The Fog

There's been a lot of hubbub about the fog here of late (I mean, really, a lot, no really, a lot).  It is impressive.  At times it feels a little like we're living in a constant cloud.  But this past weekend, the clouds were emanating from the ground.  Apparently there's something known colloquially as ground fog, and it seems to have a few sources.  Whatever the origin, dusk at Central Park South was especially breathtaking last Saturday night, much to the credit of this rare and unusual phenomenon. This was the perfect setting for a nostalgic walk down memory lane following a lovely late brunch-turned-dinner with a couple of old friends from Philly who were in town for a visit.

Oprah's Roasted Chicken

Sometimes when you come across a good thing, it's better not to ask too many questions.  And so it was that my father introduced me to Oprah's Roasted Chicken recipe.  How he came across this recipe, I'll never know, but I am sure glad that he did.  This chicken, heavy on the mustard, is tangy and delicious.  The recipe can be adapted for a whole chicken (in which the lemon rinds and some fresh herbs can be stuffed), or it can be prepared as indicated here using chicken pieces.  The whole chicken will make for a more elegant presentation, but I'm not above using drumsticks (especially for a weeknight meal) when it's just so much easier!


Ingredients:

• 4 to 6 chicken drumsticks (about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
• 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning (e.g., Bell's Seasoning or use a mix of dry herbs: rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley and oregano)

Directions:

      Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

1. Whisk together mustard, soy sauce, and lemon juice in a nonreactive bowl. The sauce should have a smooth and creamy consistency.
2. Place chicken pieces in a baking dish and the poor sauce over the chicken.  (You will likely have sauce left over.)
3. Dust with poultry seasoning.
4. Bake, covered, for about an hour, basting once or twice, until done.

Turn this into a quick and easy meal by serving the chicken with roasted carrots and baked potatoes.  The potatoes can go in the oven with the chicken to cook for 1 hour.  The carrots should be peeled and cut on the bias in large chunks, before being dressed with a little olive oil and salt.  Place them on a cookie sheet and pop them in the oven after 30 minutes of cooking the chicken.  The sweetness of the carrots is a wonderful compliment to the chicken's tangy mustard sauce.  Delicious!

New Year's Eve trip to The Cloisters

The Cloisters is a museum located on 4 acres of land overlooking the Hudson River in northern Manhattan.  A branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, this museum is unlike any other that I've visited, as all of the exterior architecture as well as the interior works of art are reflective of medieval Europe (actually, now that I think of it, the Museum of the Middle Ages of Gorizia, which is absolutely amazing, is somewhat similar).  The Cloisters are a collection of buildings that incorporate aspects of several different medieval buildings.  Many elements, both structural and decorative, from medieval cloisters (e.g.,  Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa, Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Trie-sur-Baïse, Froville) have been incorporated into the larger building, all of which is laid out in chronological order with the oldest styles and architecture presented first.  Click here for a map of the museum.

The museum was opened to the public in 1938, and has a rich history, including the preservation of land directly across from The Cloisters on the other side of the Hudson River in New Jersey, which has secured the museum's pristine views of the NJ Palisades.  As you might imagine, the Cloisters are very peaceful.  It's a wonderful place for reflection and contemplation.  The collection of artwork housed within is as spectacular and vast as the setting of the Cloisters itself.  It was lovely spending the last day of 2013 among such beauty and history.  It was the perfect location to gain the perspective and peace of mind that this time of year calls for.

Below, an apse constructed in Spain around the 12th century.  It is originally from the San Martín church at Fuentidueña and is on "permanent loan" from the Spanish government.  The dome is decorated with a Catalan fresco of the Virgin Mary and Child; a 12th century wooden crucifix, also from Spain, hangs from the arch. 

Below, the Gothic Chapel, a modern structure built in the Gothic style, which houses the carved sculptures (effigies) and tombs of royal and noble figures from France and Spain (~ 13th - 14th century).  The stained-glass windows are from 14th century Austria.

 

One of the medieval inspired gardens ("Bonnefont").

View of the Palisades in the distance.

Below, is a cloister from the Carmelite convent formally located in Trie-sur-Baïse (south-western France, near Toulouse).  Elements of this structure date back to the late 15th century.

The museum houses several small scales pieces in a gallery called the Treasury.  From the curator of the exhibit: "Every medieval church had a treasury in which its most important objects were kept.  For this reason, the Cloisters Treasury is very much in keeping with tradition." Below is an example of one of the treasures on display, a triptych depicting scenes from the Passion of Christ (1494).

Below, through the archway hangs the first tapestry in a series of seven called The Unicorn Tapestries created in the Netherlands between 1495 and 1505.  They are woven of wool, silk, silver, and gold.  The tapestries depict a story in which an elusive magical unicorn is hunted and finally tamed, willingly.  The unicorn is thought to symbolize love.

The Unicorn in Captivity

Below, the last sun rays of 2013 shine through the trees on the grounds of the Cloisters.

For more information about the exhibits in the museum I recommend reading, "A Walk Through the Cloisters," by Bonnie Young.

Happy 2014!

We'll take a cup of kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.