When SFMOMA presented the first Francesca Woodman retrospective in the United States in over two decades, I was excited to immerse myself in the work of another influential female photographer whom I studied in college. I love Woodman's juxtaposition of textures, her way of placing soft and vulnerable human forms in withered, deteriorating environments. My plan was to base a dessert on a photograph with this type of contrast. Of all of the images in the show, the one of the artist wearing a Victorian-style floral coat and flowing dress while posing in a crumbling room was my favorite.
At the time the Woodman retrospective opened, I had just returned from a vacation in Scandinavia where I would have been happy to live on only Norwegian hardtack, rye bread, soft cheeses, and smoked salmon. The combination of hearty rusticity and soft refinement of these foods were like elements in the Woodman photo: I saw the crumbling room as a cracker made with whole wheat and rye; her flowing skirt as soft cheese; and the pattern on her coat as beautiful, delicate edible flowers.
To create a tender cracker with the heartiness of my Norwegian inspiration, I used two types of rustic flour and incorporated the butter using the same technique that's used to make flaky pie dough. A little bit of yogurt added tang and tenderness to the cracker. To slather onto the crackers, I wanted a soft-textured fresh cheese that was simple to make in our tiny kitchen. Ricotta cheese was just the type. A sprinkling of colorful edible flowers from Leah's garden and a touch of black Hawaiian sea salt perfected the rustic-elegant presentation of the Woodman Cheese and Crackers.
Note: To create rough edges reminiscent of Francesca Woodman's photograph, we split our cracker dough into thirds, rolled it out, and then cut pieces incorporating the rough edge for a more rustic-looking cracker.
Do Ahead: The ricotta cheese can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. The cracker dough can be rolled out, wrapped tightly in plastic, and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Stored in an airtight container, the baked crackers will keep for 1 day at room temperature.
Above and Beyond: Any large-grained sea salt will work in this recipe, but to add a final touch of color as well as unique flavor, use beautiful black sea salt from Hawaii.
Resources: Black Hawaiian sea salt: saltworks.us, amazon.com
