March 23

Anniversary of Karl Nesselrode's Death
 
 

Count Karl Nesselrode was the son of the Russian ambassador to Lisbon. He was born in Lisbon, Portugal where his father, a count of the Holy Roman Empire, was the ambassador of the Russian tsar. Karl worked his way up in the Russian foreign service with positions in The Hague and Berlin.

Count Nesselrode acquired several distinctions during his lifetime. First, he held the post of Russian minister of foreign affairs for forty-two years which was a record of longevity in that sensitive position. Secondly, he was possibly the most impotent and inept person to hold that position, due in part to the decision of Alexander I not to consult Nesselrode on anything of major importance. Third, he had the luck of hiring a chef named Mouy who invented an ice cream named for his employer. The ice cream, or iced pudding as it was technically classified, was Nesselrode pudding, a custard flavored with chestnuts, glaced fruits and maraschino liquor.
 

Karl Nesselrode
 

It was during the Congress of Vienna in 1814 that he succeeded Count Rumiantsev as Russian minister of foreign affairs. This was an irony since it was at the Peace of Tilsit in 1811, as Alexander I's aide, that he helped lay the framework for the future Franco-Russian war. It was at the Final Act of the Congress of Vienna in 1814 that the greater part of the former duchy of Warsaw was given to Russia which explains why Nesselrode pudding is not on the menus of any of the restaurants in Warsaw.

For forty years Nesselrode guided Russian policy and was a leading European conservative statesman of the Holy Alliance. Between 1845 and 1856, he served as Chancellor .In 1849 Nesselrode sent Russian troops to aid Austria in putting down the Hungarian revolution led by Lajos Kossuth. Nesselrode's efforts to expand Russia's influence in the Balkans and Mediterranean led to conflict with Turkey, Britain and France in the Crimean War  Britain and France were concerned by Russia's growing influence and were determined to support Turkey and so restrict Russia.

 

Nesselrode and Yam Pie
 
The combination of chestnuts, fruit, and maraschino liquor with yams makes an exceptional pie...a memorable desert for Thanksgiving that your family and guests will remember and talk about for  many years .
 

Ingredients
 

1 9" baked pie shell
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup maraschino liqueur
1/2 cup candied cherries diced
1/2 cup candied orange peel, diced
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup canned yams, mashed
1/2 cup whipping cream

 

1/2 cup canned chestnut puree
1/2 tsp salt
3 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1 TB sugar
1 TB maraschino liqueur
1/2 cup candied orange peel in thin strips
 

 
Instructions
 
  1. Sprinkle gelatin in 1/2 cup maraschino liqueur and let stand for about 5 minutes until dissolved.
  2. Place diced candied fruit in  maraschino liqueur /gelatin mixture and let stand for 30 minutes
  3. Beat egg yolks in the top of a double boiler. Add gelatin mixture. brown sugar. yams. chestnut puree,
    1/2 cup whipping cream. salt and diced candied fruit mixture. Blend well and cook over medium heat. stirring constantly until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Allow to cook to room temperatures and then refrigerate until mixture begins to jell slightly. Remove from refrigerator.
  4. Beat egg whites until they have soft peaks. Slowly add 1/4 cup sugar while beating whites and beat until stiff. Beat 1/2 cup of whipping cream until stiff. Fold egg whites into yam-custard mixture. Fold whipped cream into mixture. Turn mixture into pie shell.
  5. Beat 1/2  cup whipping cream until stiff. Stir in 1 TB sugar and 1 TB maraschino liqueur. Spread over pie filling • Garnish with candied orange peal strips. Chill for a least 3 hours before serving.