it seems like letterpress projects are abounding these days, or maybe we’re just hearing about them more. Recently, target decided to do a run of vintage graphics with the hamilton type museum, and just today i caught this video of gillian welch’s process of creating her album cover in letterpress with aardvark press. they even went as far as to hand-stain the cotton covers in a diluted coffee bath for a slightly-aged look and a deepening of contrast. read more and see the coffee staining demo at LAist. see & hear more on all songs considered.
diy
roasted cherry cottage-cheesecake
last week, the first cherries appeared at the farmer’s market. the ones i found ranged in color from a bright cranberry to a deep wine color, so i thought they might be a bit tart, but these were all sweet and delicious. normally, i love to eat them raw, so the challenge for me is setting some aside for my LAist recipe [seasonal eats: cherry season is upon us!]. cherry recipes are almost always desserts, so rather than fight it, this time i decided to experiment with adapting a dessert to be low-carb, low-sugar and gluten-free [an unintentional benefit].
i read a few suggestions about roasting cherries, which sounded interesting because the stones are supposed to impart an almond-extract flavor [perhaps this is why maraschino cherries taste like almond extract to me]. i’d also tried out blending cottage cheese smooth with a bit of milk and found it to be a really tasty dessert alternative, so i thought i’d bring the best of 3 worlds together: a coconut almond meal crust, roasted cherry filling, and whipped cottage cheese on top.
recipes suggest to roast cherries about 30 minutes at 325, in anything from just oil to a mix of sauces. i found that mine all boiled away, but if you wanted to reserve the sauce, roasting covered would be a good idea. i decided to live dangerously and wing it, adding canola oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine and vanilla extract. i roasted 42 cherries to cover the bottom of a shallow 8″ pan, but once it was done, i could see more would have been fine. also, a deeper pan would allow for more fruit.
you might think cherries split and wilt with roasting, but very few of them did. they are a lot easier to separate from their stones after a roasting, so work with a knife and fork. if you want to be neat about it, you can cut them in half and scrape away the cherry from the stone and get perfect halves, or do like i did, mash the cherry with the fork, and then use the knife to separate the stone from wherever it is still attached.
for the pie crust, i used equal parts almond meal and shredded coconut, mashing and mixing together with coconut oil and an egg white. i prefer coconut oil because it solidifies around room temperature, so i could hand-form the crust in the pan and then chill until baking time. this crust bakes up quickly, 15 minutes at 325. if you time it right, you can get the cherries going, then stick the crust in the oven, and everything will be ready to assemble at once.
for the whipped cottage cheese, put 2 cups cottage cheese in the blender with 1 tb vanilla extract and 1 tb honey [or more, if you’re so inclined]. blend until smooth, scraping down the sides and mixing with a spoon and a splash of milk if it’s too thick to continue. if you choose to do this ahead of time, chill it so it thickens. if not, pour it over your cherry-filled crust, and chill to set. i found mine was a bit thinner than anticipated, but some time in the fridge will thicken it up.
and there you have it! this cheesecake is not for everyone. some of the more sugar-inclined out there won’t like it much, but i find it to be a fun treat. also, after a few days, some of the cherry juice settles into the crust, which is quite delicious. ultimately, i think using mixed fruits is a great idea for this setup, roasted or raw, throw them in and enjoy!
roasted cherry cottage-cheesecake
cherries:
42 cherries
1 tb canola oil
1 tb vanilla extract
1 tb balsamic vinegar
1 tb red wine
– tossed in a pan, coated & roasted at 325 for 30 min
crust:
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 tb coconut oil or butter
1 egg white
– mash together & press into pie tin
– bake 325 15 minutes
cottage cheese:
2 cups cottage cheese
2 tbs milk, as needed
1 tb vanilla extract
1 tb honey
blend until smooth, chill
assemble! eat!
strawberry liqueur
with the coming of spring, strawberries have started to appear at farmer’s markets, and they’re finally looking ripe enough to buy. i bought my first 3-pack this weekend with the intention of making another batch of strawberry liqueur, based on this recipe.
normally i’m an all-fruit-in kind of person, but when making infusions, i try to remove any green parts from fruit so it doesn’t affect the flavor. when preparing strawberries for a maceration infusion, half them lengthwise, and then use a pointed knife to cut a small trangle around the stem to remove it.
to maximize surface area and penetrability, cut the halves lengthwise again, and cross cut the quarters into thin slices. much of the fruit will dissolve into a heavenly strawberry syrup, releasing both flavor and sugar in the process. for this reason, there is no need to add sugar to a strawberry liqueur, the alcohol works with the fruit to give you a finished product in just a few days.
i took this right after i poured in the vodka, but over the next couple days, swirling the infusion should reveal a deep pink tint to the liquid. after 2-3 days, the fruit will be soft, at which point it’s time to strain off the vodka and wrap the pulp in cheese cloth to squeeze out the syrup. then just bottle it up and enjoy! i like this liqueur over soda and ice with a twist of lemon, lime, orange—whatever’s in season.
strawberry liqueur
1 3-pack of mini-crates of strawberries
2 liter bottles vodka
1 lemon
2 half-gallon, wide-mouth jars
cut strawberries in half lengthwise, pare out the stem at the top, then quarter lengthwise again and cross-cut into small pieces for maximum surface area. distribute cut strawberries evenly between the 2 jars.
zest the lemon, mince the zest, and sprinkle equal amounts into each jar. toss strawberries and zest to mix evenly. roll the lemon on the counter to break some of the inner membranes holding juice, then slice the lemon as thinly as possible, and put equal amounts in each jar.
pour one bottle of vodka into each jar, swirl to mix, cap and store in the pantry 48 – 36 hours, swirling periodically to mix. test the fruit with a spoon, when it is soft, strain off the vodka and collect the strawberry pulp in cheesecloth and squeeze (twisting the top against the fruit helps) to extract all the macerated strawberry syrup. bottle and store up to 1 year.
creative inspiration
CicLAvia 04.10.11 from Nicholas Dahmann on Vimeo.
an estimated 100,000 people came out for cicLAvia this past sunday, were you there? check out LA streetsblog’s 5 cicLAvia stories you shouldn’t miss.
packaging
i love it when 2 worlds i adore collide. brand session assigned a different pantone chip to each varietal of wine and used it all over the packaging. see the whole profile on thedieline.com
diy
one part great sustainability idea, one part diy, why not cut the top flap of your greeting cards away from the personalized back flap and reuse them as postcards? thanks, greenlagirl!
if you find yourself in need of meditation but not sure where to start, get on this 30-minute method from utne reader.
design industry
a few tools circulating like wildfire around the web this week include what font, a droplet that will allow you to identify fonts on the web, and print magazine’s how to proofread like a pro, because everyone needs to do it, but nobody really thinks they can.
in other news, one day for design is an online open forum to discuss the future of design, and it’s happening all day TODAY!
food
as we move into spring, more fresh fare appears in the markets. seasonal eats: fare from the ancients with asparagus! because maybe you didn’t know, but we’ve been eating it as long as recorded history.
it’s also the season to throw all kinds of things in salads. i love this round-up from the kitchn: chicken, tuna, pasta: 15 fresh, filling lunch salads.
creative inspiration
Blödes Orchester from white tube on Vimeo.
this appliance orchestra is cracking me up!
typography
how’s this for an awesome diy project, combining custom typography with [hopefully] a love of salvaged signs. hey, if you can’t find any, make them! check the whole how-to at design sponge.
packaging
what a cool, fun, retro, stampy, hand-made looking label for broken trail sauces. check the whole profile at the dieline and be sure to read all the great copy in the details.
design industry
it may be a bit too late for this year, but if you found yourself battling your past of disorganized paperwork when preparing taxes [or you’re about to], take that frustration and do something about it for next year: biz ladies: taxes made easy
a wave of design award submission deadlines just passed, but the under consideration people just announced a new one the FPO awards, calling for entries now!
for the ladies everywhere who are looking for the women in this industry, women of design was reviewed in the designer’s review of books and it looks like an awesome collection of who’s ever been who on the fairer sided of design.
if you’re looking for great LA design events this week & next, look no further than my round-up for LAist: LA design events, april 2011 preview!
los angeles
cicLAvia is this weekend! make sure your bikes are tuned up & ready to go, and hit the streets this sunday!
food
it’s the season of flowers, including those that eat like a meal. if you’re looking for endless great artichoke ideas, i’ve collected the best i could find for LAist: seasonal eats: have flowers for dinner with artichokes!
grilled marinated artichokes
this past sunday, i picked up a big bag of baby artichokes for marinating, and researching this week’s seasonal eats for LAist. my favorite seller for tender organically-grown baby artichokes, tutti frutti farms, has just started carrying them this past month. i was all set to do a traditional marinade when i read about grilled artichokes, and wondered, can’t we grill them first and then marinate them for a toasty, smoky flavor? why not!
when you prepare baby artichokes, nearly all recipes will require that you trim them. the photo above shows the 3 stages of trimming, where the 2 on the left are un-trimmed baby artichokes. first you pull out the tougher outer leaves, and finally trim the tops of the remaining leaves and shave down the stem into a cone, so as not to cut away much of the heart. as you work, drop the trimmed artichokes into acidulated water to prevent discoloration, which can be made by adding lemon juice or citric acid to a bowl of water.
while reading up on artichokes, i was interested to find that artichokes are the highest known anti-oxidant vegetable, and that many cultures have made parts of the plant into tea for liver health. sure enough, the leaves are a great source for tea-brewing, so i saved all my outer leaves in the trimming process, boiled up some water and steeped a whole pot of them. i can safely say i have more artichoke tea than i know what to do with, but it sweetens up nicely with a bit of honey, so i guess i’ll drink some every day.
following the cue from another recipe, i cooked the chokes 8 minutes in boiling water, dunked into cold water, sliced in half lengthwise, drizzled with olive oil, and set over a heated grill sprinkled with mesquite chips. the pre-cooking helps infuse the flower heads with water, so they won’t char quickly, but watch them and check frequently, since they’re small. as they become toasty brown, turn over and grill the outer side.
on the stove, boil 1 cup white wine or white balsamic vinegar, juice of 1 lemon, and 1 cup water in a saucepan. once the mix reaches a boil, drop in 20 peppercorns to steep. once the artichokes are grilled, you’re ready to pack them up. i chose to add 1 chopped preserved lemon for extra flavor, along with 2 sprigs marjoram and a few small sprigs thyme for each jar.
place some chopped preserved lemon in the bottom of each jar, and work in layers, adding 4 grilled artichoke halves, a sprig of thyme, and more preserved lemon until you’ve packed all the artichokes. halfway through, slide the sprigs of marjoram into the outer edge of the jars so they stand vertically as you pack the jars.
once you’ve packed all the grilled artichokes, pour equal amounts of the boiled mixture into each jar, topping off with water to cover. let jars come to room temperature, then store in the fridge.
Marinated Grilled Artichokes
24 tender baby artichokes
juice of 2 lemons
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 minced preserved lemon, or zest of both fresh lemons
4 sprigs marjoram or oregano
6 small sprigs thyme
20 black peppercorns
olive oil & salt for cooking & packing
If you’re grilling with charcoal, start the coals and soak mesquite chips if you have them. If you’re cooking with gas, heat the grill a few minutes ahead of when the artichokes are done, below.
Trim the baby artichokes by pulling off tougher outer leaves, cutting off tops, and paring down stems to a point. As you work, drop each into a bowl of acidulated water to prevent discoloration, made by adding the juice of 1 lemon to the bowl.
Heat a pot of water to a boil and drop the artichokes in, cooking for 8 minutes, to saturate with water and soften. Remove from heat and return to acidulated water bath to cool down. Drain, cut the artichokes in half lengthwise, dump the acidulated water, return to the bowl and drizzle with olive oil for grilling.
If you’re using coal, sprinkle soaked mesquite chips over the hot coals just before grilling. Start by grilling the artichokes cut-side-down to cook the hearts through. Check frequently, and turn when they show a toasty-brown color. Grill the outsides to a toasty brown for color and flavor. As the artichokes cook, heat a saucepan with the juice of 1 lemon, vinegar and 1 cup of water. Add the peppercorns once it reaches a boil and turn off heat. Let the marinade steep as the artichokes finish grilling.
Clean 2 canning jars, and add a pinch of lemon zest & salt (or minced preserved lemon packed in salt) to the bottom. Layer in 4 artichoke halves with pinches of zest and salt with the occasional sprig of thyme and stack artichokes in the jars. Halfway up, wedge the marjoram or oregano along the side of the jar, so it may impart flavor to the stack. Continue layering until all the artichokes are packed. Pour the hot marinate liquid over the top, and top off with water if necessary. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
the first-ever LA food swap
a reform school filled with avid food traders. image: gregory han
this past weekend, my friend, writer & sustainable food business strategist, emily ho organized the first LA food swap, calling for home-cooks, preservers and general diy-foodie-types to bring their artisanal wares to a small, informal food trading event. i have been wanting to do something like this for awhile, but never got to organizing, so i’m really glad she made it happen.
when i first heard about the event, i researched a few seasonal preparations and got to work on the ones that would need the most time, namely the vodka infusions. i took a long walk foraging hundreds of dandelions for a 3-week infusion that turned out quite nicely [though it was hard to tell along the way]. i had been curious about this slow-cooked marmalade, so i decided to modify it by using a mix of citrus: cara cara, navel and blood oranges, meyer lemons and pink grapefruit. finally, i made something i always have on standby, garlic confit.
emily made some deliciously deep red beet fettucini, an dried & ground mandarin zest seasoning, and foraged pink peppercorns. this is just one example of the great ideas you get at a food swap—of all the things i’ve been doing with citrus peels, drying & grinding them into powder hadn’t occurred to me [though i do stick the dried zest in a pepper mix and throw it in a mill]. wonderful!
just a sample of what some of the many table and benches looked like. i was lucky enough to entice 2 food traders into awarding me with a bottle of that arancello, the rosemary lemonade concentrate, and yonder at the end of the table, some lemons & grapefruit.
so, here’s what it comes down to. i arrived with 11 jars of confit, 12 jars of marmalade, 2 jars of blood orange / verbena vodka & 3 jars of dandelion vodka. i traded them for [left to right] a bottle of arancello, garlic bread, a jar of pickled carrots & jalapeños, rangpur lime marmalade, pickled multicolored heirloom carrots, 2 lemons, strawberry-grapefruit marmalade, 3 avocados, peach marmalade, a grapefruit / fennel tincture, a jar of cherries, lemon curd, beet fettucini, spicy salsa, brown butter cookies, lavendar oatmeal scrub, 4 cheese & artichoke biscuits, rosemary lemonade concentrate, and 3 oro blanco grapefruits. not included in this photo are a few arugula plants, quince, lemon rosemary cupcakes and a bowl of foraged herbs, basically the leftovers of what we had that we traded in order not to take our own items home.
beyond all this food stuff, i got to meet some really nice people who value food traditions and want to connect over it, which has been wonderful. everyone repeatedly asked when we’d be doing it again, and the tweets following the event were full of excitement about using new food items. to see more photos and get the official word, visit LA food swap & sign up for emails on the next swap. let’s keep this event full of great people, energy and ideas! in the meantime, enjoy their official write-up: our first food swap, or my own recap at LAist: an old-fashioned good time: the 1st ever LA food swap.
creative inspiration
branding
[image: the click design consultants / identitydesigned.com]
as a person who frequents state and national parks, i really love it when branding for public spaces is done well, with reverence to the landscape. this makeover for burlingham woodland walks gives an elegant and instinctive feel to our connection to nature. see the whole package at identitydesigned.com.
infographic
[image: fastcodesign.com]
for a bit of fun, fastcodesign.com presents 14 surprising facts about beer in a super-cute poster-sized infographic. check their post for the full graphic.
design industry
if you’re looking for inspiration of the reading variety, fastcodesign.com profiled pentagram’s interactive site where you can click on your favorite designer and get their favorite reading suggestion.
mike montiero delivers his expert mix of humor with the straight truth in how to pick the right clients, my favorite quote from which is: Beware of clients that wait to call you until they have a perfect diagram of what they need. If they’re not coming to you for strategy and problem-solving, they’re not coming to you for design, they’re coming to you for production. And if you take on production work, you don’t get to call yourself a designer. (Yes, there’s a union. And we’re vicious.)
if you’re looking for ways to meet these clients and that same old elevator pitch doesn’t seem to be connecting with anyone, try rethinking what you’re saying with marcia hoeck’s ditch your elevator speech for parse blog.
finally, part 2 of my sustainability series for neenah paper is up on the against the grain blog: green with envy? put green ideas to action!
los angeles
some fun things floating around LA recently include this hike through the silver lake hills, a new electronics recycling center right here in echo park, and the oddly-comforting, instantly-beloved you are listening to los angeles.
food
some fun things going on food-wise include the fact that it’s springtime and flowers are everywhere. i’ve been foraging it up with dandelions, and finding all kinds of fun things to do with nasturtiums. before that, we celebrated the coming of spring with green garlic. get to picking and get down with your bad self!
springtime foraging
[hundreds of dandelions]
a couple weeks ago, i spent a warm pre-spring afternoon foraging for dandelions. i just heard that my friend, emily, had set up the first LA food swap and i immediately signed up, planning out a few seasonal food projects i could share and trade with others. a recipe for dandelion jelly i found last year made me think i should try some kind of dandelion infusion, so i set out with my scissors and a cloth bag and got to collecting.
once i got home, i cut the base of each flower off, and separated the petal cluster from the surrounding leaves, and dropped each into a jar. as i worked, i noticed that dandelions have a scent that somewhat resembles banana, which made me wonder just what flavors will bloom in this process.
it’s been about 2 of the 3 suggested weeks, and the flavor has developed, though i’m not sure what it’s developed into. it has a very interesting floral flavor, which has been aided in part by the addition of some honey. another week should do it, then i’ll thin it out with some soda and find out what we’re dealing with here.
some other infusions i’m experimenting with include blood orange, which is outstanding, and has the distinct flavor of blood oranges, rather than just a general orange flavor. i’m also working with lemon verbena, which has just grown several shocks of fresh leaves. this extraction is very flavorful and should make some fantastic cocktails. finally, i’ve had lemongrass infusing for 2 weeks, and while it finally has some color, i’m not sure the flavor is anywhere near what i’d expect of lemongrass. perhaps this would be better as a simple syrup. i’ll give it another week, but i’m not sure alcoholic infusion is its best use.
my confirmed contributions to the LA food swap is a chunky, slow-cooked, mixed citrus marmalade [including navel, cara cara and blood oranges, meyer lemons and pink grapefruit], and garlic confit [slow simmered garlic cloves in canola oil for all kinds of savory uses]. if the dandelion liqueur works out, i’ll bring some bottles to trade, or make a mix of the well-matched successful infusions. and if i think of something else to make, i’ll try it out, but so far that’s all i’ve got.
parlato design studio 