Art to get your Fangs into | Murray Lloyd Photography

High tea by moonlight anyone? An exhibition at Mahara Gallery by Jonathan Cameron shows “alluring” photographs of a high tea. Recipes photographed include Blood Velvet Cake, White Chocolate Scone with Bloodberry Jam, Summer Pudding with Bloodberry Coulis, Blood Panacotta Tart with Rose Petals, Bloodberry Slice and Vodka Blood Jelly. The recipes made by Jonathan and his partner Michelle all include blood.These morbid images satisfy art world cravings (and vampires) but would not be attractive to my real world food clients.

Blood velvet cake

White chocolate scone with bloodberry jam by Jonathan Cameron

Summer pudding with bloodberry coulis by Jonathan Cameron.

Blood panacotta tart with rose petals, by Jonathan Cameron.

Bloodberry slice by Jonathan Cameron.

Vodka Bloodberry Jellys by Jonathan Cameron.

The  Mahara Gallery exhibition has finished but you can view this exhibition and more of Jonathan's work here

Quince from tree to plate | Murray Lloyd Photography

Quince on tree

Quince tree in Havelock North.

Sign avertising Quince for sale in Hawkes Bay.

Below are organic quince growing at Epicurian Supplies

Organic quince growing at Epicurian Supplies in Hastings, Hawkes Bay.

also seen at Epicurian Supplies

Organic quince in box at Epicurian Supplies in Hastings, Hawkes Bay.

the ones below were photographed for Ruth Pretty's jars of Quince Jelly

Quince photo for Ruth Pretty Catering.

Product photo of Ruth Pretty Quince Jelly.

Quince Tart Tartin at Depot Restaurant in Auckland, delicious.

Quince Tart Tatin at Depot Restaurant in Auckland

Journey to a Christmas Pudding | Murray Lloyd Photography

Mother in law would be delighted if I made the pud. Raisins yes, sultanas yes, currents yes…dried pineapple must get, figs also, beef suet must get, so much for being vegetarian….brandy yes, sherry must get - great chilled pre-dinner drink. Need a 1.5 litre bowl … and a space offive 7 ½ uninterrupted hours. Need string. Mother in law provides bowl, suet from the butcher. All assembled. Have coffee and begin. Chop, chop chop. Suet rather smelly, minced, rubbed in. Mix into bowl. Paper lids on, teflon rubber bands replace string. Pud in pot. That took 2 ½ hrs only 5hrs to go….water gets in top of pud. redo paper still 5hrs to go...

finished pudding should look something like this, recipe in Ruth Pretty Cooks at Home or you can find it here..eat in 2012 or even better save for 2013. Another recipe from the book might also be good around Christmas.

Traditional Christmas pudding by Ruth Pretty.

Ruth Pretty's Cheese Roll Recipe | Murray Lloyd Photography

I have even noticed a few much neglected asparagus spears popping up in our garden. However you will need more than a few spears to make the Toasted Asparagus and Swiss Cheese roll recipe from Ruth Pretty's latest book.

Ruth's book was a great project to work on as the food images were complemented by editorial photography, landscapes and photos of garden produce.

Ruth's recipe is a healthy  version of the famous Dunedin cheese roll.

Toasted Asparagus and Swiss Cheese Rolls

Heavenly ham and salmon | Murray Lloyd Photography

Ham and salmon were the stars on the menu at a recent 21st party we catered. A ham from Waikanae Butchery was ordered - the pork came from Murrellen Pork in Canterbury. It was cured for three days and given a hint of wood smoke before being glazed. Picked up on the morning of the party, all it needed was half an hour in the oven.

The salmon was purchased from Moore Wilson's in Wellington. It was marinated with star anise, ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil for 4 hrs before being baked in tinfoil for an hour (it was 3.5kgs). The only advice I have is make sure you have a large platter to serve the fish.

Washed down with 1990 Te Mata Awatea (21yrs old) the ham and salmon were highly praised  including the response "eating this salmon is like being in Heaven". The two dishes easily fed the 45 guests (with salads and spuds). I absolutely recommend the Waikanae Butchery for any meat, and this is the recipe for the salmon by Ruth Pretty.

Soy, star anise and ginger whole baked salmon for Ruth Pretty cookbook

Walnut recipes by Ruth Pretty| Murray Lloyd Photography

Having only eaten walnuts sporadically I was intrigued to find although the nut has culinary use, the shells are used for making dynamite, oil paint, plastics and helping to drill oil wells. I am sure the dynamite discovery must have come from some lateral thinker watching the walnuts 'explode' from their husks before falling to the ground.

Fresh walnut ripening on tree

The walnuts (roasted) go well with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Champagne...

Whole Parmiganio Reggiano cheese with cheese straws and champagne.

...but if you desire something tasty on a smaller budget try this salad from Ruth Pretty

Ruth Pretty's pear, celery and walnut salad with honey vinaigrette.

Ruth Pretty Hamburger Recipe | Murray Lloyd Photography

When I read the rugby sevens crowd was going to eat 12000 hamburgers  on the weekend  it made me think how the humble burger (particularly  Mac - burgers) are often targeted by critics of the fast food industry.

On the other side advertisers try various approches to make us eat more. If you want to get away from mass production and the products of Hamburger University try the Lembastic burger from Lembas Cafe in Raumati South (Now named Raumati Social Club) which  took out the title of Wellington’s best burger.

If you are looking for an inspiration for the BBQ try this hamburger recipe from Ruth Pretty. Wouldn't it be great for stadiums to have this standard of food.

Classic hamburger with fries for Ruth Pretty cookbook

Ruth Pretty Whitebait Recipe | Murray Lloyd Photography

Elusive as they are, whitebait always attract controversy. If it isn't about how many whitebait make a good fritter, it's a river-side turf war on the West Coast or environmentalists holding whitebait up as the poster children for polluted rivers. While West Coasters boast of one and three hundred kilo catches, this season half a cup is a good result from a few hours at the Waikanae River.

However the half cup could go toward this recipe from Ruth Pretty, and if  you miss out completely there is the mock whitebait recipe in old versions of the Edmonds Cookery Book.

West Coast Whitebait with zucchini ribbons

Food Photography Tricks | Murray Lloyd Photography

Food photography of Minted Summer Pasta and Potatoes by Ruth Pretty.

"Can you eat the food you photograph?" or "what are all the tricks to make the food look so good?" are the two questions I am most often asked about as a food photographer. Surprise registers when I say pretty much the only thing used is a little olive oil .

The only time I can remember a trick is when we put raw new potatoes in a salad, as with cooked potatoes the skins slide off . I would say lighting, fresh ingredients and props are the  keys to a  strong food photograph however some food photographers try other approaches - check this video out