Love This: Eggs, Toms and Weekend Roundup

Hello all!  Welcome back to Monday.  Toms shoes are on my brain.  I think it is because it was warm enough this weekend to wear my pair (sparkly gold Toms), as temperatures nearly reached 20 degrees in Prague.

I continue to be impressed by Toms, my favourite social shoe company who I blogged about here.  If you are not familiar with the brand, their business model is a one to one where when you buy a pair of their shoes, they donate a pair to children in need around the world.

I am blown away by their most recent endeavour called Toms Ticket to Give, where the rewards a customer with a ticket and the opportunity to follow his or her purchase and have the experience to travel with the company and give a pair of shoes.   I just watched the video of their recent winner who will be going to Honduras to donate shoes with her mom.  What a memorable experience for the customer and a fabulous way to engage people in a meaningful way with the Tom’s brand.

You’ll notice I also posted some eggs.  I re-pinned these eggs on one of my Pinterest boards a week ago and have been saving it for a post leading up to Easter.  For some reason, the dyed eggs reminded me of the colour of Toms shoes.

Dad Dines @ Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink

Happy Friday.  I am so happy the weekend is here.  The sun is shining and I read the temperature is expected to climb to 20 degrees by the end of the weekend.  Prague’s good weather is nothing to compare to sunny and 27 degrees in Miami of course but what can you do?

Next up on the Dad Dine’s series, I received a recommendation for Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink, a restaurant located in Miami’s design district.  Since arriving in December, my dad has returned to this place several times to eat as it focuses on fresh, local ingredients, has a nice ambiance with indoor and outdoor seating (good for people watching), zero pretentiousness (his words) and the desserts are “a masterpiece.”

It is a given that morning, noon and night, Michaels’ is a popular spot to dine (see how many people have reviewed it on Yelp) but what really stood out to me is the talent behind the restaurant’s well crafted desserts.  It turns out, Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink pastry chef, Hedy Goldsmith, is a going concern in the pastry world.  She was recently nominated as a semi-finalist for outstanding pastry chef for the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award and is releasing her first book titled “Baking Out Loud” in October of this year (you can pre-order it now on Amazon).  This book is definitely going on my wish list for later in 2012.  I know the French toast below looks out of this world. 🙂

Photo Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

On a separate food note, has anyone heard of the website: New York Mouth? If you are into artisanal food and supporting small food producers, this might be your new favourite site.  It’s a neat concept; one that I may need to devote some more writing space to on this blog.

Have a great weekend.

Emerson Fry

I am not one to blog about fashion but this entrepreneurial story I like and feel there is value in sharing the brand!  There is a great “up close and personal” story with the designer, Emerson Bethany Fry, in the New York Times Insider Style blog here, which is how I was introduced to the company.

Why this is relevant you ask?  Because Emerson Fry’s new spring line is out today:

Here is a handful of my favourite pieces from the collection-

Photo Source: Emerson Fry (NYC)

Modern Grocery Stores

What makes a grocery store a cool place to shop? Rephrased in another way, what are the components that need to be present in a retail store that would make me want to come back again and again to do my food shopping, a task that is repetitive, monotonous and sometimes outright annoying?

I was pondering these questions earlier this week when I noticed that the grocery store down the street changed (upgraded) the refrigeration units that hold the store’s meats.  It appears that the store installed a modern glass refrigeration section to enhances the look and experience of shopping for the rather unexcited and dull packaged (sometimes mystery) meat.

I wish more food retailers would ask and execute on the same questions to make food shopping a more pleasurable experience.  As a customer, you may be focused on your shopping list and grocery mission but it does not mean you can’t also enjoy the experience at the same time.  These two things are not mutually exclusive.

There is nothing I like more when I travel than to visit grocery and specialty stores and see how food is merchandised and sold in different cities around the world.  There is something special about discovering (and shopping in) a grocery store that has clearly worked with an interior designer or an architect to plan, design and execute its food retailing concept.  My favourite concept which I am sure will continue to evolve is the restaurant, market, retail store concept-

Here are some of my favourite modern grocery stores around the world.  Where do you like to shop?  What stands out for you in a store?  Any interesting food retailing concepts you would recommend?

Three Sixty (Hong Kong)- The Whole Foods of Hong Kong.  It offers lots of organic products spread out over two floors, spacious aisles, natural light and soft interiors. I enjoyed shopping there when I was living in Hong Kong.

Photo Source: 1, 2

Pimlico (Paris) Organic epicerie, local, specialty food shop.  Love the white walls with exposed bricks.

Photo Source: 1

Mpreis (South Tyrol, Austria) Super trendy, industrial, spacious, modern store which I hope to visit in two weeks when I go skiing in Austria.

Photo Source: 1, 2

 Unpackaged (London) You bring the bags, containers and cartons.  It reminds me of a hipper farmer’s market meets, Bulk Barn (a bulk food store in Toronto).

Photo Source: 1, 2, 3

Kochhaus (Berlin) A gourmet chef’s delight.

Photo Source: 1, 2, 3

Chocolate beet cake with beet buttercream

I had a blast testing out a chocolate beet cake for Valentine’s day from Joy the Baker.  I was a bit skeptical at first as I have never baked with beets before but to be quite honest, it was no different that working with carrots for carrot cake.  It just took a few more steps because you had to roast, peel and grate the beets into a usable form.

Note, that Joy’s recipe called to make the cake with a beet cream cheese frosting.  The cream cheese situation in Prague, as far as I can tell, is not great and so I swapped cream cheese frosting for a beet buttercream which was just as tasty.  The cake turned out quite moist and fluffy and did not have an earthy flavour that I sort of expected from the beets.  I would totally make this cake again, it was a hit in my house and at the office. Let me know if you try it.

Here are some step by step shots on preparing and icing your cake:

Recipe (adapted) from Joy the Baker

The Chocolate Beet Cake Recipe:

2 medium beets, unpeeled (I ended up roasting 4 just in case since my beets were on the smaller side)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pans
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk  (I used regular milk- could not find buttermilk at the grocery store)

For the beets:
You need to roast the beets (as you normally would) in the oven. Let them cool, peel and grate until you have the desired amount.

For the cake: (I followed this part exactly from Joy’s recipe- it turned out beautifully)
Set oven to 350F or 180C.  In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars. Beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, for one minute after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Once eggs are incorporated, beat in beets and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture. Beating on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk. Once just incorporated, add the other half of the dry ingredients. Beat on medium speed until milk and dry ingredients are just incorporated. Try not to over mix the batter. Bowl can be removed from the mixer and mixture folded with a spatula to finish incorporating ingredients. Cake batter will be on the thick side… not pourable.

Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes (for a 9-inch pan) or 30-32 minutes (for an 8-inch pan). Cake is done when a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cakes from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting and assembling the cake.

The beet buttercream recipe:
I tend to eyeball my butter cream recipes because I go after a specific taste but here is

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 to 5 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons finely grated beets
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 teaspoons milk, depending on desired consistency
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Beat the butter and slowly add in the powdered sugar (turn down the speed or the sugar will go flying). Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy (5 min at least). Add in the beets, vanilla, milk and lemon juice (if you want) and keep tasting and mixing until you have the flavour and balance between sweet and butter that you prefer.