Special Cherry Pecan Bread

When we join our interests with others, it is always a win! I came to experience this first hand when I joined the Minot State Art Club as a student. We would hold regular meetings and discuss art topics. It was, however, our spring trip to Minneapolis to see the Picasso exhibit at the Walker Art Center that cemented this belief.

Walter Piehl was in charge of the trip. Before we had the opportunity to see Picasso’s original works, he reminded us of this: Painting is more than aesthetics. He continued to explain that it is about creating a feeling. He wanted us to relate to the feeling that Picasso was portraying in this vast exhibit. It is something that I have never forgotten because it allowed me to truly appreciate exhibit. Did I like or understand every piece display? No, and I simply did not need to. I have continued to use this understanding whenever looking at art and it has served me well.

This was my first experience at a major art institute and it has created a life-long love of visiting art museums. Over the years, I have been blessed with exposure by travel to many different art museums within our country, Canada and Europe. The Walker Art Center has always been a favorite stop perhaps because it was my first experience at an art gallery.

On July 18, Claes Oldenburg died at his home in Manhattan, at age 93. I came to know this wonderful artist while viewing his “Spoonbridge and Cherry” Walker’s Sculpture Garden. The piece was completed in 1988 and straddles a small pond and no you cannot walk on the spoon! Perhaps you have seen this utilitarian image which is picture here today.

Oldenburg was a Swedish-born American Sculpture best known for his giant public art that featured nostalgia-soaked objects that could have been found at the Ideal Cafe and Rose’s Coffee Shop in Rugby and also the Park Inn Cafe in Underwood. He also created sculptures from objects that would be commonly found in a desk drawer.

You see Oldenburg inflated many objects to giant size proportions. For example, he did the Typewriter Eraser sculpture which is on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. He created a giant three-way electric plug for the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The list goes on and on. Be sure to checkout his stunning clothespin that is on display in Philadelphia’s Center City.

It was, however, his creation of comfort food items that caught my eye. You know the type that keeps your waistline in order, ice cream cones, pies, cakes and even cheeseburgers. Love, love his “Pastry Case” which is on display at the Museum of Modern Art and it is a must see when visiting there. These cases were in every small-town cafe and his lifting these cases and their delicious contents to an art level leaves no questions on how one feels. Yes! I will have a slice of homemade blueberry pie with a cup of Joe!

Oldenburg graduated from Yale in 1956 headed into New York City and open a shop where he and his first wife, Patty Mucha created so-called soft sculptures of cheeseburgers, carrots and so forth. His second wife Coosje van Bruggen was also an artist and is created with placing the giant cherry on the spoon sculpture. He was presented the prestigious National Medal of Art– an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984 for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts.

The featured recipe is certainly one that would portrait well in a glass case. I wish I had one! It features maraschino cherries which are always fun to use in baking! This recipe came from Larry Evander, former owner of the Rexall Drug in Underwood and baker for the mini lunch counter within the store.

Special Cherry Pecan Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter plus 1 tablespoon, divided

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup chopped pecans

1 10-ounce jar maraschino cherries, drained and chopped

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 tablespoon water

1/2 powder sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup butter. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Slowly add dry ingredients and buttermilk, alternating until well mixed. Stir in nuts, cherries and almond extract. Pour batter into a greased load pan. Bake 55 to 60 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool. In a small bowl, melt remaining butter, l tablespoon. Add water, powered sugar, and a drop of almond extract. Stir well and spoon over warm bread. Makes 1 loaf.