Feasting on Art

After a beautiful weekend in the Upper Peninsula visiting my mother’s side of the family we have returned to the humidity of the Lower Peninsula with a bucket of wild blackberries in tow. My aunt and uncle know of all the best berry picking locations and while I was asleep in my bed, my parents joined them for some early morning picking. I did do a tiny bit of thimbleberry picking (pictured below) and I  sat through the 7 hour car ride home thinking about what to make. It is too hot to bake and I just made a batch of jam so I settled on a frozen dessert. I seem to be a creature of habit – the last post I did about Raphaelle Peale was a recipe for orange & lemon ice cream and exactly one year ago I posted a recipe for a frozen watermelon margarita. For another cold treat check out my post about coconut milk ice cream.

Raphaelle Peale, Blackberries, c.1813
oil on wood panel, 18.4 x 26 cm, de Young Fine Art Museum

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I am excited to be writing from Michigan where I am on holiday for the next couple of weeks. Trading winter for summer has been wonderful, and last night I had the pleasure of testing out a few recipes in my aunt & uncle’s wood-fired pizza oven. It is a beautiful set-up (pictured below) and I am so impressed with his pizza handling skills. I tried to slide the pesto pizza into the oven and lost most of the cherry tomatoes to the fire in the process. The dough we used was purchased from Gordon’s – you could also make your own using this recipe, omitting the rosemary and lemon zest. The cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of the pizza crust but in a very hot, wood-fired oven it only took about three minutes.

Claes Oldenburg, Flying Pizza, 1964
lithograph, 43.2 x 56.2 cm, edition of 200

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In honour of the 4th of July, I put together a small selection of nostalgia inducing recipes. I am travelling back to the States in three short weeks and after two years away, I am feeling pretty sentimental! Sunday is the 4th of July and perhaps one (or all) of these recipes will inspire a few Independence Day menus. I will be celebrating with my closest ex-pat friend here in Sydney and if my oven was not still broken the chocolate chip cookies would be at the top of my ‘to make’ list. Happy 4th everyone!

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In addition to decorating mountains of gingerbread and sugar cookies, a beloved Christmas tradition in my family was eating lefse on Christmas Eve. My Norwegian Great Grandmother would cook the thin potato pancakes every year in her tiny apartment on a piping hot griddle. As soon as the pancake was golden and toasted, we would slather on some salty butter and sprinkle a bit of crunchy sugar. I am so particularly fond of this dish that I searched for it on every restaurant menu I passed while travelling in Oslo. Later I found out that the dish, as I know it, is enjoyed by Norwegian-Americans living in the Midwest United States.

This post originally appeared as a holiday guest post on The Kitchn. You can view the entry here. Feasting on Art was nominated for a Homies award. Vote for us here!

Happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone is thoroughly stuffed and satisfied. This menu is my attempt to reconcile an American holiday that for me, has suddenly shifted from a typically frigid November to a muggy one (it was 104F on Sunday here in Sydney!). I spent my holiday with a group of my new friends here and for them I am thankful. After a year in Australia (officially as of the 25th!!) I finally feel settled. I am thankful for my now healthy family and even though they are very far away they always find ways to make sure I feel loved and remembered. This year has given me a brand new facet of my life to be thankful for – this blog. It is a space where I continue to learn and study the things I am most passionate about. Thank you everyone for your support and continual inspiration!

{Smoky & Spicy Thanksgiving Menu}

starter
Pumpkin Chipotle Tartelette with Beetroot Jam & Chevre

salad
Green Beans with Red Onion & Mustard Vinaigrette

side
Chipotle Sweet Potato Mash with Fresh Lime

main
Spice-Rubbed Turkey with Cranberry BBQ Sauce

If you enjoyed the recipe for Pumpkin Chipotle Tarteletts with Beetroot Jam & Chevre please vote for it at the Bon Appetit Blog Envy Bake-Off (it is on the 4th page of entries in the pie category.)