Tuthilltown Spirits

Posted on 6 March 2013 by leacock

Hudson Rye

Tuthilltown Spirits is a small batch distiller in the Hudson Valley. Founded in 2003, it is the first producer (the first legal one, at least) of aged grain spirits in New York state since Prohibition. The distillery, nestled behind the old Tuthilltown Grist Mill (now a restaurant) in Gardiner, makes for a perfect day trip or weekend destination from New York. We enjoyed the tour, which takes visitors through the entire process from grain to whiskey, and were particularly impressed by the olfactory intensity of the fermentation room and the beauty of the copper stills. Other than a six-spigot filling apparatus, bottling is a pretty manual affair – corking, wax-sealing, inspection, and labelling are done by hand.
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Singapore noodles

Posted on 9 February 2013 by leacock

preparation time: 30 minutes
cooking time: 20 minutes
emergency contact: carol or amy

rice stick

The trick to cooking dried rice stick noodles is moisture control. They need to absorb quite a lot of liquid to attain a chewy consistency, but if you douse them too much, they’ll turn into a sticky, soggy clump. Probably most well-known is the Cantonese dish called Singapore noodles (yes, you read that correctly), but this general preparation technique for dried rice stick noodles adapts easily to any combination of ingredients and sauces. It’s an excellent way to use up leftovers.
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Peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies

Posted on 5 December 2012 by leacock

peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies

Adapted from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, the main modifications being a little less sugar, a little more salt, and the omission of peanut butter chips.
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Quick pickles: cornichons

Posted on 7 August 2011 by leacock

pickled okra

Above is some very tasty quick-pickled okra from Wholefoods. Below is a basic, quick pickle recipe adapted from that of a farmer at the Louviers market in Normandy.

tiny cucumbers (finger-sized is best) – 1 lb
coarse salt – 2 Tbsp
tarragon – 1 large sprig
shallot, cut in quarters – 1
small pearl onions, peeled – 1/2 cup
peppercorns – 10
cloves – 3
bay leaf – 1
white vinegar – 3 cups

In a large bowl, toss the cucumbers with the salt. Turn them out into a tea towel. Gather the corners of the tea towel and hang it from the tap over the sink for 2 hours, or set the cucumbers in their towel in a strainer in the sink.
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Cape Cod roundup

Posted on 13 June 2011 by leacock

the knob

Here’s a quick and dirty (and very incomplete) guide to Cape Cod — mainly eating and drinking, but a few sightseeing tips are thrown in as well. The towns are listed in approximate order moving from the Upper Cape to the Outer Cape (i.e., as if you were driving along from Boston towards Provincetown). For reference, it takes just under 1.5 hours to get from Boston to Falmouth and just over 1.5 hours to get from Falmouth to Provincetown in normal traffic conditions, which pretty well don’t exist between May and September.
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Very green salad

Posted on 13 June 2011 by leacock

This salad was inspired by the appearance of Turkish green plums (erik) at the nearby Italian grocery store. The plums are small and slightly tart, and the sign at the market recommended them to be served chilled with a bit of salt for sprinkling.

very green salad

avocado – 1
basil – handful
Turkish green plums – handful
green olives (Lucques, Castelvetrano, those giant ones with pimentos)
olive oil
salt & pepper

Cut up the avocado and green plums. Toss with a fresh, peppery olive oil. Add basil and olives. Season to taste. Makes lunch for 1 if served with some crusty bread and a wedge of cheese.

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Shanghai Dim Sum

Posted on 4 June 2011 by leacock

Shanghai Dim Sum is a sort of shack sitting in a corner lot in Scarborough. It looks a bit like a converted Dairy Queen from the outside, but the inside is a cosy, old timey slice of colonial Shanghai, complete with faded, sepia-toned photos and background music to match.
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Price check

Posted on 12 May 2011 by leacock

Sample grocery trip in Bergen (exchange rate 5.5 NOK = 1 CAD):

  • milk (1 L) — 14.70 — $2.67
  • milk, organic (1 L) — 17.30 — $3.15
  • eggs (1 dozen) — 39.90 — $7.25
  • pasta, dry (500 g) — 23.90 — $4.35
  • broccoli (1 head) — 14.90 — $2.70
  • broccoli, organic (1 head) — 24.90 — $4.53
  • kiwi (1) – 4.90 — $0.90
  • oranges (1 kg) – 24.90 — $4.53
  • salmon, smoked (100 g) — 27.45 — $5.00
  • salmon, fillet (100 g) — 8.50 — $1.55
  • cereal (1 box, 375 g) — 33.90 — $6.16
  • beer, Hansa, Norwegian generic (0.5 L can) — 19.90 — $3.62
  • beer, Nøgne, Norwegian microbrew (0.5 L bottle) — 60.90-99.90 — $11-18
  • toilet paper (4-roll package) — 34.90 — $6.35
  • roasted Piemonte hazelnuts (1 kg) — 395.00 — $71.80
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KAL lounge at Incheon

Posted on 7 May 2011 by leacock

The Korean Air lounge at Incheon International Airport — holy smokes. This is one of the most beautiful, tranquil, calming spaces you could encounter anywhere, much less in one of the busiest and largest airports in the world. A few hours in this lounge and you leave feeling as if you’ve had your chakras realigned. Which you kind of need after the 80 km trek from Seoul city centre, a journey that includes a crossing of the world’s longest self-anchored suspension bridge. The extra-wide “foam” armchairs, large windows onto the tarmac, and swanky washroom (and shower) facilities made for an especially pleasant experience.
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Le Train Bleu

Posted on 23 April 2011 by leacock

le train bleu

We had a celebratory post-audition dinner at Le Train Bleu, the restaurant that overlooks the train platforms at the Gare de Lyon in Paris. This is one opulent dining room. We’re talking vaulted ceilings, massive banquettes, floral moldings, crystal and gilt everything. We ate very well, the service by the black-tied waiters was friendly and impeccable, and as an added bonus, we were treated to some live entertainment — at the table beside us, a job interview dinner conducted by an authority-oozing business exec where the candidate appeared to be a fourteen year old in a suit (we overhead later that he was 22).
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