June's Full Moon or: An Intimate Summer Solstice Tea Party

Minutes after the wee small hour of midnight last night, the moon was at its fullest, as well as being the lowest full moon in the sky all year. I read that the Algonquin Indian tribe knew it was the time of year to gather strawberries and thus the name Strawberry Moon, as the June moon is commonly known. It was a bright night and I went a walking.....

The idea of celebrating summer solstice* this year in an intimate setting came to me when my gaze fell upon a magenta glass vase full of peonies against the verdant forest background at the house of my friend, Mary. I asked her if she was up for a gathering with me providing, so here is a dress rehearsal with some ideas to share and plenty of time to spare, should you like to do something too and enjoy the afternoon as the moon climbs in the sky.

Thank you Mary!

A simple tea was decided upon for a very small group of women appreciative of the pagan rites of this glorious marking of summer's longest day. I immediately think of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, with Puck sauntering among the fairies, or a crazy all-nighter in 1970 at Stonehenge when you could wander, climb boulders, dance in the circle with Hippie druids fulfilling their fantasies from myths and legends, the Bacchanalian* nights of lusty hearty delight, or the star gazers of Babylon, calculating the constellations of the heavens. One of the loveliest things that comes to mind is a scene from Dodie Smith's novel, turned into an enchanting film, I Capture the Castle, when Cassandra Mortmain, played by Ramola Garai, dances around a summer's solstice fire she has built shouting to the treetops and flames. 

I made quintessential scones (of course), a highly seductive Orange Genoese cake (recipe follows at the end) and an unusual banana bread with coconut and chocolate chips that my daughter ameliorated from a standard recipe. Tea to start but when twilight wanes, as occasions like this are want to do, I suggest pulling out a bottle of chilled Chateau de Mirambeau's dry white Bordeaux with essence of bewitchery. Light the fire, take off your shoes and Dance to the Music of Time***.

Fin.


&

* sum•mer sol•stice

noun

the solstice that marks the onset of summer, at the time of the longest day, about June 21 in the northern hemisphere and December 22 in the southern hemisphere.

• Astronomy the solstice in June. - on line Mac dictionary

** bac•cha•na•li•an |ˌbäkəˈnālyən; -ˈnālēən; ˌbakə-|

adjective

characterized by or given to drunken revelry; riotously drunken : a bacchanalian orgy.

- on line Mac dictionary

*** A Dance to the Music Of Time was originally a painting by Nicolas Pousiin (1634-1636), now at the Wallace Collection, later the title was adapted as a series of novels well worth reading, set In mid-century Britain by Anthony Powell.

Recipe:

Orange Genoese Sponge 
from Konditor and Cook, in London, England 

with notes or modifications by myself

6 Medium eggs, separated

pinch of salt

¾ Cup superfine sugar (you can cuisinart it if need be)

grated zest of 2 oranges (or lemons)

1 Cup flour, then sifted, plus extra for dusting

1 Teaspoon baking powder

6 Tablespoons salted butter melted and cooled

Base-line a 10” greased cake pan with parchment paper. Grease with butter and dust with flour

Put the egg whites and salt in a large clean bowl. (wipe with a little lemon juice or vinegar) I find just making sure it is clean is fine.

Using an electric mixer, beat at slow speed to break up egg whites, change gradually to a higher setting, adding 2 Tablespoons of the sugar. Continue beating and adding sugar until 2/3 of the sugar is used. At this stage the egg white should have good volume and hold stiff peaks (very stiff).

Add remaining sugar, egg yolks and orange zest. Using large metal spoon, gently fold in the flour and baking powder in 3 batches, moving the spoon through he middle to combine any pockets of flour that remain unmixed.

Slowly pour the butter over the surface of the mixture and gently fold in, cutting though the mixture with a large metal spoon to retain as much air as possible. Spoon the sponge mixture into the baking pan, bake on the middle rack of a preheated oven at 350 for about 25 minutes. The center is cooked if the surface springs back when lightly pressed. To double check, insert a skewer and make sure it comes up clean or with a few crumbs attached. Let cool, then turn out onto a cooling rack.

I whip cream and sugar fruit, such as raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. To sugar fruit, whip egg white with a little salt, set aside. Put some super fine sugar on a plate. Have a baking sheet ready with a piece of parchment paper on it. Gently roll clean and dried fruit firstly in egg whites and then in sugar and place on parchment paper to dry well, several hours. The fruit becomes crusty on the outside, retaining the juice within. This makes for a lovely decoration on whipped cream. I add mint leaves from the garden and in summer in lieu of berries, edible flowers makes a lovely décor. 

Yum!