Month: July 2024

Norway: Grieg and Bergen- Part 1

As we made our descent into Bergen, the sky was cloudy and overcast; a rainbow appeared in the sky seeming to welcome us to our Norway adventure!

I was accompanied by my intrepid traveling companion Carol. The plan was to spend three days exploring Bergen on foot and then go on an expedition by car, driving on narrow winding roads with spectacular views of the mountains and fjords. And, of course this included many memorable meals!

A convenient bus from the airport dropped us off right in the middle of the bustling Bergen harbor a few blocks from the Clarion Hotel that was located on a cozy side street.

After settling in and taking a short nap to shake off some of our jetlag, we set out on a walk around the neighborhood and were delighted by medieval side streets and tiny doorways.

It was time for our first dinner reservation at the historic Enhjorningen (Unicorn Fish) Restaurant. We entered the medieval era building and climbed up a winding staircase.

The door opened up into a cozy and atmospheric restaurant with ancient wooden walls and beams.

Our quaint table looked out over the water and the food was also excellent!

We started with an artfully arranged salad with fresh local cherry tomatoes and feta.

We each ordered beautifully prepared fish entrees with monkfish and salmon that were accompanied with carrot puree, roasted baby potatoes, pickled vegetables and broccolini.

For dessert we shared an excellent blueberry tart with a crisp cookie crust top and brown cheese ice cream. After I tried Norwegian brown cheese at other meals, I recognized the nutty, sweet caramel flavor- a perfect ending to our first dinner!

We strolled back slowly to our hotel. From our room we enjoyed a view of the harbor with a bright sky at 10:30 PM. We quickly fell into a deep sleep!

The next morning we dug eagerly into a sumptuous breakfast buffet that included smoked fish, fresh crusty whole grain breads and rolls, home made jams, fresh fruit and yogurt.

We headed out to find the Bergen Public Library which houses the Grieg archives, including the original manuscripts for many of his compositions.

Edvard Grieg was born in Bergen in 1843. Widely recognized as one of the major Romantic composers, his compositions incorporated many Norwegian folk melodies. Before our trip, I had been in contact with the archive department at the University of Bergen to find out how to access Grieg’s manuscripts. I was told that the manuscripts were housed at the Bergen Public Library and that no appointment was required.

On the way, we took a stroll through the bustling fish market, which displayed an enormous variety of fish, seafood and delicacies.

We found the library that was housed in an old stone building not far from the Kode Art Museum.

At the front desk, we asked the librarian to direct us to the Grieg Archives. She seemed a bit surprised and called another colleague on the phone. After a few minutes, another librarian appeared and said that we needed to make an appointment and that it would not be possible to view the manuscripts. I am a person who does not take “no for an answer” easily. I politely stood my ground; she finally relented and asked if we would wait a few minutes while she collected folders of music. While we were waiting, I noticed a thick book of photographs detailing the history of Bergen. I found several compelling photos.

The librarian returned with several thick folders and asked us to follow her into a room that was decorated with Grieg memorabilia.

She locked the door and asked that we not touch the pages- pictures were fine! The librarian’s demeanor softened and with great pride, one by one, she slowly turned the pages of music.

She also showed us pages of Norwegian folk melodies that were collected by Frants Beyer, a close friend of Grieg’s. Beyer is well known for collecting the folk songs that were the inspiration for Grieg’s opus 66- Nineteen Norwegian Folk Tunes.

We ended our visit having a lovely conversation with the librarian and as we left, thanked her for an inspirational and thrilling morning!

Stay tuned for Norway: Part 2 with more sites, art and food from Bergen!

AND: Here is the “Tree of the Week”:

“I’ve seen a lot in my time!”

HAPPY SUMMER!

A Summer Stroll at The Bullitt Preservation and Cherry Tomato Galette

I have safely returned from an amazing trip to Norway; part research on the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg and a thrilling expedition by car driving on narrow winding roads over mountains and through countless tunnels. There were views of extraordinary fjords and of course many memorable meals! I am happily sorting through pictures and am planning a few blog entries about the trip. In the meantime, here is a short entry from our Fourth of July hike at the Bullitt Preservation in Ashfield, Massachusetts and a recipe for a summer Cherry Tomato Galette!

The Bullitt Preservation has a lovely system of trials that wind through meadows and woodlands.

At the top of the hill, there is a welcoming bench!

We have walked here in all seasons. An earlier blog written in December 2021, featured the famous French Chef Andre Soltner’s roast chicken. We discovered that the Bullitt Preservation was donated by the late William Christian Bullitt, Jr., the first US ambassador to the Soviet Union.

“William Christian Bullitt Jr. was a controversial figure. Bullitt was at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, working for Woodrow Wilson and resigned after reading the resulting Treaty of Versaille. He was the first US ambassador to the Soviet Union in 1933 and then Ambassador to France until 1940. On June 14, 1940, Bullitt refused to leave in the evacuation and stayed in Paris as the Germans attacked. He escaped with his life to return to a very disappointed President Roosevelt, who had hoped he would continue working with the French temporary government in Bordeaux. Bullitt co-wrote a book about Wilson with Sigmund Freud: Thomas Woodrow Wilson: A Psychological Study.
The Ashfield property was a Poor Farm for 50 years until 1874. William Bullitt bought the property in 1920, which has since been sold privately. The Bullitt Foundation provided the funds to develop the preserve that the public can enjoy today.
New England towns borrowed the idea of Poor Farms from England, where the practice had been put into statute as part of the Elizabethan Poor Laws during the 1600’s”.

And, we could not resist inserting a bit of Roaring Twenties soap opera details!

The following is from the Wikipedia entry about Bullitt:

Bullitt married socialite Aimee Ernesta Drinker (1892-1981) in 1916. She gave birth to a son in 1917, who died two days later. They divorced in 1923. In 1924 he married Louise Bryant, journalist author of Six Red Months in Russia and widow of radical journalist John Reed. Bullitt divorced Bryant in 1930 and took custody of their daughter after he discovered Bryant’s affair with English sculptor Gwen Le Gallienne. The Bullitts’ daughter, Anne Moen Bullitt, was born in February 1924, eight weeks after their marriage. Anne Bullitt never had children. In 1967, she married her fourth husband, U.S. Senator Daniel Brewster. 
During that period, he was briefly engaged to Roosevelt’s personal secretary, Missy LeHand. However, she broke off the engagement after a trip to Moscow during which she reportedly discovered him to be having an affair with Olga Lepeshinskaya, a ballet dancer.[21][22]

The day on which we recently walked was overcast and muggy; the path leading uphill through the meadow was lined with beautiful wildflowers.

One of our favorite series is PBS Kitchen Vignettes– a farm to table video blog by Aube Giroux, a passionate organic gardener and home cook. Recently we were enjoying the video for Cherry Tomato Galette, with a rich buttery crust and a filling of creamy ricotta and parmesan cheese. After all the rich food that I ate in Norway, I decided to create a lighter version.

For some time, I have been attempting to make an olive oil crust that is both flaky and tender. Most of my tries turned out to be flavorful but hard as a rock! I think that I may have found success with this version. I used olive oil and added a few tablespoons of Spectrum non-hydrogenated shortening, ice water and yogurt; the result was a delicious flaky crust that was a breeze to roll out!

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Cherry Tomato Galette

Ingredients:

Olive Oil Crust:

3/4 cup whole grain spelt flour

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening (I used Spectrum Organic-All Vegetable Shortening).

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons non-fat yogurt

3 tablespoons ice water (more if necessary)

1 egg-lightly beaten for egg wash

Topping:

1 container cherry tomatoes, cut in half and laid on paper towel to drain

2 ounces feta cheese crumbled

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

8 or more pitted oil cured olives, cut in pieces

handful sweet basil folded and cut into slivers

1 or 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

To Make Galette:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Make Pastry Crust:

Combine flours and salt in the bowl of a food processor.

Add olive oil, shortening, yogurt and ice water.

Process until the mixture forms a ball. You may need to add a bit more ice water, add 1 tablespoon at a time.

Wrap ball of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let gluten in the dough relax.

Bring dough to room temperature and roll out into a large thin circle.

Place dough on baking sheet with the parchment paper.

Trim edges to make a round circle.

Place rack in the middle of the oven.

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.

To Assemble Galette:

Place cherry tomatoes cut side down on crust and sprinkle with black olives.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and top with crumbled feta.

Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon olive oil over top of galette.

Brush edges of galette with egg wash- this will create a beautiful brown crust!

Bake aprox. 35 minutes until crust is browned and tomatoes start to release their juices.

Sprinkle basil over top and serve immediately!

ENJOY!!

AND: Here is the “Tree of the Week”!

“Oh my gosh!”

HAPPY SUMMER!