Cornelius Hankins – Roasted Potato Salad with a Mustard-Dill Vinaigrette
Dating all the way back to the 16th century, potato salad was brought by the Spanish from the Americas to Europe. Their version was made by boiling potatoes in vinegar or wine – giving the starchy and often stodgy food a light and sour twang. The German variety, also made with vinegar was Americanised in...
Clara Peeters – Cheeseboard with Marinated Artichokes & Spicy Cherry Chutney
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...
Nora Heysen – Corn Fritters with Roasted Peppers, Cilantro and Feta
Nora Heysen painted Corn cobs (1938) the same year she won the prestigious Archibald Prize. As the first woman appointed an official war artist, she travelled to New Guinea in 1943 where she was stationed for three years and completed 170 works depicting the women’s war effort. Corn cobs demonstrates influences of Post-Impressionist art, which...
Henri Fantin-Latour – Baked Cheesecake with Sugared Grapes
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 (c.1880), pictured above. The painting is completed in his typical style with the sombre palette influenced by Jean-Siméon Chardin. His deft skill in arrangement is evident...
Heinrich Kühn – (Biersuppe) Beer Soup
In the last few weeks of September and the first few of October, the city of Munich holds a festival called Oktoberfest. The calendar is adjusted each year so that the festival will end on the first Sunday of October and this year is the 200th jubilee of the event. Revellers gather and enjoy hearty...
John Francis – Honey-Wine Apple Galette
The mix of ordered fruit and a rustic, haphazard crust encapsulates the French term, galette. Typically, the crust is made with plenty of butter so when it is baked, it becomes flaky and extra crusty. In France, a galette can be made either sweet or savoury with ham, eggs and cheese, otherwise known as a...
Diego Rivera – Stacked Tortilla Torta
The Detroit Industry murals were completed by Diego Rivera in the early 1930s. The twenty-seven panels range in size from 518 x 1,370 cm to 60 x 182 cm and completely surround the viewer in the courtyard. The murals were created as a tribute to the industry and labour in Detroit. The East Wall (1932-33)...
István Csók – Ravioli Caprese
Classified as a filled pasta, ravioli dates back to the 14th century from the writings of Francesco di Marco (1). The word ravioli is similar to the Italian verb ‘to wrap’, riavvolgere, although it is not a derivative. Traditionally, pasta dough is rolled out as thinly as possible and then wrapped around a filling. Italian-Americans...
Luis Meléndez – Baked Salmon with a Dijon-Tarragon Crust
Luis Meléndez is known for a series of still life paintings that were painted during a twenty year period at the end of his life. Piece of Salmon, Lemon and three Vessels (1772) was completed in the later half of this twenty year span and exemplifies his attention to detail derived from an early career...
Jean-Siméon Chardin – Leek & Gruyère Soufflé
The fluffy egg cake known as a soufflé can be made both sweet and savoury depending on the flavourings incorporated. In French, the word soufflé is the past participle of the verb souffler that translates to ‘to blow up’ – exactly what a soufflé does when it bakes. The method of creation is related to...
Willem Claesz Heda – Plum & Blackberry Streusel Pie
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...
Raphaelle Peale – Part 2 – Wild Blackberry Jelly
This guest post is by my mother, Julie Fizell. I thought it would be so fun to walk in Megan’s shoes for a while, and she agreed to a guest post. Her father Ed and I quickly decided to make blackberry jelly. We had made strawberry jam several times together and managed to stay married,...