My New Year's Cocktail

Isn't this a beautiful cocktail? Clean and fresh. It's a white cosmopolitan, like the ones served at Daniel in New York, garnished with an ice ball containing a frozen orchid. I found the recipe in the New York Times, and the clever contraption to make the ice ball at the MOMA store.

You can use store-bought lime juice, but fresh is always better. I bought 10 limes and they made enough juice for 8 cocktails.

The recipe calls for St. Germain Elder Flower liqueur, which comes in this gorgeous bottle. You can find it in limited quantities in most Dallas liquor stores. I found mine at Majestic.

The recipe also calls for Snow Queen vodka, which is made from organic wheat. It comes in this exquisite bottle, too, and you can find it in limited quantities at most boutique liquor stores, including Majestic.

I used Ocean Spray white cranberry juice (see recipe).

As far as I know, the MOMA contraption for making frozen spheres is the only thing in the American market, and it's pretty new.  It is imported from Japan, so the instructions are all in Japanese. Good luck with that. They use it to keep saki cold, as spheres melt more slowly than ice cubes. 

Figuring the ice tray out was not easy. There's not much reliable information on how to use it on the Internet, either. After much experimentation, I managed to produce a few ice balls that worked. Here's what you do -- the tray comes in two parts. Use the bottom for your orchids. Smaller orchids work better since their petals stay inside the ball easier. Put them face down into the "bowl" part. 

The top part has two tiny holes. These are not openings for filling water, as some people have said on their blogs, it's for releasing excess water and air. 

In a normal ice tray, you only fill the areas for the cubes with water. To create a sphere with these trays, fill the bottom tray up to the edge of the tray so that it's almost overflowing. At this point, either your orchids stay put or they start to float. Mostly they float. Pouring slowly seems to help. You just have to go with it. Or find a better way and let me know.

Then, put the top on, pushing it down slowly, until excess water escapes. If the top won't stay down, tape the sides together. 

Then freeze it. 

BUT WAIT!!! You want nice, transparent spheres, don't you? Regular tap water won't do, as I learned the hard way. You must use filtered water (I used Whole Foods' 361 brand spring water) and then you must boil it, not once, but twice, to release as many air bubbles as possible, which make the ice cloudy. Boil the water several minutes, then let it cool all the way down. Then, boil it for several minutes again, then let it cool all the way down. Failing to boil long enough, or not allowing it to cool long enough, will result in partially cloudy spheres. 

They neglect to mention all of this in the New York Times recipe. But, I found a video for making perfectly clear ice cubes on You Tube. 

If you try it, let me know how it works.

A Christmas House

On Christmas Eve, I snapped a shot of this old house, built in 1921.  It's on the corner of Swiss Ave. and Peak St. It's one of my favorites in Dallas (I looked it up on DCAD, and it's got seven fireplaces!)

A couple of people deserve thanks this morning for making Christmas better for dozens of people living on the street. A friend of mine and I met up this morning to buy donuts and coffee and distribute them to anyone who wanted them, across from Parkland Hospital.  The only Donut shop we could find open was Pulaski's Donuts at 3012 Inwood Rd., and so we bought them out of Starbucks coffee and pigs-in-blankets and glazed donuts. When the owner, Joung Suk Yun, who must have brewed a dozen pots of coffee for us one right after the other, found out we were going to take our coffee and goodies to the homeless, he donated all the donut holes he had baked fresh that morning, and threw in some cinnamon rolls.

We met a lot of gentle people who were down on their luck, including a guy named Tony and his wife, who lost custody of their children because they were out of work and living on the streets. Tony was beside himself with joy that he'd just been hired as a machinist. He starts his new job on Monday, and is hopeful that he'll be able to get his kids back. He just kept saying how blessed he was. A guy living on the streets who sees how blessed he is. Now, that's inspiring. 

I'll be remembering Tony and his wife next time I get frustrated when things don't go my way.

Then, we met Sal Garza, who drove up in his truck and started handing out plain white envelopes with $20 bills inside. Sal owns United Auto on Harry Hines, which he described as a title and loan company. He'd just been downtown, too, handing out dozens of envelopes filled with cash. He said he got mobbed there, and hoped it would be more orderly this time. Mostly it was. People were confused about the envelopes at first, taking them and saying thanks, but not sure what was inside. They'd walk across the street and sit down near a wall or bench, and you could hear excited yelps when they opened them up. Most came back to shake Sal's hand.

Sal told us he distributes money regularly, not just on Christmas, to the homeless. Sal, I suspect, is a loan shark. These are probably boom times for a title and loan company like his, and he's got plenty of money to go around. He gave us his card and suggested we team up next time he makes his rounds with the envelopes. I think I'll take him up on that.

Merry Christmas everyone, and be of good cheer.

Schott Zweissel Forte Glasses and a Good Story

These Schott Zweissel Forte wine glasses, bought on sale at my corner Majestic Liquor in Oak Lawn yesterday, are just as beautiful as my ridiculously expensive Reidel glasses, but are half the cost and promise to hold up better.  (I think I broke six paper-thin Reidel wine glasses this year alone. Spending beyond one's means on things that won't last is so 2008).

While he was wrapping up my new Schott glasses in brown paper bags, the store manager told me a story he witnessed a few years ago.  A traveling Schott salesman was demonstrating the extraordinary properties of the mouth-blown, super-strong wine glasses to a customer by slamming one on the counter. It didn't break. Impressed, the customer bought a case. 

A new sales guy who'd just been hired at Majestic watched in awe. The next day he tried out his best sales technique on a customer, saying, "Watch this, it won't break even if I slam it on the counter!" He slammed it on the counter, and it shattered. The customer walked out. 

The moral? Damned if I know. 

But I loved that the manager told me the story -- he was laughing so hard as he was telling it to me that his eyes were watering -- and after a little research online on Schott I have decided to try it myself.  It took me a while to get up the nerve. I'm actually sweating a bit as I write. 

So, just now, right before I hit "publish" on this post, I gave one of the glasses a hard tap on my kitchen counter.  It didn't break. It just rang like a really loud bell. 

All's well that ends well.

Chef Flewelling's Egg Nog Recipe

Kalynn Weiss, a district sales director for Litelab who's married to the inimitable Tully Weiss, sent me her favorite egg nog recipe, given to her a long time ago by Chef Russ Flewelling, who manned the kitchen at Dallas Petroleum Club during the 60s, 70s, and 80s. 

"He was the father of one of my good friends," writes Kalynn. "Over time, he shared some of his recipes with us. This one is incredible! For people afraid of raw eggs, it won't work, but salmonella is worth the risk with this one. Besides, I always feel that all that alcohol will kill any germs!"

CHEF FLEWELLING’S EGG NOG 
 
 

1 dozen eggs,  SEPARATE  
1 Pt. Bourbon
½ lb. Sugar
  ½ Pt. Brandy
2 T. Vanilla     
 1 Pt. Dark Rum
2 Qts. Light Cream    
 Baking Soda
2 Qts. Milk      
Nutmeg
1 Qt. Milk 
 
 

Whip egg yolks until creamy.  Add sugar, vanilla, light cream & milk.  Add Bourbon, Brandy and Rum.  Let sit in refrigerator overnight. 
 

Before Serving:
Beat egg whites & whip the heavy cream.  Add a pinch of baking soda with the egg whites to keep them fluffy.  Mix whites and heavy cream together GENTLY.
Fold lightly to liquor mixture.  Top with nutmeg. 


More Luxury Links

Somehow, an unfinished blog post published just now, entirely on its own. Sorry for the confusion. Here's the completed blog:

My editor at Modern Luxury magazine, Connie Dufner, introduced me to this group, which is based in Dallas: Luxury Home Marketing

It's a great site for keeping up on what you need to know. You can access their blogsite without being a member, here it is: Luxury Blogs

And, their marketing department recommended I follow these two blogs, which they list on their site: Seth 

Weath WSJ

For their complete list of blogs on the luxury market, go to Luxury Home Marketing's blog page, and scroll down on the left. 

Ron Kurtz is the president of the American Affluence Research Center, and provides even more details into the luxury market. 

Rich Like Me

"The affluent market, as defined by the wealthiest 10% of US households, is composed primarily of people with middle class backgrounds who continue to pursue a somewhat middle class lifestyle with middle class values. They are not conspicuous or ostentatious consumers. They spend conservatively and save carefully." -- Ron Kurtz president of the American Affluence Research Center, on information gleaned from the the newly released Mendelsohn Affluent Survey 2008,

If you make your living on the luxury market, as I do writing for luxury magazines, you'll want to read this survey carefully. Kurtz makes some interesting observations from the survey including the idea that many of us have been misunderstanding what "luxury" means to the most wealthy (households that earn $100,000 or more annually) because our assumptions are flawed. 

Some things to ponder: Last year, 84.9 percent of the richest 10 percent in the country spent their money at Target, while only 4.6 percent bought from Louis Vuitton. 68 percent bought at Macy's, but only 13.5 percent spent at Neiman Marcus. 80.2 percent bought at Wal-Mart, while only 2.4 spent at Prada followed by 1.9 at Cartier. (Turn to page 18 of the survey to see more results)

The Men's Room

Poggenpohl, a kitchen manufacturer established in Germany in 1892, just introduced this new kitchen especially for men, designed by Porsche. Naturally, it's all black and shiny with lots of gadgets including a giant TV and sound system. Here's a clever story in the L.A. Times about it.

News Flash: Poggenpohl is opening a showroom soon in Dallas on Hi-Line Drive -- I discovered this while digging around on the Internet and coming up with a job listing for a Poggenpohl-Dallas sales manager, posted on November 25.

Haroo & Haroo Multiple Choice

After Friday's post, a friend emailed and reported that a colleague had just returned from the Haroo & Haroo showroom, and it was empty. Cleaned out. So, what the hell is going on over there? Here are some possible options:

A) Haroo & Haroo is open. They sold out of everything, including the fixtures, shortly after talking to me on the phone.

B) They are closed.

C) They have moved to a yet-to-be disclosed, smaller space.

D) They are fibbers.

E) They are open, we just can't see the merchandise because it's protected by a cloak of invisibility.

F) All of the above

I've scrambled the answer here: srebbif

Our House

This house may not be in Dallas, but it's your house. 

Haroo & Haroo Lives

Haroo & Haroo Owner Mikyung Chun

Despite this post, made two days before Thanksgiving by a local magazine, Haroo & Haroo showroom has NOT closed down. Becky, Haroo's manager, answered the showroom phones just now, and when I asked if they had closed or were closing, she expressed horror. "Oh, great, they're saying that? We're not closing. We're open for business."  Becky says they are hunting for a smaller showroom space, but definitely not shutting down. Their doors were locked because it was the Thanksgiving holiday.

Christopher Wynne was apparently on top of the situation that week at the News and had this to say.

Eric Prokesh is in the news in Scotland. If you know Eric, you've got to razz him about that childhood photo.

Waking Up in Dallas

Good morning everyone. Don't you love Dallas this time of year? This is the view from my balcony, overlooking Turtle Creek. Send me your favorite views, and I'll post them.

Calvin Klein Debuts First-Ever Furniture Lines

I'm working on a licensing story for Modern Luxury for its January issue, and just discovered this exciting bit of news: Calvin Klein Home has just announced its first-ever lines of furniture, which will begin arriving in stores in January. They haven't even started their ad campaigns yet.

The more high-end Curator Collection, which includes the Armless Ocassional Armchair above ($1,200) will be sold at "select stores" across the country including Dallas (darn, we have to wait until after December 30 to find out where, they tell me).
Another line called Calvin Klein Weekend, will be sold through Macy's and includes this canopy bed ($2,600).

The materials used on many of the pieces include "travertine, parchment, marble, smoked glass, brushed stainless steel, and gold leaf, in unique combinations of matte and high gloss finishes," the press release reads.
Tuxedo Sofa is from the Curator Collection ($4,300).
I love this Tall Chest of Drawers ($4,500) from the Curator Collection. It looks so Calvin Klein.

As you would expect, the new home lines are inspired by his fashion, they say. Just take a look at his recent fall/winter menswear collection and see for yourself:

He could be the sofa.




Or maybe he's the sofa.



This boot is definitely the Armless Armchair.

Tony Duquette Lauched At Baker This Week

Employees at Baker Knapp and Tubbs in Dallas spent Thanksgiving week putting out Tony Duquette's newly licensed collection. There are 19 pieces, all of which come with fascinating backstories (you can read about them on their website). These pieces are faithful reproductions of ones Duquette designed for movie stars and film directors, or ones he had in his own estate.

The Terrapin Lamp (about $11,000) above is one of three pieces that Baker's display guru Adan Garcia tells me customers snapped up even before samples had hit the floor.




They also bought this Biomorphic Console (About $22,800), which is a reproduction of a 1965 piece Duquette designed, along with this....



Biomorphic Mirror, designed in 1965 to go with the console (About $6,600).




These tall Sunburst Torcheres were designed by Duquette for his house, Dawnridge.
Now you can buy reproductions of them.


(About $13,900)




Same goes for this fantastic Ghost Snail lamp, which Duquette designed in the 1970s.




All of Duquette's pieces have grand stature. The Ghost Snail measures about 34 inches wide by 19 inches tall (About $18,500)




A pair of antique pagoda lamps in Duquette's house were recreated for the collection. Light emanates from dozens of tiny windows.



(About $5,700)





Organic Baroque Chair, circa 1965, reproduced for Baker (About $10,900)





Duquette's original Marsan Chair was first unveiled as part of Duquette's unprecedented one-man exhibition at the Pavilion de Marsan in the Louvre, Paris. Circa 1951, (About $3,700)





The 24K Gold Toad (8" x 12") is a reproduction of a 1970s one that Duquette owned. Duquette and his friends used to trade toads back and forth between each other as a joke, but this one was Duquette's favorite and he refused to trade it. (About $9,900)




Elsie de Wolfe, who helped discover and promote Tony Duquette, designed this leopard tabouret, which Duquette kept in his house. Baker has reproduced the Elsie Tabouret for a song (About $1,100).