House of Brinson

Flavor Exposed : Angelo Sosa

2012-05-22T21:16:09Z

Over the Summer I had the great pleasure to work with Angelo Sosa on his new cookbook "Flavor Exposed". We had such an amazing team with Suzanne Lenzer (writer), Paige Hicks (prop stylist), Adrienne Anderson (food stylist) and Anja Schmidt (Kyle Books).

This "Top Chef" contestant and restaurateur has made a name for himself infusing flavors together that will make your mouth water. Angelo has two restaurants in New York City, Social Eatz an American-Asian restaurant and bar and Anejo a tequileria. Both should be a stop for you, if come to New York.

When people ask me about the shoot and the food, I always tell them that "I ate at least 98% of what came to set and for the other 2%, I wasn't quick enough!" Seriously the food was incredible.

Angelo is a truly great chef and this cookbook is a must in your kitchen. Pick one up soon!

Making Cheese

2012-05-16T14:54:37Z

Yes, I have completely gone over the edge and decided I want to make my own cheese. After seeing a recipe in the cookbook "Home Made" by Yvette Van Boven, and how easy they made it seem, I knew I had to try it. I kind of knew this was a long time coming, I have secretly had a subscription to Culture Cheese magazine last year and drooled over it. I think there was even a goat centerfold, just kidding.

So I did my research and then said "if I was a dutch farmer how would I do this?". I would hang up the cheese in a dimly lit barn, like a Vermeer painting and watch the liquid drip out of it until it was ready. Romantic, huh!

Well it is honestly doesn't take a lot of effort to make cheese, but it isn't necessarily economical either. It would have to be a true passion to make it worth it to me. My cheese wasn't bad, it was just a little over cooked. Nothing a little honey and salt and pepper couldn't cure.

All in all it was an experience I'm glad I had. Now I give complete praise to all you cheese makers out there and your animals.

Pure Green Magazine / France

2012-05-04T21:40:49Z

This month in Pure Green Magazine, Susan and I were covering the oysters of Belon and the French countryside. We talk about being "local across an ocean" and what that means to us. Pure Green Magazine is such a joy to work for, and we hope you will enjoy their latest issue now available in Anthopolige in the US.

On Creativity

2012-04-27T02:26:47Z

Creative funk: This ever happen to you? It's kind of like you are on a treadmill and you just can't turn the thing off? You hit a brick wall idea wise, or your ideas just don't sound that exciting?

Well, that is where I'm at folks. I think looking at sites like Pinterest and so many other blogs confuse my visual self (although I love them as well because they provide inspiration). I almost feel overwhelmed with media and images, so much so I am not as sensitive visually. So my next question is what does one do to recover? Here are some of my steps I will take to recover:

No media for a week and two weekends.

If I actually do this, I want an award. I LOVE my iPad. Like really love.

Buy a cross stitch kit.

I love doing projects with my hands. I need a project like this.

Keep a real visual journal.

I have never been a good journal keeper. I want to be, and admire people who excel at this. My college roommate and friend, Susan Norton is my champ. She has stacks of journals with illustrations and thoughts.

Leave the building.

For those of you that know me well, know that I live and work in the same building. I live on one floor and work on another. Some days I don't leave. I thought living and working so close would be awesome, and it is awesome if you want to do laundry during your lunch. I have to make an effort to leave the building. Period. If you want to get a drink, I am game.

What do you do to stay creative?

Profile: Kate Jordan

2012-04-23T12:44:12Z

I recently had the pleasure to meet Kate Jordan, who is a fantastic photo stylist that styles soft goods, still life and interiors. Kate is coming to us in New York City from Pennsylvania, where she worked for Anthropologie for quite while. Now out on her own, with representation from Pat Bates, she gets to shower us with her amazing talents, so keep an eye out. Her blog The Modern Diary, is a great visual diary of her current muses and is definitely worth a look.

Often times, as a professional artists, when we want to include certain types of work in our portfolios or just budding new ideas, we will get together and collaborate to produce some amazing work. This keeps us fresh and our minds working. And Kate and I did just that, so here is a sneak preview of my new still life portfolio. Enjoy!

Ramp Pizza

2012-04-18T18:00:52Z

Since we are in the mist of 'rampmania' we thought is best to make as many meals with ramps as possible. One of our go-to week night meals is pizza. Yes, we buy our pizza dough which adds to the time-saving love of home made pizza.

For this pizza we used organic pizza dough from Whole Foods, ricotta, ramps, parmesan and olive oil, salt and pepper to garnish. From start to finish this takes about 45 minutes and most of that is oven time and the clean up is minimal.

What is your go-to week night dinner?

Ramps and Spring

2012-04-12T02:23:42Z

It's that time of year at the farmers market that ramps are starting to spring up. If you have never heard or tasted a ramp, it is like a cross between garlic and an onion. You can eat everything from the bulb to the leaves.

Last year Susan pickled a whole batch and they turned out fantastic. We recently opened a jar and cut them up to top an open faced egg salad sandwich. Seriously amazing, a bit sweet with a pickled kick.

So if you see a bunch of ramps at the farmers market, be sure to pick up some, they don't last long.

Happy Easter

2012-04-08T14:22:07Z

We hope you have a happy Easter with you family and friends.

Sugar on Top

2012-03-28T02:33:04Z

These little 'glass huggers' are made from sugar and you can add them to any cocktail, or champagne. I fell in love with these as soon as I saw them and had to know more. They are from Chambre de Sucre, a sugar company that imports from Japan, but has roots in Queens, NY. I am in love with all their products, but my serious crush remains on the glass huggers. These would be such a conversation starter at a wedding, bridal shower, engagement party or cocktail hour. I love the elephant and wings designs. I have a soft spot for elephants, so these go to the top of my list for our next cocktail party.

I was lucky enough to meet some of the ladies who work at Chambre de Sucre, and they were such a pleasure to chat with. I also appericate the company history, one rooted in family and a passion for quality. They have the tiniest, little sugar stars which are perfect for an evening cup of tea. Minitures of any sort (food, antiques) make me very happy.

Our Favorite Cheesecake Recipe

2012-03-13T00:15:33Z

House of Brinson Cheesecake from houseofbrinson on Vimeo.

Cheesecake is one of those things in life that need to be enjoyed and savored. What's better than a rich, dense cake with a creamy filling and crunchy crust? Nothing in my book. This is exactly why when we go home to my mom's house for the holidays, I look forward to our family friend Laura and her wonderful gift of a cheesecake. Each year a perfect cheesecake waits in my moms fridge for us. We have arrived in the wee hours of the morning after driving from NYC and had no shame in wanting a piece.

So of course when I had to attend an all cheese party, I wanted to bring this. I thought making cheesecake would be hard, but Laura's recipe makes it so easy.

Recipe

Crust

2 pkgs. gram crackers crushed into crumbs

1/2 stick melted butter

Mix together and pat on bottom and about 1/2 up sides of pan. You can use vanilla wafer as well.

Filling

5 pkg. cream cheese, soften to room temperature

1 3/4 cup sugar

5 eggs

2 eggs whites

3 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon lemon

1/4 tablespoon vanilla

1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Blend cheese and sugar together. Beat eggs one at a time alternating with egg whites. Add cream, flour, lemon, vanilla. Mix well until the mixture is smooth.

Pour batter into prepared 12 inch spring form pan. Bake at 500 degrees* for 10 minutes lower oven to 250 degrees. Bake 1 hour or test with butter knife. You don't want the cake to crack. Cool and refrigerate until set. Add topping.

*We have a convection oven and it cook faster. I cooked at 425 degrees for 8 minutes and then 200 degrees for 50 minutes. I watched it VERY carefully and it still cracked around the edges but tasted good all the same. Laura said it might feel a little undercooked when you pull it out, but it will firm up.

We hope you enjoy our first video!