Boston Getaway - Day 3

On my third and final day in Boston, it was time for a pilgrimage over the Charles River. Only a few subway stops away in Cambridge, Massachusetts is none other than Julia Child's home!



Julia lived and cooked at 103 Irving Street for more than 40 years. Her original kitchen was carefully dismantled piece by piece and is now on display at the Smithsonian. (Click here for my blog entry about the Julia Child Smithsonian exhibit.)

The home was recently sold for $4.35 Million to, get this, A VEGAN COUPLE! That means the new residents don't even eat butter! Poor Julia is probably turning in her grave.



Later, for lunch, my sister and I decided to eat at a restaurant my grandmother visited over 50 years ago and it hasn't changed a bit! Durgin Park serves traditional, homestyle Yankee cooking and is known for having the best baked beans in Boston.



Durgin Park Boston Baked Beans

2-quart bean pot
2/3cup molasses
2 pounds beans- California pea beans preferred over York State beans
4 teaspoons salt
1 pound salt pork
½ teaspoon pepper
8 tablespoons sugar
1 medium-sized onion

Soak beans overnight. In the morning parboil them for ten minutes with a teaspoon of baking soda. Then run cold water through the beans in a colander or strainer. Dice rind of salt pork into 1-inch squares; cut in half. Put half on bottom of bean pot with whole onion. Put beans in pot. Put the rest of the pork on top. Mix other ingredients with hot water. Pour over beans. Put in 300-degree oven for six hours. This will make ten full portions.



To this day, my Grandmother remembers the Indian Pudding at Durgin Park, so we just had to order it! The huge portion of this cornmeal and molasses "pudding" tastes best when eaten with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Durgin Park Baked Indian Pudding

1 cup yellow cornmeal
½ cup black molasses
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup lard or butter
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1-1/2 quarts hot milk

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly with one half (3/4 quart) of the above hot milk and bake in very hot oven until it boils. Then stir in remaining half (3/4 quart) of hot milk, and bake in slow heat oven for five to seven hours. Bake in stone crock, well greased inside.

After our whirlwind holiday in Boston, filled with good food and American history, I can't wait to return someday soon and explore this exciting city even more!



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