In the early 1980′s, Andy Warhol created a number of Poinsettia paintings and screen prints to give as gifts to his friends. The ubiquitous Christmas flower became associated with the holiday in Mexico in the 16th century. As instructed by an Angel, a young girl who couldn’t afford a gift, gathered up some weeds to place at a church alter. From the weeds sprouted the star shaped poinsettias that are said to resemble the Star of Bethlehem. In the spirit of poinsettia gift giving, I made this cocktail for loved ones this Christmas and the recipe is my gift to say thank you for being loyal readers and followers of this blog. Merry Christmas.

{Poinsettia Cocktail}

Adapted from Nigella Christmas
Yield: 8-9 glasses

750 ml bottle dry fizzy white wine
1/2 cup orange liqueur
2 cups cranberry juice

Chill the ingredients. Carefully mix in a large pitcher and serve in a wine glass or champagne flute. Alternatively, serve in a punch bowl with a fruit-filled ice ring to keep the cocktail cold.

Cheers!

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1 Year Ago: Giorgio Morandi – Croissant French Toast

2 Years Ago: Vincent Van Gogh – Holiday Lefse

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Fernand Léger, Still Life with a Beer Mug, 1921
oil on canvas, 92.1 x 60 cm

Fernand Léger’s background in architecture proved to be a defining characteristic of his artistic style. The angular forms and patterns found in the paintings from his ‘mechanical period’ all embody the post-war mentality of order and regulation. The horizontal and vertical lines throughout the canvas provide clarity through their repetition in what initially appears to be a jumbled composition. Léger often worked within what he called the ‘law of contrasts’. Still Life with a Beer Mug distills the contrasts down to liner angles, circles and curves. Historically the depiction of beer has been used to represent barbarian culture as well as prosperity through human labour (1).

A Michelada is known in Mexico as a cerveza preparada (‘prepared beer’) which can be likened to a shandy. The typical recipe for a cerveza preparada contains tomato juice, Mexican beer and lime juice poured into a salt-rimmed glass. The Mexican Michelada is essentially a Bloody Mary with beer instead of vodka. In the 1940s it was popular to mix beer with hot sauce or salsa. It was during this time that the Michelada was invented. The drink has become commercially popular in the United States with Miller producing ‘Miller Chill’ made with a ‘hint of salt and lime’ as well as Anheuser-Busch producing ‘Budweiser Chelada’ which combines lager, lime, salt, and clamato juice (2).

{Michelada}

adapted from Gourmet

1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 lime, halved
2 TB fresh lime juice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Splash of hot sauce
1 chilled dark beer

Mix the salt and chili powder on a small plate. Run a lime half around edge of a pint glass and then rub in the salt mixture to coat the rim.

Add lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce to glass, then top with the beer.

Fernando Botero, Still Life with Watermelon, 1992
oil on canvas, 95 x 116 cm

Fernando Botero is a Colombian artist who gave himself the title “most Colombian of Colombian artists.” Botero is primarily known for his portraits and for the exaggerated the proportions of his subjects. His ‘large people’, deemed obese by critics, are very round and seem to be composed of several bulbous spheres stacked upon one another (1). In the still-life above, the subject material consisting of oranges, a watermelon, and a kettle all assume a similar bulging appearance. I would think it would be hard to make an orange look fat but by slicing it near the top it appears the symmetry is off kilter and the fruit looks like it is bursting with juice.

The margarita is the most common and popular tequila-based cocktail. Traditionally the tequila is mixed with triple sec and lime juice with the ratio at 2:1:1. Served on the rocks or with ground ice, the drink would not be complete without the salt rim (made special in my recipe with the addition of lime flavouring). As with many origin stories regarding food there are several accounts detailing how the margarita was developed. I like to imagine the inventor is Danny Negrete who allegedly in 1936 made the drink as a wedding gift for his sister-in-law Margarita (2). What a fun and delicious gift!

{Frozen Watermelon Margarita}

In the freezer, watermelon margaritas will keep for 2 to 3 weeks. The recipe can be easily adapted for children by omitting the tequila and makes for a refreshing drink/dessert on balmy summer nights. Delicious when paired with spicy dishes such as the chipotle chicken enchiladas.

adapted from Gourmet
Yield: 6 servings

1 large watermelon
5 limes
1 cup tequila
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lime salt (recipe below)
lime zest for garnish

Cut the pink flesh of the watermelon into 1-inch cubes. Place in a large bowl and using a hand blender, puree the watermelon. Add the juice of 4 limes, the tequila and sugar to the pureed watermelon and stir well. Transfer the mixture to a freezer safe container and place in the freezer until solid. Freezing times will vary depending on the container and appliance but generally it will take 3 to 4 hours.

Cut the one remaining lime into wedges and rub the wedge around the rim of the serving glasses. On a small plate, evenly distribute the 2 tablespoons of lime salt. Press the rims of the glasses into the lime salt and set aside. Remove the frozen watermelon margaritas from the refrigerator and scrape 1/4 to 1/3 cup servings into each salt-prepared glass. Serve the watermelon margaritas as a solid or let thaw slightly and serve as a slush. Garnish with peels of lime zest.
 

{Lime Salt}

1/4 cup salt
1 teaspoon lime zest

Add the salt and lime zest into a mortar, grind with a pestle until a paste forms. Spread evenly over a large plate and let sit until dry, 3 to 4 hours. Use as a finishing salt with your favorite dishes. Perfect with fish and seafood, store in a small airtight jar.

Vincent van Gogh, Still Life: Red Poppies and Daisies, 1890
oil on canvas, 65 x 50 cm, Private Collection

The Post-Impressionist pioneer of Expressionism, Vincent van Gogh, is one of the most beloved and famous artists in history. Van Gogh suffered from mental illness which may have been due in part to his love of absinthe and lead poisoning (at that time all paints were lead based). In the beginning of his career his palette was somber and muted. It was after meeting important Impressionist painters, Passiaro, Monet, and Gauguin that his work began to lighten in colour and movement. It was during his time in mental institutions that the famous swirls began to appear in his work (1). With regard to still life painting, van Gogh was most prolific with the subject of sunflowers. Done in two distinct series, the sunflowers were all completed before van Gogh began the painting Still Life: Red Poppies and Daisies where the influence of the series is visually evident (2). The curving lines found in the flowing leaves are characteristic of the work produced during van Gogh‘s stay in Saint-Rémy. It was during this period that van Gogh also produced the well known painting, Starry Night (view here), also displaying the swirling brushstrokes.

It is the seeds from the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, that are used for culinary purposes. They are commonly baked into rolls and sweet breads in addition to coating the exterior of bagels. The seeds can be finely ground to use as a filling for pastries. The Joy of Cooking states that “the most desirable [seeds] come from Holland and are a slate-blue color.” The seeds can also be pressed to make poppyseed oil which is very popular as a salad dressing (3). My recipe for the very dense and rich bread was adapted from one for pound cake and it seems to be a cross between the British and French versions of the dish. In the UK dried fruits of sultanas are added (I opted for seeds instead) and in France, lemon is added to their quatre-quarts mixture (4). Regardless of its origin, my cakey bread recipe with blueberry honey butter makes for a wonderful welcome breakfast!!

{Lemon Poppy Seed Bread}

adapted from The Cake Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum
makes 1 loaf

3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c milk
1 1/2 c flour
3/4 c vanilla sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 TB lemon zest
3 TB poppy seeds
4 TB butter, softened

{lemon syrup}
1 lemon, juiced
1/3 c superfine sugar

Combine the eggs, vanilla extract, and milk. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients. Add the softened butter and mix well. Slowly incorporate the egg mixture and mix until you have a thick batter.

Pour into a prepared bread pan. Place in a preheated oven (180 C) for 30-40 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil for the first 2/3 of the cooking time. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let cool.

Heat the lemon juice and superfine sugar in a small sauce pan. Swirl the pan until the mixture begins to bubble and is slightly reduced. Prick the top of the bread with a toothpick and slowly pour the lemon syrup over the bread. Serve chilled or warm with blueberry honey butter.

{Blueberry Honey Butter}

1/2 c blueberries
1/4 c honey
1/2 c butter

Heat the blueberries and 2 TB of the honey in a small saucepan until the mixture has reduced by half (takes about 3 minutes of constant stirring).

Add the remaining honey and softened butter. Mix well with an electric hand mixer to make light and fluffy. Place in refrigerator to set.

Weaver Hawkins, Little Group with Grapefruit, 1942
oil on board, 36 x 46 cm, Private collection

Weaver Hawkins, also known as Raokin, was born in London before moving to Australia. His work was heavily impacted by his experiences in WWII where he lost complete control of his right arm and partial control of his left. His art is characterized by vibrant colour and form influenced by Cezanne‘s tendency to map out geometric shapes. His strong line and balanced composition illustrates the architectural context many modernist artists were working within at the time (1). His still life Group with Grapefruit is visually dynamic with the circular form exaggerated in the spoon, plate, bowl, lid, fruits, and the mouth of the jug. The repetition of the annular shape keeps the viewer’s eye moving in circles around the canvas again replicating the idea of the circle as a round and continuous entity.

Cordial or squash as it is known in the United Kingdom is a flavoured drink that is diluted with water. Depending on personal taste it is typically 1 part cordial to 4 or 5 parts water (still or sparkling). It works out to be a very cost-effective way to maximize the juice from any fruit and is an excellent cocktail mixer. Simply shift the proportions to 1 part cordial to 3 parts water and 1 part vodka or other spirit. Cordials are commonly found in the UK and Ireland, South Africa and Kenya, Australia and New Zealand, Scandinavia, India, and Israel (2). The flavour combinations are limitless so get creative!

{Citrus Cordial}

adapted from the Traveler’s Lunchbox
makes 2 large bottles

5 c water
3 c vanilla sugar
1 bunch fresh mint
3 c juice of a combination of oranges and grapefruit
juice of 2 lemons
sparkling or still water to serve

Bring the sugar, water, and mint to a rolling boil in a large pot over high heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Once boiling reduce the heat to medium and boil for about 8 minutes.

Add the citrus juice and continue to simmer until the liquid thickens, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool and strain (I used my French press). Store in clean bottles and refrigerate. Will keep for 1 month.

To serve combine 1 TB of the cordial with a glass of cold water and stir to combine. Makes an excellent cocktail mixer.