Ode to Salmon Mousse

There once was a nice man name Frank
Who created food like a chef of high rank
His Salmon Mousse was supreme--his ice cream cake was a dream
Guests treated to all felt so swank.

On a lovely late summer day, Dear Husbola and I were invited to the special home of new friends Frank and Richard, whom we have met through our common antiques businesses.  Driving Way West of Home we arrived at our two friends' incredible historic home filled with hand picked treasures.  What better way to spend the day but with lively conversation and treated to a gourmet lunch served in their whimsical garden.

Our entree was a delightfully retro Salmon Mousse--perfect for a group of six antique dealers.  Coincidence has it that I have been reading a collection of  vintage Edna Ferber short stories--One Basket--and one of her characters in one of her stories dines on salmon mousse in the flagship Marshall Fields. 

Folks--this was not just any salmon mousse.  The photo above shows how the mousse was decorated.--with rose petals.

The cross section showed equally a lovely with carrot and crab meat I think.  Pickled asparagus and homemade sour cream cucumber sauce, a sprig of dill and garden tomatoes completed the plate.

Our party of six make short order of the cool and refreshing lunch.




Recipes for salmon mouse are varied indeed.  Betty Crocker shows one as well as the Settlement Cook Book.  Some use egg yolks, some use cream, some use cream cheese and many concoctions of secret herbs.  Some make in a loaf pan, others in fish shaped copper molds.   I read that the key is careful preparation, and no hurrying the cooling and the setting in the mold.


Crack open a vintage cookbook sometime--the vintage recipes can be some of the most delightful.

Last Gasp of Summer

How did we arrive at the middle of August so soon?

It seems like we were just perusing greenhouses for annuals for planting  and putting the screens in the windows and doors.  Now we have arrived at full on tomato and corn time and if you live in the woods like us--Spiders Are Taking Over the World time.

A few miscellaneous thoughts as the days are snowballing downhill toward autumn...

1.  There are farmer's markets and there are Farmer's Markets.  My readers from Madison will know exactly what I mean by that.  Jewelry, scarves and candles do not belong at a farmer's market.  And I want to buy veg and fruit from someone with hands that look like farmer's hands.

2.  Stop thinking that if you are stung in your backyard it is from a honey bee.  Unless you stand in front of the hive and wave your arms, or open the top of the super and disturb the brood--YOU HAVE NOT BEEN STUNG BY A HONEY BEE!  Ground bee, hornet or wasp- maybe--but not a honey bee.

3.  Consider stopping listening to commercial radio.  I located BBC Radio 4 on my iPad--what a hoot.  Gardening shows, world news, women's focus shows,  soap operas (The Archer's), chapter a day of books,  church service from some cathedral in the UK, quiz shows--something different,.  No American political news and no commercials.  And no ads for "male enhancement" products!!!  BBC London radio is very good too.

4.  Schedule that overdue mammogram and colonoscopy.  Enough said.

5.  Take an inventory of your "free" time.  Are you spending it as you would like?  Does there need to be some adjustment on the people who  you spend time with or if you are too involved in technology?

6.  Keep chiseling away at cleaning out your dreck.  What summer clothes did you not wear this summer?  What kitchen widget have you not looked at in a year? 

7.  Still can't beat a paper road map.  Just think--future generations will never have the pleasure of trying to fold one back up and Never Get It Quite  Right!

8.  Stop complaining about how humid it is.

9.  Visit an antique shop or antique market SOON.  (This is supposed to be an antiquer's blog after all!)  Nothing beats fresh air, finding a Neat Little Widget (to replace something you cleaned out--see #6 above) and eating some kind of fair food that isn't good for you, but once or twice a year won't kill you.

10.  Slow down.  Watch a good black and white movie.  Make gaspacho.  Enjoy the last gasp of summer.

A Box of Junk

Sometimes when we go to an auction, we come away with things we had no intention of bidding on--let alone owning.

Auctioneers cannot possibly know everything about everything they sell.  We frequent an auctioneer who works on high volume and not enough staff.  Recipe for a great auction in our book!!

With this particular auction, if the bids are not there for a particular item, he just keeps adding and adding stuff to the pile and when he gets some bidding, he sells the pile.

We came home recently with a box of pottery and glass and jumble--the "Are Not Selling Anymore" category of items.  Before I took the load to the charity resale shop in which I volunteer-I thought I would give the stuff a look over.

Yeah--a bunch of just stuff--but also some interesting platters, teapots and miscellaneous pottery.  What you don't see in the picture--was already in the house-- a fiesta batter bowl, an asian vase and a great ironstone platter.

Included in the lot was a french "sort of naughty" porcelain plate (perfect for serving hors'doeuvres) and a transferware bird teapot that is now gracing a collection on a rustic table in our garden.

Sometimes when a person wins a bunch of stuff they don't want--they leave it on the auction wagon or table for the auctioneer to scoop up and throw away at the end of the auction.  Our rule?  Bring it ALL home and decide what do do with it from the tailegate of the truck.  The garage for inventory, the charity boxes and the garbage are close at hand to help with the sorting.

Wanna Buy a Lighthouse?

I was flipping through the want ads in the back of Preservation Magazine the other day.  Usually there are real estate listings of a variety of residential and commercial properties in various states of repair all across the country.  Would you like to own an 1780 inn in Virginia?  How about a cabin in the wilds of Upper Michigan?  Some properties are being sold for a song and you have to relocate them.

What caught my eye were the lighthouses.  You can actually buy a lighthouse from the US government at https://realestatesales.gov

The US government holds online auctions and anyone can buy a lighthouse.  Some of the already sold ones have onsite apartments for you to live in..  Some still contain navigational safety equipment that will continue to operate even after you purchase it.

Take for example Greens Ledge Light Station . https://realestatesales.gov/gsaauctions/aucitsrh/?sl=BOSTN116008001

"Greens Ledge Light Station (1902) is an offshore sparkplug style light and an active navigational aid marking the entrance to Norwalk Harbor and Greens Ledge. It is at the southwest end of the Norwalk Islands, a mile south of the entrance to Five Mile River at Rowayton, Connecticut.
The cast iron tower is 52 feet tall with four interior stories including a brick basement and cistern.  The interior is lined with brick to strengthen the tower, which was built on a cast iron foundation with a concrete caisson.  The fourth floor has six porthole windows.  The watch room/lantern room measures seven feet in diameter"

The Lantern Room?  How incredibly romantic. The seven feet in diameter could be problematic. Not sure about the logistics of getting back and forth to civilization--for groceries and to return your library books.  Never mind.  I am keeping my eyes open for one with really good foghorns...
 

 

The Stuff Dreams are Made Of...

Food with Friends, The Art of Simple Gatherings is a new cookbook by writer and photographer Leela Cyd.

The photography is stunning.  The recipes are creative.  Too bad I do not have friends who would enjoy this type of food.

The cookbook has beautiful and luscious photos throughout.  The recipes focus on sweets, many have ingredients that are not found at your average Kroger and have a decidedly feminine feel to them--the stuff of cooking fantasies.  Think lots of PINK.

A few recipes to peruse--Sugar Cookies with Edible Flowers, Lemon Lavender French Toast, Rhubarb Rose Floats (be sure and make the candied rose petals!),  and Pistachio Rose Clouds.  Not the stuff of your backyard BBQ.  Or on the food palettes of any men I know.

The author explains that these are special recipes to make for friends that will make them feel special.  What friend would not feel special with a recipe containing bee pollen???  I can see these special treats being made for girls' tea party birthday party.  Why not give Think Pink Faloodas a try?

Ms. Cyd does not fill the book with photos of herself like other cookbook authors do--her food and photos shine.  Would I love to have time to try some of the recipes?  You Bet!!  Would I love to shop in a grocery that stocks Nigella seeds??--but alas!

This would make a lovely coffee table book--and a fine page through on a cold winter day when  you are eager to welcome spring.

Thank you to Blogging For Books who provided me with a copy for this review.

Another Trip To Odana Antiques

The summer has a been a great selling time Odana.  Trust me--this mall is the best in the midwest--and the amount of items brought in daily by the front door equals the amount of items sold out the back loading dock.

 Ooops. Too late.  This danish style teak and leather chair sold this morning.

Marked Old Hickory of Indiana three piece porch set--all original and sound.

One of two cinnabar colored chinese cabinet doors that look great hung on a wall.

 Many styles that work together.

Heading up this week again--you never know what you will find.  Ask for Little Bohemia Antiques--Booth 33.  Thanks for looking.

Ranier Cherry Season

Enough said.......mortgage your house and buy some before they disappear....