Okay, this will be the last honey post for a while. I know, I’m obsessed. This is, as of now, the last of a tiny series of sorts focused around honey, which I use for EVERYTHING! It’s delicious chewiness lends itself to everything from toast to stir fry (just a spoonful of honey makes a happy tummy) and I also use it in homemade lotions and scrubs as well as a moisturizing and antibacterial face wash. Eating raw local honey can even help allergy sufferers over the long term. Thanks bees for letting us steal the fruit of your incessant labor!
Honey is a fun subject with it’s amber hue and sticky slow motion it lends itself to some pretty fun light play.
I’ve been engrossed in a pretty fantastic project these days and I haven’t had much time to shoot for the blog lately so please forgive me if things are a bit erratic or I miss a week here or there. I hope to share some of what I’ve been up to soon:)
Have a great week and don’t forget to take your spoonful of honey!
food photographer, food photography, los angeles, crystal cartier
I love blueberries and I love cheesecake so, as a dynamic duo, I’m sold! We recently had the pleasure of shooting an extra-thick-crust blueberry cheesecake with The Cheesecake Dude. Yum. Getcha some!
Visually speaking, the wood grain and rustic style of the propping really created a nice contrast to the glistening, richly colored blueberry topping. The Dude made the crust extra thick because it seems to be everyone’s favorite part. I’m not much of a crust gal myself, but I must say this is some damn tasty, crunchy crust. It was a fun day and the memory of those blueberries makes me wish I could bite the photo!
How do you wonderful readers make/prefer your cheesecake? Toppings, ricotta, chocolate? Let’s hear it!
food photographer, food photography, los angeles, crystal cartier
“Fresh fiiiiiish” hollers the portly and comically severe fish man at the farmer’s market. I seriously laugh out loud every time his deep voice bellows this phrase. It reminds me of an old school disney movie though I can’t remember which (The Little Mermaid, maybe?). Though his advertising tactic is funny, this fish is no joke. This week I scored some uber fresh mahi mahi.
I don’t know about you guys, but you may have noticed that I prefer simple ideas for preparing food that can easily be amended for whatever fresh ingredients I have on hand. I’m not much on long-winded recipes requiring epic preparations and absurd quantities of dirty dishes. I like the natural flavors of the foods I eat and prefer to prepare them in ways that allows that taste to come forward, rather than mask it beneath other strong flavors. This is no exception.
Mahi Mahi En Papillote
- on a large sheet of parchment paper, arrange a bed of lemons (or oranges if you’re feeling sweet;)
- place fish on top of the citrus bed. Sprinkle with sea salt and your preferred seafood herbs, I used a bit of celery salt, dried thyme and red and black pepper
- throw a few dried bay leaves in the mix, drizzle with olive oil, and fold the parchment into a nice little pouch.
- bake at 450 degrees for 12 minutes or so.
*optional* open parchment and broil for a minute or so (depending on your broiler as they vary widely) for a golden, crisped top.
*optional* garnish with fresh parsley.
The result is a moist, delicious melding of flavors. Because the bay leaves and citrus are steamed with the fish, they impart a more subtle flavor than you’d get by just squeezing lemon on seafood or putting crushed leaves on the fish. Delicate and balanced, not to mention pretty damn healthy. It’s a winner!
food photographer, food photography, los angeles, crystal cartier
Just one more post on the beloved peach before summer is over, though the weather is only beginning to heat up here in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley (famous for brutal Indian summers). Anyway, PEACHES!!! Grilled and candied with notes of garden herbs, these peachy treats are quite unbelievable and delightfully simple.
This healthy, juicy, sweet dessert was grilled and “scented” with thyme and, believe it or not, chive blossoms from the garden. This may seem an off-putting flavor combo, and truth be told I was experimenting for beauty’s sake, but it was an absurdly delicious success. When I had my first bite, the subtle undertones of the herbs created a complex and delicate balance of sweet, tangy, and savory. Score one for pretty AND tasty;) Though they are great straight from the grill, I went one step further and candied them in a pan on the stove with some honey (of course you could also use sugar). This cooks them a bit more and results in wonderful caramelization which pairs beautifully with the tartness of plain greek yogurt or the creamy sweetness of ice cream. Double yum.
What’s your favorite way to celebrate the sweet summer peach?
love the “missing pieces” feel of this shot ^
food photographer, food photography, los angeles, crystal cartier
One part voyeurism two parts balls-to-the-wall visual hunt, flea markets aka “vintage antique markets” are an all out sensory explosion. The sounds of haggling ring through the air commingling with the gasps and squeals of marketers who’ve finally found that one piece they’ve been hunting for. In my case, my gasps and squeals are due to the 40 pound bags of plates and bowls I’ve been carrying on my shoulders through my 5 hour shopping spree! Despite the bruising my shoulders may suffer, a good flea market is a living, pulsing event and one of the only places I can reliably find rustic, vintage, well worn props. Where else can you find a vendor selling only retro Tupperware containers of all shapes, sizes, and functions!? Love it! Here’s a little peak (iphone happy snappy shots) at some of my fave grabs of the day. More to come as they make their way to the shoot table!
Where do you find your best pieces of inspiration?
flooded with memories of yesteryear's school lunches
cockadoo what a day, the sun is shining brightly!
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