St. John’s Eve/Midsummer’s Eve
Celebrated between June 21st and June 25th
Get the bonfire going and dance, but don’t forget your wort.
The History
Midsummer’s Eve (or St. John’s Eve for the Christians) is an ancient festival celebrating the summer solstice. Bonfires were lit to ward off bad spirits and drive out dragons!
In the fourteenth century, celebrations took a sinister turn—it was thought this was a powerful night for witches to congregate. It was also believed by the church that the merrymaking was completely out of hand (a bit of a trend in these times), so they ordered their parishioners to see it as a day of fasting and not gluttony.
The name “St. John’s Eve” refers to St. John the Baptist’s birth. According to the Gospel of Luke, John was born six months before Jesus, and it is one of the very few saint feast days that commemorates a birth as opposed to a death.
Evil Plants? Really?
In many parts of the world, women would collect plants on this night—fennel, rosemary, foxgloves, elderflowers, and, as you probably guessed, St. John’s wort. Since before medieval times, this plant was believed to ward off evil. Branches were hung over doorways and windows for protection not only from evil but also from witches. Cackle.
Which brings us to St. John’s Day in New Orleans. Many NOLA residents still celebrate this night with voodoo rituals, all of which began with the famous voodoo priestess, Marie Laveau. She held all of her most important rituals on this night in the 1800s. We could do a whole book on New Orleans food, but while we’re on the subject, if you’re ever down there check out the Erin Rose on 811 Conti Street, order a beer, head straight to the back, and order a po’ boy.
Back to medieval food—this holiday was marked by a dish called “goody” (mostly in Ireland). It was nothing more than basic white bread soaked in hot milk and flavored with sugar and spices. Hmm . . . sounds like bread pudding, right? Villagers would make this “goody” in large pots at the communal St. John’s Eve bonfire. Anyone celebrating or attending the bonfire would bring their own spoon and small bowl to share the pudding. While this pudding party might suggest a similarly inspired recipe in the next few pages, we’ve reserved pudding for a few other feasts and planned a more sophisticated homage to St. John’s Eve with a sweet summer wine and a shrimp and lobster dish you can share with friends around the bonfire.
Summer Wine for around the Bonfire
Also known as a Potus Ypocras. Ypocras was a very popular medieval beverage, and many different directions for preparation still exist. Also called Hippocras, the drink is named after the famous Greek physician Hippocrates.
Ingredients
1 bottle Riesling, or another mildly sweet white wine
1 cup honey
¾ cup elderflower liqueur
8 whole cloves
2 apples, cored and cubed
1 cup seedless grapes
1 bottle prosecco
Directions
Bring the wine and honey to a boil. Skim the scum (or bubbles) off the top as is boils. This process is called clarifying the honey. Remove from heat and let cool. In a pitcher, add the wine and honey mixture, followed by the remaining ingredients. Let the mixture sit overnight in the refrigerator.
In a champagne glass, pour the prosecco halfway and add the summer wine, leaving room for you to spoon in some of that deliciously drunk fruit into the champagne glass. Be careful to avoid the cloves, as you don’t want to eat/drink those.
Goes a little too nicely with the summer wine!
Ingredients
1 large shallot, finely diced
½ cup water
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp coriander
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pats
¼ lb cooked lobster meat (we used tail meat)
½ lb cooked shrimp
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
Shavings from Parmesan Romano
Directions
In a saucepan, on medium heat, add the shallot, water, vinegar, coriander, and lemon juice. Stir. Allow it to reduce by a half. This is something you will need to watch—too little liquid will make it too thick, while too much liquid will make it runny.
Using a whisk, add one pat of butter and stir. As it starts to melt, add another. Keep doing this until all the butter is gone and you have been continuously whisking. Remove from heat. Add the lobster and shrimp to the mixture and blend.
Put the pan back on the heat and cook until the seafood is warm, just a few minutes, giving it a stir ever so often to prevent sticking or burning. Pour the seafood mixture into a nice, fancy deep dish or a pretty bowl. Add the parsley, followed by Parmesan shavings to the top.
Tip: Use a vegetable peeler to get nice, long shavings of cheese. It looks pretty fantastic. You can make this as a dinner serving or as an appetizer; either is delicious. We served this as an appetizer, along with grilled roasted garlic bread. It was meant for four, but the two of us devoured it in no time.
