Reading “Culinary History of the Finger Lakes'“ by laura winter Falk, PhD
You’re invited to join us on July 5 at 4 pm for a wine tasting and book celebration. Get your tickets HERE.
I have a particular soft spot for food history, many actually, earned by eating my way through my grandmother’s family cookbooks. Whenever I move to a new area I do a thorough survey of new and old eateries, paying special attention to those with localized names or decades old storefronts. I map neighborhood fruit trees and patches of spring greens. I scour the shelf at the local library for regional cookbooks and take notes in my kitchen journal.
What a gift it is then, to receive a copy of Culinary History of the Finger Lakes on my desk just a month before I prepare to move my family to the Fall Creek Neighborhood in Ithaca City. Each chapter of Dr. Winter Falk’s book explores a new time period and the tastes that developed alongside our towns and cities. There are “era-appropriate” recipes that share how to make historic dishes in a modern kitchen, and each recipe is paired with a currently available wine from a local winery. Dr. Winter Falk has even thought to accommodate my sober partner and picky friends by including ciders, cocktails, and nonalcoholic beverages with her recommendations.
I’m making my way through the book in preparation for a wine tasting with Dr. Winter Falk, where she’ll introduce us to concepts in her book, and hopefully will help refine my pallet so I can blend in with the locals in my new home. Beyond being a author and experienced educator, Laura Winter Falk is a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers.
The first recipe I’m preparing to try from this book is “Quincy Exchange Crab Deviled Eggs.” This recipe is from the prohibition era, but that doesn’t mean it was enjoyed sober (find out more about that on The History Center’s Prohibition Tour) and it’s paired to a cocktail made with McKenzie Distiller’s Reserve Gin. Unlike the majority of the population, I’m a deviled egg skeptic, but something about the crab salad filling made with mini sweet peppers makes me want to get out of my comfort zone. And the prohibition-era sentiment that finger foods help keep a party long and light is one I can get behind.
Image from Culinary History of the Finger Lakes of “Quincy Exchange Crab Deviled Eggs”
If you’d like your own copy of this book it will be on sale at Tasting Culinary History with Laura Winter Falk on July 5 at 4 pm. You’re invited to join to sip, listen, and learn. You can get your tickets HERE.
