If you pick certain foods, they are bound to have a beautiful backstory. To think about where your food comes from is one thing, but to know the story of the person passionate enough to change their lifestyle in order to produce that food? That is priceless insight into what is on your plate.

This film was brought to life with our good friends Marjorie and Kendall from The Cook's Atelier in Beaune, France. As we left Yan's place after filming this piece, driving through fog that revealed only a  hint of the road ahead, we reveled in what we had seen and felt. There is clarity in seeing someone live their life so completely whole and in keeping with what they value. We have been eager since then to share this story, and also the feelings that we hope come along with it.

I like to think the alternate title to this video is "spring shoulders." I imagine most* of you can relate with this phenomenon, it goes something like this: 

In the not so distant future an unseasonably warm spring day will be upon us. We'll start to dig deep in drawers for those tucked away tank tops of summers gone by...we'll pull them on and then...then...we'll become overwhelmed by the sensation of hair brushing our winter white shoulders for the first time in months. Unnecessary hair swishing will follow, and just like that our shoulders have been knighted by the tips of our hair. 

spring shoulders.

*for those of you with hair of the short variety sorry this does not apply. But, I am sure you could go on about warm wind flirting with the nape of your neck - an enviable sensation all it's own to be sure.

video: Tiger in a Jar 
model: Quirine at NEXT PARIS
styling: Ana Li Mraovitch
hair: Rubi Jones
makeup: Khela Tyson

(no.1 and no.2)

It is shocking how much time we have been spending in the kitchen lately. Really, quite shocking. Which does not have much to do with the rest of this post, except to say if we start talking in recipe format, please forgive us. (Also, the pictures - it's like we have a baby that we keep taking pictures of, only our baby is food.)

What we wanted to dust our floured hands off for is to announce a videography workshop that we have coming up this August in Vermont. We couldn't be more excited about what is going to happen in those few days. We will be working with Ryan Marshall (check out his latest film, it is unbelievable) and Mike Martinez, a top-notch editor, to teach photographers how to make the transition to motion pictures. Nadia was so gracious to put this all together and has us staying at Naulakha - Rudyard Kipling's stunning home. 

What I imagine (and cross my fingers for) are those moments to happen that will make you understand why you came. Watching sparks trail off of a bonfire after a day of immersing yourself in creative pursuits and feeling like you opened your eyes a bit more to the world. I am eager to find myself there in that moment. 

(photo by Nadia Dole)

Aaaand now back to the kitchen. If you want to follow along with our cooking escapades, and general tiaj happenings, feel free to link up with us on instagram, @tigerinajar. 

It is crazy to think how long ago this trip was, but when we watch the films we shot during our time in China it seems like we are just about to sit down to a delicious bowl of cut noodles, chopsticks in (novice) hand. 

We haven't talked much about this trip and I think it boils down to a few reasons - the main one being Matteo, the band we traveled with, was waiting to release the films until now. There are other reasons for the silence, but the next film/song release will do a perfect job of explaining why. For now just know that we consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have been included on such a journey as this. It was 100% enhanced by the fact that while we were being inspired to film what we saw, Matteo was inspired to write songs. We give them a film of the time spent there, they give us a soundtrack. Win/win. 

      

             
    

This girl is pure magic. I have never met someone who so easily conjures up characters, made-up worlds, and whimsy - all the while making you the most delicious lunch you have ever eaten. Her talent truly seeps into every aspect of her life. We feel very lucky to call her a friend, and love that it all started with a chance meeting on the street, can you imagine our luck?!

Also, she rocks the pixie cut like no one I have ever seen - our own modern day Jean Seburg.

We need to start a series called, "What we shoot when we are not shooting food". We find it can really take people by surprise when the subjects of our films are not always cups of flour and sprinklings of salt. Just know, the same fascination we have with the beautiful process of cooking can easily be transferred to hair blowing in the wind on a Parisian rooftop. Maybe you can see it too?

Again, thanks to Rubi and the talented crew that made this happen - we feel like all those talented parts made a pretty good whole.   

photos by the talented Valerie Dray

Our first video release of 2013, which seems serendipitous since our first film from last year was also a collaboration with Rubi. For this shoot she gathered together a wonderful crew of talented people, and we watched with amazement as everyone did their part so well to make this come together. (Not listed but so helpful was Valerie Dray, who did a fantastic job translating for us and will no doubt have a lovely collection of images from this shoot.)

We realized after shooting these videos (yes, there are more to come!) that collaborating is the best way to encourage creativity and open your mind to new ideas, and also the quickest way to make you feel like you are back in college working on a group project - only imagine this time all the people in your group want to be there. Enjoy!

Last week I snuck away to Denver to spend some time with my sister and her little family. Few things make me more happy than spending time with these people. It is inexplicable how much it means to drive around town with a sister you shared a room with growing up; both of you sipping your respective cokes and talking in similarities that only sisters can manage.

This was followed by a joy that can in fact compare to this magical sister moment; coming home to this door, festooned with boughs, and knowing that the festooner waits inside for me.

We are back from our month long trip to France, thus the extended silence here. We worked most of the time, which always makes for such an interesting travel experience. We found train rides and late night walks were the best times to soak in our surroundings. We are happy to be back now, editing our footage and remembering how it felt to be somewhere different, while enjoying being home and together with family for the holidays. 

Once, a few summers ago, my mom, sisters, and I went to a watercolor painting camp of sorts with a local painter we really admire. We all stayed in her 100 year-old home with creaky wooden floors, heavy antique quilts, and the smell of oil paints and sunshine. We painted, of course, but we also stayed up late and told stories; we swapped recipes over homemade meals; we imagined what had transpired in that old house, and once, we all crammed into a tiny car to avoid the rain and laughed until it stopped pouring. Basically we had a ball when we were painting, and we had a ball when we weren't. 

We have been working with the wonderful Angie from Ace Camps to put together a workshop this next summer about filmmaking. It is going down in the lovely city of Asheville, North Carolina; a place we have never been but by the sounds of it's nickname, "Paris of the South", we are eager to explore. We hope to teach a few of you what it takes to make a film, and when we're not doing that, we have our fingers crossed that we will all be having a ball. Register here. 

(The pictures are an attempt to show you how we can conjure up a ball even while getting our pictures taken, which is on the bottom of our activities-we-enjoy list)

images by amber henrie

We have a new logo (hip hip!) that is breathing a bit of fresh air into our little company. We asked our good friend/designer guru, Becca Clason, to help us out and we are pleased pleased pleased with the results. We also spruced up our website and really we can't tell you how good all these changes are making us feel.

and breeeeeathe.

Raspberry Tart from The Cook's Atelier

Should there be any picnics, dinner parties, or front porch step dining had in the name of summer, this raspberry tart should undoubtedly be invited. I don't know if it is just me, but aren't we all a little frantic to see the berries go?

We had the pleasure of watching Marjorie Taylor from The Cook's Atelier whip these up before our eyes and the even greater pleasure of sitting around the table savoring these treats together. She kindly sent along the recipe for us to post; Please do yourself a favor and make these, and of course, don't hesitate to invite us over when you do.  

Raspberry Tart
makes six 4-inch tarts

1/2 recipe sucree (recipe follows)
All-purpose flour, for work surface
Pastry Cream (recipe follows)
4 cups raspberries
confectioner's sugar for dusting

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough in a circle, about 1/4 inch thick. With a pastry brush, sweep off excess flour. Using a paring knife, cut the dough to fit into a 4-inch round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing into the edges and using thumb to remove excess dough. Continue with the remaining tart pans. Freeze tart shells until firm, about 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake tart shell until golden all over, about 20 minutes. Cool tart shell completely on a wire rack. 

Spoon pastry cream mixture into cooled tart shell and spread evenly. Top with raspberries; dust with confectioner's sugar. Tart is best served the day it is made. 



Pastry Cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon butter

In a small saucepan over medium heat, scald milk, heavy cream, and vanilla bean by bringing the mixture just to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove vanilla bean.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add flour and continue whisking until smooth. 

Slowly pour the hot-milk mixture into the egg mixture. Whisk until completely smooth. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and place over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, and cook for another 2 minutes. 

Remove the pastry cream from the heat and pass through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Add the butter and stir just until incorporated. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top of the pastry cream to prevent skin from forming. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 



Pate Sucree
makes enough for 12 4-inch tarts

1/4 heavy cream
2 large egg yolks
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
A pinch of sea salt
8 ounces unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Whisk the cream and the egg yolks together in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and butter. Using your fingers, incorporate the butter until you have a coarse meal. Gradually add the cream and yolks, and mix until just combined. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Bring the dough together with your hands to incorporate completely. Divide the dough in half, shape into disks, wrap with plastic wrap and chill. 

                                                                                                                                                                                 

   

We tucked ourselves away one day in a home that was not our own but was a cozy enough to make us feel that it could be. We gathered sticks, rattled around the kitchen, and stood in every corner trying to find phone service. Eventually we cried uncle and accepted (gladly, I might add) that we were in a place that didn't take too kindly to technology. As it turns out these breadsticks taste best in places where phones can't go and time is only measured by how many logs have been thrown on the fire.

Get the full recipe in the latest issue of Kinfolk, crafted by these two food whisperers, nikole herriot, and tara o'brady. 

And just like that we are back home. Sitting at our computers that haven't been turned on for weeks. Waking up to summer and being reminded of how inadequate our air conditioner is. Outsides the leaves are bigger, much bigger, than when we left.


China was grand, but after a while home starts to trump grand, which made sleeping in our own bed last night after weeks of new rooms and new beds an absolute dream. (Although our pesky friend jet lag made sure we didn't sleep too long.)


More stories from this adventure to come. To be honest we are still just trying to wrap our heads around the whole experience.

Here is a video we did for Etsy showcasing some stunner rings. I hadn't prepared myself for the possibility of falling for them, but there I was at the end of the shoot trying to rationalize why I would need a back up wedding ring or two. or three. Fortunately the voice of reason stepped in and all rings were shipping back to the loving arms of their creators, but my aren't they all beauties?

Olive Us

We are a little late posting the news, but one of the reasons we headed out to France is now ready to be shared. Meet Olive Us. If you have a child in the house, or one outside getting dirty the way only little kids can, I suggest you gather them around and let them meet the Blair children. No joke, these kids are just the kind you want your kids hanging out with. Funny, friendly, well versed in all things Harry Potter, and some of the best knock knock joke tellers around.


To be honest we had some reservations about having to direct 6 kids - it sounded like a task meant for finger shaking mothers and dads who meant business; not a sans child couple who primarily work with inanimate objects like flour and butter. There was some definite boot-shaking going on. Turns out all that worry was for nothing, the kids were a dream. Not to say the long days of shooting didn't get to us, every night we found ourselves worn out and feeling a little fried - but then baguettes, cheese, chocolate, and a hilarious game around the fire always perked us up. 


Many thanks to Ben and Gabrielle for dreaming this up and then letting us be involved. No wonder these kids are a dream, it must have something to do with apples not falling far from the tree....


If you like what you see be sure to subscribe to the shows or check in weekly here. 


(images from France - our first encounter with a real tiger in a jar via the blair kids, the best hot chocolate for breakfast every morning, and the beginnings of spring popping up)

france

We just got back from our trip to France and we are still reeling from it all. There is nothing like going somewhere new to help you find all the places in your mind that you haven't explored yet. 

We spent a week in Normandy with Gabrielle and her family working on a new project that we are really excited about. We couldn't believe what great hosts they were (not to mention good cooks!) and by the end it was hard to leave their beautiful place. We were also lucky to spend some time with the amazing mother/daughter duo behind The Cook's Atelier; a few days of good food, friendship, and inspiration that we will never forget. 

To wrap up the trip Rubi took us around Paris and showed us a side to the city that I have never seen before. We walked lesser known streets, craned our necks to see flying buttresses, mossy roof tops, and keep a watch out for head-diving pigeons. We also had a magical dinner tucked in the back of a dark restaurant; dream music playing, all of us leaned forward with our utensils in constant motion and conversation floating and digging into why we do what we do.  


We feel blessed for new and old friends that shared France with us - many thanks to you all.