. Set water on the heat to boil.
. Mix cinnamon and honey well in a small bowl.
. Trim top and bottom of persimmon and peel, using a paring knife.
. Slice in half horizontally through the core.
. Place in small baking dish, cut side up.
. Pour water over honey mixture and stir to dissolve, and pour over the persimmons. The braising liquid should cover 3/4 of the height of the fruit.
. Cover tightly with tin foil and place in 350 degree oven for about 40-60 minutes.
. When done, remove from oven and pour sauce into a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low to medium heat.
. Place the persimmons back in the oven and broil until a little bit crispy, but not burned – any black will make food taste bitter.
. Reduce to about half, until the sauce becomes syrupy and coats the back of a spoon and has little spread when spooned onto a plate.
. To serve, plate persimmons and drizzle with sauce.

I absolutely love this poster by Rene Gruau for Calze Ortalion stockings.  His use of perspective and color, font and layout are just phenomenal.  Gruau was an insanely influential graphic artist in France, especially in the Parisian high fashion and couture circles, having done work for Arden, Balmain, Lanvin, Balenciaga and Givenchy, though he is probably most well known for his influence and work as chief visualizer for his friend Christian Dior.

In any case, you can find originals of this advertisement on a number of different antique sites (for example here, here, or here) but, like most art, they are pretty expensive.  Ill probably try to get lucky on eBay!

Here’s a few more amazing Gruau illustrations for your viewing pleasure:

]]> http://somedayeveryday.wordpress.com/2009/07/27/luxury/feed/ 0 sophiek51 Rene Gruau: Calze Ortalion rene gruau 2 rene gruau 3 rene gruau 4 rene gruau 5 rene gruau 6 http://somedayeveryday.wordpress.com/2009/07/27/coming-soon/ http://somedayeveryday.wordpress.com/2009/07/27/coming-soon/#comments Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:31:07 +0000 sophiek51 http://somedayeveryday.wordpress.com/?p=120 ]]> How fast time flies! After almost a month of traveling, I will finally be moving up to Toronto in less than two weeks.  I found a sweet apartment up there and of course all I can think about if where furniture is going to go, what artwork I should bring, etc etc.  Its a bit of a fixer upper, Ill definitely be painting the walls and doing a LOT of bleaching, but its a true one-bedroom (rather than a studio), which means I can entertain, and its on the cutest tree-lined block in the Little Italy area of Toronto, around College and Bathurst…a New York-eque neighborhood chock full of little coffee shops, bars and boutiques.

my new block

The apartment looks really sad right now, so I wont post any photos of the actual space, but Ill definitely post some before and afters post-makeover.  It was so much harder than I anticipated to find a spot that was even barely suitable.  I thought the minute I crossed the GWB I would leave dungeon-like apartments and penny pinching landlords behind.  But not so much! I spent a full week refreshing Craigslist and ViewIt.ca every 5 minutes before I found this place in the final hour.  Granted, I had narrowed my search to maybe a 5×2 block square where I was willing to live, and I was only looking for a 1-bed or studio, but I was still shocked at the prices and competition.  I guess desireable is desireable anywhere you go, and people are still willing to pay for it.  It made me wonder if the urban/metropolitan rental market has held in part because people would rather cut dining and drinking out, and then pay more for a decent living space because they see themselves spending more time there.  I remember when I rented my NYC pad, my rationalle was that I would never actually be there, and I would certaintly not be entertaining.  Now, I want to be able to actually find value in my apartment by actually being able to truly use it, for more than just a bed and shower.

I had really been struggling in NYC. First and foremost, I was terribly unhappy at work. Things had started well, working with a brilliant consulting team at a marketing and branding firm. However before long, I had fallen into a situation that I never bargained for – being the Personal Assistant for the CEO – and aside from her being incredibly mean and difficult, I was feeling more and more like clawing my way to the top for the rest of my life was definitely NOT what I wanted.

My next step turned into a hunt for an easy and immediate exit strategy.  Going to veterinary school was a real option at one point, but it would have taken my upwards of 15 years, which didn’t feel really realistic. I thought about child development and education, but…bleh.

The thought of chef school was the first idea that felt incredibly do-able, realistic, and just felt right. So, I applied.

This past Monday, I had a “disagreement” with my boss, and quit my job. Tuesday was my last day. Friday, I checked my application status and guess what…I GOT IN! Fancy that.

There is no better feeling than when things just fall into place.  I am heading to Toronto this weekend to check out the school and the surrounding neighborhoods to think about where Ill want to live.  How exciting!

I am siting on my bed with the window a little bit open, and I hear rats squeaking outside in the alley.  No surprise, they also collect the garbage down there.  Uhg.  So, here is living in NYC.   With all of the absolutely amazing parts of this city, I still just can’t wait to try something else.

How lovely is this linen dress from Brora for the spring? You could just throw it on and walk out the door.

They also did an exception job in their bathing suits! I have never seen such simple, elegant swimwear from any other brand. Haverhill is all I have seen that comes close, but Haverhill is way too prohibitively expensive.

Anyway, J. Crew added a everyday-luxury-type extension to their swimwear line this year: the “Italian Jersey Lomellina Collection.” It really looks like somehow this fabric molds to the body so well that you wouldn’t have to worry about it shifting around whenever you move an inch. I love the Ruched Halter with the Hipster with Flower, and the Kauai Halter with the Foldover Wide-Band Hipster.

Buuuut, I really was initially looking for a lavender bikini, and neither of those are available in lavender. Sad. However, I got so much wear out of my twisty-style bikini in white from last year, and they are offering the similar Solid Twist-Front Bandeau Top with the Solid Twist Bikini in Sweet Lavender.

So I’m thinking that I’ll definitely go for the purple set, and one of the Italian Jersey ones, but I have to decide which one. Maybe Ill order both and see which looks better. Have to see what makes sense financially, considering I’m not working right now…eeek!!