Being Geek Chic is a blog about one woman navigating the male-dominated industries of production and tech. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi, Founder, CEO and Director of Mighteor - one of the world's first internet video production companies. Learn more about Mighteor here.
We’re ushering in 2015 with a dash of charm, a sprinkle of etiquette, and a heaping cup of clout. Fully inspired by a new season of Downton Abbey and eating up the latest frivolities and follies of the Crawley family, we turn to Pamela Foster, our Lady Geek of the Week.
With a passion for food and a degree in history, Foster’s the chef-in-chief of Downton Abbey Cooks, a blog devoted to the recipes and menus of our favorite fictional Yorkshire country estate. Foster’s also published “Abbey Cooks Entertain,” a cookbook of over 220 recipes for Downton-inspired entertaining throughout the year.
Follow Foster’s wise words and in no time, your command of the kitchen will rival Mrs. Patmore’s.
In the meantime, check out Foster’s Q&A with Being Geek Chic, and learn how it all started…
Q: How did you discover your passion for historical cooking?
A: I always had an interest in cooking and I learned how to cook traditional family dishes with through my grandmothers. I focused my degree in social history since I was more interested in how people lived than the tales of the conquerors. But it was a binge session of Downton Abbey S1 which sparked my desire to share my knowledge and passion with fellow fans.
Q: Where do you find your inspiration in life?
A: Chocolate. Do I need to say more?!
Q: Favorite Downton dish?
A: My favorite dish has to be the chicken which fell on the floor, promptly snatched by one of the barn cats. After it was rescued it was brushed off and served. What happens in the kitchen stays in the kitchen—remember that the next time you dine out!
Q: If you could take any Downton character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
A: I have always had a soft spot for Daisy. We see her character grow up throughout the seasons. Since she is not much of a drinker we would put the kettle on. I would treat her to a scrumptious Afternoon Tea with tea and treats.
Q: What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
A: Your horse is not the love of your life. Your tall, dark and handsome prince charming will come along to sweep you off your feet. You will be waiting a long time, but it will be worth it. His noble English roots will inspire and support you while you share your love of the food of Downton Abbey. You will even write a cookbook to help fans entertain family and fellow fans in the spirit of Downton.
Emma Bauer is a Being Geek Chic Contributor. Clearly, she’s got great taste. She is a PR enthusiast, dog lover, tea drinker, art appreciator, and of course, aspires to Be Geek Chic. Follow her on Twitter: @emmalynnbauer
So Halloween is upon us and I’ve been sucking down Caramel Apple Pops like I got hired to check out the evenness of the caramel to apple ratio. In fact, I am not being paid. I just have a problem. Or an obsession. Whatever. Point is, you don’t have to go the candy route! You can totally go DIY on your Halloween costume AND your treats.
Here’s some really fun ones:
Make Veronica Mars themed Marshmallow treats! Add some food coloring to make them a little more festive if you like. Or don’t. White is fun too. Recipe here!
Make Star Wars themed Death Star Popcorn Balls! I love me a popcorn ball. And while they were a hot item on the grocery shelves during my trick or treating years, they are much more uncommon now. So, you’ll just have go get the kernels and the butter and the syrup and do it yourself. So worth it. Recipe here!
Cook up Harry Potter’s favorite pumpkin desert! Everyone loves Harry Potter, even the newest readers of the series. I love the pasties because they are so good fresh, but they’re even better cold. Shhh. I know it’s weird. But yum. Recipe here!
Let’s bake some Iron Man Arc Reactor Cookies for all those Marvel themed customed kiddos! I’m expecting to see at least 10 tiny Thors, 6 adorable Hulks and 5 itty bitty Iron Mans on Friday. It only makes sense that I’d delight them with Arc Reactor cookies. Come on now! So cute. Recipe here!
Welcome to the last installment of our Divergent recipe series! Hopefully by now you’ve seen the film – would love to hear your (non-spoilery) thoughts in the comments. Now you’ve got everything you need to host a Divergent-themed book club or film viewing party – including a chocolate cake!
Warning: Mild spoilers ahead!
In the Divergent series, future Chicago has divided the population into five factions, each with the emphasis on a personality trait: caring, honesty, intelligence, courage and kindness.
In the first book, during the “Choosing Ceremony” the main character Beatrice decides to defect from the faction she was raised in, selfless Abnegation, to join the brave Dauntless. Two weeks into her Dauntless initiation, her mother comes on family visiting day (this entire scene is quite a bit different in the film).
After a somewhat confusing conversation, Mrs. Prior stops before leaving. Here’s what we learn:
“‘Have a piece of cake for me, all right? The chocolate. It’s delicious.; … I stand alone in the blue light coming from the lamp above me, and I understand: She had been to the compound before. She remembered this hallway. She knows about the initiation process.
My mother was Dauntless.”
The deliciousness of Dauntless’ cake is mentioned a few more times throughout the series, so it only seemed fitting to serve up a rich chocolate cake with decadent chocolate frosting.
DAUNTLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE (Adapted from Ina Garten)
Note: You can split the batter into either two or three 8-inch cake pans. For two fatter layers, cook slightly longer (35-40 mins), for three skinnier layers, bake for about 30-32 mins. You do not need a stand mixer for this recipe (though, it makes things a bit quicker).
Cake Ingredients:
Let’s Make Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare two or three 8-inch cake pans. Spray with oil, then press a circle of parchment into the bottom, spray again, then dust each with flour. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl), sift together the dry ingredients.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and oil. Slowly pour into the dry ingredients with the mixer on low.
5. Stir in the vanilla and coffee until just combined, then split evenly among the prepared cake pans.
6. Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes (on the lower end for three layers, up to 40 mins. for two layers).
7. Cool 10 minutes in the cake pans, then turn out onto wire racks. Let sit for at least 2 hours but up to overnight to cool completely.
Frosting Ingredients:
Let’s Make that Rich Chocolate Frosting:
1. Stir the cocoa into the melted butter to make a fudgey base.
2. Mix in the vanilla and milk until completely combined.
3. With stand mixer on low, whisk in powdered sugar one cup at a time.
4. Turn mixer up to medium high and whisk for 3-4 minutes until ingredients are fully incorporated. You may need to add the additional milk one TBS at a time. The final consistency should be fluffy and spreadable.
5. Place a cake board on your cake stand (or use a spinning cake pedestal). Drop a dollop of frosting in the center of the cake board. This will help the cake adhere to the board.
6. Carefully remove the parchment from the bottom of the first layer. This cake is very moist and it will try to fall apart on you. For best results, wrap the cake in plastic and freeze slightly. Otherwise just be gentle.
7. Place the first layer flat side up in the center of the cake board. Use an offset spatula to cover the top of the layer with frosting, then add the next layer (also flat side up). Repeat and add the third layer.
8. Switch to a flat spatula, and begin frosting the sides gently. Be careful not to pick up crumbs that will get stuck in the icing. You can also start with a very thin layer, freeze for 30-45 mins, then add a second coat.
9. Smooth the icing on the top of the third layer with the offset spatula and remove any excess.
10. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe by Emma Carew Grovum. She is the web and social media editor for Foreign Policy magazine and uses her newsroom colleagues as taste testers. Emma has previously worked for the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Webbmedia Group, The Cooking Club of America and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. She loves Star Wars, pandas and all things Joss Whedon. Find her on twitter at @emmacarew.
Welcome to the latest installment of our Divergent recipes series. If you haven’t seen the first movie (which just came out last weekend!) or read the books, then mild spoilers ahead.
In the Divergent series, future Chicago has divided the population into five factions, each with the emphasis on a personality trait: caring, honesty, intelligence, courage and kindness.
In the first book, during the “Choosing Ceremony” the main character Beatrice decides to defect from the faction she was raised in, selfless Abnegation, to join the brave Dauntless. Her brother, only slightly older and therefore choosing during the same ceremony, also defects, leaving to join the intelligent Erudite.
Eventually, the Erudite become the main antagonists of the first story, putting the Prior siblings at odds with one another.
It’s only later in the second book, when they’re reunited and are discussing the factions that they each defected to.
“We had good cake,” I tell Caleb.
“We had fizzy drinks,” he says.
Later, in the third book, Tris and Tobias sample the fizzy drink, having nicked a bottle from the Erudite kitchens. Whatever it is, it’s sweet as syrup and lemon-flavored and is for serious sweet tooths. My tip: the second sip is less intense. So raise a glass, here’s your sweet as syrup and slightly lemon-flavored fizzy drink.
ERUDITE FIZZY DRINKS (serves 6-8)
Note: The great thing about this recipe is that it’s incredibly flexible. The flavors below turned out delicious, but you could swap out any citrus + any lightly carbonated beverage + any berry + a complementary herb.
You Need:
Let’s make these Fizzy Drinks:
1. Add the mint and lemons to the bottom of a large pitcher. Use a wooden spoon or fork to muddle slightly, releasing the oils from the mint leaves.
2. Mix in the strawberries and a handful of ice cubes.
3. Top with the soda.
4. Serve right away or keep very cold until party time.
Other flavors that could be equally tasty:
Sprite + strawberries + basil
Fresca + raspberries + orange slices + rosemary
Gingerale + blackberries + lemons + mint
Recipe by Emma Carew Grovum. She is the web and social media editor for Foreign Policy magazine and uses her newsroom colleagues as taste testers. Emma has previously worked for the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Webbmedia Group, The Cooking Club of America and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. She loves Star Wars, pandas and all things Joss Whedon. Find her on twitter at @emmacarew.
Who is excited for the new Divergent movie this weekend? We definitely can’t wait. In the Divergent series, future Chicago has divided the population into five factions, each with the emphasis on a personality trait: caring, honesty, intelligence, courage and kindness. The start of the second book opens with a number of the characters spending time in the Amity sector of the city.
Amity is the faction that values peace above all. They have no formal leader, as the other factions do. Their citizens work as counselors and caretakers, though the city’s farms and fresh food supply is also managed by the Amity.
In the second book, Tris passes off eating the bread served by the Amity because it “tastes strange.” They come to find later that the bread is infused with a “peace serum” to help keep the faction’s residents calm.
I envisioned this bread as being a simple bread, but somewhat more enriched than the plain bread Tris describes eating in Abgetnation. I opted to use honey as the “peace serum.” It won’t make you calm, but it should at least be delicious and make you happy.
Recipe: Amity Peace Serum Bread (adapted from Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Bread Every Day)
Note: You will need to prep your dough the night before you are going to bake it. I use a stand mixer, but you can just as easily do without.
Ingredients for Amity’s Peace Serum Bread:
Let’s Make Some Bread!
1) In the bottom of your stand mixer, sift together the flour and salt using the paddle attachment. In a large measuring cup, dissolve the honey into the warm water, then whisk in the yeast and stir in the vegetable oil.
2) Turn the stand mixer on low and pour the liquids slowly. Keep the mixer at the lowest setting for at least one minute until the liquid is completely combined. Turn the mixer off, scrape any excess off the paddle attachment and allow to rest for 5 minutes to hydrate the flour.
3) Add the nuts and seeds and switch the mixer to using the dough hook. Mix on medium-low speed for six minutes to combine the nuts and seeds, then increase to a higher speed for the last minute. The dough should feel sticky but strong and have some elasticity.
4) Sprinkle some flour on your countertop and transfer the dough from the bowl. Spritz your hands with an oil spray and stretch as far as you can, then fold the dough genty back over itself. Place in a lightly oiled bowl for 10 minutes, repeat at least twice. (Watch Peter Reinhart’s technique here.)
5) Cover and refrigerate the dough overnight. Cling wrap and a large rubber band work to keep the dough from drying out in your fridge.
6) Remove the bread from the refrigerator about three hours before you want to bake it. Divide it into two equal pieces and shape into boules (rounded loaves).
7) Place each loaf on a parchment lined baking sheet that has been sprinkled with about 1 TBS cornmeal. Mist the loaves lightly with spray oil and drape with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 2-3 hours.
8) Prep your oven by preheating to 500 F. Place one rack in the center and one at the bottom of your oven. If you own a pizza or baking stone, put it on higher of the two racks. If you do not own a stone, you can use a regular baking sheet (though, I would recommend choosing an older one, the high heat may warp it slightly). Place a large rectangular pan (like a lasagna pan) on the bottom rack. Preheat for at least 15 minutes.
9) Pull the bottom rack out and gently, slowly pour 1-2 cups of water into the pan, making sure it covers the bottom of the pan entirely. Pull the top rack out and slide the bread onto the heated baking stone or sheet.
10) Lower the heat to 425 F and bake for 10 minutes, rotate the pans then bake an additional 25-30 minutes. The loaf will sound hollow when you tap on the bottom.
11) Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing, then serve with honey.
Recipe by Emma Carew Grovum. She is the web and social media editor for Foreign Policy magazine and uses her newsroom colleagues as taste testers. Emma has previously worked for the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Webbmedia Group, The Cooking Club of America and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. She loves Star Wars, pandas and all things Joss Whedon. Find her on twitter at @emmacarew.
