Tag: NCR

Foodtalk | Food Styling & Photography Workshop, Delhi

“Your most important gear is your eye, heart and soul.”
Marius Vieth

We’re really excited about our next Food Styling workshop! Will you be there?

Darter Photography presents a food styling and photography workshop is association with Lodi – The Garden Restaurant, New Delhi, our 4th one in Delhi. If you are passionate about food styling and photography, this is for you. We’ll cover building a basic food frame, the colour palette, playing with light, then blocking it, shadows, using props well and where to find them … and much more.

Give us a shout if you need anything specific. We’re all ears!

www.darter.in
email : register@darter.in
Cell : 9910407312

Foodtalk | Antidote ‘Cold pressed organic juice & activated vegan mylk’ … fueled by passion

“The only antidote to the magic of images is the magic of words.”
Camille Paglia

Antidote! To think of it in the mildest terms, an antidote is a remedy that relieves. Well if you’ve had the good fortune to experience this Antidote, then you’ll know the remedy is good, delicious and refreshing! I was fortunate to get a taste of the Antidote line of cold pressed juices while at The Lodi for our food styling workshop last month. I have to say that I was very impressed with the juices on all counts. Great well balanced ‘real’ taste, fresh, refreshing and so much variety.

I am a huge fan of cold pressed juices, and this market segment seems to be exploding. A virtual flood of cold pressed juices has hit the market of late, much to the delight of thirsty customers. Count me among them since I am eternally charmed by the concept. The concept of ‘all the goodness in a bottle‘ does tempt as days get very busy sometimes and one tends to neglect oneself. Also, if there are kids around, it feels good to offer them organic, clean, pesticide free ‘healthy’ juices. And if the juices are delicious to the last drop too, then you’re in business! Antidote seems to have nailed just that!

Since Antidote do solely juices and mylks {nut milks}, they’ve gone all the way and explored about every ingredient good for you. Then they’ve bottled them in these deep amber bottles which are quaint and almost like old fashioned medicine bottles. The whole look IMHO connects well to brand identity; for me, just looking at the bottle was food for thought! Yes actually, the drinks are bottled in dark amber glass bottles so that the live enzymes stay intact unaffected by heat or sunlight. I thought that was very cool, and seemed to make a lot of sense.

No preservatives, no added sugars and only organic produce make them one of the popular choices in the NCR these days. The cost might be high, but then organic produce does come with a hefty price tag. That doesn’t deter the brand from its ever growing loyalty base. With delivery points at Lodi Road, Malcha Marg and Chanakya Puri, and home delivery in Gurgaon, they have seen a steady increase in customers. Antidote also has a retail outlet at Select City Walk, Saket.

Antidote offers a bespoke service, customised for individual needs as required, working in tandem with their in-house nutritionists. They offer several different plans – The Cleanse & Juice Programs. For eg the ‘Go Liquid Until Dinner’ Cleanse is one that caught mye glad eye! From a 1 day trial to an advanced 10 day programme, the choices are varied. The same for juice programmes with options like Exhale, Skinny Down, Horse Power, the names are as innovative as what’s in the juice. I haven’t tried any of their nut mylks but some of my favourites juices include

The Flusher with apple, carrot, celery, ginger & green coffee extract, the flavours individually enticing your taste buds,
The Alkalizer with Apple, Courgette, Parsley & Peppermint,
The Polisher with pineapple, pear, arugula, green tea, peppermint, cinnamon, ginger & ashwagandha extract, and
The Conditioner with almond milk, vanilla water & coconut sugar

You can even do a juice a day! I can’t wait to try one of their plans after which maybe I can tell you if it worked it’s magic on me or not, but I can definitely sing praises of the quality, the product packaging, the label information, the  seamless delivery and of course the fresh delicious taste. Even the wheat grass cold pressed juice was good to the last drop {I’m saying that because I’ve recently had some really unpalatable versions from elsewhere}.

While the jury will always be out as to whether cold pressed juices vs fruit eaten whole is the right way to go, I am no expert or nutritionist. I just know that I find cold pressed juices a good refreshing option, especially to packaged juices with added sugars and lost enzymes. Additionally, the nut mylks might be a boon for those who are lactose intolerant, and also to vegans. That Conditioner juice with almond, vanilla water and coconut sugar definitely had my mind believe the bottle had coffee hidden in there somewhere. For a coffee lover like me, that good!Ph: + 91 9717412218 8 am to 8 pm
Email: antidotecleanses@gmail.com

 

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Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India

Food Styling | Lights, Camera, Props … letting the food talk #foodstyling #workshop #foodphotography

“Food photography philosophy is based on an organic approach: real food, beautiful ingredients & natural light”
Penny De Los Santos

Are you obsessed with good food pictures? Do you spend hours all day whiling your free time away hopping between Pinterest, Instagram, Flickr and numerous others photo sharing sites and blogs drooling over food pictures? If yes, then you are like me. My days are filled dreaming about and shooting food, my dreams filled with virtual shoots. They say it’s called an obsession! They also say it’s infectious!!

The more you play with the camera and light, the more addicted you get to it. This is the language of food, how a food picture talks to the viewer.  Come join us for a food styling workshop where I share what I enjoy, how I shoot, how I play with light and angles. Also the use of props, or shooting with minimal props, keeping the star {food} in focus, backgrounds, tips I’ve learnt along the way. We also have a mentor, the very sweet Prasad @ Desi Traveler to touch on the basic principles of photography, the holy triangle! I virtually shoot on auto, with baby steps into the AV mode, so let the technicals not scare you. We’ll explore this very creative passion, shoot with you in your comfort zone to give you a heads up, help you frame, help you discover your personal style … that’s why the seats are limited.

Come join us at a Food Styling and Photography Workshop at the stunning Olive Qutub {seen above}.

This haveli restaurant, nestled under the Qutub Minar, remains one of my favourite spots to shoot in the NCR. Beautiful ambiance, great natural light, banyan trees, rustic setting, everything that inspires! Keeping us satiated will be Chef Sujan, hailed as one of the brightest stars in London’s culinary gamut after consecutive nominations for National Chef of the Year and London Chef of the Year. His food will make you happy, give you plenty of food for thought, and will help create delicious memories.

We’re happy to have I Say Organic and Urban Dazzle sending us some stuff to shoot for the workshop. Come join us for a day of fun, loads of banter, endless shooting, plenty of food, great ambiance and like minded folk! With only a few seats to go, you can find more information and sign up at Darter.in . Do drop me a mail at deebarajpal{@}gmail{dot}com if you need anything or have any questions etc. I’ll be happy to help.

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Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India

Wholewheat Dark Chocolate Biscotti, GF Buckwheat Mini Apple Pies & Wholegrain Coffee Chocolate Chip Cake … & a product review #élan

“You begin with the possibilities of the material.”
Robert Rauschenberg

My love for food props is understated. I am avid lover and collector of any prop related to food, from a spoon to a cauldron! It’s no secret that I haunt the streets of Old Delhi looking for vintage finds, that I browse Etsy just to drool, that Pinterest is another favourite hang out. That’s probably the tip of the iceberg as food photography props are an obsession! élan is a refreshing discovery!

I rarely veer towards bright colourful props, maybe something to do with my inherent bend of mind towards pristine neutral whites and dull un-shiny metallics! No longer though! I was recently sent this BRIGHT POP ART styled cake stand with server, and 3 tier stand. Gingerly taken out of ‘the well packed box‘, they bowled me over!!

This was where the very talented NY art school graduate Vidushi Gupta, the creative brain behind ‘Living with elan‘ comes in. She describes herself as  “passionate about the tactile, the messy, and the raw – designs and colors that transcend the mundane and bring joy to your everyday life.“

élan is a treasure-trove of fascinating lifestyle products waiting for you to organise, garden, entertain, gift, and even entice. Buckets, boxes, caddies, gardening tools, blackboard markers, suspended hearts-birds-mini homes, lanterns, stools, trays, napkin rings and more! Enjoy basic geometrics, vivid colors, patterns, and raw textures. Each piece is handmade.

I was instantly drawn to the bright, cheerful colours, the interesting and refreshing designs, and the powder coated finish. I love metallic bric-a-brac, and élan fills my heart with joy. That they used the rather underrated and unexplored world of galvanized sheet metal {read unbreakable , long lasting and sturdy} is a HUGE plus for me.

The filigree lacework on the cake stand and matching server, the very neat powder finish of the tier stand all scream quality. And this quality available in the very heart of the NCR is even better! The lady was sweet enough to offer me the rani pink cake stand {though she did ask me if I’d rather have another colour}. PINK fitted in beautifully with Pinktober and my breast cancer awareness drive.  How wonderful that the tiered stand also had a nice touch of PINK {and the server can be used with it too}… sweet!

The products are not painted – they are powder coated in an industrial oven to ensure maximum quality and life. All their powder coating is lead-free and safe for foods, so you can eat from any of them. There was plenty in Entertaining with élan for me, yet curiosity drove me to explore further! Plenty of ♥-tuggers I have to say…

Organizing with élan

Wooing with élan

Gardening with élan

Traveling with élan

Mini bird homes, bucket caddies, chantilly gift boxes, an amphora pitcher of l♥ve {♥♥♥}, everything organiser, a fabled accessory bucket, mughal flower bucket, a mughal pie in the sky storage box {♥♥♥}, the dabbawala box {♥♥♥} … I was running out of words! These are just a few of the products they have on offer. The vivid colours, thoughtful designs and versatile range makes sure there is something for everyone.

Better still, they offer ‘tailor made‘ options! How cool is that? They can customise any product for you , match it with a theme or occasion, or both. Their existing line can be custom coloured to match party theme or brand colours. You can even ask for a brand logo to be added! Immense possibilities to create refreshing, happy moments!

Of course I had a field day. I made a Wholegrain Coffee Chocolate Chip Cake that morning. Almost similar to the one above, but for a teeny bit of buckwheat flour. Also sneaked some Chocolate Almond Olive Oil & Whole Wheat Biscotti from a batch baked for Mr PAB who was leaving for HKG. He likes to carry a ‘taste of home‘ with him when he travels!

Being a kinda free day, I made tiny little GF apple pies with buckwheat just because …

I scribbled  the recipe on a scrap of paper and can’t find it of course. It was basically chopped apples, brown sugar, cinnamon powder, chopped walnuts & raisins, a few tbsps of buckwheat flour all tossed together. I patted them together into cupcake liners {thank you Finla}, dotted them with butter and baked them for about 20 minutes. The daughter loves anything apple, and loved these cold!

[print_this]Recipe: Wholegrain Coffee Chocolate Chip Cake 

Summary: Light, moist flavourful crumb. A deeply flavoured coffee cake with bittersweet dark chocolate melting into the crumb. It’s a great tea time option, and is wonderful served warm. Whole Grain makes is a good choice to include on the menu. Top with crumbled demerara sugar cubes if desired!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:

  • 175g whole wheat flour
  • 50g buckwheat flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 100g unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 200g vanilla or plain sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp coffee powder steeped in 2 tbsps warm milk
  • 150ml buttermilk
  • 1 tsp pure coffee extract
  • 100g dark chocolate, chopped {I used 85% bittersweet}

Method: 

  1. Preheat the oven to 170C. Line the sides and base of a 7″ round tin.
  2. Sift both flours with baking powder, baking soda and salt. Reserve.
  3. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by the coffee extract & steeped coffee.
  4. With beater on low add the flour and buttermilk alternately in three lots. Stir in chopped dark chocolate. {you could use chopped walnuts instead}.
  5. Bake for 50-60 minutes till golden brown on top, and the tester comes out clean. Leave in tin for about 20 minutes.
  6. Overturn the cake out gently on rack, and remove the lining. Turn it back on another rack. Let it cool for about 30 minutes.
  7. Serve warm or at room temperature

[/print_this]

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Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India

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