Coachella has grown over the years to be one of the biggest music festivals in the world. This is largely thanks to the amazing line ups of the past and the strong celebrity presence in the crowds. The eyes of the fashion world have also become focussed on who’s wearing what among the audience. This year there was a great display of traditional festival style. From denim shorts to maxi skirts here are my picks for best dressed at Coachella 2013.
Stasia xo
Since I was young I have been making tiramisu. It started one day when my mum bought mascarpone cheese and I followed the recipe under the lid. About 15 years later here I am with my perfected recipe. I have altered proportions of the ingredients and at times added optional ingredients. Although there is one thing that I can say remains the same, everyone always polishes their plates clean. The Italian dessert when translated means ‘tira’ pick, ‘mi’ me, ‘su’ up! This is most likely a reference to the coffee and alcohol content in the dish. If you don’t like your dessert too strong on these ingredients I say you should always measure ‘to taste’. So apart from getting the measurements right for the eggs and mascarpone for a thick and silky cream, the sugar, liquor and coffee should all be measured to taste.
This dessert is best enjoyed with coffee, or dessert wine and of course good company!
INGREDIENTS
4 Eggs (Free range or Organic are best)
5 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Liquor
500 gr Mascarpone Cheese
1-2 packets of Savoiardi or Pavesini Biscuits
Italian Espresso Coffee
A little milk
1 block of Lindt Milk Chocolate
Cocoa Powder
Separate the eggs with the whites in one bowl and the yolks in the other. Whip the whites into soft peaks.
Add sugar and liquor to the yolks and mix well.
There are many different types of liquor that you could add to the mixture. I quite like the Italian Galliano in the vanilla (pictured) or amaretto flavours. I have also used Baileys, Cognac and Limoncello in the past, which have all worked well. My family in Italy suggested the Limoncello variant.
Add the mascarpone cheese to the egg yolk mixture. The best way to avoid lumps and get a smooth, silky cream in to stir from the centre of the bowl making small stirring circles to begin and then gradually make them larger until the whole mixture is combined.
Gently fold in the egg whites with the mascarpone cream mixture.
The result should be a light and fluffy mixture that will melt in your mouth. This mascarpone cream mixture is also great with berries as an entirely separate dessert.
Set aside the cream mixture and make some espresso coffee. I used a Nespresso pod machine although any method is fine, so long as you get a nice hot coffee with a lovely crema – as pictured. If you do prefer a weaker taste of coffee you could dilute it with milk. Also if you want a really strong liquor flavoured dessert you could also add more alcohol to this mixture. Another variation is to melt a block of good quality Lindt chocolate in the coffee while it’s hot and mix through. Even though it is not strictly traditional I almost always add the chocolate to my recipe!
Warning this part gets messy and fiddly! Take your biscuits and one by one dunk the biscuit in the warm coffee mixture. Be sure to let the coffee soak through the biscuit. Then squeeze out as much liquid out of the biscuit as possible while keeping it in one piece. It is important to do this otherwise you will have a soggy dessert. Some people don’t let the coffee soak through the entire biscuit. Personally I don’t like this method. I find that the tiramisu takes the form of a dryer cake rather than a pudding. It takes a little extra effort but I believe my method is what keeps people coming back for more! If this is your first time trying this method I suggest you use Savoiardi biscuits rather than Pavesini, because they are slightly more manageable.
Consecutively layer the cream and biscuits until your dish is full. Be sure to start with a biscuit layer and finish with a cream layer. In regards to the size of your bowl this is a little unpredictable because I find that every time I make it, it can change. This is why I’ve listed 1-2 packets of biscuits. You can make indivudual serves in dessert serving glasses which are quite nice. However keep in mind that the layering process while be more time consuming because you will have to delicately layer each glass. I have found that the best way of serving this dish is in a rectangular glass Pyrex dish. The final step is to dust cocoa, (which is more traditional) or grated chocolate over the top of the dessert.
The final step is to place the tiramisu in the fridge to set. I find that the best results will occur if you can leave in to refrigerate over night.
The finished product.
While not strictly traditional it is a nice colourful option to add berries when serving.
Last weekend I was fortunate to have been invited along with a group of other delightful Melbourne bloggers to stay at the Aquabelle coastal apartments in Rye on the Mornington Peninsula. Girly weekends away are totally my thing – my teenage years were filled with chick flick marathons and buckets of Connoisseur ice cream. My friends and I could never resist Nicholas Sparks’ tear jerker films like A Walk to Remember or The Notebook. Although seeing as I’m not 16 anymore this weekend called for activities that were a tad more refined, but just as delicious and girly!
The group of bloggers included Iolanthe from the Ruby Slipper blog, Marianne of Esme and the Laneway fame, Candice from Super Kawaii Mama, Leeyong of Style Wilderness and the lovely Cecylia from her self titled blog. We all arrived at varied times throughout Friday. I planned to arrive early to soak up the environment and take some photos from the pier, but of course I was running late so I had to change things up a bit. Luckily the stunning view from our apartment balcony allowed me to capture some great shots. I didn’t miss out on a thing!
Rye is a place I am very familiar with. Like so many European migrants in Melbourne, my grandfather owned a holiday house there and I would visit often as a child. Although as I got older I grew tired of the scene preferring the surf beaches and boutiques at towns along the Great Ocean Road like Lorne. That was until last year when I visited good old Rye again (albeit with a sceptical attitude) with friends and family. The rowdy ‘Jersey Shore’ type characters that had deterred me when I was younger were still there but it was nice to see a delicious authentic Sicilian gelateria (called Vulcano) had been introduced to the strip. In case you haven’t noticed Ice cream makes me very happy!
One of the other major appeals of Rye is that it is positioned in-between the shopping and cafe scene of Sorrento – which I love – and my absolute favourite winery T’Gallant in Red Hill. Although when visiting in the off season like we did, there isn’t anything to worry about in regards to crowds. It’s just a peaceful sleepy coastal town that was a great place to call home for the weekend!
Here are some pics from Day 1
A shameless selfie on the way in the car with some Natural Confectionary Lolly Disguises!
We all received gorgeous Cruciani Bracelets from Miss Italy upon arrival. So pretty!
The best thing about boutique accommodation is the finer, personal touches. Dr Seuss, so cute!
Marianne made a delicious goats cheese and pesto pasta for dinner.
The early stages of the Tiramisu making process in the Aquabelle kitchen…
It’s all in the wrist…
Dessert a’la Stasia Fox – Fresh Raspberries, Joy Cupcakes and my famous Tiramisu!
Click here for the recipe.
Miroslava Duma is a woman after my own heart. She is obviously someone who clearly loves fashion. What she wears is an outfit in the true sense of the word. There is a theatrical nature to her look without looking like she’s wearing a costume. She loves colour and isn’t afraid of taking risks which is so appealing to me. Miroslava is part of Russia’s new wave of fashionistas who are taking over the fashion world. I think she’s a stunning beauty, and a woman who has a very interesting look. Above all I love that she looks like she enjoys fashion and is brave enough to dress exactly as she desires. I simply can’t say how much I love Miroslava! I hope you do too.
Stasia xo
When I was a teenager I experimented quite a bit with my hair. It was always fairly mainstream like blonde highlights or a burgundy rinse. At one point I dyed my brunette locks blonde and there was also an unsuccessful attempt at the asymmetrical ‘Pob’ haircut! While most colours looked great I grew tired of the damage from over processing and I learned to love my chocolate locks. While I’ve played around with some variations of the good old brunette hue I haven’t had a drastic change in hair colour for over five years. Until now…
I officially have the itch. It’s that feeling you get when you know your hair looks perfectly fine yet despite this you want to change things up a bit - even if it may end in disaster. Balayage coloured hair is a style that has been around for a while and I’ve always thought it looked good, but it wasn’t until I saw Jessica Alba’s (she’s my current girl crush) instagram shots of her colour change earlier in the year that I considered it for myself. I specifically like the of the moment ombre balayage technique. While I’m on the hunt for a hairdresser to execute the look, here are some images that have continue to inspire my desire for change.
Stasia xo
The catalyst: Jessica Alba colours her hair for her reprisal of Sin City character Nancy for the film’s sequel
The Desired Look
There has been a lot of talk about green smoothies of late. I am a strong supporter of the classic banana smoothie so I was a tad reluctant to turn my back on my trusty morning treat. Although after hearing how great fellow blogger Iolanthe Gabrie felt after downing a green liquid concoction at a recent bloggers weekend away (more to come on that soon), I was persuaded to give the craze a try.
After a bit of research on the internet I decided to devise my own green smoothie recipe. I am a lover of tart flavours so this drink is perfect for you if you share this love. However if you are more of a Golden Delicious apple eater rather then a Granny Smith then you may want to substitute a few citrus fruits for sweeter fruits like bananas or pears. Despite the apple analogy there actually aren’t any apples in my recipe. But feel free to add some if you like!
The Stasia Fox Green Smoothie
Simply cut up and blend the following ingredients:
4 cups of baby spinach
1 punnet of fresh raspberries or 1 cup of frozen raspberries
1 Lebanese cucumber
1 lemon
1 lime
1 pink grapefruit
1 orange
4 stalks of celery
grated ginger to taste*
1/2 – 1 cup of water – depending on desired thickness
*The ginger is an optional extra as it will give a spicy kick that may not be desirable for everyone.
This recipe serves 4. The smoothie can be kept over night in the fridge. If possible try to use organic produce for an extra clean start to the day. I used fresh lemons and limes from my backyard trees. Delish!
Anything this green MUST be good for you!
The finished product
… All gone! The picture speaks for itself. I absolutely loved the smoothie. It was both refreshing and satisfying. Combine with a piece of multigrain toast with avocado and you may just be bidding goodbye to that morning cup of coffee.
It wasn’t even 9am and I already had 2 serves of fruit and veg taken care of.
Jessica Alba has been one of my favourite actresses since I was a young teen. While some of her films are hit and miss I have always thought she was one of the most beautiful and classy women in Hollywood. Her dress sense is also part of her appeal. She always looks comfortable, playful and fun in her outfits which often consist of an array of flats, jeans and blazers. Her downtime aesthetic is much like my own when I have classes, am on a shoot or running errands – a nice pop of colour, an oversized bag, skinny jeans, sunnies and casually styled hair and make up. Those who lead fast paced lives yet don’t want to look drab should seek inspiration in Miss Alba’s many playful looks.
Stasia xo
