Hello All! I’m sorry I’ve been missing from my blog for the last few weeks. It’s been a busy and exciting month. My art show opened last week (I’ll share more in a moment), my mom and sister visited, and immediately following their trip, two of my best friends from college came to stay with me. There’s been a lot of touring San Francisco and catching up to do, so I haven’t been able to squeeze in Illustrated Bites (I know… excuses, excuses.) All of that is a lot of fun, but I’m glad to be back on a normal schedule and regularly blogging again.
Lately, I’ve been enjoying experimenting with the new-to-me spice, star anise. Star anise has a wonderful licorice-y flavor that pairs well with tomato sauces, and is great for braising meats. It was once only common to eastern cooking and has medicinal uses in traditional Chinese medicine, where it’s used to aid digestion and as a warming herb. I was actually first introduced to the spice by a roommate that was studying to be an acupuncturist.
It has become more common in western kitchens as a substitute for anise. I really enjoy throwing a pod into boiling rice to add an unexpected flavor. I also really enjoyed this recipe for roasted sweet potatoes with star anise, from the Kitchn. The Kitchn has several other recipes featuring star anise that I’m looking forward to trying.
I know I’ve been writing a lot about my Illustrated Bites art show, but if you’ll bear with me once more, I would like to share some images of work from the show. I hope you enjoy seeing them, I sure had a great time putting it all together!
Love the “Recipes as Art” – hope the show was a big success. Getting on for winter here in NZ so a great excuse for VERY slow cooked pork belly with star anise – yum! And do cows really have “rounds” in the States? I like the idea of sitting on my round doing nothing for a while…
haha, I like sitting around on my round too.
I love star anise, infuse it in the custard of an ice cream mixture and you have a lovely start anise ice cream that will go well with many warm puddings. It is one of the star ingredients in Indian Masala Chai as well!
Thanks for the tip. That sounds amazing! You know what be awesome? Chai spice ice cream!
I have actually make a masala chai ice cream already. I make masala chai which I sell at a local market on saturdays, what is left I sometimes make ice cream from, delectable!!!
Love your blog, it’s the combination of illustration and food. Do you use illustrator for your illustrations?
Thank you! I do use illustrator to finish my images, but they all start as pen & ink.
Most definitely here in Mexico we buy a combined tea: chamomile & star anise and serve it in a very dilluted version in a baby’s bottle to aid in tummy aches and of course the regular infusion of the same combo is the best natural remedy for the same ailment in adults. Fabulous work. Congrats on your art show! Read you soon, Alexandra
Lovely pieces, I could see them as decorations in a little French cafe somewhere!
I am so in love with your work! I NEED some of it in my house!
haha, thank you! Etsy shop coming soon!
I adore your work!! Congratulations on your show. I have been a little nervous about star anise but think the throwing one into a pot of rice might be a good, easy starting point.
Thank you! Yeah, definitely give it a try in rice. It’s a nice a subtle addition. Plus it’s a low stakes dish to try it out, if you don’t like just start another pot of rice
Love, love, love! My two favorite things: art and food!
Cooking is art. The illustrations raise it to a higher art. Star anise isn’t my cup of tea. Had a licorice-related incident making Bernaise sauce six nights in a row. Licorice is on my no-taste list, for now.
I really enjoy reading your blog.
Congratulations on your art show! Salut!
I think your work is great and look forward to the etsy shop! I live in SF so I made a little pilgrimage to the Mission to see your work in the store today. Plus my first tasting of bi-rite ice cream from the creamery. What a worthy trip to a neighborhood I never get to. Congratulations.
Hi! I’m super excited to hear you made it by the show, thanks for the support! Also, exciting that you’ve now experienced bi-rite ice-cream. My favorite flavor is the lavender-honey
So many stellar flavors to go back and try! Everyone I knew loved abut salted caramel so I had to try that and coffee toffee. I was not disappointed!
Maybe I just didn’t find it, but I don’t think you have a share button on your site. I was thinking I should let some locals with like interests know about your show while it is up. All the best.
I love using Star anise in cook- in the depth of winter my partner and I cook for 14 of our friends using a Nigela Lawson recipe that was laced with star anise http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/asian-braised_shin_of_98140. I would recommend trying this one out. Illustrations brilliant as ever! Enjoy experimenting with more spices.
I love the wall recipes! Oh and great illustrations too x