July 15th
If it rains on this day, your next forty days are going to be very, very soggy.
The History
Rain or Shine?
According to legend, when St. Swithin was just a mere bishop, he asked to be buried outside where the rain could fall upon him. For nine years, his body did in fact remain outdoors (buried, of course), but the monks of Winchester decided to move his remains to a shrine, believing he was too great to be buried in such a humble location.
On that day, July 15, 971, heavy and horrible rains ensued, which led to the tale that if it rains on this day, it will rain for the next forty days! A gorgeous and sunny St. Swithin’s Day, on the other hand, meant forty days of glorious weather. This tale predates the twelfth century and was passed along through the years.
It is said that Henry VIII wanted to put an end to all the myths surrounding St. Swithin, so much so that he had the shrine at Winchester destroyed (looted). This was a bit bizarre as it was also the location of his late brother’s birth! Everything from the original shrine was demolished in the middle of the night so as to avoid public outcry. Pretty sneaky, Henry. A new shrine was built in 1962.
Rainy days and martyrs always get me down
Swithin was born in the year 800, somewhere near Hampshire, England. He died of natural causes in 862. He is the patron saint of Hampshire, Winchester, Southwark, and, of course, the weather.
St. Swithin’s day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin’s day if thou be fair
For forty days ’twill rain nae mair.
“Right as Rain” Apple Pastries
These are far too delicious to last forty days.
Apples desperately need rain at this point in the season. Without it the harvest would be scarce, and no one likes a bad apple. We recommend using McIntosh, but you can also use Granny Smith apples for a more tart dessert. Red Delicious is another variety that works well for this recipe.
• Always use cold tools with the pastry; this makes it much easier to cut the dough. We chill our cutters in the refrigerator for ten minutes before use.
• To make even sweeter pastries, sprinkle powdered sugar on top just before serving.
Ingredients
½ stick butter
1 apple, cored and cut into small cubes
1 Tbsp currants
2 tsp ground ginger
1 7-oz container almond paste
2½ tsp sugar
Salt, to taste
1 puff pastry sheet, thawed
1 egg, beaten
⅓ cup honey
⅓ cup mead
Vegetable or canola oil
Directions
Melt the butter in a medium size saucepan. Add the apple cubes, currants, and ginger to the pan. Once the apple is soft, remove the pan from the heat to allow cooling.
In a food processor, add the almond paste, breaking it up as you add it into the bowl. Next, add the apple mixture along with the sugar and a pinch of salt. Blend in the food processor. Your mix should resemble the texture of sand. Put the completed mixture in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.
Place the thawed pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough until thin, but not so thin that you can see through it. Using a cutout or a biscuit cutter, cut out round circles in the pastry. Place a small scoop of the almond and apple mixture in the round, toward the bottom center.
Using a beaten egg, brush the outside circumference of the cutout round with the egg wash and fold. Using your hands, press the seals together firmly. This will give you a pastry shaped in a beautiful half-circle. Once you have completed the task, put the pastries on a cookie sheet and tuck them into the refrigerator to chill.
While the pastries are chilling, add the honey and mead to a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, skimming any foam off the top. Reduce the heat to medium low and let simmer to allow the sauce to thicken. If you are going to use immediately, remove the sauce from heat or try to keep it slightly warm in preparation for the next step.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Heat the oil on the stove top in a heavy pan until hot. Remove the pastries from the refrigerator and add them to the hot oil. Watch them carefully, ensuring that they do not burn, and turn them over when they are a light golden brown. When they are finished, place the browned pastries into the honey and mead mix, giving them a nice bath on both sides. Do this quickly. Finally, place the pastries on a lined cookie sheet (we use a silicone mat to keep them from sticking; you can also use parchment).
Bake completed pastries in the oven for 25 minutes. They will puff up nicely.
People of the Middle Ages also believed that if it did rain for forty days, this was the bishop’s way of blessing the apple crops.