randomness aside

Apple Bones

2011-08-11T15:12:00.002-04:00

Apple bones breakfast tart.

Recently I’ve been on a bit of a baking kick; breads and pastries for the most part, with a primary focus on artisan breads. I’ve had the help of Peter Reinhart’s amazing book Artisan breads Everyday. Now it hasn’t been an everyday thing, more like 3 or 4 times a week, mainly because there is only so much bread I can eat in a given week. A man can only take so many carbs before he explodes into an enormous blimp with a resemblance of a human being. Nevertheless I have been pushing the limits of my carb intake in order to achieve baking mastery, and if you have read my prior post The Muffin Man I'm not doing half bad. This week I decided to venture away from the book to try my hand at my own creation, a trial by fire so to speak. I came up with something with the semblance of a pair of fruit filled thumbprint pastries joined at birth and coated with sugary goodness, I'll call them apple bones.

When setting out to make these I had a basic idea of how it would all go together. First it had to be made with a sweet dough, similar to that of a cinnamon roll. This was chosen due to it's structure, it's generally a dense bread which holds its shape well, while having the substance to compliment something like apples and other fruits. They also needed to be able to be easily consumed by hand as the last thing I want to do in the morning is be washing dishes, or dealing with a fork and knife when I've been conscious for a mere 5 minutes. Lastly it needed to taste amazing, which is where the cinnamon, apples, and sugary glaze come into play, without them it might be mistaken for healthy food, and we definitely can't have that; this is comfort food, period. Now today I'm going to share this recipe with you as I think the result is worthy of sharing with the world. During the initial baking the bones had risen a bit more than I had wanted so I've adjusted the recipe accordingly; the result of what follows won't be as doughy as my initial tests.

Apple Bones

makes roughly 12 bones

Dough

6¼ cups (794 g) unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons (14 g) salt

6 tablespoons (85 g) sugar

3 teaspoons (9 g) instant yeast

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (482 g) lukewarm milk

½ cup (113 g) vegetable oil or melted unsalted butter

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Fruit Filling

3 Jonathan apples (cut into no larger than 1 inch cubes)

1 cup (170 g) cool water

2 ½ tablespoons (32.5 g) sugar

1.5 tablespoons (10 g) cornstarch

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Glaze

4 cups (340 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons (43 g) light corn syrup (optional)

1 teaspoon (7 g) vanilla, lemon, or orange extract, or 1 tablespoon (0.75 oz / 21 g) orange juice concentrate (optional)

½ cup (120 g) milk

Preparation (Day before)

To make the dough, combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Whisk the yeast into the milk until dissolved, then pour the mixture into the dry ingredients, along with the oil and lemon zest. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed for 4 minutes, adding flour or milk as needed to create a smooth, soft, slightly sticky ball of dough. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes more until the dough is very soft, supple, and tacky.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand for 1 minute, then form it into a ball.

Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed, or continue mixing by hand, for 4 minutes, adding flour or milk as needed to create a smooth, soft, slightly sticky ball of dough. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and refrigerate overnight

On Baking Day

Fruit Filling

Poach the diced apples in boiling water for 1 minute, then drain. Whisk the water, sugar, salt, and cornstarch together in a saucepan to make a slurry, then bring it to a boil over a medium heat, stirring constantly. It should thicken by the time it comes to a boil. Remove it from the heat immediately, then stir in the fruit.

Glaze

Stir the sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla together. Gradually whisk in the milk, adding just enough to make a thick but creamy glaze about the same thickness as pancake batter, adjusting with more liquid or sugar as needed.

Remove dough from refrigerator and divide into 3 ounce (85 g) pieces and shape them into balls, then roll them back and forth with your 4 fingers over a lightly floured surface so they are the shape of dumbbells. Place them on a parchment lined sheet pan 2 inches apart, mist lightly with spray oil, then cover loosely with plastic wrap. Proof at room temperature for 2 hours. Once the proofing is complete create a bowl for your fruit in each end of each roll, basically use your fingers to push down and out until the bowl is about 2 inches in circumference. Fill each with your fruit filling, and place in an oven preheated to 375°F for a little over 15 minutes, or until brown on top.

Remove the bones from the oven and brush with the glaze immediately, be generous as again this is not health food. Sprinkle cinnamon over them and allow them to cool for 5 minutes then drizzle more glaze on top of them for decoration.

If you're still with me you should have something amazing!

The Muffin Man

2011-08-05T11:19:00.000-04:00

Homemade english muffin om nom nom

When I was a child it seemed like I would have english muffins almost daily for breakfast. Not only were they inexpensive (89 cents for a package of 6 if memory serves me well) they were also absolutely delicious. Filled with a seemingly infinite amount of little nooks and crannies which either by design or fate make perfect homes for butter or jam. With the right topping these were essentially the breakfast food of the gods, delicious, nutritious, and cheap, nothing could match.

That was the case until I moved to Colorado; for some reason english muffins were a rarity in stores there, no matter where I looked they couldn't be found, and if I did find them they were $3.50/6 Thomas english muffins which never seemed to go on sale. Nothing against Thomas english muffins, but that's an awful lot to pay for something which is included in every continental breakfast across America. Seriously there has to be another (more economical way).

I had this problem for some time, Colorado had a limited supply, Hong Kong only had a few at the high end supermarkets. It seems now the problem has been solved thanks to a guy named Peter Reinhart. Lately I've been reading a few of his books and came across a wonderful recipe for english muffins in The Bread Baker's Apprentice. Before now I had never dreamed of making these at home, with no clue on where to even begin with the process. It turns out that they're just as easy as making a loaf of bread, or making french toast even, nothing to it! Here's the recipe used, it's incredibly quick and easy, and produces amazing results. All credit goes to Peter Reinhart, if you love the outcome as much as I do don't hesitate to grab a copy of his book here. as there's a lot more amazing recipes where this one came from.

English Muffins

Makes 6 English muffins

2¼ cups (10 ounces) unbleached bread flour
½ tablespoon (.25 ounce) granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon (.19 ounce) salt
1¼ teaspoons (.14 ounce) instant yeast
1 tablespoon (.5 ounce) shortening or unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ to 1 cup (6 to 8 ounces) milk or buttermilk, at room temperature
Cornmeal for dusting

1. Stir together the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Stir in (or mix in on low speed with the paddle attachment) the shortening and ¾ cup milk until the ingredients form a ball. If there is still loose flour in the bowl, dribble in some of the remaining ¼ cup milk. The dough should be soft and pliable, not stiff.

2. Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mixing on medium speed with the dough hook). Knead the dough for about 10 minutes (or mix for about 8 minutes), sprinkling in more flour if needed to make a tacky, but not sticky, dough. It should pass the windowpane test and register 77° to 81° degrees F. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Ferment at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size.

4. Wipe the counter with a damp cloth and transfer the dough to the counter. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces of 3 ounces each. Shape the pieces into boules (or round rolls). Line a sheet pan with baking parchment, mist the parchment lightly with spray oil, and dust with cornmeal. Transfer the balls of dough to the sheet pan, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Mist them lightly with spray oil, sprinkle them loosely with cornmeal, and cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a towel.

5. Proof at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the pieces nearly double in size and swell both up and out.

6. Heat a skillet or flat griddle to medium (350°F if you have a thermometer setting). Also, preheat the oven to 350°F with the oven rack on the middle shelf.

7. Brush the pan or griddle with vegetable oil or mist with spray oil. Uncover the muffin rounds and gently transfer them to the pan, sliding a metal spatula under them and lifting them to the pan. Fill the pan so that the pieces are at least 1 inch apart, not touching. Cover the pieces still on the sheet pan with the plastic wrap or a towel to prevent them from developing a skin. The dough that is being cooked will flatten in the pan and spread slightly, then the pieces will puff somewhat. Cook them for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the bottom of the dough cannot cook any longer without burning. The bottoms should be a rich golden brown; they will brown quickly but will not burn for awhile, so resist the temptation to turn them prematurely or they will fall when you flip them over. Carefully flip the pieces over with the metal spatula and cook on the other side for 5 to 8 minutes in the same manner. Both sides will now be flat. When the dough seems as if it cannot endure any further cooking without burning, transfer the pieces to a sheet pan and place the pan in the oven (don’t wait for the still uncooked pieces, or the ones just out of the pan will cool down and will not respond to the oven stage). Bake for 5 to 8 minutes on the middle shelf in the oven to ensure that the center is baked. Meanwhile, return to the uncooked pieces and cook them, then bake them, as you did the first round.

8. Transfer the baked muffins to a cooling rack and cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing or serving.

Again all credit goes to Peter Reinhart, somehow this man is the god of breads. Enjoy!

Orchids in Bloom

2011-07-27T12:13:00.001-04:00

Lady slippers surrounding a rotting stump

The mere sight of a lady’s slipper takes your breath away, but when you become aware of their germination process, and what it takes to produce a plant, they become even more of a wonder. According to Jack Sanders in The Secrets of Wildflowers, the seed of a lady’s slipper is extremely small, and has no food to provide it with sustenance. However, there is a certain fungus, Rhizoctonia, which can digest the outer cells of a lady’s slipper’s seeds. If this fungus and a lady’s slipper seed come in contact with each other, and if the fungus digests the outer cells of the seed but not the inner cells, and if the inner cells absorb some of the fungus’s nutrients that it obtained from the soil then germination may take place. Given all these ifs, it’s a wonder that there are as many of these beauties in our woodlands as there are!

I was lucky enough to stumble upon a patch of these surrounding a rotting stump in the rural woods in Maine. In this area these orchids begin to flower in late may and only last for 3 weeks at the most before the moccasin shaped flower withers and falls off, or is eaten by a white tail deer; a delicacy for them I guess. Due to it's rarity it is protected in most areas, and rightly so as it is quite a treat to stumble upon such beauty on the forest floor.

Belgian Delicacies

2011-06-14T13:24:00.001-04:00

Selection of Belgian pralines we ate today.

Early this morning I walked the few blocks to London St. Pancras station and departed for Brussels, Belgium. The security at the train station was surprisingly lax, reminiscent of the way airports used to be before everyone became paranoid; metal detector, belt for luggage, and you're finished, bring all the liquids you please. About 2 hours later and we left our first train and boarded a 2nd for Antwerp.

One thing we had to try when we reached Antwerp were Belgium's legendary pralines. For those who are unfamiliar pralines are small chocolate shells covering a cream or nut paste center similar to the variety box of chocolates everyone gets on Valentines day. These are coated with many types of chocolate from white chocolate to the darkest of the dark, and filled with various types of nougat and nuts.

Today, after a recommendation from the owner of the bed and breakfast we are staying at, we stopped at a place called The Chocolate Line. These guys have an extremely large range of pralines and various other chocolate products such as large luxury chocolate bars, and even chocolate lipstick. We just decided to test them out by getting a few flavors today; wasabi, sake, a few different types of caramel, even a cinnamon. If you haven't had a chance to try Belgian pralines then you're missing out on some of the best chocolate concoctions in the world.

Google Sketchup

2011-06-13T10:23:00.000-04:00

Google Sketchup high power bicycle light.

From time to time I find myself trying random 3d design programs just to play around and see what comes of it. Not sticking to one is somewhat cumbersome because I generally forget most of the workflow and commands from one to the next, however it is fun while it lasts. Yesterday I decided to give Google's 3d modeler a try; Google Sketchup 8. The aim of this program seems to be ease of use over shiny beautiful hyperrealistic models that you see coming out of 3DS Max and Maya, but the end results are still impressive nonetheless.

Again their primary goal is to provide a 3D program which is easily accessible to new users, yet good enough for professionals. They do this, and they do it very well; after 30 minutes of flying through their basic tutorials basically anyone can move on to start creating their own basic models extremely quickly. Anyone with an idea can throw down a 3d model nearly as quickly as they can sketch it on paper (or even faster for those lacking artistic abilities.)

A note about the bicycle light I designed. Bicycle lights are extremely expensive with prices of several hundred dollars for something nearly as bright as the low beams on a car, quite expensive to ensure your safety. A light of greater efficiency and power can be built for less than $100. Major parts list below:

Housing made of aluminum or copper: Either a custom job like above, or could be done with copper tubing.
Pair of high capacity 18650 lithium-ion batteries.
An XM-L T5 LED
2 x XP-G R5 LED
Regulated 5 Mode LED driver
3 x Light defusers (lenses)
A switch and some wires to let the electricity to go from 1 place to another and you have yourself a bike light. Schematics coming later.

Church's Footwear Service

2011-06-08T14:23:00.001-04:00

Casual suede Church's brand shoes - The culprit

A little bit of a rant today. During my last trip to London in January I picked up a pair of high end shoes to replace a pair of sneakers that were both out of fashion and destroyed. After a few recommendations from my fiance, who as you all know knows more about shoes than most I decided on a great pair of casual suede leather shoes from Church's Footwear.

Church's Footwear began as a family shoe making business in 1873 and built up a remarkable reputation as some of the finest men's shoes coming out of England. They received such wide acclaim that they became James Bond's (Pierce Bronsan era 1995-2002) go to shoe. Know for their extraordinarily high quality, and classic men's styling they became a well known gentleman's shoe.

Roughly 10 years ago they were bought out by the Prada group; makers of Prada, Miu Miu, Car Shoe, and formerly Jil Sanders. The Prada group introduced their own flavor into certain products of the Church's line, leaving most of the classics still handmade in England. Unfortunately it seems the majority of their casual shoes are not handmade in England anymore, but in Italy. A few weeks ago I dropped this pair off to have them repaired due to the sole separating after less than 5 months. Normally when a pair of shoes cost more than $200 you have a expectation that they will last a reasonable amount of time with proper care. Unfortunately this wasn't the case, and it seems they are no longer standing behind their products as they would not give me my shoes back without paying a $100+ bill for re-glueing the front part of the sole together. Had I known there would be a charge I would have done it myself with the exact same shoe glue they use sitting right in my fiance's apartment. Customer service refuses to return calls as well.

I really do like their style of shoes, and the workmanship involved in creating their classic line, but it seems they have strayed from their roots. They are no longer a family business who respects their customers; sadly that was traded for arrogant staff, and poor customer service

The Holiest of Beers

2011-06-06T11:33:00.000-04:00

I'm not much of a drinker, but I do enjoy trying new beers from time to time. My most recent tasting was of a very unique beer brewed by Belgian Trappist monks called Achel 8° Blonde. The beer was served in a Trappist style glass (similar in shape to a goblet) and had a huge foamy head that looks like a french vanilla float. Underneath all that foam was a nice dark blonde beer with a wonderfully pleasant rich fruit and floral yeast aroma. The taste is of sweet malt with some hop bitterness, light bodied with creamy texture, just amazing.

This was my first Trappist beer, and honestly I'm quite excited to try more. There currently exists only 7 Trappist breweries worldwide; one in the Netherlands, and the other 6 residing in Belgium. The monks living in these monasteries brew the beer for themselves and to support the monastery and it's various causes. The Achel brewery is one of the newest in the Trappist brewing field starting in just 1998, with the oldest operating being the Westmalle Abbey starting in 1836.

It seems most of the Trappist beers are very well crafted and possess a very high alcohol content between 7 and 12% making these not for the light of heart. I'm hopping I can try each one of them while in Belgium in the coming weeks, and report back. If you happen to find a Trappist beer however I definitely recommend it. Any recommendations of quality Belgian beer is greatly appreciated.

Moving Picture

2011-06-04T06:35:00.000-04:00

I just had the pleasure of watching a wonderful Japanese movie called Love Exposure. It's a 4 hour long epic about 3 emotionally damaged teens in Japan locked in a love triangle. Yu, the main character, is a misguided son of a priest who is doing anything to find his Mary (read Virgin Mary). The other parts of the love triangle are Yoko; abused by her father runs away with one of her father's many girlfriends, and finally Koike who was brought up by an over bearing father and is now the leader of a brainwashing cult.

The trailer does the movie no justice, and me trying to describe it would also leave most confused and put off, so it's best to just watch it. The only way to describe it is the perfect plot, perfect sound track, and an epic love story worthy of the 4 hours it takes to watch it.

Luxury Elven Heels

2011-06-03T13:34:00.001-04:00

Frontal view; goat suede on the sides,
sheep leather for the upper and tongue
and rawhide lacing.

My fiance has completed another set of shoes, and this is one of my favorite designs to date. They incorporate goat suede and leather made from sheep. This is her first boot style heel, but I think it came out great. The first thing that came to mind, much to her dismay, was that they look like elven shoes. I may be a bit biased, but honestly I don't think these would be out of place a shelf at Saks or Nordstrom selling for a few hundred dollars.

Closeup of the lacing and the texture of the goat
suede. She actually used the back side of the
suede because of the texture it possessed.

The mandatory 3/4 view.

豆苗, Dau Miu, Snow Pea Sprouts, A Vegetable By Many Names

2011-06-02T06:30:00.000-04:00

Dau miu: snow pea shoots stir fried with garlic

When I lived in Hong Kong I used to go to many local dim sum restaurants and the people I was with would always order a stir fried green leafy vegetable dish. It was one of my favorite vegetable dishes there yet I had no idea what it was, and nobody could really explain it in English when asked. Tonight I went to have some crispy duck in London's chinatown...I know, again in Chinatown, I should have rented a place there. There I finally found out that this magnificent dish is actually the shoots from snow pea plants steamed with garlic.

These are one of the most delicious vegetables that can be stir fried and are considered a Chinese delicacy. If you haven't tried this it's a must. I don't remember seeing this on the menu in any Chinese restaurants I've been to in the US, although surely it's available in the Chinatowns of larger cities such as New York and probably available in quite a few places in California. So rather than search through all of the Chinese style restaurants here's a quick little recipe for it.

Ingredients
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
A couple handfuls of fresh snow pea sprouts
A dash of salt

Instructions
Heat oil in wok over medium/high heat
Add the minced garlic (if it starts to crisp or go brown the the heat is too high)
Add a dash of salt
Add the snow pea sprouts and toss them around for a minute or 2 until they look like the picture

Cycling in Belgium

2011-06-01T12:13:00.000-04:00

Belgium cycling map courtesy of fietsroute.org

This week I've been planning a trip to Belgium towards the end of the month. I haven't been there before, nor do I know anyone who has been or anyone from there so I figured it would be the perfect place to go explore. We'll be taking the Eurostar from central London through the Chunnel, through northern France and into Belgium, stopping in Brussels. A 2 and a half hour journey by train is a lot nicer and more relaxed than 2 and a half hours of dealing with security and customs at an airport for a 40 minute flight.

While researching how to get around northern Belgium I found that they have an extensive cycling network with more then 2500 miles of cycling paths criss-crossing throughout just the northern half of the country. Most of these are long distance routes cutting through most of the major towns and cities, and even crossing borders into Amsterdam and the Netherlands. This is a great contrast to what is seen in the US where you're lucky to have a narrow bicycle lane in a city. Admittedly some cities have nice networks for cyclists such a Denver/Boulder and Portland Oregon, but they pale in comparison to a country wide paved network of paths set apart from the larger vehicles like cars and trucks.

I'll be sure to post a few pictures if I see anything of interest. I'm not entirely sure what to expect from this country other than cycling, chocolate, and beer. Actually those 3 things should make for an exciting trip.

Epic Lunch of Champions

2011-05-30T10:02:00.000-04:00

Salmon box from the Hare & Tortoise restaurant

I've been on a bit of a sushi kick the past few days, going to various Japanese restaurants around the area. Yesterday I found myself at a place called Hare & Tortoise. It's more of an Asian restaurant than strictly Japanese with quality Thai, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese dishes filling the menu.

This time I ended up ordering one of my favorite Japanese dishes; a salmon box. It consists of 2 salmon nigiri (salmon laid on top of a ball of rice), 6 salmon maki (the salmon sushi rolls), 3 pieces of salmon sushimi (just pieces of salmon with nothing else), and a salmon temaki or handroll (salmon, cucumber, salmon roe, and rice wrapped in a cone shaped seaweed.) It looked so good that I had to take a picture of it (seen to the right.)

It makes for a very fresh and filling lunch which doesn't leave you feeling stuffed and bloated afterwards. Even for those who haven't had sushi before it's a good starter dish.

Ghost Bike

2011-05-27T10:17:00.000-04:00

Ghost Bike in London

Wandering around in East London today and spotted this fitting reminder of a fallen cyclist; a ghost bike. I've seen these in a few other cities such as New York, and even Denver and they're always a chilling reminder of the constant danger of being a cyclist in a major city. Be safe out there.

School of Life

2011-05-26T08:32:00.001-04:00

Near where I'm staying is a little store front near Russell Square called The School of Life. The shop sells a small number of books and gifts and also displays information about all The School of Life's services and programs. Beneath the shop is a classroom where small classes are held. According to the "school's" website the school offers a variety of programs and services concerned with how to live wisely and well, addressing such questions as why work is often unfulfilling, why relationships can be so challenging, why it’s ever harder to stay calm and what one could do to try to change the world for the better.

They have quite a diverse mix of offerings at the school from meals, to sermons(lectures), to field trips and demonstrations. The School of Life titles its courses according to things we all tend to care about; careers, relationships, politics, travels, families. An evening or weekend on one of its courses is likely to be spent reflecting on such matters as they seem to promote learning about yourself more than anything else.
In sum, this shop offers access to great minds, town hall meetings, trips, and well-chosen books... all in an effort to provide answers to the hard questions and help you live a fulfilling life. Here is one of their very informative Sunday sermons given by one of the school's founders Alain de Botton.

It's Good Enough

2011-05-21T07:20:00.000-04:00

Spotted this today while wandering around. If it's good enough for them then it's good enough for a post.

Goodenough College: Central London

Chop Chop Redux

2011-05-20T09:09:00.001-04:00

In a previous post (Chop Chop) I detailed a bit of Chinese chop stick etiquette. This post of course left out a huge portion of the chop stick using population; the Japanese and Koreans. Today I am comparing three countries, Korea, China, and Japan, each of which have their own style of chopstick and different etiquette.

Chinese chopsticks are the longest of the 3 styles of chopsticks and have a square end. The material they are made from is typically wood, however they have been made of many different materials from ivory to plastic. There is no definite answer to why they the are longest, but it is said that it is because the Chinese typically share their food. When they sit at the table there are many dishes in the middle and each person pulls a bit of food rather than piling everything they will eat onto their plate as in other cultures. The wider and longer chopsticks make it easier to move food from a bigger serving dish to a smaller eating dish.

Japanese chopsticks are considerably shorter than those of the Chinese and taper to a point at the tip. The difference in shape may have been influenced by different eating customs; thinner, pointed chopsticks make it easier to pick up smaller, more delicate, pieces of food. When Japanese food is served it is typically served in many small portion sized dishes for each person. An example meal would be steamed rice, miso soup, a protein based dish such as grilled fish, and a vegetable dish such as sweet potato. It is common for most Japanese to raise the dishes close to their mouth while eating which is much easier to do using shorter chopsticks.

Korean chopsticks are similar in length to japanese chopsticks but are vastly different in design. Korean chopsticks have a width like Chinese chopsticks, but are almost completely flat throughout their entire length; so while the cross-section of a Chinese chopstick would look like a square that of a Korean chopstick would look like a very thin rectangle. In contrast to the other types of chopsticks these are made of silver, brass or even iron. They are also ornately decorated on the wider end which is held. The Koreans also accompany their chopstick use with a spoon by using the chopsticks to transfer some items to their spoon which is then used to eat. I'm not sure how this practice came about, but I do know these types of chopsticks are the ones I'm least familiar with, and least comfortable using. The rectangle shape makes them quite difficult to handle.

While this post doesn't cover every aspect of these culture's different ways it gives a basic idea of how things work. If I missed anything on got anything wrong then please let me know in the comment section.

Shoe Making Part 1 - Pattern Cutting

2011-05-19T09:07:00.001-04:00

Shoe making primer through photos.

My fiance has been kind enough to share some of her footwear making notes with me. She documents every part of the process of making a shoe so this will be the first in a series of posts about the art of shoe making. The process involved in making proper footwear is quite complex so I'll be doing my best to outline the majority of it through captioned photos. In order to get the form of the shoe and start cutting the pattern the process starts out with the use of a shoe last made of wood, plastic, or in rare cases iron. For most modern shoes these lasts come in pairs; one left and one right.

Shown here is the last being taped. This is done in order to have a surface which can be made flat for cutting of the pattern.

Once the last is fully taped a straight line is drawn marking the center of the last. This is the mark guiding how the pattern will be flattened. There is also a line marking the center of the heel of the shoe.

Next marks are made on the tape detailing the joint of the shoe (where the foot bends.) Design lines are also added to the tape and will give a general idea of how the finished shoe will look.

The tape is then cut down the center line and removed from the last. There is no tape on the bottom of the last, only the upper part.

Once removed from the last the tape is then laid on paper to. The paper is cut using the tape as a guide. The paper is much easier to work with and reusable.

Design lines are then transferred to the paper. Noticed the stitch lines as well. Seam allowances can be calculated based on this so everything can be prepared before a cut is made.

The paper pattern is cut based on the seam lines. Each of these is a different piece of leather and will be sewn together later in the process.

This details the basics of pattern making for shoe design. In the next part of this series we will be reviewing stitching the leather together to finish making the upper part of the shoe.

Using the paper pattern as a guide the leather is then cut to shape

Interesting landmark in central London

2011-05-18T11:58:00.000-04:00

Entrance; which is under a hotel in central London.

There is an amazingly fun venue near where I'm staying called Bloomsbury Lanes. It's an old American style bowling alley with old time American eats. They offer a few different menus all with traditional bowling style fare; burgers, pizzas, wings, classic ice cream milk shakes served in a glass with 2 straws. I know I should be eating more traditional British cuisine, but I'd be hard pressed to find a place like this even in the US.

It's more than just a restaurant though. They offer 8 lanes of large ball 10 pin bowling at a rate of something like £4 per game. Apart from the bowling they offer private karaoke rooms suitable for groups of 6-30 people (haven't experienced this however as I'd rather not break their equipment with my terrible singing. )

Equipped with state of the art old skool bowling shoes.

Add all this together with live bands 4-5 days per week and this is the place to be if you're bored with the London pubs which fill up as early as 4pm and generally have the same feel no matter what part of London you're in. If you ever find yourself in central London this place is a must to balance out the regal tourist destinations of the city.

Crispy Ducky in Chinatown

2011-05-17T06:02:00.001-04:00

Crispy duck and some fixings

Whenever I travel to London I always make it a point to visit Chinatown. The restaurants there are very authentic and reminiscent of the local restaurants of Hong Kong and China. My trip wouldn't be complete without having my favorite Asian appetizer; crispy aromatic duck. This time I stopped at the Four Seasons restaurant in the heart of Chinatown, who are said to have the best in all of England. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but they do make a really tasty duck.

This dish is very similar to Peking duck for those who are familiar. The duck is first marinated with spices, then steamed until tender, and finally deep fried until crispy. This leaves an amazingly low fat and deliciously crispy skin on meat. In most restaurants here the server brings the duck (whole, half, or quarter size) directly to the table on a platter and uses a fork and spoon to shred it into chunks. Accompanying the duck is a bamboo steamer filled with thin flour pancakes similar to soft tortillas, fresh cucumbers, and a plum sauce similar to but a bit sweeter than hoisen sauce. You're basically left to the task of assembling the given ingredients to your liking, like a make your own taco night. Spread the sauce on the pancake, add a bit of duck and vegetables, wrap and enjoy a mouthful of bliss.

New Barefoot Kicks

2011-05-16T11:36:00.000-04:00

On days when I have to do a bit of walking or hiking my dressy Chruch's brand shoes however fashionable don't quite cut it in the endurance comfort department. Just the other day while doing a bit of shopping I spotted the Merrell Trail Glove at a local outdoors store.

I've been keen on the "barefoot running/walking" fad since the release of the Vibram Five Fingers shoes. Unfortunately my footwear design studying fiance considers them the most hideous footwear on the planet short of anything made by Crocs. Luckily there exists a few alternatives; the Nike Free shoes, Vivo Barefoot shoes, the Feelmax shoes. The pair I've been sporting are the Merrell Trail Glove in the ninjaesque black/molten lava color scheme.

It does take a while to get used to the way you walk/run in them, it shy's away from the heel toe action we're all so used to and encourages a more flat running stance, which should help lessen impact injuries and improve your posture. The whole concept of barefoot running/walking is to go back to a more natural running style, which makes you feel more at one with your surroundings but also helps take the strain off your leg muscles.

The strawberries taste like strawberries, and the strasberries taste like strasberries, and then pineberries taste like....umm pineberries?

2011-05-13T17:46:00.000-04:00

In my previous post (strasberry post) I wrote about a limited edition Dutch fruit called the strasberry sold in Waitrose stores across the UK. I arrived in London yesterday and visited a Waitrose on my way from Heathrow. To my dismay according to the grocer at that particular Waitrose they have discontinued the strasberry. Apparently Waitrose likes to feature only one designer fruit at a time this time of year.

Like the strasberry mentioned before the pineberry has the same genetics as the common strawberry. Also like the strasberry it was rescued from near extinction by a small group of Dutch farmers within the past few years. It seems these dutch farmers have become quite bored with the common strawberry and need to experiment a bit.
These have a look of a small inside out strawberry with a snow white exterior, with crimson red seed pits dotting the outside. The insides are bright white as well. The taste is very similar to the strasberry to my pleasant surprise. It resembles a wild strawberry but is a bit sweeter and a bit more intense. I'm very surprised with the amount of sweet juiciness that is packed into a package the size of a raspberry. If you're currently in the UK I recommend checking this fruit out. I believe it's only available at Waitrose stores at a price of $6.50 (£3.99) per 100 grams.

Raw pre-processing

2011-05-10T12:59:00.002-04:00

Portland Headlight - Portland, ME

When traveling I generally take pictures in raw format, in my case Nikon NEF. I shoot raw for a few different reasons; higher dynamic range, full control over the picture, post exposure error correction, the list goes on. It does come with it's disadvantages though, one of which being that my underpowered travel netbook bogs down to a crawl when processing them. There is however a bit of salvation. Since I use linux on my netbook I have access to the powerful command line and a little program called ufraw.

By using this program I can convert all of my raw images from my memory card to jpg format for easy and quick review. I can review all of my photos and prune out the duplicates and bad shots. The whole process is incredibly easy and only consists of 1 line of command-line-fu.

ufraw-batch --out-type=jpeg --out-path=/home/Pictures/export --compression=85 /media/memory_card/MyPics/*.NEF

This leaves you with jpg files in a separate folder for reviewing so you know which of your raw files you should keep and which you should delete.

Traveling

2011-05-05T23:21:00.002-04:00

I'll be traveling a bit over the course of the next month or so. Today I made the 6+ hour drive north to the Canadian border for my sister's nursing school graduation ceremony. On tuesday I'll be boarding a virgin atlantic flight in Boston destined for London where I'll be meeting my fiance for our impromptu mini-vacation to the Isle of Wight off England's south coast. I'm not exactly sure what's going on after that, it's kind of up in the air at the moment, but I'll be sure to document my adventures thoroughly.

Antler Ring

2011-05-04T11:20:00.001-04:00

Polished antler ring with antler behind.

As some of you may know if you read my previous post "Snowy Adventures" I came across a deer head with antlers still attached (see post for photo of antlers.) Well I actually carried the antlers with me back home, and I've been meaning to do something with them for quite some time. After a few hours of browsing the interwebs for ideas and coming up with nothing but hat racks, and gun racks I decided to go it alone. I finally decided on a ring for my fiance (not engagement, she already has one of those, an antler engagement ring would be kinda tacky I think.)

The end of the antler was wide enough to make a ring out of so I started sawing with my ryoba (double edged Japanese pull saw.) After about 5 minutes of that I was off the the store to buy a respirator, the smell of antlers dust is worse than burning flesh and I can't imagine it being good for my lungs. Once cut it was then clamped down and a hole was bored using a spade bit in the drill press. Drilling the hole was quite easy since the marrow was a bit soft in the center, like a gross chewy caramel core. After that it was just a few days worth of hand sanding the outer part of the ring to refine the shape and smooth it. The finishing touch was a few hours of polishing compound and cloth to give it a nice shine (difficult to see in the photo as I don't have the proper setup to take amazing photos of jewelry.) Anyway I think it came out well and has a really amazing unique texture to it, I hope she likes it.

Privacy Policy

2011-05-02T20:05:00.003-04:00

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