Sunday night for me means tennis followed by “Downton Abbey.” I fantasize about having Lady Mary’s perfect and dramatic bob and her glamorous wardrobe and jewels. What would it be like to have Lady Edith’s big heart and feminist spirit? Unfortunately, I will never know.
What I do know is that after helping John Lasiter in the Shomrei kitchen, Mrs. Patmore and Daisy are more my kindred spirits. Mrs. Patmore creates a warm and nurturing environment in Downton’s kitchen. She and Daisy chat, give and take advice while they cut, chop, slice, sautee and simmer, dice, poke, peel, put pans in and take things out of the oven, prepare each dish so it is both delicious and tantalizing. There is an ebb and flow to the kitchen as the servants and occasionally the lord and ladies stream in and out.
Similarly, the Shomrei kitchen was the hub of our community for the three days preceding Shomrei Celebrates…Aileen Grossberg. Under the direction of Master Chef John, each of us became Mrs. Patmore and Daisy. Our kitchen was abuzz with excitement and activity. Helpers adhered to the schedule John had organized on-line. John’s theater training must have influenced him because it was as if we all entered and exited on cue, washing our hands and tying or untying crisp, white aprons. He gave ultimate meaning to the word “multi-tasking” as he supervised many stations around the kitchen and did much of the cooking himself.
Mrs. Patmore would have been proud. There was not an idle hand to be found, as we sautéed twenty pounds of onions, fried mushrooms, parboiled potatoes, peeled sixty pounds of carrots, sliced fifteen pounds of apples and smushed forty pounds of peas. These tasks were only a fraction of the action in the kitchen. The aroma of the zatar, thyme, parsley, dill and rosemary was intoxicating. We could not wait to behold the finished products, from hors d’oeuvres to dessert.
I’ve never seen Mrs. Patmore check her spreadsheets but John checked his periodically. Did Mrs. Patmore ever worry about finding Gruyere cheese with a hechsher? Not that I know of. But John did. Like Mrs. Patmore with the help of Daisy, John and his sous-chefs created a loving environment that warmed the kitchen and our hearts as we prepared to honor our special guest, Lady Aileen!
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Very sweet Merrill thank you! It was really a pleasure working with so many nice people in the kitchen!
I love your observations! And the food was just as good as anything that came out of Downton’s kitchen…and maybe better.