Gingerbread / Pain d'épices

Depuis que je suis une toute petite fille que je rêve de faire une maison en pain d'épice... et aujourd'hui, mon rêve s'est réalisé ! J'ai eu tellement de plaisir à la décorer... quel beau projet de fin de session! Ca me mets dans l'esprit des fêtes!

Avant et côté / Front and side
Glaçage royal, bonbons divers et pain d'épice / Royal icing, various candies and gingerbread!

 Ever since I was a little girl, I've been impressed by the intricate designs of gingerbread houses and have always wanted to make one myself. Well, today was that day. I had so much fun! What a great way to get into the Holiday spirit!

Arrière et côté / Back and side

Joyeuses fêtes / Happy Holidays

Des bûches de Noël...

Bûche Cotillon (bananes, caramel et meringue)

Bûche 3 chocolats (mousse choco blanc, au lait et noir, glaçage miroir)

Bûche traditionnelle (gâteau roulé, confiture, crème au beurre)

Royal Chocolat (Biscuit amandes, mousse chocolat, mousse praliné, ganache)

D'autres produits à venir bientôt...

Joyeuses fêtes / Happy Holidays

Decorated Cakes and pastries

Here are a few decorated cakes I've done in the past few weeks.

Halloween Themed Cake 

Birthday cake with Marzipan flowers

Kid's theme with Marzipan elements

Christmas theme with marzipan and buttercream decorations
This was an exam and I got 100% !!!

Alhambra: hazelnut biscuit and mirror glaze... really yummy!

Napoleon: basically a Milles-feuilles cake

More to come soon!

Pâtisseries de la semaine

Voici quelques photos de ma production de la semaine !

Gâteau Rougemont (Pâte sucrée, 6 étages de pommes et garniture de type gâteau) yummy

Tarte aux pacanes

Choux à la crème Chantilly

Éclairs aux chocolats (crème pâtissière aux chocolat)

Gâteau Moka (mon premier gâteau masqué et décoré)

Quelques photos de tartes / A few pies

Tarte aux poires Bourdaloue

Amandine

Tartelettes aux fruits

Whats up with me?

Well, quite a lot actually. I'm now officially on vacation for... (drum roll please) 6 months! Yep, I did it and am on sabbatical from work to focus on other creative and fun ventures. So it's been 1 week now and let's just say it's been interesting. I've had the time to relax, enjoy the country life and plan some of my projects. And I must say that I don't miss the daily commute to the city, no I really don't.
So here are a few photo updates of my country life. My little garden is flourishing and we've already had the joy of eating some home-grown tomatoes, cucumbers and radishes. Now it's time for string beans and hopefully peppers. Once again, carrots were NOT a success... maybe next year.

Back row: green beans, cucumber, zucchini, tomatoes
Middle: radishes, beets, green and red peppers, hot chili peppers
Front: onions, herbs, green onions and more herbs

Here we have a few pics from some flowers in full bloom around the house. Such a joy to see them grow.

Hemerocalle

Poppies grown from seeds, so beautiful and delicate petals 

Hello Sunshine - one of the many 6' tall sunflowers by the side of the house. Can't help but smile when you see these tall beauties.

So during the past week, I had the pleasure of going on a field trip with my lovely Mama, to visit the Clef des Champs gardens in Val-David. They specialize in herbs and medicinal plants, it was a beautiful and quite warm day and I truly enjoyed the visit and the company.

Mama looks like a Southern Belle

Thanks for the hat Mama. (Yes I know, we really look alike)

A glimpse at the mountainous gardens at Clef des champs

In case you're wondering, Mika is doing great, she's a really happy dog, resting in the shade.

Photo updates - flowers and garden

Garden in July

First harvest herbs (basil, oregano, cilantro, rosemary)

First harvest radishes (yummy and spicy)

New rose bush

Clematis & Capucines

Flowers and garden

Here are a few pics of our lovely flowers and getting the garden ready.

Beautiful daffodils

The beauty of a single tulip.

So happy to see the bulbs I planted in Autumn all bloomed.

Getting the garden ready for some veggies.

Placement done for all that will hopefully grow.

More photos soon on how the garden is evolving!

Mr. Fox and I have officially been living in the country for a full year. He's so happy that we've stayed in one place for such a long time! he he I think we have many more years ahead of us in our little blue house in the mountains.

After living through the full 4 seasons, it is safe to say that I'm really happy Spring has arrived. It's such a joy to clean up our land after it has been dormant under the white blanket.

One of my first projects this year was to build a compost bin. With Mr. Fox's watchful eye and helpful tips, I repurposed Mika's dog house (she hadn't adopted it, and it was clear she never would) and used the lumber to build a decent sized enclosure. I'm pretty happy with the result. Looking forward to using the rich soil it will create either in the fall or for next spring's plantings.

Adding dried leaves to the compost.

We've also started up our outdoor fire pit and are enjoying the warmth and light on cool Spring evenings. And the smell of a campfire is so appealing.

I guess it's safe to say I've turned into a real country girl !

Quite an outfit, n'est-ce pas?

And on country road, we don't have many passersby. But on occasion, we'll get an unexpected guest!

One of our neighbor's hens came to say hello.

Needless to say that there is never a dull moment here in the mountains!

À la prochaine!

Is it true? Spring is here?

Is it true? Spring is here? Well it sure seems like after a very very long snow winter, Mother Nature said GO to Spring... phew! What a relief  to see the many signs of a warmer season. Even though the snow is still around (and probably will be until July by the size of the snow banks... sheesh!) I do have a few crocuses that are blooming. What strong plants they are to endure the heavy snow and frozen nights.

And the birdies are back, tiny little white tummies chipping away at the bell of grains.

But of course, Spring on our property means lots of mud and for our furry little friend, that means dirty paws, but also lots of sleeping in the sun on the balcony.
One of the things I like most about Spring are the longer days. Feels great! So is it true? Spring is finally here!!!

P.S. We even got a visit from what looks like a Superhero to welcome the change of season... ta ta ta ta ta ta ta   Batman !!! he he

NYC Escapade

I just got back from a quick “escapade” to NYC. The city is vibrant, busy, moving and loud. Spring has really arrived and I saw many shiny new flowers popping up from the ground. So nice to see colourful crocus, daffodils and even cherry trees in bloom. But what is most remarkable in the Big Apple is how the people react to Spring. I saw lots of sandals and toes, knees and shorts and even shoulders ! Yikes, too soon for me! It was not warm at all. 

Columbus Circle

Anyhow I sure did my share of walking. My hotel was in Midtown (58^th Street) and on the day of my arrival, my room wasn’t ready so I headed down Broadway and ended up in Soho. I visited the FIT Museum (Fashion Institute of Technology), where the exhibit was entitled “His and Hers” and showcased clothing for men and women dating back to the 1700s. The shoes were amazing ! And as the exhibit was chronological, we got to see important creations that changed how we dress. Jean-Paul Gautier and Alexander McQueen’s creations are stunning up close !

I kept on walking, saw many cute shops I read about in my blogs (such as Purl Soho, http://www.purlbee.com/ a cute yarn and fabric store). When my legs started aching badly, I took the subway back to the hotel and entered my miniature home for 2 days. MINUSCULE but clean and very well designed. Once refreshed, I headed out to the Museum of Arts and Design (which was right across the street). Their exhibits were fascinating as well and I had a great visit. 

Marie Pendariès, The Dowry, 2008

Then I rushed down to Broadway to see “American Idiot”, the musical from Green Day. Well, I loved it. It was “fidèle” to the American Idiot CD, but the characters created came to life and for an extra perk, Billie Joe Armstrong was in the show. The audience was very young (which was really nice) and sooo enthusiastic. It felt more like a rock show than a Broadway musical. I had a great time !

American Idiot Musical on Broadway

Day 2 was dedicated to the PSFK conference. A full day of talks from innovators in business, arts, design, marketing and other fields. Needless to say, my brain was full by the end of this intense event. I walked around the downtown area, up through Tribeca and finally opted for the subway “home”, no afterparty for me, I was exhausted. 

And so today I fly back home, to Montreal, or rather to the Laurentians. I’m looking forward to being what is probably the total opposite of NYC; mountains, forest, silence and space. I guess it’s times like these where I just realize how much I love living in the country. But the city reinvigorates the cultural soul, I’m quite happy to return to a serene setting… and Mr. Fox, of course !

My love of bread

Lately, I've decided to explore my love of bread. I truly LOVE making fresh bread. I love reading the recipes  well in advance, going through the pantry to select the ingredients, getting the workspace cleared and turning up my sleeves. Measuring the flour and yeast. Mixing in the warm water and adding any other flavorful foods. Then the real work starts. Kneading is a workout, but oh how rewarding to see the dough rise and become alive. Then creating the shape of the bread and letting it rise again. And then comes baking. The sweet aroma it brings to our home in the country is heart-warming.
Ok, some may say I've gone goo-goo, but I am just really into this wholesome food. And Mr. Fox doesn't seem to mind be the Taster En Chef.
Here is the Pain de ménage. A very simple yet moist white bread.

And here is a crustier loaf.

This weekend I even tried an Apple-Nut Bread. Yummy.

Oh, by the way, the snow is melting, slowly but surely. It is April after all. I even saw some early bulbs flowering... can't wait to see those beauties grow.