by Sam Tackeff | Sep 14, 2010 | Gifts, Liquor, Mixed Drinks, Shopping
Scotch is classy.
Scotch is a man’s drink.
Scotch is, in fact, such a classy man’s drink that George Clooney is selling it to the Koreans.
I am neither a man, nor very classy (well, I do try sometimes). But, I love my liquor, and I feel a special kinship with Scotch Whisky that’s been years in the making.
My relationship with Scotch began, of all places, in a lab. A college geology lab, after dark, to be specific. In class we were learning about peat bogs, and someone decided to toast the 9,000 year old perfectly preserved peat bog man with some extra "peat-y" Scotch in his honor. And we may or may not have been taking part in this ritual while watching a Nova special about it at the time. It’s called "The Perfect Corpse" if you are curious.
(Photo of the peat bog man: Lonely Planet Images)
And, yes, I’m a nerd. But I kept good company, as a love of food and drink is typical of geologists, really scientists in general- in our lab we made good use of a cappuccino machine, and conversations that weren’t about albite twinning and plagioclase feldspar tended to be about our last meal, or perhaps our next one, or the one after that.
I’ve always found the link between science and food to run deep, even historically so – perhaps nothing will light a candle to the rumor that a defrosted Mammoth was served in the late 1800’s at a Royal Geological Society annual gathering. That, is food obsession at it’s best. (And no, I can’t substantiate that rumor, but I heard it once in a Paleo lecture.)
To the point:
When Victoria called us to schedule a Scotch tasting with Mark Stewart Cassidy at Omnivore, and promised me that a man in a kilt with a Scottish brogue would show up, be handsome, and teach us a little more about traditional Scotch whisky, I was a little beside myself. At the event, after drinking three generous samples of scotch, my feverish notes did become slightly less legible, but I’ve spent significant time deciphering them for the purposes of education about this finest of libations.
[For the record, Whisky = Scottish English, Whiskey = Irish English, and yes, I had to look it up.]
And so, for your entertainment, and mine, here I give 2 minutes for Scotch. This is by no means a thorough discussion, but perhaps a starting point for your own adventures. I digress.
Although Whisky has been made in Scotland for hundreds of years, Scotch became popular in part because of the Phylloxera bug wiping out the cognac and wine making production in France in the late 1800s. While drinking entire handles (do we call them handles?) of Scotch now seems to be a little excessive, to put it in perspective, Churchill was said to have drunk a bucket of brandy a day. What else would be better "after [a day of] shootin’ fishin’ or flogging peasants?"
What the heck is in this stuff, anyway?
Provided that the liquid is Made In Scotland some basic facts:
1. Essentially, Barley + Malt + Water = Scotch.
2. The cask to age the Scotch is always made of Oak. They usually are reused casks from making sherry or bourbon.
3. Evaporation occurs: The first year in the cask, 5% of the alcohol evaporates, and typically every year following an additional 2% evaporates. Some say because of this, the best value is at 10 years, (not necessarily the best taste), but at this point, it has aged, but not evaporated away.
4. Has to be at least 40% alcohol.
5. It is said that taste can be attributed 70% from the cask, 15% from the raw materials, and 15% from the production/skill of the distiller. That said, there is still mystery around what makes a perfect scotch. Every distillery has a master distiller, who’s entire job is to think about these things. There are stories about master distillers who "wouldn’t let anyone move cobwebs – [because] you don’t know what will effect the taste."
How to Taste Scotch:
1. Pour it: Leave whiskey in the glass for 1 minute for every year it has been in the cask.
2. Prepare it: Add a drop of water, down the side of the glass (as to not destroy the bouquet, and so the aroma stays intact). The water picks up the oils and helps to enhance aroma and flavor.
3. Think about it: when you drink scotch, take note of the nose, the body, and the finish.
There are five categories of Scotch: Single Malt, Blended Malt, Blended Scotch whisky, Blended Grain Whisky, and Single Grain Scotch Whisky. For this tasting, we sampled three varieties of Single Malt Scotch Whisky, each with their own distinct characteristics:
Scotch #1:
Highland Region, Aberfeldy 12 year ($39.50)
The first Scotch was the Aberfeldy, which I immediately enjoyed immensely because of the symbol on the bottle which appears to be a squirrel.
Aberfeldy is one of the distilleries that contributes to Dewars’, a particularly well known Scotch brand. Dewars was one of the first Scotch brands sold in a glass bottle with a label, and holds it’s own in the Scotch arena today –– In fact, about five blending houses own all the distilleries in Scotland.
Taking my first sip of the Scotch – HOO-AH – I had forgotten the kick this stuff can give! The bite goes away relatively quickly, the same way a properly spiced dish may give you an initial punch, and then settle down as to not torture you for hours.
During tasting we noted that there is no peat taste, because in the Highlands they mostly use coal to dry the barley. According to the master, there were also vanillins, traces of copper, and peroxide in the flavors.
Scotch #2:
Speyside Region, Benromach Organic ($85.00)
By far and away my favorite. This Scotch was unique because it was the worlds first certified Organic single malt. While Organics have taken their time to become a standard in the alcohol industry, the flavors of the highest quality ingredients grown in clean soil really make this Scotch stand out.
It was crisp and light, with a quick burn, and satisfying lingering sweet and spicy notes. And well, perhaps I’m just going crazy, but for some reason, I noted a hint of coconut which put me in a tropical mood.
Scotch #3:
Island Region, Highland Park 12 year ($45.00)
The final tasting was the Highland Park. Which evoked daydreams of sipping the stuff on the lawn of a big castle, playing cards, and smoking cigars. Maybe with Robin Williams in golf attire in the background.
Perhaps the most like what people traditionally think of when they think of Scotch, this was an example of Peat whiskey, given it’s distinctive taste of drying the barley over peat. ( I got to admit, everyone loved it, and I think it tastes like drinking from a bog. A pleasant bog, but bog none the less.)
In summary, who knew that my favorite would end up being the $85 dollar bottle that I can’t actually afford to plunk down the cash for? Well, if anyone would like to remedy that ––
Scotch available at:
The Whisky Shop | 360 Sutter Street | San Francisco |415.989.1030
The question becomes, where do I go next? Invariably there will be actual Scotch fanatics reading this, and by all means add to the conversation – do you have a favorite type of Scotch?
by Sam Tackeff | Jul 17, 2010 | Baking, Challenge, omnivore books
Another smiling shot of the winners (Aleta and Lilly) of an Omnivore Books Food Contest. This challenge: Stone Fruits. The entries were all diverse (okay, except maybe for a noticeable trend of peaches) and everything was delicious. Despite my resolution to keep my tastes to a minimum, I end up trying everything, and eventually went back to seconds. Damn deliciousness breaking my willpower…Here are all photos of all of them to drool over.
The winning dish?
An Assortment of Galettes. These charming galettes were the clear favorite. Excellent dough, and creative fillings. The dough was a
Pâte à Foncer dough from ‘Advanced Bread and Pastry A Professional Approach’ written by Michel Suas. I’ve attached the recipe at the bottom – perfect for summer baking!
The runner up was Lisa’s individual Financiers with Peaches, Almonds, and ‘lotsa Butter! Let me just say that these were some of my favorites – I’m a sucker for classic french pastries.
Our own Paula brought a lovely Peach Cobbler, which had the glorious addition of a little bit of almond extract, that I must remember to add to my own. It’s a wonderful marriage of flavors.
A savory Peach and Nectarine Salsa was served with chips in this absolutely adorable vintage serving dish. I’d like to get one of these! The salsa was incredible, but the entire presentation was a feast for the eyes. I can see bringing this to every summer cookout.
A Two Plum and Peach Pie was served elegantly on a raised platter (points in my book for presentation), and I loved particularly the way the plums were treated – they had an intense flavor.
A jar of plum jam. Sweet and to the point. I could see this being consumed very quickly in my house, probably equally on toast and stirred into a morning yogurt parfait.
Peach and Nectarine Pie – quite a classic pie, with nice addition of cutout circles of dough adorning the top of the pie there.
Apricot Clafoutis – one of my favorite French desserts. And so easy to make! This version with Apricots was lovely. (The chef also recommends chocolate and cherry clafoutis. I think I’d have to second that – maybe it will be my next baking project.)
Italian Pistachio Plum Cake (and it was vegan!) – a delightful, almost spongy (in a good way!) pistachio cake dotted with the perfect little plums. And it came with a delicious jam (with an extendable spoon to boot – making for the perfect competition servingware) .
Savory Plum Tarts – the last entries into the competition, a little late but they certainly held their own! Came in two flavors – one with thyme, rosemary and lavender jam, and the other with basil, honey, and balsamic.
Jealous?
Don’t worry! We have another contest coming up next month: Tomatoes!
Tomato Cooking Contest! Omnivore Books – August 14th – 4-5pm. Bring a tomato dish, sweet or savory, or just come to eat with $5 dollars in hand ready to judge your favorites. Winners split the door money and earn serious bragging rights.
* * *
Pâte à Foncer
from ‘Advanced Bread and Pastry A Professional Approach‘ written by Michel Suas
Don’t be put off by the metric measurements – baking in metric is much more precise and yields better results. And it’s incredibly easy to find a kitchen scale – mine that tares from metric to standard US I purchased at Ikea for about $12.
yields about 6-7 5inch galettes
Ingredients:
395 grams Pastry Flour
296 grams Butter
79 grams Milk
16 grams Egg Yolks
8 grams Salt
6 grams Sugar
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 425ºF along with a sheet pan or pizza stone (385ºF for convection oven).
2. Allow butter, milk, and egg yolks to come up to room temperature. Butter should be almost mayonnaise consistency.
3. Soften the butter and mix with the paddle attachment.
4. Add the salt, sugar, yolks, and milk, and then add the flour. Mix until just incorporated; dough should look a little bit shaggy.
5. Refridgerate dough for 1 to 4 hours.
6. Divide dough into 7 pieces. Roll dough out to about an 1/8 of an inch thick about 6-7 inch rounds. Fill with either sweet or savory filling. Egg wash crust.
7. Bake until golden about 25-35 minutes.
by Sam Tackeff | May 17, 2010 | Books, omnivore books
I’ve been thinking lately of how many amazing influential women I’ve met at Omnivore books over the past year. The list is pretty astounding – Paula Wolfert, Cindy Paulson, Alice Waters, Mollie Katzen (although she didn’t speak) to name a few. So I think I’m going to make a point to post about these great women – they deserve immense credit for changing the world of food for the better. Here is the latest in influential women at Omnivore:
Behind those super hip red glasses is a woman we should all respect – Victoria Wise.
At 27 years old, Victoria was the first chef at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. A former philosophy grad student at Berkeley, her cooking education was mostly trial by fire. The first dinner she cooked was Duck with Olives. She sourced the duck from Chinatown, made the stock, sauce, everything from scratch. One of the big lessons she learned that night – you can’t take a recipe for 12 and multiply it by 20 and expect it to turn out. It was, in her words, “Very Tomato-y”.
After Chez Panisse, she set up shop across the street and opened a charcuterie deli called Pig-by-the-Tail. “It was an artist’s workshop, it was not a business” she confided – but it was a different time then – like Chez Panisse, the goal was never to get rich, it was to make delicious food to share with friends. While Pig-By-The-Tail may not have made Wise wealthy, it gave her the material for her first book in a long line of cookbooks – “American Charcuterie“, a standard that we sell at Omnivore (nominated for a James Beard in ’87). (It’s out of print, but if you call we can send you a signed copy!)
Since writing ‘American Charcuterie’, she has gone on to write over a dozen more cookbooks, including ‘Good & Plenty: America’s New Home Cooking’, ‘The Well-Filled Tortilla Cookbook’ , ‘Foods Of The World: Mexico’, ‘The Vegetarian Table: Mexico’, ‘The Well-Filled Microwave Cookbook’, ‘The Vegetarian Table: Japan’, ‘The Pressure Cooker Gourmet’, ‘Stories and Recipes from the Robert Mondavi Kitchen’, ‘The Armenian Table’, ‘The Olive and The Caper: Recipes’, and ‘Gastronomy, and Lore of Greek Cooking and The Gardeners’ Community Cookbook’. Her newest book, ‘Sausage’ came out just last month, and she has another book, ‘Bold Food’ on the docket.
As you can see, the breadth of her work is pretty incredible.
Victoria’s goal in life is to “convince people that they really can cook.” Her cookbooks are approachable, filled with great recipes, but importantly great stories. Cookbooks are so much more than recipes – a good cookbook creates the context for good eating. Victoria loves writing about food as much as she loves eating, and confided unabashedly that she thinks about food all the time.
That’s a woman I admire.
by Sam Tackeff | May 15, 2010 | Books, Cheese, omnivore books
[This photo of Laura Werlin (cheese lover and author) is a perfect example of how much fun we have at Omnivore Books.]
Laura came by to talk about cheese, but more importantly, to lead us in a mini-tasting. We had a tasting of three American cheeses, all of which I’d purchase again, and recommend highly. Forgive my cheese-tasting notes, I need to work on cheese vocabulary without sounding inept or worse, ridiculous – “grapefruit and foie gras notes in that cheese Marty, don’t you think?…”
1. Crocodile Tears (See photo below) – made by Judy Schad of Capriole Dairy in Indiana. This was an aged but still soft goat cheese with a really smooth goat-cheesy texture, and nice tangy flavor. While sampling this cheese we learned that most goat cheeses are that characteristic whitish color because don’t metabolize beta carotene the same way that cows do, producing a lighter milk.
2. Pleasant Ridge Reserve – made by Uplands Cheese Company in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. A special cross breed of cows, and rotational grazing techniques used by the farmers makes this cheese a nice golden color. It was a firm (semi-hard?) cheese with such pleasant complex notes – a little bit like tasting the grass the cows were eating in the plains, just a little bit of nuttiness and a tiny crunch.
3. Oma – made in Vermont by the Von Trapp Farmstead, aged in the Cellars of Jasper Hill, one of the only Affineurs (cheese agers) in our country. Yes, those Von Trapps. We tasted this cheese last, as it was the most “aromatic” aka delightfully smelly. It was also wonderfully creamy.
But maybe it’s something about people who work with cheese:
Here’s Gordon Edgar – Cheesemonger at Rainbow Grocery, and author of one of the best food books I’ve read this year. His book, ‘Cheesemonger: A life on the Wedge‘ single-handedly doomed me to uncontrollable cheese cravings for the past month. (Fortunately, my family just gave me a gift certificate to Rainbow Grocery for my birthday, so I now have the funds to spend it all on cheese. I’ll have to use restraint.)
I loved this book because the voice is uniquely Gordon Edgars’ – and is as passionate about cheese as he is about politics, activism, music, and the Bay Area. I learned more about my city from reading this book than from living here. (Which just tells me that I have to be more involved. Folsom St. Fair anyone?) In fact, I enjoyed it so much, that when I finished reading it…. I went back to his livejournal, which to my delight has archives dating back to 2002. I know, I’m a little creepy.
And he loves dogs! And dogs love him.. Maybe dogs also love cheese?
But then, he too fed us delicious cheese:
Dee Harley’s freshly made goat cheese from her farm in Pescadero. Not only was this goat cheese delicious and fresh, but I had the privilege to take home some of the leftovers. It went on asparagus, morning toast, and in a glorious trick – in the cavity of my roasting chicken. Delicious!!
Jealous?
Come to Omnivore! Here’s the event calendar. There are events every week – usually on the weekends, but some excellent ones scheduled during the week as well.
As for more cheese lust- this is what I’ve been reading over the past few weeks:
It’s Not You, It’s Brie : Kirstin loves cheese, and works as a ‘cheese program director’ among other fabulous food related jobs. She also takes some beautiful photographs of cheese, and makes me hungry on a regular basis.
@formaggio on twitter: I follow Formaggio Kitchen because I’m a masochist. Some of the best cheese (and foodstuffs) on the East Coast. A few years back I went to a cheese tasting with Ihsan Gurdal (the owner) at Tanglewood. Do it if you have a chance.
Gordon Edgar’s Blog: Yes, the Cheesemonger keeps us updated and laughing.
I also am in the middle of reading ‘The Town That Food Saved: How One Community Found Vitality in Local Food‘ about a community in Vermont at the center of a food revolution/scandal/hype/or what have you. (You’ll have to read it.). It also has a good amount of information on cheese and dairy’ing. Worth a look.
by Sam Tackeff | Apr 2, 2010 | Baking, Challenge, omnivore books
Dispatch from the field: April 1, 2010: Omnivore Books Edible Art Contest
What:
Yes, another great food contest – this one challenges you to create a dish that references books or art, in conjunction with the annual Edible Books Festival held all over the world on April Fool’s Day. Participants may enter their favorite food-related books or art, in the form of an “Edible” entry. For instance someone might do something clever with a stock pot and a marzipan canine to represent MFK Fisher’s “How To Cook A Wolf.” Or maybe a contestant enters “Someone Is Killing The Great Chefs of Europe” and represents it with a cake in the shape of a map of Europe with a real knife sticking out of it. The original idea for the festival came from observing Brillat- Savarin’s birthday, which falls on April 1st. Participants will be judged on creativity and flavor, and may enter for free. Eaters-only will pay $5 at the door, as well as judge the entries; the winner will split the door money with us. The more entries, the merrier!
I LOVE these competitions we have at Omnivore. Celia mentioned a few weeks ago that the best part of owning your own small business is that you can throw a party whenever you like. This goes along with my firm belief that there is no better gathering than one which involves friendly competition and great food. My closest friends will remember tasty beverages from such smash hits as ‘Science!!!; and late nights involving some competitive Quelf. The bar was set pretty high in the past few months at the store with a very boozy Punch Contest, a Pie Contest (with 48 entries), a Pumpkin contest, and yes, even a Fried Chicken contest.
The entries were extraordinarily creative this time. I admit that I completely broke passover dietary laws to eat absurd quantities of everything. Which, of course, made me happy, but gave me a really bad stomach ache. God punishing me, mayhaps? But now, down to business – the official entries so you can judge for yourself (**by entry number – winners, and winning recipe listed at the bottom**).
1. “Slim Down for Summer Fun”: This bowl was based on Leslie Morgan’s own works of art – check out her “pool glee” series to really see the resemblance.
Home made chocolate pudding with colored cream cheese icing. Tasting notes: I ended up spooning out seconds for myself, even though I was already feeling ill from all the sugar. It was worth it. Nothing like some real chocolate pudding to remind someone that it’s drastically better than the packet stuff. And look how cute it is! (That’s her Boston Terrier floating in the pool).
2. “Fabergé cake with fruit still life“: sugar cookies decorated as fruits (seen above), and a ‘banana split cake’ – chocolate cake with strawberry and banana buttercream and chocolate ganache. His muse was the acclaimed Fabergé eggs, originally created for Tsar Alexander III to give to his wife on Easter by world renown House of Fabergé.
From a technical standpoint, the decorative elements on these fruit cookies and cake were enough to garner a first place win, but judging included both creativity and overall taste. In addition to these awe inspiring entries, Dante (the creator) gets win points for naming his business ‘Fire and Icing‘.
3. “Salumi”: Jacqueline Mallorca’s witty entry inspired by one of the cookbooks in our very own shop, came with this incredibly funny sign:
“Homage to Salumi by Joyce Goldstein: the three all-organic, hand-fed, humanely-raised little pigs who gave their all for these salami were named Figgy, Prunus, and Apricot. The finely-chopped, guaranteed vegetarian faux pork is marbled with, um, hand-chopped noix, and blended with finely-crumbled, hand-formed, custom-baked amaretti and a splash of the best dark Barbados rum.”
Considering that Salumi is the current “it-food” (maybe second only to macarons), I thought that this entry was highly entertaining and relevant to our times. Also, these looked *exactly* like salumi. They also tasted delicious – a delicate fruit and nut log that I can see myself making to serve with tea as an afternoon snack.
4. “Alabama Lane Cake”: Katie and Annelise worked together to create this delicious cake in homage to one of my favorite books of all time, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird“. The movie happens to be on my top faves as well (nothing like a dashing Gregory Peck to make me swoon.)
This boozy cake, which is featured in the novel, was a white cake with pecans, raisins, coconut, seven-minute frosting, and “enough bourbon to kill a mockingbird”. It was served alongside a real (real cast-iron) dead mockingbird.
The cake was OUTRAGEOUSLY good. Although, this wasn’t too surprising, as Katie was previously the creator of my personal favorite “Whiskey Sunrise” at the Omnivore books Punch Contest.
5. “Mondrian Cake”: Chocolate cake with a Jacques Torres frosting. Who doesn’t love Mondrian? I’m going to take some liberty here and connect this cake with an homage to Mondrian by Silverchair, (90’s anyone?) who happened to create a particularly catchy song with Mondrian featured prominently in the video. They aren’t given enough credit for how awesome they are. You should watch it. And forgive me for getting it stuck in your head for the next week.
6. “Eat My Globe: Around the World in 80 Cookies” Inspired by another book we have in our bookshop – Eat My Globe: One Year to Go Everywhere and Eat Everything – this fantastic globe model was made with these *crack-like* lemon, rosemary and cornmeal cookies. I say crack-like, because, well, they were like crack. I personally took home the leftovers and may or may not have eaten oh, all thirty of these bedazzling buttery buttons. Even though their hues were similar to Crayola crayons. Slightly disturbing.
Winners: With such a diverse group of entrants, the entries each got several votes, but it came down to two clear winners
Second Prize, and the winner of a “So Good” pastry magazine: the Fabergé cake!
Grand Prize, and the winner of half the door money: The Alabama Lane Cake!!! Congrats guys!!
Alabama Lane Cake
a winning recipe
Adapted from Cooks.com – cake and frosting from here: and the filling from here.
LANE CAKE
1 c. butter, softened
2 c. sugar
3 c. sifted cake flour
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 egg whites
Lane Cake Filling
7 Minute Frosting
Pecan halves (optional)
Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed of an electric mixer. Combine flour and baking powder. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
Beat egg whites (at room temperature) until stiff peaks form, fold into batter. Pour batter into 4 greased and floured 9 inch round cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 18 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.
(Layers are very tender and fragile, so handle them carefully). Spread Lane Cake Filling between layers and on top of cake. Spread Seven Minute Frosting on sides. Garnish with pecan halves if desired. Yield: one 4 layer cake.
FILLING:
1 1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. bourbon or rye
12 egg yolks
1 3/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. each chopped pecans, shredded coconut, and quartered candied red cherries
Combine raisins and bourbon in tightly covered container; let stand at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. In top of double boiler or heatproof bowl, combine yolks, sugar, salt and butter. Stir over simmering water 15 to 20 minutes or until thick and mixture mounds when dropped from a spoon. Remove from heat; stir in raisin-bourbon mixture, pecans, coconut and cherries, blending well. Cool; cover; chill overnight before assembling cake.
LANE CAKE SEVEN MINUTE FROSTING:
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. plus 1 tbsp. cold water
2 egg whites
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Combine all ingredients except vanilla in top of a large double boiler. Beat at low speed of an electric mixer 30 seconds or just until blended.Place over boiling water, beat constantly at high speed 7 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Beat 2 minutes or until frosting is thick enough to spread. Yield: 4 1/4 cups.
Omnivore Books Food Competitions
To get the official updates follow on twitter @omnivorebooks or sign up for the newsletter on the website. Well be having our next one in a month or so – I believe the concept will be “Fusion food”
(Photo of the peat bog man: Lonely Planet Images)
