This week finds me out of New York and back onto the wild country roads of my youth. I grew up in the country, not far from a small town in southwestern Missouri. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been back and the best part about it is that very little changes while I’m gone. The pace of country life is so much different from the city. People and activities are slowed down…way down, and it’s the perfect place to come for a much needed getaway.
Brian and I have been planning a vacation for quite some time. Our lives have become increasingly hectic over the past six months, seemingly more so than in years past. Being that it’s Memorial Day weekend, visiting the family seemed like a perfect way to kick off our vacation and slip into the unwind mode of “country time”.
Memorial Day is what some would call the unofficial start of summer, me included, and the weather is certainly cooperating with that theory. It’s hot, humid and sunny here in the Midwest with a nice breeze blowing through the grasses and the freshly cut hay. It smells so darn fresh here! My parents live way out in the country and are surrounded by farmland. It’s not uncommon to see cattle grazing in the fields around their home, hear coyotes howling at night and is the best place I know to hear a symphony of crickets as you drift off to sleep. It’s hard not to like this place as an adult.
When I was growing up I always wanted to get away. I felt the need to get to the next bigger, happening place. Happily I managed to make my way to New York City and realized that though I love the city dearly, I definitely have the country in my heart. As an adult, I have fantasized many a day about living in a cabin in the woods, being left alone by the world and never having to deal with pesky commercial clients ever again. It would be my own personal Walden where my baking empire would begin and I could still be connected to the rest of the world through the Internet. Just Brian and I could live off the land with a small but fruitful garden and me canning or putting away all the food for when the harsh winter comes. All right, so this all sounds a bit Laura Ingalls Wilder-ish, but it’s a decent fantasy for those busy city days when frustration seems to be the only thing holding as a constant.
I don’t get away often enough, and I certainly don’t get to see my family as much as I would like, but I certainly do appreciate the time I have when I do get to Missouri. Since it is Memorial Day weekend and a vacation, we decided to get out and see a place in the Ozark Mountains I haven’t been to: Dogwood Canyon. I thought I'd seen all the attractions this area of the country had to offer, but apparently there was a treasure waiting for me to come and find. My mom suggested that we go and check it out because it’s a beautiful and fairly unpublicized place full of waterfalls and rock bridges, the sort of things I like to take pictures of.
Dogwood Canyon is a huge nature preserve, a couple thousand acres in fact, which was made open to the public in the late 90’s by John L. Morris, the same man that owns Bass Pro Shops. They offer cabins to stay in, hiking and biking trails, classes in fly fishing and the most simple activity for a city boy: a two hour guided tram ride. We were able to see all of the park’s most beautiful spots while casually being pulled along in a trailer. Led by an elderly Ozark-ian gentleman full of homespun tales and humor, we enjoyed not only waterfalls but also the animals.
The drive takes you through several miles of woods and then crosses the border into Arkansas. The smell of the forest is something I genuinely miss. There is a certain deep, earthy and leafy smell that I only find when I’m far away from a city. It’s a freshness seeping from the woods that awakens something profoundly primal and spiritual. Once out of the woods and into Arkansas we went up the mountainside and down into a broad grassy valley where there were longhorns, bison and elk just hanging out waiting to be fed. I couldn’t believe how close we were able to get to them, and with no protection I might add. The animals seemed pretty domesticated no doubt from the multiple tours that come through each day, but it was still a little surprising to see them so up close and personal. We had a really fun day.
Once we got home, it was time to make this week’s dessert: Strawberry Shortcake. What could be more perfect than to serve this simple and delicious dish on a warm day out in the country? I spend months waiting for this to happen, and although I love my New York City, having strawberry shortcake out in the real countryside is an all-American treat.
Saturday afternoon, when we arrived at my parent’s house, we went to the next town over and hit the farm-stand. Fresh strawberries were plentiful having come into their seasonal peak. It’s exciting to be at the farm-stand once more and realize that gardens are getting ready to put forth their summer best. I can't wait to run to my local farmer’s market in Ossining on Saturdays once more for all my shopping and baking needs.
Making strawberry shortcake is simple. The process is very similar to making scones, and that’s about all short cake is. The recipe I’m using this week is from June’s Bon Appetit, and puts a bit of a twist on this usual favorite by adding both balsamic vinegar and black pepper to the macerating liquid for the strawberries. Being at my mom’s, there aren’t as many kitchen gadgets and toys as I have at home. Dare I gasp and say there is no Kitchen Aid in the house. But fear not!!! You don’t need a mixer for this recipe at all. Though it does call for a food processor, I ended up making the shortcakes the old fashion way: by hand. EEEEEK!!!!
It was so easy; the only trick is to cut your chilled butter into really small pieces. All you have to do is mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, add your small pieces of butter and mix/crumb it together with a salad fork. Once the butter is broken up into “pea sized” pieces add the cream and mix with a wooden spoon. Turn your dough out onto a floured surface, fold it together a few times and flatten it into a 4x8 rectangle. Cut the dough into 8 squares and stick them in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Pull your shortcake squares out of the refrigerator, brush with egg wash and then sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes and smile at their golden goodness.
While all of this is happening you can have your strawberries macerating in the sugar, vinegar and black pepper. This recipe also calls for whipping your chilled cream into a topping, but not having my trusty mixer I admit to buying a tub of Cool Whip…and you know what, I liked it.
This dessert was the perfect compliment to my mom’s crock pot roast and potatoes, and we were properly sated, fat and sassy and ready for a nap when it was all over. And that’s just what we did.
A posting about Memorial Day wouldn’t be complete without recognizing what the day actually means. Once called Decoration Day, it was originally created over a hundred years ago to honor lost soldiers from the Civil War. It didn’t become an actual “government” holiday until 1971. Over the years people have taken it as a time to remember their loved ones and “decorate” their graves with flowers.
I haven’t been to my father’s grave since he passed away…I haven’t been to Missouri since he passed away. It was good for me to go and plant something for him to honor his memory. I know that taking the flowers is something for the living, the dead could care less, but it’s nice to have a place to go and remember him. Generally I think of him most when I’m in my garden at home because I know he loved to mow the yard and plant flowers as much as I. It seems only fitting to plant some catmint at his grave because I also have some growing in my backyard. I think Dad would have liked it.
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