August  31

Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria's Birthday
 

Queen Wilhelmina ruled the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948 with the exception of the five years of the German occupation during World War II. Because Wilhelmina was successful in keeping the Netherlands out of World War I and had close historic ties with Germany including granting asylum to Kaiser Wilhelm after Germany's defeat in 1918, she hoped to maintain The Netherlands' neutrality again during World War II. However, all of her power, prestige, and political machinations couldn't prevent Hitler's invasion, occupation, and the murder of nearly a quarter million Dutch citizens including 100,000 Jews. Wilhelmina was in some ways the twentieth-century counterpart of Queen Victoria , although she exercised considerable more power than the English monarch. Wilhelmina appointed each member of the Council of State, had the power to dissolve the States-General, and possessed an absolute veto. She was consulted on nearly every aspect of government and was also successful in building one of the great personal fortunes of the world, rivaling that of the Rockefellers and the Rothschilds. With all of her power and wealth, Wilhelmina still married a jerk, Henry, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Henry was denied any formal responsibilities in Government and spent most of his time drinking and fathering illegitimate children. Unfortunately this unhappy arrangement did not dissuade her daughter Juliana from making a similar mistake when she married Prince Bernardt, who not only was a jerk but a dangerous jerk. As one of Europe's most popular monarchs, and a woman who enjoyed good food, many chefs and restaurateurs created dishes named after the monarch. Escoffier created a variation of Fraises Romanoff (strawberries Romanoff) in which the strawberries are marinated in Kirsch instead of Curacao and served with whipped cream  which we suggest making for Wilhelmina's birthday. We also suggest watching Soldier Orange (1977)  which begins with a flashforward in the form of a newsreel with a voice-over showing Queen Wilhelmina is accompanied by a student (Rutger Hauer) arriving in the Netherlands from London shortly after the Second World War.

Frasies Wilhelmina
(Strawberries Wilhelmina)

1 p. large red strawberries
1/2 cup Kirsch
3 TB frozen orange juice concentrate

1. Stem and half strawberries. Combine kirsch and orange juice in a bowl and place strawberries
   in mixture for at least 4 hours, turning occasionally. Remove strawberries, drain, and place in
   serving dishes.
2. Whip whipping cream until it holds soft peaks. Gradually whip in powdered sugar and vanilla.
   Serve as an accompaniment to the strawberries.