Capsule wardrobe #15 - khaki and brown

A quick capsule wardrobe snap, taken after lunch in town.

Capsules: all khaki... cardie, cotton trousers and sequined top
Accessories: Lena necklace, Lift earrings, Elephant enamel and Ebene Kelly
Shoes: mesh ballet flats



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H-ing Up tree tops ;-)

According to DS, no summer holiday is complete without suspension and thrill, which is why a trip to the climbing park is one of the 'must' summer activities.

So we went a couple of days ago, armed with a picnic basket and suitable 'sportif' clothing, ready to tackle some of the 22 courses installed in the tree tops of tall pine trees. Following the parcours, you move from platform to platform, while navigating around various obstacles made of ropes, steel cables and wood.


Wearing jeans, T-shirt and Converse sneakers, accessorising with my 'Ciels Byzantins' mousseline Gavroche (which also served as a 'comfort blanket', lol) and black clic bracelet.


A canoeing trip is yet to come, I just hope my muscles will have stopped aching until then ;-)

Today wearing ~ black and etoupe

Today we went 'en famille' to the airport, to pick up friends. I wore a simple cotton piqué dress, and accessorised with a black Clic bracelet, etoupe Picotin and etoupe wedges.

A few months ago, a new Apple store opened near the airport, which is why I think DS and DH were so keen to accompany me, lol. We all had a good time there, and I checked out the iPhone4 and iPad, miraculous devices, both of them. While DH and DS continued to play around..

.. I went to the T. Hilfinger boutique next door, where I scored a gorgeous casual suede jacket and a great pair of jeans, for a cool 50% off. Happy Days! :D

No scarf today...

and no computer either. It is far too hot for one or the other, so I am going to spend the rest of the day by the pool with my books and drink (still water with ice cubes, mint and a slice of lime.. simple, delicious and refreshing)

Hope you are all having a great weekend x

Capsule wardrobe #15

Today's capsule pieces might look similar to you, I have worn this combination some time ago in spring..
click on image to see the full post

For today's summery look, replacing the strong accents of orange and blue with light and soft shades. As with all capsule pieces, it does not really matter which colour they are, as long as they are neutral enough to make a canvas, or base. What pulls the look together, is the colour match of the tank top and scarf, in this case purple, but of course it would work equally well in many other colours too.

Capsules: taupe knitted vest, beige/purple tank top, white jeans
Shoes: silver Orans
Accessories: 'Belles de Mexique' PM mousseline, Lima ring and MT horn cuff
Scarf ring: MaiTai Collection (honey moyenne)
Scarf tying method: to come



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Pavlova

Finally I had a chance to take a pic of a finished Pavlova in daylight, and am happy to share the recipe of one of my favorite summer desserts.

Since my Pavlova post a couple of weeks ago, I have learnt a lot of new things about it, most importantly (thanks to Faux Fuchsia), that it is Australia's national pudding. Another friend has mailed me a fun article called 'Pavlova Palaver', which goes into depth into the dispute whether the dessert is of Australian or NZ origin. The point everyone agrees on, is that it's named after the russian dancer Anna Pavlova, who visited Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s. When staying at the Esplanade hotel in Perth, the kitchen chef served her a meringue, topped with cream and fresh fruit, and called it Pavlova in her honour.

Ingredients (for four)
4 egg whites
1 pinch of salt

160 gram sugar (40gr per egg white)
1.5 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp white wine vinegar

Fresh summer fruit ( strawberries, raspberries, black and red currents, blueberries, blackberries etc), ca 600 gram

Whisk the egg whites and the pinch of salt on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Continue to whisk, while slowly adding the sugar. Then add the corn starch and vinegar, and whisk until all is combined.

Place the meringue mass on a baking sheet, lined with parchment

start flattening it with the help of a palette knife..

and shape into a disc of 15 - 20 cm (after baking, it will be flatter and wider)

Place in preheated oven (140 degrees Celsius) and immediately turn the temperature down to 100. Bake for two hours (don't open the oven door in the meantime) then switch the oven off, and let the meringue cool off inside.

This is how the baked meringue looks like..

Next, whisk 350 ml cream until stiff, and add sugar to the desired sweetness. Place cream on top of the meringue. Top with fresh summer berries, and sift icing sugar on top.

Voilà! Here a previous version, having used three egg whites


Tips:

To adapt the recipe for different numbers of people, count one egg white and 40 gram sugar per person. If you like a sweeter taste, you could increase the sugar to 50-60 gram per person, as some recipes suggest. Proportion the cornstarch and white wine vinegar accordingly. No need to measure though, just add or take away a little bit.

For the success of the meringue, make sure the whisking bowl and whisker have no traces of grease, and the egg whites no traces of egg yolk.

To avoid discarding the egg yolks, I used one of them to make a pastry case, and the rest for a batch of muffins, replacing two of the whole eggs with three yolks. For recipes, click the thumbnails below.

In very hot weather, place the mixing bowl, whisker and the cream half an hour prior to whisking into your freezer. It helps to get the cream stiff.

Bon appétit!

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Yellow plums and the Cent Plis de Miao

Another highlight of summer is the arrival of the wonderfully tasty yellow plums and green gages (Reine Claudes) in the fruit stalls. I love their fresh colors, which remind me of the beautiful muted yellows in the Cent Plis de Miao!

Tonight we went out to have dinner with friends, and it was a great opportunity to try out the scarf as a top. The 'triangle' method is a tad revealing at the back, so I've covered up with a light cotton wrap (alternativly, you could try wearing a tube top underneath)



Scarf tying method: Fold your scarf into a triangle, and hold in front of your body like below

then secure both ends with a tight double knot behind your back.

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Lunch at the beach

Yesterday, we went to have lunch at the beach, which is always a fun event. Walking towards the entrance of the restaurant, you get a glimpse of the mediterranean sea, and a waft of freshly grilled fish and lobster coming from the kitchen..

There could not be a bigger contrast between the light and sunny summer's day, and the plush and dark atmosphere of the Effet Mer's interiour decoration, with it's gilded mirrors, reindeer furs and black slatted wooden panels..

our table was on a perfect spot, shaded from the sun, but with a wonderful view

As always on Sunday, a buffet lunch was served (loved the lime/chillie sauce that went with the gambas)

and this is what I had as a starter, Tomato mozarella salad, Gazpacho soup, Tapenade (in a 'verrine', a little glas), Mushroom salad, Grissini bread and a roll, some Carpaccio and a green salad

wearing my 'Au coeur de la vie' mousseline in a basic bias fold,

with a floral dress, another case of a clothes purchase for a specific scarf ;-)

There were more delicious desserts to choose from than one could possible eat, so I was concentrating mainly on the macarons..

and this is what DS chose for his dessert

After lunch, we went for a walk on the beach, and then had a coffee on the terasse..

before heading back home, after a lovely day


Effet Mer
Route des plages
Le Grand Travers
34280 La Grande Motte
+ 33 4 67 56 02 14
Edited to add one more pic, for emilyatheart, which shows the bag (Picotin) that went with the look

Deux chevaux

A quick snap of what I saw in the streets of Nîmes today.. such a cute and happy sight :-)