Professor Butter Beard and “Summer”
“Summer has filled her veins with light and her heart is washed with noon.” – C. Day Lewis
Early on Thursday evening, just as the skies cleared from another torrential explosion of summer rain, we sat down to a sumptuous feast prepared by my art history mentor and his family. They had just purchased their new summer home and conversations bounced like helium balloons with recommendations for local beaches and art galleries and wine stores and, of course, farmer’s markets. Nick grilled mahi-mahi and wedges of cabbage which he served with his home-made cilantro chimichurri and his budding pastry chef son baked a rhubarb cake that we devoured smothered in fresh vanilla ice cream. When we finally sat back and breathed, talk turned to favorite summer flavors. Nick waxed poetically about butter beans, peaches and melons. Charlie offered up peanut butter, which made us all wonder a bit. But what really made us chuckle and applaud was when Liz, Nicholas Jr and I all chimed in at the exact same time - “summer corn.”
When I review in my mind all my favorite works of art depicting summer, the season portraits painted by Giuseppe Arcimboldo dance with the most spirit and passion. Arcimboldo was a sixteenth century Italian Mannerist painter known primarily for his extraordinary, and sometimes grotesque, human portraits that would later inspire Salvador Dali and other artists of the twentieth century Surrealist Movement.
The history of the Arcimboldo family was documented by a family friend, the Milanese art critic and travelogue author, Paolo Morigia. From his account, we know that Giuseppe Arcimboldo came from a noble background. His great uncle had held the position of Archbishop of Milan and, as a result of his influence, the young Giuseppe would likely have been introduced to artists, scholars and writers from a young age. Arcimboldo trained in stained glass design and fresco painting, producing work for local cathedrals from the age of twenty-one. Simultaneously, he also blossomed as a portrait painter, as well as a set decorator, a costume designer and the organizer/planner for lavishly themed balls (at which he may also have painted guests' portraits). Contemporary critics debate whether his paintings are whimsical or the product of a deranged mind, but Morigia wrote, "This noble and inspired man fashioned a great number of rare and delicate works of art which caused considerable amazement among all the illustrious noblemen who used to congregate there, and his lord and master was very pleased with him."
The “Seasons,” or “The Four Seasons,” is a set of four profile portrait paintings Arcimboldo produced while contracted as the court portraitist to Maximilian II and his son Rudolf II in Prague. Each exquisite portrait represents one of the seasons and is made up of objects, primarily vegetables, plants, fruits, and tree roots, that characterize that particular time of year. “Summer” is depicted as an enchanting smiling woman. Ripe red cherries adorn the border of her hair and also make up her upper lip; her cheek is made of a peach, her teeth of a row of green peas, her nose of a cucumber, her ear of an eggplant and her eyebrow of an ear of wheat. Her dress is woven golden straw. An artichoke decorates her chest. And an ear of perfect summer corn adorns the side of her hat made of vines of red raspberries and a branch of purple plums.
Over the summer, I will bake and honor all of those gifts from nature, but for now, I offer up these breakfast muffins combining the speckled green of young zucchini and the sweet crunch of summer corn. Buttermilk adds a subtle tang and Chinese Five Spice Powder contributes a bit of mystery. Do take the time to toast your cornmeal. The aroma is intoxicating, and it may just fill your veins with light and wash your heart with noon.
Zucchini Corn Muffins
12 Muffins
Dry Mix:
¾ cup coarse-ground cornmeal, toasted and cooled
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup white sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp Chinese Five-Spice Powder (or cinnamon)
½ tsp salt (I prefer Kosher)
Wet Mix:
1 large egg and one yolk
½ cup vegetable or canola oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla paste (or pure extract)
Additions:
1 medium young zucchini, shredded with a box grater and squeezed dry in a clean kitchen cloth
1 ear of fresh corn, kernels cut off with a knife and separated with your fingers
Sprinkle of sanding sugar on the muffins before baking
1) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
2) Toast the cornmeal in a non-stick pan until aromatic and slightly browned, stirring often. Remove from heat and let cool.
3) Line your muffin pan with paper muffin cups, or make your own with parchment paper squares
4) Grate the zucchini and squeeze dry in a clean kitchen towel. Scrape the kernels from the corn and stir together with the zucchini.
5) Whisk together the dry ingredients in a small bowl.
6) In a larger bowl, whisk the egg and yolk, oil, buttermilk and vanilla just until smooth. Fold in the dry ingredients with a spatula until just fully moistened and then fold in the zucchini and corn.
7) Portion the batter evenly into the twelve muffin cups using an ice cream scoop. Sprinkle each of the muffin tops with a pinch of sanding sugar.
8) Place the tin in the oven and bake for 12 minutes
9) Lower the heat to 350 (don’t open the oven door) and bake for 10 minutes more until the tops are firm and slightly browned.
10) Cool in the tin ten minutes and then remove the muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling
