Professor Butter Beard and “Cleopatra’s Needle”
“For Oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.”
- William Wordsworth, “I Wander’d Lonely as a Cloud”
I admire daffodils. Those who know me know that my favorite March flower is the Snowdrop, who dares to appear overnight, their startling white blossoms magically spelled by fairies from the last flakes of February’s snow. Then the bold purple crocus appear, regal in their “winter-be-gone” proclamations. But it is the arrival of the daring daffodils, with their blaring yellow trumpets (which I am sure play Haydn’s “Trumpet Concerto” when they open), that truly signifies our wait is over and nature has awoken, ready to party and dance like an Oklahoma hoedown.
Nellie found a brave emerging clump of daffodils this morning on our sunrise hike after a day and a half of relentless rain. They appeared so strong and proud, fully erect with their pregnant buds waving to the daybreak as it bloomed pink and blue in the morning sky. My wacky mind immediately transformed them into ancient Egyptian obelisks, broadcasting their stories while reaching upward towards the gods, like a captured ray from the sun.
Around 1425 BCE, a pair of towering red granite obelisks were created in Heliopolis, Egypt, an area north of modern-day Cairo. One now sits on a rocky hill known as Greywacke Knoll, across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but how it got here is a story worthy of a hundred daffodil trumpet’s salute to ingenuity, identity and preservation.
Central Park is the third location for this 220-ton monolith, a single piece of stone carved out of red granite from the quarries of Aswan, a major source of stone for ancient Egypt. It was one of two obelisks commissioned by Pharaoh Thutmose III for the Temple of the Sun in Heliopolis. Egyptian historians believe that obelisks represented eternity and immortality, and their long, tapering form functioned to connect the heavens and the earth. Their pinnacles were typically covered in gold to reflect the sunlight.
When the Romans discovered the two obelisks in 12 BCE, both had toppled and were lying partially buried in the sand, which perfectly preserved most of the hieroglyphs from the effects of weathering. The Romans transported the obelisks to Alexandria and installed them outside the Caesareum, a temple built by Cleopatra VII in honor of Mark Antony or Julius Caesar. This is one theory of how they came to be called “Cleopatra’s Needles,” a name that still endures.
In 1819, the Egyptian government gifted one obelisk to England, but it remained in Alexandria until 1877 when Sir William James Erasmus Wilson, a distinguished anatomist and dermatologist, sponsored its transportation to London.
The second obelisk was gifted to the United States in 1877 by the Khedive Ismail Pasha in commemoration of the opening of the Suez Canal. The formidable task of moving the obelisk from Alexandria to New York was given to Henry Honeychurch Gorringe, a lieutenant commander on leave from the U.S. Navy. The 200-ton granite obelisk was first shifted from vertical to horizontal, nearly crashing to ground in the process. The obelisk was then transported seven miles to Alexandria and loaded into the hold of the steamship SS Dessoug, which set sail June 12, 1880. The Dessoug had been heavily modified with a large hole cut into the starboard side of its bow and the obelisk was loaded through the ship's hull by rolling it upon cannonballs.
Even with a broken propeller, the SS Dessoug was able to make the journey to the United States and the obelisk and its 50-ton pedestal arrived at the Quarantine Station in New York in early July of 1880. Railroad ramps and tracks had to be temporarily removed and the ground flattened so that the obelisk could be rolled out of the ship, whose side had been cut open once again for the purpose. It took 32 horses hitched in pairs to bring it from the banks of the East River to a temporary location off Fifth Avenue. The final leg of the journey was made by pushing the obelisk with a steam engine across a specially built trestle bridge from Fifth Avenue to its new home on Greywacke Knoll. The official ceremony for erecting the obelisk was held January 22, 1881, during one of the coldest New York winters on record.
Today, almost 150 years later, over five hundred daffodils surrounding the pedestal bloom in March like a heralding trumpet symphony. I chose to commemorate this concerto, and the obelisk, with a daring tart featuring another springtime harbinger – the first asparagus of the season. The pastry base is enhanced with hazelnuts, and the crisp spears of asparagus float on the surface of a goat cheese, orange zest and dried chilies savory cheesecake. Just like the daffodils, this tart blooms on the palette like a triumph over winter and announces the warm return of the sun.
Just one more added tidbit of information: When Cleopatra’s Needle was finally erected in Central Park, a time capsule was buried beneath the obelisk containing a current U.S. census, a Bible, a Webster's Dictionary, a guide to Egypt, a copy of the United States Declaration of Independence and the complete works of William Shakespeare. Contained within “The Winter’s Tale” are his famous words: “Daffodils, that come before the swallow dares, and take the winds of March with beauty.”
Fresh Asparagus and Goat Cheese Cheesecake Tart
Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup hazelnut flour
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
½ tsp fine sea salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled
1 large egg
Filling:
2 large eggs
4 ounces goat cheese
6 ounces cream cheese
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
½ tsp fine sea salt
¼ tsp chili powder
Grated zest of one orange
½ cup heavy cream
12-14 spears of the freshest asparagus
Cooking spray
Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1) For the crust: In a food processor, pulse together the all-purpose flour, hazelnut flour, sugar and salt to combine. Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the processor. Pulse until the butter is incorporated in small pea-size pieces (about 4-5 pulses). Add the egg and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Empty the contents into a medium bowl and squeeze the dough together. Wrap in plastic and chill 30 minutes.
2) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough to a thickness of 1/8” to fit your chosen tart pan with a removable bottom. I use a large rectangular pan. Lightly press the dough into the pan, trim the edges and freeze the shell for ten minutes while your oven heats. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake the shell for 20 minutes, remove the parchment and weights, and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove the shell (in the pan) to a wire rack.
3) Filling: Back in the food processor, add the eggs, both cheeses, the sugar, sea salt, chili powder and orange zest. Process until smooth. Add the heavy cream and process until smooth again. Spread the cheesecake filling in the slightly cooled shell. Snap the asparagus spears and lay over the filling in a decorative pattern. Lightly spray the asparagus with cooking spray and sprinkle with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
4) Place the tart on the center rack of the oven, close the oven door and reduce the heat to 300 degrees. Bake the tart for 20 minutes, until the cheesecake begins to puff and the asparagus are slightly browned. Remove from the oven and let the tart cool on a rack for 20 minutes before slicing.
