We’re in a feline frame of mind this week at Entertablement.
Though we are still a couple of weeks away from the longest day of the year, the sun is bounding over the horizon at about 5 am these days, rousing fur people and humans. Up and at ’em, then!
We can enjoy breakfast on the little side porch and drink in the beauty of the garden. The roses are blooming. Summer is here.
Gourmet Cats were produced by Sakura in the 1980s when artist Stephanie Stouffer’s rotund tabby cats were captured in action in their European Bistro setting.
This chef is beating up something involving eggs. An Omelette, perhaps?
It’s a little early in the day for salad, thank you. Perhaps later.
And I’ll definitely have a slice of that delicious looking cake this afternoon with my tea.
Yes – here’s the fellow I want. The bakery chef, with his loaves of bread, croissants and baguette. Yes, please.
I’ll have one of those Dried Cherry Panettones and some of those fresh cherries, as well. Thank you! And another latte, please.
Supporting waitstaff is here, in the form of feline salt and pepper shakers.
They in turn have brought reinforcements in their pockets. We are overflowing with cats! It’s a furry, furry world of gourmet breakfast delights.
I stuck with very simple accoutrements for the table, as the Gourmet Cat plates (an eBay find) were already quite vibrant. Black straw placemats, plain white Pillivuyt Queen Anne Dinner plates and white mugs from Pottery Barn. The red gingham napkins were from Amazon, and the black fiddlehead napkin rings were from World Market, as was the hammered stainless steel flatware.
I have a weakness for sweet, European style breads and these panettones were my second foray into the same recipe, whose write up you can find here. I’ve since discovered an Apricot Ginger one which looks very tempting; King Arthur Flour has tried and true recipes with very clear instructions and I’m having great fun working my way through their suggestions. Just this week they sent an email extolling the virtues of a Braided Lemon Bread containing cream cheese and lemon curd. It’s a good thing we walk so much with the dogs, or our collective waistlines would be bulging by now!
I’m elbow-deep in cooking and photographing these days, finishing off the last few tables and recipes for The Book I’ve set myself a target of the end of June for the completion of the draft, and though it’s resulting in some bizarre contortions of food preparation and home decor (you too can enjoy Christmas in June), it’s just about doable. I’m working in Lightroom’s Book module and will publish the draft, at least, through Blurb. My partner-in-crime, Mary Plumstead and I are exploring various options for the final printing and will keep you posted on what we land on. We want the book to be both beautiful and affordable.
In the meantime, have a lovely weekend, everyone.
I’m sharing this post with Between Naps on the Porch.
Such a cute and fun table, and I’m definitely going to have to try your mini panettone!
I hope you enjoy them, Cindy!
Not as cute as Dundee! But still adorable. Can’t wait for your book.
No one is as cute as Dundee, says Dundee. 🙂
Wow. Cute table. I love chefs and the feline ones are adorable. My blog reading has been pretty hit or miss, but mostly miss for awhile. It appears I have more catching up to do than I thought. I did not know (remember?) that you were writing a cookbook. That is pretty exciting news. I also checked out your post on the panettone. recipe. I had been looking at the papers in the KAF catalog before Christmas thinking that they would be fun to try. I was inspired now to go ahead and order them and will be trying your recipe once they arrive.
Oh – let me know how your panettone turns out, Lorri!
Yes – the book – I’ve had the idea on the back burner for a long time as I’ve been setting tables, cooking/baking and taking pictures. All that output has been organized but kept in reserve from the blog as the idea of a book bubbled. I finally gathered them into a collection in Lightroom and started laying them out in book form. There were gaps, once I looked at it in totality, and those I’ve been filling in over the past few weeks. It’s been a steady flow of baking and cooking around here – one good thing about the lockdown – it’s provided lots of scope for food preparation, though ingredients have been somewhat hard to come by sometimes. It will be a seasonal book, with about 10 tables for each season and accompanying recipes where they naturally fit. I think I have too much material, so the overflow can go on the blog, or await another book!
Thanks for your interest! I’ll keep everyone up to date as things progress.
I can appreciate the amount of work that you are going through. I once thought of writing a cookbook and its beginnings are still sitting on my computer, untouched now for several years. Funny, I also titled my file “The Book”. I very much look forward to adding your cookbook(s) to my collection.
Thanks, Lorri! I’m enjoying the process, though I’m also looking forward to its completion. Many moving parts!