Claude Monet, Still Life with Eggs (Nature morte aux œufs), 1907
oil on canvas, 73 x 92cm, Private collection

The muted light in Still Life with Eggs suggests an early morning composition, a period of the day that Monet appeared to examine in many of the paintings from 1907. The atmospheric qualities of light are considered via the grouping of white objects painted with a subdued rainbow of colour. By completing the work in the morning light, Monet reinforces the symbolic references of beginnings and birth with the morning acting as a new beginning – the birth of a new day. The year the still life was painted, Monet began having problems with his eyesight. Still Life with Eggs illustrates his focus on the light rather than a detailed rendering of the subject; no doubt the details proved elusive to his fading sight.

{French Toast with Garlic + Herbs}

Yield: 4 servings

4 eggs
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 clove garlic, minced
dash of salt + pepper
1 tablespoon butter
4 slices of multigrain bread
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
8 slices of sharp cheddar cheese

In a small bowl, mix the eggs, thyme, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.  In a large frying pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Once the butter begins to melt, dip a slice of bread into the egg mixture, turning it to soak both sides and quickly place into the hot frying pan. Repeat with remaining slices of bread.

Once the final slice of bread is placed in the frying pan, carefully flip the first slice. Repeat and cook each slice of bread until it is golden on both sides. Remove from the frying pan onto a plate. Divide the mustard and carefully spread on one side of each slice of bread. Add two slices of cheese to each piece of toast and slide under the broiler to melt the cheese.

Once the cheese is golden and bubbling, remove from the heat and serve immediately.

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1 Year Ago: Adriaen Coorte – Pickled Asparagus

2 Years Ago: Giovanna Garzoni – Lemon Risotto with Homemade Stock

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

Claude Monet, Still Life: Quarter of Beef (Nature morte : le quartier de viande vers), c.1864
oil on canvas, 24 x 33 cm, Musée d’Orsay, Paris

As a leading artist within the Impressionist movement, Claude Monet’s paintings are associated with dreamy landscapes and pastel colours. Before his redundant paintings of haystacks, churches and waterlilies, his work was closer in appearance to his contemporary, Gustav Courbet, whose Realist manner was concerned with the common ‘plebeian’ life. The cut of beef depicted in Monet’s Still Life: Quarter of Beef is an inexpensive and tough piece, typically consumed by the lower class. The garlic would be used to flavour the meal – perhaps in a stew – and the earthenware jug confirms the working-class nature of the tableau. To mimic the paradoxical nature of the colour red, the painting of a plebeian meal is paired with a quintessentially posh recipe for steak tartare. The dish was served in the early 20th century under the name of steak à l’Americane without the egg yolk (also left out of my recipe) and with a side of tartare sauce. Over time, the fare evolved to become an assemblage of raw, minced (not ground) beef, season and topped with a raw egg yolk. Typically the beef is marinated in citrus juice, a Mexican technique that begins to cook the meat and kill off any bacteria. Steak tartare can be served with a variety of accompaniments, a number of which are suggested below.

{Steak Tartare}

adapted from French by Damien Pignolet
serves 2

1 c lean rump, trimmed of sinew
½ lemon, juiced
few splashes of Tabasco sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
drizzle of olive oil
1 tsp lemon zest
1 TB chives
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper

garnishes:
¼ c cornichons
¼ c chopped parsley
3 TB capers packed in salt, rinsed
½ red onion
3 TB pickled onions
seeded mustard
anchovy fillets
horseradish crème
lemon wedges
toasted baguette slices rubbed with garlic

Finely chop the rump steak with a clean knife. Do not pass through a mincer otherwise the texture will be like mush. In a bowl, combine with the lemon juice, Tabasco, Worcestershire, olive oil, lemon zest, chives, salt and pepper. Place the marinated meat in a refrigerator to set for two hours.

Toast the baguette and rub each side with a sliced piece of garlic. Finely chop the garnishes and set out with the steak tartare formed into a small mound on each plate. Serve with the toast slices, squeeze of fresh lemon and garnish.

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The Colour Project

Feasting on Art has clip in the October 2010 issue of Virgin Blue Voyeur, click here to view.

Henri Fantin-Latour, Still Life with Grapes and a Carnation, c.1880
oil on canvas, 30.5 x 47 cm, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

Although Henri Fantin-Latour was predominantly known for his still life floral paintings, he did paint a number of works featuring fruit including Still Life with Grapes and a Carnation, pictured above. The painting is completed in his typical style with the sombre palette influenced by Chardin. His deft skill in arrangement is evident in the painting as well as his refined technique of surface representation. The skin, stretched around each grape appears taut, though the fruits are supple with juice and the crinkled petals of the carnation are perfectly rendered to communicate their fragility. Fantin-Latour is a bit of an enigma when considering his entire body of work. He painted still lifes and portraits in a very conservative and traditional style in the midst of an artistic revolution but was conceptually forward thinking with his ‘imaginative compositions’ – paintings and lithographs inspired by the music of Wagner, Schumann and Berlioz. For this reason, I consider Fantin-Latour a kindred spirit as we both create via inspiration through the art of another.

{Baked Cheesecake with Sugared Grapes}

1 ½ c digestive biscuits, crushed
¼ c brown sugar
½ stick butter, melted
2 2/3 g cream cheese
3/4 c sugar
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 TB vanilla extract
1TB lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp orange zest
¼ c white wine
2 TB sugar
grapes

Crush the digestive biscuits and mix with the brown sugar and melted butter. Press into a buttered baking dish and refrigerate for 20 minutes, until set.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl for a few minutes until it is smooth. Add the sugar and continue to beat. Whisk the eggs and the three extra yolks together and pour into the cheese mixture, mix. Once the eggs are fully incorporated, add the salt, vanilla, lemon juice and orange zest.

Remove the crust from the refrigerator. Pour the cheese mixture into the crust and place in a roasting pan. Boil water in a kettle and fill the roasting pan until the water reaches half-way up the side of the baking dish containing the cheesecake.

Slip the cheesecake into the oven and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour until the cake has set, but is not solid. Remove from the roasting pan and let cool.

While the cake is baking, wash the grapes and dip them in the white wine. Roll in the 2 TB of sugar and set on a plate. Place in the freezer and chill for about 20 minutes until cold. Serve with a slice of cheesecake, best when still slightly warm.

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1 Year Ago: Edvard Munch – Pink Peppercorn Ice Cream & Bittersweet Chocolate Chip Cookies

Jean-Siméon Chardin, Still Life, c.1732
oil on panel, 17.1 x 20.96 cm, Detroit Institute of Arts

Jean-Siméon Chardin is an 18th-century French artist notable for his still lifes and interiors. He painted his subjects true to life in a quiet simplicity that was in direct contrast to the opulent extravagance of his Rococo contemporaries. Stylistically, Chardin mirrored his work on that of the 17th-century Dutch artists and enjoyed immediate success after his acceptance to the French Academy in 1728. In Still Life, the objects on the table are softly lit with thick impasto paint which marked a stark contrast to the smooth translucent layers of paint and spot-lit ingredients by the Dutch artists Chardin regarded. As an artist his ‘pure painting’ influenced the work of Cezanne, Manet, Braque and Matisse who copied many of his paintings at the Louvre.

{Leek & Gruyère Soufflé}

adapted from Williams-Sonoma Cooking from the Farmers’ Market
serves 6-8 people

1 stick of unsalted butter, divided
1 1/2 c Gruyère cheese, grated
1/2 c Parmesan cheese, grated
2 TB olive oil
4 leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced
salt & pepper
5 TB flour
2 1/2 c heavy cream, warmed
6 eggs, separated

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F and position the rack into the top third. Generously coat the inside of a glass or ceramic baking dish (I used a 9 x 12 inch glass dish) with butter and evenly cover the bottom of the dish with 1/2 of the Gruyère cheese.

Warm the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat and begin to cook the leeks. Sprinkle in the salt and pepper to season the leeks and sauté until tender, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and place in a bowl to cool.

Return the pan to the stove top and turn the heat down to medium. Melt 5 TB of the butter and add the flour, whisking for 1 minute to form a roux. Slowly add the cream, whisking to keep lumps from forming. Keep whisking for 4 minutes, until the sauce becomes smooth and thick. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Slowly add the egg yolks, one at a time, stirring between each addition. Mix in the remaining cup of Gruyère cheese, 1/2 cup of Parmesan and leeks. Set aside.

In a large clean and dry bowl, beat the egg whites for about 5 minutes until stiff peaks form. Carefully using a rubber spatula, fold a quarter of the egg white mixture into the leek mixture. Once incorporated, quickly stir in the rest of the egg whites so that no white streaks remain. Pour into the prepared dish and slide into the oven. Bake for 25 minutes until the soufflé is golden brown. Serve immediately.

The soufflé was made with the expert guidance of my friend Monica, thank you so much!

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1 Year Ago: Piet Mondrian – Pound Cake

Paul Gauguin, Nature morte aux tomates (Tomatoes and a pewter tankard on a table), 1883
oil on canvas, 60 x 73 cm, private collection

Paul Gauguin painted Nature morte aux tomates the year he quit working at the stock exchange and devoted his career to art.  The work from this period is closely related to Impressionism – he later broke away from the movement by simplifying his painting and focusing on shape and bold blocks of colour. In the two years before Gauguin painted Nature morte aux tomates, he exhibited at the Salon and formed a close relationship with Camille Pissarro. The short brushstrokes create a wavy texture over the surface of the composition carrying the eye from one corner to the other and reflect Cezanne’s influence over his art. According to the Christie’s catalogue from the May 2009 sale of Nature morte aux tomates, “A still-life with tomatoes, and indeed one composed mainly of tomatoes, is an unusual subject in 19th century French painting. Among the upper classes the tomato still had a lingering reputation for being poisonous to consume, a problem caused when the acids of the fruit leeched into the lead content of the pewter flatware that well-to-do diners preferred to use.”

{Tomato Tarte Tatin}

adapted from the NY Times

4 large tomatoes, sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
5 TB butter
1 TB white balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper
1 TB fresh lemon thyme leaves
1 sheet, puff pastry

Preheat the oven to 425F or 220C. Cut the puff pastry 1/2 cm larger than the skillet. Melt 2 TB of the butter in the skillet and add the thinly sliced red onion and a pinch of salt. Stir over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes before adding 2TB of water to lift any bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir for another 30 seconds before transferring to a bowl.

Melt the remaining butter in the skillet very slowly over medium-low heat until it turns golden. Add the balsamic vinegar and a bit of black pepper, cooking until the harsh vinegar smell disappears. Arrange the sliced tomatoes in a pretty pattern and top with the onions. Cover with the puff pastry and cut several long vents in the pastry to allow the steam to escape. Tuck the edges around the tomatoes and slide into the oven. Bake for around 30 minutes until puffed and golden.

Let the tart stand for a few minutes before running a knife around the edge to loosen. You may need to pour out a bit of the liquid at the bottom of the pan – my tomatoes were very juicy and I had quite a bit of excess liquid. Flip the tart onto a serving platter, sprinkle with the fresh thyme and cut into wedges. Serve with fresh goat cheese immediately. The crust will become soggy if left to sit in the juices from the tomatoes and onions.

If you don’t have an oven-proof skillet then simply cook the onions and brown butter in a small saucepan or frying pan and transfer to a round cake tin.

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1 Year Ago: Edouard Manet – Ham, Gruyère and Moutarde Palmiers

Édouard Manet, Fish (Still Life), 1864
oil on canvas, 32.1 x 73.4 cm, The Art Institute of Chicago

Throughout the long history of still life painting, both French and Dutch artists repeatedly used the motif of the fish. Often an idyllic fish is depicted, its silvery scales meticulously painted as it harmoniously blends with the other objects placed within the frame of the canvas. The still life titled Fish by Edouard Manet is oppositional to this pre-defined way of representation. The large fish becomes the dominating focal point with its mouth gaping open and eye bulging. While gazing at the painting, viewers unintentionally wrinkle their nose; Manet was able to capture with paint the essence of the smell of rotting fish.

{Bouillabaisse}

adapted from Donna Hay

10 green onions, sliced
1/2 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red chili, sliced
1 TB olive oil
2 TB oil infused with chili
10 saffron threads
1 TB boiling water
1 can crushed tomatoes
6 c fish stock
1/2 tsp smoky paprika
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
100 g fresh prawns with the shell
300 g assorted seafood (mussels, calamari, clams, fish)
lemon
parsley

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat and cook the green onion, garlic, fennel and chili for about 6 minutes, until soft. Meanwhile, place the saffron threads in a bowl of 1TB boiling water and let stand for 5 minutes.

After 6 minutes, add the tomatoes, fish stock and saffron with the soaking water. Bring to a boil and add the paprika, soy sauce and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add fish and seafood to soup and cook for about 2 minutes, until fish and prawns turn opaque. Remove from heat and top with chopped parsley and a fresh squeeze of lemon. Serve with crusty bread to sop up the broth.
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1 Year Ago: Severin Rosen – Strawberry BBQ Pulled Pork

Paul Cézanne, Still Life with Onions and a Bottle, 1895-1900
oil on canvas, 66 x 81 cm, The Louvre, Paris

The balanced composition of Cézanne’s Still Life with Onions and a Bottle alternates between the broad flat planes of the wall and the tightly grouped objects on the table. The linear forms of the table and bottle are juxtaposed by the round onions and scalloped edges. The paint is applied in heavy streaks with the brush and marks a point in the evolution of Cézanne’s work where his palette becomes darker and the surface less smooth. As with Still Life with  Plate of Cherries, the perspective is skewered. The front of the table runs parallel to the bottom of the canvas while the side does not line up with the scalloped edge. It appears the entire table is tilting forward, presenting the abundance to the viewer.

{French Onion Soup}

adapted from a little taste of…France

50 g butter
3 large onions, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/3 c flour
3 c beef stock
1/4 c white wine
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
baguette, sliced
3/4 c grated Gruyère
Dijon mustard

In a heavy pot, melt the butter over medium high heat and begin to cook the onions. Lower the heat to medium-low and stir occasionally for 25 minutes until the onions begin to caramelize and turn golden brown.

Add the garlic and flour and continue to stir for 2 minutes. Begin to blend the stock, 1 cup at a time and add the white wine. Stir continuously and bring to a boil. Add the bay leaf and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for an additional 25 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.

Slice the baguette and spread a thin layer of mustard on each. Preheat the broiler in the oven and cover the soup with an even layer of baguette slices. Top with the Gruyère cheese. Slide under the broiler and cook until the cheese has melted and begins to bubble.

Ladle into a bowl and serve with one or two of the baguette slices. Delicious with a salade niçoise

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1 Year Ago: William Merritt Chase – Red Onion Marmalade

Pierre Auguste Renoir, Strawberries, 1905
oil on canvas, 46 x 28 cm, Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris, France
 

I found it very interesting to see the similarities and differences between all of the recipes. Lemon cake was a popular entry with a wide variety of strawberry toppings. Bria from The Salty Spoon made a delicious ruby red Strawberry Zinfandel Compote that looked so beautiful against the yellow cake. Ginny from Just Get Floury made a tasty looking number with a lovely lemon glaze. Julie from Living La Vida Low GI made a healthy cake with almond meal and agave cream, two ingredients I really enjoy cooking with. The lovely Shaz from Test with Skewer topped her lemon shortbread with a beautiful strawberry flower – a recipe that I will be definitely trying out very soon! The Australian dessert Lemon Delicious is paired with cream and strawberry puree in an especially decadent photograph by Barbara of Winos and Foodies and if your sweet tooth is beginning to ache from all of the sweets then Jen from the Chaotic Chef will tip you over the edge with her especially indulgent Strawberry Lemon Many-Layer Pie in which she combines all of her pie recipes together (complete with a diagram!). Rounding out the dessert listing with is a bit of chocolate in the form of a brownie by Angie of the Cooking for College Blog.

Leela’s Strawberry & Lemon Trifle is a great way to liven up a bit of yogurt and perhaps my new favorite breakfast when paired with a bit of granola. Mia made a vanilla strawberry shake that would be perfect with a breakfast trifle. Two of my favorite photographs were by Deana of Lost Past Remembered and Susan of Savoring Time in the Kitchen. Both photographs were beautifully lit with a dark dramatic background very reminiscent of still life paintings.  Deana’s post was an introduction to St. Germain Elderflower Liquor, my next indulgent purchase. I have been craving Susan’s Aebleskivers as I absolutely adore lemon curd!  For a refreshing palate cleanser look to Ozoz’s blog Kitchen Butterfly for a refreshing strawberry sorbet cleverly served in a lemon.

The savories were a clever bunch with a vegan strawberry chutney by Betsy of The Blooming Platter, perfect for a toasted baguette with cream cheese. Joanne from Eats Well with Others provides an interesting recipe for Strawberry Balsamic Pesto Orzotto as well as the answer to the question ‘is a strawberry a fruit?’ Adele  from Will Work for Biltong after an unsuccessful strawberry search in South Africa made Salmon with Strawberry and Feta Crust upon her return to Australia. Be sure to click all of the links to visit the respective sites, all of them are worth a read!

Renoir Still Life Recreation by Mathea of Peas Love Carrots

The winning entry is by Mathea of Peas Love Carrots. Not only was her couscus recipe wonderfully inventive (roasted strawberries/arugula/lemon, yum!) but her photography was top notch – just look at the recreation above!! Congratulations Mathea, the cookbook The Impressionist’s Table is heading your way! Check out all of the other creative entries below.

{Recipe Competition Entries}

 
I would like to give a special thanks to my Mom and one of my best friends, Monica who both participated by making Strawberry Pretzel Jello (a family favorite) and Lemon Chicken with Strawberry & Peach Chutney respectively. Your encouragement and support means so much to me, I love you both!

Visit Dana’s blog Real Food Rehab for a rustic apple tart recipe.

Henri Matisse, Apples, 1916, Oil on canvas, 116.9 x 88.9 cm, Art Institute of Chicago
© 2010 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

This Matisse painting is from the current exhibition, Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913-1917, at the Art Institute of Chicago. On view from the 20th of March until the 20th of June, the collection of paintings explores the body of work produced upon his return to Paris from Morocco. The art of this period is thought of as a turning point, the figures and forms became more abstracted and devoid of detail. The painting A Vase with Oranges that was featured on this site in June 2009 was painted in the same year as Apples. There are many similarities between the two canvases including composition and subject. The round fruits sit on/in a round form with a linear support cutting the canvas in half. The brushstrokes in Apples swirl upon the tabletop mimicking the shape of the fruits with the characteristic black outlines of this period containing the blocks of colour.

Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913-1917 is on view at the Art Institute of Chicago until the 20th of June. Entry is free with the purchase of museum admission.

{Apple & Shallot Croquettes}

adapted from Gourmet

1 c leftover mashed potatoes
1 shallot, chopped
1/4 c dried apple, chopped
1/2 c Béchamel sauce (recipe below)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 TB lemon juice
2 eggs, beaten
2 c breadcrumbs
1 TB dried parsley
vegetable oil for deep frying

Mix the mashed potatoes, shallot, dried apple, ground cumin, lemon juice, béchamel sauce, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Cover and chill the mixture for 30 minutes.

After chilling, form the mixture into small 1-inch balls. Dip in the raw beaten egg and then roll in the breadcrumbs. Place on a tray covered with wax paper and chill for an additional 30 minutes.  In a saucepan heat the oil over medium-high heat until the surface shimmers. Gently drop 4-6 croquettes into the oil  at a time. Deep-fry for 1-2 minutes turning until golden. Use a slotted spoon to remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. Serve warm with a squeeze of fresh lemon.

{Béchamel Sauce}

adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

1/2 TB butter
2 1/2 tsp flour
1/2 c milk
salt & pepper

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Once melted, using a wooden spoon, blend the flour into the butter stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. Keep from colouring to make a white roux.

Meanwhile, warm the milk and once the roux is ready, add it to the saucepan. Turn up the heat to medium and begin whisking vigorously until all of the lumps are removed and the sauce thickens. Let boil for 1 minute while stirring and remove from heat. Season with the salt and pepper to taste.