I was standing on the fifth floor of New York’s MoMA, staring at a black canvas painted by Mark Rothko when it hit me:
Modern Art is like modern cuisine!
Just like the artists that have massive paintings hanging in modern museums across the world, modern cuisine and the chefs that create it are deeply entrenched in the classics of food but choose to display their talents in new, often unrecognizable, forms. We take from the rolodex of traditional flavor combinations and dishes but find ways to break them apart into components and change their look. We use food as a way to express our desire for beauty, love and passion. But unlike the paintings that hang in those museums, food is a necessity and art a luxury and as such the dishes we create are gone in a few small bites, leaving only the happy memories of a flavor and a meticulous presentation.
Last December, I was lucky enough to get a phone call from Richard Meier’s, one of the leading modern architect firms in the country whose work includes the famous Getty Museum in Los Angeles. They had just built out a modern art gallery in Beverly Hills called the Gagosian and were having their holiday party inside the museum. The woman who I corresponded with wanted me to put together a party that matched their aesthetic views: she wanted me to create each dish I served from a painting inspired by a different modern artist. Since I began my company, no party had ever been so appropriately matched with the vision I have for food and the type of dishes I want to serve. I was so excited.
She sent me a long and enthusiastic list of artists, most of which were in my top favorite and some I had to research. They included Picasso, Rothko, Pollock, Miró and other great modern artists. After viewing work after work, artist after artist, I came up with eight dishes that I thought would match really well with the works. Here is what I came up with:
Joseph Albers “Homage to the Square” Carrot Gelée w/ Curry Flavors
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Pablo Picasso “Guernica” Slow Roasted Pork Belly w/ Radish & Hoisin
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Dan Flavin “Monument” Mini Garlic Bagel w/ Salmon Lox & Capers
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Chef Matt “Self-Portrait” Whipped Brie on Garlic Crouton
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David Hockney “Stretched Along Garrowby Hill” Farmed Winter Vegetable Crudités in Glass Shot Glasses w/ Hummus “Soil”
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Mark Rothko “Number 14” Beet Salad w/ Goat Cheese & Hazelnut
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Joan Miró “The Farm” Braised Chicken Wings w/ Blue Cheese Dressing & Buffalo Sauce
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Damien Hirst “Spot” White Chocolate Covered Lemon Loli-Cake with Fondant Dots
My favorite dish, and coincidentally the easiest to prepare, was the Hockney winter vegetable crudité with hummus “soil.” The colors of each vegetable were so beautiful in the glasses we used and the hummus turned out to be amazing. I am Lebanese, so hummus has been something I’ve been able to enjoy homemade my whole life, but when it came time for me to prepare it myself, I did what I always do and turned it up a notch. I took the basic flavor profile, with the garbanzo beans, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, cumin and olive oil, and changed it around slightly to bring in a new flavor and help turn the hummus into a “soil” color (hence the title of the dish). To add some sweetness to the hummus, I roasted the garlic instead of keeping it raw, which makes it taste smoother and doesn’t leave guests at a party afraid to talk to one another up close. To darken the hummus, I added pitted Kalamata olives, which also helped bring in the olive oil flavor but in a brighter and more delicious way. Then, as my surprise ingredient, I added a bit of peanut butter to give a twist on the dish and with that I was finished with my hummus. For the vegetables, I blanched white asparagus and with it served baby carrots, celery sticks, red peppers and green beans. The architects loved the crudité and had a great time eating it. My staff loved making the dish because it was easy to prepare and really easy to clean.
As the night went on, the Richard Meier crew listened to great jazz, drank delicious cocktails, and ate from our art-inspired dishes inside of a beautiful gallery with amazing paintings setting an aesthetically beautiful tone. I stood in the kitchen, remembering the MoMA, preparing our dishes and feeling utterly pleased that the vision I had for food was coming together. Food and art are one in the same – so while you keep your paintings hanging high on your walls for all to see, remember the dishes you ate and the feelings they gave you and let those last just as long as a painting.
Modern Art Hummus
Love hummus but want to spice it up a bit? Here's a recipe we used for an event that had everyone’s jaw dropping...Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans
3 heads roasted garlic
1 ½ lemons, juiced
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 tablespoon tahini
¼ lb. black Kalamata Olives, Pitted
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Drain garbanzo beans and rinse with water.
2. Add garbanzo's, garlic, lemon juice, peanut butter, tahini, olives, and
spices to food processor and let blend for 3 minutes until very smooth and
integrated.
3. Slowly add in olive oil until you achieve a creamy consistency. Add a
little water if you want thinner hummus.
4. Taste and salt accordingly. It is important to have enough salt to bring
out the flavor of all the ingredients. You don't want a bland hummus!
Serve with raw vegetables such as carrots, celery, and red peppers.
