Eshop!

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© Virginie Perocheau

Just in time for the ho-ho-ho and mistletoe, I just launched a shiny new eshop ready for the holiday rush.

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© Virginie Perocheau

It includes prints of some of my favorite illustrations, ready to frame and hang.

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© Virginie Perocheau

All prints are lovingly hand-signed in watercolor in my studio in Paris and wrapped in recyclable packaging with a few special touches added to each order.

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© Virginie Perocheau

Add a little joie-de-vivre to your holiday season with the gift of watercolor.

Discover the collection HERE.

Photos ©Virginie Perocheau

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Save the date: If you prefer to purchase in person, I’ll be signing books, selling prints from my shop along with other holiday treats at the Vente de Noël / Christmas Sale at the storied artist studios, Usine Chapal in Montreuil. Over 20+ artists will be selling their creations, too.

December 2-3rd from 11am-7pm

Opening vernissage December 1st from 18h….

2 rue Marcelin Berthelot 93100 Montreuil.

 

More info here.

 

New Book: Eaux de Fruits

Eaux-de-fruits_thefrancofly.com

Agua Fresca_thefrancofly.com_Jessie Kanelos WeinerHere’s a taste of my sweet new book chez Marabout Eaux de Fruits: Les aguas fresca désaltérantes, including 33 easy recipes for the freshest never-before-seen-in-France agua frescas. Take a chill pill and order here.

Save the date: Live portrait drawing and book signing at the Jumble Sale June 17th 12PM-5PM, Le Mary Celeste 1 Rue Commines, 75003 Paris. More here.

Photos © Richard Boutin

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Color Me Seasonal: 1er Avril!

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Still in need of that April Fool’s Day je ne sais quoi for your special someone?  Before Saran wrapping the toilet seat, take a note from the French tradition of offering the farcical gift of fish on the first of the month.

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Download and color in a very special card here…https://www.dropbox.com/s/879pbpykolg8y0m/1er%20Avril_Jessie%20Kanelos%20Weiner_thefrancofly.com.pdf?dl=0

EP: The Book Tour!

EP book tour

Book tour alert!  I’m on my way back to the motherland to celebrate the release of Edible Paradise: A Coloring Book of Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables (Rizzoli’s Universe Imprint). When I won’t be stuffing my face with all the burgers, bagels and enchiladas La France has yet to perfect, I hope to meet you.  Come show some francofly love, buy a book and get it signed.

Spring_10. Spring double page

Here’s a fun little interview about EP and all things Paree…http://www.s-w-e-e-t.com/culture/art-design/news/a308/an-american-in-paris-who-draws-everything-she-sees/

P.S. Stay tuned for an NYC event.

EDIBLE PARADISE, edition limitée

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Ever wondered what it looks like when a coloring book author colors in her own book?  As my weekends and all my free time can attest, it looks a little something like this.  Flaunting my book around town, my friends and family have experienced a bit of premature performance anxiety seeing my edition limitée copy of Edible Paradise: A Coloring Book of Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables (Rizzoli’s Universe Imprint) But fret not! This like a serving suggestion for when you receive your copy.

When I was in the process of dreaming up the book, I didn’t think of it solely as a black and white artifact.  Working so passionately with color in the rest of my work, I definitely thought of the color breakdown by seasons, the potential for good shading and all the little details (hello ladybugs!) to bring the still lives to life.  So coloring in 3 limited edition copies brings the project full circle for me. But more about that very soon!

Preorder Edible Paradise here!

And celebrate the countdown to the release date March 15th, 2016 on  Instagram.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Definitive 12 Days of Christmas!

 

There comes THAT time in any illustrator’s life.  Yes, there’s the first magazine publication.  The first published book.  But to challenge myself and get into the holiday spirit, I conquered the 12 Days of Christmas!  Next stop, illustrate the horoscope pages…

12 drummers drumming11 pipers piping 210 lords a leaping 29 ladies dancing LDMaids a milking LD7 swans6 goose a laying 25 golden rings text4 calling birds3 French hens2 turtle dovesa patridge in a pear tree_jessie kanelos weiner

Have you preordered my book Edible Paradise: A Coloring Book of Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables yet?  It’s never too late to kick off a year filled with creativity and seasonal eating…

Galette des rois MMXVI

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After the holidays, right when I thought I consumed enough foie gras to shut down the State of California,  it is on to January’s flavor of the month.  The galette des rois, or king’s cake, is as ubiquitous in France as New Year’s resolutions.  There’s another French paradox for the list.  Nonetheless, two layers of buttery puff pastry hide a rich layer of almond paste or apple compote.  Buried in the cake is a teeny tiny charm. In the spirit of Epiphany, whoever wins it is crowned king or queen for the day.  Although galettes are found in abundance at any boulangerie and social event in the month of January, they are a cinch to make at home.  Mine includes an apple compote with a Yankee Doodle dose of cinnamon and plenty of vanilla bean.  So hold onto your teeth.  You may be king or queen today!

galettes des rois_Jessie Kanelos Weiner_text

For much more coloring fun, please preorder my forthcoming book Amazon.com: Edible Paradise: A Coloring Book of Seasonal Fruits & Vegetables (Rizzoli’s Universe Imprint), March 15th, 2016.  It sets its readers on an enchanting journey, discovering the seasonal delicacies and creatures found in forests, fields, gardens, and urban farmer’s markets. This charming, elegantly designed volume of freehand illustrations is a treat for the senses, guaranteed to inspire food lovers, nature enthusiasts, gardeners, and parents wanting to encourage their children to appreciate the wonders of nature’s edible bounty. Preorder here.

Hazelnut & Nutella Thumbprints

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Ask any French person what “cookie” means to them.  It is nothing other than a round, chewy, chocolate chip-studded package of Pepperidge Farm.  I know for a fact.  That was my cookbook editor’s reference point for a “real cookie”.  Thanks again globalization! Whatever may count as a Christmas cookie, I still hang onto my tradition of giving something sweet and homemade to my nearest.  The latest to make its way onto my roster is my Hazelnut & Nutella thumbprint cookies.  Their form is classically American, but the flavor is heavy on hazlenuts with the added allure of Nutella.  I know it’s the devil, but for me it still represents the matinal promise of European indulgence.  So whether they get the French pass as being a cookie or not, they will add a little euro appeal to any cookie plate.  Happy baking!

cookie 1

Hazelnut & Nutella thumbprints

for 20 à 22 cookies

Preheat oven to 350°F. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, hazelnut powder, hazlenuts, baking powder and salt until the hazelnuts are finely chopped. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar 5 minutes until light and pale in color. Add the egg, vanilla and mix until combined. Add the flour mixture little by little, mixing until just incorporated. Form the dough into 4 cm balls and roll in the canne sugar until completely coated. Place the balls on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Push a thumb into the cookies to create a hole. Bake the cookies 14-18 minutes until firm and lightly golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Fill each cookie with a teaspoon of Nutella®.

Ingrédients

190 g all-purpose flour

125 g hazelnut flour

100 g toasted hazlenuts

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

220 g unsalted butter, room temperature

70 g sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

60 g coarse canne sugar

200 g de Nutella®

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Noisettes & Nutella® thumbprints

pour 20 à 22 cookies

Préchauffez le four à 175 °C. Dans le bol d’un robot, mixez la farine, la poudre de noisettes, les noisettes, la levure et le sel en un mélange homogène avec de petits éclats de noisette. Dans un saladier, battez le beurre et le sucre 5 minutes en un mélange mousseux. Ajoutez l’œuf et la vanille. Incorporez la farine aux noisettes puis mélangez jusqu’à l’obtention d’une pâte homogène.  Formez des boulettes de pâte de 4 cm de diamètre puis roulez-les dans la cassonade. Déposez-les sur une plaque recouverte de papier sulfurisé. À l’aide du pouce, faites un trou profond dans chaque boulette. Faites cuire 14 à 18 minutes jusqu’à ce que les cookies soient fermes et légèrement dorés. Laissez-les refroidir sur une grille. À l’aide d’une petite cuillère, remplissez chaque cookie avec le Nutella®.

Ingrédients

190 g de farine

125 g de poudre de noisettes

100 g de noisettes entières, torréfiées

1 cuillerée à café de levure chimique

½ cuillerée à café de sel

220 g de beurre à température ambiante

70 g de sucre

1 œuf

1 cuillerée à café de vanille

60 g de cassonade

200 g de Nutella®

Looking for a detoxifying gift to yourself to ring in a healthier and less stressful New Year?  Preorder my forthcoming book Edible Paradise: A Coloring Book of Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables (Rizzoli’s Universe Imprint).

Color Me Seasonal, December!

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It’s December!  Can you believe it?  You know the drill, print out the coloring page below, color in each seasonal fruit and vegetable as you eat your way through December, share and tag with #colormeseasonal.

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For more seasonal coloring fun, preorder my forthcoming book Edible Paradise: A Coloring Book of Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables (Rizzoli’s Universe Imprint), February 9th, 2o16.

 

MOUSSAKA to color & cook

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Whenever I have a lull in my work, my first response is a backbreaking downward spiral of questioning my life choice of being a professional zucchini illustrator. My second is considering going back to school. Why wouldn’t I need a pastry certificate from Le Corden Bleu ? Sticker Jessie Kanelos Weiner_persimmons and pencils_thefrancofly.comshock. Nevermind. Once the panic wears off, I am always reminded that slow moments have often been my most fruitful times. And probably some of my happiest. I have a free moment to impulsively hop on a silly illustration idea I have in the back of my head. Persimmons ? Pencils ? Get it ? Ok neither do I, but it has me thinking about abc books of fruits, vegetables and inanimate objects. Don’t steal that one, ok ?

On my to-do list has been creating an illustrated recipe for They Draw & Cook, a vast collection of illustrated recipes from all around the World. From a distance, it has been an encouraging presence on my Instagram feed seeing what other professional zucchini illustrators have their hands on. Nevertheless, I gave it a shot with my favorite moussaka recipe (from a previous post about an unbelievable, international flea market discovery). But I challenged myself to do it in the style of my forthcoming coloring book Edible Paradise : A Coloring Book of Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables (Universe)…

Preorder Edible Paradise here.

Jessie Kanelos Weiner_Moussaka

MOUSSAKA adapted from Greek Cooking for the Gods by Eva Zane

Ingredients

3 eggplants

2 pounds ground lamb or beef

2 onions, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

1 can tomato sauce (8-ounce)

1/2 cup red wine

olive oil

salt and pepper

4 cups bechamel sauce

grated parmesan cheese

Peel and cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices; sprinkle with salt and set aside on paper towers to absorb the moisture.  Meanwhile prepare the meat sauce.  Saute the ground meat in butter with salt, and pepper, onions and garlic, crumbling the meat with a fork.  When the meat is evenly browned, add 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, parsley and tomato sauce; stir, mix well, add wine, and simmer for 20 minutes. Wipe the salted eggplant; lightly oil a skillet with pastry brush and quick fry the eggplant over high heat; lay on paper towels to drain.  In a greased 9×13×2” baking pan, place a layer of eggplant, top with meat mixture, sprinkle with grated cheese, cover with the remaining eggplant, sprinkle with grated cheese, and cover with bechamel sauce.  (Add 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg to the bechamel, and for an exceedingly rich sauce, add 3 egg yolks to the sauce after it is cooked.)  Top moussaka lavishly with grated cheese and bake at 350° F for 1 hour.  Allow to cool, and then cut into 3-inch squares.  Variations: Substitute 2 pounds zucchini, sliced lengthwise and fried, for the eggplant.  Or, substitute 2 pounds potatoes, peeled, cut in 1/4-inch slices and fried, for the eggplant.

For 12 servings