Digest

There is perhaps no more visually eloquent expression of Victorian sensibility than the delightful combination of eternal resting place and pleasure ground. Situated outside of urban centers, the 19th century rural cemetery was more than a place to bury the dead - it was a parkland, a place for picnics and idylls, family outings and lovers' trysts, and an open-air art gallery open to everyone.

As passionate devotees of the resonant conversation between the beautiful and the melancholy, we were quite excited to hear about Albany Institute's talk this evening: Erastus Dow Palmer and the People Remembered in Stone, presented in connection with The Institute's current exhibition Your Friend, Frederic Church. This evening, Dr. Lynn Radlick will discuss the work of Palmer - carpenter, cameo carver, and one of the nineteenth century's most celebrated sculptors, exploring his enduring legacy through the memorials he created in Albany Rural Cemetery. Her talk will blend historical and contemporary images to highlight Palmer’s artistry, the memorials he designed and the remarkable the people they commemorate. The talk is free for First Friday: Friday, August 7 at 6PM.

Dr. Radlick will also lead two special walking tours of Albany Rural Cemetery on August 16 and September 19, highlighting Palmer's sculptures and his final resting place. 

If you'd like your own piece of the afterlife, we've just listed two lovely Victorian marble grave ornaments. Come by this weekend to see them in the shop or find them here online.

Amidst the sea of egregious design we inherited from the Industrial Revolution, William Morris has long been the standard bearer for the handmade and the unpretentious; the artist and artisan who stands as antithesis to everything about that era that feels overwrought, maudlin, false, or cheaply produced. Recently, though, we came across a collection of pieces by Christopher Dresser that made us question everything we thought we knew about late Victorian design. 

Dresser — born the same year as Morris — looked at the changes brought on by the industrial era and saw opportunity. Opportunity for elegance and beauty to come into the world at scale, into homes across the cultural and economic spectrum. His designs, based on natural geometries and inspiration from non-Western sources encountered in museums, were guided by a philosophy of Truth, Beauty, and Power. By Truth, Dresser meant honest materials — no imitation, no disguise. By Beauty, a sense of timelessness, symmetry, and balance. By Power, strength, energy, and force in form.

Dresser produced designs for wallpaper, furniture, textiles, glass, metalwork, and pottery, all with an emphasis on quality, function, and affordability. The pottery was produced by Wedgwood and Minton in Staffordshire, Linthorpe in Yorkshire, and Watcombe in Torquay, among others — drawing on shapes and patterns from pre-historic and Bronze Age artifacts and the ceramic arts of non-Western cultures, most notably Japan.

The pieces we have in the shop, (likely from Wedgwood in Staffordshire and Watcombe in Torquay, c 1872-75) are a somewhat rarer breed, with limited production in a delicate raw terracotta. Far less known even to those with a casual familiarity with Dresser, they are surviving examples of his vision for industrial design: elegant in form, rigorous in philosophy, dedicated in craft. Stop by this weekend — see them, chat with us, have a coffee, or take one home.

With the flurry of early summer events behind us, now is the time to roll the windows down, eat perfectly ripe fruit by the fistful, and spend an entire afternoon reading. Here are some things we're embracing with abandon lately:

Shaker Outpost, Chatham, NY - For the second iteration of Shaker Museum’s popular pop-up exhibition, Shaker Outpost: Paula Greif Baskets & Buckets, acclaimed ceramicist Paula Greif will create a very limited number of new pieces for sale inspired by the Shakers’ iconic baskets and buckets. While you're there, visit The Shaker General Store, a delightful small shop, curated by artist Maira Kalman, with notecards, books, textiles, handcrafted items, small design objects, accessories, and items made by local artisans for sale with proceeds benefitting Shaker Museum. 

Plums - The Hudson Valley's sleeper summer hit - the plums of New York are plump, decadent, and luscious, and you should eat as many as you possibly can. Our favorite places to shop for them are Story Farms in Catskill (Vampire Plums!), Rose Hill Farm in Red Hook (Little Rosybloom Plums!), Samascott Orchards (Prune Plums!) in Kinderhook, and Eger Brothers (Luisa Plums!) in Hudson. 

Summer Reads - In summer, we like it dark. Upstairs at the shop, we've been passing around Olivia Laing's The Silver Book, Benjamin Woods's Seascraper, and Ottessa Moshfegh's Lapvona - all available through our beloved Rensselaerville Library.

In June, we hosted Frances Palmer in the shop to show her collection of special made-for-Pidgin pottery pieces. We wanted the event to be an embodiment of that perfect high summer moment, when strawberries are deep red and dripping with juice, flowers are fragrant, greens are once again abundant, and it’s just hot enough to make a glass of something cold and sparkling truly necessary.

With a giant wheel of Jake’s Gouda as our centerpiece, the rest of the menu was easy: radishes and sweet cultured butter, sweet sugar snap peas, a mountain of berries, and an easy slab of a galette that fed a crowd and was perfect filled with Swiss Chard from the farm down the road. We’re willing to wager that this galette will work its way into many summer picnics, cocktail spreads, brunch-for-a-crowd, and - if you make the dough ahead and freeze it - for a regular Tuesday night dinner when you have an overabundance of zucchini.

Savory Slab Galette

Adapted from Food52

Galette:

2 T olive oil

Sliced onion, minced garlic, or other aromatics

Salt to taste

1 large bunch hearty greens or sauteed or roasted vegetables

1 c fresh ricotta cheese

1 c grated cheese - Gruyere, cheddar, or similar

1 egg, slightly beaten

Cornmeal Pastry:

2 ½ c (320 g) all-purpose flour

⅔ c (102 g) yellow cornmeal

2 tsp sugar

2 ½ tsp kosher salt

12 Tbs cold butter, grated on the large holes of a box grater

6 Tbs ice water

6 Tbs olive oil

Make the pastry:

Place the dry ingredients for the pastry in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the grated butter and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse, sandy crumbs. Combine the ice water and the olive oil and add to the dry ingredients. Run your fingers through the mixture until evenly distributed. 

Dump the shaggy pastry out onto the countertop or a large board, bring the mixture together, and fold a couple of times until everything comes together. Don’t overwork the dough. Shape into a rectangle about 2” thick, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Prepare the filling:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet with high sides and briefly saute the onions, garlic, or other aromatics. Add the greens or vegetables of your choice and sautee until tender (if you’re using roasted vegetables, they’ll only need to go in the pan briefly). Season to taste.

Assemble the tart: 

Preheat oven to 375. On a piece of parchment paper, roll the dough out into a rectangle about the size of your sheet pan. The dough is a bit challenging to roll, so don’t worry if you need to patch it together some as you go. Uneven and rough edges are just fine as well.

Transfer the parchment paper with the dough onto your sheet pan. Spread ricotta evenly on the dough, leaving a 3-4” border around the edges. Top with the vegetable mixture and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Using the sides of the parchment paper to help you, fold the edges of the galette inward over the top.

Brush the folded-over edges with the beaten egg. Place in the oven and bake until crust is golden and cheese is melted, about 35-45 minutes.