Month: March 2017

Kalak vodka

kalak

Kalak vodka

The big vodka brands (Grey Goose and Absolut, for example) are typically made from wheat. According to Kalak’s founder, Patrick Shelley, it’s all about the character of the finished product. Malted barley delivers that in spades, wheat doesn’t. Kalak is made solely from malted barley and water, and is distilled in pot stills. The same jumping off point as single malt whiskey, as it happens.The similarity with whiskey is apparent on the nose and on the tongue. If you have tried newly made whiskey, straight from the still, you will recognise Kalak.

It does not have the rawness of newly made whiskey, however, having been distilled to a purity of 96%. It takes three passes through a pot still to reach that point. A further distillation reduces impurities and improves the flavour. Finally, it is filtered through charcoal and cut with spring water to a bottling strength of 40%.

Official tasting notes:

Nose

Freshly baked brioche, vanilla and fresh fruit.

Taste

A deliciously elegant texture with hints of dark chocolate, cream and candied fruit.

Finish

A soft and glowing lingering complexity.

Kalak is 100% Irish in every respect. It’s an Irish brand, made by the fully Irish-owned West Cork Distillers, from 100% Irish malted barley. The name, too, is Irish in disguise, derived from a mythological figure, An Cailleach, whose legendary qualities and accoutrements suffuse the branding. This excellent vodka is now available at Number 21 off licence.

number 21 off licence listowel you can follow on facebook and twitter

madeleines

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be sure to freeze the pans and then get the filled pans in the oven right away

You can even go so far as to freeze the already filled pans for about 10 minutes before

mix the flour, sugar, and eggs first and add the melted butter last.

The batter also needs to rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour to chill and hydrate the four.

You can leave it for longer than that, even overnight.

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan,get it slightly toasty brown

freeze them in a double wrapping of plastic wrap for several months.

Store cooled madeleines in an airtight container for a few days

Chef noel writes a weekly baking tips for twitter hour #cupcakehour @chefnoelk

And follow on instagram @chefnoelkeane

Paul looking forward 2017

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Forage and grow 2017
Last year was strange for me. The only thing I managed to grow was strawberries, but foraged loads more, as time goes on I learn more and more about what is and is not edible. In my experience I have tried everything that I spotted once and out of all these weeds I have had one bad experience. I picked a little bit as per usual tried a bit shortly after the 1st chew it started to sting so that got spat out it sting for about an hour afterwards other than that no bad experience. I don’t count the horrible tasting ones.
This year is different I am more motivated to grow more of my own, with the loss of my mom last year I suppose it’s trying to keep her spirit alive in the homestead, and the polytunnel becomes this oasis of life. A month ago I started by weeding out the tunnel of the heavy weeds. Followed by a drowning of water to revive any plants that were hiding dormant underground some of these are now coming to life with a little heavier weeding I’m now ready to sow some lettuce leaves “cut and come” varieties I’ve no interest in the big heads I won’t have time for them I have also down some cress some garlic chives and some normal garlic in the hopes of having my own. I’ve planted some squash seeds in the ground and some in small pots which can be transplanted at a later date. I picked up some cherry tomatoes with I know I can grow in buckets put a hole in the bottom with a tray of water add warmth and sunlight and they will be happy out, just to spice it up a bit I added basil to the plants as I am led to believe they thrive alongside these tempestuous fruit.
My progress on a berry patch is also underway after the birds thieving everything last year, I am an animal lover and have no issue with small birds of any description I would prefer to have been able to put the berries to use in my workplace or even the homestead, most of the berries needed a few more days to ripen to perfection, as luck would have it, it was 10 days before I got a chance to return home to find no more than a jam jar full of berries. At least the birds will survive I thought next year I will be better prepared. This year I have transferred done of these through small rooting shoots to the centre of the poly tunnel where I can keep an eye on them, less chance of the birds making off with my berries.
As this new season and my second year of foraging begins I look forward to trying different things and exploiting more of nature’s bounty in the first of leaves seeds fruits nuts and vegetables from the shore to the forest and everything in between. I look forward to the people I have yet to meet on my travels around this beautiful county of ours and what she has to offer us over the course of this year from the wild garlic which is with us right now to Dandelion leaves, chickweed, wild cress, wild leeks, sorrel, seabeet, samphire just to name a few that we have plentiful supply of for the year if treated and preserved correctly will ensure a year round supply of nutritious greens, later in the year nuts and mushrooms appear, through careful identification mushrooms can be found year round I am learning these as I go pick, identify have found a handful of mushrooms so far that I can safely eat I hasten to add here I’m NOT an expert at this I need more practice, training before going on a proper mushroom hunting. Through this year I’m going to focus more on growing than my forage and other parts more on the forage than the growing. While I find the balance.
More on my success and failure through this year follow this blog.
Follow me on Twitter @chefpaulc Instagram @chefpaulc
Also we are hosting a forage and talk in ballyseedy woods @10am on the 25th march come join our event on Facebook like the page Traleeculinarygangsters.com 

No. 21 off licence on RIOJA

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RIOJA

Rioja is a stylish but warming red, and it goes well with all kind of roasts, steaks and chops. There’s so much more to red Rioja than it seems at first glance. The fancy labels, the gold wire, the hessian wrap, the seals on the bottle, all give the impression that each bottle is as elaborately made as the next. This, of course, is far from being the case. Others may have minimalist packaging but conceal a truly great wine. Rioja is a large region with over 300 producers; most of the wine made here is sold very young, without any oak aging, and just becomes an anonymous supermarket brand or similar. Take a look at the label: if you see the words Sin Crianza, this wine has never seen the inside of an oak barrel and therefore will lack that lovely toasty vanilla aroma we all know and love. This flavour comes from the American oak preferred by top producers here. Rioja Gran Reserva spends two years in the barrel and three more in the bottle. These older wines are paler in colour, subtler in flavour than a typical red Rioja, but linger on the palate for a long time.

Bodegas Palacio is a centenary winery located in the heart of the Rioja Alavesa.  Since their foundation in 1894, they have made an important contribution to the revolution in winemaking that has taken place in La Rioja. Their founder, Don Cosme Palacio y Bermejillo, began producing his exceptional wines over 100 years ago, making the bodega one of a limited few to be selected as Bodegas Históricas de la D.O Ca Rioja.

Their wines are like a historical timeline of the region, starting with Glorioso which dates back to 1928; Glorioso Reserva and Glorioso Gran Reserva are both stunning examples of this style. Both of these wines are available at Number 21 Off-licence.

Follow number 21 off licence on facebook and twitter @no21listowel