Friends of the Menard Home: September 2009

The Pierre Menard Home

This early 19th Century French Colonial Home was the home to the first Lt. Governor of the State of Illinois, Pierre Menard. The home is a true jewel in the history of Illinois and is the only remaining shred of the village of Kaskaskia. Built in the early 1800's it's gleaming white edifice is a magnificent piece of history which everyone should visit. Prominent politicians, local Native Americans as well as General Lafayette all visited here and were welcome.

The Friends of the Menard Home are a small but dedicated group of volunteers who volunteer at the home and help out where we can with our time and skills. Many special events take place at the home on a regular basis and everyone is welcome to attend.

The Pierre Menard Home is located at 4230 Kaskaskia Road, Ellis Grove, Il 62241, just off of Illinois State Route 3. Phone the home directly at (618) 859-3031 for more information or hours of operation.

Apple Torte or Cake Receipt

APPLE TOURTE OR CAKE (GERMAN RECEIPT).— Take ten or twelve apples, sugar to taste, the rind of one small lemon, three eggs, one-quarter of a pint of cream or milk, one-quarter of a pound of butter, three-quarters of a pound of good short crust, three ounces of sweet almonds. Pare, core, and cut the apples into small pieces; put sufficient moist sugar to sweeten them into a basin; add the lemon-peel, which should be finely minced, and the cream; stir these ingredients well, whisk the eggs, and melt the butter; mix altogether, add the sliced apple, and let these be well stirred into the mixture. Line a large round plate with the paste, place a narrow rim of the same round the outer edge, and lay the apples thickly in the middle. Blanch the almonds, cut them into long shreds, and strew them over the top of the apples, and bake from one-half to three-quarters of an hour, taking care that the almonds do not get burnt; when done, strew some sifted sugar over the top, and serve. Time, one-half to three-quarters of an hour.

Monday, September 28, 2009

A Huge Thank You

We really want to say a huge "Thank You" to everyone who came out yesterday for the reopening of the museum. We had a large crowd waiting at 10am for the ribbon cutting ceremony and a steady stream of people came through the home and museum all day long. According to our counter we had well over 440 people who stopped by during the day.

We also want to thank the Kaskaskia Masonic Lodge for allowing us to display the General Marquis de Lafayette's sword. It was very generous of them and we greatly appreciate them letting the sword be on display.

We were also very fortunate to have some very special guests stop by to see the new museum exhibits. Senator Dave Luechtefeld, Representative Tom Holbrook, Cahokia Courthouse Site Superintendent Molly McKenzie and Chester Mayor Joe Eggemeyer were all in attendance.

We would like to thank them for taking time out of their busy schedules to view the new exhibits.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

A Sneak Peek

Here is a tiny sneak preview of one of the cases being readied for the museum reopening. This one concentrates on items belonging to the Menard family. We know, we know it's not much of a preview, but it's enough to peak the curiosity so that you'll want to come out and see the new exhibits. We hope to see all of you on Sunday the 27th.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Museum Reopening/Lafayette’s Sword

For those of you who follow this Blog on a regular basis you know that we are planning a museum grand reopening on Sunday, September 27th, 2009. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10am which will then allow the visitors to tour the new museum exhibits, but there’s MORE! In addition to the reopening we will have a very special artifact on display for the day. The Kaskaskia Masonic Lodge #86 from Red Bud has graciously agreed to lend us the General Marquis de Lafayette’s Sword for one day, and one day only, to be exhibited in a display showcasing Pierre Menard’s association with the Kaskaskia Masonic Lodge.

This is the sword Lafayette used during the Revolutionary War while he fought with George Washington to help win the independence of the colonies and form the United States of America. Lafayette gave the sword to the Kaskaskia Masonic Lodge while he was on his tour of America in 1824. This sword is rarely displayed outside the Lodge and we are very honored that the Kaskaskia Lodge has agreed to display the sword in the museum for the day.

The sword will be on display from 10am on Sunday, September 27th, 2009 until 4pm. After that it will be returned to the Masonic Lodge. Please mark your calendars and plan to come out to see this very rare piece of early American history and view the new museum exhibits.

Baked Whole Pumpkin

1 (5-7 lb) pumpkin
6 Whole eggs
2 Cup Whipping cream
½ cup Brown sugar
1 tablespoon Molasses
½ teaspoon Fresh grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon Ginger
2 tablespoon Butter

This dish was a favorite of George Washington. While it was called a pie in the old days, it's certainly not what we call a pie now. Here the custard pie is found inside the pumpkin and the whole thing is to be served up with a bit of anticipation for a very different pumpkin dessert. Cut the lid off the pumpkin just as you would for a jack-o'-lantern. Remove the seeds and save for toasting later. Mix the remaining ingredients together with the exception of the butter. Fill the pumpkin with this mixture and top with the butter. Cover with the pumpkin lid and place in a baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1-1/2 hours, or until the mixture has set like a custard. Serve from the pumpkin at your table, scraping some of the meat from the pumpkin with each serving. This is an interesting substitution for the usual pumpkin pie.

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