"Polka Dot Dress" - Settings: ISO 3200, f/2.8, 1/80 sec, 50mm lens

This is Ekat.  My friend Robyn had Ekat and me over for dinner last night and made a delightful meal!  After dinner, Ekat and I we were rummaging through Robyn’s clothing outcasts.  Ekat looked great in this little polka dot dress Robyn picked up in France!  She started spinning around and I took some pics, with this one being my favorite.  I love the way the skirt is ballooning – it’s kind of a weird picture, but I like it.

Anyway – Robyn made a nice simple meal that I am totally going to copy.  She lived in Geneva for three years and when you live in Geneva, you can’t order in delivery or go out to eat every night like you can in NYC.  Hence, Robyn lived a lifestyle where she cooked nearly every day!  Last night, she made a risotto with asparagus.  The ingredients were super simple – asparagus, risotto rice, chicken broth, garlic, white wine and some Parmigiano Reggiano cheese grated on top at the end.  YUM.  She also made a simple salad – mixed greens, red & yellow pepper, cucumber and a homemade mustard lemon vinaigrette.

"Dinner" - Settings: ISO 1600, f/4.5, 1/40 sec, 50mm lens

Looks good right?  So fresh, bright and colorful!

Then, for dessert she surprised me with a very impressive dessert (in theory) – but MAN it is the easiest thing to make EVER!  I’m totally impressing people with this sometime soon.  Dulce de leche…  I’ve only had it at restaurants but never knew it was so easy to make!  So on my way over to her apartment, Robyn asked me to stop at a bodega and pick up a can of sweetened condensed milk.  Hmmm…. I’ve never bought sweetened condensed milk in my life.  I couldn’t imagine what it was for.  Was she using it in the risotto?  Weird.

Anyway, when I got to her place, she grabbed the can, peeled off the label and stuck it in a pan of boiling water – where it remained for three hours.  Yes – that is it.  That is how you make an express version of dulce de leche!  I know you can make it by using milk and adding sugar and vanilla – but this was so unbelievably easy and delicious!!  She just cut up some fresh fruit and that was dessert.  Brilliant.

"Making Dulce De Leche" - Settings: ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, 50mm lens

"Dessert" - Settings: ISO 1600, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, 50mm lens

Oh – in addition to that, I also brought over a few cheeses:

• Hudson Valley Camembert – a pasteurized cow’s milk camembert from the Hudson Valley.  It comes in a little square disk and cost me about $9.  It is a nice dinner party snacking cheese – really easy, creamy and buttery.
• Contessa – an aged goat’s milk cheese that had the characteristics of a gouda – a little caramelly and nutty with the little amino acid crunchies!  For some reason I can’t find ANY info on this cheese.  I hope I have the name right.  I’ll get back to you on that one.
• Forsterkase – otherwise known as “lumberjack’s cheese” from Northern Switzerland.  It’s a washed rind little disk of cow’s milk cheese, which is then wrapped in fir bark.  The bark gives it a real woody, earthy and foresty taste.  I like it very much – it’s definitely a unique cheese to try – I haven’t tasted any others like it!

So – I’m taking off in an hour to head to Massachusetts and New Hampshire for the weekend.  Hello Lonesome is in competition at the NH Film Festival in Portsmouth with screenings on Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon.  I’m going to be introducing the film and conducting the Q&A session in Adam’s absence (he’s in California doing a Subaru shoot).  So wish me luck.  I hear the theater holds 600 seats!  YIKES!  Anyone out there in the Mass/NH area – come see the film.  We need to fill that theater!  Oh – and Hello Lonesome just won an award for “Best Screenplay” at the Bend Film Festival in Oregon!  This is becoming the little movie that could. 🙂