Professor Butter Beard and Frans Hals’ “Portrait of Catharina Hooft and her Nurse”
“Sunrise paints the sky with pinks and the sunset with peaches. Cool to warm. So is the progression from childhood to old age.”
- Vera Nazarian, “The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration”
The first summer peaches have arrived at the farmer’s markets. And I agree with Vera. The color, aroma and memories of ripe summer peaches have travelled with me throughout this human journey. I remember vividly the gentle family teasing when I begged for “peach frozen custard in a cone” every time on those hot summer nights at Strickland’s Soft Serve. I can still taste Mrs. Morrow’s still warm and fragrant peach pies which she served swimming in her home-churned vanilla ice cream. I would watch in wonder as the church ladies gossiped and giggled as they canned jar after jar of summer peaches to be stored in the dark forbidden (and forever tempting) spaces in the old church. I remember my first taste of peach sorbet in Paris, sitting on the bank of the river absorbing the sunset and its reflection in the ripples. And, even more soulful are the memories of friends, who before they passed during the AIDS crisis, asked for spoonful’s of fresh peaches to trigger flashes of their happiest moments. Peaches are gifts of captured sunshine.
This week I spent time with my artist friend Frans Hals the Elder. His portraits are full of pure honest warmth and joy and the human love of life. I returned again and again to his “Portrait of Catharina Hooft and her Nurse.” Both women, young and old, smile at the viewer with their perfectly round peach-colored cheeks and dancing eyes, inviting you into their intimate space filled with wonder and joy.
A young child and her nurse is a subject rarely seen in portraiture. Catharina, born in Amsterdam in December of 1618, is the only child of the lawyer Pieter Hooft and Geertruyd Overlander. Shortly after Catharina’s baptism, in January of 1619, the Hooft family left for Haarlem, where Hals made this portrait, probably commissioned for the young girl’s first birthday. During the 17th century, this was the age at which a child parted company with his or her nurse. Yet, this relationship often lasted a lifetime, as is clear from wills that include bequests to children’s old nurses. That Hals should be asked to create this double portrait underscores the special role of this anonymous nurse in the Hooft family’s household.
Art and fashion historians agree the nurse’s black clothing and flat ruff were old-fashioned by 1620, and note that the same applies to her cap, a style that had been popular ten years earlier. This is in such contrast to the sumptuous attire of the child, who is dressed like a princess. Her flat collar is the latest French fashion and is trimmed with expensive lace, which has also been used on her cuffs, cap and “feitel,” or little bib. Her privileged circumstances are lavishly reflected in her billowing dress, richly decorated with floral and vine motifs, and her gold brocade cap, her gold bracelets and necklace, and even her elaborately sculpted gold rattle. From the length of her skirt, historians conclude that Catharina was not yet able to walk on her own when this portrait was painted. And this theory is further confirmed by the two “leading reigns” (think of them as antique bungee cords) that hang down the back of her dress.
The exquisite double portrait exudes a wonderfully relaxed, playful atmosphere. The nurse smiles with such a kindly loving presence, which somewhat encourages Catharina’s mischievous gaze. But it is those cheeks! They swell with joy, compassion and sunshine – much like ripe summer peaches.
I brought home dozens of the market peaches this morning and before noon most of them were cooked into a glossy glowing jam fragrant with the addition of fresh rosemary and vanilla beans. But I made sure to save enough of them to bake into a summer pie with a brocaded (ok, latticed) crystallized ginger crust. I have recently developed an addiction to Chai spice, a mix of ginger, cardamon, cinnamon, salt and freshly-ground black pepper, and a couple teaspoons of this combination subtly warms the peaches with just the right amount of mystery and radiating heat. Enjoy and celebrate local peaches while they are here and preserve a few any way you can. You never know when you may crave a burst of captured peach sunshine.
Chai-Spiced Fresh Peach Pie
One double-crust pie
Your favorite two-crust pie dough recipe (I have a couple on this site)
Chai Spice Mix:
2 Tbsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp ground cardamom
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1 tsp fine sea salt
For the peach filling:
5-6 cups of sliced peaches (I leave the skins on)
1 cup granulated sugar (plus 1 Tbsp to sprinkle over pie before baking)
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp Chai Spice Mix
1 tsp vanilla paste
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Egg wash – 1 large egg whisked together with 2 Tbsp water
1) Prepare your pie pastry, divide in half, wrap each in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour.
2) Whisk together your Chai Spice Mix and pour into a small glass jar with a lid. You will want to use it again and again.
3) Slice your peaches and place them in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cornstarch, and 2 tsp of the Chai Spice Mix.
4) Heat your oven to 400 degrees.
5) Roll out the first of your doughs to fit your chosen pie dish. Place in the dish leaving at least a one-inch overhang.
6) Roll out the second dough to a circle two inches larger than the top of your pie dish. Cut into 14 long slices.
7) Add the dry mix to the peaches and fold to fully combine. Fold in the vanilla paste. Spoon the peach filling into your pie dish and dot with the pieces of butter.
8) Lattice the top crust and fold the edges under. Whisk together the egg wash and paint the top crust. Sprinkle the top with the additional 1 Tbsp granulated sugar.
9) Bake for fifteen minutes to set the crust. Lower the oven temperature to 350 and bake for an additional 40-45 minutes until the juices are bubbly and the crust is golden brown.
10) Cool the pie on a wire rack for at least one hour before serving.
