running with tweezers

open-faced

I'm taking a blog break from waxing poetic and wistfully recalling our trip to Scandinavia in order to...share a Swedish recipe with you. I can't help it, people. The food there was *amazing* - beautiful colors, fabulous combinations of textures, liberal use of fresh herbs. Let's not even get started about the potatoes - I've never had so many perfectly cooked potatoes. Heck, the food there was so compelling that it got me to eat fresh dill, one of my most loathed flavors. 

My first run-in with räksmörgas was at Barista in Stockholm - a coffee shop that houses an indie movie theater. Their display cases were chock full of some of the most interesting and abundant sandwiches I've ever seen. I also have to say...I had the best latté of my life there. The open-faced shrimp sandwich spoke to me that day...and the 175,254 other times I saw some version of it on my trip. It's everywhere - in one form or another.

Two weeks after returning from our trip, my cravings for one of these bad boys just hadn't gone away. Since getting one of these in the States at somewhere other than IKEA was unlikely, I had to take matters into my own hands. What you put on your räksmörgas is really up to you. Traditionally, the essentials are hard-boiled egg, toasted bread, mayonnaise (Kewpie mayo worked really well here) and shrimp. Other than that, you can gussy it up however you'd like. For my version, I threw on some thinly sliced tomatoes and cucumber, as well as some lemon to squeeze on for acid. Some sandwiches I saw in Sweden had green leaf lettuce on it. I thought that might get a little unwieldy with everything going on the bread. Instead, a simple dill garnish added to the top for a little color and freshness - I think some fennel fronds might be lovely, too.

Räksmörgas - makes 2 fluffy, filling open-faced sandwiches

• 2 slices good quality, hearty bread - whole wheat or rye would be great here. I used a onion Pumpernickel bread I got at a local farmers market
• 2 hard boiled eggs, cut into thin slices
• 4 tablespoons good quality mayonnaise - I think thinner mayo works best here - use Kewpie or homemade
• 1/2 pound small shrimp (51-60 or 61-70), cooked/de-shelled/de-veined/chilled - I used fresh Gulf shrimp here
• 1 tomato, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced or cut into wedges
• fresh dill or fennel fronds, for garnish

- In a dry skillet or toaster, lightly toast your bread slices. Apply 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise on one side of each piece and plate face up. Put down a layer of hard-boiled egg slices - roughly one egg per person. Divide your shrimp in half and place one portion on each piece of bread - it's supposed to be a big mound of seafood on it. Top with the thinly sliced tomato & cucumbers. If you've sliced the lemon thinly into rounds, drape or twist on top. If you're gonna wedge it, just garnish the plate on the side with it. Top with dill. While I would serve this immediately, you can cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Just allow it to come up to close to room temp before eating.

RWT in Scandinavia - Bergen, Norway 2010

At a stark-but-charming restaurant called Jacob's, I had my very first taste of Norway: freshly caught mackerel, thinly sliced radish, sweet roasted cauliflower, sharp spring onion in a browned butter sauce. It was a beautiful dish that was at the same time unassuming and bold...simple but so complex. It's a theme that repeated itself in the food I ate in Bergen. In fact, the same could be said about the city itself and the magnificent days we spent there.

RWT in Scandinavia - Stockholm, Sweden 2010

"Stockholm, eh?" was pretty much my response as I stared blankly at my laptop screen. Mike told me he was going to Sweden for work...for 10 days. I was immediately filled with feelings of anxiety - I'm not sure we've been apart for 10 days since the day we first met - but more so was an unexpected wave of jealousy. Honestly, Sweden was one of those places that I never thought I'd go....or even thought about traveling to. However, when the possibility of joining him on the tail end of his business trip came up, I thought about that creaking sound my passport was going to make when I opened it - it's been a decade too long since I'd used it. Being able to share a trip like that with my sweetie - and experience a culture I never realized I'd been missing - was too tempting to turn down. So we sent the kitten to summer camp, packed up more camera gear than clothing, and went off on our Scandinavian vacation...

Tour de France 2010 - Sisteron

It's been a very long time since I've taken part in a blog event. However, I will whole-heartedly participate in anything that Barbara from Winos and Foodies puts in front of me. She's been one of my longest blog buddies and her struggles with cancer & the inspiring way she puts her battles to good use are something we should all emulate. Her Tour de France blog project - where each stage is represented by a different blogger - was a way for me to learn something new about a cuisine that I adore...and a great excuse to cook dinner for friends.

Chris from Mele Cotte talked about Stage 10 and the section of the Tour before me - her post about Gap & the accompanying duck recipe look fabulous! My region is Sisteron, which is part of Stage 11, which spans 119.3 miles to Bourg Les Valence. Sisteron is known as "The Gate to Provence". With a population of around 8,000 residents, its located 135 km from Marseille and Grenoble & 180 km from Nice. From all accounts, they have around 300 sunny days per year. Who's moving with me?

The cuisine of Sisteron follows much of the same flavor profiles as the other regions of Provence. Sisteron is most well known for their lamb. Lamb stews, garlicky lamb shanks and roasted chops rubbed simply with Herbes de Provence. There are plentiful amounts of wild herbs as well as grains, goat milk and cheeses. Bread rubbed with garlic and tomatoes. For that matter, tomatoes in many forms. Briny olives and capers tempered by mild citrus and starches. 

Our Sisteron meal started with icy cold Rosé and homemade black olive tapenade. I just lightly toasted the bread after I rubbed the slices with garlic cloves. The quick, almost fridge-cleaner recipe I used made plenty & enough to throw into pasta the next day.

Black Olive Tapenade - serves 4 as an appetizer

• 30 pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
• 1 Tbsp rinsed, drained, and chopped capers
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice and zest of one lemon
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp anchovy paste
• Fresh cracked black pepper

At dinner, the lamb chops were rubbed with a bit of Dijon mustard and Herbes de Provence then roasted in the oven for about 25 minutes at 350. While I don't eat much lamb, this was proclaimed by our guests to be their favorite preparation of lamb they've ever had. The real star of the main course - for which I also made a Tian de Courgettes that was too dense to recommend here - was the Tomatoes Provencal. I used Laurent Tourondel's recipe and they were divine - garlicky, flavorful, herby and a great source of texture on the plate. I'd make this over and over again. 

Tomatoes Provencal - serves 6 as a side dish

• 6 tomatoes, halved lengthwise and cored
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 5 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season tomato halves with salt and pepper, and set them on a baking sheet. Mix together the bread crumbs, parsley, and garlic in a bowl, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover tomatoes with the mixture, and drizzle with oil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

My dear friend Helen, who considers Sisteron her backyard in her native France, consulted with me on my menu. When I asked what I should serve to finish the meal, she gave me a wonderful recounting of desserts in Provence: roasted fruit, a little honey, some ice cream or sorbet - maybe a drizzle of port on sliced fruit.

Roasted Apricots with Goat Milk Ice Cream - serves 4

• 4 just-ripe apricots, sliced in half vertically & pitted
• 1 tablespoon fruity extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pint good quality goat's milk vanilla ice cream or your favorite good quality ice cream
• 2 tablespoons best quality local honey
• 1 tsp. dried lavender flowers

- Preheat oven to 325 F. In a shallow roasting pan, place apricots cut sides up and drizzle them all with the olive oil. Roast until just tender - this was about 15 minutes for me. Once the fruit is roasted, set aside to cool slightly while assembling the rest of the dessert. Scoop 2 small scoops of ice cream into serving bowls, Top with roasted fruit, a drizzle of honey & a sprinkle of lavender flowers. Serve immediately.

Thanks again to Barbara for organizing this event and coordinating it so well - it's been so much fun. Keep following the Tour via food bloggers - there are still lots of stages left. Next up, Stage 12: Borg de Peage - Mende, brought to you by Tammi of Tammi Tasting Terroir. 

It's about time - The Atlanta Food & Wine Festival!

Last week, a group of Atlanta food fans gathered in the top floor loft of one of the city's newest (and most talked about) developments, White Provision. Initially, our purpose here was unclear - the invites were very hush-hush. However, with one of Holeman & Finch mixologist Greg Best's incredible cocktails in our hand and a spectacular view of downtown,  we knew it had to be good. One good look at the signs around the room gave it away - our fine city was finally going to get it's culinary credit: The Atlanta Food & Wine Festival.

The brainchild of Dominique Love and Elizabeth Feichter, they've modeled the festival after those happening in Aspen and South Beach. Atlanta is a town with incredible chefs...and they've assembled them into the Founder's Council, whose food we were lucky enough to sample throughout the evening. Chefs such as Anne Quatrano (Bacchanalia), Linton Hopkins (Restaurant Eugene), Hugh Acheson (Five & Ten), Kevin Rathbun (Rathbun's), and Shaun Doty (Shaun's) will be helping steer the direction of the festival. The event's focus on Old and New Traditions - as well as warm welcome to those things from across the region - should prove to be spectacular.

Spectacular only begins to describe the food we tasted that night: a slightly curry flavored pulled duck slider with dried fig relish from One Flew South (an Atlanta airport culinary destination without question), Alabama white BBQ sauce on the burgers from Yeah! Burger, Miller Union's sublime smoked trout salad, and Anne Quatrano's blueberry & Meyer lemon semifreddo were only just a few of the many highlights.

The Atlanta Food and Wine Festival takes place in Atlanta, Georgia on May 19-22, 2011. There will be tastings, demos, and seminars that span those 4 days. Go ahead - mark your calendars. For more information, you can visit the event's website at http://atlfoodandwinefestival.com/.

It's a good thing.

"They say life's what happens when you're busy making other plans. But sometimes in New York, life is what happens when you're waiting for a table."

Yep. That's Martha Stewart, in case the giant letters on the television weren't clear enough to make out...or if you've been in a maximum security prison and haven't had any media exposure for the last 20 years. It was so very difficult not to post about my trip to NYC before we left but I wanted to sort of keep it to myself until it happened - I guess I was trying not to jinx anything! New York is a town that scares the crap out of me for the first 30 minutes I'm there but after that...it feels like a favorite pair of (comfortable) shoes. Welcome back.

A group of bloggers from Atlanta were invited to attend Martha's Blogger Show. I made the whirlwind trip with my girls Shameeka from The Broke Socialite, Ashley of IceMilk Aprons, and Atlanta publicist Laura Scholz. While my 15 seconds of fame was thwarted - I was asked to talk to Martha about my blog but the show ran long - we had an incredible time. It was a real treat seeing the bloggers on the show - Pim from Chez Pim did a killer pad thai segment on the show as well as gave away copies of her new book. 

That's Joey Kola - he does an incredible job getting everyone hyped up for the show. It was also great to meet some bloggers I've gotten to know through Twitter and Facebook like Andrea and Kamran (whose blog is just so lovely). I also got to sit next to Ashley from Not With Salt - too bad we couldn't really talk during the show!

 
In typical Tami traveling style, I stayed an extra day to try and squeeze in as much walking, eating and visiting as I could in 24 hours. My friend Michael and I had a post-Martha celebratory meal at Motorino in Williamsburg. The pizza wars are in full effect here in Atlanta and I was tipped off about Motorino by fellow Atlanta foodie Melissa Libby. It was everything I had hoped for and more: perfect crust, great charring, beautifully simple toppings - I had the brussels sprout and pancetta pie. Such a charming place and a gourmet dining steal. 

Another stop on our foodie tour day really found a place in my heart. Brooklyn spot Building on Bond is truly one of the coolest little joints I've ever seen. Incredible interior, DIY decorating, vintage fixtures - all the while serving food, coffee, and cocktails with no attitude or special effects. We sipped wine out of vintage juice glasses and spoke to one of the owners for a few hours. No website that I can find (!!!) but they have a Twitter account.

I've struggled to find words worthy of describing this tuna tartare I ate at adorable Brooklyn restaurant Jolie. I should clarify - the tuna tartare I ate TWICE at Jolie in Brooklyn. Did I mention I was there for two days? The most sublimely soft and buttery tuna, perfectly dressed with shallot and citrus and topped with beautiful greens tossed in a heavenly x 100 truffle vinaigrette. My version of heaven in a dish. The guys that work behind the bar are just adorable, as well - so funny and personable. I felt at home instantly. I just can't stop thinking about this place or this plate. 

I also had a fantastically divine meal at The Vanderbilt. It was easily the meal of the trip. Plate after incredible plate showed up at our table. I had long since dropped off the camera so no photos to share with you but the highlights were: blistered Shishito peppers with chili salt, the chicken liver mousse, and the most INSANELY delicious pickled and fresh fennel salad. I've been daydreaming about it and will for sure be making it for my blog, fear not.

My brisk trip to NYC was an incredible, breathtaking reset to a year that started off a little rocky. I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to share that experience with my friends and fellow bloggers. It was also quite a treat to see Michael and Kate and eat our way around Brooklyn - I now see why there is little need to go into Manhattan. Everything about Brooklyn that I saw was pretty delicious. I'll be posting all of my photos to a NYC Flickr set throughout the weekend.

A House of Love - The 17th Annual National Gingerbread House Competition!

Those of you out in the land of food fanatics have undoubtedly, at some point, seen one or two of those cake challenge shows on Food Network, right? The ones that make you a little tense as you see these huge creations made before your eyes?  In the same vein as that network's challenges, every year you see a feature about The National Gingerbread Competition, which takes place in Asheville at The Grove Park Inn. I've marveled at it many times and it always manages to get me in the holiday spirit when I see it - even if I see a rerun in April or so! I don't have television at home (don't judge, people, don't judge) but I've been in front of one enough to know that when I got the chance to attend the competition with Helen from Tartelette, I didn't even ask when or how. I just said yes.

As grand as the Grove Park Inn is as a hotel, that same attitude comes through in the competition. People from all across the country - 20 states were represented - work for months and months on their creations. This year was the 17th annual competition and around 200 gingerbread houses - from children and adults - were entered to win in their respective category. Let me tell you...it's quite something to see. When I opened the door of the Grand Ballroom at GPI, the overwhelming wafting smell of gingerbread almost knocked me over - in a good way. I can't imagine being a judge and having to focus in that large room smelling delicious gingerbread all day!

The panel of judges included Helen, internationally known sugar artist and instructor Nicholas Lodge, cake designer to the stars and author of FIVE cookbooks Colette Peters, South Dakota-based pastry chef and author of The Gingerbread Book Steven Stellingwerf, and 6 others from various art and pastry fields. Judging began early in the morning and culminated at 5:30 pm with the announcement of the winners. Each house was carefully scrutinized and judged on appearance, originality, precision, difficulty and continuity of theme. I saw how thorough the judging was and how much time the judges put into giving proper consideration to each house. Several of them have been judging the competition for many years - they know what they're looking for: great execution and originality while still being true to the notion of a "gingerbread house".

There were so many fabulous creations at the show, it was hard for me to focus on just one or two. While I understand the judges favoring really elaborate, structurally incredible houses...I have a really soft spot in my heart for the ones loaded up with gumdrops and candy canes. That's the kind of gingerbread house *I* remember as a kid and the colors & whimsy still make me happy as an adult. I think it's also inspired me to try and make my own this year - something I've never done!

Three top winners in each age bracket were chosen and given a prize. However, in the end, only one gingerbread house could be named Grand Prize winner. This year, the distinction went to Jodie Stowe of Polkville, NC. Her birdcage design was pretty spectacular - the construction and the details in it were remarkable. For her efforts, she won $3,000, a 2 night stay at Grove Park Inn, and other prizes. Most importantly, she won bragging rights!

I was able to take lots of photos, which I have posted in a photo set on Flickr here. You can also get more details on the winners of each category here at Grove Park Inn's website.

carolina in my mind

I wish I knew where to start to describe the incredible long weekend I just spent in one of my most favorite places with one of my most favorite people. See, Helen (from the delicious blog Tartelette) and I met on our last journey to Asheville, NC - along with several other bloggers you'll probably recognize. We ate and drank everything that wasn't nailed down. Somewhere in between all the gluttony, I totally fell in love with Asheville. As a bonus, Helen and I became blog buddies and work peers and now friends. When she was asked back to Asheville to be a judge at the National Gingerbread House Competition at Grove Park Inn, she asked me to come along. You wouldn't say no either, right?

As it was after my first visit to Asheville, I have a hard time putting all of its beauty and awesomeness into a post. As we did on our first visit, we stayed at Grove Park Inn. Let me gush for a second: it's a beautiful place. Steeped in history, it manages to be cozy and grand at the same time. There is an air of luxury while managing to be warm and accessible. Everyone I've met from Grove Park Inn has been so friendly, helpful, and accommodating.

Honestly, you really could just stay at the hotel and never leave. The views are breathtaking from the Sunset Terrace (where these first photos were taken). The Spa is one of the most remarkable I've ever seen - I fell asleep sitting in the WAITING AREA before my massage...that's how relaxing it is! Every restaurant there is fabulous in it's own way. You can have a 5 star dining experience at Horizons (which we did with the other judges on Monday night) or a scenic lunch at Sunset Terrace, which was where I ate the above lobster cobb salad like I was a pack of wild dogs. 

That having been said, you're going to miss out on a lot if you don't venture out into the city. We've seen (and eaten!) a lot of Asheville in between our two visits. On this last go-round, we started out our weekend with a lovely dinner at Bistro 1896, which is on Pack Square. The short ribs there were to die for. Afterward, it was on to our favorite little spot in town, French Broad Chocolate Lounge. Dan, one of the owners along with his wife Jael, was there....and so was EVERYONE ELSE IN ASHEVILLE. This place was packed - and for good reason. Their truffles and desserts are some of the best I've ever tasted. We also got to sample their maple bacon ice cream, which was a great riff on a classic butter pecan or maple walnut flavor. The next day, we met our friend Dodie (who works for the Asheville CVB) for brunch at Corner Kitchen. Joe Scully, the chef there, has cooked for us on our last trip and we wanted to visit his restaurant. I had a KILLER bloody mary and house-made corned beef hash topped with perfect poached eggs.

Every evening, it was nice to come back to the hotel and unwind with a glass of wine in front of the huge stone fireplace in the Great Hall. We also spent a good bit of time wandering the halls of the hotel ogling & taking photos of the display of holiday trees. You can tell how much effort is put into creating a warm, festive environment in advance of the competition. The trees really are stunning - each of them with their own theme and loaded with gorgeous decorations. Perfect ways to end perfect days in Asheville.

For more photos from the trip to Asheville, see this Flickr set. I'm saving the photos and details from the competition for another post because it's really like nothing you've ever seen and I want to give it all the credit it's due. Stay tuned!

a little bite

It's a gorgeous Saturday morning and I'm getting ready to hit the road again. I'm on the road to Asheville, NC for a long weekend with my friend Helen. She writes a little blog called Tartelette - have you heard of it? I'm totally kidding - of course you have. It's stunning and fabulous and about 30 other adjectives that I could use off the top of my head. There will be some food adventures and some sightseeing going on before Monday, which is the National Gingerbread Competition. I'm a total food dork and got totally giddy at being able to see it in person instead of bits of it on TV. I'll have a full report when I get back.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a little nibble with you from a shoot I did this past week. Scratch is a new-ish line of baked goods here in Atlanta. Amy, who is a total sweetheart, asked me to take some shots for her of some of her goodies. Folks, they're delicious. Really delicious. So delicious I couldn't have them around the house for fear of eating them all - everyone I came in contact with last week was given huge chocolate chip cookies, the most divine pumpkin chocolate chip bread, and the stunning rugelach you see above. Scratch also does morning yummies like cinnamon roll scones and several kinds of muffins. She also ships outside of Atlanta. Just sayin'.

"mawwiage...."

"The best thing in life to hold onto is each other" - Audrey Hepburn

As some of you know - from being my friend in "real life" and through the blogosphere, Mike and I made an out and back trip to Sapelo Island, Georgia this past weekend. Have you ever been to Sapelo Island before? I have - back in my fashion stylist days, I did a week long shoot there. It's magical, I tell ya.  Lush landscapes, winding paths and trails. Untouched beaches. Steeped in romance and history with some quirky touches - much like the occasion we made the trip for. 

Our weekend road trip to Sapelo Island was for a wedding. More specifically, for my friend and styling assistant Abby's wedding to Sydney, her partner and partner-in-crime. Abby showed up in my life via email - she had been interested in food styling since she saw it in Highlights Magazine as a child. She wanted to be my intern. A week later, she was on set with me getting paid to learn how to style food. That's how I got started...and I was thrilled to be able to do that for someone else. 

Since then, she's been my assistant on as many shoots as I can have her on...and she's become a very dear person to me. I firmly believe people enter your life for a reason. Abby became my friend to remind me (and lots of people I know) about being yourself, being courageous and enjoying your life. Oh yeah, she also is my own personal MacGyver and makes sure I don't seriously injure myself or others while on my shoots. 

Her other half, Sydney, is just as awesome: funny, wickedly talented, a karaoke master, and gives off a light a lot of people envy. She's quite the blonde bombshell and the perfect foil for Abby's - how should I say - twisted and sarcastic sense of humour. I've never met two people more perfectly suited for each other and I see a life of fun, family and success in their future. 

So about this wedding: it was a witty, short, touching ceremony and reception that was exactly like Abby and Sydney. It was focused on them and their friends & family. Not a lot of fuss - just funny and a little campy and totally creative. The couple's first dance turned into a 9.5 on Dancing With The Stars...and while no one but them knew it was going to happen, should anyone have been surprised? 

Lots of handmade touches and thought went into every detail that day at the Reynolds Mansion. We had a wonderful time and were so glad to be invited to be a part of it. This post is my little surprise "extra gift" to the new couple (although I expect some cocktails with all that new bridal shower swag ;). This blog and these photos are going to be around a lot longer than I am....and I wanted to share this special occasion and the memories with all the readers of this blog. 

I wish you both the best and we love you to pieces. <3

To see the Flickr photo set from this past weekend at Abby and Sydney's wedding, please click here.