fall 2010 • issue 2
magazine
Fabulous Fall!
chasing the sweet things in life
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What’s up, Sweet Paul? First of all, I have to thank you all for making the very first issue of the magazine such a smash hit. The support and feedback have been amazing. It’s so awesome that something that was an old dream can come true and that our dear readers love it. It’s the best feeling ever!
And now here is the second issue: We have all worked really hard to bring you a magazine that is filled with great ideas, tasty recipes and fun people. We have been out in the forest, making costumes for dogs, trying to make the same dog sit still on a chair, petting goats, picking mushrooms, painting pumpkins white and much more. It’s all in a days work here at Sweet Paul.
So, please enjoy this issue—we all sure did enjoy making it!
Stay sweet!
paul@sweetpaulmag.com
keep your eye on crafty-friday
Natural Beauty Nicolette oweN, owNer of BrooklyN-Based Nicolette camille floral desigN, speaks here aBout iNspiratioN, memories aNd more
text by Janice MalkotSiS | PhotograPhy by Jennifer nolan
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What is your background? I grew up in the Hudson Valley. I studied fine arts in college and spent some years working in NYC with photographers and for magazines. At some point, I decided I wanted to change my direction and location, so I moved to the west coast. I was hoping to find a job working with flowers, and rode my bike all over town until I found the perfect little flower shop. After a few weeks of riding, I finally saw a Help Wanted sign in the window! I knew that I had found the career I was seeking when work stopped feeling like work. I was even excited to get up at dawn and work a 15-hour day. After a few years I came back to Brooklyn and decided to open my own floral business—and I love every minute of it. Well, maybe not the getting up at 5:00 a.m. all the time part. When were you first introduced to the world of flowers? Gardening and flowers were a big part of my childhood. My mother and grandmother always taught me to appreciate the beauty of flowers, and the work and care it takes to have a beautiful garden; and of course the pleasure of cutting the blooms to bring inside! My great grandfather was a dahlia farmer; I didn’t know him, but I imagine how his love of flowers was the inspiration for both my mother and grandmother. When embarking on a project, do you already have something in mind, or does inspiration strike whilst in the midst of working? It’s a bit of a mix … sometimes there may be a color or texture that I’m particularly drawn to that I use as a starting point. Sometimes I do have a particular idea of what I’d like to make. But as I create flower arrangements, it’s more of an organic process. Sometimes the very flower that was my inspiration may work itself out of an arrangement by the time I’m finished. I like to follow my instincts, but first and foremost to let the flowers speak for themselves. What are your favorite flowers to work with? It changes with the different seasons. I do
really love ranunculus, peonies, garden roses, dahlias, hellebores, frittillaria, anemones...I could go on and on and on. What is your most memorable project? One of the first weddings I did by myself was for two of my very good friends. It was out of town, so I decided to set up a flower studio in my hotel room. I worked the whole day before and most of the night. It was so fun because all of my friends were milling about the hotel, so my room was a revolving door of friends popping in to say hello—and to drop off a glass of champagne. Are there any flowers that spark special memories for you—from your childhood? Or maybe from a romance? The sweet smell of lilac in early spring floods me with memories. My grandmother had several huge lilac bushes (seemed like a forest to me back then). A simple cluster of the lush blooms would be on every table in the house and she’d bring lilac to all her friends and neighbors. What do you see for the future in floral design? I hope to see—which is already happening—a movement to create floral arrangements that are more organic looking, inspired by nature and also a little wild. Are there any particular flowers that have a longer “shelf life”? Most flowers should last about 4 to 5 days if they are fresh. Ranunculus last very well—they prefer shallow water, hydrangea in the autumn last very well and some varieties will dry nicely and retain their color. Can you offer Sweet Paul readers any tips on how to prolong the life of an arrangement? The best way to care for arrangements is to give your stems a fresh cut when you bring them home. Cut them on an angle (this gives more surface air to hydrate), and place into cool water. I recommend changing the water every other day and giving a fresh trim each time. Keep away from direct sunlight, and sources of heat and your flowers will be happy.
Quick tiP when buying roSeS You can feel the head of the rose to check for firmness...(If you need to cut anything cut the line (and em dashes): just like checking an avocado for ripeness
gorg-wanna kids
Holy smokes, Batman! PhotograPhy by sabra krock
This amazingly soft wool Batman hat from Estella is hand-knitted in Nepal and will have little bat boys and girls in a frenzy. adjust the eye flap up or down, depending on your child’s mission of the day. $45.00; www.estella-nyc.com
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For a great way to brighten up a bedroom or a playroom, Move-ables are adhesive stickers that can be repositioned. Perfect for little designers who love to decorate. $84.95aUD; www.littlechipipi.com.au Draw on your clothes. Chalkboard Tee comes with chalk and a little pocket to keep it—for the moment when creativity strikes. $35.00; www.thechalkboardtee.com Is it a bird? No, it’s the Radical Rocketeer in his cape from little Hero Capes. (If only they made them in XXl). $42.00; www.littleherocapes.com Super-cute robot bowls made of melamine, so they will not break. $12.00; www.littlekorboose.com Build your own bird café with this great kit. all their kits come with everything you need included in the package. $18.99; www.thelittle-experience.com Munchmonies are hungry for money. Made of 100 percent wool felt; comes in a range of colors. $15.00; www.munchmoney.etsy.com
wine
C The AB s of a Vintage Already, with the sun just over the hills, the inside of the truck was like a steam room. Spent shotgun shells, assorted bolts and screws and a surprising number of corks jumped around in the bright red dirt covering the floor as we bounced down a road probably in use since Julius Caesar’s day. The man driving had been talking to me passionately for almost half an hour in Italian—which I don’t understand. He could have been explaining the offside rule in soccer, or the secrets of his grandmother’s manicotti. My guess was that he was talking about wine. That year, 1997, everybody in Tuscany was talking about wine. Summer had been hot and mostly dry. Early mornings were mostly a light sweater kind of cool. Spring had come early, but not so early to threaten the vine flowers with frost. At a garden restaurant outside of Panzano the old men scratched the earth with the toes of their boots, squeezed grapes until the juice ran through their fingers and tried to remember when they last felt this good about a vintage. 1985? ’71? Maybe this would be the one to wipe clean the memory of 1955. All this talk about the wine of the century, and still the grapes hung at their vines. So what makes this year one to remember and the next year one that turns us all into beer drinkers? Nature. Rain at harvest time makes for thin and often tart wine. Too much heat and the grapes cook in the vineyard, making for wine with a bad rubbery flavor. Don’t even think about hail. Frost at flowering can wipe out whole vineyards, but it can also affect some of the flowers leaving the others to pull more flavors out of the ground by way of root systems reaching deep down. That’s
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what the vine is doing. It is reaching down into the earth at one end, and stretching into the sky at the other. A well-cared-for vine lives about as long as a person. Each year it produces a few clusters of fruit, which give hints about how its life has been. The vintner’s job is to hear those hints and bottle them up. In any case, what’s in the bottle came out of the earth and down from the sky. Wine is a kind of language made with letters and words of stone and dirt and a grammar of sun and rain. So the wine talks to us while we talk about it. The truck skidded to a stop and the driver handed me a very large basket and a pair of garden shears as he pointed me in the direction of grapes. It was my first time, and I think I screwed it up, mostly. Luckily, for the vintage, I gave up quickly and headed for the shade.
g wine Tips: Tuscany is a dynamic wine region known mostly for its red wine made from the Sangiovese grape. The best bottles age well, but plenty of easygoing lighter-bodied reds are ready for drinking soon after release. Once in a lifetime: Sassicaia. Ok, it’s a cabernet sauvignon, not a Sangiovese, but it’s huge and dark and mysterious… it’s really, really Italian, in other words. Whenever you can: Brunello di Montalcino is recognized as Sangiovese’s highest expression. Try Altesino or Le Macioche if it’s a special occasion. Whenever you want: Chianti! Felsina Berardenga Chianti Classico is always good. Fontodi is sometimes better.
text + PhotograPhy by Jim henSley
G Mushroom Prints You can use mushrooms for more than just eating. They also make the most amazing prints—very vintage and cool looking. You will need: A few pages from an old book 10 to 12 fresh mushrooms Hair spray Remove stems from mushrooms; place them on the book pages and cover with a large bowl. Let stand for at least 1 hour. Lift the bowl and spray the mushrooms with hair spray. (I used 3 layers of hair spray on mine.)
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Mushroom Risotto Serves 4 1 ounce dried forest mushrooms 2 cups boiling water 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 celery stalk, finely chopped 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice 1 /2 cup white wine 2 quarts chicken stock, warm 4 ounces mixed fresh mushrooms, sliced if large, sautéed until golden in 2 tablespoons butter 1 /2 cup grated Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper, to taste Extra Parmesan for garnish
Place the dried mushrooms in a large bowl and add the boiling water; let stand for 5 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and pour the liquid through a cheeseclothlined strainer; set aside. Melt butter and oil in a large saucepan and sauté onion, garlic and celery until the garlic becomes soft. Add the rice and stir it well into the mixture. Add wine and stir until it’s almost evaporated. Add 1 cup stock; stir until it’s almost gone, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is al dente (soft but with a little texture in the middle). Add the soaked mushrooms, the sautéed mushrooms and Parmesan. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Serve with some extra Parmesan on top.
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This turns out great every time I make it. You can also add asparagus or peas.
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Enchanted Forest a menu inspired by the colors oF a Forest, all dressed their autumn best.
F o o d + S t y l i n g b y Pa u l l o w e | P h o t o g r a P h y b y C o l i n C o o k e 14 | S w e e t P a u l . F a l l 2 0 1 0
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It’s bakIng tIme, get those pans out and start the oven. here are fIve amazIng cakes for you to try.
F o o d + s t y l i n g b y Pa u l l o w e | P h o t o g r a P h y b y F r a n c e s J a n i s c h
1,000 layer cake Ok, maybe not a 1,000 layers, but at least 30. This crepe cake is easy to make and a real tasty treat. Serves 10 2 lemons 1 cup sugar 1 cup water 1 1/4 cups milk 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 /4 cup plain flour 1 /2 cup sugar 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted, plus extra for pan 1 portion of lemon curd, see page 56 1 /4 cup heavy cream, whisked to cream Start with the candied lemon peel: Peel the lemons and try to cut off as much of the white flesh as you can using a sharp knife. Cut into thin strips. Cook 1/2 cup sugar and water in a small saucepan.
Add lemon peel and let simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and place the lemon peels on parchment paper. Sprinkle with the rest of the sugar and let cool. Beat milk, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl. Add flour, sugar and butter. Mix well. Place cool for 30 minutes. In an 8-inch skillet, pour 2 tablespoons of batter and cook for 30 seconds on each side. Between each crepe coat the skillet with a little butter. Let cool. Place one crepe on a platter, add approx. 2 tablespoons lemon curd on top; spread it around. Place another crepe on top and continue until you have used all the crepes. Add cream and top with the candied lemon peel.
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Orange Cake The oranges makes this cake taste so sweet—and the topping is out of this world. Makes 2 cakes 6 sweet oranges 6 large eggs 1 cup sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 /4 cup plain flour 1 1/2 cups ground almonds 2 teaspoons baking powder Pinch of salt 1 cup sugar 1 cup water Powdered sugar, for dusting Preheat oven to 350˚F. Place whole, unpeeled oranges in a large saucepan; fill with water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for two hours. Drain and cool. Halve the oranges and remove any seeds. Place half the oranges in a
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food processor and pulse until puréed. Beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the orange purée and vanilla; beat well. Add flour, almonds, baking powder and salt; stir batter until smooth. Pour into two well-greased 3x6 cake pans. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes until golden, or a wooden skewer comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Chop the remaining oranges and place in a small saucepan with sugar and water. Let simmer until liquid becomes a thick syrup (about 10 minutes). Cool. Turn the cakes upside down on a plate and serve with the oranges on top. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Sweet Potato and SPice cake The smell of this cake will drive you crazy. The taste is pretty awesome, too. Serve with butter and jam. Serves 10 1 cup salted butter, softened 2 1/2 cups light brown sugar 4 large eggs 1 cup milk 1 1/2 cups canned sweet potato purée 4 cups plain flour 4 tablespoons baking powder 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg Powdered sugar, for dusting Preheat oven to 350˚F. Beat butter and sugar until pale.
Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Add milk and pumpkin purée. Beat well. Add flour, baking powder and spices and beat until batter is smooth. Pour into a well-greased bundt pan. Bake until golden and a wooden skewer comes out clean (about 1 hour). Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes; flip over on a cake stand. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Lamp Using regular craft paint, paint a funkin (fake, carveble pumpkin) white. Cut a small hole on top and put a lamp kit inside. Fasten with superglue. Cut a large hole on the bottom for the light to come out. Insert a very low-watt bulb.
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Bags Paper candy bags with print from www.tinseltrading.com.
Bottles You can find old bottles at flea markets for this. Print out nasty ingredients like vampire blood and frog eye juice and glue them to the bottle. You can use old broken coral as the stoppers.
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Skull knit a skull? Maybe not! use a plastic skull (mine is from Ebay) and cover it with an arm from a sweater. You will need a hot glue gun and some patience. Pull the sweater over the skull and glue it in place underneath. Working on the smaller parts of the skull, use your glue gun to secure the knitted arm into all the nooks and crannies of the skull.
OWl Glue goggly eyes on a porcelain owl for a little spookiness.
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Farming the sweet life of
text by Janice Malkotsis | food by Paul lowe | PhotograPhy by ellen silverMan
Ardith Mae farm is not certified organic, but sustainable practices are followed, and the cheese facility includes a conservation and recycling water system. The goats have year-round access to a lightly wooded fiveacre paddock, and during the growing season can graze on the additional 30 acres. The goats do not receive any unnecessary antibiotics, and are never given hormones. Todd and Shereen support their farm community and purchase locally grown hay and grain. For more information, go to www.ardithmae.com. 90 | S w e e t P a u l . F a l l 2 0 1 0
Let Me Entertain You We Were inspired by the rustic scandinavian farmers’ life for this table setting: burlap and vintage china, mixed With modern shapes and pineWood.
Food S + tsytly yuPa lo eo P bn yc M in hha M M e r i nlgi nbg y b Pa l luolw e | w Ph th o gortaoPg hr y abPyhFyr a e Se l Ja na iSc
Stand Make a simple yet Ăœber-stylish cake stand off a piece of old wood and a stone disc. You can also put a pretty ceramic plate on top of the wood.
day before A good idea is to put out your vases, flowers, bowls, etc. on the table the night before. It’s a great way to see all the colors come together, and if you need to, it’s easy to make changes.
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Milk and Cookies A fun way to serve milk and cookies. Cover your glasses and pitcher with leftover wallpaper, we used straw paper here. Hot glue it in the back. Fasten a cookie to the glasses with a simple rubber band. Sw eet P a u l . fa l l 201 0 | 107