Whiskey in the Blues Kitchen

24Jan10


This particular night turned out to be a bit like the Pepsi Challenge.

From the massive menu of whiskies and bourbon on sale in the Blues Kitchen in Camden we chose a Jack Daniels single malt and a Jack Daniels Green Label.

The Green label was smooth, light and quaffable, but the single malt was made entirely from one barrel and I thought it was great.

It smelled boozy as hell and tasted great. It made me feel like I was in Tennessee. I’d choose that everytime.

…It seemed a shame to stop there so next up was a Talisker.

Very nice, very warming.
What a nice evening.


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Montgomery at number one

19Jan10

According to GQ Magazine this month, Mongomery Cheddar is not only in the top five British Cheeses, but is ranked number One.

I think I have to agree.

There is also a nice little article on GQ.com called ‘Homage to Fromage’ about partnering cheese with alcohol. mmmm cheese and cider. Yes please.

HOMAGE TO FROMAGE – By Craig Butcher

Just because cheese often heralds a meal’s finale, doesn’t mean you can’t continue enjoying a tipple alongside it. There are an incredible variety of drinks that complement cheese. From lively hoppy ales to a dry sherry or full-bodied white wine, there’s no reason you can’t find your ideal match and wrap up your cheese course with a quaffable little number.

Assistant Head Sommelier Loïc Henriet at the Michelin-starred Hélène Darroze at The Connaught (the-connaught.co.uk) gave GQ.COM his top tips on partnering cheese with alcohol.

1) “The first thing to remember is when trying to pair something, always try to stay within the region. It’s the same principle in food and drink generally”. For a foie gras coming from South West France, I’d serve a sweet white wine also from South West France. It’s the same with cheese – stay in the same region”.

2) “Any cheese with the addition of wine to the rind (a washed rind) – like an Epoisses, match with that drink. Other times, you may need to build a bridge between flavours. A Somerset Brie will go well with a local Somerset cider, if it has those flavours. But if not, you can create a bridge between cheese and drink by serving the brie with a garnish of fresh apple shavings, which will in turn be complemented by the cider”.

3) “Beers can go well with cheese too, particularly with the nuttier Alpine cheeses like gruyer, comte and appenzeller. The cereal flavours of the beer can complement the nuts of these cheeses really well, as well as their spring fruitiness. Try to stick to the lighter-coloured beers though, such as a blonde ale”.

4) “A classic strong English cheddar should go with a fruitier young port – a white wine just won’t stand up to it. When you have so much flavour on one side, in this case the cheese, you want a softer flavour on the other side.”

5) “If you have something like a Stichelton, a creamy English blue cheese, go for a port. Not just any port – a 20-year old vintage or Madeira, which will support the blue-veins, with their oxidised, hazelnut flavours”.

6) With a goat’s cheese, something like a medium to full-bodied Loire Valley chenin blanc would work well”.

7) “I would personally avoid red wine with cheese, it’s not something that really works that well for me. Often the thinking is that if you have a big cheese, you need a big, tannic red wine, which will bring it out best. It might work, but you’re really looking at the structure of the cheese, its creaminess, and something that will support that, not the sharp tannins of a big Bordeaux blend. Go for a full-bodied white wine instead”.

8.) “Spirits don’t usually go well with cheese, unless it’s a wine blended with a spirit, say certain types of sweet wine around the 20% ABV mark. Otherwise the alcohol content blows your tastebuds away”.

9) “Of course, if you really want to focus on just the cheese, a light sparkling water will do the job, just don’t serve it too warm”.


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The two mile rule

10Jan10

Two miles.

That’s how far you should be able to walk and still be tasting good cheddar according to Calum at Neal’s Yard Dairy in SE1.

We bought some Montgomery’s cheddar from him while he excitedly educated us about what a ‘real’ cheddar should be.

This one he told us is from one farm, one herd of cows and made by one family.

If your cheddar says ‘ packaged in the UK’ then it means your cheese is not from Uk cattle only and certainly not from one herd – which it should be.

Do you know what? I’ve never enjoyed buying cheese so much as I did on this occasion. Thanks Calum.


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All of a muddle

10Jan10

Another excellent Christmas present was a pestle and mortar.

After watching Jamie Oliver on his ipod app we ‘Bashed’ and ‘Muddled’ some cumin seeds, black pepper, lemon zest and rosemary to make a marinade for our lamb casserole.

We chucked it into the dish with some seasonal veg, chick peas, tomatoes and lemon juice, then we cooked it for a couple of hours.

Jamie was right, the bashing and muddling certainly increased the flavours. They seemed to be more a part of the dish and the meat than just surface flavouring. Dished up on some savoy cabbage and heavy duty bread, we were well away.


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Two new bibles

10Jan10

Father Christmas was kind to us this year.

We must have been good.

We got not one, but two Nigel Slater cookery books,

The kitchen diaries and Tender, a cook and his vegetable patch

Both books have a refreshing way of presenting recipes. One advises on what to grow, when and how to cook it and shows how he tries to eat as seasonally as possible, and the other chronicles a year in his kitchen from special occasions to using leftovers. Ace.

Nigel grows a small selection of food in his small garden and admits he is by no means self sufficient. I feel we have a better chance of maybe achieving something on Nigel’s scale than on Hugh FW and his big old farm’s scale.


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New Year’s Resolution

05Jan10

We’re going to follow Nigel Slater’s lead;

“To eat less but better food”

Happy New Year!


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