When it came to amassing diamonds (or rubies, emeralds or sapphires, ) Elizabeth Taylor didn’t fool around. Seeing her collection at Christie’s is simultaneously a tribute to her passion for “stuff”, (not just jewelry–also clothes, paintings, bags, shoes, Art Nouveau pottery, director’s chairs and her Oscars), but also the adoration a lot of people besides her many husbands felt for her. The jewels looked terrific on her and will probably flatter some shek’s wife since not too many people wear this kind of bling a great deal. (A woman in front of me as we moved through the exhibit muttered, ‘I always wear my tiara when I’m making breakfast.”)
The Krupp Diamond, a little something from Richard Burton
At the exhibit, I particularly loved the copy of National Velvet, bound in purple (of course) with Ms. Taylor’s name in gold on the lower right corner as well as the “simple” sort of folk-art dress she wore for her second marriage to Richard Burton. (In the photo, Burton wears a turtleneck and slacks.)
Getting to Christie’s was slightly challenging as every tourist in New York is in or at Rockefeller Center to see the tree.
Tree at Rockefeller Center, courtesy Mary F. .
I should be grateful to every last one of them as they spend money the city can use but I like to walk unimpeded. Later, we happened on an annual concert of hundreds of tuba players on the ice at the Rockefeller Rink. They seemed to be having fun and we loved hearing them oom-pah Christmas carols.
Many more than seventy-six tubas
Kudos to the Christie’s staff who handled the throng with aplomb and had answers to every question.
The focus on diamonds made me hungry so I thought I’d pass along a recipe that is typically cut into diamond shapes for serving. It’s mousakka, taught to me by a Greek hairdresser years ago. Since this particular recipe was hard to make and used every pot in the kitchen, I’m substituting a less complex version.
Moussaka
Modern Moussaka
3 eggplants, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1/4 c olive oil
1T butter
1 lb. lean ground beef (or lamb–an authentic version is always made with lamb)
3 eggs
2 onions, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 c dry red wine
For Bechamel sauce:
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 c butter
1 1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 T flour
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/4 c fresh parsley finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Lay the slices of eggplant on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Then in a skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. Quickly fry the eggplant until browned. Set aside on paper towels to drain.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the ground beef, salt and pepper to taste, onions, and garlic. After the beef is browned, sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and parsley. Pour in the tomato sauce and wine, and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, and then stir in beaten egg.
To make the bechamel sauce, scald milk in a saucepan. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Lower heat; gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly until it thickens. Season with salt, and white pepper.
Arrange a layer of eggplant in a greased 9×13 inch baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the meat mixture, and then sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese over the meat. Cover with remaining eggplant, and sprinkle another 1/2 cup of cheese on top. Pour the bechamel sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the nutmeg. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). When cool enough to deal with, cut on an angle and then cut across the first set of cuts to achieve diamond-shaped pieces. Recipe says it serves 8 but it’s very filling and this amount will easily feed 12.
This version is also a fair amount of work but a great crowd pleaser. As the Greeks (and possibly Liz Taylor) would say, Kalí óreksi! Put on your diamonds and dig in.
No offense Mari, but I’ll take the diamonds. Not that I have a choice.Thanks again
for the yummy recipe.
Quite a segue into a moussaka recipe. Liz would have been proud of you.
Just a tad of a stretch I admit but you’re right–Liz didn’t seem to stand on ceremony!