Design Idea of the Week: Modern Art for Dessert

In Modern Art Desserts: Recipes for Cakes, Cookies, Confections, and Frozen Treats Based on Iconic Works of Art, pastry chef Caitlin Freeman of Miette Bakery and Blue Bottle Coffee Company recreates art by the likes of Roy Lichtenstein, Jeff Koons, and Henri Matisse. With help from local Bay Area chef Tara Duggan and San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art curator Janet Bishop, Freeman breaks down the recipes to help readers recreate complicated designs at home. 

Here are five desserts sure to impress the modern dinner guest:  

Mondrian Cake 

 Freeman’s white velvet cake and a chocolate ganache are carefully cut and arranged to resemble Piet Mondrian’s graphic works. 

 Fuller’s Hot Chocolate  Homemade marshmallows float in rich cocoa and are topped with sea salt for a delicious rendition of Buckminster Fuller’s Tetrahedral City. 

 Lichtenstein Cake  Red Velvet cake gets even fancier in Freeman’s polka dotted homage to pop art icon Roy Lichtenstein. 

 Bradford Cheese Plate  For beginner bakers, the simple cheese plate gets an upgrade with homemade buttermilk crackers, apricot butter, and savory slices of cheese arranged according to Mark Bradford’s layered, abstract paintings. 

 Dijkstra Icebox Cake  Inspired by a swimsuit in Rineke Dijkstra’s photographs, chocolate sable cookies and homemade whipped cream make for a graphic and classic combination. 

 Need more help throwing a sophisticated soiree? Rico Galiano and Brendan Newman of NPR’s Dinner Party Download share their perfect party tips.