countlanentertaining globally // issue six

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nOMADIC FOODFood that knows no boundaries

A LOOK AT GLAssThe material we love to use and hate to break

AUsTRALIAn CHEFsBooks that define a nation

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from the editor

Summer marks an exciting time of year. Mental gears shift into a slower pace and we do our best to enjoy the weather, the outdoors and the company of friends and family. Whether you are vacationing or stay-cationing, it’s time to visit that design studio you heard about, host a gathering or go the extra mile for a special ingredient. In other words, immerse yourself into something a bit out of the ordinary and expand your entertaining repertoire.

In Issue 04, we explore how the chocolate pendulum has shifted from mass produced to bean-to-bar. We also talk to some wonderfully opinionated entrepreneurs and industry experts who reveal how to train your chocolate tasting palate and appreciate a bar like a fine wine or a craft beer.

On the topic of ingredients, we’re rooting for sea salt from some rather un-expected and remote locations and introduce you to a few of our favourite brands. When it comes to outdoor entertaining, no one does it better than

the locals on the Amalfi Coast or the tranquil shores of Transcoso in Brazil. We talk about picturesque back-drops and table details with two highly experienced entertainers in each location.

Our design section considers the success of an in-dependent retailer in Copenhagen, and marvels at a colourful chintz collection in Toronto. Although we are endlessly fascinated with the tabletop vessels that keep our food interesting, we expand our definition of design to include flowers. You’ll find a dreamy comparison of floral arrangements from florists across the globe.

Finally, you’ll meet a few intrepid travelers and taste-makers who run some of the most creative travel sites around. They chime in on memorable meals, inspiring cities and where they are headed next.

If you would like to join Countlan’s growing dialogue on entertaining globally or have an article idea to pitch, we invite you to get in contact with us and inquire how you can contribute to future issues.

Sarah Lambersky

EDITOR: Sarah Lambersky (Denmark)

ART DIRECTOR: Stuart Woods (Czech Republic)

ILLUSTRATION: Claire Heffer (UK)Ryan Cole (Czech Republic)

PHOTOGRAPHER: Adam Goodman (Denmark)

CONTRIBUTORS: Mike Drach (Canada)Sarah Lee (USA)Giulia Mule (UK)Yaeri Song (South Korea)Pille Petersoo (Estonia)Marija Petrovic (Serbia)Taryn Lipschitz (Canada)

CORRESPONDENTS: Kathryn Sussman (Canada)Judith de Graaff (France)Geraldine Tan (UK)Linda Gaylard (Canada)Gretchen McCarthy (UK)Lee McCoy (UK)Emily Cohen (USA)

As our sixth issue wraps up, I feel energized about what is in store for 2014. Exciting food, design and entertaining projects are popping up around the world and Countlan has only scratched the surface to bring these stories to light. For example, food nomadism, the spreading of ingredients and cuisines across borders, is a topic that piqued our interest. Thanks in part to the lower cost of travel and access to technology, it is remarkable that a drink like bubble tea, which originated in Taiwan, can be found and in demand on the streets of Prague, Sydney, Lima, Dubai, and Nairobi. The growing interest and general openness towards foreign cuisines and new experiences opens up blank canvas ripe for creativity in business and at home.

Crowdfunding is another subject and business model that is fascinating in terms of its influence on design and entertaining. I am a fan of the all-or-nothing funding model and the marketplace it creates that allows me to support independent de-signers that I like. I use crowdfunding sites as a discovery tool to find interesting tableware items; an experience that adds a new dimension to story-telling and to purchasing conversation pieces.

I hope you find this issue as entertaining as always and learn something new that inspires you to host a gathering at home. If you have any questions or comments about Countlan or would like to get in-volved in future issues, send an email to  sarah@countlan.com

Stay tuned for our seventh issue in April and be sure to check out countlan.com to read our eclectic stories from around the globe.

FROM THE EDITOR

EDITOR:SARAH LAMBERSKY {USA}

AssIsTAnT EDITOR:MiKE DRAcH {cAnADA}

ART DIRECTOR:BEnTE BARTH {GERMAnY}

PHOTOGRAPHER:ADAM GOODMAn {USA}

ILLUsTRATOR:BEnTE BARTH {GERMAnY}

COnTRIBUTORs:HELEn YUET LinG PAnG (UK)cARLA iSiDORO (PORTUGAL)KATHERinE GOnzALEz (iSRAEL)iSHAY GOvEnDER-YPMA (S.AfRicA)ELEnA SALA (iTALY)MOnicA LAzAR (ROMAniA)EMiLY BAiLLiE (cAnADA)KATY ROSE (SOUTH AfRicA)fATiH GOKMEn (TURKEY)YUKi GOMi (UK)DOnATELLA SEDDA (iTALY)KRiSTin PEDROjA (AUSTRALiA)RAcHEL MORAn (USA)EMMA SORGAARD (DEnMARK)KATHRYn SUSSMAn (cAnADA)BETH BRASH (nEw zEALAnD)

COVER PHOTO:ELEnA SALA, DOLcE SALSAROSA

Sarah L amberSk yEditor, Co-Founder@countlan #countlan

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CONTENTScountlan

entertaining globally

FOODLokum if you got em 06The wonders of Arthur Avenue 08Up Close: Meat Pies 1 1Nomadic Food 18Empowered Cooking 22What’s Cooking: Elena Sala 24What’s Cooking: Ishay Govender-Ypma 26What’s Cooking: Monica Lazar 28Argentina’s World Class Wines 30Bedouin Tea at Feynan Ecolodge 32Boza 35

DESIGNGlass 38Made In: Crowdfunding Special 46Global flower Design 52

ENTERTAININGOn Presenting Sushi 60#Setthetable 62Learning from the Pros 64Books 66Pairing Breakfast andCoffe 72Take Stock: Wellington 74

ISSUE six

FOOD

ENTERTAINING

DESIGN

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//Food//Food

//Food

Our food section highlights two Turkish delicacies not to be overlooked, explores a street with a rich culinary heritage in the Bronx and traces the move-ment of food across borders.

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Bridging Flavours: LOkuM IF yOu GOT EM

{ iSTAnBUL}

Bridging the flavours and candy-making traditions of the Otto-

man Empire with the modern palate, 206-year-old Şekerci (confectioner) Cafer Erol is a multi-generational, family-run institution in Istanbul’s Kadıköy neighbourhood. “My grand-father’s grandfather started making candy in 1807 during the time of the Ottoman Empire,” says Yonca Erol, assistant manager of Şekerci Cafer Erol and a fifth-generation member of the family business.  “When eco-nomic conditions worsened and they could not find raw materials to make hard sugar candy, they had to stop. In 1945, after WWII, my grandfather started making candy again.”

Şekerci Cafer Erol’s colourful window displays of hard sugar candies (akide) in glass jars sit alongside marzipan figurines, fruit jellies and nut pastes. These are just some of the confec-tions produced in-house that beckon

passersby to come inside. The shop’s specialty is lokum, also known as Turkish delight. Their headquarters, in Kadıköy’s bustling shopping area, produces nearly 30 types of Turkish delight made from various spices, fruits, nuts and flowers. “On a normal day, we sell 500 to 600 kilograms of lokum,” says Erol. “During the year, if you include all the feasts, we sell 250 tonnes of lokum.”

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HOw TO SERvE AND ENjOy TuRkISH DELIGHT{YOncA EROL, cAfER EROL, iSTAnBUL}

When and hoW iS Lokum t ypicaLLy Served?“Lokum is served by itself or alongside a Turkish coffee. It is typically eaten after a meal, although sometimes we serve it at the beginning if guests are visiting. We also serve lokum if there is a religious holiday or occasion. However, it is usually the guest who brings lokum as a gift.”

What iS your favourite fL avour of Lokum?“Double-roasted pistachio, and rose petal.”

Photo Credit: Sekerci Cafer Erol

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The Wonders of Arthur Avenue

{nEw YORK}

{wRiTTEn BY HELEn YUET L inG PAnG}

On my most recent New York visit, I decided to cover all five boroughs

instead of staying in Manhattan; a bad habit of mine as a former New York resident. This is how my husband and I discovered the charms of Arthur Av-enue in the Bronx, regarded by many as the ‘real Little Italy’.

Arthur Avenue is a little Italian en-clave of traditional food shops, deli-catessens and restaurants. In what

used to be a predominantly Italian-American neighbourhood of the city, many of these businesses date back two or three generations.

From our starting point at Arthur and East 187th Street, we walked to 184th then back up again on the other side of the street to admire the eclectic family-owned shops and goods for sale. The stores were packed with older Italian-Americans, stocking up

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The Wonders of Arthur Avenue

on weekly provisions and catching up with friends before enjoying a leisure-ly lunch.

Gastronomic offerings included homemade, hand-pulled mozzarella at cheese monger, Casa della Mozza-rella, fresh semolina bread at bakery G. Addeo & Sons and a dizzying ar-ray of cured meats and sausages at Mike’s Deli inside Arthur Avenue Re-tail Market. Best of all was the visit to Madonia Brothers Bakery, a baking institution that has been in business since 1918. Madonia bakes everything on the premise and is famous for its cannoli, fi lled only when ordered, and

its varieties of biscotti. Naturally we bought large bags of toasted almond as well as Napolitano (cherries, an-gelica and almond) biscotti to share with family and friends back in Lon-don.

Our culinary adventure on Arthur Ave-nue ended with a superb lunch at Zero Otto Nove, where we feasted on one of the best pizzas we’ve ever eaten, and of course spaghetti and meatballs. As a food blogger, I’m always searching for remarkable food experiences, and I certainly discovered one of the most memorable ones at Arthur Avenue.

//Food

Photo Credit: Helen Yuet Ling Pang

//Food

T h e r e i s a l w a y s r o o m f o r

p i e o n t h e t a b l e . P i e i s

o n e o f t h o s e f o o d s t h a t

h a v e f o u n d i t s w a y i n t o

m a n y c u i s i n e s o f t h e w o r l d .

S w e e t o r s a v o u r y , i t i s a

p a s s i o n a t e d i s h c a p a b l e o f

e l i c i t i n g a l l s o r t s o f m e m -

o r i e s , e m o t i o n s a n d s t o -

r i e s . W e e x p l o r e t h e b e s t

n e w i d e a s a n d t a s t e s i n s a -

v o u r y p i e s .

MEAT PIE

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A Twist on Traditional: Goat Pies

As a staple food in Australian cul-ture, meat pies are a way of life.

“People of all walks of life indulge in meat pies as fuel for a hard day’s work, as part of a hearty family meal or as an essential part of any sport-ing event” shares Michael Hobson, the Brisbane chef and ‘Goat Pie Guy’. After a fun night of cooking goat meat for his father-in-law, Michael formal-ized his fi rst pie recipe after the din-ner and made plans to share his love of goat pies with the city. “As a chef,

I'm always looking for great food and new methods of preparation. Boer goat is a very under-rated ingredient. What better way to showcase it than in a gourmet pie?” He sells his ever-evolving menu of internationally fl a-voured pies like the Himalayan Goat Pie made with Nepalese curry, gin-ger, tomatoes and spices, throughout Brisbane’s farmers’ markets and in selected cafes.

www.goatpieguy.com.au

unuSuaL pie:The Jamaican Goat Pie is our most unusual. It is a spicy curry with coconut milk, allspice and fi nished with dried thyme. It is a favourite with foodies and chili lovers alike.

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{BRiSBAnE}

Awork, as part of a hearty family meal

After a fun night of cooking goat meat

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Canadian Pie-eh! TA Pies

A phone call set the wheels in mo-tion for Mélanie Des Lauriers and

her New Zealand-native husband, Don, who launched TA Pies four years ago in Montreal. “My brother-in-law, who is the president of a rugby club, asked Don to cook for their fundrais-er dinner. He decided to make Aus-tralian style meat pies for the club” shares Melanie. “The pies were such a success that people started placing big orders for more so Don started baking from our apartment.”

In Quebec, meat pies, also known as tourtieres, are considered a winter

dish traditionally eaten at Christmas. “Tourtieres are made with ground meat and are served family style. Our pies are Australian-New Zealand style. They come in individual por-tions and are filled with a casserole or a curry, so they have gravy inside.” With two shops in the city and an In-stagram shout out from Australian actor Hugh Jackman, TA Pies is cer-tainly building quite the reputation.

www.ta-pies.com

unuSuaL pie:Steak and Vegemite, Green Thai Curry, or the Ned Kelly pie. The NKP is named after a notorious Australian outlaw. We didn't invent it but we have our own version. The ingre-dients are ground beef and vegetable stew, a whole baked egg, bacon, cheese and homemade BBQ sauce.

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{MOnTREAL}

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Canadian Pie-eh! Kanga

{TOROnTO}

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When it comes to dining options, multicultural Toronto has a bit

of everything. Apparently, it was missing Australian style meat pies; a void that Megan Chan and Erynn Mayes sought to fill. Reminiscing over memories of living in Australia, the duo started baking their flaky crust, sauce filled pies and launched their business, Kanga in 2012.

To test the market, they took their pulled pork and beef stroganoff pies to the social food market that has served as a launch pad for several aspiring chefs and food entrepre-neurs in the city: Toronto Under-ground Market. “Aussie meat pies have had an incredible reception in Toronto from Aussies and Canadi-ans alike” shares Megan, co-owner of Kanga. “The first time we sold our meat pies at the Toronto Under-ground Market, we made five hun-dred pies and sold out in just a few hours! The feedback was phenom-enal.”

www.eatkanga.com

unuSuaL pie:Red cabbage and Asian pulled beef pie

Photo Credit: Ksenija Hotic

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Pieminister {BRiSTOL}

As Pieminister celebrates its 10 year anniver-sary, there is much to be proud of from their

hometown start in Bristol. Tristan Hogg and Jon Simon started Pieminister to up the quality and interest in meat pies in the UK after observ-ing its cooler status in Australia. Meat pies are not new to British cuisine but in 2003, when the team got started, this classic British dish was in need of a refresh. “We started in Bristol be-cause people here genuinely care about where their food comes from. We knew that making pies using locally sourced ingredients including 100% British free range meat was what people wanted” says Romany Simon, head of publicity for Pieminister.

In the early years, Pieminister developed a fol-lowing by serving their meat pies at music fes-tivals like Glastonbury. A decade later and they are schlepping their pies all over the British Isles from rugby stadiums and local shops to pubs and festivals. They have even served their pies at weddings. “A good pie should have the perfect balance of quality, fresh ingredients wrapped in just the right amount of pastry“ says Simon.

www.pieminister.co.uk

In the early years, Pieminister developed a fol-lowing by serving their meat pies at music fes-tivals like Glastonbury. A decade later and they are schlepping their pies all over the British Isles from rugby stadiums and local shops to pubs and festivals. They have even served their pies at weddings. “A good pie should have the perfect balance of quality, fresh ingredients wrapped in

Photo Credit: James Bowden, Mike Cooper & Iris Thorsteindottir

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//Food

pie time: The Brits like their pie for lunch or sup-per, served with hot buttery potato mash, gravy and minted peas.  Pies are the ultimate British comfort food and a great way to combat the British weather - nothing warms the soul on a wet, grey day like a really good, hot pie.  They're great washed down with a cup of strong tea, but even better with local West Country cider or beer. - ROMANY SIMON

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The Wee Pie Company{GLEncARSE}

In Scotland’s larder, a fertile agricul-ture area in Perthshire, the culinary

philosophy is based on local slow food, provenance and traceability. Rose Martin, a veteran cook of 30 years, spent three years on a remote Scot-tish island with her husband manag-ing an estate and working as a private chef. “We were the only inhabitants, so we converted one of the pig stables into a wee shop for our seasonal cot-tage guests and used the extra veni-son and vegetables that we grew and turned them into pies” says Rose. When they moved back to Perth, the

couple researched the viability of a pie business. Six month later, a range of 10 traditional pies for the Wee Pie Company was ready to go. Rose has been busy selling wild venison and wild game pies online and at farmers’ markets. “We were keen to get away from the 'bad name' that traditional scotch pies have. For that reason we do not use any animal fats, only veg-etable oils to create a healthy and fi ll-ing meal in itself.”

www.theweepiecompany.co.uk

unuSuaL pie:We want our meat to speak for itself. We use fl avour combinations that enhance each other like venison and haggis, wild boar with leeks and tomato and rab-bit with bacon and leek in a white wine sauce.

//Food

Tartes Kluger{PARiS}

“A good tarte should have a crunchy crust and a well-sea-soned, fresh fi lling” shares Catherine Kluger, the former lawyer and owner of Tartes Kluger in Paris. Set in the trendy working-class neighbourhood of l’Onzieme (11e), Tartes Kluger serves tarts with a twist. For example, Cath-erine’s Tarte Lorraine sees the addition of a grainy mustard and three types of ham on top of the traditional recipe of eggs, cream and bacon. “I used to make a lemony French endive and prawn tart” says Kluger about the unusual in-gredient combinations she has tried since she opened her doors in the summer of 2009.

www.tarteskluger.com

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Prohibitively expensive rents in the San Francisco Bay Area nudged

Skylite Snowballs owner, Katie Baum to take her operation on the road. In her pale blue truck, Katie travels around selling snowballs, a staple frozen treat in her hometown of Bal-timore, Maryland. The name Skylite Snowballs is a reference to the fl a-vour and colour (blue) of her child-hood shaved ice order. Today, her business serves shaved ice fl avoured with natural homemade syrups topped with marshmallow cream. So far Katie and pastry chef, Mar-ykate McGoldrick have concocted 40 different syrups with traditional fl a-vours like strawberry, lemon, lime and cherry and more interesting ver-sions such as vanilla cardamom or ginger lime. “A lot of Skylite Snow-balls’ syrups are based on seasonal market ingredients.  I would have to say my all-time favorite fl avour is our Four Barrel Coffee syrup topped with Tcho Chocolate and our homemade marshmallow cream” says Katie.

www.skylitesnowballs.com

Nomadic Food: “It’s a Baltimore � ing”{SAn fRAnciScO}

Skylite Snowballs

Food knows no boundaries. As more people travel and have access to technology, the rate at which food concepts, regional cuisines and in-gredients travel quicken in pace. In the next section, we look at exam-ples of nomadic food.

Photo Credit: Aya Brackett, Michelle Kloehn

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Nomadic Food: “It’s a Baltimore � ing” As far as super foods

go, it seems like every country or continent has its own specialty. In the Middle East it’s za’atar—

a spice that has crept its way into the preparation of breakfast, lunch and dinner offerings.

Za’atar is a centuries-old spice mixture com-prised of thyme, sumac, sesame seeds and salt. When submerged in olive oil, spread on a pita and cooked in a fi re oven, za’atar makes manakish, a sort of Arabic pizza that’s eaten for breakfast and lunch. When mixed with labneh (strained yogurt) or zeitoun (olive oil), za’atar is transformed into a healthy mid-day dip. A recent revival of tradi-tional Middle Eastern fl avors in some of Israel’s high-end restaurants has also welcomed the use of za’atar to season chicken and other meats. Its popularity in countries such as Jordan, Leba-non and Syria is due to the nomadic and prolifi c nature of its star herb, thyme. Za’atar is a com-mon ingredient in many Middle Eastern cuisines. It has even been known to stir up tension—when Haaretz, a national Israeli newspaper, ran an ar-ticle referring to za’atar as “the Spice of Israel,” individuals took to Twitter and Facebook in pro-test of what they deemed an offensive appropria-tion of Middle Eastern culinary culture. The title was later changed.“Everyone knows what za’atar is,” says Daniella

Cheslow, freelance journalist and host of the ra-dio show, The Tel Aviv Table. “It’s ubiquitous in all spice shops. It’s defi nitely up there as one of the most well-known spices in this region.”

And people aren’t just consuming za’atar for its taste—the spice is said to boost memory and help digestion.

Due to its abundance and availability, fl avoring with za’atar makes for a practical kitchen pick—it is inexpensive, and is sold in virtually every grocery store, market, and street-side kiosk in Israel.

Middle East Super Food{wRiTTEn BY KATiE GOnzALEz}

Photo Credit: Katie Gonzalez

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Food Nomadism{wRiTTEn BY cARLA iS iDORO}

Nowadays,  it’s easy to fi nd  gas-tronomic experiences rooted in

local food, sustainability and mobil-ity.  Pop-up restaurants, gourmet vans and supper clubs are just a few examples of creative enterprises that are fl ourishing around the world as the trend of food nomadism gains momentum again. 

While food nomadism is not a new concept, each iteration brings exciting results to people interested in food. In fact, the cross-pollination of cuisines and ingredients that we see today bares resemblance to the spices, fl a-vours and cultural customs that were transported to other nations by the Portuguese and the Spanish during the XV century. At this time of discov-ery and travel, the Portuguese intro-duced South American potatoes and tomatoes to Europe. They also took the chili pepper with them to Asia, which started a global food trade that affected regional consumption habits for years to come.

Today, food diversity and its nomadic nature continues to grow thanks to affordable travel, heightened envi-ronmental consciousness, the prolif-eration of social media and increased mobility of goods and services. At home, easier access to ‘exotic’ in-gredients, which no longer seem so foreign, makes producing authentic recipes a simple task. In the com-munity, the quest for new food expe-

riences has created opportunities for entrepreneurs to bring contemporary fl avours to eager audiences in unique formats.

In Lisbon, for example the lisboetas are open to new gastronomic experi-ences but they are also deeply root-ed in traditional Portuguese cuisine. This duality of modern versus tradi-tional is evident in contemporary res-taurants where chefs cook modern cuisine with a twist of tradition. In the recent (and ongoing) economic crisis, thousands of people sought work out-side of Portugal to make a living. Oth-ers, who chose to stay, embraced an entrepreneurial energy that the coun-try has not seen before and launched start-ups. New, innovative food pro-jects are opening daily as business owners embrace the factors driving food nomadism. Local operations like Miss Can, a canned fi sh business that drew on its family’s canning herit-age and took it on wheels, or Yonest, a mobile handmade yogurt delivery service, are succeeding thanks to open minds towards ‘traditional with a twist’.

The intersection of food, mobility and entrepreneurship has resulted in an exciting movement which will, no doubt, continue to inspire travel itineraries, conversations and eating habits globally. Not to mention, dis-cover new ways of producing food and community.

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//Food

three nomadic food buSineSSeS:COOLHAUS TRUCKS, USANatasha and Freya started making ice cream sandwiches in Freya’s mom kitchen. Selling their innovative cookies in a modern truck was their dream. They launched the Coolhaus truck at the 2009 Coachella Music Festival and now they have trucks selling gourmet desserts in several American cities.

ORANGE OLIVE, THE NETHERL ANDSThe Orange Olive “Pure Taste Dinners” project aims to shorten the distance between humans and food in a culinary way. They choose locally grown products and organize meals inside greenhouses. Cos-tumers are encouraged to experience how and where ingredients are grown.

THE PORTUGUESE CONSPIRACY, UKAfter organizing private Portuguese themed dinners for friends, Rita and José launched their successful Portuguese Conspiracy supper club around various locations of London. In the fall of 2013, the Con-spiracy evolved into a fi ne delicatessen shop in Dalston (east London).

three nomadic food buSineSSeS:three nomadic food buSineSSeS:COOLHAUS TRUCKS, USANatasha and Freya started making ice cream sandwiches in Freya’s mom kitchen. Selling their innovative cookies in a modern truck was

Photo Credit: The Portuguese Conspiracy, Orange Olive, Coolhaus

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EMPOWERED COOKING

Though political situations remain in fl ux in the Middle East, food is playing an important role

to keep peace, empower marginalized popula-tions, break down cultural barriers and provide opportunities for economic and social well-be-ing. Three non-profi t projects — Atayeb Falas-tine, the Syrian Refugee Cooking Line Develop-ment Program (Atayeb Zaman), and the NOOR Women’s Empowerment Group — all use food as a medium and business tool to communicate shared culinary traditions that are sometimes lost in confl ict.

Souk el Tayeb’s (Countlan Issue 05) founder, Kamal Mouzawak launched Atayeb Falastine and the Syrian Refugee Cooking Line Develop-ment Program (Atayeb Zaman), two projects that work with women refugees to teach them how to commercialize food products while reviving their culinary traditions. “The ideas behind these programs originated from an old dream,” says Kamal. “To empower women in traditional socie-ties to make a healthy life for the cook and her family; generate income in a simple way; bring back pride, recognition and a sense of need; and perpetuate authentic, traditional expressions as cuisine.” The programs work with teams of 25 women in food skills workshops that provide vocational training, recipe development, product

marketing, and concludes with a key opportunity — access to distribution through Souk el Tayeb’s farmers’markets.

Atayeb Falastine and the Atayeb Zaman are nat-ural extensions of the cross-cultural education efforts Kamal has worked on for a decade. The programs provide support for female entrepre-neurs and help mediate the qualms associated with integration of new arrivals into Lebanese society. “There is a need to promote the idea that ‘we can share food together,’ to get the women out of their ghettos and to help them better inte-grate in society, which will be the best way to get to know each other” says Kamal.

Long-forgotten dishes and new recipes are sur-facing as a result of Atayeb Falastine and Zaman. “The funniest part is when people of the same country get together,” says Kamal. “Among the Syrian refugees, people from one region of Syria would not necessarily know about certain old-er dishes from another region in Syria; here is where the ‘competition’ starts.”  Despite differ-ences in culinary traditions, Kamal insists “peo-ple are inherently the same with their fears, ex-pectations, pride, and joy”.

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In a similar vein, in Bethlehem, a group of moth-ers from the Aida and Al-Azzeh refugee camps started the NOOR Women’s Empowerment Group (NOOR WEG) in 2010 as a means to raise funds to support the care and education of their disabled children and promote awareness of Palestinian cuisine. The 13 women and their volunteers offer Palestinian cooking classes and home stays for international guests who are interested in learn-ing about Palestinian life and food. “Besides hav-ing to deal with social stigma, we face economic issues that prevent our children from getting ad-equate care. This club gave us a space to share ideas and opinions, and the opportunity to fi nd solutions to our problems,” says Islam, NOOR

WEG’s project coordinator. The group hopes to raise enough money to set up a small kindergar-ten for disabled children in the area. Visitors who attend one of the NOOR WEG’s Saturday lunch classes are treated to a feast of fl avours and tra-ditions. (For more on Palestinian cuisine, see be-low.)

It is small, grassroots projects like these that illustrate the common bond we share through food and demonstrate the social and economic value that can be created through empowered food experiences — truly worthy causes to cel-ebrate and share.

//Food

on defininG paLeStinian foodIslam, Project Coordinator, NOOR WEG —

“If I had to defi ne Palestinian food in just one word, I would say zaaki (delicious)! Palestinian food is rich in fl avours and textures and it is very diverse. In Palestine, the same dish might be cooked differ-ently depending on the area. Traditional dishes are elaborate and have been shared among genera-tions of women. Dishes typically use local fresh vegetables, olive oil, condiments and herbs such as za’atar, turmeric, cumin, sumac, cardamom and cinnamon. Rice is also a staple in the Palestinian diet, which is usually imported from Egypt. “

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//Food

What’s Cooking: E L E N A SA L AD O L c E S A L S A R O S AR E c i P E

“i am a lover of chocolate, especially dark chocolate” says Elena. Her chocolate cake recipe has a warm fudge center, which is perfect for the winter...

cAKE:

6 aluminum cake molds or ramekins150 g dark chocolate140 g of butter100 of sugar30 g of fl our3 eggs1 pinch of salt

Powdered sugar and raspberries for the decoration

{SOvicO, iTALY}

THREE DiSHES nOT TO BE MiSSED in nORTHERn iTALY?

Outside of pizza and pasta, there are many other delicious northern italian dishes such as saffron risotto (il risotto gi-allo con zafferano), lasagna with meat sauce (le lasagne al ragù), and veal cutlet (coto-letta alla Milanese).

in MiLAn, STOP BY….

i often go to Milan. Among my favorites is the california Bakery where i like to eat a giant slice of cheesecake with a cup of tea. Sunday morning i give myself a great brunch at vanilla Bakery where you can also enjoy delicious cupcakes. finally, i really like the burgers (and desserts) from Ham Holy Burger.

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inSTRUcTiOnS:cut the chocolate into small fl akes. Melt the chocolate in a double boil-er with the butter and sugar, stirring frequently. Let the melted chocolate mixture cool, then add the eggs one at a time stirring after each addition. next add the fl our and a pinch of salt and stir until you obtain a homoge-neous mixture.

Grease 6 ramekins with butter and fl our or with cocoa powder. Divide and scoop the chocolate mixture into the molds with a ladle, making sure each mold is fi lled a bit more than halfway. cover with aluminum and place the ramekins/molds in freezer for two hours.

Preheat oven to 190c/374f. To bake the cakes, remove the aluminum foil, put the ramekins in a preheated oven and bake them for 15 minutes. Pay careful attention not to over bake the cakes. Otherwise, the center will not be gooey (you can check them as early as 12-13 minutes). carefully fl ip the cakes out of their cases, dust or stencil the tops with icing sugar and serve hot with raspberries or ice cream.

//Food

In Sovico, a small, quiet village in the Ital-ian countryside, 40 minutes northeast of Milan is where Dolce Salsarosa blogger, Elena Sala, bakes up a mix of Italian and North American sweets. “I am a lover of chocolate, especially dark chocolate” says Elena. Her chocolate cake recipe has a warm fudge center, which is perfect for the winter. “I make this recipe often for dinner parties as it is easy to prepare, it only takes a few minutes to bake and it freezes well.”

Photo Credit: Elena Sala

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//Food

What’s Cooking: I SHAY GOVENDER -YPM A

After months of tweeting about cooking and dining, cape Town, South Africa based ish-ay Govender-Ypma launched

her website, food and the fab-ulous. She offers local food tours and shares stories, reci-pes and reviews from her trav-els around the continent and

globe.

for winter, ishay shares her mother’s recipe for Rasam soup. it is her mother’s fl u-fi ghter go-to dish. “Rasam is

spicy and tangy because of the tamarind and a sure-fi re way to clear up the sinuses. i associate it with warmth and my gran's cooking. it’s quick,

uncomplicated and perfect for winter” says ishay.

WHERE DID THE SOUP ORIGINATE FROM?Rasam originates from the South of India where you will fi nd many variations of the recipe. In this

version, my mother improvised using yellow mustard seeds that I had on hand and left out the as-afoetida (hing), which is a tricky spice to get in some areas. It is also far from the best smelling.

IN CAPE TOWN, TRY…As the predominant fl avours cen-tre around Cape Malay, you need to try a local curry or bobotie (or both), a fried snoek (a beloved lo-cal fi sh that is also barbequed) and chips in Hout Bay, and Shisa nyma - braai'd (barbequed) meat at Mzoli's or Nomzamo butchery

in the townships.

Photo Credits: Ishay Govender-Ypma

{cAPE TOwn}

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//Food

R A S A M SOUP R E c i P Ei n G R E D i E n T S :4-5 tablespoons of tamarind pulp, soaked in 2 cups warm water 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns 1 tablespoon cumin seeds 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds 1 head garlic, peeled 1/2 medium onion, sliced thinly 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 4 dried red chilies 1 teaspoon turmeric 1 medium tomato, skinned and chopped 1 cup water Salt to taste 15-20 g fresh coriander, washed,

de-stalked and chopped roughly

i n S T R U c T i O n S :

In a heavy mortar, crush the pepper, mustard seeds, garlic and cumin seeds with a little salt, until the spices are fairly fine but not a pow-der and the garlic forms a paste. On medium heat in a pot, fry the onions until translucent. Add the crushed spices, garlic and red chilies. Fry for a minute, stirring. Add the turmeric and stir for 10 seconds. Add the to-mato and the tamarind juice (strain out any pips). Bring to the boil and lower heat to medium. Cook for 15 minutes. Add a half cup of water (or more if the soup is too strong). Sea-son with salt and serve with fresh coriander. Serve over basmati rice or strain and serve in mugs. Note: The rasam improves in flavour the next day.

F O O D A N D T H E FA B U LO U S

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//Food

EAT LOVE AND BE HAPPYIn Romania’s lively capital, Bucha-

rest, Monica Lazar is a psychothera-pist by day and a food photographer and cook by night. She launched her bilingual blog, Eat, Love and Be Hap-py, a year ago and captures emotions through food and recipes. For winter, she shares her Chocolate Pear Cake with ground cardamom, perfect fl a-vours for the cold season.

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01 In Bucharest, try:

Anyone that visits my city or country should try “ciorb�”-a sour soup con-sisting of various vegetables and meat, “�uic�”-a traditional Romanian spirit pre-pared only from plums, and the famous “mici” -short fi nger burgers, barbecued.

02 Romanian Hospitality:

Romanians are famous for their hospi-tality. The idea of welcoming guests at home is very simple - just give them as much food as possible. If you are invited to a Romanian house, you should be pre-pared for a delicious meal, with many different courses and fancy deserts.

What’s Cooking: M O N I CA L A Z A R

{BUcHAREST}

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//Food

i n S T R U c T i O n S :

Combine the chocolate and butter in a bowl and melt over a pan of simmering water.In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together un-til the mixture is pale and creamy. Stir the melted choco-late into the egg mixture. Add the vanilla extract and the ground cardamom to the chocolate egg mixture. Sieve the fl our and the baking powder together then fold into wet ingredients. Grease a 7 inch spring form pan, pour the mixture into the pan and add the pears in the center. Bake in a preheat-ed oven, at 356ºF, for 30 minutes. You can serve the cake warm and enjoy the lava cake-like texture or you can let the cake cool, put it in the fridge for a few hours enjoy a fudgy brownie-like cake.

inGREDiEnTS:

1/2 cup vegetable oil6 oz dark chocolate6 oz butter4 eggs1 ¼ cup brown sugar1 tablespoon vanilla extract1 teaspoon ground cardamom1 ½ cup all purpose fl our½ teaspoon baking powder3 medium pears

c H O c O L A T E P E A R c A K ER E c i P E

01 In Bucharest, try:

Anyone that visits my city or country should try “ciorb�”-a sour soup con-sisting of various vegetables and meat, “�uic�”-a traditional Romanian spirit pre-pared only from plums, and the famous “mici” -short fi nger burgers, barbecued.

02 Romanian Hospitality:

Romanians are famous for their hospi-tality. The idea of welcoming guests at home is very simple - just give them as much food as possible. If you are invited to a Romanian house, you should be pre-pared for a delicious meal, with many different courses and fancy deserts.

Argentina is fast becoming one of the world’s most impor-tant wine producing nations. Its hearty Malbec has caught on like wildfi re, and its Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Syrah are appearing in the glasses of more and more oenophiles across the globe.

Though Argentina’s wine culture stretches back over four centuries, in recent years the nation has been exporting its signature drink with a vengeance. Higher-quality vari-etals originating in France and Italy have replaced many of the old criolla vines introduced by Spanish colonizers. Argentina wine producers, now backed by major interna-tional wine companies, have harnessed the benefi ts of the region’s unique geographical conditions - high altitudes and low humidity - producing complex wines with admira-ble acids and rich fruit fl avors.

Argentina’s World�Class Wines {wRiTTEn BY EMiLY BAiLLiE}

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Photo Credit: Emily Baillie

The scenic Mendoza region, located at the foothills of the

Andes Mountains, is home to two-thirds of the country’s wine

production. Quaint, family-run bodegas, as well as large com-

mercial wineries, dot the region’s high altitude valleys, set against a

stunning backdrop of snow-capped mountains. Wineries in Salta, a northern province near the Bolivian border, and Patagonia, the southern-most part of the Americas, are also producing noteworthy reds and whites including Chardon-nay, Pinot Noir and Malbec.

No visit to Argentina is complete without a visit to some of its charming wineries. Accessible by bicycle, car, bus or private driver, the bodegas offer tours and tastings for a small fee. The dis-tances between wineries can be quite vast, so at least a full day should be scheduled for a sat-isfying visit.  December to March is peak tour-ist season but the wineries are accessible any time of year. In some locations, olive oil tasting, asado (barbeque), and chocolate tastings are available to complement the winery experience. What better way could one spend a day?

//Food

//Food

Bedouin Tea at Feynan Ecolodge{wRiTTEn BY KATY ROSE}

Nestled in the Dana Biosphere Biopark, about three hours south of Amman, Jordan, you will fi nd the Fey-

nan Ecolodge; a sustainable lodge surrounded by Bedouin encampments. From the spring water that is piped in to our locally grown food, this property operates in harmony with the Bedouin families in the area.

Feynan is the type of place where you can meet a Holy Man on the side of the road, chat with a young Bedouin about the perils of fl irting on Facebook or make a wish on a shooting star. It is here where I experienced the warmth of the local hospitality and a way to remember a people and their country: by sharing a glass of tea.

Our fi rst evening at Feynan started with a sunset hike. With the sun in our eyes, we walked westward making our way past Bedouin encampments, goat kraals and a humble mud mosque. On the look-out, we were offered a cup of sweet Bedouin tea made white sugar and green sage. Tea

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{AMMAn}

with dried sage is common through-out Jordan, although I discovered that tea is also brewed with dried mint, thyme or rosemary.

The strong black sweet tea was sur-prisingly refreshing. It was served to our group in small, heavy, glass tea cups and brewed in a weathered alu-minum teapot. As we sipped on the sage tea and listened to the gentle call to prayer from the village mud mosque, I refl ected on the nature of this basic tea; it was no more than water, tea, fi re and a pot.

It took a trip to this stark, sandy de-sert landscape to show me that a simple act of sharing tea can be a powerful demonstration of hospital-ity; a gesture that shows the world from a different perspective.

//Food

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Boza { iSTAnBUL}

//Food

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Istanbul based photographer, Fatih Gokmen, shares a popular, nostalgic, Turkish winter drink called boza. It is

tied to the country’s gastronomic culture and celebrated for its warming nature and health properties.

Boza is a thick, slightly sweet and tangy drink made of fermented bulgur (cracked wheat), water and sugar. It is served in a glass, sprinkled with cinnamon and topped with roasted chickpeas (leblebi). The preparation methods of this drink dates back to the people of ancient Anatolia and Mesopotamia. Greek historian and philosopher, Xenophon, noted in 401 BC that boza was made in Eastern Anatolia and stored in clay jars under the ground. Derived from the Persian name for millet, ‘buze’, the drink traveled far and wide under the Ottomans as they conquered more territory in the region. In fact, variations of Boza made with differ-ent grains (bulgur, barley, oats, maize, wheat, rice) can be found in the countries around the Balkan Peninsula, the Caucasus, Middle East and Central Asia.

During the 17th century in Turkey, boza was prohibited when Sultan Mehmet IV, a religious man, put a ban on al-cohol and forced many of the boza producers to shut down; due to fermentation, boza contains low levels of alcohol. In the 19th century, a non-alcoholic Albanian version gained popularity and in 1876, Hacı Salik Bey set up the now fa-mous boza shop in the Vefa district. It remains a family owned business and is still located at the original address, Vefa Caddesi No: 66 in Istanbul.

//Design

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Our design section looks at the versatility of glass in tableware, how four fl orists are keep-ing their January blooms interesting, and why crowd-funding sites are gems for fi nding con-versation pieces and bringing fresh ideas to market.

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The material that we love to use and hate to break has nu-merous applications when it comes to tableware. We look at three applications of glass that stands out for its design and style.

//Design

MATERIALs

SMALL BATCH- URBAN BILLY

“Shall I boil the billy?” is a common way to ask if someone would like a cup of tea, shares Urban Billy de-signer, Elliat Rich. A Billy is a metal can that is used to boil tea over a fi re. It can be as simple as a tin can or something more intricately designed out of stainless steel. “A billy and a swag (a rolled up bed) are both sig-nifi cant icons of camping and living in the Australian bush” says Rich.

From her design base in Alice Springs, a town that is equidistant from every beach in the country, Rich’s Urban

Billy took shape while attending the College of Fine Arts (COFA). It evolved into a product that she produces in small batches from Sydney and sells directly to avid tea drinkers and de-sign-minded consumers. “I saw the process of having a cup of tea with someone as something special and one of the few everyday rituals where people can spend time together with-out having to be in a cafe environ-ment. From here I started to look at how ‘messy’ tea making tools can be and that they distracted rather than enhanced the tea making process.”

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THE URBAN BILLY DESIGN PROCESS:

The Urban Billy is made from boro-silicate glass (a.k.a.Pyrex) and tim-ber. The project depended on fi nding a skilled and willing person to make the Urban Billy’s fi ve glass compo-nents and a second person to create the timber parts. There are a lot of fl uid levels that feed into each ele-ment, and we had to fi gure out cal-

culations like how much metholated spirits does it take to boil enough water to fi ll two cups? My craftsmen and I work from two ends of the pro-cess to make everything fi t together and function with the right amount of fl uid.

www.elliatrich.com

//Design

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Enamel is a form of glass that is ground to a powder and bonded to metal after being fi red in a kiln at high temperatures. Its use dates back to the Mycenaean period in Greece, Cyprus and Crete in 1200 BC when glass was applied to metalwork.

For centuries, enamel was used decoratively in jewelry, art and religious artefacts. The ap-plication of enamel on iron cookware is refer-enced in the 18th century in Germany, Sweden, France and the United States where it was used to prevent rust.

MaTErial: EnaMEl

//Design

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N OTA B L E 2 0 T H C E N T U RY E N A M E LWA R E P RO D U C E R S :

R i E S S ( AU S T R i A ) 1 9 2 2

fA L c O n E n A M E LwA R E ( U K ) 1 9 2 0

E M A L i A O L K U S z ( P O L A n D ) 1 9 0 7

n O D A H O RO ( j A PA n ) 1 9 3 4

L E c R E U S E T ( f R A n c E ) 1 9 2 5

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ENAMEL RENEwAL AND PROCESS: Barn ligHT ElECTriC (TiTusvillE)Across the Indian River from Florida’s Merritt Island, most notably the home of NASA’s Ken-nedy Space Center, is the small town of Titus-ville. It is here where Barn Light Electric own-ers Bryan and Donna Scott turned a part-time hobby of collecting and refurbishing vintage lighting into a full-fl edged porcelain enamel manufacturing business, with three facilities and over 80 employees.

Since 2008, when Bryan and Donna left their professional careers, their company has been working hard to revive the lost art of enamel manufacturing, a process that hasn’t seen much action in the United States over the past 50 years. Barn Light Electric metal artisans transform fl at discs of commercial-grade steel into shapes that will become light fi xtures, bowls, plates, cups and signs.

Steel metal is spun onto a mold while apply-ing constant and intense pressure. To create the desired shape, the spinning of the bowl reaches approximately 2500 RPM. “This craft is extremely diffi cult,” explains Katie Schilling, marketing manager for Barn Light Electric. “The metal artisans use their strength to keep the bowl spinning while the precise shape de-velops.”

Once the desired shape and style is reached — in the case of Barn Light Electric, a vintage, industrial look — the spun objects are taken to a factory where workers apply two coats of porcelain enamel glass onto the nearly fi nished goods. Finally, the products are fi red in a 1600 degree Fahrenheit oven to seal the high-gloss fi nish and to ensure anti-corrosion.

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New Kid on the Block

{BARcELOnA}

Variopinte, the Spanish enamelware brand that launched its fi rst collection of plates in 2010, is set to open a new showroom in the creative El Borne neighbourhood of Bar-celona in Spain on February 2nd, 2014. Driven by the Paris based, Italian designer, Stefania di Petrillo, Variopinte’s collection of dishes, cutlery and bowls is organized around three vibrant lines: Basic, I Perfetti and Play. Their newest line, Play, will be introduced in 2014 and will include hand dipped enamel pots.

www.variopinte.com

//Design

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Protector

BuilderCreator

Giver

Instigator

Hustler

Dreamer

Lover

Meet the movers and shakers of 2014

For a limited time only, use the code “Countlan” at checkout for a 20% discount. Offer valid until midnight on March 31, 2014. Individual customers only. Order online at www.keepcup.com

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Soda-lime is a common type of glass that is used in many products such as windows, light bulbs, bottles and art. The presence of lime in its chemi-cal make-up helps soften glass so it can be re-shaped into different uses. Between the 15th and 17th centu-ries, the Venetians were the leaders in glass production. Later on, com-petition and advancement from new glass producers in France, England, Germany and Bohemia shifted the dynamics of the market and craft.

At the foot of the Egge Hills in Ger-many toward the southern end of the famous Teutoburg forest, is the spa town of Bad Driburg. It is also home to a 500 year old glass industry. For centuries, its forests benefi tted the pockets of landowners and attracted glassblowers and traders to the area due to the abundance of resources. Glassblowers relied on trees as fuel to heat their furnaces, and more importantly used the leftover pot-ash from the burnt wood to mix with lime and silica to make glass. Love Plates is a modern day example of soda-lime glass. Bohemia Cristal, a company that merged with one of Bad Dribug’s historic glass making companies, Walther Glas which dates

//Design

Material: Soda Lime Glass

Photo C

redit:

Love P

lates

MODERN USE :� LOVE PLATES

back to 1865, combined their exper-tise to launch the colourful new line of tableware in 1998. Names like Fir, Baileys, Ketchup, Whale and Limon-cello describe Love Plates’ rainbow palate of colours (there are 50 in to-tal). The soda-lime glassware has a unique quality thanks to the free pressing process used to create its different shapes and sized bowls, platters, candle holders, plates and cups.

www.loveplates.de

{BAD DRiBURG}

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//Design

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//Design

Designers, dreamers, innovators and engineers f lock to crowdfunding si tes for market val idation, feedback and to raise capital for their ideas. From a producer perspective, s i tes l ike Kickstar ter, In-diegogo, Rockethub and Crowdcube are invalua-ble tools for people who are interested in br inging a product to market. From a design perspective, crowdfunding si tes are discover y gems. Not only do you get to show suppor t for a project s tor y that resonates with you and become an early investor in an idea, you also get to track down interest ing one-off conversation pieces for your table.

The extra layer of fun, uncer tainty and excitement is added to the transaction as some si tes require the maker to reach 100% of his or her funding goal (al l-or-nothing) by a specif ic deadline, be-fore you are able to show off your new f ind at home.

In a special version of our Made-In section, we look at a handful of designers who have come out on top of their crowdfunding campaigns and pro-ducing some remarkable pieces for the home.

//Design

{BROOKLYn}The Mason shaker

Eric Prum and Josh Williams, the two vintage kitchenware and cock-tail enthusiasts running W&P De-sign, in Bushwick, Brooklyn put their MacGyver cocktail tools aside and launched the Mason Shaker in 2012, a product they brought to market thanks to the success of their Kick-starter campaign. “The Mason jar is symbolic of making and doing in America. Its metric and imperial measurements are incredibly use-ful and it happens to be a tough and great piece of glassware” says Eric. To complement their cocktail shaker, Eric and Josh recently self-published, Shake: A New Perspective on Cock-tails. The book features 30 seasonal recipes, such as a Rosemary Maple bourbon cocktail, with plenty of bev-erage photography to inspire your next party.

www.masonshaker.com

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Photo Credit: Joshua Williams

Designed in San Francisco by LUNAR and headquartered in Chicago, the team behind Belle-V took their alu-minum ice cream scoop to Kickstart-er in October 2013 to test the market for their design oriented scoop. For Belle-V inventor and ice cream geek, Dr. Karl Ulrich, Vice-Dean of Innova-tion at the Wharton School of Busi-ness, his ice cream scoop was in part the opportunity to create some-thing that could be part of his 20 year strong collection of antique ice cream scoops and in part a useful subject matter in a course he was teaching on the design of artifacts in society. Made entirely of aluminum, the Belle-V scoop is the first of hopefully many hand held objects to come down their design pipeline.

Belle-V Ice cream Scoop

//Design

{cHicAGO}

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MADE Of: AluminumKiM McGOwAn On THE BELLE-v nAME: : Belle-V is a take on the French saying "La Belle Vie!" which means "The good life!"  We are passionate about creating great products that help us live the good life.

Photo Credit: Belle-V

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According to Meghan Wright, the Partner and Director of Mazama, “Portlanders are serious about their beverages.” From coffee and tea to craft beer, wine and cocktails, if there is a city passionate about beverages, Portland is it. Keeping in line with the local pastime and motivated to create a full time job out of containing the beverages they love, the Mazama team created a series of stoneware vessels that they brought to Kick-starter in the fall of 2013.

Meghan Wright on the Mazama name:

Mazama is named after Mount Mazama, a volcano that created Crater Lake long, long ago. We thought it made sense for us. Crater Lake is nature's ultimate vessel. It is fi lled with the most perfect blue water and was cre-ated from the earth and fi re of Mount Mazama's explosion- a quality that speaks well to the elements that go into making ceramics. Our stylized "M" logo refl ects the volcano of Mt Mazama. The top of the  volcano, is inverted to represent the crater cre-ated by the  volcano,  exploding and transforming itself into the ultimate vessel.

{PORTLAnD}

//Design

MAZAMA PORTLAND

Photo Cre

dit: Alex N

guyen

and Taylo

r Ahlm

ark

BRUER{SAnTA cRUz}

Bruer, a personal cold brewing ma-chine, was an extension of Andy Clark and Gabe Herz’s morning caf-feine ritual. After experimenting with a variety of brewing methods includ-ing roasting green coffee, the pair discovered cold brewing and fell in love with the taste. “It was nothing like the hot brewed coffee we were familiar with” says Gabe. From their base at Sproutwerx, an engineering and technology incubator located in the mountains outside of Santa Cruz in California, the Industrial Design-er (Andy) and the Engineer (Gabe) worked on a prototype for the Bruer concept and design.

“The coffee from Cold Bruer is less acidic and less bitter than conven-tional hot brewed coffee, so it doesn’t have that familiar ‘bite’ many people associate with coffee. The brewing process brings out a coffee’s natural sweetness in a really smooth drink that doesn’t need any added sweet-

eners” says Gabe. Bruer works by slowly dripping cold water on to a bed of ground coffee. The process can take anywhere from a few hours to 18 hours depending on personal taste and how much coffee was used resulting in 20 ounces of cold brewed coffee.

//Design

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{BERLin}

//Design

The Bonaverde Machine: Four Questions with Hans Stier,

Co-Founder01 Why is there a need for

a vertically integrated cof-

fee machine?

Coffee has experienced three waves and we are about to set a fourth: real direct trade. We want to empower farmers to sell directly to consum-ers and cut out the intermediates. We are providing the consumer with an all-in-one device that can roast, grind and brew fresh coffee on the spot-a one button operation.

02 Why did you become

interested in solving this

problem?

I am a big coffee drinker and wanted to dig into the problem of why your stomach hurts when you consume large quantities of coffee. I discov-ered the reason is freshness and the amount of time between roasting and consuming of coffee. Freshly roasted coffee beans are pressurized by C02 gas, which slowly releases from the bean. As the gas leaves, oils release to the bean sur-face. The longer the time between roasting beans and drinking coffee the more time the oil has to turn ran-cid. A company may let roasted beans sit six months. If you drink close to 15 cups a day, that is a lot of rancid cof-fee bean oil potentially hurting your stomach.

03 How does the Bonav-

erde work?

It is kid-easy: Place the green beans in the top part of the machine, chose a roasting profi le based on our recom-mendations that consider the beans you purchased, and press start. In the time it takes to make a standard fi l-ter coffee, you get a freshly roasted and brewed cup of the best coffee you ever had. 

04 What stage of produc-

tion is the Bonaverde?

We are at the dry beginning of our serial production. Bonaverde has gone through two years of exces-sive trial and error with over 15,000 consumers. Having built, distributed and maintained 135 prototypes, we are now close to getting the machine produced. Over the next six months we will ship the fi rst beta tester ma-chines to our Kickstarter backers who signed up for one. In October 2014 we will ship our fi rst serial lot.

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//Design

moscow

flowers

What’s in your oasis? Depending on where you are in the world and whether your preference for local blooms supersedes imports, January can be a challenging or an exciting month for flow-ers. Not for our florists. In our profile on global flowers, we look at the work of four resourceful florists who know how to keep their bouquets full and customers happy.

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Photo Credit: Margarita Maleeva

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//Design

For Moscow based artist and interiors graduate, Margari-ta Maleeva, floristry became a profession by chance. Margarita was invited to design a love story themed scene for a friend’s photog-raphy session. On a whim she agreed and composed her first flower arrange-ment. Newly energized by this experience, she signed up for a class on European style flower arrangements and started building a port-folio by designing wedding bouquets. Her shop, Sunny Marlee Floral & Event De-sign, is a home-made space on the bank of Moscow Riv-er. Margarita designed her fairy tale shop as an inviting place where people stop in to buy flowers, have a cup of tea, play with Richard Park-er, the shop’s kitten, and daydream about whimsical flower bouquets.

{MOScOw, RUSSiA}

Years in floristrY?

Local Flowers: We grow roses, hy-drangea, and wildflowers such as ranunculus, chamomile and daisies.

arrangement stYle: “Big Boho style bouquets with intensity, texture and peculiarity. I like to add a touch of exotic plants and materi-als such as cinnamon, pearls, dried lotus flowers or bird feathers.”

winter arrangement: I prefer to work with seasonal plants and herbs that reflect the beauty of the season. For my Christmas ar-rangements for example, I used fur-tree branches, nuts, cinnamon sticks, berries, candles and a variety of beautiful coloured tapes.

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//Design

CEDAR AND STONE {cALEDOn, OnTARiO, cAnADA}

One hour northwest of Toronto, in the Town of Caledon is where Ka-

ren Cal, owner of Cedar & Stone Flo-ral Studio, calls home. Surrounded by the beauty of the countryside, her work is infl uenced by the regional landscape. “We have a fairly large garden with mature trees and ever-greens on the property, so it`s not

uncommon to see me outside, early in the morning with crazy bedhead, cutting fl owers while still in my paja-mas” shares Cal. Her shop, located in the Alton Mill Arts Centre, is housed in a renovated 19th century stone tex-tile mill, and is also the workplace of an eclectic group of artists and shops from the area.

Years in floristrY? 10

local flowers: Despite our short growing season, we grow tulips, li-lacs, hydrangeas, peonies, delphiniums, gladiolas, dahlias, and sunfl owers.

arrangement stYle: “Loose and natural designs with lots of texture”

winter arrangement: Winters are really cold and bleak here and there is not much growing in the garden.  For a winter arrangement, I would create a foraged arrangement of branches and grasses with some evergreens and seed pods.

cUrrentlY worKing on: January is a lull time for fl orists, we are catching our breaths from the madness of Christmas and gearing up for the Valentine`s Day rush.  Right now I`m doing a lot of prep for the upcoming wed-ding season- sourcing new vessels for centerpieces, meeting brides and pre-paring quotes.  I am also planning arrangements for an upcoming festival called Fire and Ice. I will be working with tropical fl owers, which I generally don`t use, but I think the bright colours and bold textures will be a welcome change to the cold, dreary landscape outside. 

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//Design

OPUS SHOP{cAPE TOwn, SOUTH AfRicA}

It wasn’t until she walked into a small fl ower shop on a trip to the South of

France, did self-taught fl orist, Maris-sa Pretorius open Opus. Today her fl ower shop is situated in the young and upcoming neighbourhood of Woodstock, where creative business-es are increasingly choosing to be based. “I come from a photography

and graphic design background” says Pretorius. “Growing up, plants and fl owers always had a strong presence in my life. My mother spent a lot of time in the garden and we always had fresh fl owers in the house. I started off in a small studio and opened the shop in November 2012.”

Years in floristrY? 3

local flowers: The Western Cape is known for its fynbos. They grow freely up the west coast and mountains. We also have a wide variety of rose farms.

arrangement stYle: “My approach is free and loose. I always in-corporate greenery and foliage around me at the time making the end result slightly less planned.”

winter arrangement: I use what is in season and what is available from the garden. For winter I would put together a rustic arrangement with warm colours; wild olive leaves, orange and white garden roses and amaran-thus.

cUrrentlY worKing on: The work we do in our shop is more plant focused, we work mainly on our signature Kokedama, also known as hanging gardens.

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Quince floWers {wRiTTEn BY KATHRYn SUSSMAn}

//Design

G E T O U T S I D E : “Get out there, get some fresh air and pick,” Rosie recommends. "Pick from your evergreens for your base." She recommends using what's available to you, such as Cedar, Pine or bare branches. Then “buy flowering plants in the winter and cut from those.” Suggestions include potted Azaleas, Cyclamen bulbs, Tulips and Hyacinth.

B LO O M S T H AT L A S T : For those less inclined to create from scratch, try buying blooms that last such as Orchids, Amaryllis and Chrysanthe-mums.

G O M O N O C H R O M AT I C : For a sophisticated look, work with one colour. When making a monochromatic arrangement, make it multi-bultanic. Instead of all the same flower, use a mix of different flowers that are all the same colour scheme.

O F F PA L E T T E : When working within a constant colour spectrum, include one bloom that is totally off palette. The colour story will have a bit more range now, so have fun with it.

{TOROnTO, cAnADA}

Photo Credit: Quince

Quince is not your average flower shop. Off the noisy and bustling

Queen Street East, in Toronto, Quince is sensory oasis and a stylish bou-tique. The lush greenery throughout the store envelops, as you are hit with bright splashes of colour from the floral casements. Inside, a fresh sent wafts through the air, reminiscent of walking through the forest. Each ar-rangement is a fusion of fresh flow-ers, unique pots and personal art-istry designed by the Quince staff – a select crew of in-house artists with unique educational and professional backgrounds and a natural talent for floral design. The owner, Rosemary Jeffares, who after running the floral and giftware division of Mark McEwan’s enterprise and a flower and cake shop with Duf-flet Rosenberg, decided to bring her talent back to one location. “I like having the malleability of turning my

space into whatever I want it to be,” Rosemary explains. Her inspiration for her shop came while she was completing grad work in London and moonlighting as a florist. “I just loved the part of the industry that kept me in the city, yet connected to natural things and the beauty of flowers.”For Rosie and her staff, it’s all about “the accoutrements and bringing to-gether little details.” She buys her flowers from wild pickers, the local Ontario Flower Growers auction and the Food Terminal (during the grow-ing season). “In the winter, there are small producers who grow lovely air ferns, succulents and orchids in their greenhouses” says Jeffares. She describes how working with pot-ted materials and collecting unusual mosses, twigs and lichen can all help to produce an individual and local ar-tistic creation.

//Design

G O M O N O C H R O M AT I C : For a sophisticated look, work with one colour. When making a monochromatic arrangement, make it multi-bultanic. Instead of all the same flower, use a mix of different flowers that are all the same colour scheme.

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//Entertaining

ENTERTAININGENTERTAINING

entertaining

entertaining

entertaining

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//Entertaining

Our entertaining section features the wisdom of three women in their 90s who still host din-ner parties for a crowd, introduces a handful of chefs defi ning Australian cuisine and shows how to artfully present sushi among other ideas re-lated to entertaining at home.

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//Entertaining

ON PRESENTING SUSHI{wRiTTEn BY YUKi GOMi, LOnDOn}

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//Entertaining

If you have mastered

sushi rice and have perfected your roll-ing technique, you will no doubt be wondering

how best to present and serve sushi to your guests. In Japan, we say that you also eat with your eyes, so presentation

is as important as how a dish tastes. Arranging sushi is an enjoy-able part of the process and it doesn’t need to be too complicated.

Less is more, both in terms of presentation and portion size. There is no need to completely fi ll the plate. You can re-stock later. I love to present a few pieces

of sushi on one dish, leaving space to balance the layout. Choose different types of plates, or tiles and practice by placing all of the sushi to one side with equal propor-

tions of empty space.

I often make reference to the seasons on the plate, as many Japanese art forms do; the Haiku for example. You could add some edible fl owers from the garden to dress the ta-ble or platter. We sometimes go as far as deep frying momiji - edible maple leaves; the deep reds refer to the seasonal falling leaves in autumn. Try working with contrasting colours that accentuate those found in the sushi itself.

There is a Japanese term called 'Wabi-Sabi' which is very useful in terms of un-derstanding the Japanese aesthetic. It is also the key to a successful, enjoyable

presentation of a dish. Wabi Sabi is a poetic, complex term, which describes the beauty of transience and at times, the imperfection found in nature.

So what does this mean when presenting sushi? Don't be afraid to scatter or cluster rolls rather than lining them up in neat rows.

There is no need for exact symmetry. Present naturally and take pleasure in those small mistakes!

www.yukiskitchen.com

If you have mastered

sushi rice and have perfected your roll-sushi rice and have perfected your roll-sushi rice and have perfected your roll-ing technique, you will no doubt be wondering ing technique, you will no doubt be wondering ing technique, you will no doubt be wondering

how best to present and serve sushi to your guests. In how best to present and serve sushi to your guests. In how best to present and serve sushi to your guests. In Japan, we say that you also eat with your eyes, so presentation Japan, we say that you also eat with your eyes, so presentation

is as important as how a dish tastes. Arranging sushi is an enjoy-is as important as how a dish tastes. Arranging sushi is an enjoy-able part of the process and it doesn’t need to be too complicated.able part of the process and it doesn’t need to be too complicated.

Less is more, both in terms of presentation and portion size. There is no need Less is more, both in terms of presentation and portion size. There is no need to completely fi ll the plate. You can re-stock later. I love to present a few pieces to completely fi ll the plate. You can re-stock later. I love to present a few pieces

of sushi on one dish, leaving space to balance the layout. Choose different types of of sushi on one dish, leaving space to balance the layout. Choose different types of plates, or tiles and practice by placing all of the sushi to one side with equal propor-plates, or tiles and practice by placing all of the sushi to one side with equal propor-

tions of empty space.tions of empty space.

I often make reference to the seasons on the plate, as many Japanese art forms do; the I often make reference to the seasons on the plate, as many Japanese art forms do; the I often make reference to the seasons on the plate, as many Japanese art forms do; the I often make reference to the seasons on the plate, as many Japanese art forms do; the Haiku for example. You could add some edible fl owers from the garden to dress the ta-Haiku for example. You could add some edible fl owers from the garden to dress the ta-Haiku for example. You could add some edible fl owers from the garden to dress the ta-Haiku for example. You could add some edible fl owers from the garden to dress the ta-ble or platter. We sometimes go as far as deep frying momiji - edible maple leaves; the ble or platter. We sometimes go as far as deep frying momiji - edible maple leaves; the ble or platter. We sometimes go as far as deep frying momiji - edible maple leaves; the ble or platter. We sometimes go as far as deep frying momiji - edible maple leaves; the

//Entertaining

#SETTHETABLE INSTAGRAMMER, DONATELLA SEDDA {MODEnA, iTALY}

INSTAGRAMMER, DONATELLA SEDDA

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Instagram is ful l of creative individuals showcasing and capturing dai l y l i fe. To

honour one of our favourite hashtags #setthetable, we speak to D onatel la S edda, a prol if ic Instagrammer who

sets and captures her breakfast table with st yle and prowess.

#SETTHETABLE INSTAGRAMMER, DONATELLA SEDDA

01 Do you entertain at home?

Yes, I do! I come from a large family so for me, it’s very natural to have a house full of guests. I love to make people feel cared for and at ease. My style is absolutely casual!

02 What can always be found on your

table?

I always use fresh fl owers on a classic tablecloth. Flow-ers make the table less casual, but they give the im-pression of care and freshness. However, the fl owers are only on the table for a moment. As soon as guests sit down, I take them away as I prefer that everyone can look at each other without hindrance!

03 Describe your tableware collection:

I like to mix classic Italian design with clean, Nordic lines. I don’t like bright colours, square shapes or ob-ject that are too decorated. For example, my dessert plates have a delicate enamelled decoration that I love.

04 Favourite meal?

My favourite meal is breakfast and the best kind of breakfast is weekend breakfast. I lay out an American set for two or a nice cotton tablecloth along with our fa-vourite Marimekko coffee mugs, and Bitossi plates and cutlery. I also pour the milk in a jug and arrange cook-ies, fruits and cake into bowls or on a cake stand. The best part of the breakfast table is the fl owers; they stay on the table to keep us company. Setting the table, in a way, is like snuggling. For me breakfast doesn’t only mean “it’s time to eat”. I try to offer a happy and beauti-ful start of the day.

http://instagram.com/donatellase

//Entertaining

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Use #countlan next time you set the table and post your photo on Instagram for your chance to be featured in a future issue.

Prudent, poise, savvy, welcoming and thoughtful are a few words that aptly describe our hostesses, who,

in their 90s (one is 86) are still known to entertain a crowd at home.

OMA ( 86 ) + BE L LA ( 90 )

Be rl i n �Regina Karolinski (Oma) and Bella Katz are two friends who live together in an apartment in Berlin. In 2012, the story of their lives as Holocaust survivors who returned to live in Germany after the war served as the subject matter of Oma’s granddaughter’s docu-mentary fi lm and cookbook “Oma and Bella.” The fi lm showcases Oma & Bella’s passion for food through the childhood recipes they cook and how food serves as an expression of their heritage, and identity. “It is fun to entertain at home. We only cook for people we like and they invite us too. You can’t just take without giving” say the women.

01 Typical Menu?

First we serve pickled or chopped herring or some ge-fi lte fi sh and some chopped liver. Then we serve a soup followed by a meat, like a brisket, and some sides, like a potato kugel. Finally, we serve coffee and des-sert like a fruit compote, our sugar cookies and maybe some cake.

ENTERTAINING AT 90

//Entertaining

Learning � omthePros

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ProsPros

//Entertaining

02 In the Freezer?

My freezer always has a pretty good selection of food for short notice events like potato, rice and cheese knishes, egg rolls, pizza rolls and blue-berry muffi ns.

03 Sweet Endings:

My favorite recipe is cheese cake. Over the years I have added to the standard recipe with a few little things of my own like adding sautéed ap-ples on the crust, followed by drizzling caramel on the base before adding the cream cheese fi ll-ing.

04 Pet Peeves:

The one thing I can`t stand, is people taking off their shoes when they come in. I think it is so uncouth to sit at a table, that is really tastefully set, in stocking feet. In bad weather in Montre-al, you carried a special shoe bag.

05 Etiquette:

What makes a good host/hostess gift? Chocolate, candy, wine, or some fancy note pa-per.What is the appropriate way to thank a host?  When you leave of course but I always like to call the next day as well.

Pros

02 Advanced Preparation?

We plan two days ahead and then we buy food one day before so that the food is fresh. We don’t like old food.

03 In the freezer? In the freezer you will fi nd different meats, pierogi, kreplach and meatballs. We also keep blintzes, and stuffed cabbage, which are easy to spontane-ously warm up.

04 Where do you shop?

We go to Rogacki, they sell meat and fi sh. He has the best quality.

05How often do you have guests over?

This summer we had guests every Saturday night and sometimes during the week!

BESS ( 93 ) � Toron to �“How has entertaining at home changed over the years? – there is less of it” says Bess Klar, the Montrealer who has been living in Toronto for sev-eral decades. These days Bess regularly hosts her family multiple times a year for holidays and weekly dinners at her apartment. “I also enter-tain when I have out of town guests and I put on a luncheon for about 20 women when it is my turn to host the Hadassah chapter, a Jewish women’s philanthropic group.”

One can only imagine how often she was enter-taining when she was living in Montreal. “If it was a big occasion, sometimes we turned the garage, which was right off the den, into a club— we deco-rated the ceilings and walls, had a dance fl oor sur-rounded by round tables and chairs” shares Bess.

01 Advanced Preparation:

Advanced planning depends on the occasion – I used to host a formal dinner before a number of my friends went south for the winter – Getting the table ready meant using my china, sterling and crystal. I always had complete service for both dairy and meat. 65countlan

Photo Credit: Alexa Karolinski, Erin Morris

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Little and Friday Celebrations

Kim Evans started Little and Friday out of a small store-front on a sleepy suburban street in Auckland, New

Zealand. Today it has become a venerable destination for classic Kiwi sweet and savoury pastries. As Kim says, “every Kiwi is a sucker for a cream doughnut.”

When she started five years ago, Kim sold her baked goods from a small, vacant butcher shop and was open only on Fridays, hence the name Little and Friday. As demand for her old-fashioned cream and jam doughnuts grew, so did her business. The quiet neighbourhood has since evolved into a bustling community, with Little and Friday taking over an entire block of shops.

Kim recently published her second cookbook, Little and Friday Celebrations. “In our first book, Treats from Little and Friday, we shared all the recipes from our counter for our cakes, pastries, tarts, biscuits, and slices.” Her latest book, Celebrations, devotes each chapter to a different type of gathering. Some are simple, like a picnic or movie night in the backyard, while others are more extravagant, such as a wedding. Ranging from quick and easy to com-plex and sumptuous, they all promise a memorable expe-rience for guests.

www.littleandfriday.com

//Entertaining

Little and Friday Celebrations

Photo Credit:Holly Houston and Tamara West

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Book

//Entertaining

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cheffing Down Under {wRiTTEn BY KRiSTin PEDROjA}

Australians love their food. They love their ‘brekkies’, long lunches and posh dinners.

They support their local cafes, neighbourhood bis-tros and fine dining establishments. They frequent their local farmers’ markets and delicatessens. They are also fiercely proud of their homegrown chefs who have cultivated a unique Australian food scene that includes the best recipes brought to the country from decades of immigration from Europe and Asia. When combined with Australian produce, the fare is transformed into something distinctly Australian.

Meet the stars of the Australian foodie scene. Kate Haughton at Avenue Bookstore in Albert Park, Melbourne discussed some of the bestselling and iconic books written by Australian chefs.

Stephanie Alexander The Cook’s Companion (Penguin)

After traveling the world at age 21, self-taught Alexan-der opened her first restaurant in 1964 and published her first (of 14!) cookbook in 1985. Her Kitchen Garden Foun-dation delivers kitchen and garden classes to children at 456 schools throughout Australia, helping to inspire a new generation of foodies. Her book, The Cook’s Compan-ion, was first published in 1996 and is the definitive volume in a home cook’s collection. The book’s useful alphabetical list of ingredients and cooking techniques has resulted in the selling of over 500,000 copies in Australia, with a re-vised edition in 2004 and annual reprints.

Margaret Fulton Christmas (Hardie Grant)

Scottish-born Fulton has lived most of her life in Australia. She is credited for encouraging Australian home cooks to go beyond the meat-and-veg meals, by introducing them

to food from Spain, Italy, India, and China during her time as cookery editor for  Woman’s Day.  Her 2009 book Christmas has quickly become an instant clas-sic, with annual reprints and its own iPhone app.

Guy Grossi Love, Italy (Penguin)

Grossi is a first-generation Italian-Australian and his passion for Italy and Italian food runs deep. His father was also a chef, and young Grossi spent his school holidays working in commercial kitchens. He currently owns award-winning Italian restaurants in Melbourne and Bangkok. In 1996 he was awarded the L’insegna

//Entertaining

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to food from Spain, Italy, India, and China during her time as cookery editor for  Woman’s Day.  Her 2009 book Christmas has quickly become an instant clas-sic, with annual reprints and its own iPhone app.

Guy Grossi Love, Italy (Penguin)

Grossi is a first-generation Italian-Australian and his passion for Italy and Italian food runs deep. His father was also a chef, and young Grossi spent his school holidays working in commercial kitchens. He currently owns award-winning Italian restaurants in Melbourne and Bangkok. In 1996 he was awarded the L’insegna

Book

Del Ristorante Italiano by the president of Italy for his work on the tel-evision series ‘la cucina italiana’, and in 2011 he received a Melbourne Award for raising the city’s profile throughout the world. Grossi is a renowned philanthropist and frequently appears on television screens as both a judge and presenter. His most recent book, Love, Italy,  is a comprehensive love letter to Italy’s artisan food producers.

Donna Hay No Time to Cook (HarperCollins)

Hay’s beautiful cookbooks have sold nearly 3 million copies around the world. Her empire includes a bi-monthly magazine and a homewares range. She frequently turns up on television in her own series, as well as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia. Her 2008 book, No Time to Cook, is well-thumbed by busy home cooks who enjoy making meals that involve minimal clean-up, Hay’s list of cheat notes, and her hints on food styling.

Karen Martini The Karen Martini Collection (Penguin)

Martini learned the chaffing trade the hard way: Apprenticeships. Her 20+year professional cooking career has led her into roles as food editor of Sunday Life magazine, with the Sunday Age and Sun-Herald newspapers. She is known for her Mediterranean flair, including the tastes of Italy, Greece, and Morocco. The Karen Martini Collection in-cludes recipes from three of her other books that encourage readers to work with fresh produce and big flavors.

Matt Moran Dinner at Matt’s (Penguin)

Moran began an apprenticeship at age 15 where he learned classical French cooking. His award-winning restaurant, ARIA, is located on the water overlooking the Sydney Opera House. He also owns Opera Bar, a trendy spot on the water beside the Opera House. Moran is an innovator and travels regularly for inspiration in order to showcase the best of Australian produce in his dishes. Most Aus-tralians know him from television, where he has been appearing on cookery shows since 2008. His honest demeanor and passion for food makes him a popular chef for home cooks. His book, Dinner at Matt’s, teaches home cooks how to add a bit of restaurant flair to dinners with friends.

Neil Perry Food I Love (Atria)

Perry is behind a slew of award-winning restaurants in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, including Rockpool, which was ranked in the top 50 restaurants in the world by Restaurant magazine for seven years running. His dishes highlight the use of quality produce and his perfectionist nature has been revered by food critics around the world. Perry’s book, Food I Love, introduces home cooks to tech-niques that will improve their skills and to recipes he turns to time and again to impress.

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P h i l o s o p h i c a l F o o d C r u m b s : C o o k i n g a n d K i e r k e g a a r d{wRiTTEn BY RAcHEL MORAn AnD EMMA SØRGAARD}

“Thus they banqueted. Soon, conversation had woven its beautiful wreaths about the banqueters, so that they sat garlanded. Now, it

was enamored of the food, now of the wine, and now again of itself; now, it seemed to develop into signifi cance, and then again it was altogether slight....now, only the clinking of glasses and the clat-tering of plates was heard and the feasting proceeded in silence, accompanied only by the music that joyously advanced and again stimulated conversation. Thus they banqueted.”~from The Banquet, Stages On Life's Way,1845 by Søren Kierkeg-aard

Søren Kierkegaard was a philosopher, writer, cultural critic—and foodie. He lived during the Golden Age of Denmark (1800-1850), a prolifi c period in the history of Danish arts culture. Kierkegaard’s works weren’t widely disseminated to the rest of the world until af-ter World War II, when he became more widely read. Today, he is considered the Father of Existentialism, a school of philosophical thought made popular by French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre.

Philosophy can be intimidating to would-be readers, and Kierkeg-aard’s writings address complex topics such as aesthetics, ethics, and religion; yet, they are full of references to everyday concepts like eating. Kierkegaard’s musings include references to society’s manners, family suppers, motherly love, coffee, and sneaky bakers. In fact, food is so frequently mentioned in his books, journals, and letters, that it spawned the idea behind the Kierkegaard Cookbook.

The book debuted on the 200th anniversary of Kierkegaard’s birth and offers readers a charming approach to the philosopher, his ideas and stories about food. Even the title “Philosophical Food Crumbs” plays with Kierkegaard’s book “Philosophical Crumbs” (by his pseudonym Johannes Climacus).

The Kierkegaard Cookbook was put together with the same kind of care and attention that goes into preparing a nourishing family meal and is suitable for home cooks of all levels of experience.

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P h i l o s o p h i c a l F o o d C r u m b s : C o o k i n g a n d K i e r k e g a a r d

Book

Recipes

Kierkegaard published his best-seller Either/Or under the pen name Victor Eremita, Latin for “Victori-ous Hermit”. Here is a 1905 recipe for Hermits, a type of cookie recipe found in many 19th century cook-books. They were called Hermits because they were stored in tins and kept well.

1905 Hermits. One cup butter, two cups sugar, two eggs, one teaspoon soda, one and one-half teaspoons each cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg; one cup sweet milk, one cup chopped raisins, half cup currants; mix as for any cookies, but not too stiff; put in a cool place for several hours until cold. Roll thin and bake.(*Old-fashioned recipes often left out details. Try 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes +/-)

Kierkegaard was notoriously fond of sweets, coffee, and coffee houses. This Writer’s Cake features a cup of coffee.

//Entertaining

The authors of the Ki-erkegaard Cookbook, Rachel Moran and Emma Sørgaard, con-tinue digging into the world of Kierkegaard and 19th century cook-books. They are pub-lishing a new transla-tion of a small 1850s cookbook by famous Danish cookbook au-thor Madame Mangor.

Writer's Cake (24 cm peripheral form)225 g (1 3/4 cup) fl our400 g (2 cups) sugar96 g (3/4 cup) baking cocoa (powder)2 eggs1 1/2 tsp. baking soda1 1/2 tsp. baking powder4 fl oz (1/2 cup ) vegetable oil1 tsp. salt8 fl oz (1 cup) milk2 tsp. pure vanilla extract1 cup hot coffee (or 8 oz of boiling water)

Put all ingredients except coffee in a large bowl. Beat with hand mixer or mixer for 2 minutes at full tilt. Add the hot coffee and stir well. The dough is very thin. But-ter a large ring mold thoroughly with oil or butter. Pour the batter in it. Bake at 175 degrees for approx. 35 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on a wire rack (this is the typical com-bination) and then remove the ring. Let it cool a little more and turn it looked like on a platter. Decorate the cake with grated white chocolate or a dusting of powdered sugar.

Photo Credit: Alex Zemek, Rachel Moran, National Museum of History Frederiksborg,

Royal Library of Denmark

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Pairing Breakfast and Coffee: Coffee Collective {cOPEnHAGEn}

Finding a reason to make a cup of cof-fee in the morning may not seem like a daunting task. How about designing a pairing so your eggs and bacon enhances the flavours and nuances of your beans? For Coffee Collective Bar Manager, Pe-ter Ebdrup, he has been keeping busy with this challenge since July 2013, when Coffee Collective launched its first cof-fee and breakfast pairing menu at their Godthåbsvej location. “The idea was to further explore the possibilities of coffee. We wanted to create something small and delicate that could not only be con-sumed with coffee, but also be part of a combined experience” says Peter. For each breakfast and coffee combina-tion that goes on the menu, Peter defines the flavours and aromas in each coffee then decides whether to enhance the cof-fee’s aromas by pairing it with a break-fast food that shares its flavour elements or pairing it with an “opposite-flavour” breakfast food, causing the aromas to clash.

So far, Peter has experimented with eight different pairings that feature simple fruit preserves, sourdough breads, cheeses and butter alongside their coffee. As the popularity and curiosity grows for the new pairings, new seasonal combinations will be offered for guests to try.

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Pairing Breakfast and Coffee: Coffee Collective

Autumn Pairing Menu: cOffEE:Yukro from Ethiopia fOOD: Apricot marmalade and pistachios in lemon oil with sourdough bread and butter

cOffEE: Kieni from Kenya fOOD: blueberry and walnut preserve with salty Danish cheese with sourdough bread and butter

cOffEE: Finca Vista Hermosa from Guatemala fOOD: Sardines with and coffee mustard and Danish rye bread (rugbrod)

www.coffeecollective.dk

//Entertaining

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//Entertaining

TAKE STOCK: WELLINGTONTake Stock: Wellington, New Zealand

{BETH BRASH, EAT & GREET}

Beth Brash, half of the brains, taste buds and talent behind local Wellington, New Zealand website, Eat & Greet, has been described as a ‘Professional Eater’ and someone who takes food very seriously. Together with her sister, Alice Brash, they continue to build their foodie re-source that showcases the human story behind what’s on your plate and brings behind the scene stories to Wellington’s dynamic food scene.

01 BREAD: Prefab roasts their own coffee and bakes their own bread on site. Their baguettes are the best in town. Prefab’s cafe amaz-ing. It looks like what I imagine Google’s cafeteria looks like. www.pre-fab.co.nz

02 COFFEE BEANS: Wellington produces so much incred-ible coffee, it is world class. We have more cafes here, per capita, than New York! We are obsessed with coffee. My favourite is Peoples Coffee. I love them so much that now I work for them! It is more than just good coffee, they care about the whole journey that bean takes — from crop to cup.www.peoplescoffee.co.nz

03 FRuIT AND vEGGIES: Every Sunday there is the fruit and veg-etable market down by the waterfront at Harbourside Market. All the market gardeners from down the coast load up their trucks and sell directly to the pub-

//Entertaining

TAKE STOCK: WELLINGTON

lic. You need to arrive early for the best produce, but it is considerably cheaper than the supermarkets.www.harboursidemarket.co.nz

04 BEER:   Garage Project is a won-derful Wellington brewery. They brew out of an old petrol station (hence the name). Their beers range from simple and delicious to weird and wonderful. You can fi ll your own rigger at their “cel-lar door” on site - the decor, bottles and staff are all very good to look at.www.garageproject.co.nz

05 CHEESE: On Trays is what I imagine heaven is like. It is stacked fl oor to ceiling with so many foodie goodies from all over the world, but it is the cheese cabinet that you’ll fi nd me hovering around. The owners, Steven and Valda Scheckter, are some of the most wonderful people around. They’ll insist you try before you buy. I’m not sure if my indecisiveness is due to their amazing selection or because I want to try all their cheeses!www.ontrays.co.nz

06 MEAT:The City Market, or the “fancy market” as I like to call it, is Wellington’s arti-san market and a mecca for delicious. Here you’ll fi nd ‘fi shmonger to NZ’s top chefs’ Rachel Taulelei of Yellow Brick Road selling the freshest and most sus-tainable fi sh. Also, trusty butcher Cam-eron Harrison, will sharpen your knives while you wait. You’ll probably end up purchasing some preserves, dumplings and chocolates here too.www.citymarket.co.nz

07 DESSERT:  Anything you could possibly want for des-sert, you can get at Moore Wilsons. From organic strawberries and whole cakes, to artisan ice cream to 5kg bags of gummy lollies!www.moorewilson.co.nz

08 TABLE ACCESSORIES: I like to keep things pretty simple. I love covering the table in brown butcher’s paper, which I get from Spotlight. You can leave it as is (and provide pens for people to doo-dle) or decorate it with interesting things. I’m also a fan of crepe paper, it is cheap, bountiful and colourful and you can pretty much make anything out of it.www.spotlight.co.nz

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Next ISSUE: April 2014VISIT US AT WWW.COUNTLAN.COM