Guiseppe Acrimboldo, Summer (1550)

This time the Art & Food blog is about an old work that almost everyone knows and still inspires many. Arcimboldo (1527-1593) owes his contemporary fame to the compositional portrait. It is an allegory that symbolizes more than just summer. Immediately after arriving at the Habsburg court, he painted the first version of The Four Seasons: portraits composed of flowers, fruits, branches and leaves. In a second series of four paintings, he made faces of the elements air, land, water and fire. Until shortly before his death, he continued to work at the court as a painter, but also as an architect, designer of bizarre costumes and sets and as an organizer of major festivities. His comedic work provided a welcome distraction from the harsh political reality of everyday life. Acrimboldo is seen as the exponent of Mannerism. In the Middle Ages, peaches, garlic, artichokes, strawberries, cucumber, eggplant, peas, cherries, grain and corn were typical summer ingredients. That inspired us to make the next summer dish.

Pickled fruit on white chocolate
Fresh fruit

14 grams of gelatin
Lemon juice from 1 lemon
20 grams of lovely women's bed straw
150 white chocolate

Line a terrine with plastic wrap
Pour the different types of fruit layer by layer until the terrine is completely filled.
Make a syrup of sugar, sweet lady's bedstraw, lemon and gelatin
Pour over the fruit so that it is completely covered

Place in the refrigerator for a few hours


Cut into slices and serve on white chocolate mirror, mint leaves and garnish with sweet lady's bedstraw leaves.