De Scott Evans – Baked Risotto with a Walnut Parmesan Crust
Trompe l’oeil paintings have a long history within the realm of the visual arts. The French phrase translates to ‘trick the eye’ and it dates back to the Roman era, where it was used to create doors and windows within highly detailed murals. An ancient Greek story recounts a competition between the rivals Zeuxis and...
Pablo Picasso – Chipotle, Chorizo & Dark Beer Fondue
Pablo Picasso began making his relief constructions around 1912 which allowed him to reinforce the idea of a painting as an object by incorporating found materials into the sculptures. The subject matter is similar to his paintings from the same period, with emphasis placed on the geometric shapes found in the glass of beer, wedge...
Bartolomeo Bimbi – Sour Cherry Turnovers with Goat Cheese
The Florentine still life painter Bartolomeo Bimbi (1648-1729) enjoyed the patronage of the Medici family and to this day, several of his works can still be found in the Medici villas (including the painting above). Bimbi worked in a large scale and his paintings are often referred to as “portraits” due to their scientific focus...
Adriaen Coorte – Pickled Asparagus
The Dutch Golden Age painter Adriaen Coorte was relatively unknown until the mid-20th century when a Dutch art historian began publishing papers about his work (1). This may have been because he was not a master in the local arts guild in the 17th century. Coorte is thought to have been an amateur artist, painting...
Florentine Ricotta, Prosciutto & Walnut Salad with Cranberry Balsamic Dressing
According to Silva Malaguzzi in Food and Feasting in Art, this work of art was commissioned by the Accademia della Crusca. It was tradition for each academician “to choose a nickname associated with flour.” The motto translates to “I am not enough by myself,” an allusion to the fact that ricotta “is a humble cheese...
Paul Cézanne – Chocolate Ginger Cake with Simmered Oranges
Paul Cézanne‘s Still Life with Ginger Jar, Sugar Bowl, and Oranges was painted during a period of turmoil in his personal life and completed in the year of his death, 1906. After an estrangement from his wife, Cézanne purchased a property in Aix-en-Provence where he built a studio and most likely completed this painting. The...
Henri Matisse – Apple & Shallot Croquettes
As a Midwest girl I was very excited when Chicago blogger Dana from Real Food Rehab sent me an email regarding a collaboration. She very kindly interviewed me for her site and we quickly began to assemble ideas. The Art Institute of Chicago has always been very near and dear to my heart (it houses...
John Olsen – BBQ Tikka Prawns
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 enjoyable for anyone who is interested in food or art as it contains a collection of paintings in Olsen’s signature squiggly style of all...
Damien Hirst – Cineole Cupcakes
Cupcakes and pharmaceuticals are not a likely combination but I stayed true to the spot painting production and created a slightly different shade for each little cake and arranged them in a random order. The cake is the red velvet variety sans the red colouring. It is moist and rich and wonderfully sour paired with...
Willem Kalf – Papegaaientongetjes (Parrot Tongues)
The day Ozoz’s package from the Netherlands arrived was a very exciting one, not only because of the delicious caramel cookies but also the beautiful cookbook filled with the things I love. Ozoz writes the food blog Kitchen Butterfly and is one of the most dedicated bloggers I read, posting every other day. She kindly...
Frida Kahlo – Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread
In the painting Fruits of the Earth (1938-39), Frida Kahlo‘s subjects defy gravity. The foodstuffs sit upon a horizontal picture plane with no shadow, denoting a high perspectival point. There is a particular focus upon the corn, with two ears covered by green husks and one revealing the white kernels. Corn originated in Mesoamerican and...
Antoine Vollon – Parmesan Mustard Shortbread
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 (1875-85) she suggested I make shortbread. Updating the typical sweet cookie recipe into a savory biscuit makes the perfect base for a roasted tomato or...