Today, I began my cooking apprenticeship in a 19th century Creole kitchen. I woke up early this morning and drove all the way out to Magnolia Mound Plantation in Baton Rouge, LA where I met Jeanne, Susan, and Wendy - the three cooks I would be learning from. Jeanne and Susan have been cooking at the Magnolia Mound kitchen for 26 years. Wendy, Susan's daughter, began joining them this past October.
They were dressed in historically appropriate clothing...I was not. My lack of historic costume, however, did not prevent them from welcoming me into their workspace. Today, I took on the role of the "fire boy" - e.g. the person who tends the fire, maintains a consistent flame, and shovels out coals for "down hearth" cooking that requires less heat.
Today, we used a reflective oven (or American Oven) to cook pork in a rotisserie style. The metal shield (with a rotisserie rod running through it) is snuggled close to the open flame and reflects the heat to cook the meat on the side not facing the fire.
The pork turned out beautifully - slightly smoky, very moist. YUM!
We also made bean soup (in a big cauldron) and a cherry cobbler today. We didn't have time to bake the cobbler on site, but we did prepare the sauce in a dutch oven "down hearth." Jeanne explains the general cooking techniques of the Magnolia Mound staff, including "down hearth" cooking, in this video:
Here is a view of the plantation home and detached kitchen from the garden (we harvested bay leaves, rosemary, carrots, and broccoli today).
Here I am at the hearth (!):
They were dressed in historically appropriate clothing...I was not. My lack of historic costume, however, did not prevent them from welcoming me into their workspace. Today, I took on the role of the "fire boy" - e.g. the person who tends the fire, maintains a consistent flame, and shovels out coals for "down hearth" cooking that requires less heat.
Today, we used a reflective oven (or American Oven) to cook pork in a rotisserie style. The metal shield (with a rotisserie rod running through it) is snuggled close to the open flame and reflects the heat to cook the meat on the side not facing the fire.
The pork turned out beautifully - slightly smoky, very moist. YUM!
We also made bean soup (in a big cauldron) and a cherry cobbler today. We didn't have time to bake the cobbler on site, but we did prepare the sauce in a dutch oven "down hearth." Jeanne explains the general cooking techniques of the Magnolia Mound staff, including "down hearth" cooking, in this video:
Here is a view of the plantation home and detached kitchen from the garden (we harvested bay leaves, rosemary, carrots, and broccoli today).
Here I am at the hearth (!):
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