Tuesday, March 15, 2011

food blog love: gourmande in the kitchen


gourmande in the kitchen. a food blog with gorgeous photos, focusing on the details: crisp mint leaves, soft, chocolately crumbs of cake, vividly fresh green beans. and i swear i can smell the sweet, spicy cinnamon in her photo of cinnamon sticks. but sylvie's passion for food doesn't just stop with the gorgeous photos. her words flow so beautifully, and have so much heart. she is full of wisdom, and i am like a sponge when i visit her site - i just can't soak enough of it in.

"Food makes my world go ’round: thinking about it, making it, eating it, photographing it, and talking about it. The name of my blog “Gourmande in the Kitchen” reflects my love of food. Gourmande is a French word that describes a person who has a great interest in food, someone who eats eagerly and with great passion. The blog is about celebrating the pleasure that food brings to our lives on a daily basis. My motto is: cook simply. I don’t think you always need a lot of time or a long list of ingredients to make satisfying and delicious food. The food I make is the food I crave: uncomplicated, comforting to eat, with a focus on quality ingredients and minimal preparation that let the natural flavors of the food shine. For me good food isn’t fussy or pretentious; it’s simple, it’s real and it’s made with love for those we love." - sylvie

sylvie was nice enough to answer a few tough questions from me. here's how our conversation went:

me:
if you had to choose: chocolate cake or french fries?


Sylvie:
Chocolate cake for sure. I have a huge sweet tooth, and whenever given a choice I always go for dessert.

chocolate cake*

what's the one place i should eat at/drink at when i'm in LA?

I don’t think there is just one “must go to” place in LA. The city has so many amazing places to eat. It’s one of the reasons that I love living here. I’m always discovering new places.

the ideal breakfast would be?

Oh that depends on the time of year for me. During the winter I love a warm bowl of oatmeal topped with toasted nuts and a bit of cinnamon. During the summer I like to have Greek yogurt with fresh berries and a drizzle of honey.

coffee or tea?

Neither. I gave up caffeine a few years back so no coffee or regular tea for me. I do love to make herbal infusions with mint and different spices, I always have a cup right before bedtime.

top 3 places you would travel to purely for culinary reasons?

You know, I think everywhere I travel to is for culinary reasons! If I have to choose my top 3 right now, I would say Italy, Greece and Morocco. I’ve always loved Mediterranean and North African cuisine; simple, rustic cooking with bold flavors really appeals to me. I’d love to do a Mediterranean cruise. Imagine all the places you could visit and all the food you could try in a short amount of time!

favorite dessert?

Boy do you ask some tough questions! I couldn’t possibly choose just one, but I guess I could narrow it down to one type of dessert: pretty much anything that involves chocolate.

go-to internet source for food inspiration?

Other blogs. I spend a good deal of time reading other food blogs, and I am constantly inspired and amazed by how creative and talented the food blogging community is.

recipe book you use the most?

You know, I don’t really recipe books all that much. Most of the time when I’m cooking it’s based on what I have on hand or what I’m in the mood for. I will look through recipes to get inspired but I rarely follow a recipe exactly as it was written. I like to checkout lots of recipe books from the library, however, and I make notes of what flavor combinations I find interesting so I can try them out at some point. It’s a good jumping off point.

what has inspired you in the kitchen lately?

I’ve been going through a phase with nut milks. I’ve experimented making all kinds of different ones and I’ve been making nut butters as well. I go through phases like that. For a while it was all about ice cream and I made a new batch almost every day.

the one food item you refuse to eat no matter what the circumstance?

Bananas, don’t ask why, I really don’t know. I’ve never liked them, can’t stand the smell or taste and if it’s in something I’m not touching it!

spicy rosemary roasted nuts*

thanks sylvie!

check out gourmande in the kitchen, and definitely add it to your rss feed. you won't regret it. i think i'd like to take on her motto, too. cook simply. and make simple, real food with love for those i love.

*all photos in this post are © Gourmande in the Kitchen 2010. if you wish to use any of her photographs, please contact sylvie for permission.

5 comments:

Brian Samuels Photography said...

I too adore Sylvie... and this is a lovely profile on her and her wonderful blog!

Unknown said...

Oh I agree! I could spend all day poking around on her blog. I get lost in the pictures and the words. Sylvie, I appreciate all of the love and hard work you put into your blog! ♥- Katrina

R.E. ~ said...

Beautiful! I have lots of admiration for Sylvie, an amazing cook, superb writer, and very talented photographer.

~A.

joey armstrong said...

glad you all agree with me! :)

sbphoto said...

This is great Joey, I love when you interview other bloggers - awesome!