Feasting on Art

In honour of the 4th of July, I put together a small selection of nostalgia inducing recipes. I am travelling back to the States in three short weeks and after two years away, I am feeling pretty sentimental! Sunday is the 4th of July and perhaps one (or all) of these recipes will inspire a few Independence Day menus. I will be celebrating with my closest ex-pat friend here in Sydney and if my oven was not still broken the chocolate chip cookies would be at the top of my ‘to make’ list. Happy 4th everyone!

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Culinaria – The Cuisine of the Sun is an exhibition of paintings by the artist John Olsen that recently opened here in Sydney at the Tim Olsen Gallery. The show is a foodie/art lover’s dream come true – a collection of paintings in Olsen’s signature squiggly style of all of his favourite recipes. In conjunction with the exhibition, Olsen penned a cookbook with Andy Harris. In this instance the art was directly inspired by a recipe – food to art and now back to food again. With my recipe I wanted to capture the colour of the sun, in reference to the exhibition title, as well as the colours and compositional shapes found in the painting.
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Thanksgiving, or Turkey Day as it is affectionately dubbed, is not complete with the glistening roast bird set as the centerpiece of the meal. In 2007 I had the pleasant experience of discovering that the tiny oven in my London flat would not accommodate the giant bird I bought to roast. After a bit of wrestling I managed to sort out a solution but I have since decided that roasting the bird in pieces is much easier and takes a portion of the time. This recipe works just as well with chicken and can either be cooked entirely in the oven or finished off on a grill to enhance the smokey & charred BBQ flavor of the sauce and the rub.

Soren Emil Carlsen, Thanksgiving Still Life, 1891
oil on canvas, 117 x 106 cm, San Diego Museum of Art

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When I moved to Australia 8 months ago I did not foresee my palate-lag. I arrived 4 days before Thanksgiving and promptly made a big traditional dinner. Never mind the fact that it was 80°F, humid, and the food sat in our stomachs like a heavy brick. Throughout the Australian summer I made chili and soup, the warm and hearty dishes I typically craved in December and January. Now that we are in the middle our our southern winter I can’t stop myself from daydreaming and craving barbecues and fresh fruits. This little dish is my attempt to get over my palate-lag with the BBQ taste made inside on the stove top, perfect for a winter supper.

Severin Rosen, Still Life with Strawberries, (c. 1848-1870)
40.6 x 50.8 cm, oil on fabric, Private collection

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