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Upcoming Events: So Many Great Things to Do this Fall!

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I’ve been busy preparing for a bevy of wonderful events!  Take a look at the schedule:

Thursday, September 9, through Monday, November 29
Exhibition: “Memento Mori:” The Birth & Resurrection of Postmortem Photography
The Merchant’s House Museum,  29 East Fourth Street, New York, NY

In collaboration with the Burns Archive & featuring artists Joel-Peter Witkin, Hal Hirshorn, Marian St. Laurent, & Sarah Lohman. Trace the evolution of postmortem photography in America through eerily beautiful 19th-century daguerreotypes and prints from the Burns Archive collection as well as modern art inspired by the iconography of these historic images. Then stage your own “postmortem” photograph in our reproduction coffin.

For this exhibition, I’ll be curating “senses”:  the sounds, smells, and tastes associated with Victorian mourning customs.

Price: Included with regular admission to the Museum.

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Saturday, September 18th 6pm – 2am
The Last Supper Festival
3rd Ward, 195 Morgan Ave, Brookyln, NY

The Last Supper is a multimedia, project-based collaborative festival that addresses the act of consumption. Viewing the creative process as a cyclical, communally interactive conversation between media, it is a non-profit benefit for artists and the Food Bank for NYC. The Last Supper is a curated, indoor-outdoor salon of ideas occurring in Brooklyn during the crux of seasonal change from Summer to Fall.

In this event, I’ll be featuring a set of jewelry crafted from raw seafood.  Models will wear the pieces at the event, and photographs will be on display as well.  Take a look at a few of my past seafood jewelry pieces here,  and read more about the event on the Last Supper webpage here.

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Saturday, September 25th, 6pm-7:30pm
Seneca Village Reenactment
Central Park, New York, NY

To build Central Park, the city had to disband Seneca Village, a squatter’s town far north of the city limits comprised of African Americans and Irish immigrants.  The village was in existence until the late 1850s and was a thriving community for those that were considered to be on the fringes of society.  This 90-minutes tour will teach you what it took to survive in rural Manhattan, and I’ll be doing a presentation on foodways.

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Saturday, October 2nd, 5pm-12am
The New York 19th Century Pub Crawl

Join us to tour some of New York’s oldest bars and most notorious dens of vice!  This fall’s tour will have a whiskey theme, featuring free sips of single malt scotch and custom-made 19th-century whiskey cocktails.   But never fear, beer drinkers: We’re going to make a stop at Pete’s Tavern for some of their famous 1864 Original Ale.  Stay tuned for more information, including exclusive drink specials. Free to attend, drinks are additional.

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Thursday, October 14th, 6pm-9pm
Bread & Beer:  A New Amsterdam Tasting Menu
The Old Stone House, 5th Ave. at 3rd St., Brooklyn NY

Featuring a five-course tasting menu, this event will explore two foods the Dutch made extremely well: Bread and Beer.  Looking at recipes from New Amsterdam, I’ll be preparing fresh baked bread, including buttery, lemony holiday rolls and wholesome barley waffles; as well as sweets like spicy Deventer cake and caraway and orange cookies.  Beer will brewed by the gents at Brouwerij Lane, using 18th and early 19th recipes as inspiration.  Try a sip of beer made from fresh ginger, spruce limbs, or maybe even beef. $45, tickets available soon.

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Wednesday, October 20th, 6pm-8pm
What Dickens Drank
Part of You can’t get there from here but you can get here from there
apexart, 291 Church Street, New York, NY

Like any good tourist, when Charles Dickens visited America in 1842, he sampled the local food and drink.  Of American bars, he said:  “…The stranger is intiaited into the mysteries of Gin-sling, Cocktail, Sangaree, Mint Julep, Sherry-cobbler, Timber Doodle and other rare drinks.”
So what did a Cocktail taste like in 1842?  For one evening, we will be tourists in time and mix up these antique potations.  During this history lesson in flavor, guests will not only sip early American cocktails, but also learn how to make them.  Join us as we bring these drinks to life from the pages of Dicken’s book and from the archives of historic gastronomy. Free.

Four Pounds Flour is Now on Etsy!

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Have you been enjoying the wonderful illustrations that grace the posts of Four Pounds Flour?  Well, now they can be yours!

The original illustrations are thanks to Four Pounds Flour artists Zachariah Durr, Angela Oster, and Peter Van Hyning.  And all of their past and future illustrations will be available on the new Four Pounds Flour Etsy Page: http://www.etsy.com/shop/FourPoundsFlour All the proceeds go to support these artists, to help them keep on keepin’ on!

Head over there today to purchase Angela’s charming pictorial cocktail recipes:


The Whiskey Sour by Angela Oster. Buy on Etsy!
The Manhattan Cocktail by Angela Oster.  Buy on Etsy!


The Sazerac Cocktail by Angela Oster. Buy on Etsy!

History Dish Mondays: Strawberry Cakes

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The possible origin point of the strawberry shortcake.

I work on Saturdays and my morning path to mass transit takes me past the Roosevelt Island Greenmarket.  It’s run by a friendly Mennonite family, which is a sight for sore eyes for this Midwestern girl.  And it’s always stocked with the freshest, most delicious produce I have ever had.

Recently, the pints of bright red, sunshine-grown strawberries have been screaming at me to take them home.  So I handed over my dollars and bought them – because I wanted to try this recipe for Strawberry Cakes.

This recipe comes from Eliza Leslie’s 1847 cookbook The Lady’s Receipt Book.  It’s the oldest recipe I’ve found that resembles modern day strawberry shortcake: biscuits layered with mashed strawberries and topped with frosting.

This recipe contains some lovely bits of prose:  “Rub with your hands the butter into the flour, til the whole is crumbled fine…Knead the dough til it quits your hands, and leaves them clean.”  It’s a beautifully written recipe, although the paragraph form renders it a bit impractical.

I was intrigued by how this recipe treated the fresh strawberries: “Have ready a sufficient qauntity of ripe strawberries, mashed and made very sweet with powdered white sugar…the strawberries, not being cooked, will retain all their natural flavor.”

Cutting out the biscuits/cookies.

When I prepped the dough, it came together very quickly; it was easy and kinda fun. But I did notice that there was no leavining in the recipe: no baking power or yeast to make it rise!  After I cut the biscuits and baked them, they came out of the oven looking very much as they had gone in: flat. I was worried they would be too dense and the berry sandwich would not work at all.  I thought that if you tried to take a bite, the berries would moosh out all over.

But here’s where I was surprised:  instead of being rock hard, the biscuits were buttery and crumbly.  Both in taste and texture, they resembled short bread cookies; which makes a lot of sense of of the name “strawberry short cake.”  It’s interesting that we’ve replaced these buttery disks with pound cake, angel food cakes, or a fluffy biscuit.

The cookie crumbled and mixed with the berries and frosting.  I ate my short cake sandwich moments after spreading it with strawberries and frosting it.  I was worried that the strawberry juice would make the cookies mushy and gross.  I was wrong again: when berries soak into the shortbread rounds, it makes for an even happier marriage of fruit and cake.  Try for yourself:

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Strawberry Cakes
From The Lady’s Receipt Book by Eliza Leslie Philadelphia: Carey And Hart, 1847.

4 Cups Flour
4 Sticks Butter
2 Large Eggs (or 3 Medium Eggs)
3 Tablespoons White Sugar
Super Fine Sugar (to taste)
1 Pint Strawberries

1. Preheat over to 450 degrees.  Rub butter into the flour with your hands, much as you would when making pie crust, until it crumbles.

2. Beat egg until light in color, then whisk in sugar.

3.  Add egg to butter and flour, and knead with your hands in the bowl.  When the dough forms a ball, remove from bowl and place on a floured surface.  Continue kneading until dough is springy and keeps its shape.  If dough is too dry and crumbly, add a little cold water.

4. Roll out dough on a floured surface into a “rather thick sheet.” I rolled mine about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut with a tumbler or a biscuit cutter dipped in flour.  Place on a butterd, non-stick, or parchment lined baking sheet.

5. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.

6. In the meantime, sort out a few lovely strawberries to adorn the top of the cakes.  Mash the remaining strawberries with super fine sugar to taste.  The amount will very depending on the sweetness of the berries.  I used about a 1/4 cup of sugar.

7. When the shortcakes are cool, split them (I did not do this step, I just made cookie sandwiches) and spread the center with mashed strawberries.  Spread the top and sides with a royal icing. Adorn with a whole, ripe strawberry.


Established Eateries: Old Ebbitt Grill

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Old Ebbitt Grill, one of America’s oldest restaurants.

Old Ebbitt Grill has been in continuous operation since 1856 and is one of the oldest restaurants in the the United States.  On a recent trip to Our Nation’s Capitol, I decided to stop in for dinner.  It’s moved several times in it’s 150 year history, most recently in 1983, so I didn’t expect much from the interior.  But upon my arrival in the dining room, I was charmed: the interior had the luxury of a late-19th century restaurant and featured taxidermied animals (always a plus in my opinion) and real gas lighting.  The flickering gas light chandeliers gave the dining room a wonderful ambiance and a  real feel for what dining in the 19th century would have been like.

In an establishment like Old Ebbitt, I should have gorged myself on oysters and beefsteaks, then  finished out the event with a glass of port and cigar.  That would have been the period appropriate thing to do.  But my budget was lacking and my stomach protested, so instead I had an arugula salad with toasted hazelnuts, blackberries and sherry dressing.  Not very 19th century, but it was very, very good.

Real gas lamps and a taxidermied walrus head: my idea of a good time.

The “Starting from Scratch” Challenge

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Alright friends: peer to your right —>

See that RSS feed?  It’s coming from Starting from Scratch, an amazing project that’s happening this week.  You’re going to be blown away by what these folks are doing.

For the next seven days, three families in Cleveland are going to be surviving only off what they hunt, fish, farm, and forage.  They’ve been preparing since January, learning how to live off the land and putting away stores of garden vegetables, foraged fruits, and wild game.

I’ve supported this blog because I’m completely fascinated by their plan to kick it pioneer style; over the past six months, I’ve watched my friends turn completely agrarian and transform their urban backyards into farm yards, complete with chickens.  A patch of weeds is no longer a patch of weeds in their eyes: all wild plants are divided into two groups, food and not food.  They even inspired me to attempt a garden in my fourth floor Queens walk up.  I didn’t grow enough food to survive for a week, but I did get a nice salad out of it.

First, meet the key players: Mark, Kathy, and Sharon.  Then, follow along this week as they challenge themselves to go off the grocery store grid.  I think you’ll find it as fascinating as I do.

Summer Cocktails: The Tom Collins

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Today’s post is contributed by Kristina Sutter, a Scotch Whisky Expert and cocktail enthusiast.

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When creating a delightful cocktail, I take the same approach as choosing friends, clothes and décor.  I want character, flavor and integrity.  I love spirits that spend time resting and relaxing in a delicious oak barrel.  However, in the summer time, when in need of a refresher, I will easily forgive those that lean towards clear spirits.  But rather than reach for vodka,  go for the original flavored vodka: Gin.

Gin was originally created to mask the harsh flavor of 17th century spirits. Gin and Tonic was recognized as a medicinal drink to settle the tummy.

There are a handful of recognized types of gin, but the common theme is the final distillation (usually in a pot still): distilled with juniper berries, coriander, orange peel, lemon peel, other herbs and roots.  Gin was the base spirit in the classic cocktails, NOT vodka.  The true cocktail connoisseur will always reach for Gin.

My favorite gin-based, summer-time cocktail is quite simple.  It has many things in common with the original recipes for many other patio style drinks: A base spirit, sour (FRESH lemon/lime juice) and sweet (sugar, simple syrup).  Margaritas, Mojotos, Caipirinhas, Caipiroskas, and even the original daiquiri all have this flavor profile in common.

My friends, Meet Mr. Tom Collins!  This drink goes back to the 19th century and has variations made with Vodka and whisky as well.

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Tom Collins
First appeared in How to Mix Drinks by Jerry Thomas, 1876 ed.

1.5 oz your favorite Gin
1 oz simple syrup
¾ oz FRESH squeezed lemon juice (it’s not that hard)
Club soda to top

Shake first three ingredients with ice, and strain into an ice filled Collins glass (tall, skinny), then fill with soda and garnish with a cherry and orange slice, or frankly whatever you want.

You may have also heard of a gin fizz, which is the same recipe, but in a shorter glass.  A gimlet simply leaves out the simple syrup.

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Get your shakers chilled and get going!

Cheers

Summer Cocktails: Cherry Smash

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A cherry smash. Doesn’t that look frosty?

The Cherry Smash is a modern take on an anitquated classic: the smash.  Jerry Thomas says of them “This beverage is simply a julep on a small plan.”  Ouch.  It is julep-like, but has the addition of fresh fruits, and can be made with gin, brandy, or whiskey.

Although the Cherry Smash appears in cocktail historian David Wondrich’s book Imbibe!, the version comes from Food & Wine magazine.  It’s simple, delicious, and worth purchasing a few special ingredients.

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Cherry Smash
From Food  & Wine magazine online
Recipe by Nick Fauchald

8 sour cherries, pitted
Ice
2 ounces bourbon
3/4 ounce Cherry Heering
Club soda

In a rocks glass, gently muddle the cherries to release some of their juices. Fill the glass with ice, add the bourbon and Cherry Heering and stir well. Top with club soda, stir again and serve.

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I had to make some major substitutions when creating this drink.  I had Maraschino liqour, not Cherry Heering. I couldn’t find sour cherries at my local grocery store, despite having seen them all over Manhattan.  And the bodega was out of club soda, so I used seltzer water.  All things considered, the drink still came out pretty good, but I would give it another go with the proper ingredients.  My roommate pointed out that the cherries look kinda gross by the time you get to the bottom of the drink — all bloated like a corpse — but they taste magnificent.

UPDATE: I have it on good authority that this drink is best with Cherry Heering.

Summer Cocktails: The Jersey Cocktail

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This hard cider cocktail is another from Jerry Thomas’ bartending guide.  It’s easy and icey and perfect for hot days.  Made with a dash of bitters, it tastes like a summer version of mulled cider.
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The Jersey Cocktail
From How to Mix Drinks by Jerry Thomas, 1862.
1 teaspoon simple syrup
2 dashes bitters
Hard cider
Lemon peel
Fill a tumbler with crushed ice.  Add simple syrup and bitters, then fill glass with hard cider.  Stir until the glass becomes very cold and condensation appears.  Serve, garnished with a twist of lemon peel.