Floris Gerritsz van Schooten, A Still Life of Cheese, c.1585
oil on oak panel, 39.3 x 55.2 cm, Private collection

With this in mind, I would like to thank all of the participants in the 2nd recipe contest (including my mom and cooking mentor, Cassie). The decision was difficult which attests to the caliber of the entries. After acquiring a number of second opinions, I am delighted to announce the winner is Deana of lostpastremembered. Her recipe for cheese toasties with chipotle, dijon mustard and rum was a compelling twist on one of my standard comfort foods. Her presentation was faithful to the moody lighting of the dark still life paintings from the Dutch Golden Age and as a history focused blog with a number of posts about art, this book will be put to good use by Deana. Congratulations Deana and thank you again to everyone for submitting a recipe.

{Recipe Contest Entries}

Garlic Blue Cheese Honey-Drizzled Bruschetta by Jenn of My Kitchen Kreations To You
Apple and Havarti Quesadilla by Tracy of Tracy’s Living Cookbook
Peppered New England Thyme Fondue by Annaliese of Following the Path
Artisan Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Parke of Cooktestant
Flat Bread with Blue Cheese, Currants & Thyme by Eliot of Eliot’s Eats
Cheese Toasties for Two by Deana of lostpastremembered
Caramelized Red Onion and Gorgonzola Souffle by Sasha of Paper Doll Parade
Fig Jam and Blue Cheese Tart with Honey Buckwheat Crust by Lael of One Hungry Soul
Parmigiano Custard with Caramelized Onions by Steve & Judith of Electric Lace

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1 Year Ago: Feasting on Art Recipe Contest Results

2 Years Ago: Paul Cézanne – Cherry & Nectarine Clafoutis

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

Floris Gerritsz van Schooten, A Still Life of Cheese, c.1585
oil on oak panel, 39.3 x 55.2 cm, Private collection

Contest Directions: Create an original recipe with the ingredients depicted in the still life painting A Still Life of Cheese (ingredients: cheese, bread, currants). The recipe has to at least feature cheese and you are welcome to incorporate the other two items, bread & currants, if you would like, however it is not necessary. Post the recipe on your website including the painting above and a link back to this blog post about the contest. The post title needs to state ‘Feasting on Art Recipe Contest.’ Once the post is live, email the following information to tresjoliestudios AT gmail DOT com with the subject line ‘Entry: Feasting on Art Recipe Contest‘:

Name, Mailing Address, Recipe Title, URL to recipe on blog, 100 px by 100 px image of recipe

The entries will be made into a photo gallery and the picture you submit will link back to your entry post. The image order will be determined by entry date so email your recipes ASAP to be at the top of the list! Additionally, each entry will be tweeted and a roundup of all new entries will be included on the Feasting on Art Facebook page (be sure to ‘Like’ Feasting on Art on Facebook so your name can be tagged with your post). Contest Deadline: Monday 21st March, 2011. The winner and entry gallery will be posted on the two-year anniversary of the blog, Sunday 3rd April, 2011.

Judging/Prize: Entries will be judged on the creativity and originality of both the recipe and the photography. The winner will receive a brand new, hardcover copy of the cookbook, Food of the Louvre (Musee Du Louvre). This 80 page book is a combination of text and recipes illustrating food-themed paintings from the Museum collection. The recipes are by the Grand Louvreʼs chef Yves Pinard. The book is beautifully illustrated and is very interesting for anyone with an interest in food, art, or both.

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1 Year Ago: 2010 Recipe Contest

Clara Peeters, Still Life with Cheeses, Artichoke and Cherries, c.1625
oil on wood, 46.6 x 33.3 cm, Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Clara Peeters, a Flemish artist working at the turn of the 17th century, painted meticulously detailed still life paintings influenced by Osias Beert. Her skill in rendering texture is evident in the rough and crumbly cheese and the smooth cherries. Her work is often thought to contain religious iconography and using the commonly associated symbolic meanings of the food depicted in Still Life with Cheeses, Artichoke and Cherries, the painting moves beyond a simple still life to a complex religious message.

The dominating forms of the cheese and butter shavings denoting motherhood are coupled with a bread roll that references the Eucharist. A trio of cherries reinforce the image of Christ via their iconographic meaning of the Passion. These items are gathered on the right side of the canvas, with a knife – often used to represent betrayal – dividing the composition and the food. The items on the left have negative connotations when contrasted with the icons of Christ and the Holy Mother on the right. The artichoke was considered an aphrodisiac and therefore could be linked with the sin of lust. The cherries on the left of the painting are in opposition to those on the right because they sit upon a mirrored plate. Mirrors were used to reference the sin vanity as well as lust (1). Salt was used to denote wisdom and appears to sit upon a scale – perhaps to suggest to the viewer to lead a balanced life in order to evade the perils of sin.

{Marinated Artichokes}

1 can water-packed artichokes, drained
1/3 c white wine vinegar
1 tsp lemon zest
½ clove garlic, minced
½ c olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
2 TB fresh parsley, chopped

Mix the white wine vinegar, lemon zest and garlic in a small bowl. Add the drained and rinsed artichokes and toss in the vinegar mixture. Set aside for half an hour.

Once slightly pickled in the vinegar, add the rest of the ingredients and toss well, mixing the remaining vinegar and olive oil to create vinaigrette. Serve with other antipasti and cheese.

{Spicy Cherry Chutney}

adapted from Gourmet Magazine

1 orange peel
3 c cherries
1 c red onion, chopped
1 red chilli, chopped
¼ c balsamic vinegar
2 TB cider vinegar
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground pink peppercorns

Carefully peel the orange and slice into thin julienned strips. In a large, heavy pot, stir together all of the ingredients. Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer, stirring every couple of minutes. After about 35-40 minutes, stir more often and once the chutney has thickened, after 50 minutes, remove from the heat and let cool. Spoon into a jar and keep chilled for up to three weeks. Serve with cold meats or cheeses.

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1 Year Ago: Frédéric Bazille – Prawn Phở

Willem Claesz Heda, Breakfast Table with Blackberry Pie, 1631
oil on wood, 54 x 82 cm, Gemäldegalerie, Dresden

As one of the earliest still life painters of the Dutch Golden Age, Willem Claesz Heda is known for his little breakfast scenes called ontbijtjes. Heda’s paintings are dramatically lit with a multitude of reflective trinkets, glasses and bowls. The table, laden with objects, is divided by the white tablecloth with a knife and a key on blue ribbon protruding into the viewer’s space. The objects are tousled, glasses overturned and the pie half eaten, which gives the painting a feeling of action. Heda’s work is similar in composition and colouration to that of his contemporary, Pieter Claesz, another notable Dutch still life painter. Breakfast Table with Blackberry Pie is closely related to the painting Still Life (Bodegón with pie of fruits and diverse objects) painted three years later and housed at the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. The Spanish museum applied the term bodegón - a kitchen/pantry scene where the objects are arranged against a dark background. The Spanish bodegón scenes were derived from Dutch Golden Age paintings similar to Breakfast Table with Blackberry Pie.

{Plum & Blackberry Streusel Pie}

adapted from Gourmet

4 plums
1 c blackberries
2/3 + 1/2 c sugar (divided)
3TB tapioca
2 TB cornstarch
1 tsp lemon zest
3/4 tsp salt (divided)
pastry crust
1 c oats
1/2 c flour
1 stick butter
vanilla ice cream to serve

Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. Slice the plums and in a large bowl, toss them with the blackberries,  2/3 c sugar, tapioca, cornstarch, zest and salt.

In another bowl, stir together the oats, flour, 1/2 c sugar and 1/2 tsp salt. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it forms small clumps.

Place the pie crust in the pie pan and on a large flat baking tray. Mound the fruit into the shell and cover the filling with the crumbled streusel topping.

Bake the pie for about 1 hour and 15 minutes until the streusel topping is golden brown. Let the pie cool completely, at least 3 to 4 hours in order to set. If sliced too soon after baking the filling will turn to berry soup on the plate. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

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1 Year Ago: Fernand Léger – Michelada

Visit Ozoz’s blog Kitchen Butterfly for a recipe for Pumpkin Ice Cream & Lemonettes.

Willem Kalf, Still Life with a Chinese Tureen, 1662
oil on canvas, 64 x 53cm, Staatliche Museen, Berlin

Willem Kalf was a still life painter from the Golden Age of Dutch art. His work usually features the same subjects, a Chinese bowl (the painting above bears the title of this oft replicated object), damask tapestry, and silverware. The paintings contain a very dark background, isolating the objects on the edge of the table. In the Still Life with a Chinese Tureen the outline of the glass is barely visible, a characteristic of Kalf’s work. Later in his life the artist turned to dealing in art rather than painting. It seemed he always had a business mind because if a composition proved successful he would make multiple versions for clients – perhaps why his body of work is considered to be limited in terms of subject matter.

According to Dutch Culinary Art, Parrot Tongues are “a typical Dutch joke. Actually just leftovers, but presented in a very nice way. The name, of course, brings memories of Roman times when people feasted on tongues of nightingales and larks.” These little ‘tongues’ make for a very delicious appetizer. The sweet pork meat is paired with the sweet flesh of a pumpkin and livened up with fresh lemon juice and vinegary seeded mustard.

{Papegaaientongetjes (Parrot Tongues)}

adapted from Dutch Culinary Art

2 TB softened butter
1 egg
1/2 c milk
1/2 c plain flour
1/4 c pureed roasted pumpkin
1 TB chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch of salt

4 cooked pork scotch fillets, cut into triangles
1/2 c canola oil

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and beat in the egg and milk. Slowly add the pureed pumpkin and flour until a smooth and thick batter forms. Add the nutmeg, parsley and salt to season.

Heat the canola oil in a deep skillet. Once the oil shimmers, dip the pork triangles in the batter and drop into the oil. Because the pork is already cooked the Papegaaientongetjes fry very quickly, 20-30 seconds. Flip and cook the other side golden brown and remove from the oil and dry on kitchen paper.

Serve immediately with a squeeze of fresh lemon and a scattering of chopped parsley.

Don’t forget to submit your entry to the recipe contest, only 32 more days until the deadline. The first recipe has been submitted – get in early to get the best spots in the photo gallery!

Osias Beert, Still-Life with Cherries and Strawberries in China Bowls, 1608
oil on copper, 50 x 66 cm, Staatliche Museen, Berlin

The Baroque Flemish painter Osias Beert is known for his still life paintings of flowers and breakfast scenes. The breakfast pieces are commonly known by their Dutch name ontbijtjes which translates to ‘little breakfasts.’ These works are characterized by their high vantage point where the viewer is looking down at the scene and this forced perspective is often found in all Dutch still life paintings in the early 17th century (1). Beert was a member of the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp which was for artists and regulated the art trade in the city. Membership to the Guild was essential in order to sell any work as an artist (2). Dutch still life painting are often difficult for a modern viewer to properly ‘read’ because they are full of symbols. According to Norbert Schneider in his book Still Life (Big Art), “Osias Beert shows the forces of good and evil fighting for man’s soul in the form of animals. The human soul is represented by strawberries and cherries, which were considered to be fruits of Paradise. The butterfly, as a symbol of salvation and resurrection, is in opposition to the dragonfly, which was seen as a subspecies of the common fly. …they considered flies to be creatures of the devil.” (3)

Originally created in Weert, Limburg, vlaai is a pie made of pastry and filling. Traditionally found in the southern parts of the Netherlands it is commonly eaten during “koffietijd” (coffee time) between 10 and 11am or 7 and 8pm. During koffietijd one would eat a biscuit or cake with their coffee depending on the region. The Protestant North is known for only having one biscuit per cup of coffee and in the south the Catholics have the sweet cakes cut into eight sections to share with family and freinds (4). Vlaai comes in many different varieties including a rice custard filling along with the endless fruit combinations (5). The dessert is sometimes served with whipped cream at birthdays and other celebrations.

{Vlaai with Berry Compote}

serves 6

4 cups flour
1 cup of milk
2 TB active dry yeast
1 large egg
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups berry compote
pinch of salt

Sift the flour with a pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl. Warm the milk and mix with the yeast in a small bowl. Leave in a warm place uncovered until it is frothy. Make a hollow in the flour and pour in the yeast. Mix well. Beat the egg and add to the flour mixture along with the melted butter and sugar. Knead to a soft dough that is ready when it comes away from the sides of the bowl.

Shape the dough into a ball and cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Let sit for 1 hour in a warm place until the dough is well risen. Preheat the oven to 230 C (450 F).

Grease a large, flat flan tin. Knead the risen dough and use it to line the tin. Roll out the remaining dough and cut into strips to create the lattice work on top of the vlaai. Put the compote into the tin and lay the strips of dough over the top. Pinch the ends of the dough to the edges of the crust.

Bake for 15-25 minutes in the center of the oven. Let cool on a wire tray and serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

{Berry Compote}

1 pint of strawberries
1 pint of cranberries (or any other berries you may have on hand)
1/2 c sugar
1 TB fresh lemon juice
2TB cornstarch

Divide the strawberries and cherries in half. Take one half of the berries and cut into pieces (cut each berry into 4), set aside. Mash the other 1/2 of the berries in a large bowl with the back of a fork. Add the sugar to the mixture and mix until it has dissolved. Put into a large saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Boil and stir for 2 minutes. Mix in quartered berries and serve. Would be wonderful spooned over ice cream or mixed with granola and yoghurt for a tasty and healthy breakfast.