Sweetened whipped heavy cream by a fancy name is Chantilly Cream—a popular and delicious accompaniment to everything from fresh fruit to ice cream to pie and more. Culinary legend attributes this delightful airy concoction to the 17th century French chef, Vatel, who worked in the Château de Chantilly in France. In Chef Vatel’s time, as today, a copper bowl works best to whip cream—especially by hand. However, a good stand mixer and balloon whisk attachment make quick work of the job.
Ingredients
1 cup cold, heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Serves 6 to 8
Combine all the ingredients in a copper bowl or metal bowl of a stand mixer.
Whip until firm peaks form that hold their shape when the whisk or whisk attachment is lifted up and out of the bowl.
We’ve lived in Westport for 17 years and I am an Occupational Therapist at a special needs school. With our school closed we are unable to provide direct hands-on therapy, but I have been providing remote support to parents of my students who are aged 3 to 20 and offering ideas for home activities. Because of my job I always feel I have incredible perspective on what is truly a hardship. The families I work with are juggling work with the demands of caring for a special-needs child, and during this time there is increased anxiety, as they have complex medical needs and are more vulnerable. I am just feeling grateful that my family is together and healthy.
In my personal life, all four of us are home and working/doing school work. I unexpectedly have gotten to spend extra time with my oldest son, who was supposed to be studying abroad in London and with my younger son, who is a senior at Staples. In addition to working from home, I’m doing online fitness classes, going for runs and walks, making dinner with the family, reading, organizing my house, having Zoom calls with friends and family, playing games or watching shows with my two boys and husband.
I am really trying to focus on all the kindness I am hearing about – and there is a lot of it. I feel that generally speaking everyone understands the severity of the situation and is taking the right steps to do what is right for the greater good. I’ve noticed that when I’m out walking, people are generally friendly – with waves and smiles – as there is this sense that we are all in this together.
My greatest hope is that we can get through the worst of it quickly without more loss of life. I am concerned about all of the people on the front-lines who are putting themselves at risk every day. I hope we can come through this with a renewed appreciation for our community and be able to just celebrate all the small things we perhaps took for granted.
While I am often the type to worry, during this pandemic I’ve tried to remain optimistic and to limit the amount of news and social media I am exposing myself to. As a family we have also tried to support our community in little ways, and it makes me proud to see everything that Westporters are doing, using their unique talents, to help others.
I hope we can come through this with a renewed appreciation for our community and…celebrate all the small things we perhaps took for granted.
Explore More of “Westport In Focus”
To read more of the museums long lens oral histories please visit the Westport In Focus page.
Ken Bernhard is a name—and a face—recognizable around town. A principal in the local law firm Cohen & Wolfe, Bernhard has also dedicated his life to public service in a variety of ways. He represented Westport in the state’s General Assembly and also served as Westport’s 3rd Selectman. Bernhard has been a board member for a number of local charities including the Aspetuck Land Trust, Westport Museum, Visiting Nurse Service & Hospice of Fairfield County and many more too numerous to count.
As a board member and volunteer for Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation he’s raised seven guide dogs with his wife Alice. His humanitarian efforts include helping to found the Syria Fund which aids refugees in Jordan and his shoe collection drive Soles4Souls gives thousands of shoes to kids worldwide. Bernhard is also a supporter of Tree of Life Orphanage in Haiti, which provides shelter, food, and education for more than two hundred children. Ken Bernhard is one of Westport’s all-around good guys.
“We are by nature actively engaged people. Most every day we strive to be busy, productive, and helpful. For the past fifty years, we have pursued our personal and working endeavors with energy and enthusiasm. So, as the government required us to stay at home, sequestered from our normal lives, we were curious to see how we would manage this new reality. For three, almost four, weeks, we have remained at home venturing out only for short walks or brief excursions to the grocery store.
We have chosen to remain self-reliant, without resorting to the few available opportunities for social interaction. We find that we are doing very well in this environment of seclusion. It is, of course, painful to watch and read the news relaying how terrifying, deadly and difficult it is for others, and because of that our hearts break every day. But, if we stay in the moment and focus on our immediate time and space, the experience has been enlightening and worthwhile.
…if we stay in the moment and focus on our immediate time and space, the experience has been enlightening and worthwhile.
Ken is a local attorney and Alice is the marketing and development director for a hospice organization. Ken’s workload has fallen off dramatically; however, he finds opportunities to stay busy, or not, as he prefers knowing he has tomorrow to do what needs to be done. Alice has remained busy with her work within the health field, but is catching up on a lot of reading.
Westport remains a community of wonderment always able to meet and deal with challenges as they present themselves. The administration, staff, employees, and residents are all doing their parts and doing them well. It is a source of great pride to both of us to live here. Life is about dealing with challenges. They aren’t always good ones, but we will survive, hopefully better and stronger, even if things don’t return to what they were.
Our greatest, almost singular, hope throughout this crisis is to find ways to reduce the suffering of everyone adversely affected by it. Each day we talk about how we might do our part to help both now and in the future. If the community, small and large, needs something we can help with, we are ready, willing and able to volunteer. We have plans of our own to do what we can.”
Explore More of “Westport In Focus”
To read more of the museums long lens oral histories please visit the Westport In Focus page.
Love stories of spies, love-triangles, revenge, and whodunnits? The Royal Art of Poison may be the perfect read for you. The piece of non-fiction is split into two parts: The first explores the history and circumstances that led to danger for the aristocracy of the past, while the second examines well-known cases of alleged poisoning to determine if victims were really done in by an assassin or simply succumbed to a terrible (but natural) end. Accessible for history hobbyists as well as historians, The Royal Art of Poison is a delight in its agonizing themes.
Book Review: The Royal Art of Poison: Filthy Palaces, Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicine, and Murder Most FoulNicole Carpenter
German author Timur Vermes 2012 novel, Look Who’s Back: Hitler and the Nazis, expertly balances the horrifyingly twisted ambitions of the Third Reich, while also exploring the dangers of assuming that it could never happen again. This dark satire begins with Adolf Hitler waking up in modern Berlin, completely unaware of how he got there and without knowledge of his modern surroundings. Vermes’ plot mockingly follows Hitler as he attempts to slowly (and comically) understand the new world around him and attempt to once again reach the heights of power. Great read for both historians and those examining modern politics.
Book Review: Look Who’s Back: Hitler and the NazisNick Foster
