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| By Lori O'Brien Correspondent SPRINGFIELD Christmas traditions and holiday treats are the focus of a culinary arts workshop slated Nov. 30 at the Springfield Museums. Hosted by Claire Hopley of Leverett, the two-hour workshop, "Christmas Treats Then and Now," will delve into the New England holiday season with timeless stories (and recipes) of Christmas traditions old and new. The program runs from 10 a.m. to noon in the Tuscany Room of the Museum of Fine Arts. Hopley's festive presentation is based in part on her book titled "New England Cooking: Seasons and Celebrations." The book's sections are divided by seasons and events that take place during the year. Copies of her book will be available for purchase at the workshop. "My inspiration for the book was the seasonal cooking of our region," said Hopley during an interview with Reminder Publications. "I realized that in New England the seasons are dramatic and people are always celebrating not just holidays but new crops maple syrup, for example, or later in the year, the pumpkins and squash, and this is very much reflected in the food." Hopley added that New England, and in particular Massachusetts and Rhode Island, have large immigrant populations so there was an abundance of foods and recipes to draw upon for inspiration. After talking to Hopley one gets the sense of her intense passion for cooking. "Basically I am a home cook," she said. "My family likes to cook so I grew up taking it for granted that we would sit down to eat as a family and the food would be homemade." Hopley has also had a keen interest in food history over the years and has taken several classes at Boston University, including sessions with Julia Child and Jacques Pepin. One of the highlights of her workshop will be learning how to prepare easy, make-ahead entrees and desserts for the holidays. Hopley will also share the first Christmas cookie recipe that was published in 1796 in America. "The recipe is in a book called 'American Cookery,'" said Hopley, adding it was self-published by Amelia Simmons in Hartford, Conn., and was the first cookery book written specifically for Americans. "Before this they had been using cookbooks imported from England and many of the recipes in these books weren't useful in America because the ingredients weren't available," she said. "Conversely, Americans had some things that were unavailable in England, so English books had no recipes for them." Hopley will have samples of the "first Christmas cookie" for workshop participants and will also demonstrate how to prepare salted brazils, quick garlic and almond baked brie, mincemeat (ideal for a variety of desserts including ice cream) and cranberry truffles. A smoked salmon recipe will round out the morning's food offerings. Hopley said all of the recipes that she will share take 10 minutes or less of hands-on preparation time. This is the first time Hopley has offered this workshop at the Springfield Museums, however, she has lectured over the years on other topics ranging from herbs and trifles to writing about food. "I think that people assume that Christmas as we know it today is a long-established tradition," said Hopley. "In fact, it has always been changing. I will be talking about how our current traditions have developed." Hopley promises a fun morning filled with quick, easy and delicious recipes that will make any holiday gathering a bit less stressful. Hopley's other passion is writing and routinely writes travel pieces, food articles and book reviews. In addition, she teaches professional writing and is currently spending part of each year in Greece and Poland where she helps business students learn to write well. She will also be teaching a wintersession three-credit course titled "Writing About Food For Fun or Financial Reward" at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in January. The cost of Hopley's workshop which is limited to 18 participants - is $15 for Springfield Museums' members and $18 for nonmembers. For more information, call (413) 263-6800 or visit www.springfieldmuseums.org. |