Month: June 2011

The style of architecture called ‘Bauhaus’ in Europe was also referred to as ‘International’ here in the US.  I think the main thing was that it fell under the ‘Modernist’ umbrella and just helped people envision these particular characteristics better…things like horizontal lines, no fussy ornamentation, cantilevered construction. I’ve seen different dates for when the International style started and ‘ended’ but it was mostly between the ’20s and ’50s.

The Grove Court Apartment building in Montgomery is an example of the International style, and was put on the 2009 Alabama Places in Peril list.  The last time we were in town, we drove over to see:

This is how the state described it for their ‘Places in Peril’ listing:
Constructed in 1947 by local architect Clyde Pearson, Grove Court stands out in the capitol city as a rare example of the International Style. Melanie Betz, architectural historian for the AHC remarks, “Its long rectilinear form, taut plane surfaces devoid of ornamentation, brick and concrete construction, flat roof, cantilever balconies, corner windows and bands of metal casement windows are hallmarks of the style.”


Despite the high level of integrity, the apartments are today in a deplorable condition. The complex had been under contract in 2007 by investors wanting to renovate it into condos, but this promising deal fell through before anything got started.


Now open to vagrants and the elements, and with a demolition notice looming from the city, the future of Grove Court is very much in peril. The current owners now have it on the market. With new ownership and a new renovation plan, this “recent past” landmark in Montgomery may ultimately be saved.

The building is in a “U” shape — you can see walkways through the trees, and how this area served as a courtyard:

There were 54 one-bedroom, and 27 two-bedroom units.  And these trumpet vines are going to take over.

The Advertiser has their own gallery of Grove Court also.

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The Fagus Factory in Germany that was designed by Walter Gropius (one of the founders of the Bauhaus/International style) was recently inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.  I could spend all day looking at the entire list.

Well, for a long time I’ve had a thing for decorated houses.  Not like decorator’s showplace homes or that sort of thing, but, well, you know…

There’s Bette Mott’s gingerbread house in McComb:

Those hearts in her driveway are the best:

Graceland Too in Holly Springs:

This house in B’ham:

…I could go on forever.  This one we found in Clarksdale MS:

The tree in the front yard is painted with stripes:

The driveway reads:
“Mad About G-d
Treat Everbidy Right
Falling In Love With Jesus”


You know these are good people.  Only good people would write a hopeful message of their beliefs on a driveway.

Since we were in Vicksburg for Memorial Day Weekend, we found Old Douglas.

Well, he’s actually not there, but there’s a marker for him:

It reads:
“Old Douglas” was the “faithful, patient’ camel of the 43rd MS Infantry Vols, CSA…

From what I’ve read, he wasn’t crazy about being tied up so the soldiers would let him roam around, but he never left the area where they would camp.  He was a useful pack animal and was loved.

Douglas was killed in Vicksburg…when the 43rd MS Infantry Vols came to Vicksburg with him, a Union Army sharpshooter killed the camel under orders.  Not nice.

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For whatever reason when I was looking this up earlier, I found an AP article that came out this month about the largest population of wild camels on earth (go ahead & guess where you think it is!  no it’s not there — I totally got it wrong too).  There are 1.2 million (million!!) wild camels in Australia.  Australia!  I know.  And this is what the AP says the government there wants to do about it.

Dear Vanessa Reilly, how smart of you to style your listing in an appropriate, Mid-Century Mod way! Bravo.  Love it.

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There are an estimated 200,000 oil paintings in the UK national collection — that is, in museums and publicly-funded institutions — and the goal is to catalog them all on this BBC site called ‘Your Paintings’.  About 63,000 are online now.

This is how art that belongs to the people should be: widely and easily accessible.

The NYT did an article earlier this month about the Metropolitan Museum of Art there upping their admission from $20/pp to $25.  The concept that museums, like libraries, be free to the public was briefly touched upon.      They also made this graph to show what New York museums charge now and what it was back in 2001.  Interesting.

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This weekend is the Gowanus Jell-o Mold Competition in NYC.  Can’t wait to see what people bring!  Here are some pics from last year: 1, 2, 3.  I don’t think she competes, but the Jello Mold Mistress of Brooklyn makes lovely things all year.  Jello shots really aren’t my thing, but these look so fun for Super Bowl parties and these are positively lady-like!

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Yessss to this article about Alice Lee, sister of Nelle. Like “Atticus Finch in a skirt”: wonderful!

When we got back from vacation, where I saw that beautiful patisserie book and checked out one here, one of the recipes was for something called a Fraisier.  The nice thing about the book was that it not only featured and had pictures from inside those gorgeous shops, the shops had shared some of their recipes.

The shop that made the Fraisier was Stohrer , the oldest patisserie in Paris.  The founder, Stohrer, was the personal patisseir to Louis XV’s wife, Marie, since 1725.  When Marie married Louix XV, he became the court’s top pastry chef until he left to open his own shop on rue Montorgueil.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

When I saw the picture of the Fraisier in the book, I just had to make it.  It was *beautiful* — and I had just made strawberry jam so I thought of a way I could incorporate the jam into the dessert.  This is the way I do recipes…not going by the original recipe but changing it here and there so it reflects what I know or are familiar with.  If you have interest in making the Stohrer version of a Fraisier, it’s on page 29.  This is my version:

Ingredients:
Biscuit Genoise
5 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
just shy of 1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ground almonds

Creme Au Beurre
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
3 large egg whites
1-1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar

Also:
strawberry jam, about 1/2 to 2/3 cup
strawberries — approximately 10-12 large, maybe more/less

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375*.
Prepare a standard-size jelly roll pan with parchment paper lining the bottom, and butter the sides.
I could not find ground almonds at my grocery store, so I purchased blanched almonds and simply ground them fine with my hand blender.
In a small/medium pan, I put some water on to simmer, and above that in the pan (but not touching the water) my Kitchenaid stand mixer bowl.
Inside the Kitchenaid bowl, place the sugar and eggs and whisk over the simmering pan of water about four minutes so that it is fluffy.
Put the Kitchenaid bowl back into the mixer and let the machine beat the eggs/sugar further on medium speed for another eight minutes.  This will make the mixture even fluffier.
In another bowl, combine the flour and almonds.  Now add that to the bowl with eggs/sugar.
Pour the batter into the prepared jelly roll pan making sure it is nice and even, and place into the 375* oven.
Bake for 12-18 minutes until it is a nice golden yellow.

While the batter is cooking, make the creme au beurre (butter cream).
In a saucepan, mix together the sugar and water, and bring it up to soft ball stage (I always stop at 238*).
While that is coming up to temperature, in a Kitchenaid bowl, beat the egg whites until they are almost stiff.
Once the syrup is at temp, while the Kitchenaid is still going, pour in the hot liquid and confectioner’s sugar, and keep the Kitchenaid going until the mixture is nice and fluffy and cooled down to room temperature.
Now add in the butter a bit at a time until well incorporated.
Note: if the butter cream seems a bit too ‘loose’ feel free to add extra confectioner’s sugar while mixing to keep it nice and together.
Put this butter cream into a large Ziploc bag.  Put in the refrigerator to keep it cool until ready to use.

When the biscuit genoise is ready, take it out of the oven, cut it down the center to make two equal pieces:

Now place one half of the biscuit genoise on top of the other, and cut off all edges so they are perfectly even. Take the top half of the pastry off and put away for a moment.  Now spread 1/2 the strawberry jam evenly over all the top:

Cut the tops off the strawberries, then cut them in half lengthwise.  Now place them in this fashion so their cut surface is facing out:

Take the butter cream out of the refrigerator, cut off the tip of the bottom of one side of the Ziploc, and pipe half the butter cream over the strawberries:

Ooooh yum!

Place the other half of the biscuit genoise on top, spread with the rest of the strawberry jam, then once again with the rest of the buttercream, and top with a pretty strawberry…

Perfect for a happy picnic here at home!

One of the favorite desserts I’ve made ever.

Saw this in Greenwood (MS) — Christmas car: