Professor Butter Beard and O’Keefe’s “Pink Spotted Lillies”
“Strawberries that in gardens grow
Are plump and juicy fine,
But sweeter far as wise men know
Spring from the woodland vine.
No need for bowl or silver spoon,
Sugar or spice or cream,
Has the wild berry plucked in June
Beside the trickling stream.
One such to melt at the tongue’s root,
Confounding taste with scent,
Beats a full peck of garden fruit:
Which points my argument.”
- Robert Graves (British poet, historical novelist and critic)
Nellie noticed them before I did. She and I were a bit groggy, walking through the morning fog as it rolled back into the ocean and the sky blossomed into a pastel combination of pink, gold and blue. She performed a doggie double take, spinning me along with her and nestling her ridiculously cute head into a low bush, drawn in by the sound and motion of buzzing bees. She emerged with fragile pink rose petals temporarily glued to her nose and eyebrows and giggled at me in only the way Nellie can.
The summer pink roses have arrived. And they immediately transport me on a journey deep into the paintings of Georgia O’Keefe.
Ms. O'Keeffe began creating her signature flower paintings in 1918, although they were shown for the first time by her photographer friend Alfred Stieglitz in 1923. By 1924, she began working on a larger scale and her exhibit the following year at Anderson Galleries immediately upset the New York art world and elicited a range of strong opinions from the press.
The publisher and art gallerist Nicholas Callaway wrote, “Many found [the flower paintings] to be unabashedly sensual, in some cases overtly erotic. Others perceived them as spiritually chaste...Added to the shock of their...outrageous color and scandalous (or sacred) shapes was the fact that these paintings had been created by a woman at a time when the art world was almost exclusively male...[The flower paintings] were extraordinarily controversial and sought-after, and made their maker a celebrity. It was the flowers that begat the O'Keeffe legend in the heady climate of the 1920s.”
“Pink Spotted Lillies” is a spellbinding example of O'Keeffe's hallmark style. A Christie’s specialist described the work within the 2019 sale catalogue as “two efflorescent lilies enveloped in luxuriant verdant leaves. As if dancing across the picture plane, the petals and leaves curl and twist over each other, transforming the bloomed flowers into rapturous forms. Always a brilliant colorist, vivid hues of blue and green give weight and drama to the composition, both complementing and intensifying the luscious pinks of the flower.”
It is as if you are invited to a floral ballet, choreographed by O’Keefe and her paintbrush.
In 1939, three years after she painted Pink Spotted Lillies, Georgia O'Keeffe wrote, “A flower is relatively small. Everyone has many associations with a flower—the idea of flowers. You put out your hand to touch the flower—lean forward to smell it—maybe touch it with your lips almost without thinking—or give it to someone to please them. Still—in a way—nobody sees a flower—really—it is so small—we haven't time—and to see takes time like to have a friend takes time. If I could paint the flower exactly as I see it no one would see what I see because I would paint it small like the flower is small. So I said to myself—I'll paint what I see—what the flower is to me but I'll paint it big and they will be surprised into taking time to look at it—”
The spotted pink blooms within the painting morphed in my baker brain into a craving for pink ice cream studded with intense bursts of the first summer strawberries. My addition of buttermilk to a classic ice cream recipe adds a subtle unexpected tang and the balsamic vinegar swirled into the roasted berries enhances their vibrancy – like adding roasted chili powder to dark chocolate. Find a local farmer’s market and bring home a quart or two of the sun-soaked berries. Float them in churned cream and serve alongside some rich pecan shortbreads or snickerdoodles. And yes, Nellie also giggles out loud when she licks the pink ice cream bowl clean.
Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream
Makes roughly 1 ½ quarts
1 pound fresh strawberries
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
1/2 tsp fine sea salt (divided)
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup buttermilk
6 large egg yolks
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla paste
2 tsp (or a slight more to taste) rose water
1) The day before: Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Hull the strawberries and toss with the sugar, corn syrup and ¼ tsp salt. Line a baking sheet with parchment and spread the berries in a single layer on the sheet pan. Roast for 35 minutes, until the syrup is bubbling and the berries are just starting to collapse. Remove the sheet pan, let cool five minutes and then lift the parchment and slide the berries and syrup into a medium bowl. Slightly crush the berries with a potato masher, fold in the balsamic and then pour the mixture into a container. Cover and chill overnight.
2) The day before: In a medium saucepan, stir together the heavy cream, buttermilk and remaining ¼ tsp salt. Over a medium low heat, bring to a light simmer. In another medium bowl, whisk together the yolks and 2/3 cup granulated sugar. When the cream mixture is hot, slowly ladle half the cream mixture into the yolk mixture, whisking all the time so the eggs do not curdle. Pour the egg/cream mixture back into the pan, lightly stirring to incorporate with the warm cream. Bring back to a light simmer (do not boil), and when the mixture coats the back of the spoon, strain the mixture into a medium glass bowl. Stir in the vanilla paste and rose water. Let this mixture come to room temperature, stirring occasionally, and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
3) Early the next morning: Stir the chilled roasted strawberries into the chilled custard. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and proceed according to the manufacturer’s directions. The custard will usually churn for 10-12 minutes. Transfer the churned ice cream into a container and freeze until firm, around 2-3 hours before serving.
Note – to deepen and enrich the pink, whisk 2 Tbsp raspberry powder into the chilled custard before adding the roasted strawberries
Tony Vaccaro's photograph of Georgia O'Keeffe with "Pelvis Series, Red with Yellow" in 1960. (Courtesy Tony Vaccaro Studio)
Nellie’s beach roses - after she scared off the bees
Berries fresh from Hauser Hill Farms - Sunday, May 29th
