Saints, Feast, Family
- Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring -
September 18
Saint of the day:
Saint Richardis
Patron Saint of protection against fire
Saint Richardis’ Story
Life
She was born in Alsace, the daughter of Erchanger, count of the Nordgau, of the family of the Ahalolfinger. She married Charles in 862 and was crowned with him in Rome by Pope John VIII in 881. The marriage was childless.
Charles' reign was marked by internal and external strife, caused primarily by the constant plundering of Norman raiders on the northern French coast. These attacks had intensified as the aggressors, no longer content to pillage the coastline, had moved their attentions to cities and towns along the rivers. The Carolingian world was unable to effectively deal with these external threats.
By 887, Charles appears to have succumbed to fits of madness. During this crisis, Richardis attempted to rule in her husband's stead, but was unsuccessful. In an effort to bring down the over-powerful and hated Liutward, Charles' archchancellor, he and Richardis were accused by Charles and his courtiers of adultery. Charles asserted that their marriage was unconsummated and demanded a divorce. She was put to the ordeal by fire, which she passed successfully.
Protected by her family, she then withdrew to Andlau Abbey, which she had founded on her ancestral lands in 880, and where her niece Rotrod was abbess. (Richardis herself was previously lay abbess of religious houses at Säckingen and Zurich). She died at Andlau on 18 September and was buried there.
The Legend of Richardis
After her lifetime, a legend grew up around the life of Richardis. The legend relates that, despite being a virtuous wife, her husband continued to accuse her of misconduct. This he did for over ten years. In a bid to assure him of her innocence, she finally assented to an ordeal by fire. Though she was barefoot and wearing a shirt covered in wax, the flames nevertheless refused to touch her. Disheartened by her husband's continued mistrust, Richardis left the imperial palace and wandered into the forest. There she was visited by an angel, who ordered her to found a convent in a certain spot, which a bear would indicate to her. In Val d'Eleon, at the banks of the river, she saw a bear scratching in the dirt. There she built the abbey of Andlau.
An alternative legend recounts that Richardis found the mother bear grieving over her dead cub in the forest. When Richardis held the cub, it returned to life. After the working of this miracle, both mother and cub remained devoted to the saint for the rest of their lives.
However, the abbey had already been founded seven years before her divorce from Charles the Fat, and the area had long been associated with the bear. Incorporating the mythos of the bear, the nuns at Andlau long maintained a live bear, and allowed free board and passage to passing bear-keepers. To this day images of the saint are still often accompanied by that of a bear.
Prayer:
Visit:
Andlau Abbey, Alsace, France
Recipe:
Chicken in a Cream Sauce
Paulette Blanc simple French classic, Chicken simmered in a cream sauce.
Ingredients
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4 oz unsalted butter
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4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
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1 onion quartered
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10 button mushrooms trimmed and quartered
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2 cloves garlic smashed
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1 bouquet garni
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1 cup white wine
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4 cups cream or creme fraiche
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1/2 lemon juiced
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sea salt
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black pepper
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nutmeg
Directions
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Heat butter in a large Dutch oven over high heat until bubbly and very hot. Working in batches if necessary, add the chicken, skin side
down, and cook until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
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Add onions, mushrooms, garlic, and bouquet garni and continue cooking until everything is soft, approximately 10 minutes. Deglaze with white wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the little tasty bits. Add cream and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove chicken and keep warm.
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Strain sauce, adjust seasonings with lemon juice and a few grates of nutmeg, bring back to boil then pour over chicken and enjoy.
notes: Bouquet Garnis is a collection of herbs, usually containing bay leaf and thyme, that are tied together and used to flavor stews, stocks, and other dishes.
Potato Crepe Batter
Ingredients
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1 pound Yukon gold potatoes
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1/4 cup milk
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3 tablespoons flour
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3 eggs
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4 egg whites
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4 tablespoons cream
Directions
Potato Crepe Batter
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Boil Yukon gold potatoes till mashable, about 15 minutes.
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While still hot, peel potatoes and mash in a food mill or potato press.
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Add milk, flour, and whole eggs.
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Lightly beat egg whites then fold in.
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Add cream and adjust seasoning. You may want to add a few grates of nutmeg.
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Cook tablespoons of crepe batter in a nonstick pan with lots of butter. When they are brown and crispy flip over and finish cooking on the other side. Despite the name and your possible connotations with it, these crepes are more like thick pancakes.
Boiling Potatoes: try adding an unpeeled garlic clove, a bay leaf, a sprig of rosemary and thyme, and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt to the boiling water. It will add depth and flavor to your potato dishes.
