Sugary Beignets

These sugary sweet beignets have a secret inside! There is homemade pear jam lurking just under the fried deliciousness. Mmmm... what an unusual and yummy flavor.

The presentation also caught my eye — the fried morsels are laid out in a worn, rustic toolbox. Captured at the Farmer's Market outside of the Ferry Building in San Francisco.

Raclette with Quick Pickle

Raclette with Quick Pickle
Originally uploaded by pixelish
Amazingly tasty, tangy, gooey comfort food from Cowgirl Creamery at the Ferry Building in SF. Best $5 I've spent all year : )

Meringues in Luxembourg

It is a strange thing to realize I am so, well... obsessed with photographing food in European light that I am now planning a trip back over there not for the museums, not for the architecture, not to visit friends, not for a romantic getaway, but for no other reason than to shoot food. Ah... bliss : )

Lemon Tart 2- Tartine

Lemon Tart 2- Tartine
Originally uploaded by pixelish
Amazingly delicate and perfectly flavored lemon meringue tart. From the legendary Tartine Bakery in San Francisco.

I pretty much need to go back there soon. Real soon : )

Cranberry Bread Pudding - Tartine

Cranberry Bread Pudding - Tartine
Originally uploaded by pixelish
Utterly delicious bread pudding with cranberries from Tartine Bakery, San Francisco. http://www.tartinebakery.com/

Hand Whipped Cream

Wow. Forgot what it was like to actually make whipped cream by hand. It's just two wonderful ingredients, 1 cup of heavy cream and 1/3 cup of sugar. Using a hand wisk, wisk it up for about 12 minutes or so, or until the cream gets thick and forms peaks.

Talk about scrumptious, wow.  Happy Thanksgiving you all!

Jamming!

Saturday is jam day! Nothing better than a warm carb of your choice lathered with lingonberry jam : )

Baked Pumpkin Soup in a Pumpkin Shell

This creamy and flavorful baked soup is one of my very favorite recipes to cook in Autumn.

Ingredients
 
1 medium sized pumpkin
5 slices of toasted sourdough bread
1.5 cups grated gruyere cheese
16 oz chicken stock
8 oz heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Using a sharp and sturdy knife, cut out a lid from the pumpkin top and set aside. Scoop out the pumpkin guts and seeds, but leave the walls of the pumpkin thick and intact. Now place the pumpkin in a deep round casserole dish.

Toast the sourdough bread to a golden brown color. Rip the toast into bite-size pieces and place a layer inside the pumpkin. Cover the toast with a layer of the grated gruyere. Repeat the layering until you have used up all the toast and cheese. Sprinkle the mixture with the salt and pepper. Now pour in the heavy cream, followed by the chicken stock. Place the lid back on the pumpkin.

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees, then remove the lid from the pumpkin and bake for another 30 minutes or so, until golden brown. Enjoy!

Birthday Cake

Birthday Cake
Originally uploaded by pixelish
Decided to approach this cake from a very low angle. And wanted super selective focus just on that chocolate frosting swirl and the edge of the cake. Quite happy with this unusual look.

Oh, and the cake? Delish!

Southwestern theme today. Here are the chilis, pre-roasting. Cayenne, since you asked.

Breaking my rules about backgrounds here. I typically prefer to photograph on a plain background with no designs. Had to make an exception for this antique pressed tin.

Note to self - it's good to break the rules every once in a while.

Raspberries in boxes

Raspberries in boxes
Originally uploaded by pixelish

This was taken only about a month ago. It was summer then, and now we are clearly heading into fall. Really feeling the seasons change this year in California.

These lovely red raspberries were found at a farmer's market, photographed and immediately gobbled up : )

Dark Grapes on the Vine

Dark Grapes on the Vine
Originally uploaded by pixelish
Today it's all about wine grapes, not food per se. I was out in my happy place, running around in vineyards this afternoon. The temperature hit about 100 degrees and the winds were blowing like crazy. Because of the wind, I was really having a problem with blur. So I started messing with my shutter speed and got, what I think, is a lovely series of dark and moody vineyard photos. Really kind of love this one in particular.

Panko Encrusted Ahi Tuna

Panko Encrusted Ahi Tuna
Originally uploaded by pixelish

Lightly seared, panko encrusted Ahi is, hands down, the most gorgeous appetizer! From the Pineapple Grill, Maui. Can you say Aloha?

Portrait of Pineapple

Portrait of Pineapple
Originally uploaded by pixelish

I'm here in Hawaii this week for my nephew's wedding. Really loving the fresh Maui pineapple. Taste SO good when it's fresh and warm and has never been refrigerated.

Baby Pinot Noir

Baby Pinot Noir
Originally uploaded by pixelish

Yesterday was spent in Napa/Sonoma, camera in hand, exploring the vineyards as the grapes approach harvest.

I was so excited to find a beautiful Pinot Noir vineyard! My favorite grape to photograph. There is something about this grape that actually has a little glow to it. It is easiest to capture the glow in the early morning light, but evening can produce a nice look as well.

This bunch is just ripening and is going through véraison (displaying grapes of different colors and stages of ripening). I just thought these grapes were amazingly beautiful. Sigh : )

Baked Tomatoes

Baked Tomatoes
Originally uploaded by pixelish

And voila! The final result. Very very very very good.

Tomatoes Prepared

Tomatoes Prepared
Originally uploaded by pixelish

And now the tomatoes are dressed and prepped for the oven. A little salt, a little pepper, a lot of sliced parmesan. Pop into a preheated 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until brown and bubbly and heavenly. I'll post the end result tomorrow. Nom!

Cut Tomatoes

Cut Tomatoes
Originally uploaded by pixelish

So, my friends Mary Ellen and Phil are the best urban gardeners I know. Mary Ellen put out the call today to come get some tomatoes, they were quite literally overflowing! So I've decided to make a favorite dish, baked tomatoes...

Five Silver Spoons

Five Silver Spoons
Originally uploaded by pixelish

Thinking of small, humble, everyday things today. Love this image of the uber cool spoons hanging out in elegant formation. The spoons are all antiques and honestly I think four of the five are silver with one stainless thrown in for good measure.

I love searching for props in antique and thrift stores, but lately I'm finding cool antique silverware in upscale stores such as NapaStyle - http://www.napastyle.com/home.jsp

Mini Dessert Cones

These delicious mini pudding cones are the best dessert ever! Just a bite or two of sweetness to brighten up your day. The cute little cones are created by the chefs over at Ladies who Lunch, SF, and wow, are they yummy!

Book Giveaway!!!

Good morning, and welcome to freebie day!!! I have 3 copies of "Food Styling and Photography for Dummies" to giveaway this month. Who would like to get a free copy?! If that's you, send a nice little sentence or two explaining why YOU should be the person to receive a book to info@alisonparkswhitfield.com.

Winners will be chosen on August 15, 2012. Good luck!!!

Water Pitchers

Water Pitchers
Originally uploaded by pixelish

Pitchers of cold, refreshing water on a hot summer day. Looks just like a painting to me!

Fennel with Water Drops

Fennel with Water Drops
Originally uploaded by pixelish
Stopped by a roadside stand on the way to Santa Barbara on Saturday. There some fruits outside, but the veggies were kept inside the cool, dark barn. The open door provided the only light source for this photograph.

Raisin Pastries Paris

Raisin Pastries Paris
Originally uploaded by pixelish
These raisin pastries are similar to cinnamon buns, but with a delicious twist. They use a flaky French pastry for the dough to make them ultra light and uber yummy.

I think I may try to reverse engineer the recipe for these delicate morsels... they were just too good!

Consuming Creativity

Sometimes I wish I could eat art! I heart you Wayne Thiebaud - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Thiebaud

Hey! Cooks and Books and Recipes is having a giveaway! And my book is one of the choices! Enter early, enter often! http://www.cooksandbooksandrecipes.com/2012/06/food-blogging-for-dummies-a-giveaway/

Judy Cheese and Pickles

This lovely appetizer is something called Judy cheese and pickles. Judy cheese is a mixture of local Portland (OR) cheese with local Portland beer. Full-on local Portland goodness! With some wicked tasty quick pickles and cornichons on the side.

Next project? I think I'll have to try to make some of these quick pickles. They are just too good. Found four awesome quick pickle recipes here at the Herb Companion. They sound eminently delicious...

Oh, and many thanks to Gary and Jenny for introducing me to this little appetizer of wonderfulness.

Horchata and Aqua Fresca

Horchata and Aqua Fresca
Originally uploaded by pixelish
This week I'm up in Portland, OR visiting my son and my darling almost daughter-in-law. On Sunday we ended up at a small but lovely farmer's market in a way trendy neighborhood. And there I found some watermelon and canteloupe aqua fresca, not to mention the yummy horchata!

More pictures from Ladies who Lunch catering - http://lwlcatering.com/. Here is the chef's handmade mushroom gnocchi. Is it dinner time yet?

Bee and Sage

Bee and Sage
Originally uploaded by pixelish
Meanwhile, back at the winery... Getting up close and personal with joe honey bee gathering pollen from some lovely sage blossoms. It will all be delicious honey soon. Patience, grasshopper, er... honey bee.

Mini Dessert Cones

Mini Dessert Cones
Originally uploaded by pixelish
These scrumptious little dessert cones had lemon and chocolate custard, a little bit of cream and fruit. Really delicious!

Yes it's true - spring is my favorite season of the year. In spring, everything is new and fresh and full of promise. In life, as well as on the local farms.

Around here, the Farmer's Markets are finally starting back up with just-picked herbs and peas, artichokes, delicate flowers and colorful root vegetables on offer. Such great places to get the very freshest ingredients to prepare some amazing dishes.

Raspberries, Pancakes and Toothpicks, Oh My!

Playing with toothpicks today. Yes, toothpicks! You see, these raspberries were being a bit unruly when I set up this shot. I would just get the berries lined up correctly when they would decide to come tumbling off the pancake stacks. So I broke out the styling kit. About half of the raspberries are now securely anchored to the pancake stacks with toothpicks. Provides a great structure for difficult foods.

Rustic Rose Marzipan

Long, LONG ago, (as in 20-30 years ago), Sunset magazine published a delicious recipe for home- made marzipan. I carefully tore out the page and kept it for years, but alas, I must have lost it somewhere along the winding road of my life.

Well, I've taken the idea of that recipe and turned it on it's head a bit.

So here's my unique take on home-made marzipan. Instead of a really fine grind on the almonds, I grind them a bit more coarsely, just to get that yummy nutty flavor going on.

When adding flavoring to the mixture, it's much more typical to use orange flower water or almond extract. But I've been experimenting a bit. I've found that rose water mixes very well with the almonds for a delicate and wonderful new flavor.

And in an homage to the original Sunset recipe, I shaped the candies just as they did long ago, into little loaves of "bread."

Rustic Rose Marzipan

Ingredients:

1 cup blanched almonds
2 cups of powdered sugar
1 tbsp + 1 tsp rose water (found in ethnic or specialty food markets)
4 tbsp of corn syrup

Place the almonds in a food processor.
Grind for approximately 1 minute until the almonds resemble fine crumbs.
Add 1 and 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar, the rose water and the corn syrup and process until the mixture resembles a thick paste.
Turn the mixture into a mixing bowl.
Knead the dough in the bowl, and, if needed, mix the remaining powdered sugar in little by little. Knead until the dough is smooth, pliable and not sticky anymore.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Shape the marzipan mixture and place on the parchment. The dough can be shaped into balls, fruits, animals, breads or whatever you like. Let dry for 2 hours. And enjoy!

Dates with Blue Cheese and Honey

Dates with Blue Cheese and Honey
Originally uploaded by pixelish
Going to the dark side here! A nice dark background with one light source really creates a mood for the food.

New Video from Wiley!

Hey! Wiley has put together a new little video for my book, "Food Styling and Photography For Dummies." Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NTtFxyBP_s

Blueberries, Paris France

Blueberries, Paris France
Originally uploaded by pixelish
Check out the lovely color on these blueberries from an open market in St Germain de Pres. There was a lot of moisture in the air, (it was just about to rain), and the droplets diffused the light beautifully.

Fruit Tarts in Luxembourg

Found these phenomenally delicious fruit tarts at a GREAT boulangerie while bicycling through Luxembourg today. Noticed the window light and ducked inside to take some images of the rustic sweets.

FYI- I think it's always the right thing to do to ask before taking images in a shop. It is rare that you will get turned turned down.

On the road in France

This week finds me off on an adventure traveling the countryside in France. Woohoo! Yesterday I stayed at an Alain Ducasse-curated chateau in Etoges. The room itself was quite small and charming and the dinner was beyond faboush!!

And, as we are in Champagne country over here, today involved visiting various Champagne houses large and small. Really prefer the small, boutique vintners outside of Epernay. Elegant champagnes and quiet hospitality.

Photos are coming soon...!

French macaroons in natural light

French macaroons
Originally uploaded by pixelish
Thinking about my trip to France next week. C'est an affaire gastronomique! I plan to document the lovely foods I come across in Paris, Champagne and Alsace-Lorraine. Zut alors! Both fun and yummy!

The Power of a Good Drip

A good rule of thumb is to never underestimate the power of a good drip! It can elevate an image from just ok to yummy in 6 seconds flat.

The key to a good drip? It should have a nice highlight and be crisply in focus for maximum effect. Now dig in!

New Video is up!

Hay! I have a yummy little video going on! Well, it's a nice little slide show that will do just fine till the other videos are ready for primetime. You can find it on YouTube at http://youtu.be/rc6-MPKm228

Enjoy!

Apricot Paste with Almonds

0312ApricotPasteAlmonds_8910 copy
Originally uploaded by pixelish

Check out this delicious bite-sized dessert! These apricot paste squares with sliced almonds are an amazing burst of sweetness on a spoon.

Set up this shot in a light tent to get a bit of light glowing through the fruit paste. Really love the texture on the frontmost square.

Fresh Lavender Blossoms at the Farmer's Market

You never know what you'll find on Saturday mornings at the Santa Barbara Farmer's Market. Gorgeous bunches of fragrant fresh picked lavender caught my eye this week. Check out that lovely color!

Farmer's markets in general are great places to capture "found" photographs of delicious foods and spices. Many times the vendor's stands have white canopies that act as a natural light diffuser. It's the perfect setting to take some amazing photos of raw ingredients.

Two Caramel Pots De Creme

Two Caramel Pots De Creme
Originally uploaded by pixelish

I shot these two luxurious pots de creme with natural light on a dark background. I set the jars on a nice soft yellow linen to warm things up a little. I also propped the frontmost jar up a bit so it leans slightly towards the camera.

Best stuff for propping up foods? I use this cool stuff called HandiTak reusable adhesive. It's awesome! Pliable, not too sticky and really gets the job done.

Can I just say that I love Sonoma? So down to earth compared to the Napa area. It's a place where you can walk into a restaurant and get invited over to a local vintner's house for a nice glass of wine. It's where food and wine go hand and hand, with a little wide open space on the side.

And my favorite new restaurant - The Girl and the Fig - is on the corner of the main square. And even the fact that it has a cool main square is just so awesome. I wonder if they need any food photographers up there? : )

Tilting towards yumminess

A wise man once told me a food photography secret... Never underestimate the power of a good tilt! Sometimes, just having a nice little tilt when shooting your food subject can make the difference between an ordinary photo and a extraordinary one. Mangia!

Candied Orange Peel

Got inspired by a recent Martha Stewart article about candied orange peel, so I decided to make my own. 'Twas a delicious blast and a half.

And they were even better dipped in Scharffen Berger chocolate!

Overall, I was quite pleased with the specular highlights on these delectable morsels of yum.

Scones and Jam

So, I was in the middle of photographing another item when I had to run an errand. Out of a corner of my eye, I noticed these cranberry scones in a bakery window. They were just calling out to be photographed! And so I did : )

A spoonful of cherry jam makes the perfect accent for the scones. Pulls the colors all together.

Donuts with Sprinkles

What is it about sprinkles? Photographing the little circles of joy is so fulfilling. Personally I think it's the repetition of the shapes, the many colorful little balls all over the topping. It's like a party for your eyes! And, as you can see, each one of the sprinkles has it's own little highlight to give the topping some nice depth.

I picked this particular donut as it had a nice clumping of sprinkles towards the middle, as well as some lovely stray random dots at the front.

Golden Honey in a Mason Jar

Lovely fresh local honey photographed in natural light in my kitchen. I placed the honey and the old silver spoon on the coolest red wooden tray. Found the tray in an uber dinky town in Arizona.

Love those weathered woods!

Chevre Cheese with Chives

0112Chevre_8419 copy
Originally uploaded by pixelish

Visited the wonderful Harley Farms in Pescadero California. Obsessed with the light there! (Not to mention the cheese)!

Oh - also wanted to mention that my book is ALMOST out! It's called Food Styling and Photography for Dummies. Here's some info on my pride and joy - http://www.dummies.com/store/product/Food-Styling-and-Photography-For-Dummies.productCd-111809719X.html

Lemon Tart with Photoshop

The original setup for this unique lemon and cranberry tart was, starting from the bottom - a white table cloth covering the table, followed by a grey linen napkin (love!) followed by the plate and the tart itself.

When I looked at the final images, the brightness of the bottom white tablecloth was bugging me a bit. Tried burning it in, but that looked a little meh.

So I did something I rarely do. I used the pipette/eyedropper tool to sample the color of the lemon tart. Using the color picker, I lightened up the lemon colored tone considerably. Then I used the bucket tool to paint that soft yellow over the white of the tablecloth. Better!

Brown Bread Loaves

Playing around with brown yesterday. I found these beautiful loaves at a little market and decided to really focus in and become one with the brown. So I had two brown loaves of bread placed at differing angles on a brown rustic wine barrel table. With some brown walnuts thrown in for good measure.

And about those walnut accents... When you style food, sometimes no matter how carefully you place accents, they photograph as a little staged. When you get stuck in that rut, just grab the accents in your hand and let them fall out naturally. Better.

Simple Poached Pear on White

And speaking of nice light... I used uber diffused studio lights for this shot. The poached pear was lit with two Lowell ego lights and a small softbox shooting across the back of the scene. I love the feeling of lightness in this image as well as the texture of the pear itself. Not to mention that the dark spiced red wine sauce is a great counter to the whitewashed look of the photo. Simple. Elegant. Yum.