THIS SATURDAY

Come check out my latest project with Thought For Food at Taste 2012! We've built an edible art installation for one night only. It'll be filled with ooey gooey honey action, so don't miss out!  Hope to see you there.

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EASTER EGG SURPRISE

Growing up, my grandmother's friend hosted Easter egg hunts every year in her yard. She had her own method and rules, where she took real eggs, hollowed them out, dyed them, and filled them with confetti. The hole was sealed with a piece of tissue paper. This was quite laborious; I imagine she did this year round. Ten or so children ran about hunting for these eggs. After we've all counted how many we gathered (nevermind what the winner got), all hell broke loose and we smashed our eggs on each others heads. We chased, got chased, whacked, and got whacked. In the end, every kid had confetti and eggshell in their hair, and the entire yard was a mess. How this woman managed this year after year, I have no idea. It also didn't occur to me until recently, that most people probably don't spend Easter smashing eggs on each others heads.

When I think of Easter, I think Spring. Oh, and candy.  Here, I've coated the inside with dark chocolate, and prepared two types of filling: marshmallow and peanut butter crunch.

I was inspired by the confetti eggs by my grandmother's friend. An egg and a seed are similar, in the sense that they are both at the beginning of life. I like the idea of an egg cracked to disperse confetti, and the seeds eventually finding a place on the ground to grow.

This was a coincidence really, but I was making applesauce awhile back and was using an apple peeler. Normally I would throw away the peel, but I was curious and tossed it in the dehydrator. It didn't taste much like anything, but had a nice aroma of apple. Perfect for garnish!

These are sort of like Kinder Surprise,which are sadly banned in the U.S. I love mystery and anticipation! It could be chocolate, candy, confetti, a fortune...anything really.

Happy Easter and happy spring everyone!

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Денежная дорожка.

Нашла вот такой текст. www.liveinternet.ru/users/krasca1/post159906590...

Что могу сказать, у меня пока все деньги в доме не выгребутся новые как-то не приходят. То работа новая не появляется, то я , что расчитывала быстро сделать,  все копаюсь... То вообще какой "швах" случится на ровном месте. Так что, все отложенное под конец, особенно, лунного месяца аккурат пускается в "дело". И четкая установка, что это на-то-то и на-то-то не спасает. Как-то сурово так перед носом встает ситуация, что жизнь - это здесь и сей час, и деньги нужны здесь и сей час.

Однако, заметила закономерность, что тратятся именно бумажки, особенно крупные, а вот монетки вполне себе могут и прожить - остаться нетронутыми. Это выход? Конечно, зманчиво стать самой себе отделением банка, но... Похоже, что в случае удачного накопления, за покупкой придется идти с нехиленьким таким мешочком. Хи, надо попробовать.))

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BUSINESS CARDS

Hey, I now have business cards! Or maybe I should say promotional cards... They are matchbox style containers made from kraft paper, stamped with the logotype. When you pull the red tab to read the contact info, you'll also find a surprise treat.

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Волшебный дом для необычных обитателей.

Картинки завораживают, в каждую хочется вглядываться-вглядываться, чтобы рассмотреть мельчайшие детали, и многое оказывается таким родным и уютным... Словом, смотрите сами.))  http://decoramour.livejournal.com/67426.html#cutid1

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Кому бонсай на шейку, ну или на лацкан?

Идея, мне показалась забавной, но вот только за растения как-то боязно, непонятно как быть с грунтом или водой, да и по-моему, не полезно их так нещадно перемещать с места на место.
Источник: http://www.etsy.com/shop/wearableplanter?ref=seller_info

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Много-много поводов для радости и поздравлений.

Повод номер раз:

С очередным поротом колеса, всех кто празднует. Пусть ваш внутрений свет растет с колличеством солнечных зайчиков, и яркость его не меркнет в часы ненастья.

Повод номер два:

С началом нового лунного месяца. 

Повод номер три:

Меня с маленькой победой.))) Далась она не легко, и в том что получилось есть недочеты и замечания, но после двух неудачных попыток которые просто пришлось выкинуть, то что в конце концов получилось, я считаю маленькой, но победой.

Вот, собственно, за что велись сражения. Кулон " Омела" в духе украшений эпохи модерна. 

Полимерная глина, сусальное  золото 960 пробы, речной жемчуг, металлическая проволока,

сборка и покрытие - эпоксидная смола.

 p.s. Отдельное спасибо omela_travnica  за консультацию и вдохновение.)






Размер: 40мм - ширина, 35мм - высота подвески без жемчужины, с жемчужиной - 55мм.

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BULL'S EYE EGGS

What do you call that breakfast dish where you cut a hole in a slice of bread and cook an egg in it? I have always called it egg in a basket, but it’s intriguing that this simple dish has so many names. It is also known as frog in a hole, one-eyed jacks, bird’s nest, cowboy eggs, one-eyed monsters, eggs in a blanket, and bull’s eye eggs (the list goes on).
If you haven’t noticed, I have a thing for circles and so I decided to take “bull’s eye eggs” to the next level. For a true breakfast eater, you need something more substantial than just eggs and bread:



It’s best eaten in slivers like this so you get a bite of everything. This is definitely sharable like a pizza, or you can eat it all yourself, like I did.

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S'MORES FONDUE

Lately, I’ve been thinking about family style meals, specifically ones you prepare/assemble/cook as you eat. A lot of Asian foods came to mind, like hot pot and Korean BBQ, and then there’s fondue.

The fondue tool is simple, yet specific to that dish. Perhaps because we don’t use it on a daily basis (like forks, knives, and chopsticks), it feels special when I use one. Also, the act of sharing, specifically eating out of the same pot, is an intimate eating experience. With these thoughts in mind, I came up with the following: 

 

S’mores + fondue. Replace the traditional fondue stick with an edible graham cracker stick. One thing that bothers me about s’mores is that the chocolate NEVER melts from the heat of the toasted marshmallow. There is no such problem with this dessert, where the chocolate is not only melted, but it is mixed with cream, vanilla, and a dash of chocolate liquor. Yum! 

The graham cracker stick works well for toasting the marshmallow too!

There’s messy fun, and messy annoying. This dessert is just the right amount of messy. Toast, dip, eat...double dip! You know you're amongst close friends / family when you get to double dip.

I made some spoons too, which worked well on it’s own (a spoonful of chocolate). A nice alternative is to dip fruits and use them as vessels like this one. 

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THE SCENTED MENU

Have you ever been to a restaurant and had trouble reading the menu because you’re too hungry, lazy, or indecisive? Not only do you have to process these words, but you then need to determine if that’s what you feel like eating. Because we are so visual, I think it’s often easier to choose by seeing the actual dish than reading a description, like the Japanese do with their plastic presentations.

   

But what if...instead of reading a menu, you smelled it, like a scratch n’ sniff sticker? Aroma is such a strong element in food but it’s often overshadowed, where the majority of the attention goes to visual presentation and taste. I love the smell of food, especially when it’s least expected, like smelling the neighbor’s BBQ when I open my window, or walking down the street and getting a whiff of Indian spices from a nearby restaurant. When it’s the right aroma, my mouth waters and I develop a strong craving for the food. Perhaps this experience can be applied to a menu, where you can instinctively react and decide what you feel like eating.

This study is still just a concept, but I hope that some day, we can have a dinner event where guests really do choose dishes based on smell. In today’s experiment, I decided to use food scented oils, which are typically used in candles. Why would anyone want ham & cheese sandwich scented soap? Who knows. I ordered a total of 10 samples that could fit into a brunch menu. 

 

Out of the ten scents, I chose the six best to go on my brunch menu. This is a little goofy, but the name comes from this equation: Look. Listen. Smell. Eat. = LLSE = Elelessi. When I was talking with my friend Yvonne about LLSE, she thought it sounded French, ha! So for now, it will be my imaginary restaurant.

The smell test: he obviously got bacon right.

It was kind of expected, but I learned that scented oils are a bit too artificial. While coffee, bacon, and french toast smelled like the real thing, some of the others smelled almost like a perfume. I think I will try some other variations of this concept, and figure out ways to incorporate real ingredients next time.

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MAKE & TASTE : A SIMPLE JAPANESE MEAL

Make & Taste is a concept I came up with a couple years ago. It’s a casual lunch making experience with colleagues and friends. At one point, I held this event every other Friday at Autofuss. It’s a nice break that forces you to step away from your work, focus your mind on simple tasks like peeling carrots or mixing ingredients. Most importantly, it’s an opportunity to learn, teach, collaborate, and share experiences with others.

Today’s Make & Taste is with my dear friend, Zilia. The menu is a fairly simple, and traditional Japanese meal. While most non-Japanese people would pinch their nose and run if they were presented with natto (fermented soybean), not Zilia. She spent part of her youth in Japan and has grown fond of foods like natto, seaweed, and pickled plum.

Zilia and I met in middle school at the Fukuoka International School in Japan. Here we are 15 years later, sharing a meal from our culture and speaking Japanglish.

This dessert mochi is made from potato starch and rolled in kinako, a powder made from grinding roasted soybeans. The dark kuromitsu sauce is a simple syrup made of black sugar.

 { All recipes below serves 2 }   *Note: Special ingredients can be found at your local Japanese grocery store

 
Lightly pickled cucumber with sesame

INGREDIENTS:
1 Japanese cucumber
salt
sesame seeds
sesame oil

DIRECTIONS:
Peel half of the skin off of the cucumber, and cut into thirds. Cut each third into quarters, length-wise. Generously salt and rub it in. Set aside for 10 minutes. Lightly rinse the cucumbers and drain well. Sprinkle with ground sesame seeds and drizzle with sesame oil.

 

Somen with seaweed, mountain potato, pickled plum, natto, and kaiware sprouts

INGREDIENTS:
2 servings of dried somen noodles
1 small stick of mountain potato, peeled and grated
2 packs of natto
4 pickled plums, pitted and mashed into paste
a handful of dried seaweed, soaked in hot water
a small bunch of kaiware sprouts
a bottle of konbu tsuyu

DIRECTIONS:
Boil a medium pot of water and cook the somen noodles for 1.5 - 2 minutes. Immediately drain and set aside in ice water. To assemble, place the well drained somen into two big bowls and top with grated mountain potato, natto, plum paste, well drained seaweed, and kaiware sprouts. Drizzle with konbu tsuyu when serving.

Miso soup with tofu and shimeji

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups water
1 teaspoon konbu dashi granules
2 inch cube of tofu, diced
a handful of shimeji mushrooms
1-2 tablespoons miso paste
1 green onion, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
In a small pot, boil water and konbu dashi. Reduce the heat to medium, and add the tofu and shimeji mushrooms. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Whisk in the miso paste, and serve topped with chopped green onion.

 

Matcha warabi mochi with kinako and kuromitsu 

INGREDIENTS:
for the kuromitsu: 40 grams black sugar, 20 grams white sugar, 50 ml water
for the mochi: 40 grams potato starch, 20 grams sugar,

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TRUFFLE HORS D'OEUVRE

I have an obsession. If you’ve been in my kitchen you would have noticed a collection of honey on my shelf. Like wine and whiskey, it is complex, yet subtle, and oh, so delicious. My favorite honey store is L’abeille in Japan. They have an international collection of over 130+ types of honey.

Did you know that a single bee creates one teaspoon of honey in it’s lifetime? When I learned this, I couldn’t help but count in bees instead of spoonfuls...

Honey, as we all know, has various meanings. With Valentines Day coming up, I thought about combining the ingredient honey, with the concept of honey (a loved one). Valentines Day screams chocolate, but I did not want to go that route. Instead, I asked, what pairs well with honey?

 I settled on honey + cheese + nuts. And what to make out of this? A box of truffles. No, not your standard chocolate truffles, but a savory one. Truffles Hors d’oeuvre. After some research on pairing the right cheeses with the right honeys with the right nuts, I concocted three flavors:

Out of the three, my favorite was the triple cream with honey comb and almond. It has a nice balance of salty, sweet, and nuttiness. The blue cheese tasted better on a cracker, and the goat cheese was a bit too mild. The key to making these is to use soft cheeses that can be molded. 

It would make a great Valentines gift for someone who prefers savory over sweet. Or, it would be a perfect way to start the evening with a glass of wine with your honey.

Happy Valentines Day!

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AN INTRODUCTION TO EATING EXPERIENCE DESIGN

Welcome! I am very excited to finally launch this site and I hope you will enjoy it, maybe drool a little, and be hungry for more. I’d like to start off by briefly explaining what Eating Experience Design is. There are similar terms out there, like “food design” or “eating design.” I am calling it Eating Experience Design (EXD) because I believe the experience is ultimately what is being created. It is about designing ways to interact with our food, and using it as a method to communicate an idea, tell a story, or bring people together. The diagram below shows how this is broken down:
 


Some of you may be familiar with the work I’ve done through Thought For Food. As a recap, I thought it would be nice to share and use them as examples of EXD. For those who are new, Thought For Food is a collective, focusing on conceptual dinner events and food installations. There are three of us: Yvonne Mouser - furniture designer; Randall Stowell - principle of Autofuss; and myself. The following 4 projects are our creations since late 2010.

24 Frames per Second { An 8 second loop }

Photography by Galen Oakes, Adam Reineck, and Lisa Mishima

The Concept:
A dessert installation about film and time based media for Autofuss’s 3rd anniversary party.

The Meal:
192 crab apples dipped in caramel, which drizzled onto a bed of popcorn and peanuts.

The Mood:
Dramatic lighting with hanging screens
Long and narrow custom built furniture
Apples hanging on skewers at different heights, creating a flow
Crowds of people surrounding the installation
A performance, where each apple is dipped in caramel one by one
The installation changes over time - the caramel drips, the apples & popcorn are consumed
Handwritten time code is revealed when popcorn is lifted from the table

The Experience:
At first glance, the apples seem suspended in time. But as time flows, things inevitably change. The audience become an essential part of this dessert installation by consuming and changing the artwork.


White On White

Photography by Randall Stowell, Kristina Lewis, Lisa Mishima

The Concept:
To attend Le D