I love you, Jamie but have you seen my kitchen?

After coming back from US I am all about catching up with excellent British TV (and the BBC have just upped their ante with fascinating documentary by professor Helen Beard about life in ancient Rome) and one of the programmes on the iPlayer was a brilliant cooking programme by a British girl in Paris - Rachel Khoo. After, ekhem, devouring indeed, the whole of the series available on iPlayer until wee hours in the morning I made a mad dash this afternoon to get my hands on the copy of her cookbook.

It is exactly what I was after to prompt me into cooking a bit more in my shoebox size kitchen in our Edinburgh flat (which I was able to avoid recently, I must admit). Rachel's kitchen in her Belleville flat (and she demonstrates it on screen when she stretches her hands and is able to touch both walls of her kitchen) has no space for dozens of pots and pans or that ultimate British object of envy aka the Aga. Instead Rachel creates her magic with a mini oven and two gas rings!

Though we have not moved too far from Jamie's territory – David Loftus did the pictures for the book (and Rachel illustrated the chapters) with his beautiful little depth of field and tilt and shift effect known from Jamie's publications.

I've had a long conversation about Rachel with the guy at Waterstones bookshop when I was buying the book, his face lit up from within when I passed it on to him at the checkout. It turned out that he is watching the programme too, though he admitted that it not necessarily the recipes but rather the prettiness and natural charm of the cook herself that draws him in. I do agree as I cannot take my eyes off Rachel's perfectly drawn in trace of black eyeliner and rouged pout. Though using loads of butter and full fat cream ('If you have to cook, do it properly' as she puts it) is what I like as well, not to mention her charming, slightly chipped metal bowl to whisk all the ingredients in. Aha, one more Rachel's advice – when you're mix in it the batter for your madeleines a la crème au citron, fold it in with your wooden spoon while turning the bowl at the same time.

All I need to do now is to get my hands on a multitasking Le Creuset casserolle dish and a mini nutmeg grater. Et voila!

http://www.rachelkhoo.com/blog

Paris = great time, no shopping

^ Simon and I before entering the buzz of Paris Photo, which was just too much. Photography fatigue at it's hardest that no amount of coffee could help.

I was so happy to meet with my dearest friend Aurelia and her family again!

I must say that I was much more keen to spend my evenings (as the portfolio review was taking my time up until late afternoon) with them and have our long conversations at the kitchen table, accompanied by Aurelia's fantastic cooking (oh la la! What a fabulous cook this girl is!), than doing any visiting or shopping.

Being determined girls, we have ventured to the Galleries Lafayette though, but with a huge portfolio box in tow it was not fun whatsoever and even though I have vowed to return later and buy some items I have spotted at Bensimon, I have not returned in the end as I thought I must have lost my phone and then my camera (you would be glad to hear that I did not loose them in the end), so I was not in mood for any shopping. And by the time I returned home and found both items by my bed, I did not feel like going out again.

It was lovely to be part of your household for several days, with Edgar The Archetipical Cat at Monika and Michael upstairs, watching Matthieu's band videos (he is a bass player apart from his lovely designer job and their first record comes out soon! Check it out, a genuine wit combined with a good music, I loved it!) and Oskar and Maelly play and being little angles. Oh, we cannot thank you enough!

Bisous and see you all very soon!

And this time, we will go and have a proper look at all these Bel Airs, Majes, Iros,  French Trotters, Marants, Bensimons, Jacobses and Pierlots.

Back from Paris

We are back from Paris, straight into the worst attack of winter that Scotland had in years! Edinburgh looks more like Krakow with snow up to one's ankles!

I had a very interesting portfolio review there, meeting with Katka and Nikita again (Katka at the portfolio review and Nikita at the Paris Photo fair in Louvre) and what is even more important, I had an opportunity to spend a great time with my friends there and their family - I would like to say big MERCI to you guys, because without your help this stay simply would not have been possible!

Me, after leaving Paris Photo after 5 hours of strolling through the vast exhibition - completely brain frazzled, n'est ce pas?