I’ve liked this presentation of Eva Zeisel showing some of her beautiful work, her interesting personality and sense of humour.
And also, if you are around here in Wellington, there’s Blow Festival about creative arts, that starts today -6 November.
An interesting programme with international guests. For 15 days, there will be exhibitions, lectures, performances and workshops in various fields such as design, dance, music, photography, fashion…
Posted in Creative, Entertaining | Tagged art, Creative, festival, presentation, Wellington | Leave a Comment »
This is not a cooking post. That’s simply my dessert yesterday for lunch : rhubarb compote, yogurt and crushed almonds + rolled oats previously toasted in the oven with honey.
In other words, it’s just a yogurt, but a customised one.
I really like yogurt. Something that’s always in my fridge.
I like simple, plain, unsweetened yogurt.
But from time to time, I like to have a little bit of fantasy : walnuts+honey for a Greek inspired version; with chocolate shaving for a stracciatella one… and why not a crumble version, for a bit of crunch ?
It reminds me I still have to try to make home-made yogurt…
Posted in Delicious | Tagged compote, dessert, easy, rhubarb, rhubarbe, yaourt, yogurt | 13 Comments »
Paprika and I came back home on Tuesday night, a little bit tired but happy from this Labour week-end spent in the Northland.
This region is like picture-perfect, with a sub-tropical climate and vegetation and a very relaxed atmosphere.
It was so pleasant to have a foretaste of summer: get rid of pullover, simply wear a tee-shirt and eat delicious ice-creams…
There were the unexpected: The flight delayed for a couple of hours on the way to go and return; my ankles swollen with an insect bite and a pouring rain before the last day; but the overall was nice !
We mainly did the East coast and the Aipoura peninsula, also called the Far North.
Our drive starts from Auckland to reach Tutukaka coast at the end of the day and enjoy a lovely sunset at Matapouri with the Poor Knights islands in the distance.
Further north, we continue to Bay of islands and visit Paihia and the Waitangi Treaty grounds with the Treaty House, the Māori meeting house, the very long war canoe and an extensive lawn overlooking the bay.
Third part of our journey, the Far North, starts in Ahipara at the southern end of the renowned Ninety Mile beach. We travel along the West coast on the beach, stop at Te Paki sand dunes for sand-tobogganing and finally reach Cape Reinga, where the Tasman sea meets the Pacific ocean; and then drive back along the East coast.
Unluckily we discover Karikari peninsula, Doubtless Bay and Matauri bay under the rain…
The fog is so low that day, we just guess the outline of Cavalli islands. Despite the weather conditions, the spot remains beautiful.
Before heading home, we relax in Kerikeri, a very peaceful town, eat sweet mandarins directly from the orchard, see historic buildings in a charming surrounding and chill out in a cosy cottage.
On the way to the airport, Paprika and I agreed: We’ll have to come back and discover more about this region !
Want to see more about New Zealand ?
South Island, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa , Manawatu and Wanganui regions.
Posted in Breathtaking | Tagged New Zealand, Northland | 13 Comments »
A quick post to share a couple of names that worth to be mentioned.
On Monday, Pecha Kucha night: It was awesome and very interesting !
One of the presentation I liked amongst many others, was the one from Meena Kadri with her pictures from India. Go and have a look at her photos and check her blog about communication, culture and creativity.
And don’t forget to check the next Pecha Kucha night in your city !
On Tuesday night, acoustic concert in the beautiful St Johns church: Greg Johnson, Boh Runga, Nathan King and the melodic voice of Lydia Cole ! Since then I can’t stop to listen to her…
It will be a long week-end -Labour day here in NZ on Monday.
So see you next week !
Posted in Entertaining | Tagged concert, music, New Zealand, Pecha Kucha | 3 Comments »
Today, it’s World Bread Day.
Mine is a sourdough bread.
After baking the no-knead bread and also trying a couple of recipes to satisfy my daily fix, I’ve finally jumped in the sourdough adventure.
I’m still surprised how two simple ingredients -flour and water- can make such a nice crust and soft crumb.
I want to thank Florence for sharing a simple way of making bread. Her blog is full of useful tips and her formula is a success all the time.
So for my daily bread, I follow Florence’s formula.
It’s very simple, she calls it 1,2,3 (English version here)
1, is for the quantity of sourdough starter you want to use, it has to be measured by weight and will be the base of the formula.
2, is for the weight of water you then add, based on the weight of your starter. Two times more water than starter.
3, is for the weight of flour. Three time more flour than the weight of the starter.
As an example, you will mix:
1. 150g starter (liquid)
2. 300g water (2X150g)
3. 450g flour (3X150g)
That’s the basic formula. I’ve tried different combination of flours -white, rye, linseed, buckwheat, spelt, wholemeal- and customized with nuts, seeds or dry figs and it worked all the time. You may also use milk instead of water.
In any case, do not forget salt (1.5 to 2% of the flour weight).
Afterward, I make it my way, which is probably not the proper one, but works for me.
I usually knead the dough for 10 minutes by hand, adding salt at the two last minutes and then let it rest for 8 hours or overnight in a large bowl coated with oil and covered. Then, I shape it and let it rest for 3 hours in a clean tea towel dusted with flour. And finally bake it at 240°C in a cast iron pan with lid on for 30 minutes and 15 minutes, lid off.
For more bread recipes go and have a look there.
Posted in Delicious | Tagged bread, Journée mondiale du pain, levain, pain, sourdough, World Bread Day | 11 Comments »
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