This past Friday, I did my fourth Favorite meal for Blake Van Roekel of Good Keuken and her Grandmother, Mary Alice (or Grammy as she is most endearingly known). I brought along my friend and fellow blogger, Abby to help me document the meal. Abby’s photography is the perfect aesthetic for how I envisioned this experience documented; soft, nostalgic, and beautiful. She uses all film and a variety of antique cameras to give the pictures she takes her preferred look. I am eagerly awaiting her photos, I (as well as you!) should be seeing them soon! But I also took a few pictures with my little digital camera. I thought it would be a nice preview to see some images as well as be a nice contrast to what her photos will look like.
(Blake and Grammy having a good laugh)
(The table setting (done by Mary Alice, infiltrated by me) was gorgeous!)
(a recipe for Sorgum or Depression Cake from the 1930′s, in a cookbook Mary Alice has)
(the nested sandwhiches and deviled eggs, the meal had a wholesome 1950′s-esk and springtime feel to it)
Blake and Grammy’s story + recipes will be coming soon!
Last night I did The Favorite meal #3 with Lalena Dolby. She chose her favorite to be the artist and personality extraordinaire Florence Broadhurst. Florence was Australian by birth. In her early twenties, she was known as Miss Bobby Broadhurst, traveling from Asia to India to Western Europe. In 1926, she opened the Broadhurst Academy, a finishing school for girls in Shanghi. In 1933, she moved to London under the name Madame Pellier, a fashionista who opened a dress shop on the infamous New Bond Street. She had married London aristocracy, but by 1949 she was divorced, re-attached, had a child, and moved back to Australia under the guise as British aristocracy.
(Lalena found this dress for this meal, how perfect!)
In 1959, she opened her wallpaper company. It wasn’t until later in life (she was at this point in her early 60′s) that she went the path of design.” There is debate as to whether she actually drew any of the patterns herself, but clearly she had an eye for talented people—hired many, paid them very little, took full credit.” (Vanity Fair 04.2007) She was a shrewd business woman, however it was said that her factory was incredibly hip for it’s day. Artists, designers, and craftsmen working side by side, a radio always blaring, parties springing up intermittently in the evenings, and celebrities popping in to see the infamous warehouse space. She was a force, energetic and magnetic that despite her low wages and hard-nosed work ethic, people gravitated towards her because she exuded her energy all around and somehow made it fun. (I could go on and on about this woman, she was absolutely fascinating! You can find more articles on her here, here, and here if you’d like to read on. I know I did! She also has a book written on her, beautifully done, here. )
(wall texture detail)
(Horse Details)
Naturally, in order to truly evoke Florence at this meal, I had to recreate one of her beautiful patterns (and there are over 500 of them, it was amazing going through and just looking at many of them!). It dawned on me that I needed to recreate a pattern out of food, on a wall, big, bright, and beautiful, just like Miss Broadhurst (her hair was really that orange color for the last 25 years of her life). I decided on the horse pattern. Actually, I felt the horse pattern. It just stuck and when I came to the end of looking through and studying all her patterns, I puttered around with a few other ideas, but the horses were what called me. It’s that power, that force, and the way the horses morph into one another that resonated with me and I think, with Florence.
I also made quite an array of foods. Portland, it seems, is over run with one big cold. Everyone has one or is getting one! Lalena has been getting over one, so my inital idea of making amazing cocktails and smoking cigaretts (althgouh neither of us smoke, but the idea was funny and resonated somehow with Florence!) I decided to go a subtler and more nourishing route. So, I made Tom Yum lemongrass soup (to evoke all the asian inspired living and traveling Miss Broadhurst did, as well as help cure a cold) and Hot Toddy’s with thick slices of ginger, lemon, a heaping spoonful of local honey and a shot or two of St. Remy’s brandy in a slightly steeped Earl Grey tea. Then, for dessert I made Fairy Bread. Fairy Bread is an austrailian treat they serve to children on birthdays and special occasions. All it is is white bread, buttered, and sprinkles thrown on top. That’s it. I thought it was PERFECT for Florence. I could see her on the morning of her son’s birthday, forgetting it was his birthday, and whipping up a plate of this bread because it is so quick and easy. It’s also a really fake ‘food’.
(Hot Toddy)
(Tom Yum Lemongrass Soup)
(Fairy Bread)
While sipping our Hot Toddy’s and Lemongrass Soup, Lalena and I chatted about the whirwind life Florence had. And how her life did not end with her tragic murder in her wallpaper warehouse. In fact, her life has spurred on people to really embrace what they want from life and do it with passion. Her prints and patterns are being re-constructed and re-produced by a New Zeland designer and pattern company but also being used by fashion houses around the world. We both agreed that we were inspired by her ability to just do it, getting it done with absolute grace and style.
(Hot Toddy)
Tom Yum Soup (Goong, Talay, Pla-Meuk)
* 1/2 pound medium sized shrimp, peeled and de-veined
* 1 (4.5 ounce) can mushrooms, drained
* 4 cups water
* 2 stalks of lemon grass (~10″ long)
* 4-6 kaffir lime leaves
* 3 small red onions cut into quarters
* 1 medium to large tomato
* 4 small pieces galangal
* 18 straw mushrooms, whole
* 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
* 1 1/2 limes, squeezed
* 1 teaspoon of white sugar
* 2-8 red and/or green chili peppers
* 1 tablespoon tom yum soup paste
1. Cut the lemongrass stalks into 2″ pieces.
2. If you are using Tom Yum paste you can use 2 tablespoons instead of making your own stock with tshis step. It will cut down on time necessary… Stock: Add the shrimp heads and shells to water, then cook for 20 minutes. Turn off heat. Soak heads and shells for 20 more minutes before removing from broth.
3. Add stock, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, chili padi, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and chili paste to a pot and bring to a boil. After boiling for 5 minutes, add tomato and onion. In 5 more minutes add shrimp and mushrooms. Cook another 10 minutes. For presentation you can garnish with coriander.
Hot Toddy
Sizeable piece of ginger, cut up into big chunks
1 lemon, sliced
1 heaping tablespoon honey
1-2 shots nice brandy
1 teabag (English Breakfast, Earl Gray)
Steep hot water, lemon, ginger, honey together for five minutes, add the shot(s) of brandy and serve.
Fairy Bread (google this, it is pretty interesting!)
Slices of white bread
Butter
Sprinkles
Butter the bread, sprinkle on the sprinkles, slice off the crusts, cut into triangles and serve.
(Recommendations: Spring, Floral Costume)
The Floral Costume print was spurred by our belief in the power of costume! When doing mundane tasks such as cleaning, by donning a floral print or a special piece of jewelry one can transform themselves and the situation into something much more fun and fanciful:).
(Recommendations: Spring, Plans)
(Recommendations: Spring, Treasures)
(Recommendations: Spring, Spring Blossoms)
(Recommendations: Spring, Rain)
. Here’s our blurb on the series:
The Creative Force for Efficiency and Morale celebrates the state of mind the spring season offers in Recommendations: Spring. In this bold and colorful series of hand-drawn, silkscreened prints, traditions of the season such as spring cleaning, planting seeds, and getting rained upon, are approached with humor and infused with self-made ritual. The founders of The Creative Force, Tricia Martin and Chelsea Heffner are interested in the power of creative psychology to transform everyday experiences. This Portland, OR based team works on collaboratively with other artists on projects, events and experiences that offer entry points to complex concepts such as place, memory and ritual.
They are for sale in my shop (see right column here on my blog for a link), under the name of Chelsea’s and my design collective, The Creative Force for Efficiency and Morale. Hope you are feeling spring where you are! Have a great day!
(Making Plans detail)
(Floral Costume detail)
(Treasure’s detail)
For my thesis, I am doing a series of meals for an individual and a person of their choice. After several large-scale events, such as Uprooted and Pietopia, I decided to take a more personal approach to the meanings behind food and the action of eating. Participants can choose anyone be it someone they know, don’t know, admire, love, hate, is related to, not related to, dead, or alive. I then take the design challenge to create a full sensory (all five senses are activated) experience for the participant and their Favorite who may or may not be present for the experience. The meal itself is determined on who the participants are, anything from breakfast to cocktails to a midnight snack. The aim of these meals is to explore the more intimate portrait of a community. Each designed experience requires heavy research, open communication between myself and the participant, my reinterpretation of who this person may be and what they are like prescribed through the visual aesthetic, where the meal is held, and recipes that I create and/or find.
I have created a series of questions that I give to each participant to help get the design process started. They are:
1. Think of a person whom you’d love to have a meal with.
2. Answer these:
who-they are
why-they have been chosen
what-they have done
how-they have touched your life
3. Think about the flavors that come to mind when thinking of this person, whether you know for sure they “like” them or not is unimportant, go with your gut here and make a list.
4. What meal would be most appropriate? Breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea, snacks, cocktails, midnight snack, whenever!
5. What place do you think of or associate this person with? Is it a room? another city? a climate? where?
6. What smells come to mind when thinking of this person and are they associated with anything tactile? (ex: a grandmothers perfume and her favorite scarf… a newborn’s scent and it’s baby blanket…)
7. Find one piece of memorabilia that you have of this person, anything that you use as a visual for remembering (ex: a book, a photo, a sweater, a trinket, a necklace, a newspaper article, a movie, a poster, a cd, a toy, a letter ….. )
So far, I have done two. I have about six more coming down the pipe, all completely different and really neat which I am so excited about. For example, someone chose a fairy tale character, a grandmother who is alive, the elusive Florence Broadhurst, and a grandfather who has passed, with a few more on the way. It is so neat to see how food and the senses shape our memories, actions, and lives. It is also fascinating to see what we associate with food or how we can express/communicate our stories through food. Stay tuned for more of these events, I will be posting about them as they are created. Cheers!
The Favorite is a series of meals I am doing with an individual and a person of their choice. They can choose anyone be it someone they know, don’t know, admire, love, is related, not related, dead or alive. I then take the design challenge to create a full sensory (all five senses are activated) experience for the participant and their Favorite who may or may not be present at the meal. Lacy chose her deceased grandmother, Joanne (above), as her Favorite meal partner. Her grandmother was young even in old age. She was a sensual woman who lived life to its fullest, loved vibrant colors, designer clothing, and good wine. One of her pieces of memorabilia she gave me was an old cookbook called Aphrodisiac Cookery.
In it were explanations of sensual foods, some reminiscent of certain body parts therefore thought to be stimulating such as apples, carrots, and nuts. I decided to bring this notion of food as sensuality into the cooking itself, lacing the meal with meaning. I made a carrot soup and zucchini stuffed with millet, kalamata olives, capers and tomatoes. The zucchini and carrots were both mentioned in her grandmothers book for their phallic appearance, the olives, capers, onions and garlic all have pungent tastes known to stimulate the blood and circulation. I also made a loaf of fresh spelt bread as a symbol of pure nourishment, as well as being a lovely compliment to the carrot bisque.
Spelt bread
makes 1 loaf
2 teaspoons fresh yeast
1 teaspoon honey
1.5 cups lukewarm water
4 cups white spelt flour
1 heaped teaspoon salt
Dissolve the yeast and honey in half a cup of water and leave until it begins to froth. Add 3 and a half cups of flour, the rest of the water and the salt and knead to a dough. Leave to rest for 10 minutes then continue kneading, adding more flour or water as required to make a soft silky dough. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to double in size, approximately 1 hour. Punch down, form into a loaf and cover again with a damp tea towel and leave for half an hour. Preheat the oven with a baking stone to 445°F.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Leave to cool for at least 20 minutes.
Carrot Bisque
(recipe inspired by Vegan with a Vengeance)
3 pounds carrots, peeled and diced into smaller pieces
1 large onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
3 cups vegetable broth
1 13-oz can coconut milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup
In a stock pot over low-medium heat, cook the carrots and onions in the oil for 7-10 minutes to be brown but not burnt. Add the garlic, curry, salt, and pepper; saute for 1 minute more. Add the 3 cups of broth, cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until carrots are tender. Add the coconut milk and bring to a low boil. Turn the heat off. Blend half of the soup in a blender, return to the pot and add maple syrup. Serve hot.
Olive, Tomato, and Millet-Stuffed Zucchini
(recipe inspired by Vegan with a Vengeance)
1 medium sized onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup millet, rinsed
black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 22-oz can crushed tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth or water
4 medium-size zucchini, ends trimmed
1/2 cup chopped, pitted kalamata olives
1/4 cup capers
chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Saute the onions in the olive oil over moderate heat for 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute 1 more minute.
Add the millet, herbs, spices, and salt; saute for about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes with juice and vegetable broth. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 mins.
Meanwhile, prepare the zucchini: slice in half lengthwise. Place in a large saucepan cut side down, fill the pan with enough water to cover the zucchini halfway. Cover the pan, bring to a boil, cook for 5 minutes. Remove the zucchini from the water and place on a plate to cool. Once cool enough to handle, use a spoon to remove the pulp, chop up the pulp and reserve.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add the Zucchini pulp, olives, and capers to the millet mixture. Simmer for about 5 more minutes, until the millet is tender. Stuff each zucchini half with some of the mixture. Place in a baking dish and bake for about 20 mins. Serve warm.
All five senses were activated through this meal. The tactile was actualized through a “safety pillow” I made. Created from a vintage velvet coat, rose colored satin, and a piece of animal print silk, the pillow can act as a protective shield and something to hold. I kept the pockets of the jacket in the front for your hands to easily slip into. I chose the velvet, satin, and silk for their extreme touch ability, all evoking a softness and sensuousness that is also comforting. As Lacy found herself holding it, she told me that her grandmother used to own a coat just like this, affirming my choices for the materials used.
The sense of smell (as well as taste) was evoked through the fresh vanilla bean steeping in the bergamot tea, both smells Lacy had told me reminded me of her grandmother. Smell, touch, and sound were also active through the fire in the fireplace, the warmth, crackle, and smell of the burning wood all engaging the senses.
Something that I did not know was that her grandmother always had a fire in the fireplace going whenever she had people over so she was happy that I had one going for our lunch. In the background, I had my favorite Ella Fitzgerald album playing, hoping to evoke the calm sophistication that Ella and jazz tend to bring to a room. Lacy mentioned that along with a fire always going, her grandmother was always playing jazz music, Ella being one of her favorite singers.
The visual component, other than the food and ambiance, were through two screen prints I made. The prints were replicas of two of her grandmother’s designer scarves. I also screen printed an image of her grandmother from a photo of her as a young woman, onto the backs of the recipes I used in our lunch and on to the top of a box I filled with the vegan coconut fudge.
The experience was more rich and rewarding than I could have ever imagined. It is one thing to design an experience for someone, but it is another to do it for someone who’s relationship with food has been one of fear and hatred. To hear Lacy talk about her plunge into anorexia, how food and nourishment became the enemy, and the slow demise of her self-worth was as healing as it was painful. I feel honored to have been witness to this very real and very scary step she has taken towards health and absolutely applaud her for it.
True to design, my first Favorite meal has some interesting constraints that designers/creatives work well with in order to come up with a really great solution. The woman I am doing the meal for, Miss D., is both vegan and wheat free. She has chosen her grandmother as her Favorite, someone who took her in as a teenager and showed her how to love and be loved. It is truly a touching and lovely story and I am so honored to be a part of in creating a meal for these two remarkable women. Since her grandmother’s death, Miss D. has had a tumultuous and difficult relationship with both food and her body. Loosing someone who was the foundation of her life really shook who she was and how she thought of herself. This meal that I am creating for her is aimed at enveloping her through the senses, showing her that by honoring her memories of her grandmother she is in turn truly honoring herself. All five senses will be activated through various pieces I have created for use and/or viewing at our luncheon (and will not be divulged until after we have the meal this weekend, as I know Miss D. reads my blog and I want some things to be a pleasant surprise!). I made the fudge for the luncheon, I felt it was important to have something sweet that she could eat and I think her grandmother would truly have enjoyed as well.
In the meantime, enjoy the absolute best fudge recipe I have EVER tasted, which is also vegan. You know how sometimes traditional fudge can be dry or granular or just plain bad? This, my friends, will knock your socks off, blow your mind, whatever your fancy, they are just plain amazing. And to top it off, the original recipe is from a young woman, Hannah Kaminsky, who photographed and published her first cookbook My Sweet Vegan before she graduated high school.
Prego!
Coconut Fudge
Adapted from Hannah Kaminsky’s My Sweet Vegan
Makes 32 Small Pieces
1 c semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or chocolate chips)
3 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 c dutch process cocoa powder
2 T coconut oil
1/2 c coconut milk
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 c unsweetened, toasted, flaked coconut
Line a baking pan with at least 1 inch sides with parchment, leaving the parchment to extend a bit up the sides. It might help to put a smear of coconut oil on the bottom of the pan to help the parchment stick.
Mix the chocolate, sugar and cocoa together in a large bowl. Set aside.
Mix the coconut oil and coconut milk together in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir and heat until the oil has melted and bubbles just start to form. Remove it from the stove and immediately pour the hot coconut over the chocolate mixture.
Let it sit for about a minute, and then stir well to melt the chocolate completely. If it seems that it has cooled too much, try putting the dish over a bowl of hot water and stirring constantly until you have a nice smooth mixture. Add the vanilla, stir, and then pour the fudgy goodness into the parchment lined baking pan, pressing it into the corners and smoothing out the top. Toss the coconut flakes all over the top and press them into the fudge just a little so they will stay. Let the fudge cool completely before cutting it. I covered mine once it was room temp, and tossed it in the fridge to firm it up even more.
Part of my process as an eating designer comes from inspiration in the kitchen (but where else? 
. When I am working through a particular problem or project, I find myself finding and trying new recipes as a way to let all five of my senses in on the action. It’s a lot to just ask only the eyes or hands to do all the solving, what if the ears, nose, or mouth had some great input? And they always do. So today while mulling over my the first project of a series I am doing for my thesis, I decided to make a Meyer Lemon Cake complete with lavender whipped cream. Meyer Lemons have been on the radar the past few weeks (thank you Food Librarian!), so I decided to dive into the collective unconcious and give them a try. This recipe is fantastic where the Meyer lemons are perfectly complimented by the slight acidity in the extra virgin olive oil. That’s right, there is no butter in this making it (at least feel like!) a bit healthier than just your average cake. Expect a moist crumb, a velvety texture, and a lemon filling that will make your mouth pucker in delight. And the lavender honey whipped cream was absolutely the best pairing for a topping, the warmth of the honey and the essence of lavender reminding the eater spring is not just a far away memory.
My Master’s in Fine Arts thesis I have entitled The Favorite. After having done several large scale events such as Pietopia or Uprooted, I have decided to take a more personal approach to the meanings behind food and the action of eating. The Favorite is a series of meals done with different individuals and a guest of their choice. The guest can be dead or alive, famous or kin, someone they know personally or do not know at all. The meal itself is determined on who the participants are, anything from breakfast to cocktails to a midnight snack. The aim of these meals is to explore the more intimate portrait of a community. All of my work starts with an immense amount of research. The design of each meal is my reinterpretation of who the participant’s guest is/was and what they are/were like through taste, smell, tactility, sound, and sight. The materials used in each meal, where the meal is held, and recipes that I create and/or find are all elements in the design process and play into the entire experience.
Now for that Meyer Lemon Cake recipe . Cheers!
For cake
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, for brushing pan
5 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar, divided
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon grated Meyer lemon zest plus 3 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice (see Cooks’ note, below)
1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1/2 teaspoon salt
For filling
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated Meyer lemon zest plus 3/4 cup Meyer lemon juice
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
For lavender cream
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons mild honey
1/2 tablespoon dried lavender blossoms
Make cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F with rack in middle.
Invert bottom of spring form pan and lock on side. Brush pan with melted butter, then chill 2 minutes to set. Line bottom of pan with a round of parchment paper, then brush pan and parchment with another layer of melted butter and chill 2 minutes more. Dust with flour, knocking out excess.
Beat together yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and thick, about 3 minutes. At medium speed, beat in oil and lemon zest and juice until just combined. Sift in flour and mix at low speed until just combined.
Beat whites with salt in another large bowl with cleaned beaters at medium-high speed until foamy, then add remaining 1/4 cup sugar a little at a time, beating, and continue to beat until whites just hold soft peaks. Gently fold one third of whites into yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Transfer batter to springform pan, smoothing top, and gently rap against counter once or twice to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake until golden brown (top will crack slightly) and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then remove side of pan and cool cake to room temperature, about 1 hour (sides will cave in a little).
Make filling while cake cools:
Whisk together sugar, flour, and salt in a small heavy saucepan, then add lemon juice in a slow stream, whisking until combined. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then simmer, whisking, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Whisk yolk in a small bowl, then add about one fourth of lemon-juice mixture, whisking vigorously. Whisk into remaining lemon-juice mixture and gently boil, whisking, 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in butter and zest. Transfer filling to a bowl and cover surface with buttered parchment paper. Chill until cool, at least 30 minutes.
Make filling while cake cools:
Bring cream, honey, and lavender blossoms just to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and let steep, covered, 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding solids, and chill lavender cream, covered, until cold.
Assemble cake:
Invert cake and discard parchment. Cut cake horizontally into 3 even layers with a long serrated knife. Transfer 1 layer, cut side up, to a cake plate. Lightly whisk filling to loosen, then spread half of filling evenly over cake layer on plate, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edge. Place a second cake layer over filling and spread with remaining filling in same manner. Top with remaining cake layer, cut side down, pressing gently so that filling is spread to edge of cake.
Just before serving, beat lavender cream with a whisk until it is thickened and barely holds soft peaks. Dust cake with confectioners sugar and serve with lavender cream.
