I have tasted some filling and frosting along the way, but I am unable to eat any of the cakes because I am gluten-intolerant and, frankly, I blame Bill Clinton.
In June of 2005, I was one of the select U.S. Secret Service agents who had been trained to conduct intelligence advances for protectee travel overseas. I was assigned to an advance team, armed with classified information and a satellite phone, and sent to Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Former president Clinton and former president Bush were the special envoys from the United Nations to the areas ravaged by the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004. The Aceh region of Sumatra was the hardest hit area in the disaster. The only building not leveled by the Tsunami was the concrete and cinder-block mosque in the center of Banda Aceh. All the residents and shopkeepers posted newspaper pictures of the mosque standing tall above the flattened town. Indonesia is, according to their government, the most Islamic country on earth and the survivors of the disaster took the sparing of the mosque as a sign or miracle.
My trip was to prepare for former president Clinton's six-month checkup on the recovery effort. Our team was there for quite a while before Clinton's arrival and the entire trip had involved all-nighters for me conveying information back to headquarters in Washington. In the wee hours before the former president was scheduled to arrive, I became violently ill with a stomach ailment. Our team had been careful due to the unreliable hygiene of disaster area food preparation. We used bottled water from the embassy to drink, brush our teeth and even wash our faces (because some infections come from opening one's eyes in infected water). We had eaten MRE's, crackers & peanut butter that we had packed in our luggage, or the food from one restaurant that had been approved by embassy personnel. I had eaten at the restaurant for supper and I think that it was the nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice) that made me sick. During the day of the protectee visit, I spent the day briefing our personnel on intelligence situations while at the same time downing re-hydration salts and trying to remain conscious in the equatorial heat. Clinton visited a refugee camp in the hills where the survivors from low-lying Banda Aceh had been housed.
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| Tsunami refugee camp |
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| Tsunami refugee camp |
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| View from helicopter |
After the visit, I had a 24-hour flight back to Atlanta with a 6-hour layover in Tokyo. I don't remember driving home to Newnan from the Atlanta Airport or how I got up the stairs to my bedroom. I spoke to my mom the next day and when she heard my voice, she told me that she was on her way (at the time, her car was in the shop, so she had to rent a car to drive to Newnan from Atlanta). When she arrived, she took me directly to the hospital.
After days of Gatorade, Jello and soda crackers, I was somewhat better, but not recovering as I should have. I saw my physician in Atlanta for a follow-up. The bacteria (foreign strains of Campylobacter and Salmonella) ) that had made me sick were clear from my system, but I was still weak and unable to digest. After another week, my doctor started testing me for parasites and diseases that could be continuing to make me sick. My blood tests revealed that even my liver and kidney function were affected. Among the tests was one for Celiac disease and it found two of the four Celiac antibodies present. My doctor told me to eliminate all wheat, barley and rye from my diet. After about a week of the new food restrictions, I felt well. Every time I had started to feel better on the Gatorade/Jello regimen, I had eaten dry toast or soda crackers. No wonder I continued to be sick! All told, I was out of work for a month after my return to the states and I ended the month 25 pounds lighter. I have since heard from other people whose Celiac or gluten-intolerance was triggered by tropical bacteria, including someone infected in Indonesia (in Bali, on vacation).
I am not sure why this recipe is called a Feud Cake. There were a few stories online about the ownership of the recipe being source of the dispute. I have decided that in my case, the feud is my own body fighting with the gluten... and this cake settles the feud.
Next Saturday: President's (FDR) Favorite Black Nut Cake
Hi. I was born in Panama City, Florida, in 1946. The Seven Seas Restaurant, no longer there, was known as the best. Feud Cake was on their menu. I have vague memories of the story attached to it. During my early adulthood one of my sisters sent me the feud cake recipe which had been published in the local newspaper. I do believe that the Seven Seas origin of the recipe is correct. It is, however, just a nut torte, isn't it? I was looking for another recipe when I searched for "feud cake." Your reference to Bill Clinton and your gluten intolerance struck me, so I read on and don't know if you were serious or not.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'm pasting a different flourless recipe that I've made. It is decadent. I always make the mocha cream filling. The roll always breaks. An easier approach is to cut the cake into 3 layers. Here's the recipe. Sharon Greenbaum
CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE ROLL
Serves 8-10
7 oz. dark, good-quality 7 eggs, separated
semisweet chocolate 3/4 cup sugar
4 tbsp strong coffee 2 tbsp cocoa
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 10 X 15-inch jelly-roll pan. Cover with greased wax paper.
2. Melt chocolate and coffee over hot water in a double boiler and stir until chocolate is melted. Cool
slightly.
3. Beat the egg yolk with 1/2 cup sugar until fluffy and pale yellow.
4. Add the chocolate and coffee to the yolks.
5. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup sugar, beating gradually until stiff peaks form.
6. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Place batter in pan and bake 15-20 minutes, or until the roll is firm.
7. Remove and cool for 5 minutes. Then place a damp towel over the roll and cool completely at room temperature (this prevents the roll from drying out). Store in a cool place.
8. When ready to use (with the mocha filling, these steps can be done in advance), remove the towel from the roll and sprinkle with cocoa. Place an ungreased sheet of wax paper over the roll and turn the roll upside down. Remove the pan and the first piece of wax paper.
9. Spread the whipped cream or mocha filling over the flattened cake and roll up very carefully and quickly. Store in refrigerator.
MOCHA CREAM FILLING
9 tbsp butter or margarine 2 eggs
3/4 cup very fine sugar Confectioners' sugar
3 oz semisweet chocolate Shaved chocolate for garnish
2 tbsp strong coffee
1. For the mocha filling, cream the butter and sugar very well.
2. Melt the chocolate in coffee in a double boiler over hot water, stirring constantly. Cool slighly.Add to the butter mixture and blend well. Add the eggs and continue beating until very smooth and light. Set aside in a cool place.
3. After filling sprinkle the top of the cake with confectioners' sugar and then shaved chocolate. Since the chocolate roll usually cracks a bit in rolling, the decoration will cover this.
WHIPPED CREAM FILLING
1 1/2 cups heavy cream 2 tsp confectioners' sugar
1 tsp vanilla or rum Shaved chocolate for garnish
1. Just before serving, whip the cream with the vanilla or rum and confectioners' sugar.
2. You may wish to reserve some of the whipped cream and decorate the outside of the cake, using a pastry bag or a spatula. Sprinkle the top with shaved chocolate.