A Tale of Two Photoshoots (Pt. 1)

plus B&W Strawberry Matcha Cheesecake Bars + pre order incentives

Dear recipients of the Camilla Wynne Missive,

The countdown to the release of Nature’s Candy is ON! In just over 12 weeks my new baby will be out in the world. I am very excited for you to see it and to cook from it. I’ve got a bunch of fun events and giveaways lined up, but in the meantime I want to make sure you know about the two pre-order incentives—either to enhance your life if you’ve already pre-ordered or else to convince you to!

First off, I made an exclusive summer-themed pre-order recipe bundle!!! It has some recipes previewed from the book, but also some new recipes I just developed that are honestly so good I really wish they were in the book. To get the PDF, just email your order confirmation receipt to naturescandycookbook@gmail.com. And then make the sherbet right away.

As of typing this, there are also 13 spots left in my online candying masterclass, where I’ll teach you extra techniques that aren’t in the book. It’ll happen on Zoom sometime this fall (there will be a recording if you can’t make the date), and my talented friend and Great Canadian Baking Show star Chi Nguyễn will be moderating (they also contributed a really great recipe to the book—that uses candied jalapenos!). Again, send your order confirmation receipt to naturescandycookbook@gmail.com to snag the last spots.

A Tale of Two Photoshoots (pt 1)

Leading up to the launch of a book, the promotional heavy lifting is done almost entirely by the book’s images. Good photos catch your eye, lure you in, make you want to bake whatever that is IMMEDIATELY. Thus, you pre-order.

I am so incredibly lucky to have created the images for both Jam Bake and Nature’s Candy with what can only be described as the crack team of photographer Mickael Bandassak and chef/stylist/bff Michelle Marek (she also contributed two incredible recipes to the book).

From what I’ve gleaned from social media, most cookbook photo shoots involve a lot people—one or more photographers, one or more stylists, maybe assistants, an art director and/or prop stylists. Not so with my books. I simply don’t have the money! I’m really not kidding when I say Jam Bake was made on a shoestring. I got an agent and negotiated a better advance for my new book, but it was still mostly shoestring energy. I’m so lucky that Mickael and Michelle are so insanely talented and amazing at multitasking—as well as being open to scrapping the original idea and getting creative and weird in the moment to try and best capture an image.

We shot the photos for Jam Bake over the course of seven days with only one day off wedged in there. It was February in Montreal. It blizzarded. To get from the apartment we were using as a studio to a functional oven you had to go outdoors into the snow and down some steep and very icy stairs. It’s a miracle Michelle and I survived! But I counted the whole thing as a win because a month later the whole world shut down with Covid, so at least we actually got the photos done.

This time I thought we’d live in luxury and break up the shoot into two four-day chunks. I booked my friend stylist Blake Mackay’s beautiful studio in Montreal just after Canadian Thanksgiving. I made shot lists and grocery lists and candied a LOT of fruit in preparation.

My baby was 4 months old at the time and my partner was on leave, so my family was supposed to come with me to Montreal. They started feeling ill the day before we were supposed to go. After a delay I ended up leaving on my own, driving 6 hours straight to the wholesaler and filling my cart with sugar and butter and eggs. With Blake’s help I dragged all of my props and ingredients and so much candied fruit into the 3rd floor studio, leaving an unfortunate oozing trail of syrup that a mop could never seem to quite conquer over the following days. Then I got the text that my partner and my poor sweet baby had tested positive for Covid. I felt so awful I wasn’t there to take care of them, but the studio was rented, Mickael was on a plane from Paris and the fridges were now full of hundreds of dollars worth of groceries. I let the team know what was up and went to sleep with fingers crossed.

The next morning, shoot day 1, I woke up with a tickle in my throat. When I got to the studio, just to be cautious, I took a test. Lo and behold—I had it too. Which posed an obvious problem. I definitely didn’t want to give it to anyone, but this photo shoot also had to happen. I really couldn’t afford otherwise. And with such a tiny team, it couldn’t happen without me. My partner is an anesthesiology resident, so they had stuffed my bag full of N95 masks in the event I should need them. I put one on and went out to explain what was up. It wasn’t ideal, but I felt fine, so we all donned the masks, cranked open the windows (honestly, not recommended in Montreal in October) and got to work.

It will not surprise you to hear that the experience was not the super fun time I had hoped for. Every night instead of going out to dinner with the team or other friends in town, I went and ate soup alone in an apartment and watched Drag Race over Zoom with my partner. BUT on the bright side, I was barely sick, I gave it to no one, and we still dropped off photo shoot pastries to restaurant friends, who gave us wonderful things like pizza in return. Michelle and I would have a little fun driving masked to and from the studio with all the windows down, except maybe for the time we tried to bring a very melty semifreddo to Elena.

Most importantly, we took what I think are some REALLY good photos. We did it fast and furious with barely any props, but we did it. And we were all buoyed by looking forward to the next shoot, which was simply GUARANTEED to be better than this one.

making fake covers, a highlight of photo shoot mania

I’ll be back in your inboxes next month with the tale of our redemptive Paris photo shoot (complete with restaurant recs), plus more details about Nature’s Candy events and another recipe.

And now, just because I love you (and cheesecake bars), a recipe.

Black & White Strawberry Matcha Cheesecake Bars

I admit these seem fiddly at first glance (I’m looking at you, Bases A & B and Streusels A & B), but I promise you they come together quickly and are more importantly SO. FREAKING. DELICIOUS. I was inspired to adapt an old Strawberries & Cream Bars recipe of mine after a) being sent some gorgeous matcha from Avantcha, b) making strawberry jam, and c) trying the matcha oreo gelato at my favorite Toronto spot, Futura. It might sound strange at first, but it really makes sense once it’s in your mouth, and they’re very good-looking to boot. Also they’re in no way strange— matcha Oreos are classic, as is matcha cheesecake, as it Oreo cheesecake, as are strawberries. You get it. Please make these. Take them to the park or the cottage or the beach and rejoice.

Makes 16

Base A

• 95 g all-purpose flour

• 1/8 tsp kosher salt

• 75 g unsalted butter, cold, cubed

Base B

• 70 g all-purpose flour

• 25 g black cocoa

• 1 Tbsp sugar

• 1/8 tsp kosher salt

• 75 g unsalted butter, cold, cubed

Streusel A

• 70 g all-purpose flour

• 45 g icing sugar

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 58 g unsalted butter, cold, cubed

Streusel B

• 50 g all-purpose flour

• 20 g black cocoa

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 57 g unsalted butter, cold, cubed

Filling

• 230 g cream cheese, softened

• 50 g sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 Tbsp matcha

• 225 g strawberry jam

To finish

• 40 g (1/3 cup) icing sugar

• 1-2 Tbsp heavy cream

• 1 tsp matcha

• Freeze dried strawberries, crushed

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square pan and line with parchment paper.

Bases A &B: In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients for Base A. Rub together with your fingertips until a crumbly dough forms. Repeat for Base B. Scatter both over prepared pan in an appealing marble design; press in evenly. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until set and pale golden. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Streusels A & B: Using the same bowl as for Base A (no need to wash), combine all ingredients for Streusel A. Rub with fingertips until pea-size crumbs form. Repeat for Streusel B (using Base B bowl). Combine the two streusels, tossing gently to preserve the black & white contrast.

Filling: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and matcha until well-combined; spread over cooled base. Dollop with jam, then gently swirl into cream cheese mixture. Cover evenly with reserved streusels. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until filling is set and streusel is lightly golden. Cool completely on wire rack (preferably overnight).

To finish: In a small bowl, whisk together icing sugar, 1 Tbsp cream and matcha. Add more cream if necessary to achieve a drizzle-able texture. Drizzle over bars then sprinkle with freeze-dried strawberries. Allow to set before cutting, about 15 minutes.

Bars will keep, refrigerated in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.

Oh! And!

I am also in a band (reunited last year after breaking up in Tokyo in 2009!)—I guess because I like to make my life complicated, but mostly because I love this band. We made a record this January—our first in 15 years, and it’s out September 20th. Actually that process also involved Covid and a few other disasters, but that’s a story for another day (and I think the record came out better for it). You can listen to the first single, Reappearing Rat, and pre-order the album if you so desire. And we go on tour this fall! As you can see below, I’ll be in Durham, NC, when Nature’s Candy comes out. LOL. It’s gonna be some fall. Come see us! Bring pastries! Or just read about what it’s like to eat on tour in the article I wrote for the Globe & Mail last year.

See you soon, whether here or there!

xo Camilla