ULLABENULLA

Creating Art 'Mise En Place'

'Mise en place' is a French term referring to having all the ingredients necessary for a dish prepared and ready to combine up to the point of cooking. (Definition from Food Lover's Companion)

Yesterday I had the real pleasure of taking an art class with Cleo Papanikolas (yes she is Greek!) who calls her journals and books "Mental Mise en place" - a place where she can put all her thoughts and ideas in place. I blogged about Cleo in April Here, and was so excited to have the time to take her class at the Castle! Her book Cook Until Desired Tenderness is an inspiring and very creative 'cooking journal' - and a must have for any of you who like to play with art supplies and paper! (the above photo is one of my favorite illustrations from this book - I would love to have this chandelier 'dripping' in my kitchen!)

We spent our day learning 'secrets of the trade' from Cleo and painting, sketching and inking wonderful 'foodie' art... We each worked from one image all day long (I found this very liberating and fun, to do different techniques with one image). First she demonstrated a few of her personally favorite art techniques while drawing and painting a charming little goat. Next she set us loose to play, while she treated us to her own personal 'cooking prose' on the ins and outs, trials and tribulations, of being a cooking writer who creates art 'mise en place' - such a treat!

I chose a photo of a glass pitcher and delectable salad of sorts with a pink background. First I transferred the image onto various papers (Cleo is a master of using found materials in her art) and sealed them in place with medium. Then came the fun part! Using Gouache we painted to our hearts content and dibbled and dabbled - cooking up a wonderful assortment of delicious art... As you can see from my samples, my salad became 'chocolate with whip-cream' at one point, cooking always makes me think of desserts... It was a wonderful day, and my mind is spinning with ideas on how to use my new-found techniques - I am thinking that my dollhouse needs a 'foodie' mural in the kitchen, among other things...

When the Bushel is Full - BAKE!

We are blessed with a wonderful old Gravenstein Apple tree in our backyard. This years lack of pruning has ment too many apples being thrown away. Fortunately there are still plenty to cook with! Although I have not been able to create any art, at least I can still bake! Last week we had Apple tarts (made with Filo dough and Delicious!), Apple cake (a little too sweet, but good smothered in whip cream) and Raw-Apple Muffins (the best muffins yet, two times more fruit than dough). Next on the munu is Apple Clafoutis, Swiss Chard and Apple Torte and Baked Apples. More soon...

EPERGENE

"Shall we have tea with the epergene?"
"The epergene is ready for tea..."
"Oh what a lovely epergene you have..."

Do you find the word as fun to say as I do?
Epergene by Wedgewood , for those who desire whimsy while having tea...

Food as Art

French print "from the book "Artistic Cookery" by Urban Dubois, chef to the King and Queen of Prussia, this print depicts two fanciful desserts. The book was subtitled "A practical system for the use of the nobility and gentry and for public entertainments." Found at Horchow.

A Milkmaids Tea Service

"In June 1787, Louis XVI surprised Queen Marie Antoinette with a gift - The Laiterie at Rambouillet. Inspired by Rousseau and a desire to return to nature, fanciful dairies were very fashionable among the aristocracy of Europe during the 18th century, but this dairy would surpass all others. As remarkable as the paintings, sculpture and furnishings that adorned the building itself were the porcelain pieces designed to adorn the niches in the antechamber of the Laiterie of the Queen. Neoclassical in design, all of the pieces of the dairy service involved the storage and serving of milk and other dairy products, adhering to the theme of the pleasure dairy - a temple dedicated to milk." This tea service is known as a grisaille. "A grisaille is a monochrome painting technique executed in tones of gray, often produced to simulate relief sculpture. The interior of The Laiterie at Rambouillet was decorated with grisailles on the theme of the four seasons painted by Sauvage." Available from the The Dessert Course.