Sweet Scoop: Behind the Scenes of Demi Pêche Calendar 2012

February's Persian Love Cake with Rosewater Buttercream

The Droolworthy 2011 Calendar

My friends Joe and Madelene collaborated on a gorgeous dessert calendar for Demi Pêche last year filled with original recipes from Joe and beautiful styling and photography by Madelene. The first venture was such a success that they decided to do another calendar for 2012 with new recipes that Joe had been developing all year.

They invited me to the photo shoot and I was happy to take some behind the scenes pictures and help them figure out what to do with all those delectable desserts once the shoot was done.  It was the first time I had ever watched a food photo session come together from plating to scene styling. The process was detailed and meticulous yet the outcome seemed so effortless.  Every berry, every orange segment, every sprinkle of nut was carefully placed and tweaked for maximum effect and the results were drool worthy.

If you’re wondering whether the desserts tasted as good as they looked, I can definitely vouch for their deliciousness, particularly February.  Be sure to grab a copy of the 2012 calendar when it comes out to try these recipes out in your own kitchen! You can subscribe to Demi Pêche’s news feed here.  For more pictures from the shoot, visit my flickr page.

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The Best Laid Plans of Raccoons and Ben Go Happily Awry

Ring from Paper Sparrow, Flowers from Poppy Red Flowers

My good friends Ben and The Dr. got engaged a couple of weekends ago. He had it all planned out. The proposal was to be a private event with just the two of them and afterwards, a celebratory party with friends at their favorite restaurant with food and drink aplenty.

They both have an shared “history” with raccoons so in honor of it, everything was raccoon themed.  We got a cool Brat & Suzie raccoon shirt from ModCloth as a gift for her and commissioned a raccoon cake from our friend Joe of Demi-Pêche. The restaurant also fit the bill. Homeroom Racing Cafe is a Thai joint that serves up a side of whimsical kitsch to go with their kickass stir frys and curries. Walk in the door and you get hit with vivid reminders of a child’s wishlist from Christmases past. My Little Pony and Nemo hang from the ceiling and GI Joe scales down the wall over by the door. Here and there, randomly placed ceramic raccoons peer out from along the doors and windows. Perfect.

Bacon: A Minor Distraction

Perhaps it served me right to have been so giddy with joy at finding a job and company I truly enjoy and perhaps I should not have been so vocal about my happiness to certain people but hubris caught with with me today and served up a slice of humble pie along with a shot of crow.