Category: Food

West 75th

New Year’s Eve is supposed to be a romantic holiday. In my experience, it’s a little over-hyped. The best New Year’s Eve I ever had was when I was 8 years old. I was being babysat by an older cousin. At midnight we went outside and honked the horn of my uncle’s car, then went back inside and ate buttered noodles.

I might be jaded about New Year’s, because I’ve never been invited to a swanky party.

Be that as it may, when it comes to romance, nothing holds a candle to NASA.

The Mars rover Opportunity was launched in June 1993 and landed on the surface of Mars seven months later. It was one of a pair of rovers sent on that mission; its twin, Spirit, was sent to the opposite side of the planet. The two rovers took geological samples and surveys, made measurements and took photographs.

The mission was supposed to last 90 days, but through a combination of superb engineering and mind-bogglingly good luck the two probes kept working long past the point anyone had dreamed they could. After five years Spirit got mired in dust and couldn’t move anymore, but Opportunity kept going month after month, for a staggering 14 years.

Eventually, after operating for 57 times its designed lifespan, Opportunity wound down. Before the ground team at NASA ended its mission in 2018, they broadcast one final message to Opportunity.

They played Billie Holiday’s 1944 recording of “I’ll Be Seeing You”.

It’s the most romantic damn thing I’ve ever heard of. I get teary-eyed just thinking about it.

Does this have anything to do with New Year’s Eve?

Not particularly, except that much like Opportunity, most of us have lasted much longer than we’ve had any right to expect. And as we look back over the past year and wonder if we’ve accomplished anything or not, the mere fact that we are still here is a little miracle, and if we’re very lucky, some of us have someone to play Billie Holiday for us.

And whether we’re at a swanky party or eating buttered noodles, it’s a good occasion for a fancy New Year’s cocktail.

West 75th Cocktail

  • 1 ounce apple brandy – I like Laird’s Applejack
  • ½ ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • ½ ounce Chambord raspberry liqueur
  • 2 dashes orange bitters
  • 3 ounces Lambrusco, chilled – Lambrusco is a sparkling Italian red or blush wine. It’s a little sweet, so many wine enthusiasts can be a bit sniffy about it, but I like it, and it was made for this cocktail

Combine the brandy, Chambord, lemon juice and bitters with ice in a cocktail shaker. Swirl and shake to chill.

Strain into a Champagne flute.

Top with Lambrusco.

If you are alone, sip, while listening to “I’ll Be Seeing You.” It’s OK to cry. If you are at a party, sip, while playing “Tiny Bubbles” by Don Ho. The other guests will be confused but incredibly impressed when you sing the chorus in Hawaiian.

Lambrusco leans toward the fruity side of sparkling wine, which pairs well with the apple brandy. The apple brandy might make this drink a little too boozy-tasting, but the Chambord pulls it back to berry notes. That might make it a tiny bit too sweet, but the lemon juice and bitters pull everything back into line. This cocktail is a balancing act that succeeds like a pretty girl on a tightrope juggling knives.\

It’s a very small miracle, like Billie Holiday, buttered noodles, or a happy, sleeping space robot.

Featured photo: West 75th. Photo by John Fladd.

New year, new meals

The Culinary Playground offers new cooking classes

Looking to eat healthier, save money by eating out less, or just pick up a new hobby in the new year? The Culinary Playground, a recreational cooking school in Derry, teaches the essential skill of cooking through classes, camps and parties on everything from bread making to cake decorating, making homemade pasta and more with new classes coming in the new year.

“We offer classes from 3 years old all the way through adulthood,” said Kristen Chinosi, the owner of the business. “It is still very relevant [and] very popular. Everyone recognizes that cooking is an essential skill for … well-being and I think any struggles that we had during the pandemic actually helped to reinforce the importance of knowing how to sustain yourself when you can’t go out to restaurants or maybe you don’t have the ingredients that you need at the grocery store.”

The Culinary Playground offers group classes, private classes, couples classes, and single or series classes that take place over multiple weeks. One such class is the artisan bread series that will run for three Sundays starting Jan. 28, 2024. Students will learn and practice the fundamentals and techniques of bread making and baking through the crafting of a wheat sandwich loaf, a boule, an olive rosemary loaf, a cranberry walnut loaf and lastly a sourdough.

“We’re really excited to offer this new class,” Chinosi said. “What’s great about [it] is it makes it very accessible. There’s a lot of variations ….”

For all of the breads, aside from sourdough in the final class, participants will start entirely from scratch. Since sourdough takes a long time to make, the dough will be made prior and ready at the start of class for students to score and bake, and students will begin a starter to take home and finish later.

“What we pride ourselves on and differentiates us from some other cooking schools is that we are very hands-on,” Chionsi said. “Each student is seeing the process from start to finish. We don’t often have ingredients premeasured or premixed for them; they’re getting their hands involved from Step 1.”

The same is true for the mini chefs class, where children are encouraged to work independently, with the help of parents when needed, counting, sorting, measuring ingredients and cutting them with scissors.

“The parents are always pretty astounded by what their kid is capable of,” Chinosi said. “Obviously we’re in the kitchen, so safety is top priority.”

Returning in the new year is the Intro to Mediterranean Diet, a popular single-day class for adults led by a registered dietitian with dates on Sundays, Jan. 14 and Feb. 18. Another well-liked class that is set to return after slowing down during Covid is a meal prep class.

“We’ve been excited to get it back on the calendar because people are very interested in that with the busy work life schedule,” Chinosi said. “The biggest deterrent to eating healthy is convenience … so a key to the success of more healthy eating is to be prepared.”

The Culinary Playground
Where: 16 Manning St., Suite 105, Derry
Visit: culinary-playground.com

Tasty treats and comfort eats

A look back at the dishes of 2023

We asked some local food experts to talk about their year in food.

While she has been baking all her life, 2023 marked two years in the bakery business for Lindsey Bangs of I Whisked It, specializing in custom cakes, cupcakes and cake jars as well as hot chocolate bombs with homemade marshmallows for the winter season. Here’s how the year went for her.

What was the most delicious thing you made in 2023?

That has to be my apple cider doughnut cake! [This was] the biggest experiment/surprise of the year for me. It is an apple cider doughnut flavored cake, coated in cinnamon sugar with layers of apple filling and cinnamon buttercream. I knew it would be good but I had no idea how good! It’s everything I love about cider doughnuts in the fall but in flavor-packed cake form.

What was the most delicious dish or meal you had from another New Hampshire food business in 2023?

The Kang Luang from Daw Kun Thai in Manchester, which is a chicken curry dish with pineapple. It is always so fresh, filling without being heavy and is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy for me!

What are you most looking forward to in 2024?

My husband and I are planning a vacation for 2024 and I’m looking forward to trying new meals and desserts. Whenever we travel I always find inspiration to bring home and incorporate into my cakes.

Ann Marie Baril of Pastry Dream cooks up individual-size pastries with flavors like ginger spice cake, lemon raspberry, chocolate peanut butter, cheesecake and more. Here’s what Baril has been up to this year and what plans she has for the new year.

What was the most delicious thing you made in 2023?

We transformed our original Chocolate Dream by topping with chopped pecans and coconut. Really yummy.

What was the most delicious dish or meal you had from another New Hampshire food business in 2023?

My delicious meal was at the Sea Ketch in Hampton. The view is spectacular and the clam chowder, scallops and clams were perfect for a birthday dinner.

What are you most looking forward to in 2024?

We are looking forward to working with local caterers to provide our delicious desserts for functions, parties and special events.

With an ever-changing menu, Kerry Fay isalways cooking up something new in Kerry’s Culinary Creations & Curb Appeal Meals Food Truck — with tacos, paninis and sliders being staples — and 2023 was no exception.

What was the most delicious thing you made in 2023?

The one most delicious thing I made is a hard choice. I guess my favorites were probably the items that weren’t as common on my regular menu. Most people in the kitchen will tell you that eating the same things, no matter how delicious they are, will get boring after a while. So my tops for this past year, in no particular order, [are] falafel taco made young green chickpeas, tahini sauce [and] Asian coleslaw; chili lime butter shrimp taco with avocado sauce, cotija cheese and slaw; and gnocchi stuffed with Asiago cheese in a cream sauce with roasted shallots, roasted butternut squash topped with bacon and shaved Parmesan.

What was the most delicious dish or meal you had from another New Hampshire food business in 2023?

The most delicious thing I had from another food place is also difficult, as I have several places [and] things I love. [One is] brisket from Up in Your Grill food truck. [It’s] tender and dry-rubbed [and] yummy! [I] hate it when it’s still chewy or when it completely disintegrates, [and] this stuff is spot on. [I] also love the bibimbap from Street in Portsmouth. This is such a satisfying meal with your choice of protein and all the perfectly cooked veggies, and their house-made gochujang sauce is outstanding. Kume sushi in Seabrook, Kashmir Indian in Salem, pretzel bread and delicious burger at Sawbelly in Exeter, wings and beer at Smuttynose in Hampton [are] also my go-to places.

What are you most looking forward to in 2024?

What I’m looking forward to most in 2024 is slowing down a little bit and having more time outdoors and with friends and family.

In 2022 Abbey Morrison transitioned her meal prep business into Fresh Chef Press, a cafe on Canal Street in Manchester, along with her friend Shauri Gilo-Oquendo, with the intention of making food that is as nutritious as it is delicious. Here’s what Morrison had to say about Fresh Chef Press’s second year in business.

What was the most delicious thing you made in 2023?

Our Cherry Garcia smoothie we had launched in February as our monthly special was hands down the best thing we created this year. The special was planned to end March 1; however, customers loved the smoothie so much they ordered it all the way into May until we finally put a stop to it, allowing our other monthly specials to shine. The Cherry Garcia smoothie was eye-appealing, nutritious, flavorful and nostalgic all in one sip.

What was the most delicious dish or meal you had from another New Hampshire food business in 2023?

The best meal we had from another New Hampshire food business in 2023 came from Campo Enoteca. Their Pistachio Pesto entree with local cream and homemade tagliatelle is to die for. We love that the dish is made farm to table (similar to what we represent). The dish provides a mouth-watering effect, leaving you wanting more with each bite. We haven’t come across anything else like it!

What are you most looking forward to in 2024?

In 2024 we are looking forward to expanding our menu and opening our consumers’ palates, providing both a nutritious and delicious experience.

Food in 2024
Here are some events to look out for in early 2024.

Winemaker’s dinner
When: Friday, Jan. 19, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Zorvino Vineyards, 226 Main St., Sandown
Cost: $85

Willy Wonka Wine Pairing Dinner
When: Saturday, Jan. 27, 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Where: LaBelle Winery, 14 Route 111, Derry
Cost: $85

Cookie decorating
When: Tuesday, Jan. 23, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Station 101, 193 Union Square, Milford
Cost: $70

17th annual Chocolate Madness Wine Pairing Dinner
When: Thursday, Feb. 1, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Zorvino Vineyards, 226 Main St., Sandown
Cost: $85

Ice bar
When: launches on Friday, Feb. 26
Where: The Wentworth, 1 Carter Notch Road, Jackson Village

The Weekly Dish 23/12/28

News from the local food scene

• Futuristic new year: 815 Cocktails and Provisions hosts a futuristic, sci-fi themed New Year’s Eve party from 8 p.m. to midnight on New Year’s Eve with music, dancing, contests, a photo booth, an open bar menu and small appetizers. General admission tickets are $120 and can be purchased via eventbrite.

• New Year’s at The Side Bar: The Side Bar (845 Lafayette Road, Hampton, thesidebarnh.com, 601-6311) will have their full menu along with drink specials at their New Year’s Eve party from 9 p.m. to midnight. Tickets are $10 on eventbrite and $15 at the door.

• Paint night at Spyglass Brewing: Spyglass Brewing (36 Innovative Way, Nashua) hosts a paint night with All Ways Art on Thursday, Jan. 11, at 6 p.m. You’ll be walked through the process of painting a 16×20-inch canvas while enjoying a free drink that is included in the ticket prices. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased at allwaysart.com.

• Winemaker’s dinner: Zorvino Vineyards (226 Main St., Sandown) hosts a winemaker’s dinner on Friday, Jan. 19, at 6:30 p.m. Cocktail hour starts at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m. The welcome reception will include a seasonal charcuterie and artisanal bread display paired with Vintner’s Select Semillon and Z Labs Chocolate Tangerine wine. Roasted winter squash, grilled leek and Gruyere savory bread pudding make up the first course with Zorvino Vineyards Gewurztraminer, followed by fig and pomegranate glazed “kurobuta” pork for the entree paired with Zorvino Vineyards Estate Grown Marquette. For dessert is chocolate ganache and caramelized banana tart with Z Labs s’mores. Tickets are $85 and can be purchased on eventbrite.com.

Butterscotch Drops

It was 1950. The war was over, the economy was booming New suburbs were springing up all over the country, and with them modern kitchens.

The Betty Crocker Cookbook circa 1950 was a sort of guidebook for America’s new generation of cooks. It taught readers the basics of middle-class cooking and introduced home cooks to new ideas. This is one of them.

Butterscotch Drops with Brown Butter Icing

  • 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) room-temperature butter
  • 1½ cup (320 grams) dark brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup (227 grams) sour cream
  • 1 Tablespoon Scotch whisky – I used Glenlivet (Betty suggested “vanilla”, but I can read between the lines)
  • 2¾ cups (330 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients — flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar together. If you have a robust stand mixer, and you forget to leave the butter on your counter to soften, your mixer will have your back; it will power through and cream everything. It will just take a little longer.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time. This should pull the mixture together into a consistent batter. Eggs are what is called an emulsifier: They make it easy for fatty ingredients to mix with everything else.

Add the scotch and sour cream, and mix to combine.

Mix in the dry ingredients. To avoid a cloud of flour poofing up out of the mixer, try spooning it in a couple of tablespoons at a time.

When everything is well-mixed, chill the dough for a couple hours or, ideally, overnight. I just leave it in the mixing bowl, cover it with a dollar store shower cap, and put it in the refrigerator to rest.

Later (imagine a harp-music montage), preheat your oven to 425°F.

Scoop “rounded teaspoonfuls” of batter onto either a lightly oiled baking sheet or one with a silicone mat or a sheet of parchment paper. Leave 2 inches between dough blobs. I found it difficult to make nice little teaspoon-sized dough balls; I used two teaspoons (like you actually use for tea) and used them to scoop up some wet dough and deposit it on the cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. They will be ready when they are very slightly brown and if you touch one you won’t leave an impression of your finger. When you remove them from the oven, let them cool on the baking sheet.

This makes about four dozen cookies. Apparently in the 1950s they didn’t take a half-hearted approach to baking.

“Burnt Butter” Butterscotch Icing

  • 12 Tablespoons (1½ sticks) butter
  • 3 cups (342 grams) powdered sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons Scotch whisky

In a small saucepan, melt, then brown the butter over low heat. If you haven’t done this before, it is easy-peasy, but you have to watch it like a hawk. Swish the melted butter around in the pan frequently, and pull it from the heat just before it is brown like dark toast.

Combine the butter, powdered sugar and whisky, and stir until it forms an icing. If it is too stiff, add a tablespoon or so of water, but be very conservative about adding it. Use this to ice the cookies.

It might seem weird to use Scotch whisky in a cookie recipe, but butterscotch tastes extra intense and very, very good when you make it with real butter and real scotch. By themselves, the cookies have a delicate brown sugar flavor, a bit like the background flavor of a chocolate chip cookie, but when combined with the scotchy icing they become a flavor powerhouse.

Featured photo: Butterscotch Drops with Brown Butter Icing. Photo by John Fladd.

Last meal of 2023

Ring in the new year with dinner, parties, Champagne and more

New Year’s Eve reservations fill up fast, so make those plans for dining on Sunday, Dec. 31, early. Here are a few of the places offering special eats. Know of a restaurant with a New Year’s Eve seating? Let us know at [email protected]; check next week’s Weekly Dish for updates.

• 815 Cocktails and Provisions (815 Elm St., Manchester, 815nh.com, 782-8086) hosts a futuristic sci-fi themed New Year’s Eve party with music, dancing, prizes, a photo booth, an open bar menu and small appetizers. General admission tickets are $120 and can be purchased via eventbrite.

• Alan’s Restaurant (133 N Main St., Boscawen, 753-6631, alansofboscawen.com) hosts a New Year’s Eve party starting at 8 p.m. Call for reservations and tickets.

• Welcome the new year at Averill House Vineyard (21 Averill Road, Brookline, averillhousevineyard.com, 244-3165) with a wine pairing and five-course Brazilian dinner. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a guided tour of the vineyard production room and wine cellar, and dinner will be served at 7 p.m. Get your tickets at exploretock.com.

• Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford, 472-2001, bedfordvillageinn.com) will serve a four-course prix fixe dinner. Seating times are 5:30 p.m. through 9:30 p.m. and the cost is $110 per adult. Make your reservation on their website.

• Buckley’s Great Steaks (438 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, buckleysgreasteaks.com, 424-0995) is taking reservations for New Year’s Eve.

• Celebrate the new year and the 11th anniversary of Cask & Vine (1 1 /2 E. Broadway, Derry, caskandvine.com, 965-3454) during their New Year’s Eve pajama party starting at 5 p.m. An a la carte menu will be available with their usual draft list, cocktails and wine. Visit their website.

• CJ’s Great West Grill (782 S. Willow St., Manchester, 627-8600, cjsgreatwewstgrille.com) will close at 10 p.m.

• Colby Hill Inn (33 The Oaks, Henniker, 428-2581, colbyhillinn.com) holds a Chef’s Sparkling New Year’s Eve Wine Dinner featuring five courseds from 7 to 10:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Courses four and five must be pre-selected upon making a reservation or one week in advance.

• Copper Door (15 Leavy Drive, Bedford, 488-2677, copperdoor.com)is accepting reservations until 9 p.m. and will be open until 11 p.m.

• Epoch Gastropub (90 Front St., Exeter, 778-3762, epochrestaurant.com) will serve dinner from 5 to 10 p.m.

• Firefly Bistro & Bar (22 Concord St., Manchester, fireflynh.com, 95-9740) is serving brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 4 to 10 p.m. Visit their website to make reservations.

• The Foundry Restaurant (50 Commercial St., Manchester, foundrynh.com, 836-1925) will be open from 9 a.m. to noon New Year’s Eve, and will be open for dinner service New Year’s Day from 4 to 9 p.m.

• Fratello’s Italian Grille’s(799 Union Ave., Laconia, 528-2022; 155 Dow St., Manchester, 624-2022; fratellos.com) New Year’s Eve menu includes antipasti, like seafood-stuffed mushrooms and Sicilian sausage soup, salads and entrees like roast prime rib, seafood fettuccine, grilled dill salmon and more.

• Friendly Red’s Tavern (22 Haverhill Road, Route 111, Windham, 437-7251; 111 W Broadway, Derry, 404-6606, friendlyredstavern.net) will be open during its normal hours.

• Greenleaf (54 Nashua St., Milford, greenleafmilford.com, 213-5447) is serving a four-course meal with seatings at 5, 6 , 7 and 8 p.m. For the first course, coriander sumac-crusted tuna with parsnip, charred leek, blood orange and pancetta jam and mizuna will be served, followed by cavatelli, duck confit with mushroom, celeriac, truffle and quail egg. The third course consists of beef wellington, sweet potato, red cabbage and charred shallot marrow jus, and caramelized banana mousse, fig, chocolate, caramel and pistachio for dessert. Reservations are required and can be made online.

• LaBelle Winery in Derry (14 Route 111, labellewinery.com, 672-9898) will celebrate the new year from 6 to 10:30 p.m. with a three-course dinner, live music and a stroll through LaBelle lights. Tickets are $120 and can be purchased at labellewinery.com.

• Mike’s Italian Kitchen (212 Main St., Nashua, mikesitaliannh.com, 595-9334) is taking reservations for parties of any size.

• Mile Away Restaurant (52 Federal Hill Road, Milford, mileawayrestaurantnh.com, 673-3904) is taking reservations for New Year’s Eve. On the menu is scallops and lobster ravioli, boursin chicken en croute, grilled duck breast and more. Dessert options include chocolate mousse cake, lemon mascarpone, cheesecake and more. Call to make your reservation.

• New England Taphouse Grille (1292 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, taphouseNH.com, 782-5137) will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

• The Peddler’s Daughter (48 Main St., Nashua, thepeddlersdaughter.com, 821-7535) will be open from 10 a.m. New Year’s Eve to 1 a.m. New Year’s Day.

• Pembroke Pines Country Club (45A Whittemore Road, Pembroke, pembrokepinescc.com, 210-1365) is hosting a New Year’s Eve celebration at 6:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 1, with dinner, drinks, dancing and entertainment from comedians. Tickets are $160 and can be purchased on eventbrite.com.

• Pizzico (7 Harold Drive, Nashua, 633-8993; 7 Continental Blvd., 424-1000, pizzicorestaurant.com) will be open regular hours, from noon to 9 p.m.

• Portsmouth Gas Light (64 Market St., Portsmouth, portsmouthgaslight.com, 430-8582) is having a New Year’s Eve winter wonderland party starting at 8 p.m. with passed hors d’oeuvres, Champagne and a buffet. VIP tickets include reserved seating and private food service. Make your reservations now online.

• Red Arrow Diner (112 Loudon Road, Concord, 415-0444; 137 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, 552-3091; 61 Lowell St., Manchester, 626-1118; 149 Daniel Webster Hwy., Nashua, 204-5088, redarrowdiner.com) is open for its regular hours (Concord, Londonderry and Nashua open 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Manchester open 24 hours).

• Saddle Up Saloon (92 Route 125, Kingston, saddleupsaloonnh.com, 347-1313) hosts a New Year’s Eve party from 6 to 8 p.m. with a pizza buffet at midnight. Reservations can be made between 6 and 7 p.m. Dinner selections include prime rib, half roasted chicken and baked haddock, each with mashed potatoes and vegetables.

• The Shaskeen Pub and Restaurant (909 Elm St., Manchester, theshaskeenpub.com, 625-0246) will again host its New Year’s Eve Bash from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. with a dinner buffet, Champagne toast and a DJ. Visit their Facebook page @TheShaskeenPubandRestaurant.

• The Side Bar’s(845 Lafayette Road, Hampton, thesidebarnh.com, 601-6311) New Year’s Eve party starts at 9 p.m. and includes drink specials and their full menu available until midnight. Tickets are $10 on eventbrite or $15 at the door.

• Surf (207 Main St., Nashua, 595-9293; 99 Bow St., Portsmouth, 334-9855, surfseafood.com) is taking reservations via phone.

• T-Bones (25 S. River Road, Bedford, 641-6100; 404 Main St., Concord; 39 Crystal Ave., Derry, 434-3200; 77 Lowell Road, Hudson, 882-6677; 1182 Union Ave., Laconia; 311 S. Broadway, Salem, greatnhrestaurants.com) will be open until 10 p.m.

• The Village Trestle (25 Main St., Goffstown, villagetrestle.com, 497-8230) will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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