The Power of Decaf Coffee with Nespresso in Lyon

For the love of decaffeinated coffee! 

With Nespresso Grand Crus Vivalto Lungo Decaffeinato, Volluto Decaffeinato and Arpeggio Decaffeinato.

Food and coffee are among my big passions in life, so when I was invited to Lyon to see how the two could be combined by Nespresso, it was a tempting offer. I was a bit concerned I might overdose on caffeine with the coffee heavy program but that turned out to be no worry at all – and not because I limited my coffee intake in any way. Getting a chance to see the contestants at the famous cooking competition Bocuse d'Or was a welcome bonus too - especially since Norway ended up winning (sorry for the spoiler)!

First we were off to see what was happening at the L'Atelier Nespresso, the temporary playground set up for wonderful experiences in coffee and food.  

Nespresso has recently launced a new series of decaffeinated versions of some of their Grand Cru coffees, so we had an interesting classroom lesson with coffee expert Alexis Rodriguez on how decaffeinated coffee is made – from quality bean to brew ready cup. A lot of love in picking out the right beans plus the magic help of liquid CO2 or water is apparantly what it takes!



We also got to taste test to see if we were able to tell which coffee was the decaffeinated version, which I failed of course, haha! It was a bit surprising given that Volluto, the coffee we tested, is among my favorite Nespresso coffees but I actually ended up preferring the decaf version. It was sweeter and simply tastier - really convincing me that there are decaffeinated alternatives worth drinking, whether you “have to” or not.

To see the new coffees “in action”, we were treated to some yummy coffee inspired desserts by pastry chef Christelle Brua, made with the Arpeggio Grand Cru coffee in various delicious layers (panna cotta, coffee jelly, ice cream and foam among them). The coffee taste really came through and the dessert ended up as my favorite edible of the day.

Working hard as you can see... Here I'm flanked by Italian food blogger Chiara (left) and German mom blogger and cappuccino expert Claire (right). Also taking part was Brazilian food blogger Rosana and German blogger + chef Steffen of Berliner Speisemeisterei. Quite a diverse and interesting group of food and coffee lovers!

To further showcase the power of coffee and gastronomy coming together, there was also a coffee themed dinner made by eminent chefs Emmanuel Renaut and David Toutain. 

Here are the courses summed up by my iPhone photos from the night - many different variations upon the coffee theme, like salsify with Grand Cru Indriya and mackerel with Grand Cru Vivalto. Some were more intense than others but all were equally intriguing in their playfulness.  


I couldn't resist playing around a bit with the food of course, as evidenced by the first (strategic placement of truffle slices) and fifth image (face rearrangement). However, food at this level is food art in the true sense of the word. Although it's usually a bit more abstract and “adult” than my own pieces I find it really inspiring to behold (and eat!).

In the end, I emerged from the day fully satisfied with the lingering taste of delicious coffee in my mouth while still being able to get a good night's sleep, thanks to the decaffeinated coffees.

Lastly we were taken to the Bocuse d'Or, got to visit the Nespresso area there and witness the chef's in action. The Norwegian supporters were very enthusiastic and the Norwegian chef Ørjan Johannessen won in the end, so all in all it was a very successful trip!

Love,
Ida


Written in cooperation with Nespresso but all opinions are my own of course.

Tasty Bonfire Night Celebrations with Stella Kids!

Owls watching colorful fireworks. Pancakes, yoghurt, dried blueberries, fruit.

 In collaboration with Stella Kids, the children's brand of British designer and lifetime vegetarian Stella McCartney, I have created a number of plates celebrating Bonfire Night (also known as Guy Fawkes Night).

Bonfire Night is primarily a British tradition, taking place annually on November 5^th. It is a celebration of a failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill the king in 1605, led by a man called Guy Fawkes. All around the country people gather around bonfires, sending up fireworks and enjoying good food together.
 
To find inspiration for the food art, I first looked at the Stella Kids collection. The clothes feature a lot of fun and quirky animal characters, which led me to ponder how the animals would take to celebrating Bonfire Night. So that became my starting point for creating ideas. To create the food art itself, I did some research on what people usually eat on the night and used what I could from that in the final plates. Classics such as caramel apples, baked potatoes, sausages (vegan of course!) and bean stews are all featured in some form or another.


The owls (above) would obviously sit in their wisdom on a branch and watch the colorful spectacle with composure, I imagined. 

Rabbits grilling carrots. Bread, bell pepper, cheese, carrot, sugar peas, pepper corns.

 
While the rabbits would take the opportunity to grill some tasty carrots over the bonfire.
 

Polar bear with apple sparkler. Yoghurt, chocolate chips, almonds, apple, caramel, silver sprinkles. 

The polar bear, though out of his element, would really love holding a caramel apple sparkler to light up the cold winter night.

Dog hiding from fireworks. Potatoes, cheddar, peppercorns, spinach, corn.
 

 

The poor dog would probably be hiding in his roasted potato dog house because it doesn't like all the noise from the fireworks.

Cat enjoying the bonfireplace. Black beans, yoghurt, vegan sausage, pumpkin, bell pepper, spinach.

 

Lastly, the cat would definitely curl up in front of the bonfire, as it loves getting warm and cozy.

So that was my little turn around the animal world on Bonfire Night, I wish you all a happy celebration!

Love,

IdaFrosk

Ranked One of the 100 Most Creative People in Business 2014!

Yay, the American business magazine Fast Company has ranked me as one of the top 100 most creative people in business in 2014. I'm incredibly honoured, humbled and happy of course! The other people on the list range from entertainers (like Jerry Seinfeld) to neuroscientists, fashion designers to app developers, architects and academics - all very cool individuals and causes. See all the winners and my profile. 

I made a special self portrait just for Fast Company, and above you can see how it came to life! 

Love,

Ida

VIDEO: Hvordan ha en god matkunstjul! / How to Have a Happy Food Art Christmas

Gledelig 1.adventssøndag! Se min nye video for tips om hvordan man gjør julen til en morsom og sunn opplevelse for både små og store. Jeg håper selvsagt at boken min, "Leik med maten", også kan bli en fin julepresang rundt om i det ganske land. :)

Happy first of advent! See my new video above for tips on how to make christmas a fun and healthy experience for both kids and adults. I do of course also hope my book, "Eat Your Art Out" will become a nice christmas present around the world. :)

Love,
Ida

Matkunst til Halloween / Food Art for Halloween!

I dag er det Halloween, og hvilken bedre anledning til å leke seg med maten enn det? 

Today is Halloween, and what better opportunity to play with you food than that? 

Du kan lage skumle karakterer, som Hufsa, Darth Vader eller ulven fra Rødhette...

You could make scary characters, like The Groke (from Moomin valley), Darth Vader or the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood...

...eller fryktinngytende og giftige dyr... 

... or terrifying and poisonous animals... 

... og selvsagt klassikeren: Monstre og spøkelser!

... and of course the classic: Monsters and ghosts!

Til slutt kan du jo kose deg en gang til med Halloween-videoen min, god feiring!

Finally, I recommend that you watch my Halloween video one more time, have a good celebration!

Love, 

Ida 

Inspirasjon fra andre flinke matkunstblogger / On Inspiration From Other Good Food Art Bloggers

Heisann! Jeg har visst falt litt av bloggingen, rett og slett for mange ting som skjer på en gang nå. Jeg skal prøve å stikke innom oftere, men for nå vil jeg gjerne dele litt inspirasjon fra andre flinke matkunstbloggere der ute. 

Det var jo ved å se matkunst på nettet at jeg opprinnelig kom på at jeg kunne lage kreative måltider selv. Helt i begynnelsen hendte det også at jeg laget mine egne versjoner av ideer andre hadde, for å teste dem ut. Nå gjør jeg stort sett helt egne konsepter, men det er jo moro å dele mangfoldet der ute med flere. Så mange fantastisk kreative mennesker det finnes!

Hello! I seem to have fallen off the blog wagon, simply too many things going on at once. I'll try to stop by more often but for now I want to share some inspiration from other food art bloggers out there with you. 

After all, seeing other food art online was how I realized I could make creative meals myself. In the very beginning I sometimes made my own versions based on the ideas of others, to test them out. Now I mainly create my own concepts but it's very fun to share the diversity out there with you. There's simply so many wonderfully creative people out there!   

Source: littlenummies.net

På Little Nummies, skapt av Kellie Strickland, finner du masse morsomme og enkle måltidsideer som alle kan prøve ut. 

Little Nummies was created by Kellie Strickland and has some pretty fun and simple meal ideas for everyone to try out. 

Source: kitchenfunwithmy3sons.blogspot.com

Jill Mills står bak Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons, der hun leker seg med mat sammen med sine tre sønner. Hun anbefaler også andre sine prosjekter, så siden er stappfull av masse kreative ideer som man kan sjekke ut. 

Jill Mills is the force behind Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons, where she plays with food together with her three sons. She also recommends other people's projects, so the site is brimming with lots of creative ideas to check out.  

Source: meetthedubiens.com

Til slutt vil jeg dra frem Meet the Dubiens, som også drives av en Jill (Dubien såklart). Hun lager både måltider og en del bento - også mye fin inspirasjon. 

Lastly, I'd like to highlight Meet the Dubiens, which is also run by a Jill (Dubien of course). She makes both meals and some bento boxes - providing a lot of nice inspiration. 

Love,
Ida

Frokoster i uke 20 & 21 / Breakfasts in Week 20 & 21

Jeg gjør det enkelt: Dette er frokostene jeg har lastet opp på Instagram de siste to ukene - mye variasjon og farger som alltid. 

Keeping it simple: These are the breakfasts I've uploaded to Instagram in the last two weeks - a lot of variety and colors as usual. 

Og her er noen av tingene som inspirerte meg til å lage dem!

And here are some of the visuals that inspired me to make them! 

Love,
Ida 

Ps: Se forøvrig profilen min på Godt.no for å se hvordan slottet, kaninbollene og rosegrøten lages. 

Frokoster i uke 18 & 19 / Week 18 & 19 in Breakfasts

Heisann! Jeg glemte rett og slett å legge ut frokostene forrige uke, vimsete og travel som jeg er. Så her kommer både uke 18 og 19 sammen. 

Hello! I simply forgot to post the breakfasts last week, silly me. So here goes both week 18 and 19 all together.  

Et akropolis er en slags festning oppå en høyde. Det aller mest kjente eksemplaret finnes i Aten og kalles vanligvis bare Akropolis. Jeg brukte en ny vri på gresk salat for å gjenskape tempelet Parthenon og landskapet rundt. 

An acropolis is a kind of fortress situated on top of a hill. The most famous example can be found in Athens in Greece and is simply known as "the Acropolis". I used a fresh take on Greek salad to recreate the temple Parthenon and the surrounding scenery. 

4.mai er den internasjonale Star Wars-dagen, det feiret jeg med å lage en avokadogrønn Yoda på godt.no (klikk for steg-for-steg-bilder og oppskrift). Her ble også mine barteostesmørbrød lagt ut uken etter.  

May the 4th is the international Star Wars day, which I celebrated by making a avocado green Yoda on godt.no (click for step-by-step photos and Norwegian instructions). That's also where my moustache grilled cheese appeared the next week. 

Wassily Kandinsky. Color Study of Squares. C. 1913

Wassily Kandinsky (1866 - 1944) var en russisk abstrakt maler og teoretiker. Han brukte masse friske farger og rare former i maleriene sine. Min kunstskiveversjon er laget med ulike farger grillet paprika og andre grønnskaper. Smakfullt og fint! 

Wassily Kandinsky (1866 - 1944) was a Russian abstract painter and theorist. He used a lot of bright colors and strange shapes in his paintings. My Art toast version is made using various colors of grilled bell pepper and other vegetables. Yummy and bright! 

En vaskebjørn i ninjautstyr var også på tallerkenen, og siden jeg er ganske så svak for ordspill så kunne jeg ikke la være å legge ut et av de mange "pun coon" meme-bildene. Ha en god uke! 

A ninja clad raccoon also made an appearance, and since I'm rather weak for puns I couldn't resist uploading on of the many "Pun coon" meme photos. Have a good week! 

Love,

Ida

Uke 14 i frokoster / Week 14 in Breakfasts

Forrige uke fløy virkelig av gårde! For å jobbe med boken har jeg kuttet litt ned på bildene denne gang. Jeg lover å gjengjelde det senere.

Last week really flew away! To work on my book I've had to post a fewer photos these days. I promise to make it up to you.

Ukens første stopp var litt utenfor allfarvei, et besøk til Påskeøya siden det var andre påskedag. Jeg gjenskapte Ahu Nau Nau, som er en godt holdt samling statuer (moai) på den chilenske øya. Valget av ingredienser, egg og søtpotet, var inspirert av lokale tradisjoner.

The first stop of the week was a bit out of the way, a visit to Easter island as it was 2nd Easter day. I recreated the Ahu Nau Nau, which is a well-preserved collection of statues (moai) on the Chilean island. The choice of ingredients, eggs and sweet potato, was inspired by the local traditions.

Jeg laget Charlie Brown (Baltus Brun) av brunost simpelten fordi jeg ønsket å bruke opp osten og synes det var en fin kobling. Pluss at jeg liker Knøttene godt. Det er vel egentlig alt som skal til. 

I made Charlie Brown out of brown cheese simply because I wanted to use the leftover cheese and thought it was a nice connection to make. Plus I really like Peanuts. That's all it takes. 

Andrew Wyeth. Christina's World. 1948.

Den amerikanske maleren Andrew Wyeth (1917 - 2009) brukte visstnok måneder på å male gresset i hans kjente bilde "Christina's verden". Kvinnen på bildet var poliorammede Christina Olson, selv om Wyeth's kone Betsy posterte for overkroppen. Det var en real utfordring å finne en ingrediens med riktig rosafarge for å lage dette, men jeg falt til slutt ned på frysetørret jordbær. Det gav riktig skinn og var ganske lett å forme.

The American artist Andrew Wyeth (1917 - 2009) reputedly spent months painting the grass in his famous painting "Christina's World". The woman herself was the polio paralyzed Christina Olson, although Wyeth's wife Betsy posed for the torso. It was a real challenge to find an ingredient with the right pink hue to make this, I did at last choose freeze dried strawberry. This gave the right nuance and was pretty easy to shape. 

Helt sist serverte jeg dere våren på en skive! Fetaost, redikker og sukkererter er en deilig kombo. Enda bedre med litt balsamikoeddik på toppen også. Instrukser kan finnes på godt.no, der jeg har fast ukentlig spalte fremover. Så får vi håpe våren slår ut i full blomst snart.

To top the week off, I offered you spring on toast! Feta cheese, radishes and sugar snaps are a delicious combo. Even better with a drizzle of thick balsamico glaze on top too.  Let's hope real Spring blooms soon!

Love, 

Ida 

Matkomboer / Food Pairings

Emily Blincoe. Peas & Carrots.

Jeg har nylig fått øynene opp for to kunstnere som gjør veldig relaterte ting med matkunst, men på hver sin unike måte. De har begge profiler på Instagram, men jobber også som fotografer og designere. Den første er Emily Blincoe (@thuglifeforevs), som har laget serien "This Ampersand That", der hun bruker det kjente symbolet for "og" med tradisjonelle matkomboer.

I recently came across two artists that are doing very related things with food art but in their own unique way. They both have Instagram profiles but work as photographers and designers. The first one is Emily Blincoe (@thuglifeforevs), who made the series titled "This Ampersand That" where she uses the known symbol for "and" with traditional food combos.   

Emily Blincoe. Milk & Cereal. 

Emily Blincoe. Mashed potatoes & gravy. 

Emily Blincoe. Cookies & Cream

Den andre kunstneren er David Schwen (@dschwen), som har tatt i bruk symbolikken fra Pantone fargekort for lignende matkombinasjoner i sin serie kalt "Pantone Pairings". 

The other artist is David Schwen (@dschwen), who has taken up the symbols from Pantone color cards for similar food combos as above, in his series called "Pantone Pairings". 

David Schwen. Macaroni & Cheese. 

David Schwen. Pancakes & Syrup.

David Schwen. Strawberries & Chocolate.

David Schwen. Peanut Butter & Jelly. 

Jeg liker veldig godt hvordan de både leker seg med mat og med grafisk design på samme tid. Og selvfølgelig tanken om hvordan enkelte matvarer simpelten hører sammen. 

I love their way of playing both with food and with graphic design at the same time. And of course the thought that some foods are simply meant to be together. 

Love, Ida

Ukens frokoster uke 8 / Week 8 in Breakfasts

Det har vært nok en travel og spennende uke, med et rikt spenn i frokostene jeg har lagt ut på Instagramkontoen min. 

It has been another busy and exciting week, with a wide variety of breakfasts presented on my Instagram account.

 

Edvard Munch. Madonna. 1894/5. Source: Wikipedia.

Jeg startet uken med nok en kunstbrødskive for å feire Munchåret (150 år siden hans fødsel i 2013, les mer i mitt tidligere innlegg). Denne gangen tok jeg for meg Madonna, et av hans mest ikoniske verk. Maleriet er en veldig sensuell fremstilling av en barbrystet kvinne, og har en egen indre glød. Det viste seg å være ganske utfordrende å oversette dette til matkunst, men jeg gjorde da et forsøk.

I started the week off with another art toast celebrating the Munch year (150 years since his birth in 2013, read more in an earlier post I did). This time I did a version of the Madonna, one of his most iconic works. The painting is a very sensual depiction of a bare-breasted woman, and has its own inner glow. It proved quite challenging to translate this into an art toast but I gave it a go.

Denne ukens reise var til Taj Mahal, det hvite marmormausoleumet i den indiske byen Agra. Det ble bygget av Shah Jahan til minne om hans tredje kone, Mumtaz Mahal, på 1600-tallet. Det er et av verdens syv underverker. Jeg har aldri vært der selv, men det er vanskelig å ikke bli grepet av byggets skjønnhet og historien bak. Jeg valgte å bruke risgrøt og mangosaus med kanel for å lage matkunsten, for å komplimentere med indiske smaker. Deilig!

This week's travel piece featured Taj Mahal, the white marble mausoleum found in the Indian city Agra. It was built by Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, in the 1600s. It's is one of the seven wonders of the world. I've never been there myself but it's hard to avoid being captivated by its beauty and the story behind. I chose to use rice pudding and mango sauce with cinnamon to make the food art, to compliment the Indian flavours. Delicious! 

Juicy blackberries.

Bjørnebærsauen oppstod simpelten fordi jeg elsker bjørnebær og synes formen deres liknet på sauepels. Jeg synes også det var morsomt at jeg kunne leke med ordspillet rundt det å være et sort får.

The blackberry sheep simply arose because I love blackberries and thought their shape resembled sheep fur. I also thought it was funny to use the word play of being the 'black sheep'.  

Movie still from "Life of Pi" (2012).

De to siste matkunstene i uken var inspirert av den kommende Oscarutdelingen på tampen av denne helgen. Filmversjonen av boken "Historien om Pi" er en av de nominerte.

The last two food arts of the week were inspired by the upcoming Oscars this weekend. The movie version of the book 'Life of Pi' is one of the nominees. 

Matlandskaper / Foodscapes

 

Carl Warner lager de mest fantastiske matlandskaper man kan forestille seg. Brokkoliskoger, slott av hvit sjokolade og hele korallrev av eksotiske frukter og grønnsaker. Bildene taler for seg selv, her er det plenty å bli inspirert av! Se flere av hans utmerkede prosjekter her (alle bildene nedenfor er hentet der).

Carl Warner creates the most fantastic foodscapes you could every imagine. Broccoli forests, castles made out of white chocolate and whole coral reefs filled with exotic fruits and vegetables. The pictures speak for themselves, there's plenty to be inspired by! See more of his brilliant work here (all pictures gathered there).

Ha en utmerket helg alle sammen!

Have an excellent weekend everybody! 

Love, 

Ida