A Creative Affair

Enchanted

La Provence...

... est belle même en plein hiver... 

Lunch Deluxe at Villa d'Este

I have posted pictures of this hotel before (right here) but didn't mention that I enjoyed a magnificent lunch there too. The light on the big terrasse is soaked in warm pink hues, and sitting at the tables by the lake one feels that light breeze that tickles the skin and from afar the quiet voices can be heard of those who bathe in the sun... The food seems to be prepared with so much care that you just want to keep looking at it. Even the Malfatti look beautiful!

Now tell me.... can you feel the exquisiteness of the space...?

Delicious Ingredient: Apples

Happy Holidays....

 

Fill the pots!

How do you get a food image, you ask? You start with an empty plate... or, an empty pot, as on this recent shoot for the winter issue of ManorFood. Most of the time, these "pre-images" are not worth keeping, but sometimes they are.... as in this post.... or the one right here....

So, at this time of year, fill your plates with something warm and tasty.... 'cause, baby, it's cold outside!

Don't we just love....

Well.... I do too.....!

Another cookbook!

So excited to announce the arrival of a new cookbook. Vreni Giger, the amazing chef, and AT Verlag, the publisher, made it all happen. I worked with Vreni over the course of one year at her restaurant in St. Gallen, 'Jägerhof', and it resulted in a big and beautiful book with 80 recipes.... Pure deliciousness!

Vreni is known for cooking with organic and locally grown foods to ensure the highest freshness possible. And "local" can mean right from her own garden, if you're lucky! While shooting for the book, she handpicked wild strawberries growing next to her house in the idyllic Appenzell region and they were later served for dessert at the restaurant.

I am most greateful to Vreni for how quickly she learned to adjust her food styling to my camera, so the food would look great in the pictures. Chefs always style the food for the gourmet's eyes but looking through a lens is an entirely different thing... We even used my own plates, sometimes - a wonderful collaboration. Thank you, Vreni!

And although there are many intricate recipes in the book, I'm already dreaming about one simple, but exquisite dessert: rhubarb crumble....

 

You can buy the book here and here.

Enjoy!

Dreaming of....

On set for the next cookbook

I've just finished shooting the meals for my next cookbook, now going into processing the images, which is no small task! It will be the first book which I'm co-authoring, so I've really put my heart in it. We don't have a definitive title yet, but just so you know: It's about cooking with Absinthe and it will make its appearance in the Spring of 2012! 

I'm very excited about the project as there is no comparable book on cooking with Absinthe to date. Since the green fairy was prohibited for almost a century, there has been no collection of recipes. You can find plenty of drinks with Absinthe - but meals? 

Here we come, filling the gap, and are you in for a pleasant surprise! I bet it will be nothing quite like what you might expect. Gone is the infamous bitterness when you eat a cupcake with Absinthe butter cream... It's a sweet delight you may never have expected!

But for now, take a sneak peek into the mood we had on set...

Hope you enjoy and look out for the real book. I will keep you posted...

A hint of delight.... mixed olives

Delicious Ingredient: Bread

A class of its own: Grand Hotel Bellevue in Gstaad

Today I'd love to share these images with you of this very sophisticated hotel in Gstaad where I've been repeatedly invited to take pictures. I haven't made up my mind yet about whether I prefer this place in the Winter or in the Summer as all seasons seem to have something to offer in this famous mountain town and the hotel's wellness area is now so big and beautiful, you can easily spend a whole day inside pampering yourself. The food, too, is exceptional - the chef has a creative way of deconstructing meals into their parts and putting them back together in a new way - fantastic! 

 

A beach-in-waiting

Viareggio. A favorite beach spot for Italians in the Summer. Now freshening up and awaiting the tens of thousands of sunbathers that will soon occupy these empty seats. And turn this bare place into a loud, hot stage for Summer dreaming....

Little goodies: Canapés

On a recent shoot for a catering service I was supposed to take just one picture of a bunch of canapés sitting on a piece of baking paper. But their talented cook quickly made so many different ones, that I couldn't stop myself from taking out my other camera and firing away. She put a different set of toppings on each of the pumpernickel rounds, making for mouth-watering amuse-bouches. But too soon I had to move on - as the next goodie was ready to be photographed...  

 

Need inspiration? Here's a book!

I'm delighted to say that the latest cookbook I've shot is out... If you haven't seen it yet, let me give you a taste of it right here...

 

The book is available here and here.

Enjoy!

Nature's splendors: Carrots

 

Sweet roasted chestnuts

Time for these! 

Can you resist the smell that comes from the street vendors' booths where chestnuts are roasted? I get a little brown bag full of them whenever I can. Know that roasted chestnuts will not just warm your hands and fill your belly, but will also benefit your heart as they are very high in potassium. So treat yourself while they last!

Fruit of the day: Quinces

Charming Interiors: Villa d'Este, Cernobbio

(Don't) sit down

I recently had the pleasure to spend a couple of hours in this café in Zurich, shooting for a brilliant little travel story that is published in The Wall Street Journal today. A coffeehouse with barely a table. A place with old, weathered chairs that are so wobbly you may not dare to sit down. But with coffee so good and popular, that it's hard to squeeze yourself inside during rush hours. Here's my full take on it: 

Got Milk?

.... then add some chocolate and banana to it, and this is what you'll get!

 

Cozy outdoor dining

 

Midsummer's colors

Have you been living outside lately too? It's warm.. it's sunny.. it's Summer! A river runs next to my house and it's been great to go down there and cool off.  The sound of crickets chirping accompanies us during dinner on our west side terrasse every evening. The fields are changing almost daily, now shimmering in golden brown tones. Walks through nature are on the daily menu now. Midsummer.... a time when everything seems to stand still in the countryside, when we move slowly, when we eat cold things and seek the shade... and we feel the sticky air on our skin and only wear a little bit of nothing.  

 

Meat. Garlic. Herbs.