lights, camera and ... no recipe!

Life’s been busy… yeah, going to school along with a full time job can really mess up my special “blog time”. I have been busier over the weekends – good kind of busy; I’ve been going to the Institute of Culinary Education since the beginning of the year and to tell you the truth, I have been cooking up a lot of stuff there! In the upcoming posts, I’ll be sure to share some of the specific culinary skills I’ve acquired and some amazing new techniques I have learnt.

The other love in my life is clicking what I love cooking. And, yes, there’s a school for that too!! A few weeks ago I attended a special workshop - food styling and photography at ICE. Since then, I haven’t been able to stop playing with my camera! This workshop was such an eye opener for me. I have been trying my hand at food styling and photography on my own since I started writing my blog, but I never knew there was so much more to it! In the three days of that workshop, I discovered that all those little buttons on my camera can do crazy wonderful things and was trained in the black art of Food Styling. Thanks to the gurus Matt Noel, Jim Peterson and Laurie Knoop, my concoctions never looked this good.

Today, I’m sharing my initial foray into professional-level food photography and styling. A picture speaks a thousand words; you bet … these mouth-watering concoctions need no recipes!

Beet & Goat Cheese Caprese

My spin on on the classic Italian Caprese salad uses slices of beets and goat cheese laid over a bed of arugula. This salad is perfectly balanced with the sweetness from beets and subtle tang from the goat cheese.

Some white truffle oil beautifully compliments the peppery flavor of the arugula.  Garnish with some chopped toasted walnuts to add a little crunch to this light ‘n’ healthy first course salad!

Tomato, Mozzarella & Basil Pesto Panini

Here’s an idea for a quick fix meal, a light sandwich I put together one afternoon with some ingredients that I had lying around in my kitchen.

It’s a simple sandwich with basil pesto spread on top of a multi-grain ciabatta roll topped with a slice of tomato and then a slice of mozzarella, marinated in olive oil and herbs. With its fresh clean flavor, this sandwich is my new lunch favorite!

Cold Coffee Shake

There’s coffee and then there is instant coffee. Even with Via in stores, there is nothing that beats the taste a cup of cold coffee brewed and chilled the old fashioned way. Well, think twice. Here’s my tribute to growing up in India on Instant Coffee!

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