Category: Food

From the valley floor

A look at two reds from Napa Valley

This week’s wines are two exceptional reds, created from grapes grown in neighboring towns almost within sight of each other, in the Napa Valley Floor American Viticulture Area (AVA).

Our first wine comes from the Bespoke Collection Portfolio Wines based in Napa Valley, California. Wikipedia describes Bespoke as a “wine producer and lifestyle brand” whose wine labels are Blackbird Vineyards and Recuerdo Wines. Bespoke means custom-made or commissioned and in times past the word was used to describe hand-tailoring, especially in custom-made apparel. Now, it captures the sense that we want things to be made special for us and the label lends a certain cachet to the product.

The 2016 Blackbird Vineyards Arise Proprietary Red Wine (originally priced at $54.99, and reduced to $32.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets) is a blend that emulates the merlot-based wine blends of the Right Bank of the Dordogne River, Bordeaux. The wine is a blend of 55 percent merlot, 25 percent cabernet franc, 17 percent cabernet sauvignon and 3 percent petit verdot. Made from merlot grapes grown on a 10-acre estate in Oakville, on the Napa Valley floor, and enhanced by the other varietals, gathered from 20-plus lots from the Napa Valley Mountain tops, hillsides and bench lands, this limited production of only 236 barrels of equal parts of new and seasoned French oak has an abundance of rich fruit. The color is a deep garnet purple, the nose is rich black cherries and black raspberries, and plums with slight herbal notes. The nose carries through to a full palate and a long, long finish. Robert Parker awarded this bold wine with 92 points.

This is a California red blend, bolder, and thus emulating the Bordeaux blend. The vineyards profit from generations of expert vineyard management and precision agriculture, limiting grape yields for increased quality. Sustainable farming is employed, and indigenous yeasts start the fermentation process. The winemaking team selects two or more parcels of wine after sample trials blended to produce a consistently finished wine that highlights each unique varietal component. This wine becomes a “customized wine,” a “bespoke wine,” according to the winemaker’s website.

The Oakville-Rutherford area is renowned for its cabernet sauvignon and merlot single-varietal wines and blends.

Our next wine comes from Rutherford, also located on the Napa Valley floor, and immediately north of Oakville. The 2011 Sullivan Rutherford Estate Napa Valley Merlot (originally priced at $65 and reduced to $29.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets) consists of 100 percent merlot that also benefits from the gravelly-sandy loam and hot, dry summers of this stretch of wine country. The color is a deep purple that has just begun to go amber as it is 20 years old. To the nose and tongue, the fruit is heavy with plum and blackberry, along with some cocoa. The tannins have receded, owing in part to its age. This is an exquisite wine that is a true reflection of how beautiful a merlot can be, given proper attention to the grapes, the blending, and aging.

Sullivan Winery was established in 1972 when James O’Neil Sullivan, encouraged by his friend the legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff, planted 22 acres to cabernet sauvignon and merlot. He built his home and winery on the estate and produced and sold wine until his death in 2005, leaving the home and winery to his children. In 2018 entrepreneur Juan Pablo Torres-Padilla saw the potential of Sullivan Rutherford Estate and purchased the property. This wine was produced before the property was sold, and the future of the estate remains bright as Torres-Padilla has assembled a world-class winery team that will continue to make history.

Featured photo. Courtesy.

The not quite authentic mint julep

In my relative youth, I worked in a pizza joint for several older Greek men who taught me two important life lessons:

(1) How to swear in Greek.

I got into a conversation with a Greek couple recently and was able to exchange pleasantries in reasonably passable Greek. The shockingly beautiful lady of the couple complimented me on speaking her language so well. I told her that I knew “Hello,” “Thank you,” “You’re welcome” and how to swear.

“Everyone thinks they know how to swear in Greek,” she told me with a knowing smile, “but most of the time they really don’t.”

I let loose with a torrent of Athens-accented profanity that would get me a black eye from any cabbie in Southern Europe. She blushed and smiled, then her eyes got moist and she blotted away a tear.

“You remind me of my Uncle Costas,” she told me.

(2) How to read a racing form.

One of the owners was an enthusiastic loser of money at the dog track. I remember picking up one of his racing forms one day and asking him to explain it to me. He did, and it made a shocking amount of logical sense. I remember thinking at the time that it would be pretty easy to figure out a system to…

That’s when my brain — in one of its very rare moments of good judgment — reminded me that every guy in a rumpled suit with bloodshot eyes and a cheesed-off wife at home has a system for picking a winner from a racing form. In consequence, I have never set foot onto a racetrack.

But I would so very much love to.

Anyway, in honor of next Saturday, Kentucky Derby, Run For the Roses, yadda, yadda:

Solid, Not Quite Authentic Mint Julep

There are more people with strong opinions about mint juleps that there are self-absorbed white guys with podcasts, so I decided to look for a recipe in one of my older cocktail books, the 1935 Old Mr. Boston De Luxe Official Bartender’s Guide. Even in this early manual, there are two julep recipes: one simply labeled Mint Julep, and the other labeled Southern Style, implying a choice between good or authentic.

I’ve got no particular stake in either approach, but the standardized, less authentic version sounded better to me. Unfortunately, as is often the case in early cocktail recipes, ingredients and amounts are maddeningly vague. I’ve updated them here.

Ingredients

  • “Four sprigs of fresh mint” — I used 1 gram of fresh mint leaves
  • 2½ ounces bourbon — I went with Wiggly Bridge, which I’ve been enjoying lately.
  • ½ ounce simple syrup
  • club soda
  • shaved ice — or ice that you’ve wrapped in a tea towel and taught a lesson to with a mallet

Fill a silver cup with shaved ice. I used one that I think used to be silver-plated.

Muddle the mint in the bottom of a shaker. Add several ice cubes, the bourbon and syrup. Shake enthusiastically.

Strain into your metal cup full of shaved ice. Top with club soda and stir with a silver spoon (or just a spoon) until frost forms on the cup.

Garnish with several more sprigs of mint. Drink while watching coverage of the Kentucky Derby and critiquing Southern women’s hats.

If you’ve never had a mint julep before, it tastes about like you would assume it would, like bourbon and mint. That’s the first sip.

On the second sip you start to appreciate the pulverized ice. There’s something profoundly satisfying about stirring a drink with that much ice with that particular texture. The Very Serious Coldness that it brings to your lips is just as gratifying.

The third sip brings an appreciation of this whole mint julep thing. You start to see the appeal.

Every subsequent sip brings less and less responsible thoughts to mind. Do not read a racing form while drinking this.

Featured photo. A fresh, totally solid mint julep. Photo by John Fladd.

Apple and sage bruschetta

Apples aren’t just for fall cooking! This recipe makes a great appetizer all year long.

When you think of bruschetta, you probably think about a combination of tomatoes and basil. However, there are so many more combinations that are perfect for topping some nicely crisped bread. This recipe uses apples to produce a ridiculously simple and utterly delicious appetizer.

As apples are the focus of this snack, you want to pick a variety that you like. If you prefer foods that are less sweet, a tart apple, such as Granny Smith, will work well. If you like a bit more sweetness, Red Delicious could be your choice. The one thing you don’t have to consider is which apples cook better. These diced apples spend a total of two and a half minutes in a hot pan, so any apple truly can work.

Also key to this recipe is the addition of goat cheese. You may be adding only a smear to each crostini, but the tartness in the cheese really helps to balance the sweetness of the fruit. Plus, it adds a creamy dimension to the crunchy bottom and tender topping.

Yes, this is a recipe that has it all, with only about 10 minutes of cooking time. That’s a great deal, if you ask me.

Apple and sage bruschetta
Serves 4

Small baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 medium-sized apples, peeled and cored
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
salt
4 ounces goat cheese, room temperature

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place baguette slices directly on oven racks, and bake for 4 minutes or until golden brown.
Dice apples into 1-inch cubes.
Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat.
Add olive oil to the frying pan.
When oil shimmers, add apple cubes.
Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Pour honey over apples; toss to coat.
Cook for another minute, again stirring constantly.
Sprinkle with sage and a pinch of salt.
Toss, cooking for another 30 seconds.
Transfer to a serving bowl.

To serve, spread a tablespoon of goat cheese on toasted baguette slice. Top with a heaping spoonful of apple and sage mixture.

Featured Photo: Apple and sage bruschetta. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.

In the kitchen with Keith Wilson

Keith Wilson of Brentwood is the production chef of Dunk’s Mushrooms (313 Route 125, Brentwood, dunksmushrooms.com), which grows several varieties of gourmet mushrooms and makes weekly deliveries to multiple New England communities. In addition to making all kinds of specialty mushroom-based products like jerky, pot pies and coffee, the business offers other non-mushroom prepared items under the name Dunk’s Kitchen. Wilson and Dunk’s owner William “Dunk” Dunkerley regularly hold multi-course mushroom-focused dinners — a nine-dinner vegan series wrapped up late last year, and an omnivore series is currently underway. Dunk’s Mushrooms can also be found on dozens of restaurant menus across the Granite State. Wilson has been in the restaurant industry for nearly two decades — outside of Dunk’s, he and his wife Amber, of Stout Oak Farm in Brentwood, own The Seed Chef, an in-home catering and private event service.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

A tasting spoon, because you’ve got to be tasting your own food to know what you’re doing.

What would you have for your last meal?

I’m a sucker for really good sushi. I like the simple stuff, like a regular tuna nigiri.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

There are so many good restaurants. It’s impossible to choose.

What celebrity would you like to see trying something that you’ve made?

I’m going to go with Christopher Walken, just because, if he liked it, I’d want to hear his voice saying ‘Oh my God, this is so good!’

What is your favorite product to make for Dunk’s Mushrooms?

There’s one thing that we made a lot of last year that I really love. It’s a black trumpet maple syrup. … We had a good amount of black trumpet mushrooms from the woods around here [and] I took like four gallons of Grade A dark amber maple syrup and simmered it with all of the mushrooms in a big cauldron that we have. It has this great smoky, savory flavor that I can’t even really describe. I used it a lot to sweeten vegan cheesecakes and stuff.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

Mushrooms, obviously. … The food system is damaged in a lot of ways, and meat production can be an issue, [but] mushrooms really help fill that void if people let them and they know how to prepare them properly. That’s part of the reason why our vegan series was so successful, because we were doing essentially what would have been meat-based meals, but with mushrooms in their place.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I’ve got four kids and a crazy schedule sometimes, so there’s a lot of meals that just kind of get thrown together. … But if it’s a rare night when it’s just me and my wife and I get to cook something for her, it’s always nice to do that. Stuffed chicken breast is what she wants me to make for her right now, because I made it at the last dinner. … It’s a goat cheese stuffed breast wrapped in bacon with asparagus.

Gorgonzola mushroom spread
From the kitchen of Keith Wilson of Dunk’s Mushrooms in Brentwood (yields about six to 10 servings)

¼ pound Dunk’s chestnut mushrooms, chopped
2 Tablespoons butter, unsalted
¼ cup red wine (sherry or port work well)
2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, pulled from stem and chopped
10 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
2 to 4 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
¼ Tablespoon black pepper

Gather all ingredients. In a heavy-bottom sauce or saute pan, melt the butter. Add mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat. Cook until mushrooms turn a dark golden brown. Turn down heat and add thyme, salt and wine. Cook until all wine is reduced and the pan is dry. Allow the mixture to cool. In a food processor, combine cheese, cream, salt, pepper and the cooled mushrooms. Blend until smooth, using more or less cream depending on the consistency. Serve as a spread on toast or as a dip.

Featured photo: Keith Wilson. Courtesy photo.

Taco ’bout a comeback

Find tacos savory and sweet in downtown Manchester

After being shelved in both 2020 and 2021, Taco Tour is back — the Greater Manchester Chamber is reviving the event, which will return on Thursday, May 5.

Initial talks to bring Taco Tour back in 2022 took place relatively quickly, according to Cole Riel, member engagement coordinator for the Chamber. Since around early February of this year, the Chamber has been working closely on the logistics of the event with the City of Manchester’s Economic Development Department, as well as with Mayor Joyce Craig’s office.

“Since last year, we’ve been asked about Taco Tour … and I think there’s been a little community murmur happening almost daily,” Riel said. “We actually had some past sponsors of the event reach out early on, and without that, I really don’t think it would’ve been possible, just to have that early support of saying, ‘OK, if it happens, we’ll be in.’ So it’s really exciting to see and to be able to have that, because it’s not an easy or cheap event to pull off.”

Hippo founded the event and ran it for its first eight years before handing over the reins to the now-dissolved Intown Manchester in 2019. Previous turnouts had reported upward of 30,000 attendees, but Taco Tour, like just about every other large-scale event, has fallen victim to pandemic-era cancellations ever since then.

But despite its three-year hiatus, support for and anticipation of the event have not gone away. This year’s Taco Tour has more than 60 participants, among the largest roster of taco vendors yet. They’ll be set up all along Elm Street, which will be closed to vehicular traffic between Bridge and Granite streets likely starting an hour before and for the duration of the event.

No price of admission is required — just come down to Elm Street any time during the event’s four-hour period and get as many tacos as you can eat for $3 apiece. Hanover Street and some other neighboring side streets will also be closed, and a few food trucks join in the fun as well — they’ll be stationed just outside Veterans Memorial Park nearby, Riel said.

Since the event hasn’t taken place in three years, there is a large number of Taco Tour newcomers, and part of the fun is that there are all kinds of non-traditional creations to discover.

Presto Craft Kitchen will be set up in front of Gentle Dental with a meatball Parm taco, featuring a garlic bread tortilla with hand-rolled beef meatballs, a whipped ricotta crema and a pesto Parm crunch. Industry East Bar on Hanover Street is planning to serve a loaded twice-baked potato taco, and Osaka Japanese Restaurant, which just opened its doors in December, will have a spicy crab sushi roll with cucumber and avocado, wrapped in nori seaweed.

“There are some people who haven’t come back downtown since Covid … and they may not even know which restaurants are still here that were here before,” Riel said. “So we’re inviting them back downtown … and they’re going to discover things that are new here too. That’s been really exciting for us, to be able to put the spotlight on some of those businesses.”

There will be a fair share of vegan and vegetarian options, too. The Sleazy Vegan, for instance, is a new plant-based ghost kitchen that’s planning to serve jackfruit tacos with a mango-jalapeño salsa. They’ll be set up at To Share Brewing Co. on Union Street.

The tacos aren’t just savory, either. Much like during previous years, you’ll encounter all kinds of “dessert tacos” and other sweeter items as well. Wild Orchid Bakery will be serving a drunken pineapple upside-down taco, The Smoothie Bus will have fruit tacos on a sugar cookie topped with chocolate sauce and whipped cream, and Granite State Candy Shoppe has a horchata ice cream option, featuring creamy frozen rice pudding with a hint of cinnamon.

A map of all of the participating businesses, which will also include details on their respective tacos, will be available to download at the event’s website. Outside of Elm Street and the surrounding streets, the Currier Museum of Art and the New Hampshire Fisher Cats will have taco celebrations of their own. Taco lovers can also go to the website to vote for their favorite option — the business that receives the most votes will get $1,000 to give to a nonprofit of their choice, as well as a special “taco trophy” designed by Manchester Makerspace.

“It’s going to be something hopefully that folks can put behind a bar and then all year long people can walk into that establishment, see the trophy back there, and be like ‘What the heck is that?’ Riel said. “This is a destination for a lot of people, and we really want [Taco Tour] to serve as that invitation to come back downtown and see what Manchester has going on.”

Taco Tour Manchester
When: Thursday, May 5, 4 to 8 p.m.
Where: Participating businesses stationed on Elm Street, various side streets in downtown Manchester and at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St.) and Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (1 Line Drive)
Cost: $3 per taco (cash only)
Visit: tacotourmanchester.com
Event is rain or shine. Elm Street will be shut down to vehicular traffic from Bridge to Granite streets for the duration of the event, as well as on a few side streets.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Eats on wheels

Food truck festival returns to Hampstead

More than a half dozen local food trucks serving all kinds of unique menu items will return to Hampstead Congregational Church for the second annual Hampstead Eats food truck festival, happening on Saturday, April 30. The event also features live local music and a food drive to support the New Hampshire Food Bank.

Event coordinator Roxanne McGaffigan said attendees ages 5 and up pay an admission fee to gain access to the trucks, with food selections then priced per item. The festival started in part as a fundraiser for the renovation and upkeep of the town’s Congregational Church. A small portion of the proceeds generated from ticket sales are also donated to the Food Bank.

“The trucks are out along the church driveway. … We’re going to have a few less tables, so that the trucks will be spread out a little bit more,” McGaffigan said. “There is some parking behind the church … and then there’s also parking on School Street, which is just a few houses over.”

Six of the eight featured trucks attended last year’s festival, but their menu concepts are all very diverse. Chef Koz’s Crescent City Kitchen, which offers scratch-made Cajun, Creole and Caribbean-inspired items like chicken jambalaya and fish tacos, is back this year. Boogalow’s Island BBQ and The Whoop(ie) Wagon are also both returning — the former offers Jamaican-inspired options like jerk pork and chicken, while the latter, hailing from just over the state border in Topsfield, Mass., is known for its creative takes on whoopie pie flavors.

The Traveling Foodie, a late addition to last year’s festival lineup, is also back. One of their signature items, simply called “Love in a Cup,” is a layered barbecue dish featuring pulled pork, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, coleslaw, cheese, sour cream and cornbread all in one cup.

Newcomers of this year’s Hampstead Eats are B’s Tacos, which has a year-round brick-and-mortar restaurant in Manchester and a seasonal spot in Londonderry; and Pat’s Cider Donuts, a longtime vendor at the Deerfield Fair. This will be the Pat’s first public event of 2022.

Kona Ice, which offers multiple flavors of tropical-themed shaved ice, will be providing free cup upgrades for those who bring a nonperishable item to donate to the Food Bank, McGaffigan said.

Lots of open grass will be available nearby for festival-goers to bring blankets or chairs and enjoy the live performances, which will include the Space Heaters, the Sons of the Solstice and members of Let’s Play Music.

Participating vendors

B’s Tacos (nhtacotruck.com)
Boogalow’s Island BBQ (boogalowsbbq.com)
Chef Koz’s Crescent City Kitchen (find them on Facebook @crescentcitykitchennh)
Chubb’s Fries & Dough (find them on Facebook @eddiemencis)
Kona Ice (kona-ice.com)
Pat’s Cider Donuts (patsciderdonuts.com)
The Traveling Foodie (jrmcateringllc.com)
The Whoo(pie) Wagon (thewhoopiewagon.com)

2nd annual Hampstead Eats food truck festival
When: Saturday, April 30, noon to 5 p.m.
Where: Hampstead Congregational Church, 61 Main St., Hampstead
Hours: $5 admission fee for ages 5 and up (cash or check only); foods are priced per item
More info: Search “Hampstead Eats” on Facebook, or call the church office at 329-6985
Event is rain or shine.

Featured photo: Scenes from last year’s Hampstead Eats food truck festival. Courtesy photos.

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