Sunshine in Blarney Castle Grounds. Walks And Interest Galore.
(pics from 14th Jan 2021)
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| Horse. And robin! |
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| Horse. And robin! |
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| Walkway |
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| Fungus, also below |
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| Badgers Cave |
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| Badgers Cave. The escape route for defenders when Cromwellian troops attacked the castle |
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| Lion Rock |
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| River walk |
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| Horses Graveyard |
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| Not looking good for this owl. Checked with office who already knew about the casualty and had someone on the way. |
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Taste of the Week
Hederman's Smoked Haddock Chowder
with Garam Masala & Black pepper
The stallholders of English Market in Cork are well-known for their ability to chat and Frank Hederman (the ace of fish-smokers) is one of them. So no surprise that his chowder has quite the title: Hederman's Smoked Haddock Chowder with Garam Masala & Black pepper. It is also our Taste of the Week.
The Hederman kitchen has long known that curry spices work really well with smoked haddock (in dishes such as Kedigree) and so the Garam Masala and Black pepper were added. And the combination worked superbly. The chowder is packed full of texture and flavour and a treat on a cold day. Totally delicious.
It comes in a 400gr pot and the contents make a main dish for one or two (large) cups for two. Well worth checking out. You may get it at The English Market or, as I did, via Neighbourfood.
Cheers 210502
Beer, Wine, Spirits with Bertha's Revenge, Supervalu, Chateau Feely, Wines of the World, Lough Gill, Rascals
Ballyvolane House Spirits Company are delighted to introduce you to a new nautical member of our little herd Bertha’s Revenge Navy Strength Gin. We have raised the ABV to a lip-pursing 57.1%, and have shuffled the botanical blend slightly to accentuate one or two of the more pronounced flavour notes. The extra strength gives our merry crew of spices a megaphone through which to convey their message, which is as smooth and as well-balanced as you would expect from a cow riding at anchor.
Bertha’s Navy Strength gin tastes divine when sipped over ice. She is also an excellent base to gin-forward cocktails, especially a Gimlet.
Natural aphrodisiacs are great for passion and for health. In this article you’ll discover some of these wonders, Chateau Feely’s Aphrodisiac Love Box, a love potion secret from Cleopatra, treats and wines to pair with them AND the Virtual Valentine Party to kick off your Valentine weekend with sizzle and laughter. Check out the Love Box here!
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As an independent, family-run craft brewery, your support is what keeps us alive and allows us to do what we love and we are very grateful. Thanks to you, we were able to continue creating exciting new beers in 2020. Use the above discount code at the checkout to receive 10% off your next order. This code is valid for until 14th February 2021. |
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Rascals Got A Whole Lot Of Love. In A Box
If you’re looking for a St. Valentine’s Day gift that says ‘Hey, I decided to express my love for you through the medium of beers and chocolates’, well you’re not going to believe this, but we can sort you out! The Love Box is a collection of eight beautiful Rascals beers, sixteen beautiful chocolates, one sizzling hot love songs playlist and a beer-chocolate pairing guide. It’s yours for just €29.95 and we deliver nationwide. It’s the perfect gift for when you want to do that thing where you buy someone a gift but really you’re buying it for yourself too. Don’t pretend you’ve never done that! Buy The Love Box
€1 from every webshop order this month will be donated to our local National Council for The Blind shop. You can read more about the initiative here.
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Piper-Heidsieck Champagne
Is Your Anytime Ace. Not Just Valentine's!
Piper-Heidsieck is one of the most famous houses in Champagne. It is known for its structured, fruit-driven house style made predominantly from Pinot Noir, with smaller portions of Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. The company has its origins in the cloth- and wine-trading company Heidsieck and Co. which was founded in 1785 by Florens-Louis Heidsieck.
The current winemaker is Émilien Boutillat. “Émilien was born in the heart of champagne. He has made wine around France, in Chile, in South Africa and in New Zealand. He has a global perspective, a scientific approach and is one of the rising stars of the wine world.” Not a bad intro at all from Liberty Wines MD David Gleave as he introduced Émilien Boutillat during a masterclass last year. Judging by the two wines here, the intro was well deserved.
Piper Heidsieck Essentiel Cuvée Réservée Extra Brut, 12%
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| Émilien Boutillat |
Through the pale gold colour, fountains of bubbles race in profusion towards the top. Nutty notes in the aromas. It really makes you stop and take notice on the palate, pear and apple amidst the lively citrus contribution. And, after that full and flavoursome combination (enhanced by the contribution of the reserve wines), comes a persistent dry finish. One of the very best Extra Brut champagnes I’ve come across (not that I’ve come across that many) and Very Highly Recommended.
Extra Brut.
Mise en Cave (cellared): 2015.
Degorgement: Jan 2019.
Winemaker: Émilien Boutillat.
Blending: Harvest 2014 and 18% Reserve wines
Grapes: 50% Pinot Noir , 30% Meunier, 20% Chardonnay
The Essentiel wines are produced exclusively for independent merchants and the on-trade. The Essentiel Cuvée Réservée Extra Brut and the Essentiel Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut are made in limited quantities and for the table, with their low dosage (6 g/l and 4 g/l respectively) making them ideal for whetting the palate or serving with seafood.
* I got this bottle as an unexpected gift at Christmas. You can get it in Mitchell & Son (Dublin) for €66.95, details here.
Piper Heidsieck Cuvée Brut NV, 12%, on offer €39.95 (was €54.06), O’Briens Wine
This signature Brut has a really bright gold colour, lots of bubbles catching the lights. Aromas - fruity, biscuity. Again fruity (citrus) and biscuity on the palate and it certainly lives up to the Brut with the persistent finish delicate with that lovely citrus prominent.
So what would you pair this beauty with? Lynne Coyle MW, of O’Briens, suggests it’s perfect with “the antics of Bridgerton and their society parties”. "Enjoying the antics of Bridgerton and their society parties? then Champagne is the perfect match. Champagne would have been flowing freely during this period, establishing itself as a luxury celebration wine."
Of course, you would need something to nibble on. Again Lynne has the solution: Rustic Bread & Black Olive Tapenade. Just ask the servants.
I got this bottle in “Deck the Halls” Feast Hamper that I bought from the excellent Glass Curtain restaurant in Cork City at Christmas.
A Quart of Ale± #32
Moving on over to craft with Lambic and Geuze.
Sour (part 2)
So, what is a sour? It is perhaps the style of beer most likely to put someone off with a single sip. But, according to Craft Beer for the People, “they are hugely rewarding for those who can get past the initial shock.” Think of lemons, sauerkraut, pickles and Citron Pressé (the French non-alcoholic thirst quencher) as that essential first step. “Once you gain a taste for them (sours)…. there’s no going back!” And I can tell you, hand on heart, that the conversion can come as early as the third sip. Stick with it and try some of beers below - you won’t be sorry! Link to Part 1 (which introduces a few Belgian and Irish examples) here.
Lambic and Geuze (you will see different spellings) are a further step on the sour path but not necessarily sourer! According to The World Atlas of Beer, Lambic is the only style cluster over which Belgium can claim sole mastery. And mastery is apt as “making lambics requires feel and experience”. Boon is the largest producer of old lambic while Lindeman’s is the “most industrial of the authentic producers” and it well-known for its fruit beers particularly the Framboise below.
Lambics are raised in huge foudres (very large barrels) and it takes an experienced expert to know when the beer is properly aged in the oak. Quite often the brewery doesn’t have the space or the experts and so they contract out to those that do, who can tell when the lambic is ready for blending. Blends of old and young lambics are known as geuzes and they are, according to Craft Beer for the People, “stunning”. The process has its own yeast, technically Brettanomyces lambicus, known best as Bretts. The fermentation is wild - they leave the windows open - and is unpredictable.
This "wild" yeast is key here, the magic happening when it lands in the oak casks where the beer is fermenting. Because of this unique local process, "few flavours are shared with ale or lager" according to the Beer Pocket Book.
Of the four beers below, two are fruit lambics, where lots of good fruit is added to the brewing mix. The book Beer FAQ suggests that, “as the style can be off-putting…. the bulk of their commercial volume is from fruit-enhanced beers”. “The fruit masks a lot of the style’s funkier elements."
Boon “Kriek Boon” 2018 4%, 375ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork
This traditional Belgian Lambic fruit-beer is dark red in colour with a pinkish head (short-lived). A refreshing, almost fizzy, beer, pleasantly aromatic and has flavours of fresh cherries, slightly sweet and full-bodied.
It is brewed according to the traditional lambic style of spontaneous fermentation. Only fresh cherries (25%) are used. Keep out of the light and serve at 4 degrees.
They say: Kriek Boon is a spontaneous fermentation beer, prepared from old and young Lambic that matures in oak barrels. 250 g cherries per litre are added to Kriek Boon. The authenticity is guaranteed by the use of only real cherries from Galicia. A refreshing and tasty celebration during summer days, on the terrace or at the barbecue.
Lindeman’s Framboise 2.5%, 35.5 cl bottle via Bradley’s
Thirty per cent raspberry juice has been added to this lambic beer and the resulting colour is a mid-ruby with a dark pink foamy “head”. And yes, raspberries do feature in the flavours. There is also a fruity aroma. All in all, with its mini abv of 2.5%, this is lovely drink, fruity and slightly fizzy. Lindeman’s Framboise can be used in cooking and in cocktails but as a drink be sure and serve it cold, at 2-3 degrees centigrade. Serve it as an aperitif or pair with Endive salad and desserts such as Chocolate fondant cake, cheesecake, raspberries, ice cream.
Being the middle of winter, I didn’t have fresh raspberries handy but did have the fantastic Raspberry sorbet by Yum Gelato plus some frozen loganberries (from the garden via the freezer). Not too sure that it was that much of a match but I certainly enjoyed sipping the beer on its own and could image pairing with garden berries and salads in the summertime.
Boon Geuze “Mariage Parfait” 2015 8%, 375ml bottle Bradley’s
Brewed in Lembeek, the village that gave Lambic its name, this Mariage Parfait comes in a cloudy gold, countless micro-bubbles rising to the white frothy head that lingers for a while. Beautiful rounded fruit in the complex aromas and that carries through to the palate where there is no shortage of fruit flavour, background tartiness and warming mouthfeel.
Boon Geuze Mariage Parfait is unsweetened, unfiltered and unpasteurised and, tart and funky, is refreshing, distinctive and lingering. Absolutely delicious. Serve with with magret of duck, roast goose, seared foie gras, foie gras terrine, gamey pâtés, aged goat cheeses.
Geuze is made by blending young (1-year-old) and old (2- to 3-year-old) lambics, which is bottled for a second fermentation. Because the young lambics are not fully fermented, the blended beer contains fermentable sugars, which allow that second fermentation to occur.
Oude Geuze Boon L’Ancienne 2016/17 7.00%, 375ml bottle via Bradley’s
This Lambic has a mid-gold colour, shoals of bubbles racing towards the top; head is big and soon fades to a thin disk. Sour is present in the aromas. And on the palate too of course but, with touches of citrus and oak amidst the fruit and spice, all’s in harmony, and this refreshing beer goes on to a pleasant lingering finish.
Oude Geuze Boon is regarded as one of the finest examples of the traditional 100% spontaneous fermentation Lambic style. This Lambic beer is aged for 1, 2 or 3 years in oak casks. The blend, a mild average 18 month old Lambic (unsweetened, unfiltered, unpasteurized) is refermented in the bottle and can be stored for up to 20 years.
Info:
Pour gently at 12°C/52°F
Keep the bottles cool and in an upward position
India At Home Thanks to The Glass Curtain
Both Jamie Oliver and BBC Good Food suggest ginger in their recipes. Not too sure what the Glass Curtain used but they certainly used ginger in the butter in which the greens were cooked. Perhaps that’s why my tall glass of gin (the Christmas Cake version by Blackwater Distillery) and ginger ale went so unexpectedly well with the Glass Curtain main course, part of a splendid "At Home" meal at the weekend.
By the way, Bombay Aloo or Bombay Potatoes turn up, in various versions, regularly enough locally. Enjoyed them as part of a tasting evening in Richy’s (you might come across them in the Blue Haven as that is where Chef Meeran, Richy’s former chef, is now operating) and, with Crowe's Farm Pork in Nash 19, with lamb in Market Lane and as part of a Nepalese dish in Thali (where they were served as fritters).
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| Irish greens, oriental sheen |
Anyhow, back to our Glass Curtain At Home meal. Each week they offer a new menu which is available Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. There is one dinner option each night which they prepare in the restaurant for collection and you finish at home in a few simple steps. They give some instructions on how to finish everything and some tutorials via their social media channels "hoping to create a fun interactive service". They also offer their wine list and craft beers at retail prices.
We liked the look of the Friday menu last week and ordered it early in the week. The two courses for two people costs fifty euro and this is what we got when we collected from MacCurtain Street:
Mains: Tandoori Monkfish tail, coconut dal, Bombay potatoes, garlic and ginger buttered greens, roti flatbreads
Dessert: Poached rhubarb, cardamom custard, crack pie.
Crack Pie? I hear you ask. Okay, I’ll try and keep it short. Many of you will know Chef David Chang from TV cookery shows and his Momofuku chain, part of which is The Milk Bar where Christina Tosi leads the way. The Milk Bar is famous for desserts and one of the most popular, from day one, was the crack bar. It was advertised on the basis of its addictive qualities and the name became a problem and eventually Tosi decided that it should be known as the Milk Bar Pie.
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| Sweet! |
The Milk Bar Pie might sound innocent but it is not! Here’s a link to a recipe. If you haven’t time to switch over, I’ll let you know that the filling, under the granola type crust, contains sugars (brown, white), salt, milk, butter, cream, vanilla extract and egg yolks. Put it all together though and it’s yum! And that rhubarb and custard was pretty cool too!
But we spent most of the evening in India! There were a few pieces of finishing to be done but the Blog Chef displayed faultless coordination and timing and all elements were ready together, the microwave being the unsung hero, as is often the case with these At Home meals. On the plate, the monkfish (which had been cooked on the bone), the Dahl, the potatoes, the garlic and ginger buttered greens, along with the wafer thin Roti breads, looking promising and that promise was certainly fulfilled.
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| Monkfish, plus a squeeze of lime |
The first bite transported us east and our stay was pleasant, an amazing feast of colour, spice, flavour, textures. Reckon we’ll have to travel east again sometime soon.
We’re really not travelling very far at all these days of course and our recent meals, all click and collect, came from nearby restaurants such as Mirco, Greenes and the Glass Curtain. I notice that Greenes have announced a delivery service on Fridays and Saturdays, joining the likes of Liberty Grill and Good Day Deli on the road.
The Glass Curtain,
Unit A, Thompson House,
MacCurtain Street, Cork
Check out their At Home offers here.
Latest from The Glass Curtain:
"Thank you all for a great first week back doing 'The Glass Curtain @ Home'.
We are overwhelmed by how quickly this past weekend sold out, sorry to any one who missed out! We are back with three more meals this coming weekend, available to order from midday, on Tuesday 2nd February... set your reminders now to avoid disappointment."
The Young Ones! Bojo gives us Spring in Autumn. Plus a lovely White Tempranillo
Bonne Tonne “Bojo” Beaujolais Villages Nouveau (AOC) 2020, 12.5%, €18.00 Mary Pawle
“A Taste of Spring in the heart of Autumn” is how the producers Bonne Tonne describe Beaujolais Nouveau in general. And it aptly sums up the style. A style that has a long history, ups and down too, and recently on the up again, possibly not as high as before but likely on a more sustainable bearing (especially with organic producers such as Bonne Tonne leading the way).
Mary Pawle: “This is a light and fruity Gamay to celebrate the new vintage.” And instead of coming to us next summer, we get to enjoy it from the end of November (hence the Autumn above).
Made from 100% Gamay grapes, Beaujolais Nouveau is the most popular ‘vin de primeur’, fermented for just a few weeks and then officially released for sale. Beaujolais Nouveau owes its easy drinkability to a winemaking process called carbonic maceration, or whole-berry fermentation. This technique preserves the fresh, fruity quality of the wine. Very Highly Recommended.
The Beaujolais Nouveau tradition, then quite a long long time in existence, was firmed up in 1951 and marketing boosted the wine, result in it selling unexpectedly well outside as well as inside France, with races organised to get the first of it to certain towns and cities and countries.
Why continue with this tradition? Our producers, Thomas and Anne-Laure, again: “Because this celebration and especially this new wine, allow a moment of sharing and human warmth, as we love them in Beaujolais! The birth of a wine, of a vintage! In any case, we are very attached to this tradition which is ours!”
“Admittedly, it is a young wine which is not necessarily to everyone's taste because it has not had time to age in the cellar or in the bottle! But it brings freshness, fruit, lightness and it is also very digestible! In short, it brings joy and warmth in the cold and gloom!”
No point then in getting too technical about Bojo produced with indigenous yeasts from chemical free light and fruity Gamay grapes. Be happy and enjoy this young wine.
* The Beaujolais launch hasn’t always provided happiness. Eastbourne on the south-east coast of England was the scene of a tragedy on 13 November, 1984. Then a light plane carrying 8 passengers crashed. The eight, including four Irish journalists covering the “race”, plus the pilot, were killed. See the RTE report here.
Osoti Tempranillo Blanco & Sauvignon Blanc Rioja (DOC) 2019, 14%, €14.80 Mary Pawle
A light straw is the colour of this bright organic white wine from Rioja. It is a blend made from Tempranillo Blanco and a small percentage of Sauvignon Blanc. White Tempranillo grapes make a young and fresh wine, with floral and white fruit (pear) aromas and that is the case here. Soft and rounded on the palate with a touch of sweetness. Acidity is subtle and the wine is nicely balanced. A young and pleasant wine with a pleasant finish to boot. Highly Recommended.
Good guidance as to food pairings from the producers with young and semi-mature cheeses, olives, smoked tapas, carpaccio, fresh salads, mushrooms. artichokes, asparagus or cold soups being recommended along with fish, rice, seafood and meat.
Though a brand of Bodega Viñedos Ruiz Jiménez, Osoti produce a full range of young and aged wines, including whites, reds, and rosés.
