RECIPES
Why do you use metric measurements?
I grew up using metric. I believe that it is the easiest and most accurate system. In the context of many baking purchases (tins, mixers, bowls, cookies cutters etc), scales aren't even that expensive - you can pick up a simple set for under £15/$20. I recommend electric scales as they're precise and you can zero each ingredient as you add it to the bowl (you can even place a sieve on the bowl, zero, weigh the flour then sift without the need for another bowl). I won't ever supply cup measurements on this site. If you'd like to read more about cups vs. metric, I recommend
this article by Stella of BraveTart and
this one by Alice Medrich.
How many times do you test the recipes before you post them?
At the beginning of 2013 I made the decision to triple test every recipe I posted from that point on. I've found it really helps me focus on a recipe - once I've made it three times in two weeks or so, the creases iron out and the detail of the recipe becomes really easy to write. A lot of recipes are also tested by my mum in her kitchen before I post them.
Before 2013 it was a mixture - in the early days when nobody ever made a recipe, I usually only made it once. Now I really want the recipes to work for you. To that end, I've also taken down some of the recipes from my earliest posts - I know so much more now than I did then and I'd hate for you to try a recipe and it go wrong.
Why do you put 'adapted from' or 'inspired by'?
I am a researcher at heart. I always want to find out more and so - even when I have an idea of how I could create something totally from scratch - I usually can't resist having a look at other recipes. I also often adapt from recipes I've made for years. I will always quote my sources, even if they were distant inspiration, as I think it's the honourable way to do things (of course some recipes may resemble other recipes I've never seen and my memory may occasionally make slips). If I haven't changed much and the recipe is online, I will usually link to the source instead (though in the case of American sites I will post a metric version). If there is no comment underneath the recipe title, then the recipe has no source and is original.
As I understand it, UK and USA copyright law states that recipe ingredients are not protected but the description of the method - but not the method itself - are covered as literary expression. (Also note that the photographs and writing above the recipe are both covered). Following on from that, if you want to post one of the recipes on this site, please rewrite the instructions to reflect your writing style and experience of making the recipe. If you'd like to read a bit more about recipe attribution and blogging, try
this article by David Lebovitz.
Can you help me with scaling up and down?
If the mixture isn't simple to divide by half or similar, I find the best place to start when scaling recipes up and down is with the eggs (if the recipe has them of course). They're the most annoying things to split into fractions. So if I wanted to make a 5 egg cake smaller, I might choose a 2, 3 or 4 egg mix. Then I'd divide each ingredient by 5 (the original number of eggs), then multiply by the new number I'd chosen.
Do you have any recipe conventions across the whole site?
Yes - all eggs are large and all temperatures are for a standard fan oven.
I don't think I get can x ingredient? What is 'caster sugar' etc?
I know some people have trouble finding certain things, especially outside the UK. If I don't explain something, please do ask and I'll try my best to help. The naming differences are also sometimes difficult. A few basics: bicarbonate of soda = baking soda; plain flour = all purpose (AP) flour; icing sugar = powdered sugar; double cream = heavy cream; caster sugar = very fine granulated, in between powdered and granulated.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Why do you sometimes use black and white photographs for food?
Short story: because I think they're beautiful, I like the visual variety and I think they shift the concentration to texture.
Long story: In the summer of 2011 I decided to stop submitting my photos to tastespotting and foodgawker. I think it's one of the best things I've ever done for the blog. I'd got emotional about it and every post was made or broken in my head by one person and their judgement and, however silly it sounds, it was taking away the joy of blogging. I was trying to conform to a style I didn't find natural and didn't even always like. Though I lost traffic at first, the choice freed me to try things out, to play with my photography again and find my own style. One of the things that felt like the greatest rebellion was using black and white for food.
This post was a big turning point for me.
I love b&w photos, especially the way they show texture, surfaces and light so beautifully. While I understand that some people think they're less helpful when you're making something, I have only ever posted one recipe without a colour photo, which was
this post where I was sad and confused and it wasn't really the point of the post. I guess I really got into the habit in the spring of 2012, when I was having lots of issues with the colour of my photos - everything was going orangey-brown - and b&w was blissfully issue-free. It's become part of the way I work, especially as I change to b&w on the camera rather than post-process it in.
So, essentially, I love them and will continue to use them, though as always I will include at least one colour photo of the dish (and it'll usually only be one or two b&w).
Have you had any training in photography?
I haven't had any formal training. I've read a few books but other than that it's just practise and trying out lots of things until I found a style I liked. It took me a few years to decide to shoot only in manual but I've now been doing it since the summer of 2011 - it wasn't as hard as I thought it was. It took me a long time to get proper editing software - I started using Lightroom 4 in 2013 - before that I just used iPhoto. I don't edit much at all - just a touch of exposure or white balance correction or cropping.
Why don't you use more props and style your photos?
Nowadays, when I'm thinking about props and styling, I ask myself one question: would I do this normally? Would I weigh out my ingredients into my everyday bowls and teacups and whatever comes to hand? Would I eat my food on my normal plates? Would I usually see my food on the background of my kitchen work surface as I prepare and eat it? Yes. Would I use ribbons and milk jugs and napkins and distressed backgrounds and piles of fancy cutlery and tarnished props and throw flowers and leaves everywhere and so on? Not really, no.
I want this blog to look elegant and attractive but I also want it to be realistic and approachable. I think the food itself and the normal tools we use to prepare it are beautiful.
What camera do you use?
As of June 2012 I use a Canon 5D Mk II and a 1.4/50mm lens for everything. Before that I used a Sony Alpha 580 with a 2.8/50mm macro lens.
What about videos?
I use my normal camera and a simple tripod. I edit with iMovie and upload to Vimeo. I don't use sound as I think the picture is the most useful bit and - this might sound weird - but personally, I find videos with music or sound intrusive and will often avoid playing them. So I go for silent moving pictures. They don't seem to turn up on the
subscriber emails, so I'm afraid you need to click through to see them.
OTHER
What equipment do you use?
Though I have a policy of not working with brands and/or accepting products, I am happy to recommend a few of the things that I use. I grew up using a Kenwood mixer but after winning one in a
recipe competition a few years ago, I now use a Kitchen Aid. I saved up for a pan from Le Creuset and love it - I'm also addicted to their spatulas. I like Alan Silverwood cake tins - they come in lots of sizes, including small 6" rounds and fancy tart tins and so on. I use Salter kitchen scales. My knives come from my Cordon Bleu knife kit and are the classic range from Wüsthof. The cake racks are part of a stacking set of three - mum bought them years ago and I think they might be Tala. The little colour dipped bowls are Royal Doulton 1815. I use
these disposable plastic piping bags.
Who designed your site?
I set my blog up on Blogger. I then used some old and fairly basic knowledge to adapt the template to suit my tastes. I've redesigned it once but it's still the same adapted blogger template - it's called minima.
Will you review my product/accept this book/write a sponsored post/put up advertising etc?
I decided a few years ago that I want this blog to be pure recipe posts. I am not a restaurant critic or a product reviewer. Every recommendation is my own - all the cookbooks I use and mention are bought by me, as are all the ingredients. If I mention a restaurant/cafe/shop, I went there of my own accord and paid. I do not accept products (for review or giveaways), classes/experiences or money for promotion. I am not linked to any companies.
*** If you have any other questions feel free to email me: emma[at]poiresauchocolat.net ***
Updated 24/5/2013
