The Mixing Bowl: Tiramisu by Zara Picken

I love learning interesting tidbits about food, like why there isn’t flour in flourless chocolate cake or how and when chocolate and peanut butter first hooked up, so when illustrator Zara Picken sent me her recipe for Tiramisu, along with an explanation of the dessert's name, I was instantly smitten.

From Zara: I wanted to evoke the colours of the dessert and the meaning –"tira mi su" loosely means “pick me up” or “lift me up” in Italian and the dessert was intended as a cheering dish to be eaten when feeling low. I also referenced the Italian origin of the dessert by imagining the illustration in the context of a 1930s Italian Art Deco poster, the sort you might see in a café.

Pretty neat, huh? I love that Zara put so much thought behind her recipe/illustration!

Zara Picken is an illustrator based in Bristol, England whose work combines mid-century modern design, muted colors, and surreal elements to create something totally unique. Given the fact that Zara is influenced by things like the writing of Haruki Murakami and the film Inception (both of which I love), it's not really surprising that I've developed a fairly major crush on her work. I'm especially fond of her series of people with electronic devices instead of heads. Those may be my favorite pieces. You can check out more of Zara's marvelous work, including the electronic head people via her Etsy shop, Web site, and Flickr page.

You can find the tiramisu recipe and more pics after the jump.

The Mixing Bowl: Black and White Present (Mascarpone) Cupcakes by Tamar Levine and Jennifer Becker

One of the best things about having a website is that it gives you the opportunity to come across new and interesting work that you may not have otherwise seen. You get the chance to discover the work of strangers and, every once in a while, you stumble upon a little unknown something that is so fantastic and wonderful that it makes you do a little happy dance in your seat! This is exactly what happened a couple of months ago, when I was first introduced to the work of Tamar Levine, a fashion, portrait, and fine art photographer based in Los Angeles. After noticing that Tamar had graciously tweeted one of my posts, I checked out her website, and I was so happy that I did! Her photos are so feminine and retro and surreal . . . all things that I love. I want to live inside them or, at the very least, hang them on my wall!

Tamar, who created her Mixing Bowl contribution with the help of her friend and fellow photographer Jennifer Becker, definitely has a penchant for the girlie side of life, so it only makes sense the her recipe for Black and White Present Cupcakes would be not only be pretty but theatrical as well. Just like her photos! Unfortunately, I couldn't include all of my favorite Tamar photographs here, but there is a large selection of images on her website. You can check them out by clicking here. You can find the complete recipe and more photos after the jump. Thanks, Tamar!

The Mixing Bowl: Easy Vanilla Cheesecake by Sally Elford

Today's Mixing Bowl recipe comes for Vanilla Cheesecake comes from illustrator and print maker Sally Elford. Based in the UK, Sally is influenced by mid-century artists like Jan Balet, Miroslav Sasek, and, my longtime favorite, Charley Harper! In the past, she has worked with clients such as Oxford University Press, BBC Worldwide, and Readers Digest, to name a few, and recently started creating and selling limited edition prints on her Etsy site where you can find a nice selection of her great designs. Personally, I really love the Peaceful Park print, but check out her shop to find your favorite!

The last few Mixing Bowl posts have been fruit-filled desserts, so I was excited when Sally sent over this vanilla cheesecake recipe! Not that I have anything against fruit, in fact I love it, but this is great recipe to lead us into fall Quick, easy, and a great way to impress your guests. What's could be better?

Click here to check out the illustrations on Sally’s Etsy site and here to check out more images on her Web site. Thanks, Sally!


Recipe and more images after the jump.

Lemon Mascarpone Mmmmm

My mom made this delicious Lemon Mascarpone Pudding over the weekend. It doesn't look like much in the picture, but trust me, it was sooo good!

It features two of my favorite dessert components: a cookie crust AND lemon curd. Just add some mascarpone cheese and you've got the perfect summer treat! Oh, and my mom put it in a bowl, instead of parfait glasses, so everyone was free to scoop out as little . . . or as much as they wanted. For the complete recipe, visit Relish magazine's Web site.