“My cake is dough.” – William Shakespeare. It’s an English proverb meaning ‘My plans have failed.’ And it’s from Shakespeare’s play ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ in Act 5, Scene 1 it goes like this: Gremio: ‘My cake is dough, but I’ll in among the rest. Out of hope of all but my share of […]
‘There is no love sincerer than the love of food.’ – George Bernard Shaw ….And fresh Vínarterta with butter cookie layers fragrant with pure vanilla and almond, filled with cardamom flavored plum jam, iced with vanilla buttercream, plated with chocolate, berries and whipped cream is sincere love for me! Every aspect of my baking is […]
Be inspired on this International Women’s Day by the heroic explorer of the ancient Icelandic Sagas, Gudridur Thorbjarnardottir and the prophecy about Gudridur. She was among the first settlers from Iceland to explore and settle in Greenland with Erik the Red and with Thorfinnur Karlsefni to North America at Vinland. She was the mother […]
During our ‘There and Back Again 1875-2015 Tour’ of Iceland last summer we enjoyed the most wonderful of dinners at Tjöruhúsið in Ísajörður in the Westfjords of Iceland. It was indeed a happy highlight of the trip! Fresh, abundant, tasteful food warmed us after a long day of adventuring in the most amazing of landscapes. […]
They are the cake!” (a quote from Peter Guber) Stories are the cake of life. So wonderfully true! So, I decided to create a fully iced round storied ‘Hring Circle’ Vínarterta! (In honour of Wagner’s 15 Hour Opera ‘The Ring Cycle’, a really long story summarized here in a two minute video): http://www.theguardian.com/culture/australia-culture-blog/video/2013/sep/18/wagners-ring-cycle-2-mins-video Best wishes […]
“I believe in pink. I believe laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day. And I believe in miracles.” -Audrey Hepburn
It was a fun experience this past summer in Reykjavik, Iceland when Valur Gunnarsson offered his kitchen for making Vínarterta. He’s a brilliant writer, and reporter for DV. The photographer enjoyed the experience too. Here’s the article: http://www.dv.is/folk/2015/8/25/thegar-vinartertur-bakast/
Gaman Saman ‘Fun Together’ Thorrablot 2016: A Visual, Cultural and Culinary Feast! FRIDAY, APRIL 8th REVIVAL – 783 College St, Toronto. 6:30pm Appetizers and Cash Bar 7:30 Feast! Spirited tributes to Icelandic art, poetry, storytelling, singing, and musical performances in our dazzling new venue. Traditional Icelandic food creations from Chef Arden Jackson! Iceland’s Ambassador Sturla […]
What is Thorrablot? It was a sacrificial midwinter festival offered to the gods in pagan Iceland of the past. It was abolished during the Christianization of Iceland, but resurrected in the 19th century as a midwinter celebration that continues to be celebrated to this day. The timing for the festival coincides with the month of Thorri, according […]