hortus conclusus

It’s still really hot here, so I am making lots of cold soups. Here are some more recipes, for those who are also suffering this heat wave. Cold sweet corn soup. Slice the kernels off at least 4 ears of fresh sweet corn and blend with 1 sauteed onion and 4 sauteed whole garlic cloves, 2 tbsps. lime juice, salt and pepper to taste, and the liquid of your choice—cream, milk, evaporated milk, chicken stock, or buttermilk. Blend till relatively smooth-textured. Open a can of chipotle peppers, and drain out the juice into a bow l, reserving the peppers for another use. blend a bit of the reserved liquid with olive oil, and then drizzle this on top of each bowl of cold corn soup, adding a dollop of sour cream as well! Enjoy! Kurt’s Cold Cucumber Soup (one of my favorites ) in a blender, 2 peeled cukes, chopped a bit enough buttermilk to make it blend nicely one clove of raw garlic dill a tsp. Worcestershire sauce Salt and pepper to taste. Serve cold, wi...

I know this isn’t perfume-related, but Bloody Frida expressed interest in my recipe for zaatar croutons (mentioned in my post on L’air du Desert Marocain ) so I figured I’d just put the whole recipe up. This is very nice for hot evenings like tonight, and costs almost nothing in both time and supplies to make. Cold cream of celery soup: cut the washed hearts of three celery bunches (leaves and all of any stalks that are not coarse and darker green) cut up two onions and peel ten garlic cloves melt 1/5 c. butter in a large pot Add celery, onions, and garlic. Cover and cook on lowish heat, stirring occasionally, until celery and onions have softened completely. (approx 30-40 min.) Add a little stock if necessary to allow the soup to blend blend soup ‘til creamy, adding half and half or evaporated milk to taste.  Chill, and serve with: Za’atar croutons: put some extra virgin olive oil in a bowl, cover, and put in the fridge a few hours ahead. When the oil ha...

I have to admit I’ve been a little nervous about reviewing this perfume for my Tauer giveaway (enter the drawing here ) for several reasons. A: it has been reviewed often by better noses than I (although I know that’s no excuse, since I seem to have no trouble reviewing other famous scents). B: it has such a devoted following that I might alienate my readers if I say something they don’t like (not a problem, I think, since I love it as well) and C: how can I present L’air du Desert Marocain in a novel light? I thought maybe I would wait until I go on my August trip to Morocco, then talk about LDDM through my experiences there. But then I realized I couldn’t really keep you all waiting for the draw all summer. So, I’ve bitten the bullet, friends, and am sitting down to write about Andy Tauer’s most acclaimed creation. To put this scent to the test, I invited friends over for a Spanish/Moroccan feast at my place. I decided I would wear l’air du desert all night and see how it playe...

First, a reminder to enter your name in my drawing for a book and some fragrance samples here . I have been staying with my brother and sister-in-law (who is Brazilian) for the past few days, and last day we had a traditional Brazilian meal. I have adored Brazilian cuisine ever since we went down for a month for my brother’s wedding, and was thrilled to be part of the cooking process. In Brazil, the cook made all the food for the household or we ate out, so I never got to see it in process, so to speak. The three of us put this meal together in a little over an hour, and it tasted SOO good, I had to share it with you all. the meal pictured at left doesn’t look so great, but let me promise you, it tasted wonderful (I’m just not the best photographer.) Here are the recipes: collard greens: couve 1 bunch collard greens, cut lengthwise into small strips 1 onion, cut in small strips garlic smashed to a paste in a pestle. Cook onions on stove until soft. ...

  In The Arc Of Your Mallet Don't go anywhere without me. Let nothing happen in the sky apart from me, or on the ground, in this world or that world, without my being in its happening. Vision, see nothing I don't see. Language, say nothing. The way the night knows itself with the moon, be that with me. Be the rose nearest to the thorn that I am. I want to feel myself in you when you taste food, in the arc of your mallet when you work, when you visit friends, when you go up on the roof by yourself at night. There's nothing worse than to walk out along the street without you. I don't know where I'm going. You're the road, and the knower of roads, more than maps, more than love. Translation of Rumi by Coleman Barks I am obsessed with Persia, and have always been, but alas, political tensions ...

I don’t know if you remember my post on trying to create an aftershave for my husband ? Well, it has macerated for long enough and I have bottled the resulting fragrance—a light vetiver splash,  along with a more spicy flower water intended for my mother and mother-in-law for Mothers Day. They are both good enough fragrances, but certainly not something I would review too kindly if they were made by a professional. Here’s the method I followed for the orange/spice fragrance, if you’re interested: one nutmeg, freshly ground, one teaspoon freshly ground cardamom one teaspoon freshly ground allspice a small amount of freshly ground clove one teaspoon ground ginger 5 tbs homemade vanilla extract 1 tablespoon freshly ground cinnamon 10 drops sandalwood oil 5 drops jasmine oil allow to macerate in small amount of alchohol for two weeks. add alcohol in which has been steeped grated pepper, nutmeg, and mandarin peel. Strain thoroughly. The result —a not un...

To me, there is nothing more comforting than spice; on my skin or inside of me, it makes no difference. I associate it with comfort, family, and delicious baked things. I am not a great baker, usually preferring to cook things rather than bake them, but my sister has inherited my mother’s knack for creating gorgeous grainy foodstuffs. I begged her to give me her recipe for the most incredible granola; she says she has basically been living off of it this entire semester.  She says  “I go to a grocery store where I can buy all of the ingredients in bulk--it's the cheapest way I think.” Here is her recipe for granola: “1 cup canola oil 1/2 cup water 3 T molasses  1 cup packed brown sugar 6 cups oats 2 cups finely shredded unsweetened coconut 1 cup sliced almonds 3/4 cup sesame seeds 3/4 cup walnuts 1 cup pumpkin seeds 3/4 cup peanuts 3/4 cup sunflower seeds 1 1/4 cup powdered milk 1 1/14 cup all-br...

I make all sorts of different chais-it is said that nearly every part of India serves a different sort of chai (the name just means tea—c.f. Japanese ‘cha’) and so do I. Some kinds I make are cinnamon-heavy. Others are garam masala based. others utilize fresh ginger. Still others are a blend of all the spices I can get my hands on. But one of my favorites, the one I recommend your making for your pepper adventure , is my pepper-cardamom-nutmeg chai. This is very piquant, and quite lovely, if I do say so myself. Give it a try, and tell me what you think. Pepper Cardamom Chai bring 4 c. water, one ground nutmeg, a teaspoon of ground cardamom, and a teaspoon of pepper to a boil in a large pot. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes, then add tea of choice (I usePG Tips), three tbsp, sugar or to taste, and 3 c. milk. When chai is almost at a boil, strain or serve with mate straws. Enjoy!  

NO perfume can capture the absolute delight of strawberries and cream, and that is a great pity. Today I enjoyed my first bowl of fresh cut strawberries floating in whole milk and sugar, and I have to say that few things delight me more. I love the tangy, acidic muskiness of the strawberries in contrast with the smooth creaminess of the milk, and the way the fruity juice from the strawberries slowly turns the milk pink and imparts the most beautiful flavor.  I was racking my brain for a scent that emulates the unique joy of this culinary combination, but all I could think of were failed attempts ( Miss Dior Cherie , Victoria’s Secret Strawberries and Champagne ). I have not tried Fragonard’s Juste un Baiser , which supposedly has notes of strawberry and vanilla, but I would be surprised if it were successful. I remember trying a Voluspa fragrance a long time ago th at seemed like a very tart, floral, wild strawberry, but alas, I have forgotten its name…. Another I must try is N...

IN honor of spring, I have composed a floral cocktail that captures the fragrance of flowers and allows you to eat them. Of course, the idea of drinking flowers is nothing new. After all, perfumers must add that nasty compound to keep people from drinking their creations—and apparently this is still a problem in Russia , believe it or not! If you think about it though, we drink flowers ore often that we think about it. Jasmine tea, chamomile and hibiscus drinks are all made of flowers, as is one of my very favorite teas, China Rose . I named my cocktail, rather obviously, Floralia, but you can call it whatever you like. It is very feminine and fresh, and I really like it. First, zest a teaspoon’s worth of lemon peel and put it in a teapot with 1 tablespoon jasmine tea, one tablespoon chamomile tea, and rose petals, if you have them. Pour approximately two cups boiling water in the pot and let it steep until at least lukewarm. In a co cktail shaker, squeeze and then drop in one large ...

The Goddess Flora has been giving me many little presents the past few days. Today, I stepped out on my back porch and discovered the most delicate little wild violets. Time to make candied violets, one of my spring rituals. Violets remind me of my beloved grandmother, who I still miss daily. Her backyard cobbled courtyard was always full of little wild violets which sprung up in the mortar between the slate stones. It drove her nuts to have them th ere, and she often paid me to hang out and weed the stones for her when I was growing up, but I know she also loved them. I love having candied flowers on hand for impromptu parties when I need to create a beautiful cocktail or for decorating cakes. First, I found the most gorgeous, perfect specimens available, which is sometimes difficult, as you can see; they often hide in the grass. Then I harvest them and wash them very  carefully to avoid bruising their tender petals. On the left you can see part of my lovely harvest. After they h...

My husband and I have been mourning the death of one of our favorite products, L'Occitane's Cade After Shave Splash , and have been casting about for a replacement. Then it occurred to me that we could at least try to create a suitable substitute, since what we really need is a strongly spicy/juniper accord in a super-alcoholic splash--I can do that, I told myself. I'm no perfumer, but I figured trying once wouldn't hurt. So I created a base of essential oils of vetiver, cedarwood, rosemary, juniper, and tea tree, blended it, and let it sit. So far so good. Today I pounded down cloves, cardamom seeds, mint, lemon peel, coriander, pepper, cumin, allspice, nutmeg, juniper seeds, and bay leaves into a rough powder in my mortar and pestle, then added a bit of rosewater, my homemade vanilla extract, and a tiny bit of almond oil and pounded again to create a paste. It smelled pretty heavenly, I must say! I funneled the green paste into my essences, the poured in a bunch...