Writing a book is a major case of delayed gratification. By the time the book is published (usually close to 2 years after you sign the contract) you've almost forgotten how it happened. You are essentially in another phase of life. Still equally excited, but some of the nerves have warn off. You've sat with it, gained confidence about it, tweaked it, edited it, shown it to all your friends and family, bragged about it, bashed it, and when the book finally gets published you are pretty excited (ok, cant wait!) to share it.
Within all of the waiting there are some spurts of major excitement- #1 is definitely getting back photos to share!
Yesterday was a typical Tuesday, but it became A-typically exciting when I opened my inbox and found an email from Adrian Mueller with a link to his website and photos from my book shoot- which meant, I get to share some of the photos!
We've mentioned Adrian before. He is the photographer with whom we've worked with on the last 3 books. This was the 4th time that Adrian and I have worked together - and you know, 4th times a charm ;-) Anyhow, Adrian is incredibly talented. I have learned so much about food styling and photography working with him. He is incredibly precise, meticulous, thoughtful and creative when it comes to his work. He has taught me to see things that I would have never before noticed- the details of details. I am so grateful for these experiences.
I am so excited to share these photos with you! I really think that these might be the best yet.
Posted in Chef, Design and Art, Meredith, Nutrition, Products / Shop, RAW Food and Drink, Things To Think About, Vegan and tagged with adrian mueller, meredith baird detox book, meredith baird's new detox book. adrien meuller photography, meredith detox book, raw detox book, raw food drink book, raw food photography.
June 29, 2012 by Juli Novotny.
Anyone who knows me - MEREDITH BAIRD - well, or has lived with me, knows that my lazy culinary specialty is the "Little Pizza". The Little Pizza consists of either a sprouted grain Ezekiel Tortilla or an Ezekiel Brown Rice Tortilla (depending on my mood), topped with my baked tomato sauce, steamed broccoli, lemon, evo, red chili flakes and goat cheese (if I am feeling indulgent). I have eaten this dish in varying versions since middle school. It was the first crowd pleasing vegetarian dish that "came up with", and I've never met someone who doesn't like it. I usually reserve it for casual weekday nights, but every now and then it gets served at a dinner party- shame! (Roast a red pepper and add Kalamata olives for dinner party style!) This dish is so easy, and so good. No matter what time of year, we eat the Little Pizza about one night a week- but recently it got a face lift !
I've been on a cookbook ordering rampage. Inspired or something like it. Mugaritz, The Fat Duck, Noma, Eleven Madison Park, and a few other coffee table beauties have made there way onto the shelves, but the books that have really been turning me on are Dennis Cotter's. His books For the Love of Food, Wild Garlic, Gooseberries and me..., and Cafe Paradiso are all excellent vegetarian cookbooks that will never go out of style. Reading his recipes remind me of the time when I would pour over the Moosewood Cookbooks, Vegetarian Epicure, Linda's Kitchen etc. All of these cookbooks are the ones that taught me how to cook before I took the leap into the land of raw food. Cozy, classic, vegetarian food. Yum. In my perusing I ran across a recipe for Socca. I've had Socca before, but never as a "pizza"- obviously, I had to try it.
Socca is a chickpea flour pancake that originated in the south of France. It is a relative to the pancake or crepe (depending on how you look at it.) It is naturally gluten free, grain free and vegan- and it is one of the most easy recipes on the planet. This recipe seemed like a totally - NO DUH - moment.
So I've decided to ditch the frozen Ezekiel for a while and get with the SOCCA program!
Whisk all ingredients together. Allow this mixture to sit for at least 30 minutes or longer. (Some say that you can make it in the morning and let it sit in the fridge all day. I haven't been organized enough to do this). The point of allowing the mixture to sit is so that the flour absorbs the water. Remember, the flour is actually a bean, so if you think about it - letting it soak makes a lot of sense.
Pull the skillet out with oven mits, and coat with a generous amount of olive oil.
Pour Half of the batter in the skillet and allow to bake for approximately 10 minutes.
Flip socca out of pan.
If you prefer a slightly crisper crust, throw the finished pancakes back in the oven for a few minutes before topping.
Top the Socca pancake with the roasted tomato sauce, steamed broccoli, goat cheese and pine nuts. Drizzle with a little olive oil and lemon. If desired, toss back in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
I served this with the most amazing Chinon Rose.
Posted in Books, General, Meredith, Nutrition, Recipe Makeover and tagged with goat cheese, homemade tomato sauce recipe, meredith baird cheese, meredith baird recipe, red pepper tomato sauce, socca recipe, socca tortilla, steamed veggies and tortilla recipe, vegan tomato sauce recipe.
June 21, 2012 by Juli Novotny.