rhubarb ginger pie

May 10, 2016 in fruit, spring, pies & tarts

I know I've pushed myself too far when I find myself shouting at Thomas for no particular reason and then break down in tears, also, for no particular reason. I should probably have noticed by the laundry piling up, the angry mumbling at cars that are blocking the bike lane and my inability to write anything decent, but then again, I never do [...]

my childhood crêpes w/ yossy's vanilla roasted rhubarb

April 26, 2016 in family recipes, fruit, spring, breakfast

Christian was an odd boy. My brother's best friend when we were in primary school, he had ginger hair, a strange accent and a loud personality. He lived in a slightly eccentric house right next to our school - which I later recognized in one of my first architecture classes - and he had the kindest mother. Still, it seemed like he always came over to our house. Especially on Wednesday afternoons [...]

berry ginger coulis

April 19, 2016 in curds & creams, fruit, summer

A couple of weeks ago, my oven died. I came home one evening, turned it on to roast some nuts and heard absolutely nothing. There was no click of the thermostat, no wooshing sound of the oven fan. Nothing. My loud, but trusty oven had fallen silent [...]

whole wheat walnut cake

April 12, 2016 in cake, all-year, nuts

Das Zwischen.

I think this was one of the first architectural concepts our professor taught us. Das Zwischen - the in-between - the transitional space between two spaces - neither one, nor the other. Ever since I learned about the concept 12 years ago and even as I ventured away from straight up architecture, Das Zwischen has stuck with me. Partly because I love saying it, strongly emphasizing the 'ts' sound of the German 'Z'; but mostly because its undefined nature intrigues and soothes me [...]

lemon poppy seed shortbread

April 04, 2016 in all-year, fruit, cookies & small bites

triangles are my favorite shape. three points where two lines meet (alt-j . tessellate)

One of my favorite games as a kid was tangram, a Chinese puzzle consisting of 7 geometric shapes - 5 triangles in 3 different sizes, a square and a parallelogram. The objective of the puzzle is to make all kinds of different shapes - people, animals, buildings - using those same 7 pieces. While it seems fairly simple, tangram is actually quite complex [...]

pear frangipane slices

March 29, 2016 in fruit, fall, pies & tarts

I loved setting the table for Easter breakfast when I was a kid. I got to use a bright tablecloth, yellow napkins and fresh flowers. I got to search the dining room cupboard for candles shaped like eggs and baby chickens and I got to put wine glasses on the table. For us! [...]