At Home with Kim Vallee

DINING, FOOD + drinks | November 14, 2009

Food Photography Tips

Food styling is an integral part of food photography. It sets the mood. These beautiful shots are from the 2010 Calendar from la Fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec. I shared them with you because they illustrated a good trick when it comes to food photography: pay attention to the backdrop. In this case, they [...]

DINING, TABLEWARE | November 12, 2009

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French Pantry Appetizer Plates

Except for the William-Sonama printed signature (I would prefer something like Bon Appétit!), I really like the look of this white porcelain plates that are perfect to serve a sandwich, a single serving cheese plate or a small tray of antipasto. The plates can also act as a message board. A customer commented on the W-S [...]

CAKES and baked goods, ENTERTAINING | October 13, 2009

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Stylish Fruit Pastry Skewers by Fou de goût

I wish the fruity fine pastry skewers by Fou de goût were available in Canada. They would be awesome for the dessert table I am preparing for my husband’s 40th birthday party. Can you believe that these marvelous fruit pastries are available at the frozen counters at Monoprix? Once again, it shows the big gap in [...]

COOKING tools, DINING | October 12, 2009

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3 Mozzarella Slicers for a Chic Kumato Caprese Salad

I bought for the first time a package of Kumato yesterday. Called the brown tomatoes, the fruits exhibit darker green, brown up to a darker red. It is sweeter than the red tomatoes that we are accustomed. The producer of Kumato, Sunset says it has an intense aroma and surprisingly sweet, juicy flavor. The Kumato grabbed [...]

DINING, DISHING tips | September 25, 2009

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Breakfast Inspiration

I love this picture. The superb crafted table, the breakfast scene, and the angle of the shot. I dream of having enough room in my house for an extra-long dining table. You save space by putting benches and stools instead of chairs. + Via July 2007 edition of Living etc

DINING, FOOD + drinks | September 24, 2009

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Repurposing a Food Presentation

When my eyes first saw the soft-cooked egg with caviar photo recipe of Chef David Chang, I thought “What a cool way to serve a Camembert”. The French girl in me is never very far. In the September 2009 of Bon Appetit, David Chang explained the story behind his signature dish. Like he said, eggs [...]

ENTERTAINING, SPECIAL occasions | September 12, 2009

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Designing a Cool Soft Drink Station

Dressing up a soft drink table for a party deserves as much attention than setting a regular bar. Both have to be pretty and inviting. This week provides delightful examples of what you can do to make it grand. That quest started by this Old fashioned soda bar featured on Project Wedding. The concept was to [...]

COOKING tools, DINING | September 11, 2009

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Tulip Baking Cups

If you are looking for a twist of the typical muffin cups, look at these Tulip baking cups. They are designed to fit the standard 2-inch muffin pans. These four-petal cups are made of Swedish greaseproof white or brown paper. They come in three sizes. Make sure you get the tallest model (2 3/4) since it [...]