ARTIST PAUL DAVIS PAINTS THE "FACES" of the PUBLIC THEATER, NYC + FOOD: Crêpe Suzette

Detail of a "Public" Poster (for Hamlet) painted by Paul Davis.

Director Joe Papp

Artist Paul Davis

ART
PAUL DAVIS
PAINTS THE "FACES" 
of the
PUBLIC THEATER,
NYC

Last week, the Public Theatre turned the lobby of its Newman Theatre into a gallery showing an exhibition of their theatrical-posters by artist Paul Davis. For sixteen years his collaboration with the theatre’s founder, Joe Papp, put the promotional face on the Public's productions.

Davis, originally from Oklahoma and now seventy-six years old, first started working with Papp in 1975, after achieving notoriety as an artist with Push Pin Studios, in New York. At that time theatrical-posters mostly used typography, not images to promote a production. Davis was determined to show what the actors and the director were trying to communicate to the audiences during the performances in his posters. Papp also thought "the Public" was a place where he could create a conversation about each important issue. 

A book of Paul Davis' posters and paintings
is available at Amazon.com.

FOOD

Crêpe Suzette

Crêpe Suzette is a French dessert consisting of a crêpe with a sauce of caramelized sugar and butter, orange juice, orange zest, and liqueur on top. It is flambé (usually table-side) before being served.

Directions:

- first make basic crepes, stack & set them aside

Ingredients

- place 2 knobs of butter in a crepe pan
- add 2 tablespoons sugar
- add 2 tablespoons orange zest (using zester)
- cut a large orange in half and add juice from 1/2

Next
- Place each crepe in a pan and coat with sauce, then fold in-half 
(2 crepes in each pan)
- fold crepe one more time (into a triangle)
- brown the crepe triangles on both sides 
- add 1 oz. each of orange liqueur and cognac 
- flambé the pan to burn off the alcohol
- shake the pan while you cook off the flame
- pour the crepes and sauce onto plates to serve
(some also add a scoop of good vanilla ice cream)

(You can put all of the ingredients (except crepes & liqueur) into a food processor & blend, then put that mixture in the fridge. When you want to make the dessert, scoop out some of the flavored butter and prepare the flambéed Crêpe Suzette table-side.)

Basic Crepe Recipe

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 8 crepes

• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 
  2 eggs 
• 
  1/2 cup milk 

• 1/2 cup water 
• 
  1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 
  2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter and beat until smooth.
• Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
• Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen the edges with a spatula, flip and cook the other side.

One story (of many) re: The Origin of Crepes Suzette 

In 1895 the Café de Paris, Monte Carlo, Prince Edward of Wales, son of Queen Victoria and future king of England, was a regular patron. One of the courses served there was crepes. The crepes were precooked in the kitchen, but the dish was completed by heating them in a sauce made from orange peel, sugar, and a combination of liqueurs in a chaffing dish, table-side.  Unexpectedly, the alcohol caught fire, flambéing the crepe in the sauce and serendipitously creating an unusual and new taste for the dish.

The Prince asked the chef if he wanted to order it again, what he planned to call this new dish. The chef said, “Crepes Princess?”  Edward responded, "In honor of my guest’s daughter, I would appreciate it if you were to name this new creation 'Crepes Suzette'!" And so, one of the most well known and interesting desserts, of all cuisines, was created and Christened.

Until later, 
Jack

ARTSnFOOD, is an online publication dedicated to "The Pursuit of Happiness through the Arts and Food." ™ All rights reserved for all content. Concept, Original Art, Original Text & "Original or Assigned Photography" are © Copyright 2014 Jack A. Atkinson under all International intellectual property and copyright laws. All photographs were taken and/or used with permission. Artworks © individual artists, fabricators, respective owners or assignees.

MERRY CHRISTMAS - "Reconciliation" Sculpture in England + FOOD: Figgy Pudding

This statue at Coventry Cathedral in England is by sculptor Josefina de Vasconcellos, who made it at the age of 90. It was installed at the Cathedral in 1995 on the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. 

Replicas of this statue can be found in Berlin, Hiroshima, Dresden and Belfast.

THE QUEEN'S SPEECH, 2014

England's Offical Christmas Broadcast 2014, commonly known as 'The Queen's Speech'.  Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of England, recalls the Christmas truce of 1914, 100 years ago today, and is reminded of the "Reconciliation" statues in Coventry England, Berlin, Hiroshima and Belfast.

(Summary)

The Sculpture: Reconsiliation which is the peaceful end to a conflict.

The Art Installation "Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red" at the Tower of London in August, 2014: ceramic poppies placed in and around the tower drew millions of visitors - every poppy represented a British life lost during WWI.

During WWI, in 1914 on Christmas Day, British & German soldiers met in No-Man's-Land to celebrate Christmas together before going back into their trenches to shoot at each other once again.

+ Scotland, and Ebola.

FOOD:

FIGGY PUDDING

The Christmas Dessert!

(In England)

The ancestor of figgy pudding is a medieval spiced porridge known as "Frumenty". Today, the term figgy pudding is known mainly because of the popular Christmas carol "We Wish You A Merry Christmas", which mentions it numerous times throughout the song. Currently figgy pudding is not a very popular food in England, but it is mentioned often during the holiday season. The British-style pudding, or dessert, resembles a white Christmas pudding and various versions may be baked, steamed, boiled, or fried. 

With the word pudding, the English mean something different than what is currently thought of as pudding. It is more of a cake-like bread and the taste to most palates is a little strange, but to many in England it smells and tastes like Christmas. The figgy pudding should always be served warm. If you can't serve it fresh out of the oven, it will taste just fine to warm it in the microwave for a few seconds.

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces dried figs
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel 

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a a medium saucepan, heat milk and chopped figs over medium-low heat but do NOT bring to a boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally. The the milk will soften the figs.
- In a medium bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat eggs one minute on high. Reduce speed to low and add butter, bread crumbs, orange peel, and warm fig mixture.
- Slowly incorporate flour mixture. Beat until just blended.
- Pour the mix into the greased bundt pan. Level top as much as possible. Cover the mold with a piece of aluminum foil greased on one side, greased side down.-
Place the mold in a roasting pan and place on oven rack. fIll with hot tap water 2 inches up the side of the mold. Bake for 2 hours or until the pudding is firm and it is pulling away from the side of the bundt pan.
- Remove the pudding from the water bath. Remove the foil and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before unmolding. Invert bundt pan onto a serving plate and remove mold. It should come away easily.
- Serve with a hard sauce.

(Scource, Text Wikipedia, Recipe and some text: Courtesy of Food.Com and Chef James Thomas  http://www.food.com/recipe/figgy-pudding-337148 )

"A Merry Christmas to us all; God bless us, every one!" - December 25, 2014.

Until later,

Jack

ARTSnFOOD, is an online publication dedicated to "The Pursuit of Happiness through the Arts and Food." ™ All rights reserved for all content. Concept, Original Art, Original Text & "Original or Assigned Photography" are © Copyright 2014 Jack A. Atkinson under all International intellectual property and copyright laws. All photographs were taken and/or used with permission. Artworks © individual artists, fabricators, respective owners or assignees.

Surrealism in 1624? Giovanni Battista Braccelli's art was created 400 years before 20th century's modernism! + Food: South Louisiana Gumbo

ART: 

Giovanni Battista Braccelli - 

Surrealism Seems to Have

Been Invented in 1624

SURREALISM (definition) a 20th-century avant-garde movement in art that sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind, often using irrational images and odd juxtapositions.

The Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Réserve des livres rares has released this compilation of amazing engravings called “Bizzarie di Varie Figure”. The book of etchings was published (1624) in a city on the western coast of Tuscany, Livorno, Italy. The artist, Giovanni Battista Braccelli (1600–1650), was an Italian engraver and painter during the Baroque period.

Braccelli's engravings may have been influenced by Giuseppe Arcimboldo's style.

Giuseppe Arcimboldo's
technique.

Giuseppe Arcimboldo 1527-1593 was an Italian portrait painter who created images using fruits, vegetables and everyday objects. Braccelli also composed his figures from groupings of boxes, chains, rackets, and other fantastic objects. Along with these elements of surrealism, modern cubism seems to also be predicted in Braccelli's work.

FOOD
SOUTH LOUISIANA
GUMBO

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons e.v. olive oil
4 tablespoons flour
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 29-oz can whole peeled tomatoes
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
4 cups fresh okra, chopped (canned or frozen/thawed okra is fine)
4 cups of bottled clam juice
2 bay leaves
pinch thyme
pinch dried parsley
pinch salt
pinch ground black pepper
2 pounds shell on shrimp
1 store package of frozen bay scallops (thawed)
Tabasco sauce


Directions:

Mix the olive oil and the flour in a large kettle or pot. Cook over a medium to low flame until your roux is a dark brown, stirring constantly, until it is a silky and smooth texture. The color slowly changes from tan through caramel, milk chocolate and finally a dark espresso.

The roux should always have a sheen to it. If you ever see a dry, powdery finish on your roux, you’ve burned it and must start over. By keeping the flame low, you reduce the chances of burning your roux. Cook it low and slow - don’t let the roux cook without you stirring and keeping a close eye on it. The final color of your gumbo will be several shades lighter than your roux so try for a chocolate or if gutsy, espresso.  

When the roux is done, add the chopped onions. Cook the onions for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. They will release liquid and you’ll see immediately how the roux serves as a thickener. When the onions are translucent, add the chopped garlic. Cook the garlic a minute or so before adding the other vegetables. Add the clam juice in a slow stream while stirring constantly.

Stir in the canned tomatoes, the bay leaf, the thyme, parsley, salt, pepper and 2 to 4 good shakes of Tabasco sauce. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Remove the pot from the heat.

Cook the shrimp separately in a pot of salted boiling water with "shrimp boil" added, until they are pink and opaque. Using a Chinese spider scoop, remove the shrimp to a separate bowl. When the shrimp have cooled some, peel them and add to the finished gumbo. Sauté the bay scallops in butter and olive oil for just a few seconds until they begin to "opaque", then stir them into the gumbo. 

In my experience, cooking the seafood separately will keep the shrimp and scallops wonderfully tender and sweet. All of the flavors of the seafood and sauce will meld overnight. (Refrigerate to keep.)

If you can wait, Gumbo is always better the next day. (Bring sauce to room temp or heat slightly.) 

Serve in a bowl, ladled the Gumbo over a bed of fluffy white rice. Have Tabasco sauce available, so individuals can add more heat if they desire.

Until later,

Jack

ARTSnFOOD, is an online publication dedicated to "The Pursuit of Happiness through the Arts and Food." ™ All rights reserved for all content. Concept, Original Art, Original Text & "Original or Assigned Photography" are © Copyright 2014 Jack A. Atkinson under all International intellectual property and copyright laws. All photographs were taken and/or used with permission. Artworks © individual artists, fabricators, respective owners or assignees.