Former glory
July 2020 - We spent a long weekend at Raquette Lake this past week, a welcome respite from technology and a chance to catch up with extended family. This year there were twelve of us, and each night one family takes a turn cooking dinner for the others. The historic camp, which used to be listed on the National Registry (it has since been taken off to allow for modern conveniences) is one of the Great Adirondack Camps of the early 20th century. It was purchased by Eric’s great great great uncle on fire-sale after the Great Depression from a Mr. George Whalen, with all of its original contents.
It was featured in House & Garden magazine in 1919 (which I had the pleasure of reading this weekend), and based on the photos most of the home is exactly the same and beautifully preserved, from the curtains to the furniture and the servingware, including this grand dining room with its original table and chairs.
It always feels like an honor to cook and entertain in this space, so this year I brought up tablecloths and enough candles to fill the table and the mantel. The boys and our niece picked daisies and I arranged them in an antique ironstone pitcher for the centerpiece. Before dinner we served two large charcuterie boards and ghost pepper mojitos on the sun porch overlooking the lake. For dinner we served a summer penne pasta with fresh basil and chives from our garden, mozzarella balls, sundried tomatoes, spinach, caramelized shallots, marinated artichoke hearts and pan-fried organic chicken sausage. It was tossed with fresh garlic, olive oil, sea salt and grated Parmesan. As a side we enjoyed roasted asparagus. We washed it all down with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc and sat around chatting until long after the sun went down and our faces were lit only by candlelight.
The dining room and the camp itself are truly something special and we’re so fortunate to spend time there each summer. On that Friday night, surrounded by candles, good food and family, it felt like we brought back a little of its former glory.