November 7th (in)composition: NYC
copious caulis, the hand of harkness and a golden vintage espresso set
what to eat: cauliflower
The cauliflowers are showing off this time of year. You’ll start spotting caulis at some farmers’ markets as early as June, but peak season runs September through the end of November. This is when we take the time to delight in their myriad of scale and color.
The varieties I gravitate towards range from the comically gargantuan to the slender and sleek sprouting caulis. On my last run to the market, I brought home eight, palm-sized, miniature cauliflowers that were tightly wrapped in green curly leaves (you’ll see them mid-cook below). On other days, I love roasting cheddar yellow cauliflowers and blanching deep purple florets as they both retain their saturated color after cooking.
I’ve been looking forward to Sohla el Waylly’s cookbook “Start Here” all year. Sohla’s book distills the how’s and why’s of culinary techniques that foundationally teach you how to cook versus just simply following a recipe. The “coconut cauliflower korma” from the braising section seemed like the perfect seasonal test. The recipe calls for one large or extra large head of cauli, but I used the minis I had on hand instead:
For an XL cauliflower, a roast is generally my go-to. Depending on the size, I’ll often take the additional step of blanching the whole head for a couple of minutes to ensure it will be cooked all the way through before roasting it. If you do this, allow for the cauli to cool after blanching before applying any oil pre-roast as it will otherwise slip right off.
see: hilary harkness “prisoners from the front” at P.P.O.W.
This is Hilary’s first solo show at PPOW in over a decade. Immerse yourself in her innovative and imaginative, alternate feminist histories of the Civil War.
“Artists do destroy while they create, though the slate is never clean of art’s history. Harkness’ paintings contend with and disrupt conventions in narrative paintings, using fantasy and realities, possible and improbable ones. She entertains and plagues stereotypes, often with comic effect, which have been embroidered into psyches for centuries. In our messy image-laden culture, common representations of women show them as benign, unlikely to cause trouble, but Harkness’s figures act out, act up, and cause trouble. They are trouble-makers.”– Lynne Tillman, Hilary Harkness: Queer Visions, 20231
design crush of the week: a golden mid-century modern espresso set
I am obsessing over the gorgeous patina and the delicately wrapped, leather-curved handles on this vintage espresso set designed by Alfonso Bialetti in the 1950/60’s.
xx,
D
https://www.ppowgallery.com/exhibitions/hilary-harkness#tab:thumbnails;tab-1:slideshow