But I Digress…

J.W. T. Turner self portrait

Visiting friends in Newton, MA last summer, we went to the excellent Peabody Essex Museum to see the Turner & The Sea show (if this gets a rise from your art hackles, sorry, as the show decamped September 1.) It was a very large exhibit, described as the “first full-scale examination of (the artist’s) lifelong preoccupation with the sea,” per the museum. Here is a link to the Wall St. Journal’s review that dubbed the show “Moody Waters” and gave it high marks.

Then, when a friend told me she was seeing Mike Leigh’s newest film, Mr. Turner, at the New York Film Festival, I leaped onboard. It’s a fair amount of work to see but worth it, a half-hour too long as are so many movies, (it’s tough to kill your darlings); and highly atmospheric with incredibly detailed period observations. According to Leigh, Timothy Spall who plays Turner and several other colleagues who spoke after the screening, the project began with years of research into every nook and cranny of eighteenth and nineteenth century British habits, speech patterns, costume, housing, social issues and much more. (The costumes in the film are so well recreated you can almost smell them in their highly odiferous state.) Click here to see a cut from the film.

Among Turner’s many works that were initially reviled

Both Turner, the painter, and Leigh’s film give you a lot to chew on. If you get a chance to see Mr. Turner which looks like a shoe-in for commwill certainly be released commercially, albeit in limited release, do so. I’d love to hear your take!

Speaking of chewing, I’m passing along a recipe that’s contemporary with Joseph Mallord William (aka J.M.W.) Turner . Have no idea if pancakes were on his hit list (per the film, it doesn’t seem as though he cared much what was on the menu besides oils, watercolors, his standing in the Academy and sex)  and you might prefer to follow your own approach. Here goes:

Regency Period Pancakes
3 eggs
A little nutmeg
A little Salt
4 ½ oz of flour
A quart milk
Butter to fry
Break three eggs in a basin, beat them together with a little nutmeg and salt. (MG:I leave “a little” to your discretion but I’d think 1/4 teaspoon.)

Add in the flour and milk and mix well.

Beat into a smooth batter and then, little by little, add the rest of the milk until the mixture is the consistency of cream.

Ensure your frying pan is hot and add a knob (MG assumes this is a tablespoon with more added if necessary) of butter. Once the butter has melted pour the mixture into the pan. Fry, flipping every now and again, until they are cooked through and golden brown.
A chorus of Rule Britannia would go well with these pancakes as would maple syrup even though it’s very non-Regency. Scarf up.

If “Russian icon” makes you think “Fanny and Alexander,” get yourself to the unlikely, un-Russian town of Clinton, MA. There, check out the Museum of Russian Icons which owes its existence to Gordon Lankton, a plastics engineer. (Unlike Benjamin in The Graduate, Mr. Lankon loved plastics, or at least cared enough about them to have a highly successful career and become very wealthy.)

Hoffman with the iconic shot of Anne Bancroft’s leg

Lankton began traveling to Russia on business. On weekends, with time on his hands, he began visiting Moscow flea markets where he bought his first icon. He was hooked to the point where his business trips became more icon- than plastic- centered. He displayed his ever-expanding collection at home until his wife objected, (not the official accounting but I have this on good authority); then he bought a building, hired a very talented designer and in 2006 opened the museum. It’s now two buildings, very contemporary, very “green,” electronically self-sufficient and has a permanent collection of several hundred icons, some dating as far back as 1450.

My absolute fave item wasn’t an icon but a collection of statues of St. Nil (I may be slightly off on the name) who spent his monastic life on crutches so he would be standing upright in prayer 24/7.

St. Nil–look closely to see the crutches

Here is a recipe for–what else?– classic Russian borscht. I don’t know if Mr. Lankton liked it but suspect he ate it on one of his many Russian adventures.

Classic Russian Borscht from Cooks.com

2 quarts beef stock
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup green cabbage, finely chopped
1 cup potatoes, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes
1/2 cup juice (from can of beets)
1 cup cooked or canned beets, diced
1 teaspoon vinegar
chopped dill or parsley (for garnishing)
sour cream
In a large heavy pan, melt butter and lightly sauté cabbage, potatoes, carrots, celery and onion for approximately 5 minutes. Add beef stock.
Blend canned tomatoes or press through a sieve until fine (Only for purists.) Add pureed tomatoes and beet juice to stock. Cover and simmer over low heat until vegetables are firmly tender but not soft.
At this point, add the chopped beets and vinegar. Season well with salt and pepper and remove from heat before the beets begin to lose their color. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of dill or parsley over each bowl.
The famous Russian phrase “Na zda-ró-vye!” (phonetically ” naazzdroveya” or close) is apparently not really a drinking toast but a reply to “Thank you!” when someone thanks for a meal or a drink. Most of us aren’t in a “thanks to the Russians” toasting mood these days but serving borscht with a shot of vodka seems appropriate. You could toast to peace.

Back before sewing was relegated to an art form, the Singer Sewing Machine Company was a heavy hitter. Robert Sterling Clark, who inherited major money from his grandfather, Isaac Singer’s business partner, left Yale with a degree in engineering and spent a lot of time in China. In 1911 he settled in Paris and began collecting art, joined in this pursuit by his wife, Francine, after they married in 1919. Money and taste, a winning combo, enabled the couple to acquire Italian, Dutch and Flemish Old Masters and later broaden their collection to include works by John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer and George Inness as well as Renoir and Degas. They also collected sculpture, serious silver and much else.

A Sargent–one of my favorites

Flash forward to the 1940s, when the Cold War caused the  Clarks to became concerned about the safety of their collection. Fearing that New York City might be attacked, instead of giving their collection to the Metropolitan Museum of Art as many thought would happen, they turned to Williamstown, MA, where Sterling (never known as Robert) had ties via his father and grandfather, both trustees of Williams College. The Sterling and Francine Clark Institute, aka ” The Clark” opened to the public in1955 and was a huge hit, one of many factors making the Berkshires a cultural mecca.

Most of The Clark had been closed for a few years for a major renovation. The new version opened on July 4, 2014 to accolades from critics far and wide. A new building has been added, the old one renovated to provide more space, the landscape reconfigured and many trees planted. We went the day after the opening, marveling at all and noting a few minor kinks (that may have been resolved by now.)

New Clark reflecting pool and willows

Signage was vague; should you push or pull that door? Where are the restrooms? The guards needed a bit more orientation and the new gift shop isn’t going to sell much merch if they display such a tiny number of items, almost all untagged. Visitors tend to be put off when they admire a necklace but don’t have a clue as to the price. We hiked uphill (an easy, lovely walk) to the Lunden Center at Stone Hill (part of the Clark) to see the David Smith Raw Color exhibit and have lunch at the outdoor cafe with its knock-your-socks-off view. Here’s a link to the glowing review of the Clark by the New York Time’s art critic, Roberta Smith (hoping it works) :

And here is a version of the Heirloom Peach and Tomato Salad I enjoyed at the Stone Hill Cafe. It’s easy and especially great now when both fruits are in season. This serves four.

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion (As a non-raw onion girl I’d omit this but it’s personal)
1/2 pound ripe peaches, pitted and cut into wedges
1/2 pound heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges (if heirlooms aren’t around, feel free to substitute good, ripe “contemporary” tomatoes)
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons small basil leaves or torn basil
Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.
Combine vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle vinegar mixture over peach/tomato mixture; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and basil.

Serve and, if possible, take yourself to Williamstown to bask in the whole Clark experience.

It’s a gorgeous Sunday so the waiting line at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park is studded with people reading the Times or occupied with iPads or Kindles. This would be a great pick-up spot but we’re here for tickets, not romance. A very accomplished saxophone/bass duet plays golden oldies like It Don’t Mean a Thing and L-O-V-E first covered by Nat King Cole.

I arrive at 10 AM. At 11 the food service window opens, offering “gourmet” hotdogs, faro salad (this is New York, after all), coffee, tea, fancy ice cream and more. A guy at the box office explains that the number of tickets released for each performance differs depending on how many seats are set aside for cast members, sponsors and the like. At 11:30 proof of ID (meaning age) is requested. After that, we are asked for our zip codes (hello marketing.)

Promptly at noon tickets are distributed and I score.
Walking home through the Park I come upon a group of people with cameras, (both iPhones and serious lenses) trained on a bird. One guy unplugs his earpieces long enough to explain that it’s a red-tailed hawk.

Fast forward to the performance of Much Ado About Nothing with Lily Rabe as Beatrice, Hamish Linklater as Benedick and Brian Stokes Mitchell as Don Pedro. The production is brilliant from start to finish with the minor exception of a piece of scenery that shakes too much when actors stand on top of it. Very clever lighting mimics a thunderstorm, the actors are great and even the amplification is done right, clear but not so loud as to feel like an assault.

Rabe and Linklater in Act I

One gripe: I wish audiences wouldn’t leap to their feet at the end of every performance because 1) if every theatrical endeavor is worthy of a standing ovation, how do you reward the truly terrific and 2) if people stand, you must also or you can’t see. Hiss, boo. It’s too nice an evening for my Inner Grinch.

Before the show many people picnic. Next time you do, bring this easy slaw that pairs well with anything.

Crunchy Slaw  (Martha Stewart)
1/3 cup light mayonnaise (I use regular)
3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, from about 2 limes
1 tablespoon sugar
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 small green cabbage, about 2 pounds, halved, cored, and thinly sliced (Note: do NOT use red cabbage as it turns the slaw pink)
1 bunch radishes, ends trimmed, halved, and thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, lime juice, and sugar; season generously with salt and pepper. Add cabbage and radishes; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Serve with a hey nonny nonny.