spicetart

And finally, Tomato

Madonna Corn

The holiest of vegetables, the staple of many cultures, the Mother.

Pear and Grapes

Please don't make me pick a favorite.  But I love this one.

Red Onion

So I promised more from my sister and more have arrived. Today is Red Onion.  I love this painting because it captures the real color of the onion but also, in a way, the scent and pungency of the onion.  It's alive and voluptuous.

P.S. I know I have been absent from blogging  lately, I guess I am taking a break.  I have many posts started and lots of things I want to write about and pictures I have taken...

P.P.S.  If anyone has any interest in contacting my sister, Katie, please let me know and I'll forward her contact info.  I know she has some prints and would be happy to talk about what you might want.

My Sister, the Genius

Have you seen a more beautiful painting of beets?  I doubt it.  And AND I am related by blood to the artist.  Do you think that I got any of that creative genius DNA?  No. No I didn't.  But I can write about it.  Gorgeous watercolors and the woman can bake a pie like nobody's business.  And here's the thing...there are more where this came from.  Stunning tomatoes, incredible artichokes, sexy onions and slightly scary peppers.  Do you see them here?  Are they in my inbox?  This is to call out my Sister the Genius.  Send pics now so I can show the world more of your beautiful art.  Or the beets get it. 

Woah

For those of you who are not regular visitors to Pim's blog, you should really take a look at her slideshow of her dinner at El Bulli in Spain.

El Bulli is arguably (and people do argue) the best, if not most innovative restaurant in the world, run by the infamous molecular gastronomist, Ferran Adria.  Regardless of what you think of these cutting-edge restaurants, you can't deny the utter oh-my-god-ness of those pictures.  I have never seen anything like it, absolutely the most beautiful presentation I have ever seen.  I am again amazed at the limitless nature of food and of people's imaginations.  Check it out.

The things you finding surfing the net

I have no idea what this site says or what it is for except to display cappucino foam art - which is apparently a new form of art - I wonder if they do it live, on stage?  There are at least barista contests and champions, just ask Fritz Storm - World Barista Champion.  Just when you think you've seen it all (or at least a lot).  But look at that espresso- two bear-like things hugging! It's lovely and cute and makes me want to draw puppies and kittens in milk foam too.

I'm going home to make butterflies and unicorns out of rice and beans.

Icing on the Cake 2

First, go see the incredible pictures in my photo album.

My mom and I took a trip to Copia to view the new exhibition of "extravagant confections inspired by architecture, art, animation, pop culture and imagination". We also read that there would be decorating demonstrations by the cake artists from the exhibition so that (and the free champagne) sounded like a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

We sat in on a demonstration by Beryl Ann Byrd of Just Fabulous Pastries where she showed how to roll out fondant and use it for unique cake embellishments. The cakes looked amazing, but I have no idea how they tasted. Fondant can be used to create a multitude of beautiful and unique designs, but frankly, it looks like it tastes nasty! After all 5 demonstrations were finished, the 5 artists stacked their cakes together to create a tall mismatched but lovely layered cake.

The cakes displayed in the cases were amazing, as you can see from the pictures.  Beryl took a moment to talk about her cake and how she made some of the decorations, like the tiles and the columns, and also shared with us her inspiration.  She modeled the cake after the art of Niki de Saint Phalle who died in 2002.  Beryl said that she likes to think that her cake is the kind of cake that Niki would have designed.  And after seeing Niki's Tarot Garden, I see exactly what she meant.  It was a touching tribute.

There was then a little lesson in the art of sabering a bottle of champagne, in this case, a Mumm’s Cuvee M, by a French Mumm's employee with a large sword. Basically, one runs the dull edge of a saber up the neck of a champagne bottle and when it strikes a weak spot it breaks the bottle’s neck cleanly while leaving the champagne safe to drink.  Leave it to the French to open a bottle of champagne in such an enthusiastic way. Our saberer explained that this tradition dates back to back to the 1800s, and it was the way that soldiers in Napoleon’s army would open champagne after a victory. A little research on the net revealed some details of this legend which is said to involve a test of Napoleon’s new officers: "Each assignee was given three horses, three bottles of champagne, three "willing girls" and three hours in which they needed to drink the champagne, have their way the girls and traverse a rugged, 20-mile course. "Sabering" the bottle while on horseback could save precious minutes for other tasks. The victory cry of Napoleon’s cavalry became "Sabre le champagne!" Hmmm, I call "Bullshit".  But still, that story is way more interesting than what I heard at Copia! Of course I missed the actual event because I was standing behind a pillar, but I did see the cork fly out over the lawn, heard the ooohs and aaahs and saw the cut bottle from which people were indeed pouring some bubbly. 

We lunched at Julia's Kitchen which was pretty good.  We had a very, very nice Nicoise Salad, an overcooked, uninspired Pork Chop, two well-matched wine flights and a generally nice meal.  I'd go back again for lunch, the service was friendly, the ambience was hospitable, and I like that it overlooks the lovely gardens.  I also really enjoyed the amuse-bouche, which is the kind of little touch that makes me want to give it a second chance.

The Icing On the Cake 2 exhibit runs until July 4, 2005.  Check it out.

Copia
500 First Street
Napa, CA 94559
(707) 259-1600