Albert Anker, Still Life: Two Glass of Red Wine, a bottle of Wine; a Corkscrew and a Plate of Biscuits on a Tray, oil on canvas, 43 x 40cm, Private collection

The swiss painter Albert Anker painted scenes of everyday village life. Over his career he painted over thirty still life paintings of both rural and urban table settings. The painting above illustrates Anker’s affinity with the work of Chardin, the still life master that heavily influenced his aesthetic. He sought to make his compositions assessable to the viewer while producing a harmonic arrangement through subtle colour and lighting.

{Pistachio Cranberry Icebox Cookies}

Adapted from Gourmet
Yield: around 30 cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup shelled, salted pistachios
1/3 cup dried cranberries

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and orange zest until fluffy, around 3 minutes. Mix in the cinnamon and flour being careful not to overwork the dough. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries.

Tear off two pieces of cling film. Divide the dough into two equal portions and wrap the cling film around each portion, forming a long log about 2 inches in diameter. Form the log into a long rectangle and repeat with the other portion of dough. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

Remove the dough from the fridge and unwrap the cling film. Slice the dough into 1/4 inch slices and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake in a 180C oven for about 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Use a spatula to move onto a cooling rack.

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1 Year Ago: Giorgio Morandi – Croissant French Toast

2 Years Ago: Vincent Van Gogh – Holiday Lefse

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John Frederick Peto, The Poor Man’s Store (detail left), 1885
oil on canvas and panel, 90 x 65cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The American trompe l’oeil artist John Frederick Peto depicted ordinary objects at their actual size in his paintings. Peto worked within the genre throughout his career and The Poor Man’s Store is an early example of his aesthetic style. The jumble of goods displayed through an open window in the painting portrays candies and fruit, gingerbread and nuts. According to historical accounts, this shop window would have been a common sight on the streets of Philadelphia. Due to the disorderly arrangement of the humble items, Peto rarely had wealthy patrons and his work was often misattributed to the more successful tromp l’oeil painter William Harnett by unscrupulous art dealers (1).

 {Old-fashioned Molasses Cookies}

Recipe by my grandmother
Yield: around 72 cookies

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
3 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup water
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt

Mix sugar, butter, eggs and molasses. Dissolve baking soda in water; stir into molasses mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Heat oven to 375F (190C) degrees. Roll dough ¼ inch thick on lightly floured cloth covered board. Cut with favorite cutter. Place 2 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake until light brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool.

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1 Year Ago: Giorgio Morandi – Croissant French Toast

2 Years Ago: Paul Signac – Roasted Vanilla Orange Juice

De Scott Evans, A Plate of Onions, 1889
oil on canvas, 25.4 x 30.4 cm

The small canvas, A Plate of Onions, predates the other work by Evans adapted on this blog. Whereas A new variety try one epitomizes the trompe l’oeil style for which the artist was renowned, the onion painting illustrates his mastery of texture from the wispy roots to the crinkly skin and smooth pearly flesh of the vegetable. The painting is composed of an array of brown tones and the rotund shape of the onion is mirrored in the oval platter upon which they are grouped.

{Caramelized Onion Flatbread}

Yield: 4 servings

1 sheet frozen shortcrust pastry
2 large onions
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons seeded mustard
small bunch of fresh marjoram

Remove the sheet of shortcrust pastry from the freezer and allow to thaw. Meanwhile, slice the onions into crescents. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and add the onions. Stir well and add the salt and cook for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep the onions from burning. After 10 minutes, add the Worcestershire sauce and dried thyme. Stir well and continue to cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until the onions are completely soft. Mix in the sour cream and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 220C. Spread the seeded mustard over the pastry and place on a buttered baking tray. Cover the pastry with the onion mixture and slide into the oven for about 15 minutes until the pastry is fully cooked and the top is golden. Remove from the oven, cut into squares and scatter the fresh marjoram leaves over the top of the flatbread.

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1 Year Ago: Paul Gauguin – Tomato Tarte Tatin

2 Years Ago: Édouard Manet – Ham, Gruyère, and Moutarde Palmiers

Benjamin Roberts, Still life of plums with a cabbage white, 1862
oil on board, 16 x 21.5 cm, Private collection

Very little research is readily available concerning the British artist Benjamin Roberts. From the date of the painting, one can gather that he was active during the Victorian movement in the United Kingdom. The delicate details of the yellow butterfly, small tendrils on the leaf and the gleaming water droplet upon the plum epitomise the art of this period. The delicacy of the painting is matched in the subtle flavouring in the recipe of the baked custard. With the mellow warmth of the nutmeg and the fragrant vanilla, this simple custard is studded with bright plum slices that are carefully arranged to fashion a purple-tipped flower.

{Baked Custard with Plums}

Yield: 4 servings

2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
200 ml heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1 plum

Preheat the oven to 180C. In an oven-proof bowl, mix the eggs and sugar together, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the vanilla, nutmeg, cream and milk and mix well. Place the bowl in a roasting pan and fill with water until it is half way up the sides of the pan. Slide into the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the plum in half and remove the pit. Slice each half into quarters and divide each quarter into three crescents. Set aside.

After 30 minutes remove the custard from the oven. It should still be soft but beginning to set around the edges. Arrange the plum slices in a circle starting around the outside edge and moving inwards. Put the custard back into the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes until the centre is just set. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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The Colour Project

Nicolas-Henry Jeaurat de Bertry, Still Life of Asparagus, 18th century
oil on canvas on panel, 25.5 x 36 cm, Private collection

Nicolas-Henry Jeaurat de Bertry established his reputation as an artist via a series of still life paintings reminiscent of those by the master Chardin. De Bertry studied under his uncle, Etienne Jeaurat, and was accepted for membership in the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1756. His kitchen scenes often functioned as elaborate allegories of abundance and Still Life of Asparagus is no exception. The strangely formed dish of butter is overtly phallic, alluding to fertility and abundance. This painting reveals the satirical nature of his work, an aspect that became more pronounced in the portraiture he completed during the French Revolution.

{Soufflé Edged with Asparagus}

Yield: 4 servings

30 stalks of asparagus
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk
30 grams unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
4 eggs, separated

Carefully wash the asparagus and trim the tips so that they stick 1-inch above the rim of the ramekin. Preheat the oven to 180C.

In a small pan, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil with the salt for about 5 minutes until soft. Using a hand blender, puree the onions and slowly add the milk. Set aside.

In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat and add the flour. Immediately begin whisking to form a roux and cook, stirring continuously for 2 minutes. Once the roux begins to brown, add the onion and milk mixture and stir until smooth. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan. Once cooled slightly, add the four egg yolks and stir until very smooth. Set aside.

In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer set to medium-high. Beat until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. Take a large spoonful of the egg whites and stir into the soufflé mixture. Once incorporated, lightly fold in the remaining egg whites. Pour the soufflé mixture into the 4 asparagus-lined ramekins. Place on baking try and slide into oven.

Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes until the soufflé has risen. Test, insert a skewer into a crack on the side and when removed, should be clean. Serve immediately.
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1 Year Ago: Food & Art at Eva Breuer Art Dealer

Historically, the pomegranate was used to symbolise fertility due to the mythical origins of the fruit. As related by Silvia Malaguzzi in her book Food and Feasting in Art, the god Acdestis, violent and lustful, was “handed over to Bacchus, who got him drunk. Once Acdestis had passed out, Bacchus tied up his feet and genitals. When Acdetis woke up, blood seeping from his genitals formed the pomegranate. The fruit was taken to the nymph Nana, who became pregnant by it and gave birth to Atys” (1). From the outside, the pomegranate is a fairly inauspicious fruit. It was not until I sliced it open, the crimson juice staining the cutting board and splattering on my clothes, that the corporeal aspect of the fruit was revealed. Within the iconography of the Christian Church, the pomegranate represents the blood of Christ. The name is derived from the Latin pōmum meaning apple and grānātus meaning seeded. Beating a section of the fruit with the back of a spoon yields a scattering of round ruby seeds.  The pomegranate is sometimes thought to be the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden, similar to the ‘garden of paradise’ of Qur’an where the ancient fruit with the jewel-like seeds grew (2).

Jacob van Hulsdonck, Still Life with Lemons, Oranges and a Pomegranate, c.1620-40
oil on panel, 42 x 49.5 cm, The Getty Collection

Jacob van Hulsdonck was a native of Antwerp who spent a large portion of his life in Germany where he began his artistic studies. Upon his return to Antwerp at the age of 27, he joined the local painters’ guild. Van Hulsdonck specialised in still life painting, becoming a master through his carefully rendered details. In Still Life with Lemons, Oranges and a Pomegranate, the rough texture of the citrons is meticulously depicted. Small droplets of water lay scattered on the table and cling delicately to the leaf of the orange in the bottom right of the panel. According to the Getty Museum, the blue and white porcelain bowl dates from the Wan-Li period of the Ming dynasty (3). Painted from a high vantage point, the majority of the fruit bounty is visible in the bowl, preserving the fleeting life of the natural products.

{Orange & Almond Cake with Pomegranates & Poppy Seeds}

Adapted from What Katie Ate
Yield: 8 servings

1 1/2 cups almond meal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs, separated
juice of 2 oranges + 1 orange, divided
1 teaspoon sugar
seeds from 1/2 pomegranate
1/4 c almond flakes
pinch of poppy seeds

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a 8-inch cake pan with baking paper and set aside. In a large bowl stir together the almond meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. Stir in the egg yolks and orange juice until just mixed, being careful not to overwork the batter.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Carefully spoon 1/3 of the egg whites into the cake batter, folding gently to loosen the batter. Scoop the remaining egg whites into the batter and stir until they are just incorporated. Pour into lined baking pan and slide into the oven for 4o-50 minutes until the top is golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and lift out of the pan by the baking paper. Peel off the paper and set aside on serving platter.

Meanwhile, de-seed the pomegranate and set aside. Juice the remaining orange into a small saucepan, adding any pulp from within the orange halves. Stir in the sugar and mix until it is dissolved. Simmer over medium-high heat until reduced by half. Scatter the pomegranate seeds over the top of the cake along with the flaked almonds. Add the poppy seeds to the orange juice, swirl to mix and drizzle over the cake, covering the top evenly. Serve warm and keep in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days.

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1 Year Ago: John Olsen – BBQ Tikka Prawns

Gustavo Montoya, Still Life with Bananas
oil on canvas, 80 x 119.4cm, Private collection

Still Life with Bananas is a typical still life subject by the artist Gustavo Montoya. He often painted the fruits and sweets of his native Mexico and the bright, monochrome colour palette highlights his interest in abstraction. The layering of colour from the bright yellow, to a light orange and dark brown suggests the colouring of a flan with the rich caramel crust, pool of caramel sauce and light creamy custard. Flan is a custard dessert that is poured over a layer of caramel and baked in a bain-marie. The etymological origins of flan are quite convoluted and can be traced through French, Old French and Medieval Latin before arriving at the Old High German root flado meaning ‘flat cake.’ In Latin American, the dessert is typically called leche flan as it is primarily served with dulce de leche. The deeply sweet and rich flavor components of dulce de leche are echoed in this flan recipe through the addition of condensed milk.

{Banana Flan}

Yields: 6 servings

1/2 cup sugar
250 ml evaporated milk
2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup whole milk
2 large eggs + 4 egg yolks

Preheat the oven to 170C. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add the sugar and begin stirring with a wooden spoon. Once the sugar melts, after about 5 minutes, stir only until all lumps are gone and the colour just begins to darken. Carefully pour the melted sugar into the flan mold, or individual ramekins.

In a large bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mash with the back of a fork or squeeze the banana with your hands. Mix until there are minimal banana lumps and all of the ingredients are fully incorporated. Pour the mixture into the flan mold or ramekins on top of the melted sugar.

Place the flan mold or ramekins into a deep pan that is half full with hot water. Slide the water-filled pan with the flan mold into the preheated oven. Bake for about 1 hour and remove from the oven to let cool. If using a flan mold, turn over onto a serving platter.
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The Colour Project

Paul LaCroix, Still Life with Asparagus and Tomatoes, 1864
oil on canvas, 34.29 x 41.28 cm, Private collection

There is a very limited amount of literature concerning the American artist Paul LaCroix. He has a handful of works in regional art museums around the United States and he is thought to have been a contemporary of Severin Rosen, who also painted in the mid-nineteenth century. LaCroix immigrated from France to the United States sometime between the late 1840s and early 1850s and exhibited his still lifes at the National Academy of Design throughout the 1860s. In addition to still life paintings, LaCroix was also known for his landscapes. In other works dating from the same era as Still Life with Asparagus and Tomatoes, he would combine the two genres by depicting lush fruits and vegetables against a sweeping landscape background. The two-genre paintings are reminiscent of the elaborate compositions by the Italian artist Bartolomeo Bimbi and demonstrated a marked point of difference from the dark and somber aesthetic by Peale, Rosen and Chase that informed Still Life with Asparagus and Tomatoes.

{Semi-Dried Tomato & Asparagus Quiche}

Yield: 6 servings

1 tsp butter for greasing
1 sheet frozen shortcrust pastry, thawed
1 1/3 cup sour cream
2 large eggs + 2 egg yolks
salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
12 semi-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/3 c feta cheese, crumbled
12 stalks of asparagus, woody ends trimmed off

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Butter the inside of the 8-inch round baking pan and carefully lay the pastry over the top. Using your fingers, mold the pastry into the pan, trimming off the excess around the top. Prick the bottom of the shell with a fork and slide into the oven for about 20 minutes, until the shell is cooked and golden.

Meanwhile, mix together the sour cream, eggs, yolks and season with salt and pepper. Once the shell has baked, sprinkle the semi-dried tomatoes over the bottom and pour in the egg mixture. Carefully sprinkle over the crumbled feta cheese and then arrange the asparagus spears in a circular pattern. Reduce the oven temperature to 190C/350F and return to the oven for about 30 to 35 minutes until the eggs are golden and set.

Can be served at any temperature; hot, warm or cold and is wonderful with a salad of greens, simply dressed with lemon, salt and olive oil.

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1 Year Ago: Frida Kahlo – Roasted Chicken with Pumpkin Mole

Combining the ingredients in Tom Wesselmann’s ‘Still Life #2′ was a natural
marriage, the dark molasses flavours of the whiskey compliment the subtle
sweetness of the pear with the toasty hints in the liquor mirrored in the toasted
hazelnuts of the crust. Cinnamon and ginger continue the warming flavour
palette and provides a sharp-spiciness to the tart – the perfect foil to the cooling
whiskey cream, speckled with vanilla seeds.

I would like to welcome all of the new readers arriving from Design*Sponge. I hope you take a bit of time and explore the site. You can find the entire listing of recipes here and if you are curious about the type of art you can find among the pages of this blog, then head on over to the art index and click on the images that catch your eye.

Tom Wesselmann, Still Life #2, 1962
oil and collage on board, 121.9 x 122.2 cm, Norton Simon Museum

The American Pop artist, Tom Wesselmann, was concerned with consumerism during the postwar era and created a distinct collage style of found art collage. He began working with images from magazines and posters but as his work increased in scale, he looked skyward to acquire used billboard signs. Wesselmann disliked his inclusion in the Pop Art movement because he was less concerned with critiquing  aspects of consumerism and instead focused on the aesthetic use of the everyday. A number of elements in Still Life #2 have been cut and pasted including the bouquet of flowers in the center of the frame.

Click here to view the pear tart with whiskey cream recipe on Design*Sponge.
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1 Year Ago: Johann Christian Berndt – Pear, Goat Cheese & Prosciutto Pizza

{Modern & Contemporary Cakes}

Mondrian
Geometric Pound Cake

Warhol
Tomato Soup Cake

Thiebaud
Pop Art Cupcakes

Hirst
Cineole Cupcakes