Yamazaki 12 Year Old
Yamazaki 12 Bottling Note
This 12 year old from Yamazaki first came onto the market in 1984 and was the first seriously marketed Japanese single malt whisky.
Yamazaki 12 Tasting Note
The nose is of good body with plenty of nut oils and zest, a pleasant floral character with a little tropical fruit and a rooty note. The palate is smooth and soft with good sweetness and winter spice. A lovely citrus note develops with more tropical fruit notes and a little rum. The finish is medium with fruit and zest.
Nikka Whisky From The Barrel
Nikka From the Barrel Bottling Note
Whisky from the Barrel is one of the greatest value for money whiskies in the world. An incredible dram from Nikka, so much power! We can't recommend this enough.
Nikka From the Barrel Tasting Note
The nose is of medium-body with good balance. There are notes of cut flowers and fresh fruits, spice and a little oak. The palate is full-bodied and punchy. There is plenty of winter spice and toffee, a little caramel and vanilla and a good mouthful of fruit. The finish is long and fruity with a little oaken spice.
Eagle Rare 10 Bottling Note
Eagle Rare is a great single barrel bourbon from the Buffalo Trace distillery. This 10 year old expression was very well-rated by Spirit Journal's F Paul Pacult.
Eagle Rare 10 Tasting Note
Nose: Thick, spicy. Sharp citrus, stewed fruits. Mochaccino, seed cake and leather.
Palate: Supple, rounded. Fruit and fudge, spicy vanilla. Mixed conserves.
Finish: Long, spiced, a touch of smoky marmalade - if there could be such a thing!
Palate: Supple, rounded. Fruit and fudge, spicy vanilla. Mixed conserves.
Finish: Long, spiced, a touch of smoky marmalade - if there could be such a thing!
Blanton's Special Reserve
Blanton's Special Bottling Note
Special Reserve is a lower strength single barrel bourbon from Blanton's. Each bottle is hand-filled, hand-labeled, hand-sealed and individually numbered.
Blanton's Special Tasting Note
Nose: Spiced. Grainy sweetness. Buttery, fruity tang.
Palate: Light, balanced, gentles spices, toffee. Dried peels.
Finish: Spices, medium-length.
Palate: Light, balanced, gentles spices, toffee. Dried peels.
Finish: Spices, medium-length.
Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon 12 Year Old
Elijah Craig 12 Bottling Note
Elijah Craig 12 Tasting Note
The nose is quite thick and full. There is a beautiful sweetness with notes of toasty oak, toffee, spicy stewed fruits, a touch of resin and a lovely crème anglaise character. The palate is full and sublimely smooth with notes if stewed Bramley apples, malmsey, a touch of aniseed and a hint of spice. The finish is of good length with toasty oak notes and a creamy sweetness.
Buffalo Trace (Whiskey)
Buffalo Trace Bottling Note
Buffalo Trace Tasting Note
Buffalo Trace was first introduced in 1999 and is a marriage of no more than 45 barrels of 9 year old whiskey, Buffalo Trace is also bottled by hand.
The nose is quite sweet and rich with notes of crème anglaise, milkshake, hints of Kendal mint cake a soft rum note. The palate is full and fruity with notes of winter spice and rum, the oak is present in a toasty, sweet capacity with notes of Madeira. The finish is rather long with notes of dry winter spice and vanilla essence.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Chermoula chicken with herb quinoa
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp peppercorns
- dash olive oil
- 1 tbsp sun-dried tomato purée
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 8 chicken thighs, skin on
For the salad
- 100 g quinoa
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tbsp chopped coriander
- 4 tbsp chopped parsley
- 4 tbsp chopped mint
- 2 pinches sumac
1. For the chicken: place the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and peppercorns in a heavy-based frying pan and toast for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.
2. Transfer the spices to a mortar and crush to a powder. Add a dash of olive oil and stir in the sun-dried tomato paste, chilli powder and 1 teapsoon fine sea salt.
3. Rub the paste all over the chicken, ensuring it is well coated.
4. Place a large heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Lay the chicken thighs in the pan skin-side down and place another slightly smaller pan on top of the chicken to keep it flat against the heat as it cooks. Cook for 15 minutes without touching or turning the chicken.
5. For the quinoa: boil the quinoa in a saucepan of salted water for about 10 minutes until it appears to have sprouted. Drain well and tip into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the lemon juice, a splash of the extra virgin olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper. Set aside.
6. After the chicken has been cooking for 15 minutes (or when the skin appears really crisp), turn it over and fry on the other side for about 1-2 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked all the way through.
7. Add the herbs, the remaining olive oil and the sumac to the quinoa.
8. To serve, pile the quinoa salad onto four serving plates and place two chicken thighs on top of each mound. Drizzle over a little of the pan juices and serve.
2. Transfer the spices to a mortar and crush to a powder. Add a dash of olive oil and stir in the sun-dried tomato paste, chilli powder and 1 teapsoon fine sea salt.
3. Rub the paste all over the chicken, ensuring it is well coated.
4. Place a large heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Lay the chicken thighs in the pan skin-side down and place another slightly smaller pan on top of the chicken to keep it flat against the heat as it cooks. Cook for 15 minutes without touching or turning the chicken.
5. For the quinoa: boil the quinoa in a saucepan of salted water for about 10 minutes until it appears to have sprouted. Drain well and tip into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the lemon juice, a splash of the extra virgin olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper. Set aside.
6. After the chicken has been cooking for 15 minutes (or when the skin appears really crisp), turn it over and fry on the other side for about 1-2 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked all the way through.
7. Add the herbs, the remaining olive oil and the sumac to the quinoa.
8. To serve, pile the quinoa salad onto four serving plates and place two chicken thighs on top of each mound. Drizzle over a little of the pan juices and serve.
super tasty spanish roast chicken
ingredients • 1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm dice• 4 lemons
• a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 x 2kg free-range organic chicken
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 300g good chorizo sausage
• olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
First preheat your oven to 220ºC/425ºF/gas 7, then place your potatoes with 2 of your lemons into a small pan of water and boil for 5 minutes. Drain, and then prick the lemons all over with a knife. (The reason for doing this is that you are going to put them inside the chicken and their wonderful juices will be released while cooking. They will burst with flavour and fragrance, and the heat from the lemons will help the chicken to cook quicker from the inside as well as making it taste and smell amazing.) Remove the parsley leaves from the stalks and put to one side. Stuff the chicken with your hot lemons and the parsley stalks. Then season the chicken and the potatoes with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper, and slice your chorizo at an angle, 0.5cm/¼ inch thick.
Get yourself an appropriately sized baking tray. Take a piece of greaseproof paper and wet it under a tap so it becomes flexible, then shake it out and lay it into the baking tray. Place the potatoes into the centre of the greaseproof paper, then place the chicken on top and sprinkle with the chorizo and a little of your chopped parsley. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Cook in the preheated oven for around 1 hour 20 minutes.
While the chicken and potatoes are cooking you can make what the Italians call gremolata, by finely chopping the zest of your 2 remaining lemons and mixing it with the chopped parsley and garlic. Season lightly and toss together to create a really fragrant seasoning-type garnish. Remove the tray from the oven, take the chicken out and put to one side to rest. Give the potatoes a shake about and put them back in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up.
Carve the chicken and divide between 4 plates, with the potatoes. The potatoes will have taken on the smoky paprika flavour from the chorizo, so if there is any juice left over in the tray, pour every last drop over the plates. When you sprinkle over the gremolata it will hit the hot juice and smell fantastic. You're going to love this one! A rocket salad goes really well with it.
Get yourself an appropriately sized baking tray. Take a piece of greaseproof paper and wet it under a tap so it becomes flexible, then shake it out and lay it into the baking tray. Place the potatoes into the centre of the greaseproof paper, then place the chicken on top and sprinkle with the chorizo and a little of your chopped parsley. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Cook in the preheated oven for around 1 hour 20 minutes.
While the chicken and potatoes are cooking you can make what the Italians call gremolata, by finely chopping the zest of your 2 remaining lemons and mixing it with the chopped parsley and garlic. Season lightly and toss together to create a really fragrant seasoning-type garnish. Remove the tray from the oven, take the chicken out and put to one side to rest. Give the potatoes a shake about and put them back in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up.
Carve the chicken and divide between 4 plates, with the potatoes. The potatoes will have taken on the smoky paprika flavour from the chorizo, so if there is any juice left over in the tray, pour every last drop over the plates. When you sprinkle over the gremolata it will hit the hot juice and smell fantastic. You're going to love this one! A rocket salad goes really well with it.
Brockley - gateway to Tayyabs
There are few round these parts who haven't been getting slightly giddy about the transformation of the old East London Line from a little-used anomaly - I've been going to Shoreditch nearly every day for the past ten years and I've still never located the station that used to serve as the northern terminus - into a genuinely useful artery that provides north and south Londoners - and even the good burghers of Croydon - with direct access to docklands, the City (ish) and funky East London. It means Brockley now appears on the London tube map. Most of all, though, it means I can get to and from Tayyabs in no time.
I realise, though, that there will be some out there whose life isn't ruled by lamb chops and seekh kebabs (poor fools), and for them, the appearance of Brockley on the tube map will trigger idle curiosity rather than fevered anticipation. For their benefit, then, I offer the following round-up of the culinary highlights in this unsung corner of London.
Around the station
Descend from the shabby portakabin that is Brockley station (no gleaming new architecture on this stretch of the line I'm afraid) onto Coulgate Street, home of the often life-saving Speedicars and two neighbouring coffee options: Broca and Browns of Brockley, the first, a hippyish worthy kind of place (they have a brilliant organic food hall over on the over side of the tracks), the second a bit more of a funky deli (although they've recently moved squarely towards the coffee-shop and dropped most of the produce lines). Both do really good coffee if you need reviving after the journey.
Bear right at Browns and you'll bump into The Brockley Barge. It's a Weatherspoons. That's probably all you need to know. But assuming you can tear yourself from the siren temptation of cheap lager and house doubles, it's worth looking in at Degustation, an excellent little French outlet over the road. Lots of charcuterie, good fresh bread, a lot of jars and cans familiar from French supermarkets and a great selection of carefully sourced French wine. This stretch of Coulgate Street is also home to a jerk chicken place I confess I haven't tried yet and a well-regarded Vietnamese take-away.
Brockley Road
Step onto the main drag of Brockley Road and you're confronted with the first of a seemingly endless number of fried chicken establishments. I can't comment on the quality - I'm not sure what I'd be comparing it with - but the kebab shop a couple of doors down is pretty good and the Essence of India is a reliable if unshowy take-away option. There's more to Brockley than take-aways, though, and round the corner into Harefield Road you'll find The Orchard, a relative newcomer that's somewhere between a neighbourhood restaurant serving decent gastropub fare and the kind of wine bar/cum cafe where yummy mummies hang out during the day (more on them shortly). It's a welcome addition to the area and one hopes it fares better than a number of other failed ventures that have occupied the same spot over the past few years.
At this point things appear to dry up, but it's worth pressing on towards Crofton Park. In fact this is a recurring theme: Brockley Road is a long, drawn out affair with a few random points of interest along the way. It's the American football of thoroughfares.
The next flurry of commercial establishments includes what appears to be a popular local Thai restaurant, almost certainly some more fried chicken, at least one bookmaker and Brockley Mess, another newish establishment and certainly another welcome addition to the local scene. Part gallery and part upmarket cafe it does a good breakfast and looks after the rest of those yummy mummies very well indeed.
Crofton Park
Purists will argue that this is falling out of the Brockley brief slightly - Crofton Park has its own station after all - but for the purposes of this post I'm going to treat anything on Brockley Road as fair game. So in the knot of businesses around Crofton Park station (17 minutes from Victoria, apparently, but not on the tube map so will probably destined to remain invisible to most Londoners) you'll find the famous Rivoli Ballroom, a couple of local supermarkets and two decent eating options. Jam Circus is a popular pub/bar in the same mould as The Orchard but with much more heritage. Decent steaks and other gastropub grub feature on the menu and it's a regular live music venue.
And over the road is Mr Lawrence, one of the treasures of the area. It's actually a pair of businesses, an independent wine merchant on one side and an unreconstructed wine bar on the other. Don't be put off by the anti-shoplifter gate in the shop: once you're past that you'll find a fantastic selection of spirits, beers and wines. The emphasis is on France: Mr Lawrence, who you'll usually find behind the bar next door, sources much of it himself. The bar does tapas-style bar snacks and a few more substantial dishes but the emphasis is on helping him reduce his stock levels by emptying bottles into tiny glasses that probably haven't been replaced since the seventies. A perfect spot to finish an evening.
Also in this neck of the woods, if you can find it, is Peter James, a very good, old-fashioned family butchers.
Honor Oak Park
If you have the stamina (and can escape Mr Lawrence's gravitational pull), it's definitely worth pushing on down to the far end of Brockley Road. Or, of course, you can stay on the shiny new train for an extra stop and go to Honor Oak Park station. There's a couple of decent places to eat and drink around the station apparently but I haven't had the pleasure: by the time I've made it down this far I'm only really interested in either Italian or Indian. The first takes the form of Le Querce, home of excellent ice cream, a bewildering number of daily specials, home-cured bresaola and dangerous grappa. And at the same latitude you'll find Babur, possibly the only genuine culinary reason for visiting this neck of the woods. Named London's best inexpensive restaurant by Harden's last year, Babur does refined, well-flavoured dishes from all around India and regularly has regional or seasonal themes. Definitely worth a trip. One day I may even get round to reviewing it properly. I've only been here eight and half years...
Your final port of call on this tour of Brockley (verging on Forest Hill by now) is The Honor Oak, a decent modern pub right at the end of the main drag. A good looking menu meets the needs of a youngish clientele and there's often food stalls out front.
So that's it. I'm acutely aware this has been a very selective journey, focusing only on the options along Brockley Road but these are the places most obviously made accessible by the new tube stations. Other local highlights include a shiny new gastropub (The Talbot) and the perennially popular Meze Mangal, but these are both marginally better served by St Johns station.
But even this brief round-up reinforces the fact that there's more variety and quality to be found in SE4 than first impressions might suggest. You won't find a Starbucks (thank god), and you will be distracted by more chicken shacks than is strictly necessary, but there is plenty out there, much of which has opened relatively recently. Here's hoping the influx of new visitors brought by the new trains will cause this trend to continue.
The new black
The BBIL search continued on Friday with a last minute decision to try Black & Blue just next to Borough Market. I was in optimum condition for a burger following a few after-work beers and was secretly delighted when Plan A, oysters and more fishiness at the estimable Wright Brothers, was somewhat oversubscribed.Black & Blue is a mini chain with five restaurants dotted around the capital, Borough being the latest. I can't comment on the other branches but it looks like the menu is the same in each, and the website claims the same attention to style has been applied to each. If the other locations have been chosen as well as this one the future looks rosy.
With no less than four pubs within sixty seconds' stagger, this site was always going to reward anyone who could serve up decent quality fare. On a Friday night at about 9pm it was, as you'd expect, basically full, an informal queueing system in the bar area being operated by the friendly manager. Before long, Mark and I were shown to a table in the corner of a large and buzzing dining room. The decor is modern, stylish and unfussy, with the helpful addition of some large cows with words like "steak" emblazoned across their flanks in case you were in any doubt what you were about to eat.
The menu reinforces this with the words "a steakhouse" under the logo at the top, which is probably just as well, because steaks don't get over-stressed further down. They get their own section, fair enough, but with only five standard cuts to choose from it's not as if they've got out of their way to look after the cow connoisseur. There was also a claim that their beef had been supplied by the same trusted butchers for 30 years, which is a bit odd given how long the place has been open. Maybe the first of the chain opened that long ago? We asked, but got no reply.
No matter, we were there for the burgers. There were six of these on the menu, ranging from "classic" to "bacon and cheese" to "foie gras", curiously leapfrogging my favoured option, just "cheese". I successfully ordered it anyway (Mark ordered the bacon combo) and after sharing some foie gras paté to start (they were out of the mysterious "Flowering Onions") and while tucking into a perfectly sound Brouilly from a varied international list, we looked forward to the main event.
A mixed bag, to be honest. The meat was clearly fantastic quality and was cooked as ordered, in my case rare. But it hadn't any of the colour or crispiness you would expect from a really hot grill, especially not in a restaurant wittily calling itself Black & Blue. Mark specifically ordered his bacon very crispy. It wasn't. Chips were pretty good I thought, but the other accompaniments were no more than ordinary: OK bread, some twists of iceberg lettuce, a slab of beefsteak tomato, a bit of mayo and a single prism of gherkin sitting rather awkwardly on top of the rest. It's not clear how I was expected to get a taste of that in every mouthful (surely the whole point of a burger) but then again the burger was presented "open" so maybe I wasn't expected to eat it sandwich-style anyway.
Overall, though, the quality of the beef shone through, and was just about enough to make one overlook the quibbles. It's easy to see Black & Blue being a big hit with pub revellers, and this will probably be enough to ensure its success
That's enough Ed
Now I suppose it's possible my memory is playing tricks on me but I am sure Ed's Diner used to worth going to, the ideal antidote to a few too many strong continental lagers Up West. I remember many nights when at least some of the damage was undone by taking on board a decent burger, some good chips and a couple of cheesy classics from the counter-top juke box. This mini chain of retro diners was a welcome addition to a West End hardly overflowing with decent fast food.Now obviously things have moved on a bit in 2007. A new breed of quality burger joints has emerged, new contenders such as Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Hamburger Union that have, in turn, helped inspire this blog's humble hunt for the Best Burger in London. So has Ed's Diner raised its game to meet the challenge of the new pretenders? Quite the opposite it seems: on the evidence of last Friday it seems to have packed up the game, thrown away a couple of vital components and sold the rest on ebay.
Friday night at 9:45 in a West End burger bar. How long would you expect to have to wait for a table? Fifteen minutes? Half an hour? Longer? Or no time at all... I actually thought the place was closing up early. In the 20 minutes or so I stuck around the only other diner was a member of staff. God knows why: he must have known how bad it would be.
I knew from previous experience there was no point in ordering my burger rare (some line about them not being allowed to - I only went back for the purposes of the BBIL quest) but I was hardly prepared for the overcooked, underseasoned industrial tasting rubbish I was served up with. And as if that wasn't enough it came with grated cheese. Grated cheese on a burger. WTF? The whole point of a cheese burger is to have your meat smothered with an even layer of tangy goo, somewhere between seasoning and sauce. Ed seems to think you'd rather have a lapful of cheesy flakes to go with the ordinary chips and the cheap and nasty ketchup. Dreadful from start to finish, the only saving grace being that start to finish takes only about 20 minutes.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Apricot
In these climate-changing times, the home-grown English fruit bowl gets more exotic each year. Apricots join grapes, walnuts and blueberries as the latest hot-weather crop cultivated on these shores.
The majority of apricots are still imported to the UK from the US and Europe, but there are a number of small producers in Southern England.
A member of the peach family, the apricot is a small golden-orange fruit with velvety skin and juicy flesh. They are at their peak in July so catch them why you can – although you’ll be hard pushed to find English ’cots, the lack of steady sunshine and February frosts when the plants flower have all but zapped this year’s yield.
The longer the fruit is allowed to ripen on the tree the more sweet its flavour. Note, contrary to the supermarket trend of selling “ripen-at-home” punnets of bullet-hard fruit, apricots don’t mature once picked. But you can always halve and poach under-ripe fruits in a little dessert wine and vanilla or bake with a splash of orange juice, zest and a drizzle of honey.
Apricots are delicious hot and gooey in pastries and custard tarts, and are a good match with chocolate and almonds or served alongside roast pork with the ripe fruit and spicy notes of a 2006 Heartland Viognier Pinot Gris from Oz available in Selfridges (£20.50; 0207 318 2375; selfridges.co.uk).
The majority of apricots are still imported to the UK from the US and Europe, but there are a number of small producers in Southern England.
A member of the peach family, the apricot is a small golden-orange fruit with velvety skin and juicy flesh. They are at their peak in July so catch them why you can – although you’ll be hard pushed to find English ’cots, the lack of steady sunshine and February frosts when the plants flower have all but zapped this year’s yield.
The longer the fruit is allowed to ripen on the tree the more sweet its flavour. Note, contrary to the supermarket trend of selling “ripen-at-home” punnets of bullet-hard fruit, apricots don’t mature once picked. But you can always halve and poach under-ripe fruits in a little dessert wine and vanilla or bake with a splash of orange juice, zest and a drizzle of honey.
Apricots are delicious hot and gooey in pastries and custard tarts, and are a good match with chocolate and almonds or served alongside roast pork with the ripe fruit and spicy notes of a 2006 Heartland Viognier Pinot Gris from Oz available in Selfridges (£20.50; 0207 318 2375; selfridges.co.uk).
Apples: core strengths
Apples are, arguably, the most English of seasonal fruits. They have been ripening on trees for weeks now but September signals the true start of the apple season.
More than 2,000 varieties have been grown here over the years, many with names that pinpoint their origin such as Keswick Codlin, Kentish Fillbasket and Beauty of Bath. Others bear hints for the palate in their names such as the Pitmaster’s Pineapple, D’Arcy Spice and Blenheim Orange.
Sadly there has been a drastic decline in both the diversity of varieties grown and the number of orchards in the country in recent years. Kent, for instance, has lost 85 per cent of its orchards in the past 50 years.
Farm shops and farmers’ markets offer an excellent choice of locally-grown apples and eyes peeled for English apples in British supermarkets. If you have space in your garden, the Apple Source Book (Hodder & Stoughton, 2007) tells you everything you need to know to plant an apple tree.
More than 2,000 varieties have been grown here over the years, many with names that pinpoint their origin such as Keswick Codlin, Kentish Fillbasket and Beauty of Bath. Others bear hints for the palate in their names such as the Pitmaster’s Pineapple, D’Arcy Spice and Blenheim Orange.
Sadly there has been a drastic decline in both the diversity of varieties grown and the number of orchards in the country in recent years. Kent, for instance, has lost 85 per cent of its orchards in the past 50 years.
Farm shops and farmers’ markets offer an excellent choice of locally-grown apples and eyes peeled for English apples in British supermarkets. If you have space in your garden, the Apple Source Book (Hodder & Stoughton, 2007) tells you everything you need to know to plant an apple tree.
Chestnuts
Gusty early November is the perfect time to go gathering nuts. Rule number one for nutty foragers is not to confuse edible chestnuts with conkers. A wild sweet chestnut is one third of the size of most conkers with a pointed end.
Chestnuts differ from other nuts in that they have a high starch and water content, but low protein and fat levels, so they can be dried and ground into a meal for breads, batters, cakes and stews.
The majority of chestnuts available in supermarkets are from Europe rather than Britain, so look for home-grown chestnuts at farmers’ markets.
If you don’t have a toasty open fire, remove the prickly green husks, make a small incision in the chestnuts (so they don’t explode) and “roast” them in a dry frying pan for about 10-15 minutes. Make that two minutes if you’ve got a George Foreman-style grill contraption.
Use fresh chestnuts in risotto, mash or stir fried with Brussels sprouts and pancetta. They work well roasted alongside game and root vegetables, as a stuffing for turkey and pork or to give a savoury-sweet autumnal stamp to a chocolate torte topped with spiced pears.
Chestnuts differ from other nuts in that they have a high starch and water content, but low protein and fat levels, so they can be dried and ground into a meal for breads, batters, cakes and stews.
The majority of chestnuts available in supermarkets are from Europe rather than Britain, so look for home-grown chestnuts at farmers’ markets.
If you don’t have a toasty open fire, remove the prickly green husks, make a small incision in the chestnuts (so they don’t explode) and “roast” them in a dry frying pan for about 10-15 minutes. Make that two minutes if you’ve got a George Foreman-style grill contraption.
Use fresh chestnuts in risotto, mash or stir fried with Brussels sprouts and pancetta. They work well roasted alongside game and root vegetables, as a stuffing for turkey and pork or to give a savoury-sweet autumnal stamp to a chocolate torte topped with spiced pears.
Quince upon a time
Forgotten member of the apple and pear family, the quince is an ancient fruit native to the warmer climes of southwest Asia.
Quince trees are now relatively rare in Britain but Norton Priory, in Cheshire, oversees the national collection, protecting more than 20 varieties.
Although the trees are aromatic, the fruit is bitter and hard when eaten raw. When cooked, however, quinces release a sweet, fragrant flavour. They also contain pectin, which make them ideal for jams and jellies.
Norton Priory hosts a quince festival this weekend with tours, tastings and recipe demonstrations (nortonpriory.org). Like Spanish membrillo, the jelly is best eaten with cold meats and Manchego cheese or used in fruit tarts with apples. Quinces poached with sugar and lemon juice are a good match for Greek yoghurt and honey or a soft goat’s cheese.
Bramley and Gage produce a quince liqueur (£11.64; bramleyandgage.co.uk), that won “best drink” in the Taste of the West awards last year. This home-grown version of a dessert wine has aromas of dates and figs and uses the pear-like “vranga” variety grown at Clay Barn Farm in Essex.
Quince trees are now relatively rare in Britain but Norton Priory, in Cheshire, oversees the national collection, protecting more than 20 varieties.
Although the trees are aromatic, the fruit is bitter and hard when eaten raw. When cooked, however, quinces release a sweet, fragrant flavour. They also contain pectin, which make them ideal for jams and jellies.
Norton Priory hosts a quince festival this weekend with tours, tastings and recipe demonstrations (nortonpriory.org). Like Spanish membrillo, the jelly is best eaten with cold meats and Manchego cheese or used in fruit tarts with apples. Quinces poached with sugar and lemon juice are a good match for Greek yoghurt and honey or a soft goat’s cheese.
Bramley and Gage produce a quince liqueur (£11.64; bramleyandgage.co.uk), that won “best drink” in the Taste of the West awards last year. This home-grown version of a dessert wine has aromas of dates and figs and uses the pear-like “vranga” variety grown at Clay Barn Farm in Essex.
Leeks
Leeks have been lurking for centuries in our regional dishes such as cock-a-leekie (made by simmering beef with a capon, leeks and prunes), Welsh mutton pie and Cornish leek pie.
Small and medium sized leeks are best for cooking as they tend to be sweeter and more tender than chunkier ones. To clean, remove the outer leaves, the tough green tops and stringy root. Cut along the length of the stalk, halfway through, and put into a bowl of water; swill around a bit so that any dirt will be washed out of the leafy layers.
Try shallow frying leeks with a pinch of thyme or tarragon, some shredded spinach, and grated carrots or beetroot. Lightly blanched leeks can be baked with ham in a cheesy sauce or added to salads and pair well with seafood.
The Walnut Tree Inn, near Abergavenny, voted best regional restaurant in Wales according to Hardens 2009 restaurant guide, serves poached leeks cold in a mustard dressing with shavings of parmesan and black truffle. Chef Shaun Hill recommends an unoaked Louis Jadot Nuits-St.-Georges pinot noir for its jammy farmyard flavours.
A simple leek and potato soup is a good match for a glass of rose. Eyes peeled then for ex-footballer and winemaker David Ginola’s soon-to-be released Coste Brulade, a rosé from his Provencal vineyard, which won a silver award at this year’s International Wine Challenge.
Small and medium sized leeks are best for cooking as they tend to be sweeter and more tender than chunkier ones. To clean, remove the outer leaves, the tough green tops and stringy root. Cut along the length of the stalk, halfway through, and put into a bowl of water; swill around a bit so that any dirt will be washed out of the leafy layers.
Try shallow frying leeks with a pinch of thyme or tarragon, some shredded spinach, and grated carrots or beetroot. Lightly blanched leeks can be baked with ham in a cheesy sauce or added to salads and pair well with seafood.
The Walnut Tree Inn, near Abergavenny, voted best regional restaurant in Wales according to Hardens 2009 restaurant guide, serves poached leeks cold in a mustard dressing with shavings of parmesan and black truffle. Chef Shaun Hill recommends an unoaked Louis Jadot Nuits-St.-Georges pinot noir for its jammy farmyard flavours.
A simple leek and potato soup is a good match for a glass of rose. Eyes peeled then for ex-footballer and winemaker David Ginola’s soon-to-be released Coste Brulade, a rosé from his Provencal vineyard, which won a silver award at this year’s International Wine Challenge.
Pomegranates
Now is the time to be eating pomegranates, a so-called superfood with a leathery skin and fragrant sweetsharp juice that has been used in Central Asian and Middle Eastern kitchens for centuries.
There are about 800 juicy seeds in an average fruit which is high in vitamin C, antioxidants and iron.
A generous sprinkling of the ruby-red pomegranate seeds adds a festive flavour to a whole range of dishes from starters to desserts. Try the fruit capsules with a warm duck breast salad or Shaun Hill, co-owner of the Walnut Tree Inn, near Abergavenny, Wales serves a winter salad with pomegranate, pine nuts and chicken livers.
As well as adding a fruity kick to muesli or hoummous, pomegranate seeds go well with other Middle Eastern ingredients such as honeyed almonds, dates, rose water and lemon juice. Crushed with ice they make a refreshing and good-looking base for a number of aperitifs - Jamie Oliver whizzes up a pomegranate and gin cocktail shot in his early tome Jamie’s Kitchen. For a seasonal toast, try floating fresh pomegranate seeds in champagne, sparkling cider or ginger ale
There are about 800 juicy seeds in an average fruit which is high in vitamin C, antioxidants and iron.
A generous sprinkling of the ruby-red pomegranate seeds adds a festive flavour to a whole range of dishes from starters to desserts. Try the fruit capsules with a warm duck breast salad or Shaun Hill, co-owner of the Walnut Tree Inn, near Abergavenny, Wales serves a winter salad with pomegranate, pine nuts and chicken livers.
As well as adding a fruity kick to muesli or hoummous, pomegranate seeds go well with other Middle Eastern ingredients such as honeyed almonds, dates, rose water and lemon juice. Crushed with ice they make a refreshing and good-looking base for a number of aperitifs - Jamie Oliver whizzes up a pomegranate and gin cocktail shot in his early tome Jamie’s Kitchen. For a seasonal toast, try floating fresh pomegranate seeds in champagne, sparkling cider or ginger ale
Banh mi - London's sandwich du jour
Tired of the same old sub, sandwich or panini? Currently budging over the burrito for London’s hottest ethnic street-food is the banh mi, a Vietnamese snack that’s arrived here via New York.
Not for the faint hearted, the banh mi (pronounced "bun mee") consists of a baguette made with 50 per cent rice flour to ensure that it's light and crispy, lined with homemade mayonnaise and pork liver pâté, then filled with Vietnamese salad of carrots and daikon (white radish), thin slices of cucumber, coriander and chilli, and finally, a generous helping of slow-cooked pork.
The bread and pate element are a legacy from the French occupation of Vietnam in the 19th and 20th centuries. Yet somehow the combination of sweet, salt and sour flavours hits the palate’s jackpot.
Try banh mi at Mo-Me market stall at Spitalfields, Caphe House on Bermondsey Street; Loong Kee Café on Kingsland Road, Shoreditch; Viet Baguette in Fitzrovia; Banzi in Surrey Quays; Café Bay in Denmark Hill, and the Banhmi11 stall in Broadway Market.