April 30, 2023 Lunch - Blue Mountain Bistro-to-Go, Dinner - Venison Stew
We woke up around 8:00 after a good night’s sleep. It is amazing how well one can sleep with the soft litter patter of rain on the roof of one’s warm cabin in the woods.
Luke went to teach a class at his new spiritual center in Kingston named “The Node” and we turned our attention to breakfast. Rather than cook we elected to heat three more pain au chocolate. This time to try to keep them from charring black, which we did by watching them to stop the heat before they burned. The result was quite good. They did not puff, but the butter melted and they became slightly flaky. Suzette ate one and I ate two with cups of hot green tea.
When Luke returned at 11:30 we drove a short distance on a back road to a small commercial zone on Hwy. 28 to the Blue Mountain Bistro-to-Go for what Luke suggested would be a quick meal, as he was hungry.
We looked at the offerings and all decided one one of the prepared mini Quiches, Luke took a cheddar and broccoli and a side of Hoisin grilled Brussels sprouts and Suzette and I chose Quiche Lorraine with ham. Suzette also ordered a side of eggplant caponade.
After our quiches were heated we sat in the small dining area and ate our meal.
We then drove to Hudson on the Hudson to a huge antiques Mall where we looked for a desk for Luke.
We found several but not a keeper after walking for about an hour through the cavernous building that must have once upon a time served as a industrial plant.
We had a reservation to tour Olana, Frederic Church’s home perched on the top of a hill with a view in both directions of the Hudson just south of Hudson.
On the way to Olana we stopped at the Smokehouse of the Catskills, near Saugerties, where we bought a lb. of venison Kielbasa sausage and 1/4 lb. of goose and duck pate’.
Today was a great day of walking for me. Not only did I walk for about an hour through the antique mall. I also toured Olana, walking from the parking lot down a flight of steps to the Visitors Center, up to hill to the house and through the large house.
The house was impressive, as was the 250 acre property with its own five acre lake. In the 1850s Church was America’s most famous artist who sold paintings for up to $10,000 each. He also was born into a wealthy Connecticut commercial family, so he had the means in 1870 to assemble the land and build Olana.
What is unique about the house is it is exactly as Church left it upon his death. His son did not sell any objects and in the 1960s, thanks to Governor Nelson Rockefeller, who knew something about family wealth and historic preservation, facilitated the State of New York buying the house with Church’s entire private collection of art, personal objects, and paintings intact and turning it into a State Historical Park.
We toured the first floor that included the foyer, the dining room, several terraces with amazing views of the Hudson River Valley, his studio, a room of old master works, and butler’s pantry and bathrooms added in 1888.
There was a five mile carriage route that encircled the property and provided access to the house and gardens but no tours of it due to the rain.
After the tour Luke drove us back to his house by way of Route 9 on the east side of the Hudson to the Rip Van Winkle Bridge where we crossed to Kingston and Route 28.
When we returned at 5:15 Suzette and I started dinner while Luke took a short nap.
I diced two red potatoes, three cloves of garlic, the dozen cippolini onions, dozen of cremini mushrooms, and 1/2 of of the venison Kielbasa sausage.
Suzette started cooking the stew by boiling and then Sautéing the cippolini onions and removing them from the large enameled casserole. She then sautéed the venison stew meat dusted with flour, the kielbasa, mushrooms, and garlic. Then she added a cup of water with a T. of tomato paste stirred in and 1/2 of red wine and the potatoes and carrots and returned the onions and cooked the stew for 45 minutes.
Luke sliced slices of bread and I poured wine and Luke ladled stew into bowls and we ate a lovely dinner.
The wine was a Rioja Reserva that scored 93 points on Wine Enthusiast.
I ate the last few pieces of chocolate covered orange peel with green tea for dessert.
Bon Appetit
No comments:
Post a Comment