Category: Food

Fresh peach scones

The second half of summer heralds a rush of locally grown produce. For a cook, it’s an exciting time of year. With so many freshly picked fruits and veggies available, it can be difficult to decide what to cook or bake next.

For the next two weeks peaches are the focus in my kitchen. Although this fruit is absolutely perfect when eaten on its own, it’s also fun to find new ways to serve it, such as these scones. For this recipe you want peaches that are perfectly ripe —‌ nicely sweet but not too soft. The softer the peaches are, the more liquid that adds to your scone. If it happens that your peaches are a bit on the softer side, you can add a little more flour to make the dough less sticky.
These scones are topped with a simple vanilla glaze. If you would rather not add the glaze, I would suggest sprinkling a tablespoon or two of granulated sugar on the scones right before baking. Either way you’ll have a nicely sweet scone full of freshly picked peaches.

Michele Pesula Kuegler has been thinking about food her entire life. Since 2007, the New Hampshire native has been sharing these food thoughts and recipes at her blog, Think Tasty. Visit thinktasty.com to find more of her recipes.

Fresh peach scones
Makes 8

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, diced
1 cup diced peach*
3/4 cup buttermilk**
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla divided
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
Add butter.
Combine butter with dry ingredients using a pastry blender, two forks, or your fingers until the butter is reduced to the size of grains of rice.
Add diced peach to flour mixture, tossing gently.
Whisk buttermilk, egg yolk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or small bowl.
Add liquids to dry ingredients; mix until dough forms a ball.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and press into an 8-inch round.
Cut into 8 wedges.
Transfer wedges to a parchment paper-lined, rimmed cookie sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the scones are crusty on top and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
While cooling, combine powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk.
Top each scone with vanilla glaze.
Notes
*I prefer to keep the skin on the peaches in this recipe. You can peel them if you prefer.
**In place of buttermilk, you can pour 1 tablespoon lemon juice into a measuring cup and fill with milk to equal 3/4 cup. Allow to sit for 2 minutes before adding it to the recipe.

Photo: Peach scones. Courtesy photo.

Jenn Martins

Jenn Martins of Hudson is the owner of Brickoven Catering (brickovencatering.com, find her on Facebook and Instagram), a mobile food trailer specializing in wood-fired pizzas, appetizers and other options cooked out of a built-in brick oven. Other than the pizzas, which come in 12-inch and six-inch personal sizes and feature flavors from pepperoni and margherita to chicken bacon ranch and dill pickle, other menu items have included meatballs, pulled pork sliders, meat and veggie skewers, crabcakes and stuffed mushrooms. A graduate of Johnson & Wales University, Martins held multiple jobs in the industry from catering to working as a private chef before purchasing the trailer in February 2020. Brickoven Catering is available to rent for all types of events, from weddings and birthday parties to corporate gatherings, and is known for creating signature “Bride & Groom” pizzas. You’ll also occasionally find Martins slinging pizzas outside of Able Ebenezer Brewing Co. (31 Columbia Circle, Merrimack).

What is your must-have kitchen item?

A good old wooden pizza peel.

What would you have for your last meal?

Our pickle pizza with bacon. I could literally eat it every day.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

MT’s Local [Kitchen & Wine Bar] in Nashua. Their grilled flatbreads are really good, and I’m also pretty fond of their hamburgers.

What celebrity would you like to have seen ordering from your food trailer?

Anthony Bourdain. In culinary school, he was who we looked up to and somebody we aspired to be. We all read his books and watched his shows.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

The pickle pizza. It was something my 10-year-old daughter came up with. It has alfredo sauce, cheese, sliced hamburger, dill pickles and bacon, topped with fresh dill.

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

Food trucks at events are a huge trend. I always thought I would have my own catering company out of a brick-and-mortar building, never a food truck, but I love it.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

My daughter and I love Corn Flake-breaded chicken.

Bacon-wrapped chicken
Courtesy of Jenn Martins of Brickoven Catering, brickovencatering.com

1½ pounds chicken breasts, cut into two-inch strips
1 pound bacon
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper
1 cup brown sugar

Roll chicken in chili powder, garlic and cumin mix. Wrap bacon around chicken and secure with toothpick. Roll in brown sugar. Bake at 350 degrees on a broiling pan for 30 minutes.

Featured photo: Jenn Martins

Blackjack and burgers

Lucky Moose Casino & Tavern opens in Nashua

New Hampshire’s newest casino is now open, complete with daily games of blackjack, roulette and Texas hold ’em, as well as a full bar and an elevated tavern menu out of a scratch kitchen.

The Lucky Moose Casino & Tavern opened July 16 in the former Bugaboo Creek Steak House in the Nashua Mall plaza, keeping the moose structure that adorns the roof. It’s a sister establishment of The River Casino & Sports Bar, a few miles east in the Gate City, and while you’ll find the same casino games here, there is a newly modified food and drink menu to match The Lucky Moose’s unique atmosphere.

“The River is a sports bar and this is more of a tavern, so it’s just a different vibe,” said Vincant Davis, The Lucky Moose’s director of property operations and designer of the menu. “One of the fun things that we created are what we call the Moose Bites, which is kind of like our take on the chicken nugget. We changed up the batter a little bit from our chicken tenders at The River … and it goes great with any of our dipping sauces.”

Other popular items so far, Davis said, have been a traditional poutine with gravy and cheese curds, and the egg rolls, with filling options like shaved Philly steak and cheese or Buffalo chicken. Seasonal egg roll flavors are also expected in the long term.

“The steak and cheese egg rolls are a huge frontrunner right now. They’ve been flying out of here,” he said. “We’ll probably play around with changing out some flavors in the future.”

There is a small selection of 10-inch or 18-inch pizzas with specialty flavors of their own. The Hawaiian pizza, for example, features a citrus-infused sauce that’s finished with sliced prosciutto, fresh pineapple and candied spiced orange zest.

A tavern menu wouldn’t be complete without its burgers, and at The Lucky Moose you can order everything from a simple burger with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and pickles to more inventive options, like a burger with maple aioli and a fried egg, or the New England barbecue burger, which is topped with hand-cut onion rings. Rotating offerings of soups and chowders are also always available, from French onion to a sweet corn chowder with potatoes and bacon.

The Lucky Moose takes its desserts seriously too, from hand-twisted apple cider doughnut sticks to a “mountain” of sweet flavors known as the Mt. Waffleton.

“The Mt. Waffleton is deliciousness in a bowl,” Davis said. “You’ve got a Foster sauce, bananas, caramel, marshmallow, Moose Tracks ice cream, chocolate sauce and a nice fluffy Belgian waffle. … There’s a lot going on there, but it’s probably one of the best bites you’ll ever take.”

As for the drinks, one of the tavern’s more distinctive offerings is the Lucky Moose Juice, featuring Skyy blood orange vodka infused with pineapple over a five-day period. There is also a variety of specialty cocktails and bottled domestic and local craft beers available.

Like at The River, 35 percent of all gambling proceeds from The Lucky Moose benefit a local charity. According to owner and general manager James Rafferty, just over 100 charities have been involved, with more than $4 million raised to date.

The Lucky Moose Casino & Tavern

Where: 16 Gusabel Ave., Nashua
Hours: Daily, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. (Kitchen closes at 11 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and at midnight Thursday through Saturday)
More info: Visit luckymoosecasino.com, find them on Facebook @luckymoosecasino or call 864-0175
Must be at least 18 years old to enter.

Featured photo: New England BBQ Burger. Photo by Matt Ingersoll.

’Cue for a cause

Local eats, live music and raffles at inaugural Barbecue Benefit Bash

For nearly eight months, community organizer and Nashua native Lou Duhamel has been gearing up for what he promises will be “one of the best parties of the summer” — a catered barbecue buffet with craft beer options, raffles and live performances from local musicians, including Nashua-area veteran rockers Aces & Eights and Hollis musician Joe Birch.

A fundraiser for the Nashua Children’s Home, the inaugural Barbecue Benefit Bash is happening rain or shine on Saturday, Aug. 21, at Alpine Grove Banquet Facility in nearby Hollis. Tickets are on sale now through Sunday, Aug. 15, with a portion from each benefitting the nonprofit.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun. Great food, great music and a great cause,” Duhamel said. “I’ve done lots of fundraising events through the years, and I’ve pretty much perfected it now.”

Duhamel said he began organizing the event in January, working closely with Nashua Children’s Home business manager and Nashua alderwoman Lori Wilshire. He has also recruited multiple businesses in Nashua and surrounding areas through sponsorships and donations.

Doors to the event open at 5 p.m., with a barbecue dinner between 6 and 7:30 p.m. on Alpine Grove’s new outdoor patio. If it rains, the food will be served inside its main ballroom.

“We’ll be cooking entire half chickens over a big bed of charcoal,” Alpine Grove owner Alan Archambault said. “We’re also doing our chef’s delicious tender steak tips with all the fixings.”

Self-serve stations will be set up for each of the foods, which will also include tossed garden and pasta salads, local corn on the cob, chips, cranberry sauce, biscuits and butter, and ice cream. A full bar with multiple craft beer selections is also expected.

Joe Birch will perform during the meal, and Duhamel said attendees are welcome to bring their own lawn chairs, tents or blankets.

A wide variety of items will also be raffled off during this time. Raffle tickets are $10 for every dozen and can be entered to win prizes like local restaurant gift certificates, autographed sports memorabilia and all-expenses-paid trips and experiences.

Aces & Eights will likely take the stage around 8:30 or 9 p.m., Duhamel said. The band first began playing together in the late 1960s, according to lead guitarist David West, and has shared the bill with legendary New England acts like Aerosmith and Jonathan Edwards.

Wilshire said proceeds from the event will go toward the Nashua Children’s Home’s transitional living program, enabling their kids who work or go to school to stay until they turn 21.

Barbecue Benefit Bash

Featuring live performances by the Nashua-based band Aces & Eights and musician and Hollis native Joe Birch

When: Saturday, Aug. 21, 5 to 11 p.m. (food will be served from 6 to 7:30 p.m.); deadline to purchase tickets is Sunday, Aug. 15
Where: Alpine Grove Banquet Facility, 19 S. Depot Road, Hollis
Cost: $50 admission per person; $20 from every ticket sold benefits the Nashua Children’s Home. Raffle tickets are $10 for every 12, with the chance to win multiple prizes. Tables of eight are also available to reserve.
More info: Visit louduhamel.simpletix.com or call event organizer Lou Duhamel at 305-2841
Event is rain or shine. Attendees are welcome to bring lawn chairs, blankets or tents.

Featured photo: Aces & Eights to perform. Photo courtesy of David West.

The Weekly Dish 21/08/05

News from the local food scene

• Fighting fire with (barbecue) fire: Join Georgia’s Northside of Concord for its first annual community day barbecue event at Lithermans Limited Brewery (126B Hall St., Concord) on Wednesday, Aug. 11, from 4 to 8 p.m. A fundraiser for the Concord Fire Department Relief Fund, this rain or shine event will feature craft beer, free selections from Georgia’s Northside and a raffle with the chance to win a grand prize of a $1,000 private chef party with chef and owner Alan Natkiel. The Concord Fire Department Relief Fund is a charity that helps people whose lives have been adversely affected by fire. Visit georgiasnorthside.com or see the event on Facebook @georgiasnorthside.

• For the dogs: Long Blue Cat Brewing Co. (298 Rockingham Road, Londonderry) will host Barking for Brews, a fundraiser for Second Chance Ranch Rescue, on Sunday, Aug. 8. The event will feature live music, local vendors, food, craft beer and more, with $1 from every pint sold being donated to Second Chance Ranch, a shelter for dogs based in New Boston. Visit longbluecat.com. A similar fundraiser will be held the same day at Pipe Dream Brewing (49 Harvey Road, Londonderry), with $1 from each pint sold between 1 and 5 p.m. to benefit Granite State Dog Recovery. Visit pipedreambrewingnh.com.

• Seaside tea: The Cozy Tea Cart will hold a Tea by the Sea afternoon tea tasting event on Sunday, Aug. 8, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Gatherings at The Colonel Shepard House (29 Mont Vernon St., Milford). Attendees will enjoy a menu of summer tea fare in a room decorated with a seaside theme. Food options will include lemon blueberry tea bread, high tea lemon cookies, shrimp and dill tea sandwiches, fruit skewers with ginger dip, chicken salad puffs, coconut dream pound cake, and raspberry and white chocolate cream scones, all alongside a selection of fine quality teas. Admission is $39.95 per person and reservations are required. Visit thecozyteacart.com or call 249-9111.

• Maine-ly delicious: Cookbook author Kate Shaffer and food photographer Derek Bissonnette will hold a joint appearance outside The Music Hall (28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth) on Thursday, Aug. 12, at 6 p.m., presenting their new book, The Maine Farm Table Cookbook. The event will include a reserved table and signed books, an author discussion moderated by Music Hall executive director Tina Sawtelle, and an audience Q&A. Ticket packages include $60 for a small table with two books, $120 for a medium table with four books or $180 for a large table with six books. Purchase them online at themusichall.org or over the phone by calling 436-2400.

• State Liquor Commission recognized: The New Hampshire Liquor Commission was recently named one of the Top 10 retailers in the country by Beverage Dynamics magazine, according to a press release, all the while continuing to surpass its own sales records. The NHLC generated an all-time high in total gross sales of more than $801 million collectively during fiscal year 2021, an increase of $35 million over the previous year. According to the release, the store at Willow Spring Plaza in Nashua had the most sales of all 69 Liquor & Wine Outlet locations in the state, with nearly $40 million.

Beer but no alcohol

Alcohol-free brews are on the rise

My wife visited a friend a few weeks ago and came back from the excursion asking if I’d ever tried non-alcoholic beer. Her friend had been talking up Athletic Brewing Co., which is based in Connecticut and brews an array of alcohol-free beer.

While I had heard of the brand, honestly, I couldn’t say that I had ever had a non-alcoholic beer in my life. I don’t think I’ve ever even tried an O’Doul’s. I suppose I always wondered — if subconsciously — what’s the point? (I know what the point is.)

Not that I’m condoning drinking to get drunk as a responsible choice, but the alcohol in beer is an undeniable, perhaps critical piece of the puzzle. Still, beer does, you know, taste good. Sometimes you want to enjoy a beer but maybe not take in the alcohol, you know, like on a Tuesday. Other times, maybe you’ve already had a few, you’re feeling pretty good and you’d like to keep enjoying the moment — but you know you need to slow down or stop altogether. That’s an instance where an alcohol-free beer can help keep the good times rolling, while keeping you in a responsible frame of mind.

Beyond those instances, obviously others are choosing to live without alcohol for a variety of reasons.

According to a Boston Globe article in May, sales of nonalcoholic beer are up nearly 40 percent in both 2019 and 2020. It’s probably time for me to get with the program.

I was skeptical, but the Athletic story was compelling. The founder, Bill Shufelt, notes on the company website he made the decision to cut out alcohol as a way to live a healthier lifestyle, but non-alcoholic options were limited in the marketplace.

“From the start, we’ve planned to offer more non-alcoholic beer variety than the world has ever known,” Shufelt says on athleticbrewing.com.

I was impressed. It was time to dive in.

I started with Athletic Brewing Co.’s Upside Dawn Golden Ale, which the brewery describes as “refreshing, clean, balanced, light-bodied,” with “aromas subtle with floral and earthy notes,” and yeah, that description fits the bill. It’s also gluten-free for those wondering and just 50 calories.

Do I think it’s missing a little zip with no alcohol? Yes, I do, but that could also be in my head. This is a perfect brew for a screaming hot day. It’s crisp, light and refreshing, and, as you might expect, very, very easy to drink. I could have one of these at the beach or after mowing the lawn — or during since it’s about time I make use of the cup holder on the riding lawnmower.

I should also note that when they say alcohol-free they mean less than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume.

Next up was Athletic’s Free Wave Hazy IPA. Candidly, I don’t know if this is going to satisfy New Hampshire’s hop enthusiasts or “hop heads,” but it does have enticing hop character featuring a citrusy burst in a well-balanced package. Athletic uses Amarillo, Citra and Mosaic hops in this brew. It’s pretty impressive. I’ll have this again for sure.

At the moment, Athletic also brews a stout, a second IPA, a Berliner weisse and a Mexican light lager.

Athletic isn’t the only option for non-alcoholic brews, as major breweries like Brooklyn Brewery, Dogfish Head and Sam Adams are all pumping out non-alcoholic brews, so you undoubtedly have some choices at your local beer store.

What’s in my fridge

Combover IPA by Schilling Beer Co. (Littleton)
It’s the strawberry notes on this one that stand out for me. You’re getting big citrus and pine flavors but the strawberry flavor gives this American IPA a unique twist. This is one of those IPAs that just begs for another sip. Cheers!

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

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