mymodernmet.com: With a self-proclaimed “passion in patisserie,” culinary artist Ksenia Penkina crafts cakes that are as fun to stare at as they are to sample. While the Vancouver-based baker dabbles in all sorts of desserts, her mesmerizing mirror-glazed mousse cakes have proven to be her most popular pâtisserie.
6 comments:
I love aesthetically pleasing things. Whether its a nicely furnished living room of a piece of cake, aesthetics and visual appearance is a very large part of our society. Growing up in New York city, I have come to appreciate a particular caliber of food. These cakes and other desserts look so appetizing, on the inside and on the outside. It’s really wonderful to know that someone artistically talented has found an outlet through a non traditional art-form. I really wonder what level of skill a person needs to have to make such beautiful art-work. I’m also shocked that the main ingredient is jello. I think Ksenia Penkina is an artist in her own right, she may be a baker but she is also most definitely a craftsman. I hope her lovely looking treats taste super duper yummy because I am so very tempted to just hitch hike up to Vancouver for some of these cakes. The geometric talent and colorful palette of each of her works is incredible.
Most of my knowledge of baking comes from binging the Great British Bake Off, but even I, an amateur baker, can appreciate precision it takes to not only make the mirror glazes that decorate the outside of Ksenia Penkina's cakes, but to make the interior of her cakes immaculate. The cakes Penkina makes are so far beyond what I would even attempt, that I cannot contain my awe at her seemingly perfectly composed cut away shots. I completely agree with Ella, Penkina is absolutely an artist in her own right. I honestly think that if I had not gone into theatre I might have gone into culinary art. In middle school, I had an eccentric science teacher that had extra time before a break, and decided to use the time to teach us the basics of molecular gastronomy: making jelly spaghetti out of agar and jelly, using alp alpha to make micro salads. I was close to obsessed with food and molecular gastronomy inspired kitchens for a good three months.
The Mirror Glaze is amazing! Each creation looks better than the next. I love this article because it is fun and silly but also because it looks at art in a non-traditional way. Food is seen as art and not just something to nourish people. One of the reasons I wanted to come to Carnegie Drama was because it looked at different types of theatre and art. Though we do have somewhat of a close-minded sense in only picking the main stage shows written by males and have a lack of diversity but classes like Basic Design have given us a look at artists from around the world studying different methods of creating art. For the guess who project at least two of the artists had used food in their work and though as theatrical designers we might not be using food to decorate our sets, it is a new and different way of looking for inspiration. Susan also had us look at a lot of pictures from different international art exhibitions, getting us to see concepts but also widen our knowledge about different countries' take on art.
These patisserie are stunning. Even though, like Sydney, the majority of my baking knowledge comes from the Great British Bake Off, I know that it insane patients and skill to assemble this kind of pastry because you have to let all the mouse and jelly layers set to just the right consistency to make sure it can hold the biscuit or cake layers or hold its own shape, while also not being so firm that it is rubbery to eat. Ella mentioned that she was shocked by the use of gelatin in the glaze, but it is the gelatin in the condensed milk mixture that gives the glaze its shine. I love how the glaze looks marbled with colors across the pastry. Penkina's baked goods remind me of Dinara Kasko's geometric pastries that have been featured in a few articles on this blog this year. Kasko is also known for her shiny mirror glazes, and for the elaborate shapes she creates with food using 3D-printed molds. Looking on Penkina's Instagram and website, it seems that she is just starting to use custom molds, but she is having a company that specializes in custom silicone molds to make the mold for her. I wonder if making the mold herself gives Kasko more freedom or if Penkina ends up benefitting more in the long run from partnering with this company? Which way of mold making is more beneficial? Either way, like everyone has already said, both a brilliant artists, with beautiful work almost too pretty to eat.
I think that the mirror glaze trend is really interesting. It gives the food a very futuristic and modern look. Personally I don’t think that I could ever make food that looks as clean and sharp as these cakes. I think that in our society food isn’t appreciated as much as it should be. I read a comic a while back that seemed very accurate; one character was eating McDonalds saying “I eat so that I can work” and the other character was eating a home cooked meal saying “I work so that I can eat”. I think that the second character is the way that the world should work more often. When people put care into their food it shows. Just because food is essential doesn’t mean that we should take it for granted or neglect the opportunity to have fun with it. Here’s to many more years of cool foods.
I am highly fascinated in this article because of my mother’s background in cooking, which she has passed down to me. I have watched her make mirror glazes for countless things, and each time I am left in awe of the final product. I am entranced by the precision and accuracy that she achieves with each cake, and that amount of detail remains consistent throughout the entire product. The ability she has to achieve this glaze again and again is a testament to her attention to detail and the passion that she has for what she does. I followed through the link to see a bit more of her work, and I am also really interested in some of her other cakes that have elaborate geometric patterns. Many of them have unbelievably clean lines and symmetry. I am also drawn to her sense of color; all of her cakes seem to be thoughtfully colored and designed in a way that enhances her piece by complimenting its shape and finish.
Post a Comment