Feasting on Art

In addition to working on this blog and at an art gallery here in Sydney, I also run a small wedding photography business named Tres Jolie Studios. I have several weekends still available between now and the end of July when I leave on a holiday to the States to visit my family. Because I won’t be working during my trip home, I would like to book as many jobs as possible before I leave to take a bit of the strain off my finances. If you know of anyone getting married or looking for a photographer for an engagement shoot in Sydney please pass along my details – I will be so appreciative! I am offering last minute bookings (pending availability) at a reduced rate starting today.

Adriaen Coorte, A bundle of asparagus, 1703
30 x 23 cm, oil on canvas, Fitzwilliam Museum

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My favorite recipes are those that intertwine the idea of sweet and savory. When I mentioned to a friend that my next still life painting was titled Mound of Butter she suggested I make shortbread. Updating the typical sweet cookie recipe into a savory biscuit makes the perfect base for a roasted tomato or a slice of spicy chorizo. A baking note: the shortbread should be nearly white when fully baked, overcooking will result in a very dry biscuit. It can also be formed into one of three traditional shapes; fingers, rounds, or a Petticoat Tail (a large circle cut into pointed segments).

Antoine Vollon, Mound of Butter, 1875-1885
oil on canvas, 50.2 x 61 cm, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

 
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This recipe was a last minute addition to my Thanksgiving menu last year after landing in Brisbane during a heatwave and realizing that my butter-heavy winter dishes from the Midwest would not do. The salad was delightfully light and refreshing and was the only dish to be finished at dinner. It was not until making the recipe for this post that I was able to experience the pleasure of eating these beans as leftovers – the vinaigrette ever so slightly pickles the beans which gives them an entirely new flavor and texture. I am a glutton for all things pickled and I selfishly gobbled up all of the beans without sharing them with anyone!

Julian Opie, Still Life with Green Beans, Chilli Pepper and Carrots, 2001
39 x 65 cm, Lambda Print with Laminated onto canvas, with a gloss seal, mounted on stretcher, British Council Collection

Contemporary Welsh artist Julian Opie is perhaps best known for the cover design of the ‘Best of’ album for the band Blur. His iconic and often replicated style of flat areas of color delineated by thick black lines is created by reducing photographs to their most basic elements. The Still Life with Green Beans, Chilli Pepper and Carrots is from a series of eight prints published by the Alan Cristea Gallery in 2001. The forms of the carrots, beans and chili have been distilled to floating patches of colour upon a black surface. Most of his art is computer generated and the two-dimensional aspect of his work is reinforced by the flat and even colouring of the foodstuffs.

{Green Beans with Red Onion & Mustard Vinaigrette}
adapted from Gourmet

3 TB olive oil
2 TB black mustard seeds
1/3 c red-wine vinegar
1 TB brown sugar
1 red onion, sliced
500 g green beans

Heat 1 TB of the oil in a large pan and once hot add the black mustard seeds. Cook until they begin to pop (about 2 minutes) and once done, transfer to a large bowl. In the same pan, simmer the sugar and vinegar until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Heat the remaining oil in the pan and once hot cook the red onion until golden brown. After about 8 minutes transfer the onions to the vinegar mixture and then add to the mustard oil.

Add the beans to a large pot of boiling salted water. Cook for 5 minutes and immediately strain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Once cool add to the mustard oil and onion mixture and toss adding salt to taste. Serve at room temperature.

This is the first recipe in a four part series for a smoky & spicy Thanksgiving.

When I was a child my hatred for mustard was very well-known. My brother used to torment me by putting it on my bedroom door knob so the smell would be on my hands. It was not until I moved to London and discovered the seeded variety (I only knew of the yellow American kind) that I became obsessed in a good way. At one point I had seven different jars in my fridge (see photo at the bottom of post). I am always looking for new recipes that feature mustard and so I was quite pleased when I stumbled upon this little gem. I made the palmiers for breakfast and they disappeared very quickly. My mother is adverse to mustard (I wonder where I got it from…) and so I made an additional batch with just the ham and cheese which were just as good (but not better!). They would also make a great bite-size appetizer as they are not too filling.

Edouard Manet, The Ham, 1875
oil on canvas, 13 x 16 cm, The Glasgow Museum

This is my third post to feature a still life by Manet, which is appropriate because this is a post about my mustard obsession which is akin to my Manet obsession. As with his still life A Bunch of Asparagus, Manet pays very little attention to composition, and through the placement of the subject in the centre of the canvas he incorporates little else to direct the eye to other areas. This lack of composition was a very contemporary concept in the late 19th century. According to Silvia Malaguzzi in the book Food and Feasting in Art, “At the time of the Romans, the best ham was imported from Goal. French ham can thus boast ancient origins, and for Manet it was a kind of national gastronomic glory” (1). The ham is further glorified through its placement upon a silver platter which at that time could only be afforded by the mid to upper class in Paris.

The perfect cheese for an art/food lover…Vincent Aged Dutch Cheese!

Palmiers are little cookies made of layers of puff pastry that are then folded to resemble palm leaves. They are baked until the sugar between the layers of buttery pastry become caramelized (or in my case the cheese melts) (2). Although often attributed to the French, the origin of the cookie is unknown, however the tradition of making sweets from many layers of pastry originates in the ancient Middle East. If the palmiers are rolled to tightly the centres do not puff and if rolled too loosely and baked in an oven that is too hot the layers of pastry become brittle and shatter when picked up (3). It is a relatively simple treat made of very few ingredients but it’s generally through trial and error that the best rolling and slicing technique is developed.

{Ham, Gruyère, and Moutarde Palmiers}
adapted from The Splendid Table

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 TB mustard (I prefer seeded)
1 c Gruyère cheese, grated
1/4 c Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
12 slices of ham or prosciutto

Roll out the sheet of puff pastry on a floured surface. Spread the mustard (or moutarde) over the pastry. Sprinkle over the Gruyère and Parmigiano-Reggiano being sure to evenly coat the entire surface. Arrange the ham or prosciutto in a single layer (you may have to cut to fit).

Top the pastry with a layer of parchment paper and compress with a rolling pin. Cut the pastry in half and starting with the short sides, roll each end to the centre turning the pastry into a double scroll. Wet the pastry so the two rolls stick together. Wrap in plastic and chill in the fridge.

Heat the oven to 220C and line the baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice each roll into 12 individual palmiers and arrange on the baking sheet. Bake until golden, around 10 to 12 minutes.

the mustard collection in my London fridge