Professor Butter Beard’s “Self Portrait” by Rembrandt
Sometimes, it all comes down to brilliantly layered textures. The treats we crave might be liquid, solid, semi-solid, hard, crisp, crunchy, crumbly, chewy, creamy, soft, smooth, lumpy, rough, or gritty, to name but a few of the plethora of possibilities. As a pastry chef, I learned early on that we not only crave certain tastes and smells and colors, but we also crave certain textures depending on the season and the company and our soul’s mood in the moment.
I believe that Rembrandt van Rijn fully understood and appreciated the power of texture. He along with my other favorite “master of the brushwork,” Vincent Van Gogh, knew exactly how to layer and sculpt the paint in order to make their portraits dance in flickering candlelight.
Rembrandt produced nearly one hundred self-portraits over his lifetime, documenting his journey as an artist engaged in a gripping process of self-exploration. “Self Portrait with Beret and Turned-Up Collar” was painted by the master near the end of his journey – about ten years before the artist’s death in 1669. At the time of this painting, he was embroiled in a battle to avoid bankruptcy and the sale of his home in Amsterdam along with his vast collection of art and antiquities. Close inspection of the artist’s face exposes the exhausted, melancholic, yet proud spirit of a man who, by this time, had witnessed the death of a son, two daughters, and the love of his life, Saskia van Uylenburgh. His deep-set eyes bore into the viewer, challenging us to channel our own strength and dignity as we continue to move forward.
Rembrandt researcher Ernst van de Wetering writes that “the paint seems to have been applied, as it were, with a shaving brush.” While that assumption is highly unlikely, the variations in applied texture combine to create an overall atmospheric quality. Strokes of thick paint, all warm in tone, pool up to represent the reflected light on the artist’s forehead, nose and cheek. He painted the interior of his eyes using a series of transparent glazes finished with a small drop of white lead pigment as the highlight. The eyes are surrounded by a variety of brushwork: an uneven series of strokes for the brow; single strokes designating the folds of the lids; and the well-earned wrinkles are slightly softened with a stroke of wet paint dragged over a dry underpainting. A blunt object, thought to be the end of a brush handle, is used to score into the wet paint of his hair creating sharp individual curls. The artist softly blurs his fur coat into the setting using gentle smooth brushstrokes, creating a comfortable funnel directly into his expressive eyes.
This thoughtful and ingenious combination of textures inspired me to combine a few of my own. These Scottish “Millionaire Shortbreads” begin with a crisp and crumbly shortbread base enhanced with the addition of coarse ground cornmeal. Next comes the gooey layer of golden buttery caramel which is then capped with a sculpted layer of dark chocolate dusted with a final crunch of kosher salt seasoned with dried orange zest and grated ginger. While they may not inspire “strength and dignity,” they will test your passionate urge to consume all sixteen in one sitting.
Millionaire Shortbreads with Citrus-Ginger Salt
(makes about 16 – 8” square pan)
Citrus-Ginger Salt:
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp grated orange rind
4 Tbsp kosher salt
Shortbread:
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup medium grind cornmeal
½ cup white sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp fine salt
14 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Topping:
12 Tbsp unsalted butter
¾ cup white sugar
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp fine salt
1 ¼ cups dark chocolate chips
¼ tsp chili powder
For the Citrus-Ginger Salt:
1) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
2) Place a sheet of parchment on a small baking sheet. Grate the ginger and the orange onto the paper and bake for 30 minutes. It should be completely dry
3) Stir into the kosher salt and set aside. (I keep mine in glass jar with a shaker top)
For the Shortbreads:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2) Butter a 8x8-inch pan with butter and place a sheet of parchment inside leaving a 2 inch extension over the sides of the pan.
3) Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, ginger and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry knife to form a dough. Press into the prepared pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until golden and crisp. Place on a wire rack to cool.
4) Put the 12 Tbsp butter, the ¾ cup sugar, maple syrup, condensed milk and salt into a heavy bottom pan and heat gently to melt the butter. Bring to a simmer and stir constantly for about 10-15 minutes until thick. Pour this over the shortbread and smooth with a knife. Leave to set about 30 minutes.
5) In a glass bowl, sprinkle the chili powder over the chocolate chips and melt together in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring after each zap. When completely melted and smooth, spread the chocolate over the caramel and leave until solid.
6) Sprinkle a small portion of the seasoned salt over the chocolate (like a pretzel). Lift the completed shortbreads out of the pan, via the parchment, and cut into small squares.
