running with tweezers

spoonin'

I gotta say...I'm fooded out. I'm Americana turkeyed and hammed and stuffed out. I'm trimmed and treed and cooked the f out.

"OOoOoOooOohh baaabeee...I have a fooooood hangover..."

When this happens, I usually turn to ethnic food. You'll sporadically hear about my night sweats thinking about soup dumplings from Chef Liu's. Maybe its pho from Viet Chateau. For the moment, I'm so Spoonin' it ain't funny.

Spoon is the new Thai place in the (even more) blossoming (than it was before) Westside district of the ATL. I happened upon their website about a month ago and gave it a whirl. Its my favorite Thai food in Atlanta right now..and that's saying a lot. I've eaten lunch there two days in a row - everything I've had was top notch. If I didn't have a shoot tomorrow, I'd be trying the Masaman at lunch tomorrow. It's that good.

The tofu corn cakes (pictured above) are out of this world. Imagine a veggie Thai "crab cake". Flavorful and delicate but all of the tastes hold their own. I could eat an order of six of these and be perfectly happy.

My friend Alex, whom I met for lunch today and is the person you seem looming & waiting for me to get done taking photos of his food, had the "three flavored chili beef". It looked great and smelled great. I was so wrapped up in taking photos and devouring my food that I forgot to taste it. Oops.

My choice today was the Penang curry with chicken. I am not a fan of overly spicy Penang. I would rather have a creamier, coconut-ier version where the curry flavors shine through than something that is too spicy to let the mellow, simmered flavors come through. This was perfect. Great flavor, nice veggies, and enough chicken to make it hearty. Note the oozy, gooey wonderful blob of coconut milk on top. Swoon-worthy.

Spoon has a website. Not only should you visit their site (and from a photography standpoint, they get an A+...especially being a new restaurant). They are open all day and are BYOB until they get their booze on. Go and support a great place on the Westside. Now.

photos taken by Tami Hardeman

bitter/sweet

In Forest Gump, Tom Hanks said "Life is like a box of chocolate - you never know what you're gonna get". In Tami-land (tm), when it comes to the holidays - you sort of know what you're gonna get and its a mixed bag. Some good (great friends who step up the plate and make you holiday a good one) and not so good (too much family drama for yo mama).

While the mixed signals that I experience at the holidays are something that I don't stomach well...the mixed flavors in this simple dish I made are something that go down easy: a great balance of salty, sweet, crunchy and bitter - something I appreciate in a dish no matter what time of year.

Radicchio with Balsamic and Parmesan

- cut a head of radicchio into quarters

- heat a pan to medium high heat with a drizzle of olive oil coating the bottom

- sear each quarter of radicchio 3-4 minutes on each side until brown and wilty

- I dressed mine with aged balsamic - you could also do a quick reduction and drizzle that on the radicchio and the plate for decoration

- Sprinkle the whole deal with fresh cracked black pepper, sea salt, and fresh shavings of Parmesan

ate tiny reindeer

This post is just to say that I am giving thanks this holiday for some wonderful friends, amazing food, great wine, experiencing happiness and satisfaction through my work...and sharing another holiday with my family. I am also grateful for the joy that starting this blog has brought me - along with meeting great people throughout this community. I wish everyone out there a very safe and happy holiday.

falling for acorn squash

I think I've said in the past that fall is my favorite time of year. The clothes are better, the weather is better, and the food is - well - different. To say that I don't love food and cooking all year round would be misleading. I just love the richness of flavors and textures and colors in the fall and winter. Do you think things taste better in your favorite turtleneck sweater or when consumed by a fire?

While with a friend (tony clark, photographer extrordinaire) a few weeks ago, we stopped in a wonderful little gourmet shop here in Atlanta called Savor. We had a wonderful time talking with the owners and browsing through all of the goodies in the store. As I was standing around the register, I saw a recipe card for a "roasted acorn squash with a cranberry horseradish sauce". This particular recipe was promoting this company's prepared sauce. However, it planted a seed in my head.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Spicy Cranberry Chutney

-  Preheat oven to 350.Cut acorn squash in half and bake in a pan (i do mine flesh side down) filled with a 1/4 inch of water in the bottom until fork tender - this should take somewhere around an hour.

-  While the squash is baking, mix up your cranberry sauce. Since I made this up, you can just wing it like I did. I took prepared cranberry chutney (i think you could use any kind of cranberry sauce..except for that weird jellied kind) and added the zest of 1/2 an orange, salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of prepared horseradish. I kept mine cold because I thought it would be a good foil for the warm tender squash. I think would also be nice if you cut the acorn squash in crescents and roasted it & topped it with the sauce warmed up.

- When the squash is done, salt and pepper each half. Then, fill halves with cranberry sauce and pig out!

the photo in this entry was taken by tami hardeman

magic cake ride

Being a transplant in the South, there are a few rules about food and cooking that you learn pretty quickly:

1) If it ain't got bacon or lard in it, it ain't good.

2) Said bacon and/or lard should be sopped up with heavy duty carbohydrates at every meal.

3) We use Crisco.

I have to admit...until I made this recipe, I had never cooked with Crisco. If that makes me a bad Southerner, so be it. I don't even know what Crisco *is*. I just know that I make fake ice cream out of it for photo shoots - the butter flavored kind makes killer french vanilla ice cream.

So when my friend Magic Fred (don't ask) asked me if I could bake him this buttermilk cake he'd been talking about, I said sure. I also started having some trepidation because of Rule #4, which is...

4) No one in the South writes down a recipe - you'll have to call mom'n'em to get it.

This cake really, to me, exemplifies all things Southern. Its a carb gut bomb that's sweet enough to be dessert washed down with a glass of buttermilk...and its savory enough to be breakfast washed down with a glass of buttermilk.

Maybe I'm a better Southerner than I think...'cuz this cake is really darned good.

Buttermilk Cake - recipe copied directly as dictated by mom'n'em

3 cups flour

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 cup Crisco

1 tsp. salt

Mix the above together. Cut in the Crisco using two butter knives until the mixture is about the size of peas. Take 2 handfuls (squeeze it together) and set aside on plate - these two handfuls will be what makes the crumb topping.

Next add -

3 eggs

1 cup buttermilk with 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp cream of tartar added to the buttermilk

Stir the buttermilk mixture until the buttermilk starts foaming. I do it over the bowl and it usually foams over then I pour it into the flour mixture. Stir until moistened. It will have lumps - it is not to be a smooth batter.

Pour into 2 9" cake pans. Take the handful of crumbs and scatter over each cake. Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes. It was have a nice golden color. The crumb topping will of course stay white.

Added information: I stir the buttermilk mixture hitting the bottom of the measuring cup with the spoon. As it starts to foam, it gets a different sound as you're stirring. That's how I know when its about ready.Be sure to use Crisco and not butter or margarine. Good luck!

A Menu For Hope

Pim, of the wonderful food blog Chez Pim,is hosting her second annual "A Menu For Hope". Last year, this event raised money for tsunami victims. Unfortunately, these kinds of disasters are becoming a tradition. This year, the money raised through Menu For Hope will be donated directly to UNICEF to benefit those in the Kashmir region of India and Pakistan whose lives have been devastated by earthquakes.

You will get some bang for your bucks (however many bucks you want to contribute). For every $5 donation, which can be made directly at the FirstGiving site, you receive an entry into the raffle of your choice. Foodbloggers from all over the world have donated everything from the chance to have pastry at Pierre Herme next time you're in Paris to pantry hampers full of gourmet goodies to wonderful Jin Patisserie chocolates (mentioned in my gift guide as the Bentley of chocolates). Just make sure you indicate which raffles you are interested in when making your donation.

This event has been active since Monday...and has already raised over $2,400 as I'm typing this. It's a wonderful cause - and further proof that it is as good to give as it is to receive.

You can get the complete information as well as the list of items available in the raffle at the Menu For Hope post in Pim's blog.

Festive Foodie Gift Guide!

I've been a stylist, in one incarnation or another, for some time now. The people in my life quickly figured out that stylist = professional shopper. So, when anyone needs to know where to go to get *anything*, they often call me.

This year, I decided to put together a gift guide. Not just any gift guide: the ultimate list of what to buy that special "foodie" in your life. That way, when people asked me where they could find ______, I can just direct them to the guide. It's also handy because, well, its also Tami's Crimmus Wish List ;)

I put this piece together for AtlantaCuisine.com, an Atlanta-centric forum for all things food. The people that are active on the board are both in the industry and just "normal folks" (because goodness know anyone in the food/restaurant business isn't normal!) who are food addicts - all of whom are just incredible people. Even if you're not based in Atlanta, I encourage you to check it out - there are many topics discussed in the forums from restaurants across the country to recipes and techniques.

You can access the gift guide here.

Photograph by Tony Clark. Styled by Tami Hardeman

Trotters Not Included - The Weekend Cookbook Challenge!

                                                                                                                                                

I have to say...I am all about the blog events. Only having been doing this a short time, I find the food blog community endlessly fascinating...and there is always a good "social event" going at all times. These events have been such a motivation to try new things. This weekend, Alicat (whose foodblog Something So Clever rocks the catbox) - one of my new "blog buddies" - was hosting her first Weekend Cookbook Challenge. For us foodies, is there really anything better than a good excuse to go rifling through your old cookbooks? I think not!

The theme for the challenge was "What was your first cookbook? Pick a recipe from it and make it to share with the class." Wow...what was my first cookbook? Well...I actually do know what it is. The Joy of Cooking. I'm pretty sure that it was given out as standard issue with an apron and some feminine products after I watched a filmstrip in middle school.

The SECOND cookbook I ever got was something I bought myself - Bistro Cooking by Patricia Wells. You can tell its an old cookbook because, unless its a church fundraiser, I ain't buying a cookbook without any photographs in it. This paperback cookbook is ALL substance and no style. No matter, though. Some of my favorite comfort dishes come from this book - nothing like sausages and potatoes cooked in fat to take the edge off on a cold day.

Since its just starting to get chilly in Atlanta, I thought a soup recipe might be the ticket. The first recipe in the soup section caught my eye: Pied de Cochon's French Onion Soup. I am a hugenormous fan of french onion soup. As I looked over the recipe it seemed simple enough: soften some onions in wine, add to broth, top with cheese and bread, broil. One thing did strike me as odd: this recipe was made with chicken stock. Almost every version I've ever had is made with beef broth or something much richer than chicken stock. C'est la vie...let's get cooking!

The main point that Patricia Wells stresses in this recipe is to use white onions. According to her, yellow onions would be too bitter and would ruin the soup. Being in the land of Vidalia onions, this was cause for me to raise an eyebrow. I stayed the course, though. A pound of onions in an oven safe baking dish with wine and butter...and we're off for 45 minutes of baking.

The stock is added on top of the onions, which is also different from most soup techniques I've encountered. Top the brothy onions with the sliced baguette and then shredded Gruyere - no photos of that because...well....frankly...its just not that pretty. I suggest that if you're using these cute little french onion soup bowls that you put them in a baking dish or pan - try grabbing those things out of the oven with just oven mitts on! Okay..so you might be more coordinated than me...

Voila! The finished product. A couple minutes under the broiler and you have hot, bubbly, fabulous french onion soup. The taste verdict? Its quite good - but also quite different from most versions of french onion soup that I've had. Its much lighter - none of that heavy, beefy, salty taste. Do I mind doing without it? Not at all. This would be wonderful with a frisee salad dressed with a light vinaigrette. It's quite the perfect French bistro meal - without the hefty price tag you'd encounter at Au Pied de Cochon.

Here's the complete recipe:

French Onion Soup a la Au Pied de Cochon

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 lb. white onions, sliced thinly (I was a bonehead and didn't use the mandolin - don't make the same mistake)

2 cups dry white wine such as Muscadet or Macon-Villages

6 cups unsalted chicken stock, preferably homemade

6 slices crusty baguette

2 cups freshly grated French or Swiss Gruyere (I would go ahead and add more cheese than this because...really...who doesn't want it cheesier?)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 C

2. Combine the onion, wine, and butter in a baking dish and braise, uncovered, until the onion is very soft and has absorbed most of the liquid, about 45 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to broil.

3. Meanwhile, bring the stock to a simmer in a large, non-reactive saucepan

4. Evenly distribute the onions among 6 deep, round soup bowls. Pour in the simmering stock. Place a round of bread on top of each; evenly distribute the grated cheese. Place the soup bowls under the broiler and broil until the cheese is melted and nicely gratineed, which should be 2 or 3 minutes. Serve immediately

Serves 6

Put the tweezers down and put your hands up!

For those who don't know, I am a stylist. My most recent incarnation is that of a food stylist. I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner, really. Its the perfect blend of my love of photography and art...and my passion for all things food.

Recently, I was booked on a job at a very well known casino *not* in Las Vegas. Well...well known for those people in my neck of the woods. I would tell you where I went to work...but they'd probably kill me. I went to style food for the fine dining restaurants there. I would tell you about the chefs, both of whom were really great chefs and nice people, to boot. However, if I say anything about the chefs...they'd probably kill me. I would tell you how great both of the restaurants were in the casino-that-remains-nameless and how well done the food and the presentation is...but...*ahem*...they'd probably kill me.

Case in point:

During our photo shoot - yes WHILE the cameras were still out - I tried to take a photo of one of the dishes we were CURRENTLY TAKING PHOTOS OF. The security guard assigned to the door of the restaurant, who I will affectionately call Baretta, leapt towards me exclaiming I couldn't take my leeetle teeensy diiiigital camera out to take my own photo.

Him: "You're not allowed to take photos in the casino."

Me: "We're taking photos inside the casino right now"

Him: *crickets chirping*

Me: *blink*

He then went on to tell me how he swatted some woman's camera out of her hand when she tried to take a photo of him with her husband. As he's recounting this story, the chef walks out of the restaurant to leave for the day. Baretta sees this and his eyes look like they're about to bug out of his head.

Him: "I think he just took a photo out on the casino floor!!!"

Me: "He works here and sees this place every day. Why would he take a picture of it!?"

Him: *crickets chirping*

Me: *sigh*

So. Since I wasn't able to take Tami-cam shots of the food I was eating and working on, I decided to DRAW it for you. This will not only do a gross injustice to the food at these two fabulous restaurants...it will further reinforce that I shouldn't quit my day job. Enjoy!

Since the steakhouse was only open to the photo shoot and closed for dinner, we ate our evening meals at the Italian restaurant. The first night I had grouper with a rosemary cream sauce. It came perched atop a bed of angel hair pasta, which I don't really care for - especially when sauced with something heavy. No matter! The fish was awesome and perfectly cooked...and the sauce was killer! It didn't hurt that our table for 8 washed down three bottle of PlumpJack Cabernet during the meal!

The second night, I had the dish that I had been coveting the night before: zuppa di pesce. I have very high standards for this dish because I make killer versions at home. This did not disappoint. The seafood was flavorful and plentiful. The sauce was just right with enough garlic and white wine. (As for the rendering of it, there was no way I would make you people look at my colored pencil drawing of a lobster or a squid. I know you're thanking me as you read this.)

    

                                                                    During the day, we shot the food at the steakhouse, which is located right on the main floor of the casino. The words "steakhouse" and "casino" together in the same sentence don't normally give me great cause for optimism. This place blew me away. Incredible wine list and top notch menu. The chef was very young and hip - he reminded me of Michael, the guy that won Hell's Kitchen. The first dish we shot was a 22 OUNCE bone-in ribeye. Yes...people actually order it and finish it. I kept calling it "the meat paddle".

Dessert looked incredible! It was an individual dark chocolate torte which was plated with a grand marnier sauce and fresh crack black pepper. Seeings as I love the combination of chocolate and pepper together, I was hoping to snag a bite of it. No dice. They decided that dessert didn't say "steakhouse" enough so it was promptly whisked away to the table where the clients were sitting and devoured.

Now that I'm back in Atlanta, I won't have to resort to the illustrated version of my adventures, I promise.:)

Would you like some wine with that cheese? Bottoms up for WBW #16!

Q: What first attracted you to this bottle?

A: Umm...it had wine in it?

Just kidding. (Sort of.)

This bottle was picked out for Wine Blog Wednesday #16 (graciously hosted by An Obsession with Food) while strolling through Star Provisions after an absolutely mindblowing meal at Bacchanalia with my favorite photographer, Tony Clark (who i collaborate with on a most-weekly basis and who puts up with all of my hairbrained photo ideas). The theme behind this WBW? Choose a wine solely based on its label. We both loved it...he bought it...and then we shot it and drank it!

What struck me about The Guilty was that the label was dark, haunting, lusty, bold, and mysterious - all of the qualities that my favorite red wines have. I like wines that have a lot of *oopmh* and this label made me assume that The Guilty would have it in spades.

It did not disappoint. According to the information on the back label, this is a single vineyard Shiraz whose initial planting dates back to the late 1800's. Immediately, you could smell the big blackberry jam aromas. As the wine opened up, you could taste some great spice, cherries, and the faintest tobacco undertones. After we took this amazing shot, we broke open a hunk of Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog (recommended specifically for this wine by the cutiepants in the thick-rimmed glasses at Whole Foods) and noshed on amazing cheese and wine for hours.

Photography by Tony Clark and styling by Tami Hardeman