Petite Pavlovas

Made these lovely little mini Pavlovas recently. What a sweet and succulent dessert! And they are amazingly easy to make.

• Purchase or make large meringues.
• Split the meringues horizontally with a serrated knife
• Spread an abundance of homemade whipped cream on the bottom layer and top with the berries or fruit of your choice
• Place the top layer of meringue back on the pavlova and enjoy!

Just so freaking good : )

Ode to Fennel

Had a lovely and delicious dish with fresh sauteed fennel today in Palo Alto. Such a unique flavor. Also found out it is one of the key ingredients in absinthe. So of course I thought I'd write an ode to fennel. Or maybe even a haiku!

Crisp green fennel bulbs
sauteed, baked, roasted and raw
darling of the chefs

et voila!

Saturday is Pizza Day!

These lovely wood-fired pizzas are from Moonside Bakery in Half Moon Bay. And rather scrumptious looking, I think. Oh heck with the New Year's resolutions, I'm hungry!!

Cranberry Claufoutis copy

Cranberry Claufoutis copy
Originally uploaded by pixelish

Claufoutis day today! Used a modified version of Martha Stewart's recipe. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!! Just saying.

I can haz blini? (Caviar and blini)

Today I went in a different direction and cooked up a ton of blini for this shot. Used James Beard's blini recipe, of course. http://jamesbeard.org/index.php?q=recipes/show/Blini_with_Caviar

Absolutely love how each caviar egg reflects the lights. Really happy with this image, but I think I'll try a red caviar next time for a bit of color.

Bon appetit!

Bowl of Cranberries

Bowl of Cranberries
Originally uploaded by pixelish

So here is a little bit of a different shot. I'll use this one in the book, I think. Beautiful light, unusual setting with lots of negative space. The "drabware" bowl really fits in with the environment here. Loving the light!

Oh, and my book... it's called Food Styling and Photography for Dummies (Wiley and sons Publishing). It's due out in April 2012 and is available for pre-order in Europe and Asia so far. Here's a link to the UK site - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Styling-Photography-Dummies-Alison-Parks-Whitfield/dp/111809719X

So excited!

0911SauvignonBlancGrapes_3380 copy

0911SauvignonBlancGrapes_3380 copy
Originally uploaded by pixelish

Beautiful stormy day last Saturday in the Santa Ynez valley. Led to some awesome light for these Sauvignon Blanc grapes.