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Author: Nicole Carpenter

Focus On: Jay Dirnberger & Molly Alger

by Nicole Carpenter

Jay Dirnberger and Molly Alger moved to Westport from New York City 11 years ago and quickly became integral members of town life, lending their time and efforts to numerous local nonprofits. Molly is a retired management consultant and Jay is a retired institutional investment portfolio manager. A highly decorated Vietnam War veteran, Jay was a helicopter pilot in the Army’s, First Cavalry Division and was later in the 18th Airborne Corp at Fort Bragg. He is the recipient of the Silver star, Bronze Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, twenty-three Air Medals and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. You can see and hear Jay’s American Memory interview with the Library of Congress here. 

“I often hear people use the analogy of wartime when it comes to the situation we’re in. Drawing the comparison idea of fighting a war in your own country doesn’t apply here—the last time that happened was the Civil War, so we have no recent collective memory of that. Except for the caregivers, the war analogy is too broad, in my opinion. However, there is a sense of community behavior to support a common goal but it doesn’t seem to me to be close to a war situation. I do think there is some analogy to the Depression that is applicable. 

I take this seriously—and have since the beginning—but, at first, I’d say Molly took it more seriously than me. In February and March there hadn’t been a lot of info about people who have been sick and gotten better. Not knowing that was demoralizing. As I’ve been learning that some people have had it and didn’t even now or those who did know and were sick but still survived—that statistical knowledge holds out hope. However, there is the worry of “silent transmitters”. 

From my professional point of view: In the long term, I think that the economic impact could be resolved fairly quickly. The economy will rebound–it’s the jewels of town that may be affected in terrible ways: The schools, The Westport Museum, The Library and The Playhouse. The brand-new businesses that just got started will be seriously harmed. On the other side, there risk-takers—the entrepreneurs– those who were supposed to start new businesses or about to buy real estate and didn’t, who are going to raise their head up and think “I dodged this bullet.” There is no doubt that Westport will take a fairly serious short term hit because of the amount of cases we had here, but eventually schools will reopen, the Playhouse and Library will survive and they’ll be strong as ever. Families will want to come here and live.

The economy will rebound–it’s the jewels of town that may be affected…

Personally, our greatest impact is that we can’t do the volunteer work we both love. I am part of the Y’s Men and on the finance committee at the Westport Museum as well as on the board of The Playhouse. I’m also a school mentor within the international refugee community in Bridgeport. I miss that a great deal. Molly is on the board of the Friends of the Senior center and is Secretary of the Westport/Weston Community Emergency Response Team which augments emergency services during crises. Molly is practicing with the Community Band playing her alto saxophone. She hopes to participate next season. This situation is different now—volunteers can’t be put on the front lines and at risk so we are finding different ways to help. 

We walk a lot. We’ve always been walkers but we do more now. Usually we about 3 miles a day. We take a certain path and we see people in neighborhood. We cross to separate, but we still smile and greet each other.  It’s responsible behavior and it’s a shared experience that particularly reminds me of living in Manhattan those first few days after 9/11–when you ran into anyone you would say “did you lose anyone” “are you ok?”

Explore More of “Westport In Focus”

To read more of the museums long lens oral histories please visit the Westport In Focus page.

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Lucien Gaudin Cocktail

by Nicole Carpenter

Lucien Gaudin was a French fencer during the 1920s who medaled in no less than three Olympic competitions in that decade which became known as the Annes Folles or “Crazy Years”. Gaudin quickly became a national hero for his efforts and the cocktail that bears his name was born and enjoyed in the myriad cafes, bars, and restaurants around Paris where a vibrant new-century social culture bloomed.

Ingredients

  •   1 1/2 ounce (3 tablespoons) gin  
  • ¾  ounce  (1 ½ tablespoons) Campari 
  • 3/4 ounce (1 ½ tablespoons) dry vermouth 
  • 3/4 ounce (1 ½ tablespoons) Cointreau 
  • Orange, washed, for twist (optional)

Directions

Makes 1 drink 

  1. Add all ingredients to a mixing beaker with a generous amount of ice. 
  1. Stir for 10 to 15 seconds. Strain and pour into a chilled martini glass.  
  1. Using a vegetable peeler, peel a 3 inch piece of rind from the washed orange and garnish cocktail. 

Focus On: Alana Flinn & Family

by Nicole Carpenter

We’ve lived in Westport for 9 years and have two young girls. I’m a stay at home mom and my husband, Brian, is the CMO at WWE. He never works from home, so this is a welcome change to physically have him in the house during the day.  Our girls attend KHS and are in K and 4th grade. Homeschooling is a large portion of our day. As they are younger, homeschooling requires a lot of hand holding and guiding. Finding time for myself or to work on things around the house are scarce.  

We are trying to stay as active as possible in the afternoon, and enjoying being together as a family when time allows a time out from work. We are enjoying long walks in a deserted downtown and exploring parts of Westport that we may otherwise not have time to enjoy. 

I feel SO fortunate to live in Westport right now. I think that our town representatives have done a phenomenal job since this crisis has begun. From being one of the first to close our schools, to encouraging us to stay home, daily communication and constant reminders and updates – I am SO impressed and proud of living in Westport. I think that our community was “ahead of the curve,” and my hope is that we come out of this faster and grow stronger together. 

My greatest hope coming out of this pandemic is that people slow down and be more kind – re-prioritize what is important in life. It is lovely to see neighbors walking and playing in the streets, seeing Westport active – running and biking in areas that are generally not used for these purposes. People are shopping for the elderly and immune-compromised, pitching in to help each other with supplies, and supporting people on the front line. While the reality of the pandemic can make us sad and scared, there is some real good coming out of it. 

My greatest hope…is that people slow down and be more kind – re-prioritize what is important in life

One of the hardest things for our family has been not having direct contact with parents and grandparents. I am fortunate that my mother and stepfather live in Westport, and my father lives in Southport. We made the decision to only have social-distance approved contact with them several weeks ago. Not being able to embrace and see them interact directly with their granddaughters is hard. We look forward to a time when hugs and kisses return! 

Explore More of “Westport In Focus”

To read more of the museums long lens oral histories please visit the Westport In Focus page.

Read More

Chocolate Tart

by Nicole Carpenter

It may be surprising but chocolate cream pie, or chocolate tart was a common dessert during Colonial times. Chocolate arrived in America via the West Indies and was used in drinking chocolate (cocoa) and the shells of the cocoa beans were used to make a light tea.

Eighteenth century chocolate was far different from what we know today—it was a grittier product and usually flavored with spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice in a recipe similar to traditional Central American and Mexican preparations. The smooth, creamy chocolate we know today wasn’t available until later in the 19th century when machinery was invented to grind the pure cocoa paste more finely and add back cocoa butter and sugar during the refining process. 

Chocolate Tart recipes are quite common in cookbooks of the period such as Englishwoman Hannah Glasse’s 1747 book The Art of Cookery Made Plain And Easy. Modern readers might be surprised that Glasse’s recipe (and most others of the time) calls for rice flour which is used as a thickening agent. Rice and rice flour were commonly used at the time since rice came to England and later America, via the robust British trade with the East and West Indies. Later, rice was grown in the southern American colonies as well. This recipe uses cornstarch as a more effective thickener however you can harken back to tradition and substitute rice flour instead. 

Traditionally this tart would have been served with a sugar crust on top like a crème brulee but we prefer to serve it with Chantilly cream (sweetened whip cream). You can find that recipe here. 

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch or rice flour 
  • ¼ cup sugar (or to taste) 
  • 4 large egg yolks 
  • 2 cups heavy cream 
  • 1 tablespoon whole milk 
  • 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chunks or chips  
  • Pinch of salt 
  • 1 9-inch pie shell, frozen or use our recipe here 

Directions

Makes 1, 9-inch pie 

  1. In a medium bowl mix together  cornstarch or rice flour, sugar and egg yolks and set aside. 
  1. Mix together the cream and chocolate in a medium sauce pan over medium heat and bring just to a boil, stirring constantly until the chocolate is melted. Do not allow the mixture to boil. 
  1. Add the milk and pinch of salt. Stir well. 
  1. Using a ladle, pour 1/2 cup of  the chocolate mixture in a very thin stream into the egg mixture, whisking vigorously the whole time. You may also do this in the bowl of a stand mixer. 
  1. Add the egg and cream mixture back to the pot with the remaining chocolate cream mixture and whisk well. Heat over medium heat, whisking well until thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. 
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. If using homemade pie crust, line a 9 inch pie plate with rolled out crust. Pour the cooled chocolate mixture into the pie crust and bake until firm—about 40 to 45 minutes. 
  1. Remove from oven and cool completely. Wrap in plastic and cool at least 8 hours but preferably overnight. Serve with Chantilly Cream.