COUNT von IMHOFF . . . and a BUTTER TART SLICE

We lived in Saskatchewan for over 30 years and always meant to visit the Imhoff Gallery in St. Walburg . . . maybe next year.  Now I’m sorry we didn’t make it there until this year because the girls would have enjoyed it.  

First off, you have to drive along lovely country roads. 

When you get there, the Gallery is all gingerbread on the outside and there's still lots of his work inside. 

Can you see the faded mural? 

Count Berthold von Imhoff (January 14, 1868 – December 14, 1939) was born in Germany.  When he was 16, he won an award for a grand painting of Emperor Frederick which you can see in Lloydminster at the Tourist Center/Museum.

He studied art, got married, and immigrated to Reading, Pennsylvania, USA.  The cathedral in Reading contains some of his most important work.

Imhoff’s love of hunting brought him to Saskatchewan.  He bought himself a farm near St. Walburg, hired some workers, and did it up in style.

                  This is the teeny house they lived in just at first.

The big house is occupied by his descendants (he had 7 kids), but two rooms are kept in their original state as a museum.  These rooms FASCINATED me:  the way they were painted, the carved mouldings, the old furniture,  and the walls covered with hunting trophies. 

Imhoff shipped  huge religious canvases to Europe and to the United States where they were glued onto walls to decorate churches.   In Saskatchewan, he contributed his work to many small churches for free. 

  The Depression years hit hard though and Imhoff ran out of money.  When he was invited to Rome to receive a knighthood from the pope, Imhoff didn’t have enough money to buy a suit.

        After this very pleasant tour and chat with the local lady who was staffing the gallery just for the day, we headed into the nearby town of St. Walburg for refreshments at the Farmhouse Inn and Restaurant.

        It was a lovely day to sit outside.  

The gravy that came with Bryan’s fries was FANTASTIC!

  I also enjoyed my coffee and a Butter Tart slice.

BUTTER TART SLICE.

½ cup butter

1 cup flour

2 tbsp icing sugar

Blend these together in a food processor; then press into a nine inch square pan.  Bake 5 minutes at 350.

Topping:

1 ½ cups brown sugar

¼ cup butter

1 cup raisins

2 eggs

1 tbsp vinegar

1 tsp vanilla.

Mix topping ingredients together.  Pour over cookie base. Bake 25 minutes at 350.   Ahhhhh! so good and so easy that you'll be able to kick back and reminisce about the good ol' days when overworked women like our mothers made REAL BUTTER TARTS.

******

P.S.  Imhoff decorated over 90 churches.  If you’d like to find out  where they are, look him up on Wikipedia!