Architecture, Vegetable Curry & Experiments in Baking

To say that I love food is quite an understatement. I am in love with food. Especially cooking (and eating) seasonally. And everything it represents, as in bringing people together.

yet another tasty dinner, israel.

From summer garden parties with family and friends back in Milwaukee, with lanterns and candles and music and home made pies and locally sourced ice-cream, organic berry cocktails, exotic curries, local farm vegetables and craft recipes and preparations found on an assortment of gourmet blogs, websites, even on NPR... to the three course Russian meals my family and I eat at my grandparents' apartment, with Borscht almost always as the starter.

Japanese grocery store: sashimi + brown rice + Trader Joe's Roasted Seaweed Snack

And brunches. I don't think there's anything I love more than brunch. With friends, with my mom, my entire family, and sometimes just drinking amazing coffee with a croissant and the New Yorker. I love brunches that are cozy and casual, like the kind that are meant to kill hangovers, or glamorous and exciting ones, with pretty Anthropologie dresses and exquisite coffee, fruit garnishes on food items and sparkling colorful mimosas. And Rosh Hashanah seders! How I love those. With challah and brisket and dozens of delicious side dishes.

Volunteer Park Cafe espresso avec creme

Every autumn my fingers turn brown from peeling the rind off the ridiculous amounts of pomegranates I consume. If I have the time, I eat one just about every day that entire season and well into the spring. Autumn is also exciting for all the quince and persimmon. In the winter there are squash bisques, and steaming mochas and clementines and crepes with tea w/ honey + lemon. 

Even one of my favorite childhood memories centers around food. At about 6, I recall eating red and purple heirlooms, with tomato juice flowing down my chin, standing over the kitchen sink back when we were still living in Odessa and spending summer vacations with my grandparents in Talyatti.

I guess I could say I grew up in a family where food always came first. I remember my grandmother Bella always wearing an apron and making every evening feel like a special occassion. On an otherwise average Tuesday, she'd fill our dinner table dense with salads, appetizers, multiple entree options and rich, mindblowing desserts. Some I recall and at times recreate today are vinaigrette, a Russian beet and potato salad, cheese and garlic spreads, hot and cold borscht, Napoleon a 15 layer custard cake, and a delicious baked eggplant salad closely resembling babaganoush.

Remnants of a delicious birthday lunch with my beautiful Mother

experimental chocolate baked goods

kale spinach + more curry

My grandmother Bella's Napoleon cake recipe

Presently I'm obsessed with the intersection of design and food; it's never been this exhilirating, but thanks to the craft revolution of the past decade, which really exposed the "foodie" cultural genre. Nowadays, art, design, fabrication, social and cultural activism collectives of all sorts and cooking collaboratives have all blurred into a progressive new local endeavor. And I relish in all of the cook books that make it clear that design consideration and thought regartding atmosphere are almost as important as the artisan food sources, quality and creative recipes are themselves. 

La Maison du Macaron in Chelsea

Kefir + berries

Looking timid, or smug, but in either case aproned + ready...
Apron: Anthropologie
Spatula: West Elm

Which brings me to my other news, only somewhat food-related... that I finally downloaded the new version of Rhino 5 Sunday evening. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Rhinoceros is a 3D modeling software for designers, architects and artists that uses NURB curves. So far I've modeled out several initial concepts for signage for a local cafe/wine bar... and so far, no glitches. Which is fantastic, since the old Rhino for mac for flawed and nowhere close to being adequate for release. 

Although I should be working, I decided to take an hour out of the morning for cooking. Maybe I should give thanks to my architecture background that lately all I want to do with regard to cooking and baking is experiment. Last night I found a vegan chocolate cupcake recipe on SmittenKitchen, an amazing recipe and artisan food site, but strayed pretty far from the directions provided.

This morning I made a spicy kale and spinach curry with just about everything I had in the kitchen with kale/cumin couscous. And now back to the design projects.