Urban Comfort

Into the Swamp (as a first grader)

I usually chaperone my son's field trips because he asks me to, but this time I volunteered before he even asked. The Barataria National Preserve, a mere 30 minutes from my doorstep, consists of 23,000 acres of bayous, swamps, marshes, and forests. I love swamps so I was in before I even signed the permission slip.

The perk of going to the swamps as a first grader, however, is that you get to do things the grown-ups don't. Ranger Stacy made us turn off our cell phones and speak in a "nature" voice as we dipped nets into the swamp vegetation and then picked through mud and plants to find the many creatures living there, which we then put in clear bins so we could get a better look at them. I admit, I was caught off guard when the almost grown crawfish came lurching out of an impossibly small clump of mud like a drunken sailor, but overall, I think my son was impressed that I wasn't too much of a scaredy cat. You also get to play "Swamp Bingo" as a first grader, which forces you to look for things you might normally miss, like the hidden alligators with only their eyes popping out of the water, or snakes and frogs and spiderwebs and every other creature that sends first graders into a paroxysm of delight.

I can't wait to return, this time as an adult (but hopefully with the sharp eye of a first grader). Park admission is free, the boardwalk neverending as it wends its way deep into the swamp, and it's one of the most peaceful places I can think of. It's also one of the great treasures of my region - it's a shame that I've not made more of it. 

For those of you who may take a trip to New Orleans in the future, it's well worth your time to go. They're open daily, except Christmas Day and Mardi Gras Day. The Visitor's Center is open from 9 am - 5 pm, but I was told that the nature trails remain open, in case you're up for an early morning walk. You can simply park outside the gates and walk in. And if you're there during the summer (or even spring, fall, and possibly winter), don't forget the sunscreen or insect repellent. We were lucky yesterday with little sun and no mosquitos, but it was just a gift from the gods! 

 

A field trip isn't the best time to take photographs, but I can never help myself. I always feel an overwhelming need to capture some segment of it, but the entirety of it is so much greater than what can be captured through a lens and I find myself needing to go back the moment I leave.

 

I love the delicate, feathery fronds of the cypress trees as spring arrives.

 

The inhabitants of the swamp are all experts in camouflage.

 

It's a botanical wonderland inside the swamp.  Swamp lilies, ferns, mosses, even blackberries, are abundant in the narrow waterways.

 

Getting what little sun he can from the day.

 

Spiders - Nature's original crafters.  The symmetry is just amazing to me.

 

Net finds:

 

 My drunken sailor (a.k.a. the crawfish)

 

The predaceous diving beetle.  What looks like a fancy beaded shell is actually an entire layer of beetle eggs (ewwww, but WOW!).  How cool and efficient is that?!

 

Newts and slugs and the tiniest crawfish I've ever seen.

Anthropologie Craft Night!

I'm so excited to be partnering with Anthropologie for a Mother's Day craft night here in New Orleans. We'll be making paper flower arrangements and lace decoupaged containers. If you're in the area, I'd love to see you there! Admission is free, but limited to the first 25 registrants. 

*You can RSVP for the event HERE (or find another Anthropologie workshop taking place near you).

Quick Upgrade with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

To some extent, I think I'm cursed with a good eye.  Put 5 pieces of nearly identical furniture in a row and without knowing details, I will fall in love with the most expensive piece every single time. This drives me slightly insane because while I instinctively recognize quality, I rarely (never) have the budget for it. The upside is that it's forced me to be creative in my home. I look for reasonably priced knockoffs I can work with, better pieces at thrift stores, and I mix everything with enough personality that it works, hopefully (which is also an ongoing process).

This chair is a good example of my personal approach. I purchased it from Overstock as a prop for a photo shoot. I didn't have a huge budget, so I focused more on form than finish, figuring I could work a little magic if necessary. The chair in the Overstock photo seemed to fit the bill. I didn't even mind the wood color, though I would have preferred the burnt oak finish that I found at Restoration Hardware. But when it arrived, I discovered that the wood wasn't matte at all. Instead, it was finished with a glossy coating that, while protective, frankly made it feel cheap. 

Admittedly, this next part was an experiment, but it worked so well for me that I thought I'd share. I decided to try aging the frame with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and a very small, flat paintbrush (as in a 3/8-inch brush from Michaels). The reason for the small paintbrush is that I was going to be painting the frame of the chair with the upholstery intact. I thought it might take forever, but it only took me a couple of hours and a single coat. To make it even easier, I didn't even bother waxing it (it was just a prop, after all).  Since then, this chair has lived in my house as an accent chair and it's been used and moved around a bit. The paint has worn very well, even without waxing, and I couldn't be happier with it.

 

The Chair from Overstock:

 

The look I was after (from Restoration Hardware):

 

Recipe for Success:

The reason this worked had a lot to do with the original chair. The carving of the frame, the rough texture of the wood (under its glossy protective coating), and the white streaks in the finish all helped in creating the final version. Don't expect the same results from a perfectly smooth, sanded, polished chair frame! But if you have a chair that's a rough, vintage European wannabe, go for it.

Manage your expectations - You will not achieve a factory finished piece unless you're a whiz with the paintbrush and/or an artist, in which case I'm sure you have a few things to teach me. But if you're like me, average when it comes to faux finishing, you can still achieve an effect that's comfortable and worn without being perfect, and in the overall context of a room, the imperfections are even less noticeable.

 

 

Chalk Paints I used:

I probably could have gotten away with using just Graphite and French Linen, but I also included a touch of Paris Grey and Coco because I had them on hand. The trick is to put a little bit of all the colors on the paintbrush at one time, then offload some of the excess on a stack of paper towels before putting your brush to the wood. If your  paint does get too concentrated in some areas, just go back over it with a dampened brush, dragging out the color until you get the translucency you're aiming for. You can also add more of another color over the first layer if you're not satisfied. In that case, offload the excess paint first (until the brush is almost dry), then brush it on with quick strokes. 

 

The beauty of the Chalk Paint is that it dries with a matte finish and it goes on right over the existing finish, no stripping or priming necessary, making the whole process even easier.  In my book, a quick upgrade to the original!

 

For more product info and inspiration:  Annie Sloan Unfolded

Hearts & Scones

Today is my 14th wedding anniversary, which seems impossible. It's gone by so quickly,  I could swear I just married him a few years ago!  At any rate, to start the day off right I found these sweet coffee cups from Mark and Graham. I generally like my dishes neutral, shapely, and graphics free, but this year I was feeling whimsical. For us, it's perfect.  We drink a lot of coffee and we drink most of it together, every morning and every afternoon. It's our time to connect and slow down together. For all I know it's been our secret for a happy marriage.

To accompany our morning coffee, I wanted scones for a change so I made almond scones with raspberry jam and clotted cream, a nod to our almond wedding cake with raspberry filling. It's a variation of Alice Waters' recipe from The Art of Simple Food. They come together quickly and couldn't be easier to make, leaving you with plenty of time to enjoy the rest of your day.

 

Almond Scones
Makes 8

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Finely grated zest of a small lemon 
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons raw sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix the heavy cream and almond extract together, then add the cream and mix together, gently, with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together. Gently fold in zest. Turn the dough onto a floured surface, flatten into an 8-inch circle. Brush the top with the melted butter and sprinkle with the raw sugar. Cut dough into 8 triangles and arrange on an ungreased baking sheet, spaced about an inch apart. 

Place baking sheet on center rack in oven, and bake for 15-17  minutes until scones turn golden. Allow to cool on wire rack for about 10-15 minutes. Serve with jam and clotted cream (whipped mascarpone makes a fine substitute if you can't find clotted cream).

 

Toasted Fig Leaf Ice Cream

I have a sweet tooth and I have a love for nature. What sends me off to a state of bliss is when those two passions merge, as they did on the dessert menu at Le Petite Grocery.  Who could resist trying fig leaf ice cream with local honey and candied pecans? One bite and I understood why the waitress was having difficulty describing it. It was delicate and almost floral, but then a hint of caramel and marshmallow...and before I knew it, it was all gone. I went home and immediately started researching.

Research led me to The Sweet Life: Desserts from Chanterelle by Kate Zuckerman. There was a recipe for basil ice cream (which I've made and love) with a fig leaf variation.  However, in this recipe the fig leaf was simply cut into small pieces before infusing the custard base. What I wanted was the toasted version and the densest, creamiest texture I could get out of a home machine.  

Kate Zuckerman has a good amount of science on the subject and I tried her suggestions - which, indeed, gave me the best textured ice cream I may have ever made at home.  Suprise ingredients - a whole egg (not just the yolk) and 1/4 cup of nonfat milk powder.  The recipe called for skim milk powder which I wasn't able to find in my grocery, but the nonfat worked just fine. The resulting ice cream was incredibly rich and dense and delicately flavored all at the same time. Definitely a keeper.

I have the good fortune of having a fig tree in my courtyard. But if you can find fig leaves anywhere, this is a recipe worth trying. I also have a built-in grill on my stovetop, so I simply toasted the leaves there. However, you can do this with a culinary torch or on your outside grill. Just don't overdo it. I accidentally burned one of the leaves and the smell certainly wasn't anything like the toasted leaves! You're trying to achieve a warm brown caramel color. 

Who knew fig leaves could be used in ice cream?  Definitely one of my more exciting discoveries!

 

Toasted Fig Leaf Ice Cream
Yield: 1 1/2 quarts
(adapted from The Sweet Life)

3-4 medium fig tree leaves, washed and dried
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 cup granulated sugar
8 large egg yolks
1 large, whole egg
Pinch of kosher salt
1/4 cup skim or nonfat milk powder 

1. Toast the fig leaves over a flame until they're caramel colored. Set aside to cool.

2. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the cream, milk, and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Once the cream begins to boil, add the fig leaves (torn into small pieces), remove the pot from the heat, and set it aside for 10-15 minutes.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks, egg, kosher salt, skim or nonfat milk powder, and remaining sugar and briskly whisk for 1 minute. Using a ladle, slowly whisk some of the hot cream (with the fig leaves) into the egg yolk mixture to warm it. Gradually pour the warmed egg mixture into the hot cream, whisking constantly as you pour. Cook the custard over medium heat, stirring continuously and scraping the bottom with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove it from the heat.

4. Place the ice cream base in an ice bath to cool completely, stirring it periodically. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill a minimum of 2 hours. Before churning, strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any solids and fig leaves. 

5. Churn it in an ice cream maker according to the machine's instructions (though ideally, you will only churn it for about 20 minutes). The ice cream is finished once it's increased in volume and it holds the lines from the stirring mechanism and mounds like softly whipped cream. Transfer to the freezer for 4 hours to attain a scoopable consistency.

*This ice cream is best if you serve it 4 to 6 hours after churning, but will keep in the freezer for up to 1 week.

 

NOTE:  To some extent, you can control the intensity of the fig leaf flavor.  For a very delicate flavor, you can infuse the custard and strain the leaves before putting it in the ice bath. For a more pronounced flavor, you can let it infuse overnight before straining. Or you can strain it somewhere in-between.

 

Night Lights

 

For a third year I've had the pleasure of connecting with Internet friends on terra firma, this time here in New Orleans. You might expect a wild weekend, women set loose in the city, but we laughed at ourselves as we happily practiced calligraphy on a Friday night.  Kindred spirits. Not that it was all lettering practice.  There was a beauty night, some shopping, lots of walking, a little daytime photography and architectural gawking, homemade ice cream, and a good amount of eating and talking. A perfect girls weekend. 

Tristan stayed an extra day so we could focus on photography together. I love shooting in the daytime, but I really come alive at night. So we spent the last evening specifically searching for light sources to shoot, inspired by the moody, mysteriously murky photographs of Rocky Schenck.  We had such fun, crawling the streets from the French Quarter through Uptown, darting in and out of the car to shoot vignettes. I came home with that happy, breathless feeling you get when you've reached creative nirvana. And as much fun as I might have had doing it alone, it was so much better with a partner.

By the way, if you're looking to improve your photography, I highly suggest exercises like this. By narrowing your focus to a specific technique, mood, or object to shoot, I find it's easier to achieve creative flow. Observing the world in its entirety can be overwhelming, but looking for specific details forces you to filter out the excess.

I'll be back this week with a recipe for Toasted Fig Leaf Ice Cream, an experiment I tried over the weekend after tasting it at La Petite Grocery. And I'm going to try hard not to be such a stranger here!