Thanksgiving 2024 Countdown, Day 3: Why Does The House Smell Like Low Tide?

All of us have heard the story about the courage it took for the first troglodyte to slurp into a raw oyster. In all seriousness, I must give the guy credit, if reason was a part of his consciousness. The presentation hasn't changed much over time, so the aversion persists; however, some of us have courageously overcome it. I suppose growing up near the food source has made a difference.

For those who remember the Chesapeake Bay as a great seafood factory, oysters were a plentiful, essential food. My family enjoyed them in a variety of ways but my favorites were always fried oysters and oyster dressing. In Maryland, the oyster dressing was a must for dinner at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

In 1976, I left the Chesapeake in a driving January snowstorm and, some years later, married into a family with holiday traditions from southwest Virginia's Appalachians and Oklahoma's Prairie Plains. For thirty Thanksgivings it was a losing battle having a lonely sage dressing gracing the holiday table. In the last twenty years or so calls for a dressing option increased as did the number of dinner guests. It was the perfect time to finesse oysters onto the menu and begin dealing with questions including, "Is it stuffing or dressing?" or "Is it essential to stuff in order to call it stuffing?" or "Why does your house smell like low tide?"

If you're still looking for something in addition to or beyond sage or cornbread dressing to accompany the bird, may I suggest an iconic Maryland holiday dish. It's Skipjack Oyster Dressing. We've used this recipe over the last twenty years and watched it evolve into a hit even among most doubters. Be assured you'll always have some holdouts. They'll never know what they're missing - and that means there's more for the oyster lovers.

Skipjack Oyster Dressing in the making

Along with the usual oyster questions, a new guest will almost always ask about the term, "skipjack." Skipjacks, the state boat of Maryland, are shallow-draft sailing vessels developed on the Chesapeake Bay for harvesting oysters. They are the last working boats under sail in the United States, according to the Maryland State Archives. There's also a brief entry about them on Wikipedia, including a list of active boats. I first saw them in the early '50s. At that time, there were about 100 working the Chesapeake.

Hope you enjoy a taste from the Bay. If your menu is set or you need some time to think about it there's always Christmas dinner.

It's Time To Prepare A Historic Punch For Your Holidays

With Halloween behind us the holiday party triad of Christmas, New Year's, and Twelfth Night will be upon us quickly and it's never too early to think about a menu. If you think about serving a punch and want something really special this post is for you. Long-time readers know one of my favorite preparations for these occasions is Savannah's very own concoction known as Chatham Artillery Punch. In 1977, I was introduced to it at the Lion's Den in the DeSoto Hilton - now the DeSoto Hotel - in Savannah. If you assemble your batch this week it should be perfect for sharing on December 4 when artillerymen honor Saint Barbara, their patron saint. In the weeks following Saint Barbara"s Day the punch mellows into an even more delicious and potent beverage.

Chatham Artillery Punch is a drink to be enjoyed responsibly in an appropriate setting. Keep in mind the longer it ferments, the more powerful, deceptive and tasty it becomes. If made this week, by Christmas it should be legendary. There is a point - say after two months - at which it can be used as a lightly fruited rumtopf perfect for topping ice cream or bundt. I suspect however that using it in Old Savannah as something other than a beverage would be a sacrilege.

In the past I've posted a recipe for 50 servings but this year it's reduced by half for two reasons. First, it's an expensive endeavor, and, second, a small cup can be enjoyed for a long time. The origin of today's recipe is lost to history but the assemblage of scattered notes over the decades - like the spirits themselves - produces a deliciously potent punch. A Georgia National Guard newsletter noted that a pair of soldier's socks, the stockings of a soldier's wife, and sand from Iraq were added to the punch in 2006. We're not going that far. On the other hand I will say that quality ingredients make a quality product.

Chatham Artillery Punch

Yield: 25 servings

1 quart strong green tea (soak about 1/4 pound of tea for a day, then strain)


Juice 5 lemons


10 ounces brown sugar


1 quart Catawba wine (a muscadine wine may be easier to find and works as well)


1 quart Santa Cruz rum (use Virgin Islands style rum, light or dark)


1 pint brandy


1 pint dry gin (I like the flavorings in Bombay Sapphire)


1 pint rye whiskey (Bulleit 95 Rye Small Batch is a perfect choice)


1.5 pints Queen Anne cherries


1.5 pints pineapple chunks


1.5 quarts champagne


To prepare, sterilize a crock or similar vessel. Mix the tea and lemon juice, then dissolve the brown sugar and gently stir in all the alcohol except the champagne. Add the cherries and pineapple chunks carefully. Cover the crock tightly and sit aside in a cool, dark place for at least one week - a month is better. Careful sampling is permitted to insure the fermentation process is working as planned. To serve, pour the mixture carefully over a block of ice, add the champagne, stir gently, and serve immediately. IMPORTANT: Never refrigerate to cool ahead of serving or serve with ice cubes.

Enjoy!

Distinctive Unit Insignia of the Chatham Artillery

The Chatham Artillery survives today as Battery B, 1st How. Battalion, 118th Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 48th Armored Division Artillery, Georgia National Guard. The regiment traces its roots to 1751 and the 118th Field Artillery, Georgia Militia. Their latest deployment was to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2009.

Regardless of what's in your cup on the evening of December 4, remember the men and women of the Chatham Artillery at their annual banquet in Savannah. Raise your cup to their nearly 250 years of service and remember their motto: "He does not know how to give up."



Enjoy!

Black Tot Day: The Day Rum Rations Died

We all know water is essential to life. At the same time we have to keep in mind that it can also sustain deadly diseases including typhoid, cholera, giardia, dysentery, e. coli, hepatitis, and salmonella. It wasn't until the late 19th century that science really began to understand diseases, their vectors, and methods of control and prevention. It's no wonder that the fermentation of beer was an early cultural practice in human history around the world. Beer was reliably safer than water. It traveled better, lasted longer, and had some medicinal properties as well. The magic molecule was alcohol.

By the 15th century and the burgeoning age of distant empires it was already apparent that ships full of soldiers and sailors needed to carry water. Unfortunately it didn't last more than a few weeks in a barrel or ceramic container under a hot tropical sun. Beer wasn't much better, nor was wine, but rum was almost perfect as a cheap, plentiful, and long-lasting alternative. In 1650, the Royal Navy introduced the tot ration, a daily amount of rum for every sailor. It was a welcome offering for crews whose work was brutal, dangerous, and little more than enslavement for those pressed into service. The practice of the rum (or tot) ration and its benefits and liabilities became an essential part of Royal Navy life. Despite a growing temperance movement in the 1870s and the increasing complexity of tasks, the practice continued until the last piping of "Up Spirits" on July 31, 1970. That day is remembered as Black Tot Day. The practice ended in Canada in 1972 and in New Zealand in 1990. Here is the story of the rum ration and its iterations throughout its more than 300 year history.

Splicing the main brace with the Royal Navy

The end of the rum ration had an enormous impact on producers in the British Empire and its territories, particularly in the Carribean. Many distillers had an association with the ration for centuries. It was a tough decision to put aside such a long tradition but all was not lost. The rum stocks were auctioned and warehoused by the new owner in Gibralter. From there, he supplied select Royal Navy vessels, Royal Air Force and Army messes, and even a few choice bars with the treasured rum. In 1979 Charles Tobias secured the rights to the original Admiralty recipe and founded Pusser's Rum, named after the Ship's Purser who oversaw its daily distribution to sailors. Here's more on the Pusser story.

The American military experience with rum closely resembles that of the Royal Navy. History tells us that both the Contiental Army and Navy had a daily rum ration. The U.S. Navy ration lasted until 1862 when temperance sentiment prevailed in Congress and the practice was abolished. The law took effect on September 1. Here is an air sung in the ward room of an unknown U.S. vessel on August 31.

Farewell To Grog

Come, messmates, pass the bottle ‘round

Our time is short, remember,

For our grog must stop and our spirits drop

On the first day of September.

Jack’s happy days will soon be gone,

To return again oh! Never,

For they’ve raised his pay five cents a day

But stopped his grog forever.

Farewell, old rye, ‘tis a sad, sad word,

But alas! It must be spoken,

The ruby cup must be given up

And the demijohn be broken.

Yet memory oft will backward turn

And dwell with fondness partial,

On the days when gin was not a sin

Nor cocktails brought courts martial.

All hands to splice the main brace call,

But splice it now in sorrow,

For the spirit-room key will be laid away

Forever on to-morrow.

"Splice the main brace" was the common response to the sound of "Up Spirits" on the bosun's pipe.


It would be fitting tonight to pour an ounce or two of rum - obviously Pusser's if you have it - and add twice the amount of water to make a grog, then find your most comfortable chair, sit back, and enjoy your tot while thinking about a great British naval tradition and the day it came to a sad end.





Sources

Photos and Illustrations:
thehistoryproject.co.uk

Text:
Wikipedia
Imbibe!, David Wonderich, Tarcher Perigee, 2015
Naval History and Heritage Command, Navy Department Library
Pusser's Rum

National Martini Day 2024

Yes. There really is a national day for that delicious beverage staple, the dry martini. It is a classic though, no vodka allowed. Wikipedia has an informative post about the drink, including a few recipes. The information there may be useful but there is no finer discourse on the martini than Judge Robert Bork's 1996 article in National Review. Thanks to columnist Kathryn Jean Lopez you can enjoy it here.

For me the perfect cocktail calls for some perfect jazz. This afternoon, if you're going to to nurse a martini I suggest you enjoy it along with a cut from Miles Davis's album, Kind of Blue, released in 1959. After sixty years the album remains a best seller. Some critics and music historians describe it as the most definitive and influential jazz album of all time.

If it's time for a late dinner I suggest an aperitif martini enjoyed with the 1963 release, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, another all-time top ranked album. This combination must only be enjoyed with the one you love. No better way to enjoy the progression of the evening and the close of National Martini Day.

Have a great day and, if you celebrate with a martini, do so in moderation. 

Epiphany 2024

 

Today is Epiphany, the celebration in Western Christianity of the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus, and their recognition or revelation of Him as the King of Kings.

The Adoration of the Kings                 William Blake, 1799

There is but one popular American carol for the celebration of Epiphany. It was written by the Episcopal clergyman, John Henry Hopkins, Jr., and appeared in print in 1863 in a collection of his sacred music.

And here is a piece I first wrote in 2009 about the celebration of the Twelve Days of Christmas, an event that often ends in Twelfth Night parties or the presentation of gifts on Epiphany:


We can only imagine what it must have been like to celebrate Christmas for twelve days. The festivities, including the giving of one gift a day, then opening all of them on Twelfth Night or the following day (Epiphany), must have delighted children. I suspect that a few of those gifts were modest by today's standards, perhaps as simple as an orange or bag of special candy. My dad once told me that as far back as he could remember, his Aunt Lizzie (shown here in 1912

when she was 24) had always given her nieces and nephews several gifts including a popcorn ball wrapped in colored cellophane. I'm sure they were a part of Lizzie's childhood in the late 1880s and 90s when popcorn was wildly popular. Like many women of her era Lizzie never married choosing instead to care for her parents and brothers. When my dad's generation married and had children of their own she continued her generosity, including the distribution of those popcorn balls up through her last Christmas in 1958. By that time, her popcorn ball making had turned into a small industry - we were a large family.

And so, every Christmas for my first twelve years, I accompanied my parents to the Victorian parlor of Lizzie and her brothers to talk about family and exchange gifts.  We always returned home with a generous bag of colorful popcorn balls. For some reason neither my parents nor I carried on Lizzie's popcorn tradition beyond a string or two for the Christmas tree. It's certainly too late for my kids, and grandchildren are rather unlikely in the near future. Still, I think it's never too late to enjoy the memory of Lizzie's Christmases and a batch of her popcorn balls. A essential ingredient in my opinion would be your children, young and old. Once you assemble them all you need is this recipe which I found decades ago scribbled in one of her address books. I know you'll enjoy both the process and the product.


Aunt Lizzie's Christmas Popcorn Balls

8 cups of popcorn
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup of sorghum syrup
1/3 cup of water
1/4 cup softened butter
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Red and green cellophane or similar transparent wrap
Colorful ribbons or ties


Combine the sugar, sorghum, water, butter and salt in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches about 250 degrees or hardens when dropped into cold water. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla, and pour over the popcorn. Working quickly, mix thoroughly, butter your hands and shape popcorn into balls about four inches wide. Let them cool on wax paper. Wrap each ball in red or green cellophane and secure with a ribbon or tie. Distribute to wide-eyed youngsters or oldsters alike.


Sounds like a tradition in the making.

A Holiday Punch From Old Savannah

It's that time of year again. Thanksgiving is but a week away and quickly followed by the holiday party triad of Christmas, New Year's, and Twelfth Night. It's never too early to think about a menu. If you think about serving a punch and want something really special this post is for you. Long-time readers know one of my favorite preparations for these occasions is Savannah's very own concoction known as Chatham Artillery Punch. In 1977, I was introduced to it at the Lion's Den in the DeSoto Hilton - now the DeSoto Hotel - in Savannah. If you assemble your batch this week it should be tasty even for Thanksgiving and perfect for sharing on December 4 when artillerymen honor their patron saint, Barbara. In the weeks following Saint Barbara"s Day the punch mellows into a smooth and even more delicious and potent beverage.

Chatham Artillery Punch is a drink to be enjoyed responsibly in an appropriate setting. Keep in mind the longer it ferments, the more powerful, deceptive and tasty it becomes. If made this week, by Christmas it should be legendary. There is a point - say after two months - at which it becomes a lightly fruited rumtopf perfect for topping ice cream or bundt. I suspect however that using it in Old Savannah as something other than a beverage would be a sacrilege.

In the past I've posted a recipe for 50 servings but this year it's reduced by half for two reasons. First, it's an expensive endeavor, and, second, a small cup can be enjoyed for a long time. The origin of today's recipe is lost to history but the assemblage of scattered notes over the decades - like the spirits themselves - produces a deliciously potent punch. A Georgia National Guard newsletter noted that a pair of soldier's socks, the stockings of a soldier's wife, and sand from Iraq were added to the punch in 2006. We're not going that far. On the other hand I will say that quality ingredients make a quality product.

Chatham Artillery Punch

Yield: 25 servings

1 quart strong green tea (soak about 1/4 pound of tea for a day, then strain)

Juice 5 lemons

10 ounces brown sugar

1 quart Catawba wine (a muscadine wine may be easier to find, Georgia's Chateau Elan Muscadine is a fine choice)

1 quart Santa Cruz rum (Pusser's Rum Blue Label recommended)

1 pint brandy

1 pint dry gin (I like the flavorings in Bombay Sapphire)

1 pint rye whiskey (Bulleit 95 Rye Small Batch is a perfect choice)

1.5 pints Queen Anne cherries

1.5 pints pineapple chunks

1.5 quarts champagne

To prepare, sterilize a crock or similar vessel. Mix the tea and lemon juice, then dissolve the brown sugar and gently stir in all the alcohol except the champagne. Add the cherries and pineapple chunks carefully. Cover the crock tightly and sit aside in a cool, dark place for at least one week - a month is better. Careful sampling is permitted to insure the fermentation process is working as planned. To serve, pour the mixture carefully over a block of ice, add the champagne, stir gently, and serve immediately. IMPORTANT: Never refrigerate to cool ahead of serving or serve with ice cubes.

Enjoy!

Distinctive Unit Insignia of the Chatham Artillery

The Chatham Artillery survives today as Battery B, 1st How. Battalion, 118th Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 48th Armored Division Artillery, Georgia National Guard. The regiment traces its roots to 1751 and the 118th Field Artillery, Georgia Militia. Their latest deployment was to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2009.

Regardless of what's in your cup on the evening of December 4, remember the men and women of the Chatham Artillery at their annual banquet in Savannah. Raise your cup to their nearly 250 years of service and remember their motto: "He does not know how to give up."

Over the coming holiday triad mentioned earlier know that your time, expense and anticipation will be rewarded as you and your guests enjoy this great Savannah tradition. I once brewed a batch for eight weeks. It was legendary. Almost fifty years later people still talk about it. 

 

It's National Rum Day 2023!

Yes, friends. it's time to let out a hardy "Yo Ho Ho" on National Rum Day 2023. Americans should be very happy about this event for two reasons. First, rum as we know it is a New World drink. Its distillation first occurred in the Caribbean about 400 years ago. It became wildly popular in the American colonies by the 18th century because of its proximity to and the abundance of sugar, the main ingredient. That brings us to our second reason: rum production was a massive recycling project. Rum is a by-product of the sugar industry. After all that sugar boiled off the cane juice, refiners were left with a gooey, black, and useless mess we know as molasses. Enterprising slaves discovered that fermented molasses, when distilled, produced an alcoholic beverage. Soon a new industry emerged out of a vast overabundance of the waste product from sugar production, the relatively brief fermentation period required, ease of storage, long shelf life, and a close-by market eager for cheap spirits. But there's more.

In his fascinating book, And A Bottle Of Rum: A History Of The New World In Ten Cocktails, Wayne Curtis says this about rum:

Rum is the history of America in a glass. It was invented by New World colonists for New World colonists. In the early colonies, it was a vital part of the economic and cultural life of the cities and villages alike, and it soon became an actor in the political life.

Rum's genius has always been its keen ability to make something from nothing. Rum has persistently been among the cheapest of liquors and thus often associated with the gutter. But through the alchemy of cocktail culture, it has turned into gold in recent years. Rum is reinvented every generation or two by different clans, ranging from poor immigrants who flocked from England to the West Indies, to Victorians enamored of pirates, to prohibitionists and abolitionists, right down to our modern marketing gurus, who tailor it day by day to capture the fickle attentions of customers attracted to bright glimmerings of every passing fad.

My first serious encounter with rum didn't involve a bottle or a drink. It was 1966 and I was hiking across the north shore of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands with the intent of documenting the remains of its many sugar mills. Over the next forty years, my career returned me to St. Thomas and St. John many times where I became more familiar with the most famous byproduct of sugar production.

Though not really a staple in our household, we've come to enjoy rum occasionally. Today, we pour it in the summer to make classic mojitos when there's fresh mint in the garden. When it's time to entertain on the porch or patio, it's time to mix up a batch of Painkiller. Makes for a fine dessert all by itself and doesn't need to be powerful to be enjoyed. When it's time to move by the fireplace there are so many ways to enjoy a winter rum I won't attempt to list them.

St Croix [Virgin Islands] Sugar Mill Pre-20th century, artist unknown

And speaking of cocktails what better way to celebrate National Rum Day than sinking into a comfortable lounger with drink in hand and a good book. Time to check the liquor cabinet and fridge!


Happy National Rum Day, y'all!

Sources


Photos and illustrations:
St. Croix, wikipedia.com


Text:
Wayne Curtis, And A Bottle Of Rum: A History Of The New World In Ten Cocktails, Broadway Books, 2007
David Wondrich, Imbibe!, revised edition, Penguin Group, 2015
wikipedia.com

The Day Splicing The Main Brace Passed Into History

We all know water is essential to life. At the same time we have to keep in mind that it can also sustain deadly diseases including typhoid, cholera, giardia, dysentery, e. coli, hepatitis, and salmonella. It wasn't until the late 19th century that science really began to understand diseases, their vectors, and methods of control and prevention. It's no wonder that the fermentation of beer was an early cultural practice in human history around the world. Beer was reliably safer than water. It traveled better, lasted longer, and had some medicinal properties as well. The magic molecule was alcohol.

By the 15th century and the burgeoning age of distant empires it was already apparent that ships full of soldiers and sailors needed to carry water. Unfortunately it didn't last more than a few weeks in a barrel or ceramic container under a hot tropical sun. Beer wasn't much better, nor was wine, but rum was almost perfect as a cheap, plentiful, and long-lasting alternative. In 1650, the Royal Navy introduced the tot ration, a daily amount of rum for every sailor. It was a welcome offering for crews whose work was brutal, dangerous, and little more than enslavement for those pressed into service. The practice of the rum (or tot) ration and its benefits and liabilities became an essential part of Royal Navy life. Despite a growing temperance movement in the 1870s and the increasing complexity of tasks, the practice continued until the last piping of "Up Spirits" on July 31, 1970. That day is remembered as Black Tot Day. The practice ended in Canada in 1972 and in New Zealand in 1990. Here is the story of the rum ration and its iterations throughout its more than 300 year history.

Splicing the main brace with the Royal Navy

The end of the rum ration had an enormous impact on producers in the British Empire and its territories, particularly in the Carribean. Many distillers had an association with the ration for centuries. It was a tough decision to put aside such a long tradition but all was not lost. The rum stocks were auctioned and warehoused by the new owner in Gibralter. From there, he supplied select Royal Navy vessels, Royal Air Force and Army messes, and even a few choice bars with the treasured rum. In 1979 Charles Tobias secured the rights to the original Admiralty recipe and founded Pusser's Rum, named after the Ship's Purser who oversaw its daily distribution to sailors. Here's more on the Pusser story.

The American military experience with rum closely resembles that of the Royal Navy. History tells us that both the Contiental Army and Navy had a daily rum ration. The U.S. Navy ration lasted until 1862 when temperance sentiment prevailed in Congress and the practice was abolished. The law took effect on September 1. Here is an air sung in the ward room of an unknown U.S. vessel on August 31.

Farewell To Grog

Come, messmates, pass the bottle ‘round

Our time is short, remember,

For our grog must stop and our spirits drop

On the first day of September.

Jack’s happy days will soon be gone,

To return again oh! Never,

For they’ve raised his pay five cents a day

But stopped his grog forever.

Farewell, old rye, ‘tis a sad, sad word,

But alas! It must be spoken,

The ruby cup must be given up

And the demijohn be broken.

Yet memory oft will backward turn

And dwell with fondness partial,

On the days when gin was not a sin

Nor cocktails brought courts martial.

All hands to splice the main brace call,

But splice it now in sorrow,

For the spirit-room key will be laid away

Forever on to-morrow.

"Splice the main brace" was the common response to the sound of "Up Spirits" on the bosun's pipe.


It would be fitting tonight to pour an ounce or two of rum - obviously Pusser's if you have it - and add twice the amount of water to make a grog, then find your most comfortable chair, sit back, and enjoy your tot while thinking about a great British naval tradition and the day it came to a sad end.




Sources

Photos and Illustrations:
thehistoryproject.co.uk

Text:
Wikipedia
Imbibe!, David Wonderich, Tarcher Perigee, 2015
Naval History and Heritage Command, Navy Department Library
Pusser's Rum

National Blueberry Pie Day 2023

Today is National Blueberry Pie Day. The first fruits of this year's harvest have just started arriving in the market. I can't think of a better time to heighten awareness of the blueberry or celebrate its place on our table. It is after all native to North America. The berries fed the first Americans for thousands of years. Colonial Americans used powdered blueberries as a food supplement. By the 1820s we began to enjoy them as flavorful desserts but it would take another century to develop a cultivar and build a blueberry industry, one that would include a pie.

But enough of history I'd rather think of the blueberry pie as sensory immersion. One needs to feel the dough as it's hand-mixed. Hear the fruit and sugar bubbling on the stove as it reduces into a thickened filling. See the pattern of the lattice work take shape across the filling in the pie shell. Smell the aroma of berries and pastry baking in the oven. Taste the product of your culinary skill and nature's unforgettable sweet berry bounty. Mouth watering yet?

Okay. So you want a pie. If you can't run to Publix and buy their award-winning version, I do have a solution. Below is the blueberry pie recipe we've enjoyed most in our household for over forty years. It comes from The Southern Heritage Pies and Pastry Cookbook (1984), one of a series of nineteen books in The Southern Heritage Cookbook Library published by Southern Living.


Blueberry Pie

Berry Mixture:

1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 cups fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice


Pastry for 1 double-crust (9-inch) pie:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chilled shortening
5 to 6 tablespoons cold water



Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan, stirring well to remove lumps. Add berries; mix well. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add butter, mixing well. Set mixture aside and let cool.

Combine flour and salt in medium bowl and cut in shortening until it resembles beach sand. Sprinkle water over surface and blend until dry ingredients are moistened. Shape dough into ball and chill.

Roll half of the pastry to 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface; fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Pour cooled berry mixture into the pastry shell.

Roll remaining pastry into 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 3/4 inch wide strips, and arrange in a lattice design over filling. Trim edges; seal and flute. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees, and continue baking for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.


Let cool. Serve. Enjoy!



A note of interest: The Southern Heritage Cookbook Library has served us well over the years. It's filled with classic Southern recipes, foodways history, personal anecdotes, and scores of photos and illustrations from Southern archives. Unfortunately it's available only in print. If you happen to find the cookbooks at a yard sale or your local charity, grab them. I'm so sure you'll be pleased I'll bake you a blueberry pie from scratch if you feel otherwise.




Sources

Text:
extension.illinois.edu

Photos and Illustrations:
The Southern Heritage Pies and Pastry Cookbook (1984), The Southern Heritage Cookbook Library, Oxmoor House, Birmingham, Alabama

Finding No Sorrow

The world is filled with magic places. The right nexus of site, scene, scale, and subject will leave deep and lasting impressions. Fifty years ago I discovered such a place sitting hundreds of feet above the Pacific Ocean between Carmel and Big Sur. Its name, Nepenthe, was taken from Vergil's Aeneid, and interpreted as meaning "no sorrow." In the book it is a fictional pain-relieving elixir. On the Sur coast it is a stunning oasis of hospitality and breathtaking landscape. Nepenthe is the story of what happens when a family escapes from everyday life only to discover that their home site is so beautiful it demands to be shared with others. And so on April 24, 1949, Nepenthe opened to the public as a restaurant. Today, the original restaurant and terraces -designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright - have been joined by a cafe and The Phoenix Shop, a unique world-themed store. Every turn there is a discovery of human and natural landscapes both real and imagined.

Over the decades I returned to this special place at every opportunity. Sadly, it hasn't been nearly enough times, but I think there could never be enough experiences there to be sated. The solace comes in knowing that once you visit, you never really leave the magic. So "Happy 74th Birthday" to Nepenthe and best wishes to the descendants of founders, Bill and Lolly Fassett, who run the place and ensure that the hospitality and magic keep flowing.

Readers can learn more about that magic here. Be sure to click on the "Stories & Folktales" link to start. When the opportunity arises I hope you'll visit to experience "no sorrow" for yourself. The food is moderately expensive, rich but healthy, generous, and quite good for what has become an iconic tourist stop on Highway 1. Try the Ambrosia Burger, a choice that has become the most popular dish. The breathtaking visual experience and ambiance are free. And priceless.

The cover photo is from a recent book written by Romney Steele, granddaughter of the founders. It's filled with the Nepenthe story and recipes for those times when you can't be on the terrace. If you're interested but not likely to be traveling there anytime soon, I'm sure you can order copies from the Phoenix Shop website.





Sources


Photos and Illustrations:
photo of view north from Highway 1 near Nepenthe entrance is from
family archives

Need An Addition To Your Thanksgiving Menu?

 

Only two days before Thanksgiving and still looking for something to accompany the bird?

May I suggest a traditional Maryland holiday dish that has been a part of many special dinners dating from my highchair days. It's Skipjack Oyster Dressing. The official Maryland recipe we've used over the last twenty years has been a hit even among most doubters but, oysters being what they are, you'll always have some holdouts. They'll never know what they're missing. 

One of our guests asked about the term, "skipjack." Skipjacks, the state boat of Maryland, are shallow-draft, sailing vessels developed on the Chesapeake Bay for harvesting oysters. They are the last working boats under sail in the United States, according to the Maryland State Archives. There's also a brief entry about them on Wikipedia, including a list of active boats. I first saw them in the early '50s. At that time, there were about 100 working the Chesapeake. Today around twenty remain in use for commercial fishing. 

Hope you enjoy a taste from the Bay. If your menu is set or you need some time to think about it there's always Christmas dinner.

Serve An Iconic Southern Punch This Holiday Season

 

With Halloween behind us the holiday party triad of Christmas, New Year's, and Twelfth Night will be upon us quickly and it's never too early to think about a menu.  If you think about serving a punch and want something really special this post is for you. Long-time readers know one of my favorite preparations for these occasions is Savannah's very own concoction known as Chatham Artillery Punch. In 1977, I was introduced to it at the Lion's Den in the DeSoto Hilton - now the DeSoto Hotel - in Savannah. If you assemble your batch this week it should be perfect for sharing on December 4 when artillerymen honor Saint Barbara, their patron saint. In the weeks following Saint Barbara"s Day the punch mellows into an even more delicious and potent beverage.

Chatham Artillery Punch is a drink to be enjoyed responsibly in an appropriate setting. Keep in mind the longer it ferments, the more powerful, deceptive and tasty it becomes. If made this week, by Christmas it should be legendary. There is a point - say after two months - at which it becomes a lightly fruited rumtopf perfect for topping ice cream or bundt. I suspect however that using it in Old Savannah as something other than a beverage would be a sacrilege.

In the past I've posted a recipe for 50 servings but this year it's reduced by half for two reasons. First, it's an expensive endeavor, and, second, a small cup can be enjoyed for a long time. The origin of today's recipe is lost to history but the assemblage of scattered notes over the decades - like the spirits themselves - produces a deliciously potent punch. A Georgia National Guard newsletter noted that a pair of soldier's socks, the stockings of a soldier's wife, and sand from Iraq were added to the punch in 2006. We're not going that far. On the other hand I will say that quality ingredients make a quality product.

Chatham Artillery Punch

Yield: 25 servings

1 quart strong green tea (soak about 1/4 pound of tea for a day, then strain)

Juice 5 lemons

10 ounces brown sugar

1 quart Catawba wine (a muscadine wine may be easier to find and works as well)

1 quart Santa Cruz rum (use Virgin Islands style rum, light or dark)

1 pint brandy

1 pint dry gin (I like the flavorings in Bombay Sapphire)

1 pint rye whiskey (Bulleit 95 Rye Small Batch is a perfect choice)

1.5 pints Queen Anne cherries

1.5 pints pineapple chunks

1.5 quarts champagne


To prepare, sterilize a crock or similar vessel. Mix the tea and lemon juice, then dissolve the brown sugar and gently stir in all the alcohol except the champagne. Add the cherries and pineapple chunks carefully. Cover the crock tightly and sit aside in a cool, dark place for at least one week - a month is better. Careful sampling is permitted to insure the fermentation process is working as planned. To serve, pour the mixture carefully over a block of ice, add the champagne, stir gently, and serve immediately. IMPORTANT: Never refrigerate to cool ahead of serving or serve with ice cubes.


Enjoy!

Distinctive Unit Insignia of the Chatham Artillery

The Chatham Artillery survives today as Battery B, 1st How. Battalion, 118th Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 48th Armored Division Artillery, Georgia National Guard.  The regiment traces its roots to 1751 and the 118th Field Artillery, Georgia Militia. Their latest deployment was to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2009.

Regardless of what's in your cup on the evening of December 4, remember the men and women of the Chatham Artillery at their annual banquet in Savannah. Raise your cup to their nearly 250 years of service and remember their motto: "He does not know how to give up."

Enjoy!

It's National Rum Day 2022!

Yes, friends. it's time to let out a hardy "Yo Ho Ho" on National Rum Day 2022. Americans should be very happy about this event for two reasons. First, rum as we know it is a New World drink. Its distillation first occurred in the Caribbean about 400 years ago. It became wildly popular in the American colonies by the 18th century because of its proximity to and abundance of sugar, the main ingredient. That brings us to our second reason: rum production was a massive recycling project. Rum is a by-product of the sugar industry. After all that sugar boiled off the cane juice, refiners were left with a gooey, black, and useless mess we know as molasses. Enterprising slaves discovered that fermented molasses, when distilled, produced an alcoholic beverage. Soon a new industry emerged out of a vast overabundance of the waste product from sugar production, the relatively brief fermentation period required, ease of storage and long shelf life, and a close-by market eager for cheap spirits. But there's more.

In his fascinating book, And A Bottle Of Rum: A History Of The New World In Ten Cocktails, Wayne Curtis says this about rum:

Rum is the history of America in a glass. It was invented by New World colonists for New World colonists. In the early colonies, it was a vital part of the economic and cultural life of the cities and villages alike, and it soon became an actor in the political life.

Rum's genius has always been its keen ability to make something from nothing. Rum has persistently been among the cheapest of liquors and thus often associated with the gutter. But through the alchemy of cocktail culture, it has turned into gold in recent years. Rum is reinvented every generation or two by different clans, ranging from poor immigrants who flocked from England to the West Indies, to Victorians enamored of pirates, to prohibitionists and abolitionists, right down to our modern marketing gurus, who tailor it day by day to capture the fickle attentions of customers attracted to bright glimmerings of every passing fad.

My first serious encounter with rum didn't involve a bottle or a drink. It was 1966 and I was hiking across the north shore of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands with the intent of documenting the remains of its many sugar mills. Over the next forty years, my career returned me to St. Thomas and St. John many times where I became more familiar with the most famous byproduct of sugar production.

Though not really a staple in our household, we've come to enjoy rum occasionally. Today, we pour it in the summer to make classic mojitos when there's fresh mint in the garden. When it's time to entertain on the porch or patio, it's time to mix up a batch of Painkiller. Makes for a fine dessert all by itself and doesn't need to be powerful to be enjoyed. When it's time to move by the fireplace there are so many ways to enjoy a winter rum I won't attempt to list them.

St Croix [Virgin Islands] Sugar Mill Pre-20th century, artist unknown

And speaking of cocktails what better way to celebrate National Rum Day than sinking into a comfortable lounger with drink in hand and a good book. Time to check the liquor cabinet and fridge!


Happy National Rum Day, y'all!


Sources


Photo:
wikipedia.com


Text:
Wayne Curtis, And A Bottle Of Rum: A History Of The New World In Ten Cocktails, Broadway Books, 2007
David Wondrich, Imbibe!, revised edition, Penguin Group, 2015
wikipedia.com

Up Spirits!: A Toast To Black Tot Day

 

We all know water is essential to life. At the same time we have to keep in mind that it can also sustain deadly diseases including typhoid, cholera, giardia, dysentery, e. coli, hepatitis, and salmonella. It wasn't until the late 19th century that science really began to understand diseases, their vectors, and methods of control and prevention. It's no wonder that the fermentation of beer was an early cultural practice in human history around the world. Beer was reliably safer than water. It traveled better, lasted longer, and had some medicinal properties as well. The magic molecule was alcohol.

By the 15th century and the burgeoning age of distant empires it was already apparent that ships full of soldiers and sailors needed to carry water. Unfortunately it didn't last more than a few weeks in a barrel or ceramic container under a hot tropical sun. Beer wasn't much better, nor was wine, but rum was almost perfect as a cheap, plentiful, and long-lasting alternative. In 1650, the Royal Navy introduced the tot ration, a daily amount of rum for every sailor. It was a welcome offering for crews whose work was brutal, dangerous, and little more than enslavement for those pressed into service. The practice of the rum (or tot) ration and its benefits and liabilities became an essential part of Royal Navy life. Despite a growing temperance movement in the 1870s and the increasing complexity of tasks, the practice continued until the last piping of "Up Spirits" on July 31, 1970. That day is remembered as Black Tot Day. The practice ended in Canada in 1972 and in New Zealand in 1990. Here is the story of the rum ration and its iterations throughout its more than 300 year history.

Splicing the main brace with the Royal Navy

The end of the rum ration had an enormous impact on producers in the British Empire and its territories, particularly in the Carribean. Many distillers had an association with the ration for centuries. It was a tough decision to put aside such a long tradition but all was not lost. The rum stocks were auctioned and warehoused by the new owner in Gibralter. From there, he supplied select Royal Navy vessels, Royal Air Force and Army messes, and even a few choice bars with the treasured rum. In 1979 Charles Tobias secured the rights to the original Admiralty recipe and founded Pusser's Rum, named after the Ship's Purser who oversaw its daily distribution to sailors. Here's more on the Pusser story.

The American military experience with rum closely resembles that of the Royal Navy. History tells us that both the Contiental Army and Navy had a daily rum ration. The U.S. Navy ration lasted until 1862 when temperance sentiment prevailed in Congress and the practice was abolished. The law took effect on September 1. What follows is an air sung in the ward room of an unknown U.S. vessel on August 31.

Farewell To Grog

Come, messmates, pass the bottle ‘round

Our time is short, remember,

For our grog must stop and our spirits drop

On the first day of September.

Jack’s happy days will soon be gone,

To return again oh! Never,

For they’ve raised his pay five cents a day

But stopped his grog forever.

Farewell, old rye, ‘tis a sad, sad word,

But alas! It must be spoken,

The ruby cup must be given up

And the demijohn be broken.

Yet memory oft will backward turn

And dwell with fondness partial,

On the days when gin was not a sin

Nor cocktails brought courts martial.

All hands to splice the main brace call,

But splice it now in sorrow,

For the spirit-room key will be laid away

Forever on to-morrow.

"Splice the main brace" was the common response to the sound of "Up Spirits" on the bosun's pipe.


It would be fitting tonight to pour an ounce or two of rum - obviously Pusser's if you have it - and add twice the amount of water to make a grog. Now find your best comfortable chair and sit back and enjoy it while thinking about Black Tot Day and the end of a great naval tradition.  




Sources

Photos and Illustrations:

thehistoryproject.co.uk

Text:

Wikipedia

Imbibe!, David Wonderich, Tarcher Perigee, 2015

Naval History and Heritage Command, Navy Department Library

Pusser's Rum

It's National Blueberry Pie Day 2022

 

Today is National Blueberry Pie Day. The first fruits of this year's harvest have just started arriving in the market. I can't think of a better time to heighten awareness of the blueberry or celebrate its place on our table. It is after all native to North America. The berries fed the first Americans for thousands of years. Colonial Americans used powdered blueberries as a food supplement. By the 1820s we began to enjoy them as flavorful desserts but it would take another century to develop a cultivar and build a blueberry industry, one that would include a pie.  

But enough of history  I'd rather think of the blueberry pie as sensory immersion. One needs to feel the dough as it's hand-mixed. Hear the fruit and sugar bubbling on the stove as it reduces into a thickened filling. See the pattern of the lattice work take shape across the filling in the pie shell. Smell the aroma of berries and pastry baking in the oven. Taste the product of your culinary skill and nature's unforgettable sweet berry bounty. Mouth watering yet?

Okay. So you want a pie. If you can't run to Publix and buy their award-winning version of this pie, I do have a solution. Below is the blueberry pie recipe we've enjoyed most in our  household for over forty years. It comes from The Southern Heritage Pies and Pastry Cookbook (1984), one of a series of nineteen books in The Southern Heritage Cookbook Library published by Southern Living.

Blueberry Pie

Berry Mixture:

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 cups fresh blueberries

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Pastry for 1 double-crust (9-inch) pie:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chilled shortening

5 to 6 tablespoons cold water



Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan, stirring well to remove lumps. Add berries; mix well. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add butter, mixing well. Set mixture aside and let cool.

Combine flour and salt in medium bowl and cut in shortening until it resembles beach sand. Sprinkle water over surface and blend until dry ingredients are moistened. Shape dough into ball and chill. 

  

Roll half of the pastry to 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface; fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Pour cooled berry mixture into the pastry shell.

Roll remaining pastry into 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 3/4 inch wide strips, and arrange in a lattice design over filling. Trim edges; seal and flute. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees, and continue baking for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. 

Let cool. Serve. Enjoy!



A note of interest: The Southern Heritage Cookbook Library has served us well over the years. It's filled with classic Southern recipes, foodways history  personal anecdotes, and scores of photos and illustrations from Southern archives. Unfortunately it's available only in print. If you happen to find the cookbooks at a yard sale or your local charity, grab them. I'm so sure you'll be pleased  I'll bake you a blueberry pie from scratch if you feel otherwise.

Sources

Text:

extension.illinois.edu

Photos and Illustrations:

The Southern Heritage Pies and Pastry Cookbook (1984), The Southern Heritage Cookbook Library, Oxmoor House, Birmingham, Alabama

On The Road To No Sorrow

 

The world is filled with magic places. The right nexus of site, scene, scale, and subject will leave deep and lasting impressions. Fifty years ago I discovered such a crossroad sitting hundreds of feet above the Pacific Ocean between Carmel and Big Sur. The place is Nepenthe. Its name derives from nepenthes pharmakon, a philter (potion) appearing in the Odyssey written by the Greek poet, Homer, around 800 BCE.  The phrase means "medicine that chases away all sorrow." On the Sur coast it is a stunning oasis of hospitality and breathtaking landscape. Nepenthe is the story of what happens when a family escapes from everyday life only to discover that their home site is so beautiful it demands to be shared with others. And so on April 24, 1949, Nepenthe opened to the public as a restaurant. Today, the original restaurant and terraces - designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright - have been joined by a cafe and The Phoenix Shop, a unique world-themed store. Every turn at Nepenthe is a discovery of human and natural landscapes both real and imagined.

Over the decades I returned to this special place at every opportunity. Sadly, I haven't had nearly enough, but I think there could never be enough. The solace comes in knowing that once you visit, you never really leave the magic. So "Happy Birthday" to Nepenthe and the descendants of founders, Bill and Lolly Fassett, who run the place and ensure that the hospitality and magic keep flowing.

Readers can learn more about that magic here. Be sure to click on the "Stories & Folktales" link to start. When the opportunity arises I hope you'll visit to experience "no sorrow" for yourself. The food is moderately expensive, rich but healthy, generous, and quite good for what has become an iconic tourist stop on Highway 1. Try the Ambrosia Burger, a choice that has become the most popular dish. The Nepenthe experience itself is free. And priceless.

Take a trip there now by visiting their livecam. You can enjoy a Mannheim Steamroller composition inspired by the view as you enjoy it. 

The cover photo is from a recent book about Nepenthe written by Romney Steele, granddaughter of the founders. It's filled with the Nepenthe story and recipes for those times when you can't be on the terrace. If you're interested but not likely to be traveling there anytime soon, I'm sure you can order copies from the Phoenix Shop website.

Sources

Text:

wikidoc.org

Photos and Illustrations:
photo of view north from Highway 1 near Nepenthe entrance is from
family archives

A Taste Of The Georgia-South Carolina Sea Islands

 

With the warming temperatures of Spring it's time to think about those gatherings with family and fiends and the foods that go with them. Here's a favorite at our house.

Moon River saltmarsh, Savannah, GA

Fish and seafood boils are popular foodways in many parts of the country. The regional variations are as striking and numerous as the definitions of the regions and subregions themselves. In the lower Chesapeake Bay area, where I lived from the age of nine into early adulthood, we had a variety of seafoods including oysters on the half shell and fried, as well as clams and assorted fish. The signature of the Bay table was the blue crab, often enjoyed at "crab feasts," be they a gathering of five or five hundred. Preparation was easy: a steamer, blue crabs, apple cider vinegar, and plenty of Old Bay seasoning. Haven't attended a crab feast in the Bay area in more than forty years but the wonderful aroma remains fresh in my memory.

It wasn't until the late 1970s that I attended my first seafood dinner in the Lowcountry or Sea Islands of the South Carolina-Georgia coast. There's no doubt this dish had its origins in the Gullah-Geechee culture among the residents of African descent who have occupied these islands for generations. That said, it took an innovative cook, a large event, and limited funds to create what became the iconic seafood dinner - first known as  Frogmore Stew - on the Sea Island coast. Read the interesting story here. 

So cast your net for shrimp and crabs, gather corn and potatoes, slice some sausage, throw in a few onions, seasonings and your favorite options, and dinner is ready in about an hour. Not only is dinner quick, you can clean the table in a flash because the food is dumped in the middle of a table lined with plastic trash bags and covered in newspapers. No need for plates or utensils either. When everyone is through, just roll up the debris and dump it in an outside trash can.

Lots of Lowcountry folks use propane cook pots so they can make a big batch of boil outside in the garden, a picnic park or at the beach. We're satisfied using a four-gallon pot on the stove for up to about eight servings unless you add extra shellfish as we often do. If you want to take a journey to the Sea Islands without leaving home, here's what you need:

To prepare four servings:

Dump the following ingredients into two gallons of water:

1/3 cup of Old Bay

Six cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

One or two shake Tabasco sauce

One lemon, halved, then squeezed over the pot and dropped in


Bring the pot to a boil and add the following:

One pound Kielbasa sausage, quartered

Twelve medium red potatoes

One Vidalia (sweet) onion


After ten minutes, add:

Four ears sweet corn, halved

Four blue crabs


After eight minutes, add

Two dozen mussels

Two dozen cherrystone clams

2 1/2 pounds uncooked shrimp

Give the pot a good stir

DO NOT OVERCOOK!  When the shells open and the shrimp is pink -  should be no more than four minutes - drain the pot and scatter the contents on the table while your guests gasp in awe of your talents.

Lowcountry boil pairs nicely with beer. Fresh-brewed ice tea works as well, but it's a distant second. Cole slaw makes for the perfect side. Warm French bread spread with garlic butter - real garlic, real butter - adds a nice complement to the seafood. Around our house, we accompany the feast with the music of Savannah's favorite son, Johnny Mercer. This bit of Mercer magic evokes images of his childhood spent at the family's summer home at Vernon View, about ten miles south of Savannah.

I'd write more but I'm hungry!