Rosemary, and Olive Knots...and Photo Props

Question! How important is "prop setting" for your food photo?...is it the prop behind the food? ...or is it the importance of the photo of the food! Plating the food is to me, and the presentation of it....is  the most important thing! First of all, the props, the plating, the lights...natural is the best lighting, by the way!

So, really, which angle works best?...and what do you really focus on?...my most amazing knot shaped rolls, filled with sliced Kalamata olives, and chopped fresh rosemary?...or the fresh bunch of rosemary?...what about the beautiful Batik Cloth?...well, that should be and "eyeful,"...so bright, and pretty, the floral designs are absolutely gorgeous, on the background of a soft blue-green color! This was a gift given to me by my dear food blog friend for over one year now, Joanna (Jo)...from ChicGorgeous , whom I finally met in person, at the 3rd Annual Foodbuzz Blogger Festival, and we share nearly one week of fun, and adventure, in San Francisco! She gave me this beautiful cloth, and what did I give her?...what do most American wear the most...all genders...a Baseball Cap!
Yes, an all American Baseball Cap, with of course, Palm Beach, Florida written on it, from yet, another famous 5 star hotel, The Breakers Hotel! (let's just hope Jo will pose with the cap, and takes photo with it to post on her blog)

Rosemary and Olive Knots...warmed up, on the second day; tasted even better!

Before I get to post the actual step-by-step direction, recipe...since now, I forgot the exact recipe from the book, which I didn't even really follow...just needed the idea. By now, I know the basic dough making for the yeast rolls, and I have become more "hands on" with the using of the dry yeast powder. Don't be afraid to use it, just make sure that the date isn't expired, and make sure that you start out with warm water to get the yeast started with.

I, for one, will tell you the source my recipes come from, or at least an idea how it came about, most of the times, unless it's a "hand me down" verbal recipe that I remember from making it over, and over again. It's just a matter of experimenting with various herbs, spices, and different ways of creating, and re-creating a recipe! I got this book called "The Modern Baker" by Nick Malgieri, from my local public library, and I fell in love with the book and all the amazing recipes, for cakes, rolls, and breads. I simply clicked on to my Amazon account, and ordered it online, for an unbeatable cheap price...and NEW! I took the book back to the library, just after I made these rolls, and forgot to copy the recipe, but my book will be arriving in a few days, or so! I just had so much fun with this dough, along with my little grandson, again. (I think he will follow his daddy's and my footsteps)...and he will become a chef, or a baker!

Rosemary, and Olive Knots
adapted from, The Modern Baker, by Nick Malgieri

3 cups all purpose unbleached flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons dry yeast (abt.1 1/2 packet)
1 1/2 cup almost hot water
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
additional extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper

Add the yeast to the warm water, stir lightly, and let it dissolve. I will foam up, a bit. In the meantime, in a large food processor, add the flour, the salt. Pour in the yeast with the water, and add the extra virgin olive oil Pulse a few times, to let the dough form, remove carefully, to a floured surface, and work the dough together, and add it to a large oiled bowl. Turn dough over, cover with plastic wrap, and a kitchen towel over the plastic wrap. Let it sit for 1 hour. It will double in size, just like on the photo, ready to start working the dough!

Punch down on the dough, lightly, and lift to put on a work surface, or a large board, to roll out into a 10x8 inch rectangle, or a large square.

The square or rectangle does not have to be precise, and as you can see the natural light is not enough, as in the upper photo. Spread the olive and rosemary mixture over the dough, just around the middle. 

Fold the dough over with the filling inside, once, or twice!

With a pizza, or pastry cutter, cut about 1 inch pieces, all the way through...again, I stress the fact the just one fold over would be easier to fold the knots.

Now, here comes my little assistant, wanting to see how the knots are made, but he wants to make his favorite Nemo fishy!

Don't worry about the knot shapes, just try to keep them the same size, as for me too! Next time I will pay more attention to detail. Now, you are ready to cover the rolls, by using a clean kitchen towel to cover them loosely, for 1 additional hour.

Bake at 375 degrees F. for about 25-35 minutes, till they are nice, and golden brown on the top!




By this time, it was about 6:00pm. full lighting had to be used, which is not the lighting you want for your photos.
I thing the simple rack was  a perfect prop, over the lovely butcher block table, Delicious rolls, cooling, right from the parchment line baking pan, The rosemary, and Kalamata infusion flavors were totally incredible, and the rolls were perfectly crusted on the top, and just right texture, and flavor! Yumm!

...and this was my grandson Luca's sole creation (age 5)...Nemo, his favorite fishy! He ate the entire roll, with a big smile...shared very sparingly with his sister, and promised to make this again, next time. From play dough to real dough, my little ambitious helper, was on a "roll!"
Good practice for your child, or grandchild, to help you bake something, especially with real dough!
Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Italian Restaurant, at the Breakers Hotel

First things first! This is a restaurant review that I want to share with you...no, I didn't make this amazing Shrimp Scampi, gigantic shrimp, served on a bed of fresh steamed baby spinach, and fresh diced tomatoes, in a delicious wine and butter garlic sauce. This was my choice for the entree!

My family and I enjoyed a wonderful evening at the Breakers Hotel, in Palm Beach...our favorite little Italian restaurant on the premises, at the gorgeous hotel. Kids friendly...they have a play room for the little kids, and also a fun arcade that even the bigger ones enjoy so much
.
http://www.thebreakers.com/restaurants_lounges/the_italian_restaurant/

Steamed Mussels...my son Joe's favorite, that we all shared...this was an appetizer...great choice!

A personalized pizza for my d-in-law, Cara...asparagus, shrimp, and olives...yummy pizza with such a great crust! The girls had their kids menu..their favorite, chicken fingers, made with chicken tenders, and fried crispy, and golden, with their favorite french fries.

For dessert, Cara chose the caramel apple tartlet, with almond ice cream and crunchy pieces of almonds.

My choice was the fresh berries with zabaglione...so perfect with the fresh berries..yumm!

My granddaughters favorite choice was the Brownie Sundae...just look at the perfect fudge brownie and creamy vanilla brownie...drizzle with fudge sauce...a chocolate lover's dream dessert!

So we arrived just about 5:30 PM to meet with Cara who works at the Breakers Hotel. She was going to meet us at the restaurant. The sky is a dull grey...almost ready to rain, as it has been every single day for the past 3 weeks...a welcome for the terrible drought we have been getting.

The entrance to the restaurant is like a tropical paradise with lush green plants and various other ones all typical Florida plants. It's a very casual atmosphere, jeans, and flip-flops are permitted.

When "daddy" says pose for pictures...the "attitude" comes out...Sophia loves the camera...and Mattia is a little shy!

Getting closer to the entrance...it is not just like a tropical paradise...it is a tropical paradise...a total relaxed and gorgeous atmosphere!

Well, here we are...the entrance of the Italian restaurant, at the Breakers Hotel...tucked away in a tropical setting!

I love this handsome chef LOL...holding the sign "welcome to the Italian restaurant"

You can enjoy your meal on the terrace entrance...or

you have a choice of the main dining room...(we were "early birds")...first to arrive!

We chose to eat in the smaller section ...close to the bar, where we had some nice "wine tasting"...as well!

A special little section for kids to hang out...

By the time we were ready to leave...about 8:00PM...the rain came down in "buckets"...you can see the drops of the rain...it was pouring. Good thing they had huge umbrellas that they let us borrow! An eventful evening of great enjoyment. Also getting employees' discount also helped to pay for the dinner! (It wasn't overly expensive...but it wasn't cheap, either)...as the saying goes, "you get what you pay for!"...so true!

Chunky Tomato Sauce... and a Book Giveaway!

As I mentioned in my last post, that my son Joe has finally published his first novel, self-published through Amazon.com I'm proud to offer a copy of his book, as a giveaway. Yesterday, he stopped over for a last minute lunch, and wanted to check out the waves on the beach, since we've been having such windy and rainy days in the last few days. He is also an avid surfer, since the age of eleven, and has won several awards, over the years. By profession he is an "Equity Trader" and these last couple years he's been working out of home, so he could finish his novel. Also, he decided to go back to college to get his masters degree in creative writing, after 14 years, graduating from college. He is a fabulous artist, as well, doing totally different designs...as for instance, surf board art designs, and creative designs on canvas. He also designed his book cover. Now, the latest project is his "political cartoon, daily art" which I myself don't quite understand, which has a lot to do with the "stock market."

Anyway, the emphasis now, is on my quick pasta sauce, served with fettucine that I made within 30 minutes, tops.
I always have fresh, dry, and frozen herbs on hand, for which is a "must" in my kitchen. Canned, or fresh tomatoes, is always a "must"...of course, onions, and garlic, and olives...so there you have it, a vegetarian meal to enjoy, even if you are not vegetarian. Joe and his wife Cara have decided to take that route now after and on-again, off-again route, for the last few years. Actually, they do eat seafood, and dairy...so they are "pescatarians?"...is there such a thing?

In a large skillet, all you do is saute, one sliced onion, 3 cloves of garlic sliced, 2 stalks of celery sliced, in 2 Tbsp.vegetable oil till  soft, and slightly golden. Add a 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes, 1 teaspoon tomato paste, mixed in 1/2 cup of water, 1 Tbsp.extra virgin olive oil... salt and pepper, dry, or fresh basil, and let the tomato sauce cook for about 20 minutes, on medium heat, open. Stir from time to time, and after the 20 minutes, add pitted olives (I used Nicoise pitted olives) you can slice the olives, or cut them in half. (I left mine whole)...Serve over pasta of your choice, and add chopped fresh Italian parsley, or fresh basil for flavor and for a nice appearance. You can drizzle more extra virgin olive oil on the top, and serve.

note: I sauteed the vegetable in vegetable oil, because it absorbs the flavor of the vegetables better, since it's cooked on medium-high, and it prevents burning of the oil. Adding the extra virgin olive oil, when you add the tomatoes, gives it a nicer and more flavorful texture. Also, instead of adding the tomato paste directly into the 1/2 cup of water will give it an even texture, and prevents lumpy and too thick of a  texture. 
Now, for the book giveaway:

Lamb's Bread: A Marijuana Fueled American Revolutionary 

[Paperback]

About the book, and Joe's art and Cartoon

Adrian Amato is a pot-smoking, marijuana-dealing, equity trader with a plan to set a trap and imprison the president of the United States on Palm Beach Island. His revolutionary intentions seize the imagination of his brother-in-law, Jeff Silver, who assists Adrian and serves as his biographer, believing that it is an unprecedented, inside opportunity to document the rise of a radical aimed at reshaping the world. Loosely based on the recent collapse of the nation’s economy, Joseph Pregadio’s subversive allegory about a new 

American age is as captivating as it is thought provoking. A suspense-thriller full of unexpected twists and surprising turns, Lamb’s Bread captures the anarchical soul of American discontent and channels it into a fictional tale far more plausible than anyone should feel comfortable with.

Attacking the hubris of the ultra-wealthy and the indiscriminate profiteering of corporate America, Pregadio dares to lay bare the very schemes by which many investment practitioners got rich and then watched the economic system cave in—and funnels that outrage into a broadside indictment through the eyes and actions of Adrian Amato, a modern-day pirate whose goal is to attack the establishment at every possible turn. Bracing in its honesty and entertaining in its method, Lamb’s Bread is a modern parable everyone should put at the top of their reading list. 

As for the giveaway, all you have to do is to comment, so you will be on the list. If you don't follow either on my blog, or Twitter, you will not be eligible. I will ship this signed copy of the book anywhere in the United States, Canada, anywhere else, in the world. YES!... for the first time! I will announce the winner Monday morning. Giveaway ends on Sunday, April 3rd, at 11:00PM, EST.

My son Joe, catching some waves in Palm Beach...Breakers Hotel on the left.

We do get waves like this and higher, on the beach. A surf competition. at the Breakers Hotel, just behind the hotel, on the beach.

 "Wipe out"...a dangerous, and daring sport, not recommended for every one. My son has always been quite daring since he was a little boy...and me as a mom, constantly worried about him.

Back at the Darbster Bistro, celebrating my son's B-Day, on March 25th...My D-In-law, Cara, and my adorable 5yr. old granddaughter, Mattia...waving, HELLO!

 

8020 S Dixie Hwy
West Palm Beach, FL 33405

(561) 586-2622

darbster.com/

Notice the banana bunches, on the right?...this is the gorgeous tropical view right in the back of the restaurant. Just had to enlarge this photo....paradise!



























No frills...just fresh roses on every table...SWEET!


...daddy's girl, Sophia, age 9 and has been playing in a girls' soccer team for the 3rd year, and learning how to surf, my son teaching her. She is an excellent swimmer, as well. My granddaughter, Gabriella, (Lora's daughter) is an avid basketball player...same age, as Sophia...super tall, and is also a great swimmer...here in Florida, it's advisable for children to learn at an early age...we are surrounded by water, and swimming pools everywhere.

Have you ever seen such a creamy, and amazing yumminess?...Cream of Avocado soup, topped with healthy crunchy organic seeds...(don't know what kind)...but oh, so good!

Falafel on the left, a spicy chili pepper hummus, organic warm chips, and on the front, cauliflower tabbouleh...out of this "world" delicious. We got so full, just from the appetizers.

Spicy warm tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole...Yumm!

Cara's choice was this awesome vegetable burger on top of mixed salad, everything fresh, and organic, topped with an organic dressing...(that I don't know what kind)

Saved the best for the last...my entree, which was a grilled portabello ciabatta burger, with avocado spread, tomatoes, lettuce, red onion, and the most amazing crunchy, and light french fries, which was shared by all!

...Life is Good!!! Enjoy every day of it...You never know what will TOMORROW bring:-))
Have a wonderful weekend, my friends!xoxo