"Behind The Bar" with Design*Sponge

I love when I get to style and shoot fun stories for Design*Sponge, so I was thrilled when Alyssa and Ryan contacted me to do a little piece for "Behind The Bar". If you didn't know, Alyssa and Ryan are the owners of one of my favorite e-shops, HORNE. This place is my weakness!



I have to admit that I am not very familiar with mixology and I feel like styling drinks is a bit different than food, but I had to give it a shot.

I was thinking about what drinks would be fun to serve for friends in a hot summer night. I remembered the first time I tried homemade ginger ale and how fun it was to make it. It is fermented, fresh and spicy. Since it is the season of beautiful strawberries, I made a strawberry consomme by macerating fresh strawberries with sugar until all their juices and essence are release. The perfect pairing for an outdoor get together. Try it and let me know what you think.



Thank you Alyssa and Ryan for thinking about me. You can view more photos (including one of my little M.) and read the entire story here. Have a great weekend everyone!

Post Title

→

"Behind The Bar" with Design*Sponge

Post URL

→

https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2010/05/bar-with-designsponge.html

Visit Merci Madame for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Soup and a Tart for... "In The Kitchen With" Design*Sponge

Over the summer, I was so excited to be featured as a guest in Design*Sponge's "In The Kitchen With...". This is one of my must-read weekly columns, as I discover so many new talents and artist. It is always so interesting to see everyone's approach on food, styling and photography and the story behind each and every recipe.

So when I was approached by Kristina again to do a second feature, I was more than flattered. "Why don't we try something savory this time?", she asked. "Perfect!", I thought since I have really been inspired by produce and comfort food recently.



I could live off soup everyday and never get tired of it, but I always have to have "a little something" to accompany it. Whether it may be simple cheese on toast or a slice of tart, it adds something special to the whole meal, so this time I created one of the soups we eat most during the fall, a butternut squash and orange cauliflower soup and to go with it, a leek, baby broccoli and smoked salmon herb tart. Believe me, it makes a full lunch.

Along with the recipes, you can also find Kristina's favorite cookbooks and a list of some of my latest kitchen obsessions. Hope you try it. You can find the full recipes here.



I also want to thank Kaytlyn of Beneficial Design for helping me create the most beautiful banner once again and to Nadia, for the loveliest mini crabapples straight from her farm.

Have a great weekend!

Post Title

→

Soup and a Tart for... "In The Kitchen With" Design*Sponge

Post URL

→

https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2009/10/soup-and-tart-for-kitchen-with.html

Visit Merci Madame for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Design*Sponge's "In The Kitchen With..."

I was so excited when Kristina Gill of Design Sponge asked me if I'd be interested in creating and photographing a recipe for "In The Kitchen With...". "Of course!", I said. It is one of the sections that I always look forward to visiting.

I was thinking of flavors for the recipe and lemons, and lemonade in particular, kept coming to mind. I thought it had to be something refreshing for the summer heat. And then, I remembered the photo of Claire Clarke's "lemon meringue" in one of my favorite pastry books "Indulge". I went with different components, but kept a similar look.



I started out with a lemon and almond paste sponge, topped with layers of lemon cream, buttermilk panna cotta and topped with baked meringue sticks. So refreshing. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.



You can see the full article, photos and recipes here. Thank you Kristina!

Post Title

→

Design*Sponge's "In The Kitchen With..."

Post URL

→

https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2009/07/designsponge-kitchen-with.html

Visit Merci Madame for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection