek inside shops, sit on the street cafés and, as you might imagine, check out the farmers markets.

The photos above are from the market just outside Les Halles and it was bursting with fresh produce, flowers and people.

My mind has been elsewhere and so the blog has been (really) neglected. It’s only four days till the big day and I can’t seem to find the time to blog..

As the blog, the kitchen has been quiet – no big and fancy meals, no new recipes, just a few reliable, easy and quick recipes. The picture above tells it all – I can whip this pizza in about 15 minutes and not feel that guilty about not cooking a proper meal in weeks.

In other news, I’m beyond excited about this next few days. A bit nervous too, but I guess that’s normal.

In a week, we’ll be leaving for New York, where we’ll stay for 3 weeks, including a small road trip to the Hudson Valley.

In New York, we’ll be joining Karen Mordechai and a small group of other food-loving people, on a Sunday Suppers class with chef Vincent Rotolo, all about grilled pizzas and cheeses. Can’t wait!

lovely selection made by Summer of design is mine

ends a tough week and my weekend begins.

So I leave you with somethings I had bookmarked and hadn’t had time to write about them here.

* the lovely packaging for Buffy’s Bakery in Hong Kong designed by Blow.

* the color series postcards by Hilda

* this recipe for Rosemary Olive Oil Cake

The Jewels of New York might be one of the best things to have come my way this year. I’m extremely excited to cook up some of their recipes and am totally inlove with the beautiful photos of their food.

When I started this blog, I hoped it would be a place where I could talk about everything I loved, and that would bring me joy. And it did. What I wasn’t hoping was for friends. I mean, I follow hundreds of blogs, I read them almost everyday and sometimes I feel I know those bloggers as if they were friends. But friends-you-take-to-lunch-and-bake-them-cakes friends.

Out of the blue, a few weeks ago, I found one. Mafalda is a chef, cookbook writer and mother of two. And now, she’s also my friend – and that is kind of awesome. So, when she asked me to be the blogger of the month and share a recipe, I was thrilled.

So here it is – check out Mafalda’s blog and my lemon bars!

I use this recipe a lot, to make bread and also focaccia or flatbread. It makes enough for at least two loaves.

Ingredients:

600g of strong flour

13g of fresh yeast

400ml of water

20ml of olive oil

20ml of milk

15g of salt

180g of ferment

How to make it:

Put the flour and yeast in a large bowl and pour in the water. Use a spoon to mix together until well combined, then set aside for 10 minutes. Use a spoon to mix together until well combined and then set aside for 10 minutes.

Add the oil, milk and salt, mixing well. Turn the dough onto a slightly floured surface and start kneading. Knead for 10 minutes, then allow the dough to rest for at least 10 minutes. Add the ferment and knead for another 10 minutes.

Place the dough in a container sprayed with olive oil and cover with plastic wrap and set it aside to bulk for 1 and 1/2 hour. After that, turn the dough again onto the floured surface and press it into the shape you most like it.

Place the bread on a baking tray, brush it with olive oil, add the garlic and thyme and cook it in a warm oven for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

This a light and simple week lunch idea – it actually was, so…

Aspargus are in season, and you can find really good ones at your supermarket or even the local market – if you don’t prepare them on the day you buy them, keep them in the fridge in a bowl with just a bit of water.

I cut the aspargus in three and roasted them with garlic, olive oil and salt, for about 20 minutes, in the oven. They still keep their crunch, but get a really good earthly flavour of the garlic and salt. As I LOVE lemon, I used lemon zest to finish this off, just putting it on top of the pasta and aspargus! Grated cheese is optional, but goes really well!

Anyone who knows me even just a bit, knows I’m sentimental. I’m mellow, soft, you name it. I think it just is part of who I am.

A couple of months ago, I ordered Molly Wizenbergs book, A Homemade Life, and read it in a whimp. It is funny, filled with recipes that tell her family story, her childhood, her trips to Paris and how her blog Orangette helped her find love.

Molly is not a professional cook, but she puts her heart into it. And, one day, a boy from New York City found her blog because of a French-Style Yogurt Cake with Lemon. As Molly says, “I owe this cake quite a debt of gratitude. It may be simple, but to me, it borders on the magical.”

So, a few days ago, as I got ready for something that can change my life completely, I knew I had to bake it. So, I poured my heart into it, hoping that it also brings me good fortune.

French-Style Yogurt Cake with Lemon

For the cake:
1 jar plain yogurt
2 jars granulated sugar
3 large eggs
3 jars unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 jar canola oil

For the glaze: (optional)
Juice from 2 lemons
1/2 jar powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, and eggs, stirring until well blended. Add the flour, baking powder, and zest, mixing to just combine. Add the oil and stir to incorporate. At first, it will look like a horrible, oily mess, but keep stirring, and it will come together into a smooth batter. Pour and scrape the batter into a buttered 9-inch round cake pan (after buttering, I sometimes line the bottom with a round of wax or parchment paper, and then I butter that too).

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cake feels springy to the touch and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.

Cool cake on a rack for about 20 minutes; then turn it out of the pan to cool completely.

When the cake is thoroughly cooled, combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl and spoon it gently over the cake. The glaze will be thin and will soak in like a syrup.
Serve.