Finally, I was able this weekend to get some time to update the blog, God it feels like an age since I have been able to get a moment of time to sit down and put stuff together. It's been driving me mad, I've spent every day of the past 2 weeks saying to myself over and over "I have to update the blog, I have to update the blog!!" juggling shoots 4-5 days per week and working every second weekend on my Delicious contributor feature means I nowadays get so little time to myself.
I am currently working away when I get a second in-between photo work to test and write the recipes I have compiled for the USA post which I have been yabbering on about for the past few months. I can assure you it is in the works and I'll be starting to shoot it this week. There are a lot of recipes (about 20 ~ eeeek!), all ideas I put together in my head whilst I was away in the States. On that note I had a ball ~ a great time, some work, mostly play but a great chance to get away from work and chill out with Mick. I will upload some of the photos I took in the US post.
This filler post is a bit of a mish-mash of just a snippet of everything that's been going on for me over the past while. As I have been finding it hard to get any extra time outside of work and the US post to focus on anything else, I felt this post should really be a bit of an update on what's been happening.
Self-saucing mocha choc pudding
Serves
4
INGREDIENTS
100g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons Dutch
process cocoa
60g brown sugar
25ml crème de cacao
(optional)
25ml strong espresso
coffee
100ml milk
1 egg
50g butter, melted
For the topping:
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dutch cocoa
1 teaspoon dried espresso
coffee powder
250ml boiling water
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180˚C, fan-forced.
2. Butter a 17cm (1.0L) pudding bowl and set aside until required.
2. Butter a 17cm (1.0L) pudding bowl and set aside until required.
3. Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa into a large mixing bowl,
add sugar
and stir to combine.
4.
Add the crème de cacao, coffee, milk, egg and melted
butter,
stir well to combine thoroughly using a wooden spoon or electric
beater.
5. Pour into pre-prepared pudding bowl and place on a
baking sheet.
6. To make the topping add brown sugar, cocoa and
dried instant coffee powder into a bowl and stir well to combine,
scatter the
whole lot liberally over the top of the pudding then pour the 250ml of boiling
water over the top again.
7. Bake in oven for 40 minutes or until top has risen and sauce below
bubbles up through pudding.
8. Serve hot with vanilla bean ice cream.
Above is a few quick pics of a selection of AHHHMazing chocolate I purchased in Williamsburg, Brooklyn during a trip over for the day on my recent trip to the NYC.
Some of the packaging alone is incredibly beautiful and the chocolate utterly scrumptious ~ my husband Mick has been screaming at me to shoot this packaging as he was dying to try the chocolate inside! Today I finally managed to get a few moments to shoot it albeit a very dreary, dark day today in the studio due to rotten weather.
I will be writing and testing some recipes using all this incredible gourmet chocolate in the coming weeks and will shoot and post the results on the blog. Stay tuned... :)
In the meantime, check out some of the companies whose product I am currently munching on...
Big Picture Farm ~ how beautifully simple is that bag of toffees?
Cacao Prieto (THE most amazing, beautifully illustrated packaging ever!)
Packaging almost identical to the sort of design I used to do myself: Askinoise Chocolate Company (I just adore the outer packaging wax-style bags tied with a twine).
Mast Brothers ~ the one any only, now infamous Brooklyn company, it was really great to visit the store and factory in person.
Super funky and uber unusual flavours @ Xocolatldedavid
And my fave ~ complete with Willy Wonka style packaging I was drawn to this the second I laid eyes on it, love, love LOVE it! ~ Olive and Sinclair Chocolate Co.
I spent the day with Valery Rizzo and my long time buddy Melina Hammer, having lunch at Marlow and Sons and then a wander around the area, all planned out so kindly by the fabulous Valery. Unfortunately it was raining pretty heavily so made for a pretty soggy day and not the most camera friendly, but I managed to get one or two snaps along the way...
* * * * * * * *
Over the last few weeks I have been shooting for the Sunday Life with Kate Gibbs, Kate is a journalist, author and cook. She writes a weekly column for Sunday Life in The Sun Herald called 'The Perfect…' and is a regular contributor to the SMH on food and travel. Kate writes food features for The Wall Street Journal and also writes for The Foodies Guide to Sydney, The SMH Good Cafe Guide and SMH Everyday Eats. Kate has 11 years’ journalism experience and has written for Russh, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Frankie magazine and others. The interest in journalism began at London’s The Evening Standard newspaper. Her first cookbook, The Thrifty Kitchen, was published by Penguin in 2009. Her second cookbook After Toast: Recipes for aspiring cooks, will be out in September. Kate’s grandmother Margaret Fulton is also in the food business.
In The Kitchen Inc, Kate writes restaurant, bar and cafe reviews, and shows the most interesting and inspiring places to eat and gastro-explore. Kate reviews new food-relevant design and books, she writes about new trends in cooking, how different ingredients are being used by our top chefs and cooks, and how to use these ideas at home.
This above dish is one we cooked and shot a few weeks back, it was amazing so I felt I had to share esp. as it's pretty easy to get your hands on my favourite food to shoot ~ pomegranates, at the moment in Aus. The recipe is here and it's well worth a shot for a great weekend dinner.
Speaking of great dinner ideas, this is a dish I featured in my Delicious Magazine's May issue, it's one of my all time favourite Italian recipes as I love nothing more-so with pasta than salty bacon and lots of chilli. I make this dish a lot as a quick and easy free week night dinner.
Bucatini All’amatriciana
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 brown onion, peeled and finely diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
250g free-range, good quality bacon
3 long red chillis, seeds removed
1 birds eye chilli, seeds removed
Large handful fresh basil leaves
60ml (1/4 cup) white wine
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 x 400g tins Italian chopped tomatoes
400g dried Bucatini pasta
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil for cooking
To
serve:
Handful Parmesan cheese, grated
METHOD
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan, add the onion and
gently fry over medium heat for 5 minutes then add the minced garlic, frying
for a further 1 minute or two.
2. Remove rind and any excess fat from the bacon then cut the meat into
small pieces, add to pan and combine with the onion and garlic, cook for 10-12
minutes, stirring often until bacon is almost golden and crispy.
3. While the bacon is cooking, place the 2 varieties of chilli on a large
chopping board and cut into rough pieces, add the basil then chop both chilli
and basil together on the board until fine. Add to the pan along with the pine
nuts and stir to coat other ingredients well. You may notice the mixture will
start to stick to the bottom of the pan at this stage so it’s now you add the
white wine to deglazed the pan scraping all the bits up off the pan base.
4. Add the tinned tomatoes and season with a pinch of salt and black pepper
to taste (remember you may not need pepper due to the chillis so check the
flavour before adding the pepper). Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15
minutes to infuse flavours (add a little water if you think the mixture needs
it). Keep sauce hot whilst you make cook the pasta.
5. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted and oiled boiling water until al
dente (approx. 10-12 minutes), drain and return to the pot. Drizzle with a
little olive oil then add the pasta sauce and coat pasta thoroughly. Transfer
to a large serving bowl or individual servings. Serve hot with lots of extra
finely grated Parmesan cheese.
6. Note – I always find it’s sometimes best when making this dish for the
first time that you add 2 long chillis to start with then add more as you go.
Some may find the birds eye chilli to hot so start out with less and add more
to suit personal taste.
* * * * * * * *
Speaking of Italian food, I thought I'd stick up some pics from a recent shoot I did for a wonderful team of designers in Melbourne - Roque. We shot about 9 pics over two days and these are some of the photos currently being featured in print adverts in Aus.
Last but not least I wanted to mention how utterly thrilled I was to find out for the second year in a row I won the 'Best Single Photo' award in Saveur Magazines Blog Awards (!) A total surprise and I am really very chuffed. Thanks again to all of you who so kindly voted for me, I really appreciated it. The winning pic below.
Photo © Katie Quinn Davies 2012
http://www.dailylife.com.au/food
Ooops, I meant to add too, I'll be back tomorrow to announce with the winner of last months Kylie Kwong book giveaway and also to give info on details required to be in with a chance to win June's book, which is a gorgeous new title by the iconic, beautiful and hugely admired; Maggie Beer. I had the great fortune to meet Maggie a week ago at the launch party held by Penguin Lantern here in Sydney, for all the upcoming book titles for 2012. I had a wonderful chat with Maggie who is a sheer delight in person and so warm and kind-hearted. I am thrilled to be giving away a copy of her latest book; 'Maggie's Verjuice Cookbook' ~ shot by one of my most respected photographers; Sharyn Cairns. It's utterly stunning.
36 comments:
Katie: WOW!!! When you do a blog post, YOU DO A BLOG POST!!!!! You've got enough stunning pictures here for several months!!!
Now, listen, that Olive and Sinclair chocolate is from MY town! Nashville!
Please tell me that when you come back to the States next time, you'll visit Nashville to stock up on that chocolate, and let me meet you there for a cup of coffee! Or better yet, come back to the Boonies with me, and we'll smoke you a Butt.
FABULOUS post: so beautiful I almost don't know where to begin, except I want to dive right into that self-saucing mocha choc pudding, and that's just for starters
I'm so glad you are back !
This post is amazing, this chocolate tart looks sooo delicious!
I'm so sad not being able to buy the Delicious Magazine (because I live in France), maybe it will be posted on their website ?
Ps: you deserve this award (!)
OH, MY! You are definitely THE best.
There are too many beautiful and tempting things for me to take in with just one reading... I'll be back for this post at a more reasonable hour! I even believe I can make the self-saucing pudding... yum!
Katie Katie Katie...this is AWESOME!
Well worth the wait. Everything you do is perfection for me. Welcome back to the blog world. xx's
Your work is amazing!
wow-what a catch-up! great great photos of great food!
Congratulations on your award! One of the reasons I started subscribing to your feed was because of the photography--simply stunning!
Just an fyi, I tried clicking on the link for Kate Gibbs' website that you provided, and it appears it's infected with a virus (or trojan horse--not sure which) at the moment. Hopefully it will be cleared up soon, because I'd love to see the recipe to which you linked!
design of these chocolates packages is amazing,loved it.
I am so glad you are back,you are such an inspiration.
Amazing as always. Your photography is an inspiration to me.
Beautiful stuff Katie :)
Maybe its kind of boring hearing this again, but: You are the one and only and also well known in germany! I don't "know" a blogging foodphotographer with such an amount of creativity, who always posts such wonderful photos. You are an inspiration to a bunch of photographers and foodbloggers, I guess all over the world...;) Best wishes Susanne
Trying to track down a copy of Delicious Magazine in Montana, wish me luck. Their website didn't offer much information on the recipes. Post was great, worth the wait, fabulous photos as usual!
Amazing post, and as always, such beautiful photograhy! You're an inspiration. :)
wow, just a 'small filler' eh? you do nothing by halves Katie and I really admire you for that. Everything looks amazing (as always) and once again I am wishing myself off to America to travel round and yep, eat chocolate.
Can't wait to see the USA recipe post and more photos.
Ps love Maggie! We popped into her kitchen in SA in January and loved seeing where her show was filmed and popping a few takeaways of her delicious items into our hamper for a quick picnic.
I was going to comment about how of all your wonderful photos that's the winner? But, I really meant to say Congratulations!
What an exciting post Katie! So many goings on and wonderful things/posts to look forward to...Your pictures are just lovely, your work and success are reflected so beautiful here on your blog. Congratulations! Look forward to seeing/reading more!
hi Katie - was checking checking your blog last night and wondering when you'd be back . this post is so long and beautiful - did you know you can schedule posts? you could split up your long posts and schedule them regularly. ((when you are too busy)
anyway i love all your photos and recipes. congrats on all the success!
cheers Fiona
Hi Katie, nice filler? post (you put us all to shame if that is a filler :-) Love Love Love all the brillant chocolate photos! Next time you come to New York you will have to visit Cacao Prieto's shop/factory/bar/restaurant in Red Hook, you would love it. Love Love all the shots of Brooklyn, I always wanted to see your eye there, or here I should say, amazing!! And your beautiful bucatini all'amatriciana recipe is my father and stepmother's all-time favorite so I will have to show them yours. x Valery
I need to get my hands on this Delicious mag issue !! Gorgeous chocolate pictures, thank you :-)
The photos are amazing. Everything looks so delicious! Thanks for inspiring :)
Katie your photos are just amazingly beautiful and I want to add the word "sumptuous", don't know if you can use that to describe photos but thats what they are to me. They are like wonderful rich and detailed Renaissance masterpieces, glowing soft and warm, inviting and full of character. Your fabulous blog is always such an inspiration to look at and to read, it makes me want to take better photos, it makes me want to look more closely at the world around me, it makes me want to cook more and cook better and it gives me a greater appreciation of the "simple necessities" of life. Thanks for sharing what your eyes, heart and taste buds love.
What a beautiful post . I love the story you tell thru your lence. Just touches my heart, I love the warm glow ... U r such an inspiration .... Sometimes when I visit your blog my emotions goes from inspiration to frustration .... When will I learn to tell a story thru my pictures ... Wish I ld meet u some day !!
I love your posts, and get a lot of inspiration out of them. I would love to have the recipe for that chocolate cake, but I have no means to get my hands on a copy of your delicious. living in The Netherlands and all... Could you help me out by telling me where to find your recipe?
Keep up the good work!
Yum, yum, gorgeous..more yum, more amazing photos, yum..LOVE! An absolutely beautiful chocolately post -and those desserts look sinfully delish! Thanks for inspiring!
Well, I can only agree with everyone else. You may be late on the posting but this post is absolutely stunning. The black food photos are amazing. ALL your photos are amazing. You are so talented.
Oh, all the eye candy in this post is just amazing! I want to try that mocha self-saucing pud tonight, it's been so chilly in the evenings in Sydney of late. Can't wait to hear more about the US trip, your photos of Brooklyn made me desperate to go back!
Everything you do and photograph is so amazing Katie! I agree with Valérie, if THIS is a filler post, we should be all ashamed of what we (I) post! You are such an inspiration… but I truly wonder how you do that with only 24h/ day! You're a SuperKatie or something, right? ;)
What a post!!! You are truly an inspiration, Katie! I have nothing else to say that have not been already written over here..you rock!
i can't get enough of this photography! it's so inspiring and enchanting and dark. i love it. who knew food could be all of those things??
Long-time reader, first-time commenter... I just had to stop by and say that I love your blog, every recipe I've tried from here has been phenomenal. And I wanted to say 'hi' as the girl who you got all those gorgeous chocolates from! Thanks for stopping by our little shop and I hope you enjoyed the Askinosie Nibble bar as much as I do!
Too many gorgeous recipes to try.. where to start? Thanks for a gorgeous blog.
Food sensory overload! In a good way, of course. I need to get my hands on Delicious mag - that mocha (any sniff of coffee and i'm there...) pudding looks amazing.
Looks like we were in New York City the same week : )
Just wish I had thought of Mast Brothers while in Williamsburg for the day. HAve always loved their packaging (& had a hard time resisting my hotel's mini bar stack of crazy flavor combinations)
PS: will have to place an order with Big Picture Farm right away - absolutely love those goat drawing labels!
I come from New York but I write for a mag in AU! I love your blog! It is absolutely fabuolous and you are a stupendous photographer! What energy and beauty! Thanks for that!
jean yates
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