A weekend in Paris, by design.

Every now and then, a girl's got to try something a bit different.

I decided to impersonate an interior designer.  Well, not any one designer in particular.  I just needed to be one, for one weekend in Paris, so that I could attend one of the most important trade shows in Europe, Maison & Objet. I went with a couple of my favorite people, and once we got a sense of the scale of the expo, we realized that the two days we'd given ourselves to visit were far from enough. But we made the best of things...

I have been meaning to put these photos up for so long, it's embarassing.  The event occurred in January after all.  But having adored Jean Dujardin in the just-released silent film The Artist (definitely a must-see), I decided that perhaps here, too, fewer words can be more.  There are indeed stories behind these creators, and if you're interested in anything in particular, feel free to leave a question in the comments section...Enjoy!

I also made time to visit "365 Charming Everyday Things", a Japanese design exhibition highlighting the craft--and art--in Japanese products at the Bastille Design Center (itself a lovely industrial space that originally housed an ironmonger).  You can find out more about the individual products, their esthetics and the impetus behind the project here.  Look closely at the images to see the clever design twists and humor.

(Can't resist explaining that these little houses are air purifiers.  The roof element is carbon powder molded with holes to maximize air circulation...)

Makes me want to make my own stuff!

Parti...

How are you?  It's, um, been a while. 

A couple of holidays have rolled by, and I just can't seem to have the kind of spare time I had in the countryside.  But here are some images to give you an idea of what I have been doing.

I did spend Christmas and New Year's in France, but we had absolutely no access to internet the entire time we were there. Five different France Telecom technicians came to the house, to no avail.  Grr.

It was pretty frustrating, particularly since I actually did have time for a change, between seeing friends and cooking.  But at least there were these pretty Dutch amaryllis to admire.  I coulnd't decide whether I liked the flowers or the curling stem ends better.  Don't those look spectacular?  Reminds me of Martha Stewart and her ilk soaking sliced radishes to turn them into roses...

I visited Arles, with its Salon de Santons (an expo of handmade figurines made for Provencal themed Nativity scenes), its Roman ruins, and its van Gogh postcards.

(And yes, it was this beautiful pretty much my entire stay in France.)

The decorations were all still up, of course, even though a good number of the restaurants were closed for the holidays.

There was still lots of fun browsing to be done, including at a well-regarded bookshop filled with  exquisite literary editions (lots of poetry) and witty, well-designed children's books: Actes Sud. The bookstore, with its over 40,000 well-chosen titles is also the headquarters of a well-regarded  publisher.  Definitely worth dropping in, even if you can't actually read French, as they have scads of lavishly illustrated art and photography books.

I spent hours just wandering, with no particular goal. 

I resisted buying the tourist claptrap, even though these soaps did look as though they would make nice gifts.  I love the Dutch word for crap and clutter, it fits here: prullaria, pronounced like an aria.

After this we headed north toward Eparnay, center of the sprawling Champagne region. 

We stayed overnight at a lovely chateau. As one does. 

After the dining, time for the wining.  Or rather the stocking up of wine.

The highlight of our visit was to L Huot Fils, whose entry-level Champagne has been gilded with three stars (the highest possible rating--as well as a coup de coeur title) by the discriminating reviewers at the Guide Hachette.

Their three-star Champagne, the Carte Noire Reserve, is all the more impressive considering it goes for well under 15 euros a bottle. 

We were given an in-depth, personal tour of the property by the owners, with detailed explanations about the history, exacting process and stringent requirements for making Champagne. In the image below, the bottle is being held up to show the sediment gathered at the bottom and yet to be removed.  Above, the wine bottles are minutely turned the old-fasahioned way, but they also have machines these days: finding enough skilled labor is increasingly difficult.

These third and fourth generation vintners were as charming and welcoming to strangers as one could possibly imagine.  We were able to taste the full range of their wines, in between swapping jokes and stories.  When you go to this region, by all means, visit a big-name producer, but don't miss out on the smaller, well-regarded spots such as this one.  They are making exciting, accessible, affordable wine, and all it takes is a call a day in advance...for a highly enjoyable morning.

After that, all you have to do is open the Champagne you've bought, and celebrate with finesse and no end of pleasure.

I wish you a happy 2012--newly become the Year of the Dragon.

Turning firewater into holiday gold.

For the last twenty-five years Amsterdam has hosted a major art, antiques and design fair: PAN.

This year's collection is particularly strong.  (The torsos above are actually carved into the wood.) The fair manages to be inclusive and exclusive at the same time, with contemporary pieces shoulder to shoulder with antiquities.

In the ever-growing list of things I should have done but didn't: I didn't take note of the artists.  But you can enjoy these snaps anyway, right?  Don't judge me, I had two (increasingly impatient) kids with me...

This artist's name I did get, however:  Zhuang Hong Yi makes gorgeous, often ambitiously large-scale pieces using Chinese newspapers, rice paper and other traditional materials to create heavily worked, airy looking pieces that somehow manage to bridge the creative divide between his native China and the West, as he has lived in Holland for many years.

If you come to Amsterdam, I do suggest you check out his and other artists' work at Galerie Katwijk, in the heart of the canals and on the periphery of the antiques district.

I miss our chickens.  Can you tell?

I do wish you could have been there, to better appreciate the scale and detail in these works. The painting below is taller than me.  Which isn't saying that much, but still.  The faces are very intriguingly rendered.

Alongside these works were more classically rendered pieces.

Like this affecting portrait, with the wonderfully worked white space all around, and the neat signature dead center at the top.

A bit on the traditional side for me, but some gorgeous silver.  For your dining room, perhaps?

This is the first painting by Corneille (a founding member of the COBRA postwar art movement) that I actually really like.  And I have no idea why.  But you can see more of his work and many others at the COBRA museum, also here in Amsterdam.

These porcelain bugs were over a foot long each.  There had to be over a hundred, and each one was unique.  Cool in a odd way, right?

But I love owls most of all, especially stylized ones like this Art Nouveau one.  No idea where I would put it, but I'd definitely find a worthy spot.

This painting made me laugh out loud for its chutzpah and humor.  It is the real'er than real depiction of a kroket in a coin-operated automat.  What is a kroket you ask?  It's bastion of the crappy-but-alarmingly-addictive-late-night-snack kingdom.  It is gravy, rolled in breading and deep-fried, in the flavor of your choice.  Well, if your choice is a meat, or maybe shrimp.

There are absolutely scrumptious up-scale versions of the kroket, believe it or not.  Only they don't come out of a machine.  Like most nearly anything edible, they do taste better when they aren't made on an industrial scale.  (I don't know whether they still offer it, but the McDonald's here used to offer a McKroket Burger.  You know, to fit in with the locals.)

After visiting this giant show, I needed nothing more than to settle down, out of the cold weather.  And make something myself.

This time of year, a fire just feels right.  All the better to plan out the Thanksgiving menu.

I will spare you the hemming and hawing over the choices, the browsing through cookbooks and online, and cut to the fantastic ending: this sumptuous Bundt cake.  Oh, please do make this cake this winter, for the holidays, for me. Take apples, a bunch of booze (bourbon, whiskey, rum, take your pick, it'll work), well-toasted pecans, a big handul of candied ginger, and an indecent amount of sour cream.  You will get awful close to the best Bundt cake ever.

Thank you so much, Melissa Clark.  I have fallen in love with my Bundt pan again.  Of course, if you peek at the recipe below, you'll see you don't have to have a Bundt pan to make this.

The New York Times' Apple Bourbon Cake

Serves fourteen.

2 sticks unsalted butter (226 grams), at room temperature, plus more to grease pan
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (315 grams), plus more to dust the pan
3 tablespoons (30 grams) plus 1/2 cup (80 grams) bourbon or rye whiskey
1/2 cup (90 grams) candied ginger, chopped
1 3/4 cup (330 grams) light brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons (8 grams) baking powder
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground cardamom
1 teaspoon (5 grams) fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 cup (227 grams) sour cream
1 tablespoon (15 grams) vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon (5 grams) finely grated lemon zest
2 medium tart apples (454 grams), peeled, cored, and coarsely grated
1 cup (120 grams) finely chopped, toasted pecans
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon (20 grams)

Heat the oven to 165C/325F. Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan. If you don't have one, you can use two (nine inch) loaf pans instead, or even two (eight-inch) round pans; keep in mind the baking times will need to be reduced accordingly.  In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons bourbon and the chopped, candied ginger and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the brown sugar and butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Then beat in the eggs, adding one at a time, until thoroughly incorporated. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the remaining flour with the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. In another separate small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and vanilla. Add the bourbon from the ginger mixture, reserving the ginger) and stir in the lemon zest.

With the mixer on medium speed, add the dry mixture and sour cream mixture to the wet mixture in three additions, alternating between the two. Fold in the ginger, apples and pecans and combine thoroughly, and fill the prepared pan.

Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out dry, about 1 hour 10 minutes. If you made the cake in loaf pans, you'll need to start checking for doneness around 45 minutes.  If you made the cake in eight inch round pans, start checking even earlier, at around 25 minutes. Cool in the pan about 20 minutes, then run a paring knife around the sides of the pan to release the cake if necessary; allow to cool, flat side down, on a wire rack.

As the cake cools, blend the 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup whiskey in a small saucepan over very low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon juice and take off the heat. While the cake is still warm, flip back into the pan and make a few slits on top with a paring knife. Pour half the bourbon-sugar mixture over the cake. When the cake is fully cool, flip it and pour the rest of the glaze on the other side, then flip once again to serve.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.