Tag: 231221

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.

The Weekly Dish 23/12/21

News from the local food scene

• Doughnut and wine pairing: One of Wine on Main’s (9 N. Main St., Concord) most popular events with NH Doughnut Co. returns on Wednesday, Jan. 24, and Thursday, Jan. 25, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. After enjoying three doughnuts paired with three wines, decorate two doughnuts of your own. Tickets are $30 and go on sale Monday, Jan. 4, for the first night.

• Blankets and brews: All Ways Art hosts a chunky blanket making class at Spyglass Brewing (306 Innovative Way, Nashua) on Thursday, Dec. 28, at 6 p.m. Each blanket will require five rolls of yarn, which will be provided with multiple color choices. By the end of the night you’ll have a full-size throw blanket. Tickets are $90 and include a beer. Visit allwaysart.com to purchase.

• Pot and sip: Also at Spyglass Brewing Co., Thursday, Dec. 28, will see The Knotted Finds hosting a DIY terrarium event from 6 to 8 p.m. Plants, rocks, moss and soil will all be provided. Each participant will receive a drink ticket for a beer. It is $35 to attend and you must be 21 years or older. Get tickets at theknottedfinds.com/events.

• Candles and wine: Enjoy wine and make 19 custom tealight candles in scents and colors of your choosing with Ross, owner of Candle Tree Soy Candles at Wine on Main (9 N. Main St., Concord) on Tuesday, Jan. 9, and Wednesday, Jan. 10, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $40 per person. Sign up at wineonmainnh.com.

Treasure Hunt 23/12/21

Dear Donna,

Do you have any knowledge of this kind of bracelet? It’s the characters from the movie The Wizard of Oz. I found it a couple years ago at a yard sale.

Annette

Dear Annette,

Can I start off by saying how sweet it looks? I personally love The Wizard of Oz!

Your character bracelet was produced by Warner Bros. back in the 1960s. It is a gold wash color over a base metal. The characters have a comic look to them. But you can’t help but love them all.

I have seen several versions of collectible jewelry for The Wizard of Oz, from gold to silver to costume jewelry like yours.

It appears to be in good shape and all there. The value for one like yours would be in the $40 range. Tiny treasure that I’m sure was made in mass at the time, but a piece of the wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Kiddie Pool 23/12/21

Family fun for whenever

Visit the museum

Entertain restless kids and visiting relatives at area museums.

• The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; nhahs.org, 669-4820) is currently featuring the exhibit “Flying Home for the Holidays,” which will be on display through Jan. 14. The museum’s is open Friday, Dec. 22, and Saturday, Dec. 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will be closed Sunday, Dec. 24, but open Wednesday, Dec. 27, through Saturday, Dec. 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as well as Sunday, Dec. 31, from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission costs $10 for ages 13 and above, $5 for 65+, veterans/military and kids ages 6 to 12, and is free for ages 5 and under.

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org, 742-2002) has play sessions from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21, through Saturday, Dec. 23, and then, after Christmas, Tuesday, Dec. 26, through Saturday, Dec. 30. On Sunday, Dec. 31, a Family New Year’s Eve celebration takes place at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. and will feature a “countdown to midnight” along with other activities. Buy admissions for a time slot online in advance; admission costs $12.50 for adults and children over 12 months, $10.50 for 65+.

• The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) will be open Thursday, Dec. 21, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with Art After Work (featuring free admission and live music from Green Heron) from 5 to 8 p.m. The museum will also be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 22, and Saturday, Dec. 23, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 24. From Thursday, Dec. 28, through Saturday, Dec. 30, the museum will feature a schedule of family-friendly activities as part of December Days, including a magic show on Friday, Dec. 29, at 2 p.m. (tickets cost $10 to $30, depending on age, and are available online); the museum will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (and until 8 p.m. on Dec. 28) during those days. The museum will also be open Sunday, Dec. 31, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission costs $20 for adults, $15 for ages 65+, $15 for students and $5 for ages 13 to 17 (children under 13 get in for free).

• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Dr. in Concord; starhop.com, 271-7827) is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21, through Saturday, Dec. 23, and then closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The museum will be open daily from Tuesday, Dec. 26, through Sunday, Dec. 31, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission costs $12 for adults, $9 for ages 3 to 12, $11 for 65+ and free for ages 2 and under, with planetarium shows an additional $6 per person ages 3 and up.

• SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org, 669-0400) is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Sunday, Dec. 24). Tickets cost $12 for ages 3 and up.

Color exploration

New class at Currier Museum of Art looks at behavior of color

Registration is now open for Design & Color Relationships with Eileen Greene at the Currier Museum of Art, an adult art class that explores and experiments with the behavior of color using the concepts of Josef Albers through experimentation and experience. The class will run in person on Thursdays for five weeks beginning Thursday, Jan. 18.

“Part of it is to become more knowledgeable about how we see color and in understanding that a color … is different depending on what colors are around it,” said Suzanne Canali, director of education, who organizes the class. “They will be exploring some of the very same concepts from Josef Albers’s book [Interactions of Color] … [and] will be applying those concepts.”

According to Canali, Albers, a former professor of art at Black Mountain College and Yale University, is best-known for his studies on color. In his manuscript Toward the New: A Journey into Abstraction, which is on display in Currier’s exhibition, he explains how the appearance of a color can depend on what colors surround it and where it is situated, and how when picturing a color in our mind, the color we see will be different to each individual.

“We would generally say red and yellow make orange,” Canali said. “He would say there’s so many oranges, there are so many reds and yellows, that it’s all dependent upon the relationships among the colors. … By understanding this, artists have to think more broadly about the kinds of colors that they’re choosing, and he really pushes the use of looking at color first through color swatches.”

Using swatches can help an artist by eliminating the need to mix colors, which can be time-consuming, Canali said.

“One of the [goals] is to feel more empowered … [and] confident when using color, and I think that’s really important when you’re creating because people tend to limit themselves to the colors that are in the tubes or the containers that they purchase,” Canali said. “The other goal is [to have] a better understanding of our differences. … Context matters when we’re trying to understand what we are seeing and ideally, in my mind as an educator, that sends a lot of wonderful messages about how … we all see things differently and it’s worth listening to and investigating.”

Design & Color Relationships with Eileen Greene
When: Thursdays, Jan. 18 through Feb. 15, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Where: Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester
Visit: currier.org to register

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