Feasting on Art

Although Frida Kahlo is best known for her striking and emotionally revealing self portraits, she created about 40 still life paintings that provide just as much insight into her preoccupation with death and her overwhelming loneliness. I was recently given an anthology detailing Kahlo’s entire body of still life paintings and have become so enamored with her work that I will be completing a five part series of my favorite artworks. This is not the first time Kahlo’s art has appeared on this site and I hope by the end of this series you will adore her work like I do.

In her beautifully composed photographs, Marian Drew includes the lifeless bodies of Australian fauna collected from the side of the road. The photographs represent a meeting of Europe and Australia through the insertion of wallabies, kangaroos, and possums into the still life tradition. The images assume a painterly tone achieved by long exposures and careful application of light via torch. This process allows Drew to highlight important elements in the composition as well as experiment with shadow as a form.

Marian Drew, Crow with Salt, 2006
112 x 134 cm, digital image on German etching paper – archival pigments, from the series Art Fair

Marian Drew was directly influenced by the traditional still life paintings she studied while living in Germany. Ranked the lowest in the hierarchy of genres created in the 17th century, still lifes were considered to be merely a record of inanimate objects. The Dutch depicted opulent banquets with a seemingly endless bounty spilling over the edges of tables while the French presented an ordered and contained tableaux of goods. The fare was delivered to the viewer to be visually consumed and became a dialogue between a prosperous society and their material possessions. The still life genre featuring small game and poultry acted as a signifier of wealth. In Germany in the 15th-century, hunting rights were only granted to the aristocracy. The still lifes demonstrated not only their control over nature by commanded their authoritative stature in society. This theme is continued by Drew who examines the dominating relationship between the urban landscape and it’s natural fauna. Life is juxtaposed against death and contemporary cultural identity is explored through the traditions of the still life.

Marian Drew, Kingfisher with Chinese Cloth and Strawberries, 2009
112 x 134 cm, archival pigment on cotton paper, from the series Birds

While driving down a dusty road in the short documentary Australiana, Drew states that in Australia, citizens are not encouraged to pick up roadkill because it acts as food for other native animals. With this in mind, her compositions take on a whole new meaning. What we consider to be inedible waste becomes a meal for another. Although I cannot appreciate four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie, the blushing strawberries and the sunny lemon would make a tempting dessert to set before a king.

(The photograph of the Berry & Lemon pie was created using the same methods developed by Marian Drew.)

{Berry & Lemon Cheese Pie with a Lemon Butter Crust}

1 punnet fresh strawberries
1/3 c honey
1 lemon
3 TB sugar
1 pkg cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1 punnet fresh berries (blueberries or blackberries)

Prepare the Lemon Butter Crust (recipe below) and have ready and chilled. In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, vanilla, sugar, and tsp lemon zest. Cream with an electric mixer until light and fluffy and the sugar has dissolved. Spread onto the bottom of the baked pie crust.

Divide the strawberries and cut half into quarters and place in a new bowl. With a hand blender puree the strawberries and mix in the juice from half of the lemon and the honey (alternatively you could mash the strawberries with the back of a fork). Pour the mixture into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile slice the remaining strawberries. Once the strawberry mixture is boiling begin to stir continuously to keep from burning. Cook for two minutes and take off the heat. Add the remaining strawberries and blueberries, mix, and pour over the lemon cheese layer in the pie.

Chill the pie in the refrigerator until the berries have set an a slice will hold it’s shape (about 3 hours). Serve cold.

{Lemon Butter Crust}

1 1/4 c plain flour
1/2 c unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 TB water

Place the flour, butter, lemon zest, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Begin rubbing the butter into the flour working it until the mixture resembles wet sand and clumps together. Add 1 TB of water and mix turning out onto a floured surface and kneading slightly. Form into a round disk and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Work the dough into a 1 cm round on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Fit into a buttered pie pan. If the pastry breaks up you can fit it back together by pressing it into the pie tin. Ensure there is an even layer of pastry within the tin. To create the decorative edge roll the remaining pastry into small balls and press around the edge of the tin. Once assembled in the pie tin, place the pastry in the freezer.

Heat the oven to 180C. Remove the tin from the freezer and place a sheet of parchment paper over it and pour in dried beans or rice to weight the pastry. This will keep the base from rising. Slide into the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the baking weights and prick the base of the crust with a fork to release steam. Return the crust into the oven for an additional 10 minutes until golden. Add non-cooked filling.

Liz from the beautiful blog Zested was one of my first ‘regulars’ here on Feasting on Art and she replied to my open call for still life suggest. Cotán’s Still Life with Quince, Cabbage, Melon and Cucumber was given the recipe treatment and lucky for me, Liz saved a doozy of a suggestion for our collaboration! I frequent her site for not only tantalizing flavour combinations – Frozen Citrus Cream with Candied Thyme & White Chocolate Grapes with Orange Curd – but diligently composed and lit photographs. My mouth waters every time I look at her caramelized tomato tart and I cannot even begin to wax poetic about her Mexican Hot Chocolate! Thank you for such an exciting collaboration Liz!

Be sure to visit Liz’s blog for the recipe for Scarlet Poached Pears and Ginger Pumpkin Bread.

Louis Comfort Tiffany, Pumpkin and Beets window, c.1899-1900
Leaded Favrile glass, 114 x 142.9 cm, The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art

Louis Comfort Tiffany was originally trained as a painter before pursuing the art of glassmaking in the late nineteenth century. He is linked with the Art Nouveau movement which embodies floral motifs with flowing and stylized curves (1). Tiffany preferred to work with glass that contained mineral impurities and often composed his decorative arts with a variety of colours and textures of opalescent glass. The natural jewel-like hues of pumpkin and beetroot are a fitting subject for an art work focused on saturated colour and light. Tiffany’s painterly background is evident with tonal variation used to denote the shape and the form of the organic shapes of the vegetables and the foliage.

As a staple dessert at any Thanksgiving Day celebration, Pumpkin Pie is firmly rooted in autumnal tradition. The New York Times recounts the pie’s history,

“First introduced to Tudor England by the French, the flesh of the “pompion” was quickly accepted as a pie filler. However, while pumpkin pie sailed with the Pilgrims back to the birthplace of its main ingredient — where it survived in more or less its original form — it all but disappeared in its country of origin.” (2)

Traditionally spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, my addition of chipotle chili gives the pie a savory bend and an additional dimension of smoky heat. Although Pumpkin Pie is generally more palatable for Americans, all of the Australians I tested this recipe on gobbled it up in an instant (and yes I chose the verb gobble to reference the other Thanksgiving staple – Turkey!)

{Pumpkin Chipotle Tartelette with Beetroot Jam & Chevre}

1 kilogram pumpkin
3 TB maple syrup
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp dried chipotle chili
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp butter
pinch of salt
2 TB buttermilk
2 eggs

frozen shortcrust pastry
beetroot jam
chevre

De-seed the pumpkin and cut it into cubes (about half the size of your thumb). Place on greased baking tray and drizzle with the maple syrup. Toss with your hands to evenly coat the pumpkin and bake in a 180C oven for about 40 minutes until soft.

Puree the baked pumpkin in a large bowl with a hand blender. Add the butter, brown sugar, chipotle, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well. Meanwhile butter the tatelette trays (or muffin tins) and line them with the shortcrust pastry. Once the pumpkin puree has cooled add the two eggs and buttermilk and mix well. Fill the pastry bases and slide into the 180C oven for about 40 minutes. Carefully watch the tartelettes to keep them from burning.

Top the tartelettes with a spoon of beetroot jam and chevre.

**A special thanks to my friend and colleague Lindsay for helping me develop this recipe!

{Beetroot Jam}

2 beetroots, grated
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 dried chili
1 tsp thyme
1 TB butter
1 TB olive oil
1 TB brown sugar
2 TB balsamic vinegar

Heat the butter and the oil in a large pot and sweat the red onion. Once soft add the beetroot, thyme, and dried chili and cook for 1 hour. With 20 minutes remaining add the sugar and vinegar and continue to stir to keep the jam from burning. If the jam becomes too thick then add a bit of water to loosen it.

This is the second recipe in a four part series for a smoky & spicy Thanksgiving. If you enjoyed this recipe please vote for it at the Bon Appetit Blog Envy Bake-Off (it is on the 4th page of entries in the pie category.)

On this blog Andy Warhol is becoming synonymous with tasty cakes (see my recipe for Tomato Soup Cake). Upside-down banana cake has become my new favorite dessert recipe which could also double for a really decadent breakfast bread. The crumb is moist and dense and yielded a tasty cake that is dangerously addictive.

Andy Warhol, Bananas, 1978
Polaroid photography, Paul Kasmin Gallery

The Polaroid camera fit perfectly into Andy Warhol’s artistic methods of mass production. Warhol began working with Polaroid cameras in the early 1960s and according to him “There is something about the camera that makes the person look just right” (1). Often if Warhol particularly liked a photo he would turn it into an acetate before working with the image in his infamous mode of silkscreen reproduction. The ready-made nature of the Polaroid format was well suited to the pop icons captured as subjects. Although Warhol’s Polaroid photographs were never intended to be viewed as art but instead as a means to an end, the small body of work is perhaps the most revealing with regard to who Warhol was as a person.

Within the realm of upside-down cakes, the pineapple variety is perhaps the most famous. The upside-down pineapple cake is a product of the 20th century but the technique is much older with fruit on the bottom cakes made in a skillet dating back to the middle ages. Typically these cakes were made with apples and cherries and were called skillet cakes. In addition to the famed pineapple cake – the 20th century also brought with it the modern convenience of electric/gas oven baking and so the cake recipe adapted to its present form.

{Upside-Down Banana Cake}
adapted from Gourmet

3/4 c brown sugar
50 g (4 TB) butter
2 large bananas, sliced

1 1/2 c flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 mashed bananas
1/2 c buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 c vanilla sugar
1/3 c butter
2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 180C. Cream the 4 TB of butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until it is fluffy. Spread on the bottom of a cake pan and arrange the slices of banana to cover the entire mixture.

Cream the vanilla sugar and remaining 1/3 c of butter in another bowl. Once fluffy add the eggs one at a time and then the buttermilk and vanilla extract and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and once incorporated stir in the mashed banana. Pour into the cake pan over the sliced banana.

Bake about an hour and fifteen minutes until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the sides of the cake begin to pull away from the pan. Cool and then invert onto a serving platter.

I am delighted to introduce my October blog collaborator, Siri from The Transplanted Baker. The title of her blog refers to Siri’s status as an American ex-pat living on the west coast of Norway. We decided to continue with the Norwegian theme with the art selection so we chose the famous painting The Scream by Edvard Munch. If any of you are familiar with the Ice Cream song by Johnson, Moll & King, I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!, then our recipe selection should not be much of a surprise. I proceeded with my savory theme by making salt & pepper sweets but be sure to visit Siri’s site for her recipe for Red Currant Ice Cream made from hand-picked, home-canned currants!

Edvard Munch, The Scream (Skrik), 1893
Oil, tempera, and pastel on cardboard, 91 x 73.5 cm, National Gallery, Oslo

Edvard Munch is best known for his painting The Scream that is part of the series titled The Frieze of Life. The entire series of works embodied themes of life and death, love and fear as well as melancholy. Painted in an expressionist style, the painting depicts a figure in agony against a foreboding sky and the landscape of Oslofjord. The original title of the painting was the German phrase Der Schrei der Natur (The Scream of Nature). According to the writing of Munch,

“I was walking down the road with two friends when the sun set; suddenly, the sky turned as red as blood. I stopped and leaned against the fence, feeling unspeakably tired. Tongues of fire and blood stretched over the bluish black fjord. My friends went on walking, while I lagged behind, shivering with fear. Then I heard the enormous, infinite scream of nature.” (1)

If you like baking and vintage aprons then you will love Siri’s blog, The Transplanted Baker. She has been posting a collection of bun recipes that range from Norwegian classics like Skolleboller to American favorites like Buttermilk Biscuits Spiked with Jalapeño and Cheddar in celebration of her own little bun in the oven. In addition to a vast assortment of recipes of anything and everything baking-related, Siri includes photographs of breathtaking Norwegian landscapes. I especially like her series of Yellow August photographs and those from her cherry picking adventure in Hardanger. If you ever dreamed of living in a place with idyllic mountain vistas and a creamy brown goat’s milk cheese called Geitost then I highly suggest living vicariously through Siri on her blog The Transplanted Baker.

{Pink Peppercorn Ice Cream}
Adapted from A Homemade Life

1 c whole milk
2 c double cream
3/4 c vanilla sugar
pinch of salt
6 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp ground pink peppercorns

Combine the milk, 1 c of cream, sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until hot but be sure to keep the mixture from boiling.

Whisk the egg yolks in a medium size bowl and place it in an ice bath (a larger bowl with 1 c of water and several ice cubes). Remove the hot milk mixture from the heat and let it cool for about 30 seconds before slowly pouring half of the mixture into the egg yolks while continuously whisking. Pour the warm egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture.

Cook over medium-low heat until the sauce begins to thicken and it will coat the back of a wooden spoon (about 5 minutes). Pour the remaining cream in a large bowl and place a strainer over it. Strain the milk/egg mixture into the cream and place into the ice bath. Let cool in the ice bath before stirring in the vanilla and pink peppercorns. Spoon into an airtight container and place in the freezer.

Check the ice cream after 45 minutes. Once it begins to freeze around the edges, remove it from the freezer and beat with a hand-held mixer. This will break up the crystals and yield a smoother ice cream. Once mixed, return to the freezer and repeat the process every 30 minutes for 2-3 hours until the ice cream is frozen. The ice cream is best enjoyed immediately.

{Bittersweet Chocolate Chips with Heather Salt}
Adapted from the NY Times

2 c minus 2 TB cake flour
1 2/3 c all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 c butter
1 1/4 c brown sugar
1 c + 1 TB sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
500 g 60% cacao content bittersweet chocolate
heather salt

Sift flour, baking powder and soda, and salt into a bowl. Cream the butter and sugar together for 5 minutes until light. Add eggs, mixing between each addition and then the vanilla. Mix the dry ingredients on a a low speed until just combined. Carefully mix in the chocolate pieces, wrap in plastic and chill in the fridge for 36 hours (up to 72).

Preheat the oven to 180C and line the baking tray with parchment paper. Scoop six golf-ball size balls of dough and place on tray. Sprinkle with the heather salt and bake about 18 minutes until golden brown but still soft. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.