Hepburn’s Choice is back at K&L Wines

Posted on January 1, 2019 by Burnt My Fingers
Caol Ila Distillery, Islay

K&L spirits buyer David Driscoll likes to take the ferry, not the plane, from Glasgow to Islay. The Caol Isla distillery is one of the first sights to greet the visitor. Photo borrowed from K&L’s highly entertaining spirits blog.

At the beginning of 2018 we bemoaned the lack of Hepburn’s Choice single malts in the inventory of K&L Wines, dubbed the best wine store in America by the Wall Street Journal. Good news! At the beginning of 2019 there are four new Hepburn’s Choice choices available, as well a very special cask strength Caol Ila that ranks with the best bottles we’ve ever tasted.

Hepburn’s Choice, according to the label on the back of the sole remaining bottle in my current stock, is “named in honour of our directors’ late maternal grandfather, William Hepburn, who travelled the globe with his job in the Diplomatic Service.” Presumably the “our” is Langside Distillers, the captive label of K&L. The bottles are “chosen to showcase the specific characteristics of one of Scotland’s whisky producing region, or those of a distillery in particular.”

You can read about the new bottlings in the copy on the K&L website, after doing a search for “Hepburn’s Choice”. Sample, for the Croftengea 12 year old (which we ordered): “The heavily peated malt from the reclusive Loch Lomand distillery is easily the best thing they make. A stupendous Highland peater that definitely has some of the more woodsy earthy smoke as well as hints of briny kippers and sea spray. A gorgeous pointed citrus quality and warming fresh bread note round out this powerful yet elegant peater and solidifies it as one of the most affordable and interesting malts we’ve ever sold this year.”

If you live in a state that allows liquor shipments, you’ll find K&L’s shipping rates reasonable. If you don’t, you’ll have to arrange a will-call and visit their stores in Hollywood, Redwood City or San Francisco. Our order is already packed and waiting for us to collect it next week on Harrison Street, which is why we’re willing to share news of these very limited bottlings.

And speaking of limited bottlings, check out the 2009 Caol Ila 8 Year Old “Signatory” Single Hogshead Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) at $89.99. We thought our previous Caol Ila from the Hepburn’s Choice collection was the best dram we’d ever tasted, but this may top it. From the tasting notes: “It has a freshness and intensity unsurpassed by any similarly priced peater in the shop and beats even the wonderful young Ardbegs in terms of sheer power.” Just get some now.

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Capering into a new year

Posted on December 28, 2018 by Burnt My Fingers
Sicilian Dried Capers

Sicilian capers dried (at left) and reconstituted (at right)

You probably buy your capers, if you use them, in tiny glass jars. This makes capers seem precious, jewel-like, to be doled out one by one. So why not go in a different direction in 2019… and make it a year with capers out the wazoo?

Capers in Dry Pack

A full pound of dried capers from Sicily!

Shown here, a full pound of caper berries—which will weigh more when reconstituted—dried in Sicily, cured in salt, and available for the ridiculously reasonable price of $22 delivered. You do need to rinse them and let them soak a few minutes in fresh water before use; follow that simple direction and most reviewers say they are a superior product to more familiar brine-packed capers with a fuller flavor. (My verdict: the dried Sicilian berries are indeed better, but be sure to rinse thoroughly after soaking to get all the salt off.) And if you want brine-packed capers Amazon has them too, at an equally reasonable big-jar price.

Capers are the berries of an evergreen shrub and are hand-picked in Spain, Morocco and Italy (and perhaps other places, but these three dominate the market). They have a taste that’s like a bite of pickle but more complex, with an additional vegetal note. They’re delicious, which is why aficionados guiltily snack of them right out of the jar (but only a few at a time).

Your new supply is going to make a big difference because, after consuming perhaps 8 oz in your entire life, I am now going to ask you to finish your entire package by the end of 2019. You don’t have to eat them all yourself, but you do have to prepare foods people will enjoy rather than dumping in the trash.

The two most common uses in my life have been on loaded lox-and-cream-cheese bagels and as a component of steak tartare. I’ve used them in astringent lemon butter sauces on chicken or fish and wished I could have some more. (Now I can!) Here are a few others mentioned by Amazon reviewers (I’ve starred the ones I am excited about):

*Pizza topping
Potato salad mix-in
*Coleslaw mix-in
*Tartar sauce (use in place of or additional to chopped pickle)
Mixed with cream cheese
Chicken piccata

And, how about capers in your New Years’ Texas Caviar Salad? Go for it! A new year is coming, and hopefully a better one.

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Recipe: Instant Pot Sourdough Bread

Posted on December 25, 2018 by Burnt My Fingers
Instant Pot Sourdough Bread

Instant Pot Sourdough Bread

You cook everything else in it, so why not Instant Pot Sourdough Bread? Use the “normal” Yogurt setting to generate the high heat necessary for proofing. (Sorry, actual baking has to be done in the oven.) This tasty loaf is based on a very unusual* (compared to today’s preps) recipe found on this old thread on The Fresh Loaf (the recipe is in the sixth post down, from Doc.Dough) for Larraburu, a sourdough from San Francisco’s glory days. (UPDATE 3/20: you can also experiment with any of the other sourdough bread recipes found on this or other sites. The big difference is the higher proofing temperature with the Instant Pot which might or might not cause the dough to use up its yeast before it gets in the oven. Try it and report back!) Makes 3 baguettes or 1 2-lb boule or batard.

Ingredients:
For the sponge** (this make a double portion so you can use half for a future bake):
40 g lively sourdough starter @60%
75 g King Arthur Sir Launcelot high-protein flour
35 g water

For the dough:
75 g sponge (half the recipe above)
500 g all-purpose flour or bread flour
300 g water
2 t salt

Method: combine the sponge ingredients in a glass bowl and knead the very stiff dough with your fingers to evenly distribute the starter. Cover and proof at 80 degrees (I put the bowl on a stand above a radiator) for 9-10 hours or until sponge is very lively, showing lots of bubbles on the sides of the bowl. Combine 75 g sponge and other ingredients in a stand mixer and mix 2 minutes at first speed to combine, using dough hook. Autolyze (let it sit) 15 minutes or longer, then knead on second speed 7 minutes or until there is good gluten development.

Have ready a glass or ceramic bowl that will fit inside the Instant Pot stainless steel liner and allow room for the dough to expand. Pour 2 cups water into the Instant Pot bowl. Lightly grease the glass or ceramic bowl with olive oil or butter, then place the dough in it and put the bowl in the Instant Pot liner. Cover (no need to use steam) and select Yogurt Normal (the center setting). Proof for 4 hours.

This half gallon ceramic bowl is just the right size for proofing dough in the Instant Pot

Flour a work surface and pour out the proofed dough. It will be very puffy and elastic. If making baguettes, use a bench knife to divide into 3 equal portions. Shape the dough, cover with a towel and rest 15 minutes then shape into baguettes. Allow to proof 30 minutes or until the wrinkles in the dough have smoothed out and it pops back slowly when pressed with a finger. (If you are making a boule or batard, simply shape the dough and do the final proofing in a banneton.)

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 420 degrees with your baking stone or pan or cast iron dutch oven or whatever you are using to bake the bread inside the oven. When dough is ready and everything is at temperature, use oven mitts to transfer baking pan to a trivet on your work surface. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with coarse cornmeal (polenta) then carefully transfer your dough. Bake with steam for 20 minutes then remove cover (if you have one) and bake another 20-30 minutes or until bread is lightly browned.

*What’s unusual about this recipe? The water/flour percentages (in both the sponge and the dough), proofing temperature and baking temperature are quite different from today’s methods which generally go for much higher hydration and more aggressive bakes. The original recipe specifies clear flour at 14% protein for the sponge; I approximated this using Sir Launcelot which is much easier to find. Science says the higher proofing temperature will encourage the activity of lactobacilli which give sourdough its sour taste, but I didn’t find this bread particularly sour. Still, it’s tasty and you can tell your friends you made Instant Pot Sourdough Bread!

**If you want to get a Larraburu starter going, just refresh the leftover sponge with Sir Launcelot flour @50% hydration next time.

NOTE: this recipe uses a number of standard steps for making sourdough bread in a home kitchen. If you’re not familiar with these steps and the terminology, search this blog for “sourdough bread” for other posts (especially this one) which provide a more detailed explanation of the process.

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Last minute kitchen gifts

Posted on December 20, 2018 by Burnt My Fingers

If you have Amazon Prime, there’s still time to order some last minute kitchen gifts for the chef or gourmand who, like you and me, has become obsessed with Fuchsia Dunlop’s Land of Plenty and all things Sichuan:

Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp (Chili Oil Sauce) – 7.41 Ounce+ Only one NineChef Spoon. This chili sauce has its own fanatics who love the bits of fried chili skin mixed in with the spicy (but not fiery) oil. You’ll pay more than at an Asian market, but your recipient can enjoy the bonus of a NineChef Spoon, whatever that is. Another bonus: the picture of the grumpy housewife who came up with the recipe and has her own large following on the internet, sort of like last year’s Grumpy Cat.

Gold Plum Chinkiang Vinegar. If you are like most of us, you have a bottle of Chinese black vinegar with a yellow label you shake onto dumplings, or combine with soy for a dipping sauce. That stuff is basically white vinegar with caramel coloring and, compared to it, Gold Plum Chinkiang Vinegar is a revelation, rich and complex like an aged balsamic. (You may find yourself experimenting with it as a substitute with non-Asian dishes.) It’s currently available as an add-on item, which means you’re going to have to pad your shopping cart with some other treats.

Enjoy these last minute kitchen gifts, and happy holidays.

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Recipe: Clams Rangoon

Posted on December 18, 2018 by Burnt My Fingers
Clams Rangoon

Clams Rangoon. The piece in the front has been sliced open to show filling.

Clams Rangoon is like Crab Rangoon, but not. (And I’m sure Crab Rangoon was never served in Rangoon to begin with.) I ran across this recipe in an old Yan Can Cook cookbook that was probably a PBS giveaway. Martin Yan has the interesting idea of using spring roll wrappers as the exterior for a deep fried snack. It doesn’t completely work because the spring roll wrappers don’t brown or get crispy; the mouthfeel is like a dim sum taro ball. But tasty and a nice (and easy) experiment worth trying. Makes 8-12 appetizer portions.

Ingredients:
3 oz cream cheese
1 can (6 ½ oz) chopped clams
1 T chopped cilantro
½ chopped jalapeño or serrano pepper
1 t sesame oil
1 t lemon juice
6 8-inch spring roll wrappers

Method: Drain clams, saving liquid for another use.* Work cream cheese with a fork until soft, then add all other ingredients except wrappers and mix well. Have ready oil for deep frying at 350 degrees. Make a water bath in a bowl larger than the spring roll wrappers, headed to body temperature. Briefly (a few seconds) dip a dried wrapper in the water till it becomes slightly softened. Transfer to a cutting board and cut in half. Place a tablespoon of filling on the top end of a half-wrapper then fold in triangles, like a flag. Make sure no filling is exposed. Repeat with other wrappers, reserving the finished pieces. Fry a few at a time till lightly browned and heated through (they will not get crispy or brown) then serve as part of a pupu platter.

Note: spring roll wrappers are nifty things and this experiment rekindled some old curiosity. Check this post if you are interested in making a classic Vietnamese spring roll and also some handling tips for the wrappers.

*Maybe a clam tomato cocktail! Mix clam juice with equal amounts of tomato or V8 juice and tequila or vodka. Add a splash of Worcestershire sauce and enjoy.

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Recipe: Coconut Macaroons

Posted on December 13, 2018 by Burnt My Fingers
Macaroons Two Ways

Coconut macaroons, dipped in chocolate and plain

Coconut macaroons are really easy to make if you start with Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk. This recipe is just sweet enough, not overly sweet like the macaroons that taste like candy; I’m adding them to my holiday cookie rotation. Based on this Ina Garten recipe with a bit more salt and the option to dip in chocolate at the end. Makes about 20 macaroons.

Ingredients:
14 oz sweetened shredded coconut
14 oz can Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk
1 t vanilla extract
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
½ t kosher salt
4 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate (optional).

Macaroons Baked

Coconut macaroons as they come out of the oven

Method: preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pour milk into a mixing bowl and mix in vanilla and coconut. Mix salt with egg whites and beat to semi-stiff peaks using balloon whisk or mixer. Cover a half sheet pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper (recommended for a smoother bottom surface) or a silicone pad and, using a tablespoon, make golf ball size dollops at least ½ inch apart. Bake until the macaroons are lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Thoroughly cool in the pan (they’ll stick if you try to remove them warm).

Variation: melt some good quality dark chocolate in a double boiler and dip the bottoms of the macaroons using tongs; return to parchment-lined pan and cool until chocolate hardens.

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Recipe: Paper Bag Sourdough Starter

Posted on December 11, 2018 by Burnt My Fingers
Paper Bag Sourdough Starter

Paper Bag Sourdough Starter at 10 days. Look at those bubbles!

[Want to give somebody the gift of a sourdough starter for Christmas? Then follow this recipe, starting right now!]

Dabrownman and Mini Oven, two of the most prolific posters on The Fresh Loaf, have written most creatively about this starter which is so simple and foolproof someone recommended putting a button on the home page so new bakers could find it immediately. I had to try it myself and it worked just as advertised. The starter will be better through repeated feedings but it’s already capable of serving as the leavening agent in my bakes.

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Flour (unbleached)
Bread Flour or All Purpose Flour (unbleached)
A brown paper bag (these are scarce nowadays; I saved one from the liquor store)

Paper Bag Sourdough Starter Day 0

Getting started with Paper Bag Sourdough Starter

Method: transfer maybe ¼ cup whole wheat flour to a small bowl and add water sparingly till you can knead it into a golf ball-size lump that holds together. Place in a brown paper bag and add a little bread or all purpose flour to coat the sides so it doesn’t stick to the bag. Close up the bag and leave in a warm place (in my kitchen, a cabinet above the stove) for five days or more.

Paper Bag Sourdough Starter at Day Five

Five days later, the Paper Bg Sourdough Starter comes out of the bag.

Take the ball of dough out of the bag and crack it open. The insides will be gooey. Scoop them out, leaving the hard exterior behind, and mix in a glass jar or container with 50 g bread flour or all purpose flour and 30 g water. Return to the cabinet for 2-3 more days, then feed again with 50 g bread flour or all purpose flour and 30 g water. Return to the cabinet and leave a couple of days or until it shows pronounced bubbles (indicating yeast activity). You can use it now, or keep feeding (you should now start throwing out some of the old starter, so the maximum volume stays at around 150-200 g) to increase the sourness.

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The secret to baking with steam in a home oven … at last!

Posted on December 6, 2018 by Burnt My Fingers
Steam Baking Baguette Setup

My new steam baking baguette setup! Baguette in the middle is a little flat on top because it rose so much, it contacted the half sheet pan above it

I have previously written of my attempts to steam baguettes in a home oven. Steam produces nice “ears” and a glossy, caramelized crust similar to what you’d get from a professional bakery. You can closely replicate the effect for batards and rounds by baking in the controlled environment of a dutch oven, which traps the moisture in the dough until you remove the lid at 20 minutes or so. But it was a challenge to do the same with baguettes.

Well, excuse me for taking so long to figure it out.

I purchased a “Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial High-Sided Sheet Cake Pan with Lid” on Amazon for less than $18 shipped. I fumbled through a few bakes where I put my baguettes on a half sheet pan then carefully fit the cake pan (sans the plastic lid) on top, upside down. The other day, I finally realized I should bake the baguettes inside the pan, on top of a Silpat, and cover with a half-sheet pan to keep in the moisture. See photo above for how well this works. It’s also relatively safe, from a burn standpoint. The cake pan is shallow enough that it’s easy enough to flip in the raw baguettes and score them. And I don’t pre-heat the half-sheet plan that goes on top, figuring that will contribute to extra moisture.

So say goodbye to dried out baguettes without the burnished surfaces and tiny air bubbles we all crave. Farewell to links of chains and rocks inside a a cast off pan used to generate steam. And good night to squirting steam inside your oven and burning yourself. This method works and it’s what I am going to use from now on.

Again, though, this is specific to baguettes and any other bread you might want to bake on a half-sheet pan size surface. If you are making boules and batards, you’re still better off using the dutch oven method.

P.S. Here’s Amazon’s atypically poor view of the product:

As a bonus, the Nordic Ware lid (which you can see in Amazon’s washed out photo above) allows baking giant half-sheet cakes, decorating in the pan, and then bringing to a picnic or some such. At under $18, there’s really no reason not to order one of these right now.

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Recipe: Bourbon Persimmon Bread

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Burnt My Fingers
Bourbon Persimmon Bread

Carol’s Bourbon Persimmon Bread

My California friend Carol Worthington Levy came up with this delicious version of Bourbon Persimmon Bread, using persimmons grown in her own back yard. It’s modified from a recipe that originally appeared in Beard on Bread. Makes two 9-inch loaves.

Ingredients:
3 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 t salt
2 t baking soda
1 t ground nutmeg
1 t ground cinnamon
2 c sugar
1 c melted unsalted butter, cooled to room temperature
2 large eggs at room temperature, slightly beaten
2/3 c bourbon (Carol probably used Jack Daniels, I’d go with Evan Williams)
2 c persimmon purée (from about 4 very ripe Hachiya persimmons)
2 c walnuts or pecans, lightly toasted and chopped
2 c raisins or other dried fruit

Method: butter two 9-inch loaf pans. Dust the pans with flour and shake out excess. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the first six (dry) ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and stir in butter, eggs, bourbon, persimmon purée. Mix in nuts and dried fruit at the end. Pour into loaf pans then bake 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool to room temperature or a little warmer. Slice in the pan or remove from pan before serving.

This wonderfully versatile bread is just as good hot or at room temperature, plain or with butter or other spread. You can even freeze it and thaw without sacrificing quality.

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Self-Guided Culinary Tours

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Burnt My Fingers
Wild China Got

Photo courtesy of Wild China, Fuchsia Dunlop’s tour company

I was late to the Fuchsia Dunlop Sichuan party, thanks to the temporary scarcity of her classic Land of Plenty cookbook. (It’s now back in stock at Amazon at regular prices.) I loved her recipes, and loved her initiative in roaming the back streets of Chengdu in search of traditional dishes that have fallen out of favor with modern Chinese diners. So, what better thing to do than take a culinary tour of Sichuan with Fuchsia Dunlop, 13 days exploring precisely the locations she writes about in her books?

The tour is being offered two final times, in May and September 20189, starting at $7390 U.S. exclusive of airfare. That price is expensive or more than fair, depending on your perspective. I am incredibly tempted to jump for it but probably won’t because I can’t plan my schedule that far in advance. But I am very likely to give myself a self-guided culinary tour of the same highlights at some point, which I can do thanks to the very detailed itinerary on the Wild China web page. [UPDATE: I checked back because of my initial error on the date, and it appears the itinerary has changed so only two days are spent in Sichuan. The rest of the tour is the kind of introduction you’d want as a first-time visitor to China. For an alternate deep dive into Chengdu eating, check out this self-guided option.]

The best and worst aspect of guided culinary tours is the curation. Ideally, you are going to visit a store or restaurant or supplier or farm and be introduced to the single best thing they produce, with an expert explanation. But that also means you can’t experience it in the wild, like an everyday customer. With a self-guided culinary tour you don’t have this problem.

It’s easy to put together a culinary tour of Albany’s grim Central Avenue, for example. Start with a Chinese lunch special at Hu’s House or Northeastern Chinese, then shop the bulk goods and cheeses (with tastings) at Honest Weight. When you’re ready for a mid-afternoon snack, go to Asian Supermarket and enjoy a meaty char siu bao (their single best thing) at the independent food stand to the right of the door and maybe pick up one of their cold prepared items to eat later. (Bring a cooler with ice in it for take-out food, or dishes you taste now and want to return to later.) Pass some time with a matinee movie at Colonie Center or Crossgates Mall, then go back to Central for a red sauce dinner (I recommend the eggplant parm) at Ralph’s.

Food Ranger Chengdu Noodles

This noodle spread is from The Food Ranger’s Ultimate Chengdu Food Tour, an option for those who want to do it themselves.


Or, here’s a self-guided culinary tour of San Francisco’s Clement Street—and you don’t even need a car. (Which is always a good thing in SF.) Take the Geary 38 Express and get off at 6th Ave. For lunch, have spicy prawns with garlic at Taiwan or the #2 Beef Stew with flat noodles at King’s Thai Cuisine (the location just east of 8th Ave). Pass some time browsing the used cookbook section at Green Apple books, then pick up some dim sum for later (get the big chicken bun) at Wing Lee or Good Luck. (Actually, I’d buy the dim sum before Green Apple because these places sell out. You can check the cooler at the bookstore counter.) There are several Chinese groceries on Clement but the biggest and best is New May Wah where you can find fresh vegetables and condiments at reasonable prices. If you want to stay and eat dinner, pass some time by taking the 44 bus from the corner of 6th and Clement to the museums in Golden Gate Park. Then return for an early meal at whichever recommended place you didn’t go for lunch, or else at Burmese Superstar.

I also have an idea for a self-guided culinary tour of NYC’s Flushing Chinatown neighborhood. The key here, for out of towners who drive in, is to arrive early afternoon and stay at one of several hotels that are reasonably priced and provide parking. Do some reconnaissance in the afternoon at the many food courts and have dinner at the place of your choosing. In the morning, enjoy breakfast and an early lunch and fill your cooler before returning to your vehicle (be sure to confirm checkout time) and taking off. Specific locations will be filled in after I actually make the trip.

The key to these self-guided culinary tours is pacing yourself. You need to be able to go into a shop filled with wonders and just enjoy that single best thing. (Which shops? Which single best things? You have Yelp for that, as well as specialized food blogs like this one. Do your research before you go, then transfer a shortlist to your phone.) And you need to be able to take one bite of a magnificent whatever, then carefully wrap it up and put the balance in your take-out container.

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