Sweater Weather????

It's hard to tell when we will be pulling our sweaters out for fall in Southern California. With this current heat wave, tank tops and shorts are de rigueur for now. At BeckwithRoad we've pulled some pictures from our archives. We need a good dose of fall inspiration to get us going.

Pumpkins:

To get the best pumpkins, they must be cut and pulled directly from the field. We realize not everyone is feeling that robust about jumping out in the fields at the crack of dawn as we did, but the farm stands will still probably yield the best selections. We always look for a green stem and preferably one that is longish and a little wonky. When you bring your pumpkins home, give them a good cleansing to rid them of dirt and pesticides. We shellac ours with glossy, clear spray paint from the craft store, but au natural is beautiful too. For this client, they wanted shiny pumpkins.

Be sure to bring something to protect your car from the dirt that resides on field pumpkins.

A huge basket full of earthy pumpkins, gourds, globes and grasses is always stunning!

A cluster of pumpkins in a variety of colors and types is more appealing to the eye.
These pictures are from a Beckwith Road styling project.
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Function and Exquisite Beauty for Your Home

Bella Notte goes deeper to find the essence of the home, played out in ways that might have been cataloged in the history of titled nobility from past centuries. Rich, textural, brilliant hues or some with whispers of color, organic fabrics, breathtaking, luxurious like something that could have been pulled from the attics of any duke or ruling king's castle. Handmade by craftsmen who take pride in their work, they will colorize your entire bedroom wardrobe. These are pieces that you would hand down from one generation to the next. This is beyond exquisite!

Now dear family in Northern California, you have a Bella Notte outlet not far from you. Here's the deal. On Friday and Saturday from 10-2, you can buy these linens at great savings. Two times a year they have super big sales. To visit the outlet go to:

61 Gallo Drive

Novato, CA 94949

In the Bu

Beckwith Road was off this weekend at a wedding. Yes, I know we said we hung up our wedding hat, but we dusted it off just this one last time and gave assistance to some dear friends, whose only son was married to the love of his life. The setting was beyond beautiful, on a private sprawling estate in the Bu (for those outside our area-that's Malibu). We could hear the waves crashing below and as the afternoon faded into evening, the sunset spanned the sky with golden splendor.

The Black Beauty Roses were stunning against the cream colored background, the bride was perfection, head-to-toe.

The cake colors tell the story, yes this is the color palette befitting the young groom who is a member of a Grammy nominated band. Deep black toned roses and calla lilies, black bands of silk around the cream colored cake. Even exotic peacock feathers grounded with lush black- red Ecuadorian roses placed in large, black, vintage vases adorned the tables designed by an Anthropologie visuals alumni. Overhead asian inspired creamy colored globes lit the expansive tent, lighting was provided from the band's own gear and a DJ spun tunes into the late hours. This was truly a very happy event!

The view at dusk. The ocean visible through the palm trees. This was a day to remember!

Rue Magazine

Dear Beckwith Road readers,

Don't forget to hop over to Rue Magazine to check out their first issue http://www.ruemag.com/.

Always a work in progress,

Beckwith Road.

End of Summer Pasta

A quick and easy dish to serve on the side or as a main dish.

Cardiologists are telling us the best diet for maintaining a healthy heart is the Mediterranean Diet. Studies have been done on the benefits of portion controlled foods found most prevalent in the geographic areas known as the Mediterranean. Fish, olives and olive oil, nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables, and wine are laden with things that are good for our hearts. Here is a simple recipe:

Whole grain pasta, follow the package instructions to prepare (we used fettuccine)

1 handful baby heirloom tomatoes per person

3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced or crushed

1/3 cup fresh basil, julienned

sea salt (we used French fleur de sel)

Olive oil

Grated Parmesan cheese

To Prepare:

Heat a large saute pan on medium high heat and to the hot pan add 3-4 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and stir into the oil (don't take too long-you don't want the garlic to burn). Add the tomatoes and saute at a high heat for about 4-5 minutes until the tomatoes just begin to crack and soften. Add salt to taste and basil.

Serve over cooked pasta. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan. It's just that easy! This is a very clean, healthy way to eat.

Look at all the plump goodness, ready to serve over pasta.

Now grab a glass of wine and just know you are taking good care of the ole ticker.

Rough and Refined

How clever!

To borrow from the closets of the professor, the swinging 60's and the heiress to create a cohesive look for the davenport. We are fascinated with the rough-hewn treatment of men's haberdashery fabrics juxtaposed with the swinging 60's. Then strewn across the sofa you find grandma's needlepoint colliding with a pillow dressed with beaded fabric any heiress might have in her wardrobe. Unpredictable genius.

Sunday Morning in WestlakeVillage

Sundays are one of two days we have Farmers Markets in our area. Growers from all over the Southern California area bring their best from the ground right to our tables. One of our favorites finds is the Thomcord grape. A cross between Thompson seedless and the Concord grape. There are no seeds, the globes are sweet and pale plum in color. Menu ideas happen right on the spot as we eye an unusual item or the arrival of the next wave of seasonal goods.

You may even find plants such as these quaint baskets of living salad greens.

A local French family sells their delectable goods there too.

Isn't this just the way you want to buy your French bread?

Claudine and her grandfather are so charming.

We popped across the street to Gelson's. We haven't shopped there much since cooking school days. (The cooking school is located on the backside of this store.) Why haven't we been shopping here? Because we followed the newest store in town and then the next and so on and got way off the beaten path.

Wolf (as one of my cooking instructors called him, she happened to be friends with him-they worked together at Ma Maison) has his fresh food line at Gelson's

Viktor Bene's has been "Thee" Gelson's bakery since forever.

Just looking~staying on the healthy eating diet

So what did we walk out with? Oh, you were not supposed to see the hazelnut macaroons (just two). Fig preserves that go great with smoked turkey, goat cheese and caramelized onions on ciabetta. Devil's Spit barbecue sauce. French butter. Chinoiserie cocktail napkins. Mini appetizer forks and minuscule dishes~that will go great with our seafood extravaganza. Gelson's we'll be back~you have tooooo many good things not to. Where can you still get giant lobsters swimming around in a special tank or Mario Batalli's food line or caviar and on and on.

Fall Forward

~Seasons~

There are some things we can't control such as, the weather and the seasons. They teach us to go with the flow and help us realize that there are special blessings that go with each season of our lives. We love, love, love the laid back summer days, don't care much for the amped up heat some days, but all in all summer with it's bounty of fruits and vegetables and come what may attitude suits us well. Now that we are turning the page and careening into fall, we thought we would post some pictures to ease us into a new chapter. Colors are changing, clothing is changing, foods are changing, lifestyle patterns are changing~all to accommodate the inevitable...fall is here. Ta-Da!!

This picture is from one of our styling jobs, the pumpkins were fresh out of the field where we hand picked them

Really it's not so bad and by the time winter announces itself we'll be holding onto fall. Face it we love all seasons and we fully immerse ourselves in them only to be pulled away and indulged in another.

These flowers came from Mark's Gardens on Ventura Blvd in Sherman Oaks.

Every year Mark and his amazing team of floral wizards transform the Academy Awards into an event worthy of all the celebrities who gather to honor one another's work. Mark's Gardens are sought out by major celebrities and stylists, etc for a reason. They are at the very tippy top of their field. When we step foot in their shop it is a very heady experience~the place oozes with creativity. Mark's Gardens has crafted many events and weddings for our clients. We thought you would like to see the riot of fall colors displayed in the above arrangement.

Time to get out into our garages and storage areas to dust off our fall decor, make some new additions, re-purpose some things in new ways, plant our fall gardens (we're in Cali), pull out our warmer clothing and hold on and get ready for a fabulous fall splurge. Love and kisses to all our Beckwith Roadies.

Pippin Apple Bars

Pippin Apple Bars

We're still using up our apples right off the backyard tree. This recipe is easy and was always a crowd pleaser when we catered. Fresh off a test run (our work)..they gave us a thumbs up! Now here's what you need to create it:

The Apple Cake

3 large or extra large eggs, room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup canola oil

2 cups AP, unbleached if you have it flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup rough chopped walnuts

4 cups (about 6-7) green apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced. We used a mandoline to slice ours.

**a 13x9x2 pan or 2 round cake pans, greased with butter** Evenly layer the apples over the buttered pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using a mixer, beat the eggs until foamy. Add the sugar and continue beating. Next add the oil and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add in the walnuts. Now take your baking pan, layered with apples and drizzle the batter as evenly over the top as possible. Gently smooth batter over any uncoated apples. Place in preheated oven for 40 minutes. The top will be a rich golden brown color. Cool...before....frosting...or else (and it won't be pretty)!

Please excuse this blurry photo shot at 7:00 am on an overcast morning in Ventura.

The Frosting:

12 ounces cream cheese (1 and 1/2 8-ounce packages) room temperature cream cheese

4 ounces butter (1/2 stick) room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

We like to put all the frosting ingredients in our food processor, give it a whirl and bingo it's all ready quick-as-a-wink. We realize you may not own some of the equipment we use, but you can still make the frosting with a mixer.

We garnished our bars with candied walnut pieces and a light dash of cinnamon placed in a little strainer for better control. To candy a handful of walnuts, we added 2 tablespoons butter to a small saute pan and 3 tablespoons sugar. Over medium heat we melted the butter and sugar and let it continue cooking until a light golden brown. Then we tossed in the walnuts to coat. Next we dropped the candied walnuts into 3 tablespoons sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Next we carefully sliced the candied nuts into bite size pieces and garnished our bars.

There is another, more simple garnish, a dusting of finely chopped walnuts works just as well. Bon Appetit!

Compost Crackers

Compost Crackers

Yes we were inspired by the irreverent and very talented pastry chef, Christina Tosi of Momofuku's Milk Bar, in New York City. She is famous for her Compost Cookies, hence we borrowed her concept and threw all our leftover trail mix, seeds, dried fruits, and nuts into one great cracker. After researching the recipes that were out there, we made some changes and here is the recipe.

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

1/2 Cup whole wheat flour

1/4 Cup brown sugar, packed

2 Teaspoons baking soda

1/4 Cup honey

2 Cups Buttermilk

1 full teaspoon sea salt (we used gray salt)

Compost (see below)

We combined all the above ingredients in our food processor, pulsing just to combine. Do not over-mix. This can also be done with a mixer.

Compost

1 Cup dried fruit (cherries, cranberries, raisins, figs, apricots, etc.)

1 Cup nuts & seeds (pistachio, pecans, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts, sunflower, pumpkin, etc.) leftover trail mix works well for this if it doesn't have chocolate or candy in it.

1/4 Cup flax seeds (These are found at Sprouts, Whole Foods or Health Food Stores.

1/4 Cup sesame seeds

1 Tablespoon fresh Rosemary, chopped

Stir the compost into the batter and pour evenly into 3 mini loaf pans that have been sprayed with Pam. (Your can even buy mini aluminum loaf pans in the baking section of your market-the smaller the pan, the better the cracker proportion.)

Bake in a 350 degrees oven for 30-40 minutes until lightly golden brown and springy to touch. Cool and remove from pans. If you are cutting the thin cracker slices by using an electric knife, you just need to make sure the breads are cold. If you are slicing with a regular knife, freeze the bread to make it easier to slice. Slice paper thin and put on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 10-15 minutes, turn over and bake another 10 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container until ready to serve. Makes 75 crackers.

Hot from the oven.

These crackers are beautiful on a cheese board and go well with creamy cheeses.

Click on pictures to enlarge them

Your crackers will never be boring again!

These crackers could easily be pocketed for hiking or to eat as a snack.

Wedding Cake Inspiration

Beckwith Roadies...

Weddings stir our creative senses. We've worked on them for eons and never tire of the imagination some couples put into them.

(This brides hem matches her grooms pants)

The hand-made bird topper on the cake below, has all the charm that we would expect from a uniquely designed wedding. Note also the mini wedding cakes and thin, multi-colored layers of wedding cake. Unusual and unexpected..not the norm. It's the unexpected, personal details that are memorable.

We love the elegance of these incredible wedding cakes.

We are especially taken with the gold number. Don't you just want to cut into this "delectable delight". We've been thinking about it since we saw it! Wow!

Rue Online Magazine

We are counting the minutes until Rue Magazine's official launch.

This is the cover. Be sure to look them up online September 16, 2010. We don't think you will be dissapointed.