Monterey
Lucky are the people who come within the culinary orbit of silversmiths Michael and Maureen Banner. Longtime Monterey residents, the Banners are not just craftsmen, but serious municipal activists and, for our purposes here, superior chefs. They have been diligent cooks for so long that they often do not need recipes. They view dining as a social act and thus have dinner guests several times a week.
They retired as jewelers three years ago, and profess not missing it. “I got tired of trade shows,” says Michael, after selling at 12 to 14 shows each year. “You have to do it full time or not at all,” he says, ”so we just stopped.” But his retirement is not spent reading novels in front of a roaring fire. Instead, he has been working diligently to build a community center in Monterey. When that project is over, he plans to start woodworking. “I’d like to make furniture. It’s something I don’t know about so it will be a good challenge.”
Maureen specialized in jewelry, which she wears to great effect. She created elegant necklaces, pins, pendants, and a wide range of earrings . But now she is able to swim as much as she likes, making good use of Berkshire South.
Although they cooked a lot while making jewelry full time, now they can spend even more time in the kitchen, Much of what they cook is done without consulting recipes, either because they have made the dishes often enough to remember, or because they like to experiment .
Michael is the one who loves to cook. When he worked in his studio, he found cooking relaxed him. He could walk into the kitchen and be immediately engaged in what he was cooking. A lot of what he cooks is ad lib. “He concentrates on what he is doing so he won’t forget the sugar,” says Maureen. She notes that he does not like interruptions, and is careful to honor that.
After many years working and cooking together, they each have their own specialty. “Maureen makes fabulous bread,” says Michael. She also makes salads and pies. Michael concentrates more on main dishes, but also makes a mean salad.
One of their favorite recipes is a peach tart that they wanted to share. But given that the peach season is long gone, they turned it into a pear tart. It tastes great with pears, but we’ll have to wait a few months to try it with peaches.
Nellie’s Pear (or Peach) Tart
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup sugar or 3 tablespoons
1 cup flour
2 large eggs
½ cup cream
7/8 cup sugar
A dash of brandy or vanilla or liqueur
5-6 ripe pears (or peaches), peeled and cut into slices
Butter for pie pan
Preheat oven to 350.
Beat the sugar and butter. Add flour and mix. (This is easier if done in your food processor.) When the dough holds together in a smooth ball, press into a 9” buttered pie pan.
Mix eggs, cream, sugar, and brandy (vanilla or liqueur) and mix together. Pour this into the pie pan. Neatly place sliced pears (or peaches) on top.
Bake for 1 hour or until done.
Serves 8 comfortably.
