Okay, sometimes a girl has GOT to get away from it all.
Between studying for the GRE, working on my SMP and working at PAP (Peace a Pizza) I am overwhelmed with acronyms and information most of the time. By Thursday afternoon, I was in serious need of relaxation in the form of dessert, some libations and a visit from my lovely boyfriend on the Eastern Shore again. Delicacies from the eastern side of the Chesapeake find their way into the city and experience a revival, becoming popular and well-known once more. This weekend I enjoyed a Bloody Mary, an old favorite recently rediscovered as cosmopolitan in Baltimore bars, and Smith Island Cake, a traditional Chesapeake Bay dessert that is now gracing the menus of Baltimore bakeries and restaurants.
On this lazy Saturday morning Brendan and I decided that, since we would be fishing and swimming all day, we’d have a little cocktail with breakfast. Of the few acceptable A.M. drinks out there, the Bloody Mary was most appropriate drink for our surroundings. While sitting at the dining table overlooking the Wye river, watching crabbers pull in their early-morning trap lines, Brendan and I had a delicious breakfast followed by Bloody Marys with old Bay rimmers. No one really knows the origins of the Bloody Mary cocktail, but there are so many recipes out there that the drink is virtually customized for every city and state. The basics of the Bloody Mary are tomato juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and vodka; since tomatoes are a local summer crop and Old Bay is a statewide obsession, Maryland-style Bloody Mary’s are easy to find as well as easy (and cheap!) to make, using only the basic ingredients and coating the rim of a chilled glass with Old Bay. Brendan made ours beautifully and strong. The perfect start to a relaxing afternoon.
After a day of fishing and reading poolside with my own personal bartender, I was ready for a relaxing dinner and some couch time. A distinctly Maryland dinner of crab soup we cut into a small Smith Island cake. While not the traditional flavors of yellow cake with fudge icing, the reverse-flavored chocolate cake with vanilla icing was moist, delicious and beautiful. Smith Island, where this particular type of cake comes from, is the only inhabited off-shore island in the Chesapeake Bay; the island was settled in the early 1600s by English settlers. The island can only be reached by a ferry and most of the islanders don’t even need to leave very often; the island is known for its strong community ties, especially within the Methodist church, as well as the way its residents earn their livelihood in the fishing industry. The island is also known for its peculiar language, resembling that of the Western parts of England and, last but not least, its cake.
Traditional Smith Island cake is 5-15 layers of yellow cake frosted with chocolate fudge icing. Legend has it that fishermen’s wives would make cakes with thinner layers and fudge frosting that would not dry out during long trips harvesting oysters in cold winter months. Another local legend has it that the art of slicing thin layers of cake and stacking them high became a competition between local housewives. The cake is known as an everyday dessert, not particularly fancy or expensive and not reserved for holidays or special occasions. It was made the Maryland official state dessert in April of 2008 for its popularity and accessibility in many local bakeries, despite the long and slow journey to Smith Island for an original. While a weekend away and all the delicious things Brendan and I ate and drank may seem indulgent, expensive and reserved for special occasions, the truth is that a trip to the shore, Bloody Marys and Smith Island cake are all accessible, cheap and well-loved in the beautiful state of Maryland with just a 30 minute drive, a quick run into the liquor store and a trip to the local bakery. The simple things in life make me smile.
References:
http://www.smithislandbakingco.com/lore.html
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