It’s cold outside; make your home warmer with this simple apple dish.
This recipe is pretty simple, with some important caveats. Let’s start with ingredients. I recommend using Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apples, as both of them are good baking apples. They will become tender without losing their texture. Use Granny Smith if you prefer more tartness, and use Honeycrisp if you like a bit more sweetness.
Also, this recipe requires only two tablespoons of bourbon. While it is a small amount, it is a key part of this recipe, so be sure to use a bourbon that you would drink as is. You want the apples to be flavored with a bourbon that you enjoy.
Next, let’s talk about the cooking. The instructions note that the apples need five to 10 minutes of sauteing. The amount of time required can vary, depending on the ripeness of the apples and the settings on your stove. Be sure to keep an eye on the apples! Check for fork tenderness every couple minutes so you have apples that are tender but not mushy.
Once the cooking is done you have an extremely versatile dish. These apples are sweet enough that they could be the topping for ice cream or pound cake. They also are savory enough that they could be used as a topping for roast pork or chicken. You could even use these apples as a side dish on their own.
No matter how you choose to use them, they will warm you inside and out!
Bourbon simmered apples Serves 2
2 Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apples 1 Tablespoon salted butter 3 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 Tablespoons bourbon
Cut the apples into quarters, and remove cores. Cut each quarter into 3 or 4 slices; cut each slice in half lengthwise. (The most important thing is to have the slices be similarly sized.) Heat a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add butter, stirring until melted. Add apples to butter, and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, or until barely fork tender Add cinnamon, sugar and bourbon, tossing constantly to coat. Remove from heat, and serve immediately.
Photo: Bourbon simmered apples. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.
Steve Yurish of Amherst is the owner of Sherman’s Pit Stop (944 Gibbons Hwy., Wilton, 654-2600, shermanspitstop.com), as well as 603 Foods (603foods.com, and on Facebook), a line of homemade soups, chowders, cottage pies and other prepared comfort meals that he runs during the winter months. Menus of 603 Foods products are posted to its website and Facebook page early each week, with ordering available until 6 p.m. on Wednesdays — items are regularly rotated out but have included New England clam chowder, chicken pot pie, shrimp and sausage gumbo, shepherd’s pie, macaroni and cheese, Italian wedding soup and more. Pickups are on Fridays after 11 a.m., at the Amherst Garden Center (305 Route 101, Amherst) or at Sherman’s Pit Stop. Weekly home deliveries are available too — email 603foodsnh@gmail.com or message them on Facebook for details. Prior to starting 603 Foods in 2020, Steve and his wife, Diane Yurish, owned and operated Moulton’s Market in Amherst Village for 16 years.
What is your must-have kitchen item?
I usually make the soups in five-gallon batches, so I need a good cast iron soup pot and a large wooden ladle to stir with.
What would you have for your last meal?
Cheeseburgers, medium rare, with pickles, onions and ketchup. I’ve always called them my desert island food.
What is your favorite local restaurant?
I like Eric Griffin’s restaurant over in Milford, Grill 603. He’s got a good group of people over there and the food is always good.
What celebrity would you like to see trying something on your menu?
Elvis Presley.
What is your favorite thing on your menu?
The vegetable beef barley soup. It’s got a base of tomato and red wine, and lots of mushrooms, carrots, celery, onions and peas. I just find it to be a great hearty soup.
What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?
Specific to New Hampshire, I think it would be the continued trend toward using more and more local products, grown here and produced here.
What is your favorite thing to cook at home?
I like to grill outdoors as much as possible. I still grill pretty much through the winter.
Smoked Gouda and roasted red pepper bisque From the kitchen of Steve Yurish of 603 Foods and Sherman’s Pit Stop
2 pounds freshly roasted red peppers or jar equivalent (rinsed and with all seeds removed) 1 stick and 3 Tablespoons butter or margarine 2 onions, minced 2 teaspoons dried thyme 1 Tablespoon chopped garlic 1 Tablespoon black pepper 1 quart chicken broth 2 quarts water 3 Tablespoons Better than Bouillon chicken base 2 cups half-and-half 1 6 to 8-ounce package smoked Gouda cheese, shredded (or more, if desired) 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in water 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
Saute the onions, garlic and thyme in the stick of butter until translucent (approximately 10 minutes). Add a little water to help along and not burn. Add the chicken broth and the cleaned roasted peppers. Add the water, chicken base, half-and-half and black pepper and simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Add shredded Gouda, remaining three tablespoons of butter and liquid smoke. Return to low heat and add cornstarch. Bring to just below a boil. Salt and pepper to taste and enjoy (Hint: Add more chicken broth or water if soup seems too thick.)
If you think you make the best bowl of soup, chili or chowder around, you’ll have a chance to prove it at Epsom Central School’s annual cook-off. Now through Feb. 14, entrants are welcome to participate in the friendly competition, which is due to return for its ninth year on Monday, March 7, from 5 to 7 p.m. inside the school’s gymnasium.
“It’s been a huge event for us, and it’s a great community builder,” school business secretary and cook-off coordinator Stephanie Colvin said. “We try to get different people in from all over.”
Originally conceived as a much smaller fundraiser mostly among the school’s teachers and staff, the cook-off has grown over the years to now feature dozens of entrants across three judging categories: soups, chilis and chowders. After a brief hiatus in 2021, the event is returning with a few tweaks, Colvin said, such as additional seating in the cafeteria to allow for distancing.
There is no fee to register as an entrant — soup and chili makers can access the entry form through the event’s Facebook page. Each participant also receives three free sampling tickets.
For tasters, tickets will be sold at the door and will include access to up to 10 four-ounce sampling cups per attendee for adults and five sampling cups for kids ages 10 and under, along with sides of corn bread. Part of the fun is that you never know which different flavors of soups, chilis and chowder you may encounter at the cook-off in any given year.
“You have your typical seafood chowders or your tomato soups,” Colvin said. “We’ve had a Tuscan soup and a chicken bacon wild rice soup. One year we had a dill pickle soup, and then somebody also did a chocolate raspberry delight soup … I feel like the stranger or the more curious it is, the more people are going to go over to try it.”
Chilis, meanwhile, also usually include an eclectic mix of options, from chicken or turkey to a venison chili. Entrants like to give their soups, chilis and chowders all kinds of unique names.
A panel of nine judges — three for each category — gives entrants a score on a 10-point scaling system and adds them all up at the end of the night. Winners from each of the three categories receive a “Souper Bowl” trophy, and the top vote getter also wins a $50 Visa gift card. Two People’s Choice recipients from each category are awarded ribbons.
Proceeds from the cook-off help fund various student activities at Epsom Central School, from field trips to clothing needs.
9th annual Epsom Central School soup/chili/chowder cook-off When: Monday, March 7, 5 to 7 p.m. (registrations are due by Monday, Feb. 14) Where: Epsom Central School, 282 Black Hall Road, Epsom Cost: $8 for adults and $6 for kids ages 10 and under (includes access to up to 10 four-ounce samples for adults and up to five samples for kids, plus cornbread). Tickets are sold at the door while supplies last. Registration as a soup, chili or chowder entrant is free. More info: See “9th Annual ECS Soup/Chili/Chowder Cook-off” on Facebook, or email cook-off coordinator Stephanie Colvin at scolvin@sau53.org. Entrants must provide at least one gallon or more of their soup, chili or chowder, along with a slow cooker, a large serving spoon or ladle, and a displayed list of its ingredients. Each entrant will also receive three free sampling tickets.
Featured photo: Three-time trophy winner Heather Brown will return to Epsom Central School’s ninth annual soup/chili/chowder cook-off on March 7. Courtesy photo.
Loon Chocolate and 603 Charcuterie join forces for new retail shop
Scott Watson was perusing Netflix one day in the winter of 2017 when he came across a documentary about a Southeast Asian coffeehouse. He tuned in to learn the shop also produced its own chocolate onsite — a catalyst for what would end up becoming his newest venture.
“It just triggered something in me and got me thinking, ‘How come I don’t know how chocolate is made?’” said Watson, who worked as a craft brewer during the mid to late 1990s at the now closed Nutfield Brewing Co. in Derry. “I started diving into it … and it brought me back to my brewing days. It fascinated me that there was fermentation involved, and that there seemed to be so many parallels to craft brewing. … It intrigued me enough to start making it at my house.”
Courtesy photo.
That was how Loon Chocolate, based in Manchester, was born — Watson sold his first chocolate bar in the spring of 2018. On Feb. 5, he opened his first retail shop, teaming up with Theresa Zwart of 603 Charcuterie to also feature New Hampshire-made specialty foods like cheeses, jams, hot sauces, crackers and mustards.
Watson and Zwart are the first commercial tenants of The Factory on Willow, a former Queen City shoe factory turned apartment and business complex. The new shop also has an adjoining chocolate production facility that is double the size of Watson’s former manufacturing space.
Loon’s chocolates are handcrafted in small batches from bean to bar, its cacao beans sourced from multiple growers across Bolivia, Belize, Uganda, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
“We get beans in and we’re roasting and doing every single step from bean to bar,” Watson said. “There’s no curtain hiding people in the back room that are opening up pallets of pre-made chocolate and melting them down into an Easter Bunny for you.”
In addition to offering a lineup of 12 flavored bars, Watson has since expanded his product line to include bagged cacao nibs, dark chocolate cocoa bombs and a do-it-yourself chocolate-infused elixir kit. All of these items are now available for sale out of his new storefront.
Courtesy photo.
Zwart, meanwhile, is utilizing the space as a one-stop shop for all of the New Hampshire-made products featured on her charcuterie boards, like cheeses from Bell & Goose Cheese Co. of South Hampton and Abbot Hill Creamery of Wilton, cured meats from Short Creek Farm of Northwood, and mustards from the Blackwater Mustard Co. of Contoocook. Even the boards themselves, built by Souhegan Wood Designs of Amherst, are sold in various shapes and sizes.
Since launching 603 Charcuterie in late 2020 as a small takeout ordering business, Zwart has gone on to teach charcuterie board-building classes at local breweries and wineries, and has also expanded into catering larger boards and grazing tables for weddings. She and Watson first developed a business relationship last year when she started purchasing Loon’s chocolates for use on her boards. They’re also commonly served samples at her classes.
“We’re going to have charcuterie boxes to go, so premade charcuterie boards that people can just pick up,” Zwart said. “I want to bring in some other stuff in the next few weeks too, so things like honeys, maple syrups, and maybe an olive oil for dipping bread.”
Other items in the store include loose leaf teas from 27 Teas of Candia, cooking salts from the Maine Sea Salt Co., and craft marshmallows from Nomadic Kitchen of Vermont.
Events are already being planned for the space, starting with a multi-course tasting menu centered around Loon’s chocolate by Dahlia Restaurant, a series of farm-to-table pop-up dinners across New Hampshire. They’ll be hosting limited seatings on Friday, Feb. 11, and Saturday, Feb. 12 — one at 6 p.m. on Friday and two at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
“We’re also planning on doing some sort of chocolate and wine tasting … just to take advantage of the space that we have and to give the wineries a chance to talk about their products and pair them up with some chocolate,” Watson said.
Loon Chocolate & 603 Charcuterie
Where: The Factory on Willow, 252 Willow St., Manchester Hours: Friday, Feb. 11, noon to 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 12, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 13, 8 to 11 a.m.; hours for future dates TBA More info: Visit loonchocolate.com or 603charcuterie.com, or find them on Facebook and Instagram
• Romantic meals: Still haven’t made plans yet for Valentine’s Day? There may still be time depending on where you go. Check out our listings that ran in the Feb. 3 issue; they begin on page 22. You’ll find dozens of special menus and dinners at local eateries, as well as sweet gift-giving ideas at chocolate and candy shops and bakeries with their own special offerings. Since Feb. 14 falls on a Monday this year, some businesses are opening their doors on the weekday when they would normally be closed, while others are choosing to celebrate all throughout the preceding weekend. Go to issuu.com/hippopress and click on the Feb. 3 issue to read the e-edition for free — and be sure to contact each establishment directly for the most up-to-date availability on reservations and takeout items.
• More drive-thru Greek eats: Join Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (68 N. State St., Concord) for its next boxed Greek dinner to go, a drive-thru takeout event, on Sunday, Feb. 20, from noon to 1 p.m. Now through Wednesday, Feb. 16, orders are being accepted for boxed meals featuring dinners of Greek meatballs, rice pilaf, Greek salad and a roll for $15 per person. The event is drive-thru and takeout only — email ordermygreekfood@gmail.com or call 953-3051 to place your order. The church is also planning a similar takeout and pickup meal featuring chicken and orzo, scheduled for March 13. Visit holytrinitynh.org.
• Get into the spirit: The New Hampshire Liquor Commission has a couple of special virtual events planned for this week. On Friday, Feb. 11, from 6 to 7 p.m., they’ll be helping you gear up for the Big Game — brand representatives from Crown Royal, Smirnoff and Captain Morgan will be tuning in for some game day cocktail recipes and ideas, which you can also access by visiting liquorandwineoutlets.com/diageosuperbowl. Then on Thursday, Feb. 17, from 5 to 6 p.m., the NHLC will hold a behind-the-scenes tour of Fabrizia Spirits in Salem, which has grown into one of the leading purveyors of limoncello in the United States. After the tour, co-founder Phil Mastroianni will be sharing a cocktail recipe using Fabrizia’s crema di pistacchio, the newest addition to his product lineup. Both events are free to sign up via Zoom, or you can watch them live on Facebook @nhliquorwine (click the “live” tab to access the videos).
• Make way for Mardi Gras: Save the date for A Mardi Gras Wine Festival, an event presented by St. Thomas Aquinas Church that’s happening at the Aquinas Center (26 Crystal Ave., Derry) on Saturday, Feb. 26, from 6 to 9 p.m. The evening will include samplings of several New Hampshire-made wines, along with live music, raffles, games, a door prize, food and more. Tickets are $40 per person or $70 per couple. Visit stthomasderry.org for more details, or call the church office at 432-5000 to purchase tickets.
Jesse Doucette is a certified Master Chimney Sweep and owner of Crown Chimney in Hooksett.
Explain your job and what it entails.
I oversee all day-to-day operations … and deal with the customers. … I still do site previews here and there as well. When I go on site, one of the first things I do is find out from the customer what they’re having an issue with or what they would ultimately like to achieve with their chimney. Every job is different. … I educate them on what their options are, and we … [determine] what the best solution is for them and their home and their lifestyle, and we try to formulate a plan together.
How long have you had this job?
A little over 16 years.
What led you to this career field and your current job?
I used to be an electrician, and I loved it … but the company I was with was starting to go down the wrong road, so I decided to get out. [Crown Chimney] offered me a position. I started out not knowing anything about the job; I knew that Santa goes down the chimney, but that’s about it.
What kind of education or training did you need?
CSIA, which is the Chimney Safety Institute of America, was the first place I started getting an education. It’s out in Indiana. They [offer] different levels of education. I’ve now become Master Chimney Sweep[-certified] through the NFI, which is the National Fireplace Institute, which is another place where I’ve done a lot of schooling.
What’s your typical at-work uniform or attire?
It depends if I’m out on the road or in the office. Our company has uniform shirts, hoodies, jackets and that type of thing. If we’re out in the field, it’s jeans or shorts, depending on the weather, and if I’m in the office, I typically wear a polo or something like that.
How has your job changed over the course of the pandemic?
Many people have been able to work remotely during this whole thing, but our job isn’t like that; the chimneys are on the houses, so we have to go to the people’s houses. … We’ve had to be cautious around people as far as navigating how they feel about us being in their home … and really make sure that we’re taking any measures necessary for them to feel comfortable with us being there.
What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?
On my first day [working at Crown Chimney], I … was handed a map of the homes I had to go to. I didn’t know how to read a map. The owner of the company had just gotten in an accident and wasn’t able to go out with me on the road. I had to travel all over the state to the homes of these customers without knowing how to read the map. That was definitely a challenge for me, so I wish I had known that I would need to know how to read a map.
What do you wish other people knew about your job?
How much I love my job. I love gaining new insights and knowledge about the industry, and I love educating my customers, which is a very crucial part of what we do, so that they can get what they’re looking for with their chimney.
What was the first job you ever had?
Being a paperboy for the Concord Monitor. My job was to deliver papers every day except for Christmas and try to not get attacked by dogs.
What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?
To treat each customer as if they were our only customer.
Five favorites Favorite book: The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John C. Maxwell Favorite movie: Kingdom of Heaven Favorite music: ’80s rock Favorite food: Mexican, specifically burritos Favorite thing about NH: Hunting, fishing, mountain biking — anything outdoors
