Food and Art Dovetail at JW Marriott

Christie's Auction House has brought its own purview of artistry to the JW Marriott Chicago for a preliminary showing before their spring auction, and executive chef Michael Reich and sous chef Russell Shearer have stepped up to the plate (culinary pun intended) with some art-inspired dishes. The art and artful dishes are gracing the JW Marriott through April 18.

This is the 12th exhibition in Christie's series of cultural events across the globe, and the second in Chicago. By displaying art in the JW Marriott, guests get a glimpse at more than 20 pieces from Christie's upcoming spring auction season. After guests peruse the works in the palatial lobby, they have the opportunity to sample some artsy bites in the Lobby Lounge. Since cooking is an artistic expression anyway, the collaboration is a seamless and poetic endeavor. Below are the dishes available, with insight from Shearer on what paintings inspired them and how.

For the crispy duck confit with sour cherry reduction, salsify, and mache, Shearer drew inspiration from Leon-Augistin Lhermitte's "The Little Goose Girl of Mézy." For all dishes, he looked into the landscapes and times of year that the pieces represent. Since "The Little Goose Girl of Mézy" captures the essence of fall, the time of year when fruits and vegetables are preserved for winter, he made a sour cherry reduction to epitomize cherry preserves. The red hue of the cherries also ties into the girl's dress in the painting, and since water fowl are in the background, duck was a natural choice. He went the confit route because the girl is a laborer, and it was common for laborers to eat braised meats. 

(Crispy duck confit with cherry reduction, salsify, and mache)

Childe Hassam's "In a French Garden" inspired Shearer to create seared scallops with ramp pesto, crispy kale, and red pepper oil. Since the painting depicts a garden setting in late spring/early summer, and since the woman in the painting is an aristocrat, he turned to fine seafood, augmenting it with seasonal greens and produce. Ramps and pesto echo the lush vegetation, kale mimics the leaves, and red pepper oil is as vibrant as a flower blossom. It's a meal fit for a rich person in France.

(Seared scallops with ramp pesto, crispy kale, and red pepper oil)

The final dish is roasted chanterelle mushrooms with fava beans, lentil cracker, and tangerine gastrique, inspired by Edward Hopper's "Kelly Jenness House." The dish is vegan, and the thought behind it is that the painting appears simple at first, but upon closer glance, there is great complexity. Since this is how people often view vegan cuisine, bland and simple, Shearer created a dish that would appear straightforward, but would wow with a complex amalgam of earthy, rich, crunchy, sweet, and sour flavors. Since the landscape in the painting looks perfect for foraging, Shearer incorporated mushrooms into the dish, while the tangerine gastrique adds a splash of color. Red lentils lend themselves to a maroon cracker, and fava beans produce a bright green puree. The dish represents the medley of colors depicted in the painting.

(Chanterelle mushrooms with fava beans, lentil cracker, and tangerine gastrique)