Now you're cooking with gas

Returning to a previous topic of food and ceramics. We have talked about this in a theoretical manner, with concepts of display and the symbiotic relationship between cooking and clay that often goes unnoticed.

I have come across 2 blogs that tackle this relationship.

The first is by Brooklyn ceramicist May Luk-The Ceramic Dish.
In her blog, May documents cooking with mouthwatering recipies all while considering the clay with which the dishes are paired.

Here is one of May's postings

Terry's Chocolate Orange Shortbread

A special Valentine treat. This is a recipe I nicked from my coconspirator Kristen Couse of Cakehouse. Instead of espresso, I turned it into a Terry's Chocolate Orange shortbread. I use whole wheat flour to lower the Glycemic Index and my guilt of using 2 sticks of butter.

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The Dish
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Whole wheat flour - 2 cups
Butter - 2 sticks unsalted = at room temperature
Sugar - 2/3 cup
Vanilla - 2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Orange zest - 1 tbsp

Baking chocolate - 6 oz



1- Mix butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix well.
2- Add vanilla, salt, orange zest and flour until all the ingredients are well combined.
3- Make 2 balls out of the dough. Put them in plastic wrap and chill in refridgerator for 2 hours.
4- Cut the dough into 12 wedges for each dough ball. You will have 24 wedges all together.
5- Prick some holes on the dough. Place them at least 1" apart on an un-greased baking plate.
6 - Bake the wedges on low (300 deg F) for about 18 minutes or until the edges are pale golden brown.
7- While the shortbread are cooling. Melt the chocolate in the microwave for about 2 minutes.
8 - Shmear half of the shortbread with the melted chocolate or decorate it as you like it.



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The Ceramic
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The plate is a creation of mine. It's called "Love Isn't". It is inspired by a poem read by a friend, Ant Phillips, at my wedding.
You can read the poem here.


MMMMMMM

May is also great about posting food shots in the rest of her work, as can be see in the picture up top from her ETSY shop


I also came across this Blog- Kyoto-Japanese Pottery writen by Emi Living in Kyoto. She teaches Japanese cooking classes in English and promises to populate her blog with images of food and clay. The site is still being developed, but it promises great things.