The Apple, the Coffeepot, the Chef, and the Artist

The prolific artist Paul Cezanne’s most well-known paintings are arguably his still-lifes and landscapes, yet he produced about 160 portraits over his career.  The National Gallery of Art has gathered 60 of them into a fascinating exhibit which provides a showcase for Cezanne’s evolving style and techniques.

At the press preview last week, curator Mary Morton pointed out that the multiple portraits Cezanne painted of the same subject (including himself), gave him latitude to express more than one reality.  He is widely regarded as the link between the Post-Impressionists and the abstractionist explosion of the early 20th Century.

Besides appreciating the techniques and aesthetics of the paintings, I naturally had my radar out to spot the incidental hints of  foody elements in the portraits – and there were a few.  One of the largest, but at the same time relatable, portraits depicts the artist’s father reading a newspaper, with one of Cezanne’s own fruity still-lifes in the background.

The Artist’s Father, Reading “L’Evenement”

Another, titled Woman with Coffee Maker (Cafetiere), implies that the setting is a kitchen, and the unknown woman (one of the many peasants Cezanne used as models) could have a connection to food preparation.  Maybe a farmer’s wife or cook?

Woman with Coffee Maker (Cafetiere)

And I found a rather more tenuous and altogether different food connection in the unfinished portrait of Ambroise Vollard, an art dealer and gallery owner, who posed for this picture for a total of 115 sessions!  And the ungrateful painter only complained that M. Vollard did not sit still.  “You wretch! … Do I have to tell you again to sit like an apple?  Does an apple move?”   One can only imagine M. Vollard’s response.

Ambroise Vollard

In honor of the exhibit, the NGA’s Garden Café is serving a heavily French-accented menu for lunch and weekend brunch.  With the gracious facilitation of the NGA’s Christina Brown, I interviewed Executive Chef Christopher Curtis of the Starr Catering Group about his process for the recipe design.  I also got to sample some of the dishes. (Note: as I tasted a sampling menu, the pictures here do not reflect the actual size or plating of each dish, except for the dessert crepes.)

Chef Chris has had plenty of experience in the world of French-adjacent cuisine. Previously, he interned with Chef Marcus Samuelsson at Aquavit, worked with Chef Eric Ripert at the Standard Hotel in Miami, and was Banquet Chef at the Viceroy Hotel in Miami, where renowned Michelin-star Chef Michael Psilakis was his mentor.

Chef Chris in the Garden

The Starr Group is relatively new to the NGA – the Vermeer exhibit last year was Chef Chris’ first experience of the art-cuisine connection.   That menu utilized warm spices to reference the Dutch domination of the spice trade of 17^th-century Europe.

For the Cezanne connection, he relied upon a fine old standard text, Richard Olney’s Simple French Food.  Published in 1974, and long a staple on my bookshelf, Olney’s book is full of recipes which can be adapted to American palates and optimized for restaurant service, while maintaining a flavor of early 20^th Century France.

There are plans to rotate menu dishes as seasonal ingredients become available, so the menu will change during the run of the exhibit.  Chef Chris hinted that he might add a dish based on Cezanne’s famous Three Pears still life, which of course resides in the NGA.  Right now, there are still echoes of winter in the roasted butternut squash- and kale-dressed chicken breast.  I preferred the deeply flavorful adaptation of salad Nicoise:  fennel-coated fish with olives, capers and an herb vinaigrette to evoke the classic dish.

Chicken (L), Fish (R)

The chicken liver pate on the Charcuterie Platter was also inspired by a recipe in Olney’s book, but, “I put some brandy in it.” Though you can’t quite taste the brandy, the pate is delicious.  The rest of the charcuterie platter, and the collection of cheese on the Cheese Sampler, make them highly satisfying appetizer selections.

Combination Charcuterie Platter and Cheese Sampler

An Heirloom Tomato – French Feta Salad relies on cherry tomatoes for that garden flavor in the absence of the true summer field-ripened specimens, but the balsamic reduction compensates for any lack of flavor.  The Salad Verte is the least successful of the appetizers, slightly on the bitter side with watercress and assertive radishes overbalancing the milder elements.

Dessert choices include a Caramelized Banana Crepe with chocolate hazelnut spread and strawberry drizzle (delicious), as well as Apple Bread Pudding and Chocolate Pot de Crème.

Banana Crepe (Picture Credit Christina Brown)

The NGA has been designing menus for the Garden Café to harmonize with exhibits for several years, and I’m glad to see the tradition continue.  Some of the Cezanne menu dishes served in the Garden Café may also be offered in the larger and less atmospheric Cascades restaurant.  Either way, this menu is a fine way to enhance one’s day of culture at the National Gallery.

Cezanne Portraits, National Gallery of Art, Through July 1, 2018

West Building, Main Floor: www.nga.gov/

Garden Café: www.nga.gov/visit/cafes/garden-cafe.html