Professor Butter Beard’s “St. Jerome in his Study”
“My imagination is a monastery, and I am its monk.” - John Keats, English poet
It was this very time of year, more than a few moons ago, when I packed my laptop and thick sweaters and moved to London to complete my master’s degree in Early European Art. I said my temporary goodbyes to my partner and my dogs, my gardens and my kitchen (and private bathroom) and embarked on an adventure that would open my life beyond my wildest dreams. I was able to secure lodgings and membership within Goodenough College located in Mecklenburgh Square two blocks from the British Museum. There I stayed, in one room with a single bed, a tiny refrigerator and sink and a dorm room desk surrounded by books hugging me with the knowledge of Scottish Medieval Art. Although I met and cultivated friendships with the most amazing life-long companions, I enjoyed returning to my monastic cell and submerging myself into my Pictish studies.
I met Saint Jerome as I was strolling through the National Gallery on one of my first crisp autumn Sunday mornings in Trafalgar Square. I immediately connected with him in a total “love at first sight” moment. Maybe it was the mutual understanding of our similar scholastic missions, or maybe just two men looking up from their studies to catch a glimpse of beauty or let a thought dance in our minds. I remember buying a postcard of the painting immediately and pinning it above my desk for daily inspiration.
Born in 1430, Antonello da Messina was a Sicilian painter active during the Early Italian Renaissance. Scholars believe that his works show strong influences from Early Netherlandish painting (Van Eyck and Petrus Christus and their obsession with detail), although there is no documentary evidence that he ever travelled beyond Italy.
Antonello was at the height of his technical skills and artistic ability when he painted this portrait of the saint in 1475. He constructed a broad, multi-layered stage set for Jerome to inhabit, bursting with props and symbolism. Every detail is painted with precision, his skill in the oil painting technique enabling him to imitate a range of textures and finishes, paying homage to the style of his favorite Netherlandish painters while establishing his own identity as an artist.
Born one thousand years before Antonello, Jerome had an excellent education in theology and classical literature in Rome before leaving the city to escape its many temptations and travelling to Bethlehem. It is written that he lived in the desert surrounding the city for some time, famously befriending a lion, and later established a monastery where he began his work of translating the Bible from Greek into Latin. The artist created a solitary Gothic cathedral-like space for Jerome’s studies while at the same time inviting the viewer to peek into his world, like looking into a doll’s house. The study’s shelves are lined with Jerome’s worldly possessions including books, both open and closed, ceramics and miniature paintings (much like my study in Mecklenburgh Square). The ledge, separating the viewer from the saint and his domain, is guarded by two birds: a partridge, which symbolizes truth, and a peacock, symbolizing immortality. The lion in the shadows to the right of the saint is forever grateful for the removal of the thorn from his paw and has vowed to follow St. Jerome around for the rest of his life, like a house cat.
I also remember my first date with the saint for another reason. Upon my return to Goodenough that afternoon, I was surprised to find a welcome bag of treats at my door from my mentors. It included some teas and cheeses and to my overwhelming joy, a bag of apple cider donuts with a note reading “just in case you are missing your New Jersey apples.” That kindness forever entwined the saint with autumn and crisp apples and perfectly fried donuts. Love at first bite.
Autumn Spiced Apple Cider Donuts
Two dozen donuts (or more depending on the size of your donut cutter)
Ingredients
¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature or a bit warmer
1 cup plus 6 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided
4 Tbsp honey
4 tsp active dry yeast
6 ¾ to 7 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup apple cider, room temperature
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs, room temperature
Autumn spice mix (1 Tbsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp ground clove and ½ tsp grated nutmeg)
1 Tbsp kosher salt
Canola (or vegetable) oil for frying
1) In a standing mixer, stir together with the paddle – the warm buttermilk, 2 Tbsp of the granulated sugar, the honey and the yeast. Let stand until foamy (about 10 minutes).
2) Add 3 cups of the all-purpose flour, the cider, the melted butter, the eggs, half of your Autumn spice mix, the salt and 4 Tbsp of the granulated sugar. On low, beat until just combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat 1 minute.
3) Switch to the dough hook and add 3 ½ cups more of the all-purpose flour. Beat on medium speed until dough is soft and slightly sticky and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Add up to ½ cup more flour (only if necessary – depending on the day’s humidity).
4) Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl, turning to grease the entire surface. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled – about one hour.
5) Cut 24 4x4” squares of parchment paper and space them, nine to a tray, on cookie sheets. Spray the parchment square with cooking spray.
6) Punch done the dough and roll to a ¾” thickness. Cut with a donut cutter dipped in flour (saving the holes to reroll for more donuts). Place each donut on a prepared parchment square. Reroll the scraps, let sit for five minutes and then cut as many donuts as you can. Do not reroll a third time (they will be too tough).
7) Pour the oil into a large pan to a height of 4”. Heat the oil to 365-370 degrees.
8) In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup granulated sugar and all the remaining Autumn spice mix.
9) Pick up the donuts by the individual squares and fry (four at a time) until golden, about 1 minute per side. Be careful not to let the parchment touch the oil. Using a spider strainer, lift out the fried doughnuts and let drain and cool on paper towel lined sheet trays.
10) While the donuts are still hot, toss them in the sugar spice mix to cover and let cool to room temperature on the wire racks.
Detail of the lion in “St Jerome in his Study”
