Today marks the would-be 85th birthday of the late Andy Warhol. My good friend loves AW and has posted a few items about the artist today, prompting me to revisit his works and reminding me of the fantastic Wild Raspberries. The cheeky cookbook, co-authored with Suzie Frankfurt in 1959, has always charmed me.
"Piglet. Contact Trader Vic's and order a 40 pound suckling pig to serve 15. Have Hanley take the Carey Cadillac to the side entrance and receive the pig at exactly 6:45. Rush home immediately and place on the open spit for 50 minutes. Remove and garnish with fresh crabapples."
I was introduced to the illustrations and "recipes" back in 2010 when, while interning in the Hearst building, I spent my lunch break browsing a collection of Andy Warhol magazine illustrations that were on display in the lobby for the summer. Mostly out of Harper's Bazaar, the playful images of shoes and fabrics and makeup prompted me to learn more about Warhol's illustrations, which inevitably led to Wild Raspberries.
"Gardoons a la Mousseline. For supper parties on the terrace consider cardoons. Select five choice hearts and trim them into thin octaginal shapes. Place each in separate puff paste patties filled with poached marrow. Bake in a hot oven and serve with mousseline sauce."
I love that all of the recipes are delightfully of their era and that all of Warhol's illustrations feel like they're depicting dessert, even when they're not. I've never held/read a hard copy, but it's still fun to browse the images online.
"A+P Surprise. Buy a 2 day old sponge cake at the A+P and cut in three 3/4 inch layers. Soak for exactly 36 hours in 1/2 cup rum, 2 1/2 tablespoons confectioners sugar and 1/2 cup water. Spread on each later sieved apricot jam and pastry cream. Top with poached apricot halves and cherries. Glaze with jelly and let set. Dust with confectioners sugar and pistachio nuts and decorate with whipped cream piped around the edges."
Love them as much as I do? You can buy prints to hang in your kitchen, or you can venture into other fun food illustrations. I also love Quentin Blake's cartoony accompaniments to Roald Dahl's stories, which often involve children eating Willy Wonka's candies, large chocolate cakes, or giant peaches.
"Coat a bomb with very clear jelly and place in the bottom thin slices of spiny lobster tail decorated with capers. Fill the mould with green asparagus tips, hard boiled plovers' egg and sliced cock's kidneys mixed with bacon and dandelion dressing. Chill thoroughly and turn out on a napkin. Very popular as a first course at political dinners in the 30's."