Category: Food

Traditionally the most fall-ish dish in New England was arguably this pudding. Over the past few decades it has slipped into obscurity, but it is warm and hearty and almost requires you to wear flannel. This recipe is adapted from a collection of holiday recipes that ran in the Boston Globe on Dec. 23, 1923.

• 1 cup (156 g) yellow cornmeal
• “A lump of butter the size of an egg” – let’s call it ¼ cup (½ stick)
• “1 cup molasses” – Molasses was the inexpensive sweetener of choice in New England for generations. For modern tastes it is a little bitter. Let’s go half-and-half with molasses and maple syrup: ½ cup (170 g) molasses, and ½ cup (156 g) maple syrup.
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon each ground ginger and cinnamon – alternatively, 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
• 1 quart (4 cups/908 g) milk
• 1/3 cup chopped, crystalized ginger (around 50 g)
• Another 2 cups (454 g) cold milk
• 1 cup (227 g) water

The original 1923 recipe recommends cooking everything on the stovetop, then baking it in a bean pot. If you cook it in an oven-proof pot, you can cook it, then move it to the oven. I like to use a 3-gallon soup pot with a tight-fitting lid.

Preheat your oven to 275°F — the 1923 recipe recommended a “slow oven.”

In your oven-proof pot, bring the quart of milk to a boil over medium heat.

Turn the heat down to medium-low, and whisk in the cornmeal, butter, molasses/maple syrup, egg, salt and spices. (If you’re worried about the egg cooking before you can get it mixed in properly, maybe stir it in with the molasses and syrup before you add them.) Whisk continuously until the mixture comes back to a boil and thickens up, then stir in the crystalized ginger pieces.

Mix the remaining milk and the water together, then gently pour them on top of the cornmeal mixture. If you pour it over the back of a spatula, it should go on top without splashing. Your goal here is to top the pudding with a layer of liquid.

Cover the pot with a lid, and transfer it to the oven. Bake it for four hours.

After the four hours are up, remove the pot from the oven, and set it aside to cool.

You can take the lid off and look inside if you want to, but be aware that at this point the pudding is the stuff of nightmares. A hundred years ago puddings were commonly made using a process called “wheying.” A pudding would be baked covered with a layer of milk — or even cream, if you were fancy. As it baked, the dairy fats and proteins would get absorbed into the main body of the pudding, leaving a layer of whey on top. It is supposed to be there. But to modern eyes it just looks wrong. It is better for your peace of mind not to look at it until the pudding has had a chance to meditate and self-actualize.

After half an hour or so, whisk the whey back into the pudding, then serve it warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Featured photo. Photo by John Fladd.

Downtown Dirty Shirley Crawl brings book series to life

Alex Pellerin, the event coordinator for Bookery in Manchester, said that while it is perfectly possible to take part in Saturday’s Dirty Shirley Bar Crawl without knowing any of the cultural references behind it, there is an actual literary theme to the event.

“There is a really popular book series called Dungeon Crawler Carl,” Pellerin said. “It’s recently exploded in popularity. ln the books there’s a cat named Princess Donut who talks, and at [a bar called] the Desperado Club she finds out she really likes Dirty Shirley Temples [very similar to the popular non-alcoholic drink Shirley Temple, with grenadine and ginger ale, but with a vigorous slug of vodka]. She eventually gets cut off from them and can only have regular Shirley Temples.”

“So we are hosting this event in conjunction with [Granite State] Comicon,” Pellerin continued, “to give folks who are going to Comicon some things to do after the event. [Comicon] will end around 5 p.m. and we want to continue the celebration and community-building. We thought it would be fun to connect people to other businesses in the area while celebrating the book series and Comiccon. We’re [organizing] a Dirty Shirley Bar Crawl to find the best Shirley Temple in what we would call The Dungeon, but really on Elm Street.”

Each of the participating bars and restaurants will serve its take on a Shirley Temple, both “dirty” and traditional. Crawl participants will have the opportunity to vote for their favorites, and the bars will earn bragging rights.

Pellerin said the Dungeon Crawler Carl series is popular with readers of all ages and interests, and the Dirty Shirley Crawl will reflect that.

“It’s 100 percent inclusive,” she said, “whether you drink or not. And we know that doing a bar crawl isn’t everybody’s thing; [ Bookery] is going to actually be staying open later. Typically we’re only open till 7 p.m., but that night we’re going to be open until 9 p.m., and in the store from 5 to 9 p.m. we’ll be doing Dungeon Crawler Carl-themed activities, games, giveaways and raffles. We’ll have a bunch of fun Dungeon Crawler Carl merch for people to purchase too. So for anyone not interested in doing the Crawl there’s still stuff going on here they can participate in, or they could do both. We’re turning this whole place into a dungeon, which will be very, very exciting.”

“For instance,” Pellerin said, “we’ll have a High Rollers Roulette Wheel, which is a classic in the Desperado Club, where people can win different prizes — or maybe not win some prizes — based on what the wheel gives you. We’re going to have a photo booth, There will be some voting activities for readers’ favorite book, and we’ll build a ‘Mob’, which is like building monsters that people get to collaborate on. It’s going to be really fun. We’re really excited.”you’re satisfied, but there can always be a little bit more satisfaction.”

Dirty Shirley Bar Crawl
When: Saturday, Sept. 19, from 5 to 9 p.m.
Where: along Elm Street in downtown Manchester. A statement from Bookery (844 Elm St., Manchester, 836-6600, bookerymht.com) reads, “While we anticipate that most participants will visit locations individually, a larger group will depart from the bookstore at 6 p.m. following a specific route. Below is the complete list of participating bars, with the locations on the main group route being underlined/bolded.”
Diz’s
Stashbox
Without
The Shaskeen
Boards & Brews
Bad Brgr
Strange Brew
Thirsty Moose
Shoppers
Industry East
Hop Knot
Critical Mass Coffee
Manchester Distillery

Featured photo: Photo by John Fladd.

• Cookie news: The Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains, the local sales force during the upcoming Girl Scout cookie season, announced two new cookies for sale, according to a Sept. 8 release. Patch Pals, developed with BARK, is the Girl Scouts’ first cookies specifically for dogs, the release said. Girl Scout Sparkables, developed with Partake, is described as a “crunchy oatmeal cookie [that] features chocolate chips and is dotted with colorful sprinkles” and is gluten-free, nut-free and vegan and “designed to avoid the nine major food allergens,” the release said. Cookie season runs Jan. 1 to March 14, 2027, and will feature the two new cookies for sale online only. Attendees at the Saturday, Oct. 3, Expo at the NH Sportsplex in Bedford will be able to taste the Girl Scout Sparkables, the release said. See girlscoutsgwm.org.

• Beer by the river: The 2026 Manchester BrewFest will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. in Arms Park (10 Arms St., Manchester) on Saturday, Sept. 19. Expect vendors, live entertainment, and excellent beer enthusiastically served. VIP tickets are $60, general admission tickets are $50, and designated driver tickets are $20. Visit manchesterbrewfest.com.

• Tailgating in Concord: Arts Alley (20 S. Main St., Concord, 406-5666, artsalleyconcordnh.com) is bringing New England football to its Courtyard this season with courtyard watch parties beginning Sunday, Sept. 20, from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Cheer on the Patriots on a big screen. There will be lawn games and heaters. Food and drink will be available from the Rose and Rye Diner. All ages are welcome. Visit artsalleyconcordnh.com/event/courtyard-tailgate.

• Pie festival in Milton: On Saturday, Sept. 19, the New Hampshire Farm Museum (1305 White Mountain Hwy., Milton, 652-7840, nhfarmmuseum.org) will hold its 18th Annual Pie Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. According to the Museum’s website, “Our judges will be ready to sample pies and award prizes in a variety of categories. The public is also invited to sample pies from local bakeries and vote for the people’s choice for best professional baker.” Admission is $15 per person, free for pie-makers, and $5 for children under 12. Visit nhfarmmuseum.org/event/great-nh-pie-festival.

• Cookie decorating in the Gate City: Local Street Eats (112 W. Pearl St., Nashua, 402-4435, local-streeteats.com) will host a Fall Cookie Decorating Night Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. Led by “Cookie Queen” Katie Soleau of Posy Cottage Cookies, it will be a night of cozy, creative, sugar-coated fun. Tickets are $35 each, all supplies included. Visit local-streeteats.com/events/cookie-decorating-night.

• Coffee cupping in Derry: The Derry Public Library (64 E. Broadway, Derry, 432-6140, derrypl.org) will host a coffee-cupping workshop Wednesday, Sept. 23, from 6 to 7 p.m. Presenter Rob Fitzgibbon will give you a look at where coffee comes from, how it is made, and its history. There will be coffee samples for tasting, and guidance on what to look for in coffee, from aroma to taste. This workshop is free of charge, but participants must register online.

• Farm fun: Moulton Farm, 18 Quarry Road in Meredith, will hold Mack-a-Palooza — in honor of MacKenzie “Mack” McNamara and to benefit the Mack MacNamara Scholarship for Inter-Lakes High School or Moultonborough Academy students — on Friday, Sept. 18, 5 to 7 p.m. The event will also kick off corn maze season. “Local food and beverage companies, including local breweries, will be set up throughout the farm’s four acre corn maze giving out samples of their products the evening before the corn maze opens to the public. Food trucks, music, and a huge inflatable obstacle course will also be part of the festive event,” according to a press release. “Moulton Farm’s corn maze will be open 7 days a week starting at 8 am from September 19 through November 1,” the release said. Purchase tickets and find corn maze information at MoultonFarm.com.

• 3/4 ounce Campari
• 3/4 ounce scotch, or maybe Buchanan’s Pineapple Drink (see below)
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup
• 1/2 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 ounce super-sparkling wine, like prosecco, to top

On the face of it, the recipe is fairly daunting.

For one thing, a lot of scotch drinkers would look at the whole idea of putting Scotch whisky in a cocktail as pretty blasphemous to begin with. Scotch is supposed to stand on its own – maybe with ice. That would be like using, I don’t know, Champagne in a cocktail.

You mean, like a Champagne Cocktail?

Oh, right.

But equal parts scotch and Campari? The bitter, red, Italian liqueur? That seems like a lot of intensity in one place. Sure, there’s simple syrup and lemon juice to drag the mixture back to civilization, but still.

On the other hand, you’ve been looking for something a little outside your comfort zone, and this sounds like it would be far enough outside it to send it a vacation postcard.

So you drop a handful of ice into a mixing glass and add everything but the bubbly. You break out your special long-handled spoon and mix and chill it thoroughly, then strain it into a coupe glass. You top it with an ounce of prosecco.

Wow, that is red. Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. “To your very good health.”

Yeah, that’s a choice, right there. It is, as expected, PDB (Pretty Damn Bitter), but nuanced, with a complexity under the bitterness. You can see how this might become somebody’s go-to drink. But golly, that bitterness sure goes on and on, doesn’t it?

So, let’s try this: Set it down on the counter. We can come back to it; it’s not going anywhere. Let’s try swapping out the scotch for something scotch-adjacent. Buchanan’s Pineapple Drink is made from scotch, with a few tropical ingredients added in. Maybe, without the scotch and the Campari ramming into each other like big-horn sheep, this will be a little less bracing.

Let’s try that again.

**Sounds of rinsing mixing glass, the clatter of fresh ice, and a hum of concentration as new Campari, Buchanan’s, lemon juice and simple syrup are poured. The rattle of everything being stirred, the strained. The fizz of the sparkling wine.**

Hmm. That looks very much the same as the first one. Taking a tentative sip.

The first thing you notice is the fizziness on your tongue from the prosecco. And then, yes, this is a little sweeter, slightly fruitier. Less, “I’d like to speak to your manager!” It’s still bitter and red, though. There’s still some complexity there.

And yet.

The first version sits on the counter where you left it, openly mocking you. “Oh, good! I hope you have fun with Little Miss Country Club Over There! Go on! You were made for each other!”

(Of course, it’s bitter. It’s half Campari.)

Sometimes you want a drink that challenges you. On the other hand, sometimes you just want a drink.

And somewhere, a devoted scotch drinker stokes their sense of righteous indignation that you’d put scotch in a cocktail in the first place.

Featured photo. Photo by John Fladd.

Egyptian Food Festival in Nashua

For the past nine years the St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church in Nashua has opened its doors to welcome the community to an Egyptian Food Festival.

“[The Festival] has been growing steadily since we started,” said Kyrillos Gobran, the church’s priest. “It started very small and it started to grow year after year. People would come to try a taste of Egypt. It’s a good family-oriented atmosphere, very safe. People come and enjoy it and look forward to this event year over year.”

Because many cultures around the Mediterranean Sea have similar food traditions, people familiar with Greek cooking will recognize many of the dishes at this Egyptian Festival, Gobran said.

“We usually have like traditional types of food,” he said, “like beef kebab, lamb kebab, chicken kebab [and] kofta. We have shawarma, of course — beef and chicken. We have vegetarian food as well — falafel, and there is an Egyptian famous vegetarian food called kosheri, which has lentils, rice and pasta. And there is fried onion on top, with chickpeas, and a marinated red sauce on top. We have desserts, music, a bazaar as well. We have a church tour where we tell people who we are. Of course, we have a kids’ corner, ice cream, cotton candy, popcorn and different types of things. It will make it very friendly and family-friendly to everyone.”

Gobran said a major difference between Egyptian dishes and similar ones from other countries comes from the way the ingredients are used and the spices they are cooked with.

“Our marination is a little bit different,” he said, “especially for the meat. The falafel itself, whether the base is beans or chickpeas, or peas by itself — it all depends on where was the origin of it and … what’s added to the taste of it plus the marination.”

Egyptian cooking makes use of “warm” spices in savory foods that many Europeans and Americans associate with sweets, Gobran said. “Usually the norm is salt and pepper, but we have a [mixture] with something like seven types of spices, like nutmeg and cinnamon. There’s so many different types of things that we use in there to give it that flavor.”

While one goal of the Food Festival is to introduce Egyptian food and culture to the larger community, Gobran said, for Egyptians like him the sounds and smells are a reminder of home. “One of the things I personally love,” he said, “is the grill. That’s one of my favorites, even in my own home. I usually do a lot of [grilling] just because it brings that memory back of a little taste of Egypt.” He said that in Egyptian culture, both men and women are encouraged to cook. “If [men] like it, if they enjoy it, absolutely, you will find both genders most of the time.” He said that at his church’s festival men tend to be around the flames and smoke of the grill. “For us, the women serve most of the food.” The men, he said, take the flame grilling very seriously.

The Festival will take place at the church, Gobran said. “There are no admission fees. Everybody is welcomed and we are going to be there rain or shine. There is a huge tent that nobody can miss. And if they miss the tent, they won’t miss the smell.”

The 9th Annual Egyptian Food Festival
Where: St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church, 39 Chandler St., Nashua, stmarycoptsnh.org
When: Friday, Sept. 11, from 4 to 9 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 12, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 13, from noon to 6 p.m. Admission is free.

Featured photo: Egyptian Food Festival. Courtesy photo.