The Single Life
No, it's not a reference to domestic problems chez Lambshank. That's all fine and dandy. So fine and dandy, perhaps, that I forgot to mention another lovely event that took place somewhere between those complimentary chips and Eric Chavot's plates of sheer bloody genius: a food matching event to mark the launch of Whisky Month.
If you haven't seen the info already, you will in the coming months, as 2009 is the year of Homecoming Scotland. More on that another time - probably as part of next month's BMW test drive / jaunt to Wick (and more on that will follow too). Suffice to say, it's a huge celebration of all things Scottish and that obviously has to include the true amber nectar. Indeed, May has been given over to mark the joys and variety of whisky. If you ever needed an excuse to visit Scotland (and you really shouldn't need one), this is as good as any.
To mark the event, the good folk of Visit Scotland brought Sheila McConachie & Graham Harvey down to Roast to show off some off some single malts against some of their dishes. Sheila & Graham are the team behind Craggan Mill, the award-winning restaurant in Speyside, and the award-winning book The Whisky Kitchen. Rather than the standard approach to cooking with whisky - splash a couple of shots in, call it a whisky sauce - Sheila and Graham approach matters slightly differently. In their capable hands, whisky becomes a genuine ingredient, adding depth and carefully thought out flavours to a variety of dishes, from a winning and warming haggis veloute laced with 15-year old Glenfarclas, to their celebrated Glen Moray Truffle Torte.
Surprisingly, the stand-out dish of those sampled was a spoonful of crab with salad onions and cayenne. On paper, its subtleties would appear to under threat from a splash of tabasco and its lacing of Tomatin 12-year old let alone the accompanying tumbler of the same, however the underlying spice of the whisky bolstered the flavours and heat of the dish superbly. The pork belly with a 12-year old Cragganmore in the apple sauce rocked too.
So there you have it. I'll blog more about today's lunch tomorrow - nice one Corrie! Nice one Abel & Cole! - and sleep soundly knowing the single malt shaped gap has been filled...
If you haven't seen the info already, you will in the coming months, as 2009 is the year of Homecoming Scotland. More on that another time - probably as part of next month's BMW test drive / jaunt to Wick (and more on that will follow too). Suffice to say, it's a huge celebration of all things Scottish and that obviously has to include the true amber nectar. Indeed, May has been given over to mark the joys and variety of whisky. If you ever needed an excuse to visit Scotland (and you really shouldn't need one), this is as good as any.
To mark the event, the good folk of Visit Scotland brought Sheila McConachie & Graham Harvey down to Roast to show off some off some single malts against some of their dishes. Sheila & Graham are the team behind Craggan Mill, the award-winning restaurant in Speyside, and the award-winning book The Whisky Kitchen. Rather than the standard approach to cooking with whisky - splash a couple of shots in, call it a whisky sauce - Sheila and Graham approach matters slightly differently. In their capable hands, whisky becomes a genuine ingredient, adding depth and carefully thought out flavours to a variety of dishes, from a winning and warming haggis veloute laced with 15-year old Glenfarclas, to their celebrated Glen Moray Truffle Torte.
Surprisingly, the stand-out dish of those sampled was a spoonful of crab with salad onions and cayenne. On paper, its subtleties would appear to under threat from a splash of tabasco and its lacing of Tomatin 12-year old let alone the accompanying tumbler of the same, however the underlying spice of the whisky bolstered the flavours and heat of the dish superbly. The pork belly with a 12-year old Cragganmore in the apple sauce rocked too.
So there you have it. I'll blog more about today's lunch tomorrow - nice one Corrie! Nice one Abel & Cole! - and sleep soundly knowing the single malt shaped gap has been filled...
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