Once in awhile I’m struck, and I mean absolutely struck, by some of the fruit you come across in your day to day life (not unlike an autistic child might be smitten by the workings of a light switch).

For example, the above: I found this small, pleasingly colored fruit, about the size of a medium plum, in a local market and was so taken by the appeal of its aesthetic that I completely forgot to take note of its name.

It was, however, firm to the touch with a slight give under pressure. The flesh was pleasantly crisp and juicy, though not so much so that liquid spilled from it once cut. It tasted much like a plum, but with a hint of citrusy sweetness and a touch of the tropical one might find in a fruit like a mango or papaya (while tasting unlike either fruit).

In the center of the fruit was a large nut with brown skin hiding a verdant green underlayer (click here for a better look at the center) which was dense, though not nearly as, say, a peach pit. The nut sliced easily with a common kitchen knife revealing a white flesh with a single thin green line. (click here for a close-up)

All in all, a pleasant fruit I could see myself eating often, though as is the case with many of these exotic fruits its price was somewhat prohibitive ($1.99 each), which for such a small fruit must account for either the difficulties of growing it, or the cost of shipping it to non-native regions (ie. Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY)

A glimpse, or a taste…

6:00pm, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and the threat of snow was in the air.

It was Christmas Eve, 2006, and our small family’s holiday goblets were filled with Dew: the kitchen was a blur of activity as the roast was pulled from the oven and the haunting smell of fresh Pillsbury crescent rolls washed over me. It was the land of plenty, and we were Americans.

click image to enlarge

Diane: “How much asparagus comes with the truffled potato and duck dish?”

Waiter: “Approximately 5-7 spears, m’am.”

Diane: “I see… and are there nuts in the ‘Coddled Cod’… which, by the way, is an adorable name for a dish…”

Waiter: “Pine nuts to be precise: it is one of our signatures and Chef Seamus is quite fond of alliteration - he originally has a background in literature!”

Diane: “NOOOO! Ooooh, a renaissance man. Jaime, did you hear that?!? Literature!”

Jaime: “Hmmm.”

Diane and Jaime Hilgenbra had been married for 15 years: most of them good, and some of them wonderful. They were the proud parents of two children, now in college (one at State, and one off to Hamilton, upstate… studying social something or other). They were good people who had lead decent and honest lives - save for that one little indiscretion that Jaime had had, but that was years ago, and what Diane didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt her… after all, he DID love her - he knew that. Jaime worked as the front office man for the construction contracting business he had started with his brother, Robert, 12 years prior, and Diane was the receptionist and billing “department” for Dr. Cross’ dental practice near the center of town. Diane ordered the “Coddled Cod” with a small garden salad, and in the end Jaime ordered the chicken stuffed with haggis, wrapped in ham - they split a molten chocolate cake and two glasses of champagne for desert… which they had first. It was their 15 year anniversary after all.

Found fluttering in ankle high grasses on the Long Island Expressway as I stepped from the car to relieve my aching bladder.

“Was kind of into it until you had to make it all personal with the ‘where I pee’ commentary.”

I like to cook. I like to eat. This is a good combination.

Once in a blue moon I will grab a somewhat dusty cookbook and crack it open while uttering the phrase (internally… not quite that crazy) “I will cook what first appears”.

Enter Fish Sausages. Yeah, you read that right. Fish sausages.

As fate would have it I found myself with a somewhat complicated and certainly time consuming recipe, containing four different kinds of aquatic ocean life (mussels, white fish, salmon, and shrimp). Not to be daunted and too stubborn to change my mind I quickly found myself mired in the usual understocked kitchen dilemmas, such as “blender as food processor” or the famed “wooden spoon as spatula” scenario… seemingly simple and of little consequence, these little foibles can add up and create head shaking results (such as the time I tried to make chocolate with a blender, and ended up with sparks, smoke and a broken blender).

After 45 minutes of effort that involved steaming, shelling, mincing, and chilling the mussels, I blended the fish together with oil, egg whites, dill and love. I next wrapped the concoction in saran wrap, rolling the filler and twirling the ends of the wrap to create a sausage shape, before wrapping them in foil, and simmering them in a shallow pan of steaming water.

Once returned to the fridge, you simply pan sear them when ready to dine, and drizzle them in a parsley butter and caper sauce.

The result: near perfection for those that enjoy the ocean’s bounty. Absolutely, without question, worth the effort!

Click here to see it in all its gory glory. Bon apetite!

A glimpse, or a taste…

4:00am, South Beach, Miami, and the breeze from the sea was warm and relaxing.

The shouts of drunken fools echoed off the shimmering store front windows. At this time of the morning, on the streets of Miami there are far more wares displayed for sale than those kept behind the darkened windows of the local stores. Here walk beautiful, plastic people. This image spoke to me of that.

shot with a Nokia 6682

shot with a Nokia 6682

Living in New York makes you take many things for granted, with one of those things being sushi: there is so much quality raw fish available to the denizens of this city that it’s easy to forget how lucky we are to have access to so much of it so fresh.

I recently found myself at London’s Paddington Station with over 2 hours to waste. At some point as I explored the open air beauty of the place, I stumbled upon this branch of the cheeky Yo! Sushi. Needless to say it amused me and captured my attention as only a novel approach to something can.

I’ll let the video do the talking.

A glimpse, or a taste…

Evening, Chinatown, New York: a stolen moment.

It was a dark alleyway deep within the nooks and crannies of Chinatown proper, and as I leaned against a corner soaking it all in, this personal vignette presented itself to me: a cigarette and a moment of solitude before returning to the surely frantic din of the restaurant kitchen.

shot with a Nokia 6682

A glimpse, or a taste…

10 minutes late for work, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where slabs of un-cut bacon are sold alongside pickeled herring.

A genuine double-take. That’s what happened when walking by this. “The forehead, the forehead…” was all I muttered under my breath, not unlike Kurtz in the deepest, darkest depths of his African hell. Though surely an accident of time, or a quickly moved hand, its effect is profound. I am and was disturbed.

shot with a Nokia 6682

click to enlarge

Loren Churchill is a talented performing artist and good friend of mine. He also happens to be borderline insane and haunted by demons, but that’s a touch like the pot calling the kettle black.

I birthed this image during a photo shoot conducted at Eyebeam in New York City some months ago.

It encompasses so much of what I strive to capture in my work: harsh and organic lines, a dynamic contrast of colors, and an honesty real enough to make you squirm.

Thank you for stepping in front of my lens, Loren.

I’d like to re-introduce you to Lil’ Jerome Nevins.

He’s kind of a loner, and has a weird streak a mile wide, but we like him. You know… we click.

LJN, as his friends call him, has kindly agreed to intermittently share some pearls of wisdom with us, to drop some knowledge, to educate the masses, and enlighten the proles.

He’s a good man… child, so keep your eyes and ears open to what he has to say.

He’ll be hitting the soap box here at Clogvert soon!

UPDATE
LJN has gotten quite a bit of attention lately - mostly from Eastern European spammers and Clogvert’s comment system is fast becoming bogged down by these malicious posts. Since most of the comments are directed at LJN’s original introduction we thought we’d re-introduce the little man, and move his original post here!

“I ain’t down wit bitch ass spammers! “

click image to enlarge

“Over the hill and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go…”

That was the first thing I thought when I picked this picture up.

Nigel, Jerome, and Akwon loved their grandmother, and there was no question that she loved them. Visiting “Gram” was always an event to be looked forward to - they would crowd around her chair while Jeopardy blared in the background… “I love that Alex Trebec,” grandma would coo. There were always cookies - the good kind with chocolate and nuts - well, the nuts weren’t so great, but the chocolate was. Grandma loved Alex Trebec, but Grandma really loved her sweets. The thing that a child’s mind rarely registered though was that with each passing visit Grandma moved less and less… sometimes never so much as rising from her chair all weekend long. Akwon would wonder at night, “how does Gram go to the bathroom?”

Found on Vanderbilt St. in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene area, as the sun waned and the Spring had begun to sprung.

A glimpse, or a taste…

Early morning, Mid-winter, Chinatown, New York: a land of much weird.

It took me a moment to realize that this woman had jury-rigged a shower curtain to act as a makeshift shelter. In with her was a small electric heater and a collapsible stool. In New York the sale must continue, but most especially in Chinatown where come rain or shine… or freezing temperatures, wares are displayed in bins outside.

shot with a Nokia 6682

A glimpse, or a taste…

Early afternoon, late Fall, deep within New York City’s Chinatown district.

There is something mesmerizing about those sections of New York that were created before the regimented and rigid grid systems were implemented. Deep within the back streets and alleyways of Chinatown, when the sun slants down through the cracks, one can catch a glimpse of a world from long ago. Here we see just that at the corners of Doyers St and Pell.

shot with a Nokia 6682

Not one strip, but two… YES, two (2) strips for the price of one.

Step right up, step right up, and be prepared to be amazed, for this will surely shock and surprise.

Croatia this time of year can be a harsh place and Svetlana had so longed to see the riches of the US. Now that she was pregnant it seemed like the time was right, and she knew that Yuri would never say no to his new bride, especially if she was certain to mention the various different aircraft on the giant museum docked on the shores of Manhattan! She had already reached out and contacted her old friend Volte, about the possibility of staying with her and her boyfriend. Svetlana was so looking forward to this trip: there would be romance (or at least the best they could manage in her state), adventure, laughter, but most of all, there would be America!

Found between a curb and the tire of an idling Lincoln Towncar outside of a car service in Williamsburg, Brooklyn - home to annoying hipsters.

Click here (1) and here (2) to see the strips for what they really are.

A glimpse, or a taste…

Mid-afternoon, early Fall, and there was noise all about.

This cat seemed in no way nervous, and as it paused amidst the tumult that is city life, it seemed to be listening to something that no one else could hear.

shot with a Nokia 6682