2000-year-old Almond Cookie

fx

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 21:45:14 GMT

Thanks Louise, this is a really cool recipe, I loved cooking and photographing it. For some reason it never became a popular article. Perhaps the title? I am too busy editing the loads of video we shot last year to post much now but will try to do so.

Louise

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:32:42 GMT

Thinking of you this holiday season FX. Boy do I miss your posts. I plan on making these cookies someday but in the mean time, a very Merry Christmas to you and yours! Thank you so much for sharing and please hurry back:)

fx

Wed, 5 Nov 2008 03:09:25 GMT

Thanks Laura, I"m glad somebody notices this nice article at last. Have fun if you try it!

Laura

Wed, 5 Nov 2008 00:20:34 GMT

Wow! I cannot wait to try this recipe for Christmas eve this year. These recipes on this site are so gorgeous and sumptuous looking. Very beautifully illustrated. All I can say is YUM.

fx

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 23:40:02 GMT

Thanks Rasmus, and merry Christmas to you too!

Cynthia

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:12:58 GMT

Happy Christmas!

Rasmus//Copenhagen

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 13:44:14 GMT

Great stuff, thanks a lot. Less is more! Thanks for some great articles, I read every one of your RSS-feeds with great enthuiasm. Merry xmas from Copenhagen (where it"s a pain in the nuts to find shelled almonds)

ariun

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 08:00:06 GMT

Lovely post, as usual! The only site I know whose receipes are poetry. Have a blessed Christmas, FX, and many thanks for sharing your experiences this year.

fx

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:50:11 GMT

Ah! You know how to speak to me. I"m glad you noticed my lighting and yes, I am indeed big on Caravaggio and decided to use only one light from the right as a modest homage to carravagesque chiaroscuro.
Now about your lighting problem. There is no way you can make consistently good pictures in an apartment without artificial light. I recommend you buy at least one professional photographic light. I use a 1000 W Hedler continuous tungsten light shot through a white umbrella. No reflectors, no other light. Chiaroscuro throughout. I differ with the Carravaggio in the use of backgrounds and use a black cardboard or black velvet. You can change the gamma in Photoshop to darken the background even more. You also need to set the white balance on your camera on a piece of white paper lit with the same light before you shoot, otherwise your pictures will all look funny. Professional food photographers often start out with very complex lighting and gradually move to simpler lighting, often no more than one light and one reflector. You do need a large light, that means either an umbrellay or a light box. Umbrellas are quicker to deploy and easier to store. In my kitchen I actually set up a railing system for my photographic lights and that makes it easier to move around without stumbling on some cable. I hope this helps!

fx

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:41:22 GMT

Thank you Joanna! The whole thing takes about an hour. For me it was more about using these beautiful ingredients and seeing the end product taking shape gradually from the raw ingredients than about making it quickly.

Joanna

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:19:21 GMT

Beautiful - and doubtless delicious, too. How long did it take you to make?Happy ChristmasJoanna

Lyra

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:50:34 GMT

Your photos are gorgeous. Carravagio comes to mind...what do you use for your lighting? I"m stuck in a badly lit apartment, and it really makes getting good photos difficult, especially if I only have time at night.