Professor Butter Beard’s “Luncheon of the Boating Party”
“With many a smile Miss Lavish produced two of those mackintosh squares that protect the frame of the tourist from damp grass or cold marble steps. She sat on one; who was to sit on the other?
"Lucy; without a moment's doubt, Lucy,” answered Charlotte. “The ground will do for me. Really I have not had rheumatism for years. If I do feel it coming on I shall stand. Imagine your mother's feelings if I let you sit in the wet in your white linen." She sat down heavily where the ground looked particularly moist. "Here we are, all settled delightfully. Even if my dress is thinner it will not show so much, being brown.” She cleared her throat. "Now don't be alarmed; this isn't a cold. It's the tiniest cough, and I have had it three days. It's nothing to do with sitting here at all."
There was only one way of treating the situation. At the end of five minutes Lucy departed in search of Mr. Beebe and Mr. Eager, vanquished by the mackintosh square.” – E.M. Forster, “Room With a View”
My favorite picnic in literature (well, at least one of my top fifteen!) Tis the season of picnics with woven blankets spread on the clover, aromas of cured meat sandwiches and pesto pasta salads, ripe berries and cake. There must always be cake. I inherited my grandmother’s picnic basket, and it has journeyed with me to evenings on the Tanglewood lawn listening to the Boston Philharmonic play Bach, a luscious afternoon in Northampton being serenaded by Alison Krauss on her first tour, and most recently, in the gardens of the Grounds for Sculpture sitting alongside Seward Johnson’s life-size recreation of Renoir’s “Luncheon of the Boating Party.”
Renoir began this work late in the summer of 1880 and wrote, “I’m at Chatou. I’m doing a picture of boaters which I’ve been itching to do for a long time. I’m getting a little old and I didn’t want to postpone this little party. One must from time to time try things beyond one’s strength.”
“Luncheon of the Boating Party” is set on the terrace of the restaurant Maison Fournaise on the island of Chatou in the Seine. Renoir’s friends and models are relaxing on the balcony soaking in a glorious afternoon alongside the river. The luncheon has just ended and Renoir's future wife, Aline Charigot, is in the foreground playing with a small dog, an affenpinscher. The painter and art patron, Gustave Caillebotte, is seated in the lower right, straddling his chair as he takes in the beauty of Aline. The owner of the restaurant’s son Alphonse Fournaise, Jr., and daughter Louise-Alphonsine lean seductively against the patio’s railing in their traditional straw boaters, absorbing all the celebrities and their conversations.
Former boat carpenter Alphonse Fournaise, Sr. and his wife, a seasoned cook, opened the inn and restaurant in 1857 and it is still in operation today. Beyond its idyllic location and exquisite cuisine, Renoir was particularly interested in the site for its people-watching and artistic potential. “You could find me any time at Fournaise's,” he wrote. “There, I was fortunate enough to find as many splendid creatures as I could possibly desire to paint.”
I am imaging that Alphonse would choose to serve his artistic guests a classic Vanilla Savarin for dessert. The syrup-soaked cake garnished with chantilly crème and fresh berries would perfectly compliment the ample wine and fruit already set on the sun-soaked terrace table. I bake mine as individual portions, soak them with a rose syrup and serve them with strawberries fresh from the morning’s farmer’s market. Who really wants to share dessert? Plan a picnic, and don’t forget your mackintosh squares and cake.
French Vanilla and Rose Savarins
6 individual savarins
Savarins:
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp instant yeast
4 large eggs, room temperature
¼ cup warm buttermilk (105-110 degrees F)
2 tsp vanilla paste
1 tsp kosher salt
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (plus 2 Tbsp melted to prep the pan)
Rose Syrup:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
2 Tbsp rose water
1) Make the rose syrup. In a small saucepan, combine the water and sugar and slowly bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally. Remove from the heat, let cool ten minutes and whisk in the rose water. Set aside.
2) In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and yeast. Set aside
3) In the bowl of a standing mixer using the paddle, mix together in this order: the eggs, warm buttermilk, vanilla paste and salt. Add the flour mixture, beating at medium speed until a smooth thick batter forms. Add the butter in tsp-size portions and beat on high speed until fully incorporated and the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Turn the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled (about one hour).
4) Prep the mini-bundt pan by brushing the wells with the 2 Tbsp melted butter.
5) Turn the dough onto a smooth surface and divide into six portions (they will roughly weigh 6 ounces each). With your hands, roll each portion into a six-inch thick log and please each log within the individual bundt well. Pinch the end together and press the dough down until it evenly fills the well. Cover the pan with the same cloth and let rise for 30 minutes.
6) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
7) Bake the savarins for 20-22 minutes, until just golden. Remove them from the oven and let them sit in the pans for ten minutes. Gently remove them from the pan and place them on a wire rack with the ridged side upward. Brush them with the rose syrup until they will absorb no more.
8) Serve with whipped (or chantilly) cream and the freshest berries you can find.
