• Correction: In the Jan. 9 issue of the Hippo, the hours for Eden’s Table Farm (240 Stark Highway N, Dunbarton, 774-1811, edenstablefarm.square.site) were incorrect on page 20. When it reopens on Feb. 5, Eden’s Table Farm will be open Wednesday through Friday from 1 to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Closed: Live Free Refillery in Bedford has closed. “We have given this store everything we could,” a post on the business’ Facebook page read. The goal of the business was to allow customers to buy food staples and household products in bulk, using their own reusable containers.
• Soon to close: On its Facebook page Pipe Dream Brewing in Londonderry announced that it will close its doors effective Feb. 3, with the final day of operation on Feb. 2. “Huge thank you to our incredible employees who have made the past nine years unforgettable,” the post read, “pouring their hearts into every pint. To our loyal customers and members, thank you for your unwavering support and for being part of the Pipe Dream family.”
• Vive la France: Tickets are still available for New Hampshire Wine Week’s “Vive la France” French wine tasting and panel session Wednesday, Jan. 22, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Manchester Country Club (180 S. River Road, Bedford, 624-4096, manchestercountryclub.com). The evening will begin with a cocktail hour where guests can sample from more than 60 French wines, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A session with several influential French wine importers and distributors. Tickets are $65 and available through eventbrite.com.
• Spring planning: The Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire will hold its annual winter conference, this year themed “Sowing Hope, Cultivating Joy,” on Saturday, Feb. 8, at Southern New Hampshire University. Chef David Vargas, owner of Vida Cantina in Portsmouth and Ore Nell’s Barbecue in Kittery, Maine, and a James Beard Foundation “Outstanding Chef America, 2023, semi-finalist,” will be the keynote speaker. A standard ticket is $75; see nofanh.org for registration information and a schedule of events.
With snow flying as the winds whip and temperatures drop, now is a great time to head indoors and enjoy some live music.
In addition to the nationally and wider-regionally touring shows at the larger capacity venues, several smaller spots offer winter music series that showcase a musical experience that features more indie, niche and regional original music. As the venues are smaller (some as small as under a hundred, some accommodating a few hundred music-lovers especially if the crowd is standing), the shows often provide a chance to catch an act before they blow up like Noah Kahan. Sometimes, the milieu and the music are equally compelling. Sipping wine before sitting down for a concert at Hermit Woods wineries, for example, or looking at art before the music at the Andres Institute.
Many of the performers can be seen in area bars and restaurants, but at these shows they have the opportunity to play their own material. When Andrea Paquin and April Cushman are at Milk St. Studios, for example, they’ll be able to draw from their own extensive catalogs instead of doing covers, something that’s also true for all of the shows at The Livery. The Songwriter Roundup at Hermit Woods Winery pretty much exists to expose original voices who spend a lot of their time doing someone else’s songs. If you like what you hear, buy a CD, it’s the best way to support independent musicians. Whether it’s a craving for rock, blues, folk, big band or traditional sounds from Ireland or Ecuador, there’s an option available.
The following is a look at upcoming concerts, from now to spring, and a few beyond.
Andres Institute of Art (16 Route 13, Brookline, andresinstitute.org)
This outdoor sculpture garden was once a ski resort. Fundraising concerts are held to keep admission free year-round. The upcoming schedule is an eclectic one, with Manchester alt rockers the Faith Ann Band, acoustic roots band Low Lily and pan-Latin Boston group Sol y Canto all playing. Institute President Kristi St. Laurent, who also books the shows, noted recently that the former ski lodge where the concerts happen is historic. “J. Geils played here, I have photographic proof of that,” she said, adding it’s perfect for concerts. “Musicians all want to come back, because they love the way the room sounds.”
Saturday, Jan. 25, 6 p.m. – Faith Ann Band and Rabbit Foot
Sunday, Feb. 9, 6 p.m. – The Sofferman Perspective
Sunday, March 2, 6 p.m. – Low Lily
Sunday, March 16, 6 p.m. – The Honey Bees
Sunday, April 6, 6 p.m. – Evan Goodrow
Saturday, April 19, 6 p.m. – Mighty Colors and Jamdemic (Earth Day Benefit)
This intimate performing space located in the studios of Portsmouth Community Radio is as eclectic as the Seacoast music community it supports, with multiple genres appearing, and nationally touring artists often stopping by. Local shows include Mango Catch Collective on Jan. 25 and a raging punk rock show featuring Condition, Black Vinegar and The Saturn Cycle on Feb. 21, with unique Beatles tribute trio While My Guitar Gently Weeps the following night. Boston acid jazzers Bees Deluxe are there March 8.
Friday, Jan. 17, 8 p.m. – Alchemy with Hell Beach and Qvickdraw
Friday, Jan. 24, 8 p.m. – DJ Chad Banks and Friends
Contoocook Cider Co. (656 Gould Hill Road, Contoocook, contoocookcider.com)
A bucolic room booked by NH Music Collective and run by a revered cidery. Music happens Saturdays and Sundays, with a long list of regional favorites stopping by.
NHMC, which helps independent musicians find gigs by working with pubs, restaurants and listening rooms, recently underwent a leadership change. Brad Myrick sold his stake to fellow co-founders John McArthur and his wife, Reva Tankle, to focus on his own music.
“It’s a very amicable change of direction for the company,” McArthur said in early January. “I’ve been trying to help him as much as I can with his performance career…. Brad is one of the best guitarists, certainly in the Northeast, and he’s a fabulous composer.”
Brad Myrick, who’s now devoting his time to performing, makes an appearance in mid-March. NHMC is also booking a series of shows at the BNH Stage in Concord this winter.
Also on tap is Ian Archibold, recently seen at a BNH Stage showcase concert. Sully Erna sideman and Joe Walsh doppelgänger Chris Lester is another highlight; he’s there next month.
Sunday, Jan. 19, 1 p.m. – Jack Ancora
Saturday, Feb. 1, 1 p.m. – Justin Cohn
Saturday, Feb. 15, 1 p.m. – Chris Lester
Saturday, March 1, 1 p.m. – Ian Archibold
Saturday, March 15, 1 p.m. – Dan Fallon
Sunday, March 16, 1 p.m. – Brad Myrick
Saturday, March 22, 1 p.m. – Alex Cohen
Sunday, March 23, 1 p.m. – Justin Cohn
Saturday, April 5, 1 p.m. – Tyler Levs
Saturday, April 12, 1 p.m. – Ryan Williamson
Saturday, April 19, 1 p.m. – Garrett Smith
Flying Goose (40 Andover Road, New London, flyinggoose.com)
The longest-running concert series in the state mixes old-school folkies like Ellis Paul, Garnet Rogers and Tom Pirozzoli, who conceived the whole thing back in the early ’90s, with new faces like Sam Robbins and Brittany Moore. This small room sells out fast, so best to make reservations well in advance, especially for shows like bluesman Guy Davis on Feb. 13.
Thursday, Jan. 16, 7:30 p.m. – New England Bluegrass Band
Thursday, Jan. 30, 7:30 p.m. – Dinty Child and Mark Erelli
Thursday, Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m. – Guy Davis
Thursday, Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m. – Ellis Paul
Thursday, March 6, 7:30 p.m. – Aztec Two Step 2.0
Thursday, March 20, 7:30 p.m. – Brittany Moore
Thursday, March 27, 7:30 p.m. – Willy Porter and Tom Pirozzoli
Thursday, April 3, 7:30 p.m. – Lonesome Ace String Band
Kick back with the apres-ski crowd and enjoy a bountiful list of musicians curated by NHMC. Willy Chase, another singer-songwriter recently showcased at BNH Stage, has an early February set. In March, it’s Mikey G, who also headlined the downtown Concord room. Other good bets are Rebecca Turmel Duo on Jan. 19, and The 603s on Feb. 22.
Saturday, Jan. 18, 3 p.m. – Ryan Williamson
Sunday, Jan. 19, 2 p.m. – Rebecca Turmel Duo
Saturday, Jan. 25, 3 p.m. – Frontwoods
Saturday, Feb. 1, 3 p.m. – Tom Boisse
Sunday, Feb. 2, 2 p.m. – Willy Chase
Saturday, Feb. 8, 3 p.m. – Dave Clark
Sunday, Feb. 9, 2 p.m. – Andrea Paquin
Saturday, Feb. 15, 3 p.m. – Karen Grenier
Sunday, Feb. 16, 2 p.m. – Jack Ancora
Saturday, Feb. 22, 3 p.m. – The 603s
Sunday, Feb. 23, 2 p.m. – Brad Myrick Duo
Saturday, March 1, 3 p.m. – Joel Begin
Saturday, March 8, 3 p.m. – Mikey G
Hermit Woods Winery (72 Main St., Meredith, hermitwoods.com)
Curated and hosted by singer-songwriter Katie Dobbins, the winery’s Wednesday Songwriter Roundup event will celebrate a two-year anniversary on Feb. 26, with Pete Downing and another artist sharing the spotlight with Dobbins. Shows are offered in tandem with a dinner that begins an hour before the music. Additional dates are anticipated. “I am coming down from the busy fall/winter show season,” Dobbins texted recently. “I’m going to be working on more bookings.”
Thursday, Jan. 16, 7 p.m. – Grace Wallace Band
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 7 p.m. – Songwriter Roundup with Katie Dobbins, Dan Sirois and Patrick Synan
Wednesday, Feb. 26, 7 p.m. – Songwriter Roundup with Katie Dobbins, Pete Downing and TBA
Wednesday, March 26, 7 p.m. – Songwriter Roundup with Katie Dobbins and TBA
Livery at Sunapee Harbor (58 Main St., Sunapee, nhmusiccollective.com)
Another NHMC-curated venue, this winter’s concert season will see the return of Slim Volume, a young Beatlesque quartet that sold out the rustic Main Street space last year, as well as Charlie Chronopoulos playing an intimate set of original music. For those looking forward to summer on the lake, NHMC’s John McArthur is planning a series there when it’s warmer.
Saturday, Jan. 18, 7 p.m. – Jack & Tim
Friday, Feb. 14, 7 p.m. – JD & the Stonemasons
Saturday, April 19, 7 p.m. – Slim Volume
Saturday, May 17, 7 p.m. – Charlie Chronopoulos
Milk St. Studios (6 Milk St., Dover, milkststudios.com)
An extension of a Seacoast recording studio modeled after The Record Co. in Boston, this listening room has local musicians stretching out to play originals, though the Joni & Cat Tribute Show — Mitchell and Stevens, if anyone’s wondering — on March 29 is an exception. An in-the-round concert featuring acoustic music from singer/songwriters Andrea Paquin and April Cushman on March 15 should be stellar.
Saturday, Feb. 22, 6:30 p.m. – Lee & Dr. G. + Catwolf
Saturday, March 1, 6:30 p.m. – STL Gold
Saturday, March 8, 6:30 p.m. – Jarred Garneau Group
Saturday, March 15, 6:30 p.m. – Andrea Paquin + April Cushman
Saturday, March 22, 6:30 p.m. – Amulus
Saturday, March 29, 6:30 p.m. – Joni & Cat Tribute Show (Nicole Gauthier & John Fuzek)
Saturday, April 5, 6:30 p.m. – Studia & Jed Allen + The Regals
Music Hall Lounge (131 Congress St., Portsmouth, themusichall.org)
An extension of the larger venue with cabaret seating for dozens instead of hundreds in the audience, this downtown venue welcomes rising stars like indie rockers Certainly So and Americana singer/songwriter Liv Greene along with regional talent like folksinger Reed Foehl and jazz saxophonist Seba Molnar. Valentine’s Day brings the romantic PMAC Jazz Night, with a bevy of Seacoast musicians including sax player Eric Klaxon, singer Taylor O’Donnell and keyboard treasure Mike Effenberger.
Friday, Jan. 17, 8 p.m. – Seba Molnar
Saturday, Jan. 25, 8 p.m. – Reed Foehl
Sunday, Jan. 26, 8 p.m. – Lee DeWyze
Friday, Feb. 7, 8 p.m. – Certainly So
Saturday, Feb. 8, 8 p.m. – Juanito Pascual
Friday, Feb. 14, 8 p.m. – 18th Annual PMAC Jazz Night: Dream a Little Dream
Friday, Feb. 21, 8 p.m. – Vance Gilbert
Wednesday, Feb. 26, 8 p.m. – Johnny Cash’s Birthday Bash with Scott Moreau
Thursday, Feb. 27, 8 p.m. – Both Sides Now (Joni Mitchell & Leonard Cohen tribute)
Friday, Feb. 28, 8 p.m. – Sam Robbins
Saturday, March 1, 8 p.m. – Ellis Paul
Friday, March 14, 8 p.m. – Liv Greene & Elise Leavy
Tuesday, March 18, 8 p.m. – Jordan Tice
Friday, March 21, 8 p.m. – Heather Maloney
Sunday, March 23, 8 p.m. – Tyler Hilton
Friday, March 28, 8 p.m. – Alice Howe & Freebo
Saturday, April 5, 8 p.m. – Scott Kirby
Nippo Lake Restaurant (88 Stagecoach Road, Barrington, nippobluegrass.com)
Acoustic music fans delight in the long-running series housed in a Barrington country club, which lasts from October through April. Some of the region’s finest players show up for this Sunday evening tradition. Ahead are revered bluegrass band Lunch at the Dump, the always entertaining Rockspring and a couple of projects that include Scott & Betsy Heron, Little Wishbone and the Heron Bluegrass Co.
Sunday, Jan. 19, 6 p.m. – Chicken Shack
Sunday, Jan. 26, 6 p.m. – Unsung Heroes
Sunday, Feb. 2, 6 p.m. – New England Bluegrass Band
Sunday, Feb. 16, 6 p.m. – HydroGeo Trio
Sunday, Feb. 23, 6 p.m. – Lunch at the Dump
Sunday, March 2, 6 p.m. – Cordwood
Sunday, March 9, 6 p.m. – High Range
Sunday, March 16, 6 p.m. – Little Wishbone
Sunday, March 23, 6 p.m. – Hot Skillet
Sunday, March 30, 6 p.m. – Heron Bluegrass Co.
Sunday, April 6, 6 p.m. – Cedar Mountain
Sunday, April 13, 6 p.m. – Unsung Heroes
Sunday, April 27, 6 p.m. – Rockspring
Pats Peak (686 Flanders Road, Henniker, patspeak.com)
Another apres-ski series curated by NHMC. Shows to look forward to include Andrew North and the Rangers, who host the monthly open mic at BNH Stage, and River Sang Wild, who perform for two days straight in early March. A word to the wise: Resort management cautions that things can change when the sap’s running.
Saturday, Jan. 18, 6 p.m. – Scott & Wally
Saturday, Jan. 25, 6 p.m. – Young Guns
Saturday, Feb. 1, 6 p.m. – Geoff & Wally
Saturday, Feb. 8, 6 p.m. – Dan Fallon Band
Saturday, Feb. 15, 6 p.m. – Scott & Wally
Saturday, Feb. 22, 6 p.m. – Andrew North & the Rangers
Saturday, March 1, 6 p.m. – Karen Grenier
Saturday, March 8, 6 p.m. – River Sang Wild (also 3/9)
Saturday, March 15, 6 p.m. – Rebecca Turmel Duo
Saturday, March 22, 6 p.m. – Geoff & Wally
Pembroke City Limits (134 Main St., Pembroke, pembrokecitylimits.com)
Opened last summer by music maven Rob Azevedo, this is the newest addition to the region’s live music scene, with a focus on local talent like the Irish band Black Pudding Rovers, singer-songwriter Paul Nelson and Vampire Bird, the latest project from Will Kindler, which went over so well in December that it will return March 9. “This spring, PCL will continue to introduce and reintroduce such incredible musicians,” Azevedo said recently, while touting the venue’s Sunday Jazz Sessions with Gary Smith.
Thursday, Jan. 16, 7 p.m. – Chris Salemme
Friday, Jan. 17, 7 p.m. – Todd Hearon Trio
Saturday, Jan. 18, 7 p.m. – Funk Night w/ Gary Smith & Friends
Sunday, Jan. 19, 2 p.m. – Black Pudding Rovers
Wednesday, Jan. 22, 7 p.m. – Paul Nelson
Thursday, Jan. 23, 7 p.m. – Colin Nevens
Friday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m. – Piano Man Jody Robichaud
Saturday, Feb. 1, 2 p.m. – Let’s Get Sticky Rolling Stones Tribute
Thursday, Feb. 6, 7 p.m. – Timothy K Blues
Friday, Feb. 7, 7 p.m. – Lee & Dr. G.
Thursday, Feb. 13, 7 p.m. – Mikey G
Saturday, Feb. 15, 4 p.m. – Angela Stewart
Wednesday, Feb. 19, 7 p.m. – Dan Fallon & Company
Saturday, Feb. 22, 7 p.m. – Georgie-Jam Night
Friday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. – Faith Ann Acoustic
Wednesday, March 12, 7 p.m. – Vampire Bird (Will Kindler)
Friday, March 14, 7 p.m. – Cinnamon Jazz Trio
Sunapee Community Coffee House (9 Lower Main St., Sunapee, sunapeecoffeehouse.org)
This is another series that’s been around a very long time, located in the basement of a Methodist church. It’s a pass-the-hat affair; bring a Hamilton to help out the artists. The effort encourages new and emerging talent, which means New Hampshire’s Noah Kahan might appear on their way to greater fame.
Friday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m. – Hubby Jenkins
Friday, Feb. 14, 7 p.m. – Click Horning
Friday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m. – Tommy Crawford
Friday, March 14, 7 p.m. – Nate Goyette
Friday, March 28, 7 p.m. – White Mountain Ceilí Band
Craft beer and live music pair well at this NHMC-curated venue. Upcoming are singer-songwriter Temple Mountain and Lakes Region duo The Sweetbloods, as well as rising stars Taylor Hughes and Dakota Smart.
Friday, Jan. 17, 5 p.m. – Tom Boisse
Saturday, Jan. 18, 5 p.m. – Temple Mountain
Friday, Jan. 24, 5 p.m. – Kat Ivy
Saturday, Jan. 25, 5 p.m. – Garrett Smith
Friday, Jan. 31, 5 p.m. – Freddie Catalfo
Saturday, Feb. 1, 5 p.m. – Karen Grenier
Friday, Feb. 7, 5 p.m. – Taylor Hughes
Saturday, Feb. 8, 5 p.m. – Rebecca Turmel
Friday, Feb. 14, 5 p.m. – The Sweetbloods
Friday, Feb. 14, 5 p.m. – Paul Driscoll
Saturday, Feb. 15, 5 p.m. – Dakota Smart
Friday, Feb. 21, 5 p.m. – Ciera MacKenzie
Saturday, Feb. 22, 5 p.m. – Jack Ancora
Friday, Feb. 28, 5 p.m. – Jackie Lee
Saturday, March 1, 5 p.m. – Dave Clark
Friday, March 7, 5 p.m. – Rock Dove
Saturday, March 8, 5 p.m. – Andrea Paquin
Saturday, March 15, 5 p.m. – Chris Torrey
Friday, March 21, 5 p.m. – Willy Chase
Saturday, March 22, 5 p.m. – Kyle McGuinness
Friday, March 28, 5 p.m. – Tyler Levs
Saturday, March 29, 5 p.m. – Garrett Smith
Friday, April 4, 5 p.m. – Tom Boisse
Saturday, April 5, 5 p.m. – Justin Federico
Friday, April 11, 5 p.m. – Rebecca Turmel
Saturday, April 12, 5 p.m. – Temple Mountain
Word Barn (66 Newfields Road, Exeter, thewordbarn.com)
Tucked at the end of a twisty road in Exeter, this venue is the perfect place to catch an under-the-radar star in the making, along with local treasures like Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki’s Trio, Will Evans and The Wolff Sisters. The shows here frequently sell out, so it’s best to act early for artists like Liz Longley and Joe Crookson.
Saturday, Jan. 18, 7 p.m. – Winter Warmer with Erica Brown & The Bluegrass Connection
Thursday, Jan. 23, 7 p.m. – Rakish and Nate Sabat
Friday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m. – Dave Gunning and J.P. Cormier Duo
Saturday, Jan. 25, 8 p.m. – Soggy Po’ Boys
Sunday, Jan. 26, 7 p.m. – Will Evans
Thursday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m. – Genticorum
Friday, Feb. 7, 7 p.m. – The Wolff Sisters
Sunday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m. – Eli West & The Clements Brothers
Friday, Feb. 14, 7 p.m. – Jordan TW Trio
Saturday, March 1, 7 p.m. – David Howley (We Banjo 3)
Friday, March 7, 7 p.m. – Joe Crookson
Saturday, March 8, 7 p.m. – Chatham Rabbits
Sunday, March 23, 7 p.m. – Liz Longley
Wednesday, April 23, 7 p.m. – Matthew & the Atlas.
When most of us think of Italian desserts, what come to mind are multi-colored wedding cookies, or cannoli, or maybe ricotta pie, but zabaglione is a feather-light, wine-based custard that sophisticated — dare I say fancy — Italians have after dinner. Actual Italians would sneer at the idea of drinking espresso in the evening, but it has to be said that this goes really, really well with it.
4 room temperature egg yolks
2 Tablespoons sugar
¾ cup (170 g) Marsala or Amontillado wine
A pinch of ground cinnamon
Heat 2 inches or so of water to not-quite-boiling in a medium-sized saucepan. If you’re really into precision, you can use a thermometer and bring it to 200°F, or 95°C. Alternatively, you can bring the water to a boil, then turn down the heat until it just stops boiling. It’s a philosophical decision.
In a glass or metal bowl, beat the egg yolks with an electric hand mixer until they are pale and a little fluffy. If you own a stand mixer, your hand mixer has been biding his time at the back of the cabinet under your counter, waiting to be needed again.
While still beating the yolks, sprinkle the sugar in, a little at a time. The yolks will lighten in color and thicken slightly. Still beating, sprinkle the cinnamon into the mixture. If you want to do this with a flourish from a great height like a fancy chef, you absolutely should. You’ve earned it.
Still beating the mixture, gradually drizzle in the wine. When everything seems well-incorporated, turn off the mixer and set it down. Get a glass of water or some more of the Marsala; even if you’re not normally a sweet wine person, this is a perfect excuse to drink a little without threatening your self-image. You’re going to be stuck in place at the stove for the next 20 minutes or so, and it would be a shame to stand there thirsty.
Move your bowl of eggy wine to the stove, and place it on top of the pot of not-quite-boiling water. (You’d forgotten about that, hadn’t you?) If you’ve heard the term “double-boiler” and wondered what that was, congratulations, you just built one. This is a way to cook something very, very gently. Your bowl isn’t being heated directly on a burner; it’s being heated indirectly from below, by the steam from your not-quite-boiling water. This is a technique generally used to melt chocolate or thicken a custard. Or, if you’re fancy like us, a zabaglione.
Beat your proto-zabaglione with the hand mixer (who will be feeling positively smug by now) while heating it in your double-boiler. If the temperature of the water rises above the boiling point, the steam will make your bowl rattle, in which case, reduce the heat slightly, and move the pot halfway off the burner to regulate things until the temperature comes down.
At this point you should take the opportunity to sink into a deep meditative state or catch up on your favorite podcast, because the zabaglione is going to take a while to come together. Eventually, though, your patience will be rewarded and it will thicken to a texture a little lighter than whipped cream.
Remove your bowl of zabaglione from its steam bath, and turn the stove off. Use a silicone spatula to gently mix your foamy cream to incorporate any syrup that may have settled in the bottom of the bowl. Gently fill several cocktail or coupé glasses with the finished custard, and serve immediately.
There are some dishes that will be as patient as a hand-mixer, that will wait for your dinner guests to linger over dinner, or will travel well to a potluck dinner, but zabaglione isn’t one of them. It is a light, almost ephemeral dessert. It dances across your palate as you eat it, waving coyly to your cup of espresso. It is surprisingly, almost assertively, sweet, but at the same time, as light as a sigh that leaves you with a quickly fading memory of the taste of wine on your lips, prompting the next spoonful, then the next.
Emma Stetson followed a winding path to wine. “Actually I started out as a high school English teacher,” she said. “I took a Wine 101 course in college as an elective and really fell in love with it, but I was an English major, so my plan was always to stay in that field, and I got my start career-wise as a high school English teacher. But on the side I got kind of a fun freelance job writing about wine for a local food and wine publication in Connecticut. Also in college, while I was an English major, I double majored in Near Eastern Studies, like Arabic and Middle Eastern culture. A Boston-based chef was opening a restaurant in Kuwait and we got to talking and he asked for my help, like my language skills and my help to go out there and join their opening team and help them open the restaurant. So I left my teaching position because I thought that was such a cool opportunity, and went and did that with them. And then when I finished there and came back, I realized I didn’t want to go back into teaching.”
Stetson moved from writing about wine to working in a wine shop, then eventually to working for a series of wine distributors. “Wine on Main did exist in Concord for a little bit, but [the owners] quietly let me know that they were looking to sell the store, and wondered if I would know somebody [to buy it]. I told my husband and told my parents that I was trying to think of people who might be interested. And they all kind of looked at me and were like, ‘What about you? Like maybe this is a great opportunity for you and a chance to have your own store.’ So I am now the owner of Wine on Main in Concord.”
What is the most essential piece of equipment for a wine enthusiast?
Definitely a corkscrew; I prefer a waiter corkscrew. [Also known as a ‘wine key,’ this is the type of opener that is hinged to apply leverage to remove a cork.] It’s portable. I have probably about five on me at any given time. There’s like one in my purse, one in my pocket, one in the car, tons at the store.
What would you have for your last glass of wine?
A Meursault from Burgundy. It is arguably the best chardonnay in the world. Nobody does chardonnay like they do in Burgundy and Meursault is my favorite wine region.
What celebrity would you like to drink a glass of wine with?
I would say Gail Simmons. She was a judge on Top Chef. She’s more food-centric, but she got her start working for Food & Wine magazine. I read her memoir probably once every two years. In a strange way, I strive to make my wine career the way she developed her food career. Her whole philosophy was kind of starting at the bottom and tackling the industry from every side, even the unglamorous ones.
What would be an interesting wine that you would recommend to someone who was enthusiastic but not really knowledgeable?
I would say anything French, because French wines are so complex and interesting. I feel like people who don’t know a lot about wine get intimidated by French wines, but I would say, like, no, try them. I would maybe suggest starting with a Gamay, just because they’re so delicious, but they’re fruit-forward and lighter-bodied and approachable.
What do you keep in your refrigerator or your wine rack at home to drink?
I really do love a good chardonnay, so I have various chardonnays on hand, French ones and buttery, oaky California ones. I love the oakiness and the butteriness and the high acid. And you can have it on its own, but since it has the weight, it goes so well with food.
What is your best piece of advice for a wine lover?
I would just say — especially if you’re someone who’s starting your wine collection — make sure that you store your wine properly. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard from customers that they’ve been so excited to go get a bottle only to find that it hadn’t been stored properly and had gone bad. So maybe it’s worth investing in a small wine fridge. Find a part of your house that’s cellar temperature and at a consistent temperature, especially here in New England, that doesn’t have intense temperature fluctuations. Don’t keep the wine by your wood stove.
How one baker focuses on the grains for better baking
Michael Williams is getting closer to baking his perfect loaf of bread.
Williams, co-owner and bread baker for Eden’s Table Farm in Dunbarton, has spent the past couple of years polishing his bread game.
“I got exposed to great bread when I went to Germany,” he said, “to flour that was local and freshly milled, and bread that was made with a natural starter. That was what was most easily available in the bakery in our tiny little 1,100-person village. I’ve been chasing that bread ever since; every refinement has been getting me closer to that experience.”
Williams and his wife, Addie Leader-Zavos, combine their passion for growing fresh, organic produce and locally made artisanal foods. While Leader-Zavos bakes virtually everything else, Williams is in charge of the bread.
The journey toward the very best bread takes the form of tiny, incremental steps, but he sees constant progress. “The best example I can give you is actually the Swedish rye. I made that for Addie on our second date. And I was using King Arthur flour, then I was using a sifted rice flour. I was using molasses instead of beet syrup, but now I’m using a Swedish baking syrup that’s beet-based. Over time, I’ve whittled it down to the essentials and getting the absolute best ingredients I can. The pursuit of that led me to constantly question, ‘Where is this coming from? How is it being processed?’ I ask that over and over and over again.”
Because his platonic ideal of a loaf of bread has very few ingredients — flour, salt, a natural sourdough starter, something to help feed that starter (that’s where the Swedish baking syrup comes in), and water — Williams has put more thought into the flour he uses than most people put into planning their retirement.
“I wanted flour that was what I refer to as ‘live flour.’ It has never been separated, and it has never been irradiated. Industrial flour is almost always separated. It is sifted hot, or it is milled hot, separated into its component parts and the germ is irradiated to denature volatile oils. When they oxidize, they become rancid. It’s a very distinct odor and it’s very unpleasant. It totally makes sense why they would not want that in their product going out into the world but unfortunately most of the nutrition is in those oils, because the best nutrition in the grain is fat-soluble. So not only that, but that’s where all the flavor is. That’s where all those aromatic esters and aldehydes are, and they get destroyed by the same process that denatures those easily oxidized oils.”
Once Williams had defined what he was looking for in a bread flour, he started using flour that was shipped from a regional mill in South Carolina. Eventually he found a mill closer to home. “We found a couple of different options, and the one that really struck us was this place in Cambridge [Massachusetts] called Elmendorf Baking Supplies. They have a mill, and they mill for themselves and for some other people. And so we started ordering from them. They source their grain regionally from small regenerative farms. They work with private grains. They work with farms in New York and Maine and Massachusetts. The step we took here, we were getting bread flour from a variety of wheat called Glenthat is 15 and a half percent protein, which is astronomically high.”
(As a point of reference, King Arthur’s bread flour, which has an excellent reputation, has a protein content of 12.7 percent. The amount of protein in a flour determines how well a baker can develop gluten, the elastic material that gives a loaf of bread a chewy texture and traps carbon dioxide to make it puff up as it bakes.)
Williams uses a mixture of the Glen flour and rye flour to make his Swedish rye bread. “One of the tricky things about baking with rye flour is that rye notoriously destroys gluten structures,” he said. “So rye has almost no protein in it. This rye bread is only like 31 percent rye. It’s not a high rye, but the blend really does a great job of holding up with that rye in it.”
But for Williams, this flour is just one more step toward a truly great bread. Eventually, he said, he and his wife would like to mill their own flour. “It’s a process of evolution,” he summed up, “First the flour, then the mill, then a wood-fired oven, because I would much rather bake bread on a wood fire.”
Bread The farm stand at Eden’s Table Farm (240 Stark Highway North, Dunbarton, 774-1811, edenstablefarm.square.site) is closed until Feb 5. Hours when it reopens will be Wedensday-Friday 1-7pm and Saturdays from 9am-5pm.
New international cuisine in Nashua: A new restaurant with a menu inspired by world street food has opened in Nashua. Local Street Eats (112 W. Pearl St., Nashua, 402-4435, local-streeteats.com) offers small bites, salads and more substantial fare including Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Indian, Central American and regional American classics.
Bottomless kolsch: Thirsty Thursdays at To Share Brewing (720 Union St., Manchester, 836-6947, tosharebrewing.com) in January will celebrate the brewery’s Krone Kolsch “via traditional service in the taproom, every Thursday until the Krone is gone,” according to a post on To Share’s Facebook page. “A server will bring around a tray (traditionally referred to as a kranz) of fresh Krone. If yours is empty, we’ll deliver a new one and mark a notch on your coaster. We will keep the fresh pours coming each time you have an empty glass. Place your coaster on top of your glass to let us know you’re done.”
Zero-proof wines:Wine on Main (9 N. Main St., Concord, 897-5828, wineonmainnh.com) will host a free tasting of non-alcoholic wines with Emily from Vinilandia, Saturday, Jan. 11, from 1 to 4 p.m. Anyone observing Dry January or just “sober-curious” is invited to taste some of the new wave of alcohol-free wines. “Technology and winemaking has come a long way and these are not the non-alcoholic options of years past. These are actual wines by established winemakers that then have the alcohol naturally removed at the end,” Wine on Main writes on its website.
Wine fun:Vine 32 Wine & Graze Bar (25 S. River Road, Unit 107, in Bedford; vinethirtytwo.com) has a few Valentine’s related events on their schedule. On Thursday, Feb. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. it’s a Galentines Charcuterie Workshop. On Friday, Feb. 14, Partners In Wine will offer seatings for wine, charcuterie and a dessert to share at 4, 6:15 and 8:30 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 15, it’s Galentines Barre at the Wine Bar at 1 p.m. with Barre Life. See the website for details.
