Sigh

So if the devil wears Prada, I want to wear Alexander McQueen. Specifically, this dress as seen on ASOS (would that be ASOASOS?). It's completely American Apparel with splashes of sequins, and that hits many of my buttons.

Certains Details

Thank you Lola, I went on a Lou Doillon spree after watching the gorgeous Lee Cooper video, then fell enchanted with a reading of Bonaparte from Lettres Intimes, a show I'd wish I'd been in Paris for. Take a look...

I've Got Your Back NYT

I can almost smell the salt air; what a delight to see the NY Times feature some of Sydney's beach restaurants and to include Swell and Bonsai at Bronte, neighbouring favourites.

The Best

I'm a big fan of describing something as 'the best' as soon as I try and love it, whether it be polish or pad Thai. No um or aahing: if I love it, it's 'the best'. So here they are, after years of fickleness and less-than-loyalty.

No.7 Soft And Sheer Tinted Moisturiser in Medium
Often compared to the 'go-to' in tinted moisturisers (that's Laura Mercier), this cheapie from Boots is perfection. I've never liked the feeling of foundation on my skin - no matter what the formulation, I can always feel it heavy on my skin. Not this one, it's light and creamy. It also comes with in-built Photoshop, instantly blending out uneven skin tone and melting into my skin.

MAC Eye Kohl in Tarnish
There's zero drag with this creamy formulation. Smudgeably smooth, Tarnish is a complex dark green/black that worn lightly defines the eyes during the day but at night blends to become a perfect smokey eye no matter what the shadow. Worn with golds and khakis, it fans out pigments of greens, or with everyday browns or bronzes, it melds into exotic olives.

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner
This actually sat in my cupboard unopened for weeks after purchasing. I thought, if I can't get liquid eyeliner quite right, how am I going to get gel eyeliner to look good? And those little brushes? Sometimes I can't find my hair straightener on my vanity, let alone an eetsy bitsy delicate brush.
(So why did I buy it? You know the formula. Enough raves in blogland = must have it without question).
And now I'm making up for lost time. I use it day, night, classic looks, dramatic looks. The best for waterlines, the too-popular cat eyes (liquid liner? What's that?) or for dotting between lashes to make your eyes pop. Remarkably easy to use with great staying power, when you find out there are 15 colours all up you'll put down that tiny brush and run to collect them all.

Sephora Iridescent Cream Shadow
I don't know, but this cream shadow in click pen form is like a gift from the gods. And since many religious-like experiences have been invoked at Sephora I should also add something about how the lord giveth and the lord taketh, because Sephora taketh these off the shelves. They are no more so I ration out this rich metallic bronze for special occassions.

Yves Saint Laurent Eyebrow Enhancer Duo
A victim of the Dietrich-esque pencil-thin brows that Naomi Campbell made popular in the Nineties along with those chocolate-lined bee stung lips, I am expert at filling out brows. But is pencil or shadow the best way to go? Try this duo, that is a creamy shadow with sponge applicator on one side and a fixing gel on the other. Very easy to fill in missing hairs or define the brows with natural colour, or just use the gel to brush the brows into all-day place.

Stila Lip Glaze in Amaretto
Oh, Amaretto! In liquor, in biscuits and in this limited-edition (*sob*) Stila Lip Glaze, I heart thee. Sometimes I don't know if I want to wear it or eat it, but this clicky pen delivers a nude-pink with tiny shimmer that leaves my lips polished and Pacha-ready.

MAC Lipstick and Lipglass in Russian Red
This is not a biased favourite because of my Russian heritage, this is an instant favourite because it's The Perfect Red. Second only to the search for the perfect nude lip colour is the search for The Perfect Red. So with my search over thanks to MAC's Russian Red (the lipstick is gorgeous, the lipgloss is perfection), I now have more time on my hands for say, pruning, baking bread, and looking for the perfect nude lippie.

Stila Rouge Pot in Lotus
Ok, this is a hard one because I am a sucker for blushes and play favourites every day of the week. But I can't ignore that this mousse provides both a glow-from-within and a flush and that's really what you want on your cheeks (apart from kisses from cute boys). It also looks nice on the lips with a little balm.

MAC Bronzer in Refined Golden
One brush at 6am and I look awake (when I'm really not). Another sweep and I've got a healthy glow. A touch more over the sun spots and it's the cheaper option to a week in Sardinia. There's no shimmer and no hint of orange (sorry Lindsay).

Nobu's Miso Cod

Andrew and I went to Nobu while in New York in 2003. Actually, it was Nobu Next Door, since back then the cult restaurant was booked out for months, and this neighbour took no reservations. Just as we were across the road, my heel snapped right off. So we had to cab it back home, get changed, and cab it back. It was full so we had a drink around the corner which involved a very funny case of misunderstanding, then dinner. Back then, the Aussie dollar was a useless 53 cents, and we feared how much the dinner would cost us (especially after one of the worst dining experiences ever at Cafe Boulud). I had the famous miso cod, Andrew a plate of the freshest sashimi. My cod came out on the plate as is, just a fillet of cod, with no vegetables, or decoration - I was cynical. But it was incredible. Tender, sweet, salty cod with nothing to distract you from this delicious new food.

It had always been in the back of my mind to make it, but I felt stocking up on all these Japanese ingredients - sake, mirin, miso - was superfluous. Now I can't imagine a kitchen without them. The fish marinates for 2 days, plus or minus, and 'toughens' up slightly soaking up the flavours for so long. A quick roast under a hot grill, then baking, leaves it flakey and golden. I served it with a little round of brown rice noodles and a dot of reserved marinade. It's a dish to serve someone you love, and that includes a double portion for yourself it's that good. Find the recipe here.

Worst photo ever. The fish flaked as I was taking it out of the oven, but it was so incredibly delicious it was one of the rare cases of not caring how the shot turned out - I just wanted to eat more of it.

Recipes From Home

(I've decided to put some of my favourite recipes on this blog as well to tie in with flickr etc).

Andrew sent me this recipe the other day, using pork chops, a similar recipe to one Kath makes with lamb chops. Since our Islamic shop is somewhat short of pork, I used lamb chops.Sick of eating tuna salads and vegie soups and sandwiches, I was craving a real meal, both the cooking and eating, and this was it, good ol' meat and veg.

Seal the chops and remove. In the same pan braise fennel that has been cut into 8, along with spring onions, a head of garlic and my Dutch addition of mini brussel sprouts. They are really good. Cook until the vegies have some nice caramalisation then pop into the oven for 15-20 minutes, then top with the chops and roast for 5 minutes. The chops will be perfectly pink and juicy.

The smell of the caramalising fennel is out of this world, transforming the aniseed bulb into sweet, milder leaves. Try it even if you don't usually like fennel.

Darling Clementine

Like samphire in the previous post, clementines were something I'd been hanging to try since they are not available in Sydney but in abundance here. They look so beautiful, piled in crates stamped with sunny destinations like Morocco and Italy, many with their dark green leaves attached. I have been annoying Dani since we got here - what could I make with them? look how pretty they are! wow, 2 kilos for 2.49E! - so I decided to finally buy some and make something with them.

This Clementine and Olive Oil Cake recipe from Cafe Fernando is so easy. I've never made a cake with olive oil before but it makes the cake moist and light so I'll be seeking more recipes like this out. The scent of citrus, from rubbing the zest into the sugar to taking the cake out of the oven, brings such a happy, sunny smell to the house. Serve the cake with a dollop of creme fraiche.

So what are clementines like? Exactly like mandarins, seedless and maybe a touch sweeter. But don't you just love the name?

Cult Steak and Irish Mash

I have wanted steak and mash for yonks. A simple, good piece of meat, cooked to juicy beefy perfection. Mash, maybe with a twist in the form of Heston Blumenthal's Irish mash. And it was the perfect excuse to try out an ingredient I'd heard about on The Cook and The Chef but couldn't find at home, yet here is in abundance: samphire.

I also thought it was time to try the now-infamous "choice into Gucci prime" salting method started by Steamy Kitchen, whereby you heavily salt steak and let it rest for between 15 minutes and one hour. The steak sucks in the salt, which then draws out the moisture. But then the steak drinks in the salt water - osmosis? - and leaves the meat tender and seasoned throughout.

And it absolutely works. The steak was lightly salted, juicy and a gorgeous aged deep red, with a lovely crust. I will definitely be doing my steaks like this from now.
Heston's Irish mash is made by cooking chopped spring onions in a little milk for 3 minutes so they still have bite, then adding the onions and onion milk to mash. His is of course butter-rich (250g for 4-6 people) but it doesn't need more than a tablespoon.

As for the samphire, these beautiful salty, crunchy beans only need to be poached in unsalted boiling water for a few minutes. They went very well with the dish.