Feasting on Art

The period of art known as Pointallism was evolutionary due to the mathematical approach to colour and optics. The art up until the late 1880s was driven by the emotive qualities of colour and location. Pointallism marked a scientific foray into the arts similar to the complex perspecitval theories developed by Renaissance artists. The beauty of Pointallism is its methodical simplicity – small dabs of pure colour are applied to the canvas that are intended to mix in the viewer’s eye. When developing a recipe for this post I sought to embody this principal, two strong flavours that are simultaneously distinct yet blended into an alluring orange-cream beverage.

Paul Signac, Still Life with a Book, 1883
oil on canvas, 32 x 46.5 cm, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, Germany

Paul Signac is one of the lesser known proponents of Pointillism. His palate was influenced by his travels on the coast – the brilliant blues and vibrant greens of the sea melded with his free and expressive brushstrokes. The zig-zag texture in the background of the composition gives the painting a sense of movement among the static objects. Although Signac is predominantly known for his portrait of Félix Fénéon (completed 7 years after Still Life with a Book) his entire body of work influenced some of the great subsequent artists including Henri Matisse.

{Roasted Vanilla Orange Juice}

This juice will keep for one week in the refrigerator and is excellent paired with the recipe for croissant French toast to create a decadent breakfast or brunch menu.

Yield: serves 4

4 large oranges
3 cups water
1/2 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Juice 3 oranges and set aside juice. Slice the fourth orange in half and place in a shallow roasting pan, cut side up, along with 1 cup of the water, ¼ cup of the sugar and the vanilla bean. Roast for about 25 minutes until the oranges begin to caramelize. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool to room temperature.

To prepare simple syrup, in a small saucepan over high heat, mix the remaining sugar and water until dissolved, stirring constantly.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, continuing to stir. Do not allow the sugar water to darken in color. Set aside and cool.

Once the roasted oranges have cooled, juice the fruit, discard the rinds, and add juice to the reserved fresh orange juice.  Scrape the vanilla beans from the pod and add to the orange juice. Strain the water and sugar mixture from the roasting pan and add to juice. Once the simple syrup is cool, add to the juice mixture. Chill in the refrigerator.

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