First Culinary Workshop with Explore Charleston sold out and featured two delicious recipes with Huguenot history
On March 5 the Society partnered with Explore Charleston to provide a delightful workshop with Society member and cordon bleu chef, Linda Gillette, and Executive Director Elizabeth Gay. The recipes are provided at the end of this post.
Camden Room, Charleston Visitor’s Center
It was a sold out event in the Camden Room of the Charleston Visitor’s Center. Linda and Elizabeth presented an engaging program.
The one-hour workshop was an entertaining mixture of two recipes and three vignettes of Huguenot history. Attendees enjoyed learning to make Orange au Champagne and Crystalized Orange Peel while enjoying a presentation on the Orange Garden of mid-1700’s Charles Towne, the private garden of Henry Laurens on the Cooper River, and a recipe of Harriott Pinckney Horry. The presentation also featured mentions of Alice Ravenel Huger Smith, Mesrs. Villepontoux, Mazÿck, and other Huguenot lines. Linda and Elizabeth were graciously introduced by Nicky Steffel with the Explore Charleston team. The audience included members of the Society’s Board, members of the Society, local Charleston residents and visitors to Charleston.
The inspiration for the workshop is to share history by exploring what our ancestors enjoyed doing, how they entertained and what they served at their tables. “There are many ways to appreciate our history and to introduce it to our members and visitors to Charleston and we are working on numerous workshops the Society can present to broaden our ability to perpetuate the memory of our Huguenot ancestors and their rich history in the colony,” Elizabeth said. “The crystalized orange peel is a receipt directly from the collection of Harriott Horry and is delicious. It is interesting to see how little the instructions for this recipe have changed over the years and her receipts provide us with such insight into how colonial Charleston entertained and how much it prized the orange fruit,” Elizabeth added.
After the workshop presentation, audience members were invited up to the kitchen for a tasting and to ask any questions. Some even asked for “selfies” with Linda and Elizabeth which was very flattering.
“My husband & I attended today and we were not disappointed!! Your presentation, history and cooking demos were fascinating! We look forward to future programs linking our heritage to Charleston’s history! Great job and the samples were wonderful! ”
Explore Charleston is a tremendous partner. They made the workshop so easy to deliver and their commitment to providing both local residents and visitors to Charleston with rich learning experiences is to be commended. The Society is looking forward to future workshops and a long-term relationship with this team of talented professionals devoted to helping everyone explore Charleston and its history. We extend our appreciation to the Explore Charleston partners who made us feel so welcome: Helen T. Hill, CEO, Patrick Alderson, Taylor Harris, and Emily Mouser and Nicky Steffel.
Elizabeth and Linda installed on the kitchen island a display of their orange recipes and how they may be enjoyed along with beautiful camellias in bloom from Elizabeth’s garden. The set had a warm Charleston hospitality feeling and the audience enjoyed seeing the displays up close and asking questions after the workshop concluded.
The Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, dba Explore Charleston, is organized as a 501-C-6 not-for-profit destination marketing organization (DMO). DMOs are organizations charged with representing a destination and supporting the long-term development of communities through sustainable tourism marketing and management strategies. It is the primary purpose of Explore Charleston to market the greater Charleston area as an overnight destination.
RECIPES
Orange au Champagne
Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup orange marmalade (sweet orange, not bitter)
1 3/4 cups dry Champagne or Prosecco
10 large naval oranges, peeled and sectioned*
3/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
Directions
Combine the sugar and marmalade, cook until the sugar has melted into the marmalade.
Remove from the heat and add the champagne.
Pour this mixture over the oranges and stir gently. Place in a glass container and chill until ready to serve.
When serving, place the oranges into champagne coupes or tulips and top with sliced almonds. Place the glass on a small serving dish and add a piece of dark chocolate to the side.
* To peel the oranges, slice a piece off the top and bottom. Using a small, sharp knife, cut down toward the bottom of the orange, taking off the pith with the peel. Now, cut between the sections to remove the orange slices without pith or membrane. Place orange sections in a non-acidic or glass bowl.
Crystalized Orange Peel
Ingredients
3 navel oranges
2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. Granulated sugar for tossing
Water
Directions
Peel the rind and avoid the pith which is bitter, leaving the flesh of the orange intact. Success is easy using a vegetable peeler to achieve nice long strips without catching the pith. After peeling, use a sharp knife to cut even strips lengthwise into about 1/4-inch wide strips. These will present well in a candy dish or as a garnish. Set aside the flesh of the oranges to use in another recipe, fresh juice or to enjoy as is.
Combine orange peel strips and enough water in a large saucepan to cover by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Drain well and discard the water. This first boiling process is to remove the bitterness from the rind and to soften it.
Combine the sugar, 2 cups of water, and orange peel strips in the same large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the orange peel strips are slightly translucent and the syrup has thickened, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
Place a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper on it. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the orange peel strips to the wire rack in a single layer; allowing excess syrup to drip off. Peels may also be placed directly on parchment without a wire rack.
(Do not throw away your pot syrup - this is now a delightful orange infused simple syrup. Pour it off through a strainer into a glass storage jar and refrigerate. It is delicious in iced or hot tea or for use in cocktails.)
Let the orange strips stand, uncovered, at room temperature, until slightly dried. Place the reserved sugar for tossing in a medium bowl. Working in batches, toss the orange peel strips in the sugar until well coated and no longer sticky. Lay peels flat on parchment to dry further. Depending on the humidity this may be one to two days.
Candied orange peel may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for months. Or you can freeze it. It may also be stored in a sealed jar at room temperature for up to three months.
For additional flavor, you can dip the finished strips into melted dark chocolate. The candy is a lovely garnish on chocolate cake, on the rim of a cocktail, on top of orange sorbet or sherbet and on a cake that has an orange flavor or filling. Enjoy this delicacy in many ways!