Scouting: Artisanal Bread Class @ ICC

Focaccia with Rosemary | Image: Laura Messersmith

If you had told me a few weeks ago that I could shape a pain aux chocolate, bake brioche, or braid challah I wouldn’t have believed you. I used to actively avoid recipes that called for yeast - proofing, folding, shaping - these were all totally foreign to me and really intimidating. Sadness, right? Because bread is sooo good -#ilovecarbs - and even better when you can choose your own adventure with the ingredients.

So, I signed up for the Artisanal Bread class at the International Culinary Center (formerly the French Culinary Institute) in Soho and spent 5 days in the bread kitchen with the talented and encouraging Chef Johnson Yu learning the ins and outs of flour, water, yeast, and salt and how variations in ratios, fermentation time, shaping, and additional ingredients like eggs, olive oil, and whole grains can result in an amazing variety of delicious bread.

 Muesli Brötchen dough | Image: Laura Messersmith

In addition to using giant mixers and scaling - baker speak for measuring by weight - massive quantities of ingredients we also practiced the traditional shapes for bread: batard-shaped multi-grain loaves of pain aux cereal; thumb folded and lengthened baguettes; rolled round, hand-sized muesli brötchen, which loosely translates to “buns with fruit and nuts in them.” We braided that challah I mentioned, twisted soft pretzels, and rolled loops of dough into bagels.

Croissant in Progress | Image: Laura Messersmith

Croissants | Image: Laura Messersmith

I got used to working with a kitchen towel at my waist; a thin dusting of flour on my hands (my notebook from class still has a light coating between the pages.) I learned that there’s something really satisfying about working with bread – the rhythm of timing, the focused mindlessness of portioning and shaping – and something even better about eating a slice that bears your invisible fingerprints. Or visible fingerprints, as in the case of the dimpled focaccia with rosemary.

Walnut Raisin Bread | Image: Laura Messersmith

We now have a plastic bin functioning as make-shift bread freezer on our fire escape thanks to the frigid temperatures in New York, and it’s full to the brim with tightly plastic-wrapped and carefully labeled loaves. One of each kind we made, evidence of the week’s efforts, ready to be defrosted and served – inspiration for future baking endeavors.

International Culinary Center | 462 Broadway; New York, New York 10013 | 888.324.2433

Scouting: Food Photography Class

Pears | Image: Laura Messersmith

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I signed up for a food photography class and promised to fill you in on the experience – well that long awaited day is here along with some pictures from the four day workshop! The class was offered through the International Center for Photography and taught by Susie Cushner, an amazingly talented food and still life photographer.

Seriously, her level of knowledge and attention to detail are incredible – what she can do transform light with a few foam core cards and a black curtain are something to see. Each day I’d come home, brain tired and spinning from all the information it was trying desperately to retain!

We were also fortunate to have the gifts of Nancy Adler, TA and student whisperer, and food stylist Dana Bonagura at our disposal. Dana was on hand during our studio shoots to help us translate our ideas – in my case something vague like “moody vegetables about to be roasted” into beautiful, natural compositions.

Root Vegetables Phase I | Image: Laura Messersmith

Root Vegetables Phase II | Image: Laura Messersmith

My fellow students were fascinating too and the diversity of backgrounds – two chefs, a photographer’s assistant, a photography student, a photography professor, a non-profit communications professional, a blogger, and an event photographer – nationalities, and levels of experience added so much to the discussions. I was lucky to be paired with Margarita Garcia – a much, much more experienced photographer and thankfully one who was so patient with my scramble up the learning curve. Watching her work and talking through the process with her was fascinating; I began to understand the kind of meticulous mindset that professional photographers are in during a shoot.

Bread | Image: Laura Messersmith

Admittedly I didn’t shoot a much as I would have liked, but it also gave me plenty of opportunity to observe and consider how my own process might be informed by my experiences in the class. These were my takeaway lessons…

1.     Understand the basics. Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO, White Balance. Read about these concepts or better yet watch a ton of YouTube videos until you know them cold.

2.     Know your equipment: being familiar with how to change the settings. This video was particularly helpful to me because it used the same model camera I have.

3.     Consider the subject. What will you be photographing? Will the shot be of whole ingredients, process, the finished dish, a plated portion? What do you want the viewer to take away from the shot?

4.     Consider the composition. How will you frame the shot? How many elements will be involved? Don’t ignore the edges or corners – as Susie reminded us the edges are where things get interesting.

5.     Think through the styling. Is the tone rustic, formal, modern, natural, structured? Is it in the kitchen or on the table? How do the props (vessels, linens, utensils, etc.) contribute to telling the “backstory” of the shot? Susie’s mantra: the magic is in the details.

6.     Observe the light. What mood or time of day do you want to convey? What shadows and highlights are present? Does the light help to capture the texture and color of the subject or are some adjustments needed?

7.     Adjust, adjust, adjust. A small tweak here, a nudge there – continually make small changes until you get the shot you want. Repeat after me: the magic is in the details.

8.     See what You see. Bring your personality and perspective to the final shot.

Already I can see the ways that these takeaways lessons are informing the way I approach food photography. It takes an amazing amount of energy and focus to create even the most simple shot and I have such great respect for the professional photographers, food stylists, and prop stylists in this field. 

Fish | Image: Laura Messermith