crazy painter likes food in odd but alluring way

From a fascinating story in the New Yorker by the reliably-brilliant Adam Gopnik, here's one thing Vincent Van Gogh had to say about Paul Gauguin, the painter who came to live with Van Gogh in Arles, shortly before Van Gogh sliced off the tip of his ear with a razor (unless Guaguin did it with a rapier) and ended up in a mental hospital:

He makes a really interesting friend--I must tell you that he knows how to cook perfectly, I think that I'll learn that from him, it's really convenient.

What an odd way to describe culinary talent! "Convenient" food isn't necessarily poor--in fact it can be quite good, if the ingredients are fresh and it is skillfully prepared--but one generally considers the convenient to be the enemy of the perfect. That is, by definition, if you cook something "perfectly" it probably required utmost attention and care and therefore is hardly "convenient."

Anyhow, found the passage striking, and I couldn't help but read it with one of those outrageous British accents, where you accennnnnntuate your woooooords and say things like "one simply musssttt try it: it' absolutely pehhhrrrrfect!"

Alice Balterman cookies

These cookies come from an old family friend. I never met the legendary Mrs. Balterman; I think she was a friend of my grandmother's, but in any event her name is synonymous with these incredible cookies we made every christmas (and during the year too).

It's a pretty simple shortbread cookie with melted chocolate and grated walnuts, but somehow the flavors and textures meld perfectly.

Alice Balterman Cookies

Ingredients:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 sticks (1/2 lb) butter
1 egg yolk
2 cups flour
1/2 tbs salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 large hershey bar (milk chocolate), broken into chunks
walnuts (maybe a cup or so)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Beat together sugars, vanilla, and butter. Beat in egg yolk. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt, then gradually stir them into the butter/sugar mixture.

Spread the mixture in a thin layer on a large, rimmed baking sheet. We use probably about an 11x15 pan; they key is to have a relatively uniform layer, about 1/4" thick. You can use your hands to spread it out, or roll it with the side of a floured glass jar.

Bake 15-20 minutes @ 350 until dark golden brown.

As soon as you take it out of the oven, scatter the hershey bar chunks over the top, and gradually spread them around. They will melt from the heat of the cookie, forming a thick layer of molten chocolate. Use a table knife so you get an even layer.

Before the chocolate cools, grate walnuts (one of those rotary graters with a handle works best here; alternatively you can mince extra fine) on top.

Let cool, cut into squares and devour.