The Corkless Mind

Tag: Food Photography

  • Nigella’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Pots.

    Nigella’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Pots.

    Naturally I love cooking and baking things that I love to eat, I think that is one of very few secrets of good cooking, that and simplicity. I love Nigella Lawson’s style of cooking it’s quick and no fuss, humbling yet soulful. I don’t think anyone could resist a ‘straight out of the oven’ freshly baked Chocolate chip cookie, never mind eating the raw cookie dough out of the mixing bowl. 

    This recipe is from Nigella’s latest cookbook titled ‘Simply Nigella’ there are so many recipes I simply must try when I gift myself this aesthetically inviting book! I’ve read that the book is something of a celebration of life. 


    Lying in bed dreamily yearning for summer and listening to Nigella’s latest series of podcasts(Summer Sound Bites) all I can think of is entertaining this summer. The thought of laughter together with cocktails and good food shared with family and friends, definitely excites me and makes my heart smile. 


    As always, I added a little something extra, a touch of Nutella in the middle to make the cookie that more gooey and indulgent. The recipe for the Chocolate chip cookie pots is up on Nigella’s website.

  • Unusual Suspects: Kale

    Unusual Suspects: Kale

    With the recent craze, Kale has had its fair share of shine and praise with its abundance of health benefits. I thought it a good idea to see what all the fuss was about. Kale is a member of the Brassica family, which includes Cauliflower, Broccoli and Cabbage. Like Parsely, Kale has two types Curly and flat leaf. Just one cup of raw Kale, has about 3 grams of protein and 2.5 grams of fibre. To make it easier to go down, I usually put half a cup of raw kale in a smoothie cup and blitz in my super NutriBullet. 

    I massaged the kale with extra virgin olive oil, Sumac and smoked Paprika. Honestly, I was expecting the superfood to instantly transform into scrummy crisps that I can’t keep my hands off, alas this is not the case (for me at least) I added extra smoked Paprika, flaked sea salt to taste and a few pinches of some authentic Sumac. Yet it still tasted of, well, Kale. As healthy as it may be, I simply loathe the taste of it. 


    But I will let you decide whether you like the crisps or not. I found the recipe off of Taste Australia. As always, I deviated from the original and added the Sumac. The link is above. Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear if anyone loved the crisps. 


    The Sumac I purchased from a quaint little delicatessen called The Olive Branch, situated in Kloof street lifestyle shopping centre, walk passed it and you’ll certainly miss it. It’s a hole in a wall but it is incredibly beautiful inside evoking an old world charm with that special welcoming feel too. I certainly recommend when in Cape Town, or like me, you’re constantly on the hunt for weird and wonderful delicatessens then you absolutely must visit this gem! 
    *Nutritional information sourced from WebMD*

  • Buttery Popcorn Ice cream

    Buttery Popcorn Ice cream

    Popcorn ice cream with a dark miso caramel

    I’ve been wanting to recreate this recipe for some time now, and it’s just another excuse to use my awesome Ice cream attachment for my mixer. Combining two things I just can’t go without… 
    I’m a frequent cinema goer and for me no movie is complete without my tub of butter flavoured popcorn, the same can be said for long walks on the Promenade on a gorgeous sunny day with my favourite local artisanal ice cream. I love all the effort that goes in to making good ice cream, however it is rather complicated if tempering egg yolks is not your thing then may I suggest a no-churn ice cream, something which Nigella Lawson masters quite effortlessly, amidst many other things! (Spot the Nigella fan) Thus I can only aspire to being consistently great at making ice cream, I will however leave it to the experts. I found that the fat in the butter and double cream, if not passed correctly through a sieve and at the exact temperature it needs to be when churning, can create clumps in the mixture and thus gives a ‘sticking to your palate’ type of feel (face palm) I decided to add copious amounts of the most umami caramel I’ve ever had to make it acceptable for consumption and of course styling. I made a really dark caramel with a touch of miso and flaked sea salt. I quite like taking the caramel further, again it all depends on your palate. I love how the miso complements the dark velvety smooth caramel and makes it even more indulgent! The correct recipe can be found in the book NOPI by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ramael Scully. I however used a basic ice cream guideline and deviated from there… When deviating sometimes is not the right idea, and  I certainly learned that. 

    Styling tip 101: if making a dish for a shoot that needs to be styled, the dish should look appealing and equally taste good if you want great results for the shoot. If all else fails, try and style the dish to look like the desired result that you require by (like me, if you made ice cream) drizzling over caramel or chocolate sauce with a few toppings like 100s/1000s sprinkles or chopped up chocolate or flaked/ toasted nuts or berries. 

    Popcorn ice cream with a miso dark caramel

    The photos were taken yesterday morning, taking advantage of the perfect light in my living room and that my partner was home yesterday to help pour over the caramel whilst I shoot. This I call a win-win! 

  • Not your average doughnut

    Not your average doughnut

    I always crave doughnuts, it’s my absolute go to, like ice cream I never say no to either! These are only just a few on my list of comfort food dishes. 

    The doughnuts in the post were purchased (yes, I know store bought) shamefully so, they taste just as good anyway. Lately there’s been something of a doughnut frenzy in South Africa, with Krispy Kreme finally making its way to our shores, and a dessert bar called My Sugar in Sea Point, that creates the most insane looking doughnuts and milkshakes. With that in mind I thought I would take inspiration from all the doughnut hype and put together a few that is so easy to recreate at home with some of the store bought treats. 

    I really wanted to show how the meringue frosting should look when ready to spread over the doughnut, stiff glossy peaks is what you need. I also think that it looks so pretty gracefully glossed over the balloon whip. Please pardon the reflection in my mixer bowl, I’m not quite there yet with editing…
    The photos I took are just after 13:00 and styled and set in my usual little corner in my living room. 

  • Matcha Madeleines

    Matcha Madeleines

    Since last week I had been obsessed with all things green and this week is just another continuation of that healthy obsession. Perusing a baking feed on Pinterest I noticed a scarlet Madeleine that instantly took my breathe away I knew I had to recreate it and add my own twist to it. 
    Matcha, in recent years have been taking the western world by storm. Matcha is a fine green tea powder that derives from the same source as green tea leaves. It has been dubbed as a superfood with many health benefits. Loaded with antioxidants, if consumed regularly only then will one reap all the health benefits of prevention of cancer, lowering of cholesterol and blood pressure and strengthening the immune system. 

    The Madeleine recipe is from Woolworths Taste magazine’s website, the only difference is the addition of Matcha into the batter towards the end of folding. I had only just recently bought my very first Madeleine pan, as I really wanted to recreate the scarlet Madeleine and make it my own. I dipped the madeleines in white chocolate and with the beautiful golden Madeleine in the middle I added Matcha to the melted chocolate mixture, simply because I love the contrast in colour and who knew matcha tasted spectacular in white chocolate!? 

    The photos were all taken in the height of a very nasty storm (believe it or not). I absolutely adore the lighting as it makes everything appear so pure. 

    I’m trying to be creative when it comes to props in my photos, as good props are rather hard to find, so at this point I find myself just scavenging around my apartment looking for interesting things that would give my photos that extra special touch. 

    This post was collated whilst listening to the whimsical Si tu vois ma mère by Sidney Bechet. (Yes, I am dreaming of Paris :)) 

    In honour of her up and coming birthday, I leave you with a Julia Child quote. 

    “People who love to eat are always the best people” – Julia Child. 

    *information sourced from Eat out and Tea Mill*

  • Coconut and Lime Panna Cotta.

    Coconut and Lime Panna Cotta.

    This week to compensate for no ‘unusual suspects’ installment, I’ve been fixated with coconut and lime, so very versatile, from sweet to savoury there’s no limit to what you could do with these beautiful tropical ingredients. Even though it’s full on winter, during the day the sun has been making quite an appearance however with a bitter cold snap lingering. With that in mind, my palate needed some relief from the wintery, hearty stews and rich soups. Inspired by the rich and creamy texture and earthy flavour of coconut and infatuated by the perfumed zesty flavour profile of Lime, I made a coconut and lime Panna Cotta.
    The recipe is a simple Panna cotta one, of which I borrowed off of Delicious. Possibly one of my favourite sites at the moment, so many ideas and inspiration that keeps changing on a weekly basis. I tweaked the recipe a bit to taste. That’s the best thing about recipes, they are mainly guidelines to which you can make it your own and experiment.

    I took these photos in two different sessions in the same day, so as to get an indication for when the best time for the best kind of light is (in winter that is)…  Respectively taken Early morning and late afternoon. I find I am still trying to figure out my style of shooting and styling, this may take some time together with experience.

    I used toasted coconut shavings, coconut milk and lime zest as a garnish.

    “What I’ve enjoyed most, though, is meeting people who have a real interest in food and sharing ideas with them. Good foodies a global thing and I find that there is always something new and amazing to learn . I love it!” – Jamie Oliver.