L’Atitude Hosts The Menu at Pieta House Fundraiser

L’Atitude Hosts The Menu at Pieta House Fundraiser

Joe's very happy with help from Derek (left) and Yoann (L'Atitude)

It was a good night in L’Atitude 51, with Joe McNamee (The Menu) and Leslie Williams (Examiner Wine Correspondent) in command, Joe in the kitchen, Leslie pouring a selection of wines. And all present, customers, L’Atitude owners and staff, joining together in supporting Pieta House, the centre for the prevention of self-harm or suicide.

Pieta House offers One to One counsellling, Family support, Self/Family/Friend referral, and Free professional therapy. Pieta House in Cork is at Highfield Lawn, Model Farm Road and the phone number is 021 434 1400. See the contact details for other areas at www.pieta.ie

Beaujolais bán

Back to Joe and Leslie who gave us a great evening, good food and good wine and a large measure of craic, all made possible by the staff at L’Atitude and the sponsors. Check out the list below, a list that includes many of the top local producers.

Bubbles were served as we arrived. Not just any bubbles. Ours came from the Wiston Estate in the South of England. This Blanc de blancs is very highly rated and produced by Limerick winemaker Dermot Sugrue. The same bubbles also made an second appearance, perfectly accompanying the Oyster dish. There was a choice here as the Oysters came complete with a shot of the new premium vodka Kalak.

Leslie in action

Have to say O Risal by Terras Gauda has been one of my favourite Albarinos for a while now and I was delighted to see Leslie pour it when the Chicken and Dillisk broth arrived.

Thursday of course was release date for Beaujolais Nouveau and we were treated to a natural one. “This is from the Gamay grape, a wine for pleasure. So drink it and be happy,” exhorted Mr Williams as he poured. He is always full of surprises and one was his introduction of a white Beaujolais, quite a beauty too, made from Chardonnay by Jean Paul Brun.

Harty's Oysters

And soon we would have another unexpected twist from Leslie when he poured a Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas 2012 Vintage Port to accompany the Beef Brisket. A lovely dish and a gorgeous port but did they go together? Opinion was divided!

No such divide though with the next pairing which saw Longueville House Apple Brandy matched with Tarte Tatin. A natural!

Tuna by Sally Barnes

And then a sad moment as we clinked glasses of Riesling in remembrance of Joe Karwig who died recently. The Willi Haag 2004 Riesling Spatlese, only 8% abv, was a terrific match with the Smoked Durrus Dote and the crackers from Sheridan’s.

Still not quite finished. An espresso cup of Golden Bean Coffee Halambo AA (custom-roasted for The Menu himself) was my finalé while CL went for the Kingfisher Teas Moroccan Mint Green Tea with Honey, a sweet drop indeed. And further sweetness at hand too as plates of Yoann’s Muscadine Truffles made an all too brief appearance.

Beef brisket (O'Mahony's Butcher)

PIETA HOUSE FUNDRAISER

L’Atitude 51, Union Quay, Cork

Thursday, November 18th, 2015

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Miso & Saffron Butter, Sourdough Bread

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Chicken, Dillisk, Vegetables, Herbs, Flowers

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Bare Nekked Harty's Oyster/Harty’s Oyster, Kalak Vodka, Honey, Black Garlic Lime Mayo/

Rye Crisp, Mustard Crème Fraiche, Pickled

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Cold-Smoked Loin of Tuna, Ballyhoura Mushrooms, Leaves, Radishes

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Beef Brisket, King Oyster Mushroom, Oyster Mushroom, Leek, Radish, Cavelo Nero

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Smoked Durrus Dote, Sheridan’s Brown Bread Crackers, Garden Cherries & Black Pepper

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Tarte Tatin, Vanilla Ice Cream

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Golden Bean Coffee Halambo AA (custom-roasted for The Menu)

Or Kingfisher Teas Moroccan Mint Green Tea, Honey

& Joann’s Muscadines Truffles

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WINES DONATED BY

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WINES DONATED BY

KARWIG’S Carrigaline, Marcus Gates

LE CAVEAU, Kilkenny, Pascal Rossignol

WINES DIRECT, Mullingar, Fionnuala Harkin

TAYLOR’S PORT Porto Chris Forbes

CLASSIC DRINKS Cork Steve Dwyer

PRODUCE SUPPLIED COURTESY OF …

OYSTERS

Joe Harty, Harty’s Oysters, Gortnadiha Lower, Dungarvan, Co Waterford

HERRING

Kirsti O’Kelly, Silver Darlings, Corbally Road, Limerick

KALAK VODKA

Patrick Shelley www.kalakvodka.com

MUSHROOMS, CEP OIL, CEP VINEGAR

Lucy Deegan & Mark Cribben, Ballyhoura Mushrooms

BEEF

Eoin O’Mahony, O’Mahony’s Butcher, English Market, Cork

COUNTRY BUTTER, CRÈME FRAICHE, YOGHURT

Alan & Valerie Kingston, Glenilen Farm, Drimoleague

SOURDOUGH BREAD

Declan Ryan, Arbutus Bread, Mayfield, Cork

VEGETABLES, LEAVES, HERBS

Derek Hannon, Greenfield Farm, Knockraha, Co Cork

CHICKEN, EGGS

Tom Clancy, Ballycotton Free Range Poultry, Ballycotton, Co Cork

SMOKED TUNA

Sally Barnes, Woodcock Smokery, Castletownshend

CHEESE

Jeffa Gill, Durrus Cheese, Durrus, Sheep’s Head, West Cork

BLACK GARLIC

Bryn Perrin, West Cork Garlic, Enniskeane

SHERIDANS’ BROWN BREAD CHEESE CRACKERS

Jane & Richard Graham-Leigh, Cookies of Character, Dunmanway

ICE CREAM

Marcus Hodder, Yum Gelato, Crosshaven, Co Cork

APPLES

James Scannell, Knockmealagula Orchard, Ovens, Co Cork

COFFEE

Marc Kingston, Golden Bean Coffee Roasters, Ballymaloe

MOROCCAN MINT GREEN TEA

Mico & Colm Hassett, Kingfisher Teas, Co Wexford
PREMIER CATER HIRE / NATIONAL EVENT HIRE CORK

Amuse Bouche

The New World basil will be sweet and tart and plentiful… it will brighten my sauces and sing in my salads and if we’re ever sad I’ll pass a spring under our noses, we’ll be cured. Listen, Leda, there are bound to be demons…. if they ever arrive at your house, use basil. Eat it. Smell it. Cover bad things with it. Dip a sprig in water and sprinkle it in every corner, and sing a song, any song, the happier the better, so the evil eye will go away.

from The Gods of Tango by Carolina De Robertis (2015)

Lustau at Ballymaloe

Lustau Dinner at Ballymaloe
Sherry with every course. Of Course!

Paco, Scott and Manolo

Jerez came to Ballymaloe on Wednesday night and Lustau oenologist, Manolo Lozano, who has been named “Best Fortified Winemaker of the Year seven years in a row by the International Wine Challenge of London” brought some delicious wines with him and they were well matched by Ballymaloe chef Scott Walsh.

Manolo, accompanied by friend and translator Paco Lozano (unrelated), was here to visit Irish Distillers in nearby Midleton and the dinner at Ballymaloe celebrated the links between the two companies. The distillery was well represented with Kevin O'Gorman, Master of Maturation; Billy Leighton Master Blender; and Ger Buckley, Master Cooper, among the diners.

The Spanish visitors gave us a brief introduction to their sherries. Manolo: “Jerez is one of the oldest wine regions in Spain… just three varieties are used, Palomino, Moscatel and Pedro Ximenez…. we used the solera system, a dynamic system, to get the characteristics we want… there are no yearly vintages….” To read all about Lustao, including the methods of production, click here.

"A style for every occasion"

There are different types of aging for the dry and for the sweet and the casks used are made from either Spanish or American oak with a capacity of five to six hundred litres. We had Fino Jarana both as aperitif and as a match for the first course: Toasted Almonds, Wild Watercress and Honey Salad.

Manolo explained the flor, the “veil of yeast” that covers the young wine in a biological process (see diagram below). Hence the pale colour, the salty nose with hints of yeast. “It is elegant, with nutty (almond) elements”. Chef Walsh had gathered his watercress and had a good word to say about the recent storm Barney: “It is a great time to gather watercress, the storm increased the water flow and enhanced its peppery flavour. A sprinkle of sea salt clinched it”. A perfect match indeed.

Ballymaloe's Colm McCan (left) with his
guests from near and far.

Then we were on to the Amontillado Los Arcos, a darker sherry. This is raised first under flor and then after the addition of higher alcohol has killed off the flor, the second maturation begins. Colour is amber and while the palate “reminds of Fino, the nutty flavour is no longer that of almond”. The chef had a big challenge here in trying to do it justice. So he used cured farm pork and the fat in the smoked meat “made the match”. The full title: Ballymaloe Kasler, white bean and Parsley tostado.

The first two sherries were dry,  under 5 grams per litre, and so was the third, the mahogany coloured Oloroso Don Nuno, “raised in the same casks that Irish Distillers now have!” Alcohol here is 20 per cent. The wine here has been selected from the start to be Oloroso so there is no flor at all. All three start “very plain. Then we develop what we want. It is a very good wine, a strong wine for red meat, for game. Hard to match!”

Main Course

Scott came up with the answer, even if there are now “no cow tails left in Midleton”. “There’s a lot of meat on a cow, “ he said. “But just one tail!”. The dish was Braised Ox Tail with Romanesco, tomato, lentils. And we believe that both red and white wine, even some brandy were also added. The chef was hoping the sherry would “cut the richness and the fat” and neither he nor we were disappointed. A superb pairing indeed.

Now we were onto the sweet Moscatel sherry (200 g of sugar per liter). “This is not allowed to ferment at all; alcohol is added immediately to allow natural sugar remain in the wine. Grapes are pressed, fermentation is stopped. The Pedro Ximenez grapes (450g), on the other hand, are “transformed” by sun-drying prior to pressing.

Scott and Yours Truly

Before he and Paco sat down to enjoy their desserts, Manolo asked us to consider sherry in a new light. “Don't forget, sherry is a wine. It is very versatile and there is a style for every occasion.” They had indeed demonstrated exactly that.

The chef had come up with a divine Steamed Kumquat Pudding for the Moscatel Emilin while the PX San Emilio was paired with Ballymaloe Vanilla Ice-cream. The PX was supposed to be drizzled over the ice-cream but you know the Irish drizzle!

There was one further liquid treat in store for us, a glass of Redbreast 21 year old Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey. Master Blender at Midleton Distillery is Billy Leighton: “The Redbreast family is all based on whiskey raised in sherry casks. Paco and Manolo have been of tremendous help to us in Jerez. We get the best quality cases and that leads to the best quality whiskey”.

“There is a succulent fruitiness on the nose more so than on the 12 years old, a heavier style. Secret is to match the sherry flavours with the spicy whiskey, get that balance of fruitiness and spices. And that taste is full and silky, smooth and, even at 46% abv, it slips down nicely before the fruitiness slowly fades away and it drys out leaving the barley at the very end. Sláinte!”

And Sláinte indeed to everyone at Ballymaloe. A privilege to be there at Manolo's first ever sherry dinner in Ireland.

Producing sherry.
For more info check Lustau website

White Across The World. Chardonnay-Riesling-Gruner Veltliner

White Across The World

Chardonnay-Riesling-Gruner Veltliner

El Grano Chardonnay 2013 (Chile), 13.5%, €14.30 Le Caveau

Sun, the snow capped Andes, and the Pacific Ocean have all influenced the character of this El Grano Chardonnay. So too has the French father and son winemaking team of Denis and Gregoire Duveau. Chile is their Pays de Rêves, their country of dreams, and their organic wines are known for their very pleasant roundness.

Colour is quite a pale gold. There is a nice aromatic drift of white fruits and blossoms. The palate is loaded with fruit, fresh and round and smooth, a very pleasant balance and long echoing finish. Does this please me? Answer is a resounding yes. Very Highly Recommended.

Finca Pasion Mi Vida Chardonnay 2012 (Argentina), 13.5%, €13.50 Karwig Wines

Another everyday wine, unoaked, from Mendoza. If giving this as a present, you can add your own personalised greeting on the specially designed back label.

And there’s no reason why you wouldn't give it as a gift. Its colour is a light gold, very bright. White fruits and floral notes on the nose, a good feel, flavours and finish from a lively and pleasant wine. Recommended.

 Carl Ehrhard Rudesheim Riesling trocken 2014, Rheingau (Germany), 12%, €16.50 Karwig Wines

Colour is a shiny light gold, totally clean; micro bubbles cling to the glass. Aromas are citric and orchard, even a weak drift of petrol. Tempting flush of fruit on the attack, crisp with a little tingle too in the mouth, a refreshing acidity and a long flavourful finish. Another thoroughbred from the Ehrhard stable and Very Highly Recommended.

Johann Strauss Gruner Veltliner 2013, Kremser Sandgrube Kremstal DAC (Austria), 12.5%, €16.15 Karwig Wines

Colour here is a light to medium gold, not quite as golden as the famous Strauss statue in the Stadtpark in Vienna. White fruits in the aromas, some blossom too. Minerality and fruit front the initial attack and then refreshing flavours take over, yet balance is perfect; all combine for an excellent finale, little wave after little wave.

The Kremser has long been recognised, the Romans among its early fans, as excellent for viticulture and this Gruner is Very Highly Recommended. The producers suggest matching it with asparagus, fish, pork and scallops. I found it excellent too as an aperitif.

The Sea Gardener. Interest in seaweed rising

The Sea Gardener

Interest in seaweed rising

Marie, busy at her market stall

Amazing how seaweed, so long out of the Irish diet, has made such a comeback in recent years.

Now the natural produce of the seashore is being used in all kinds of things. Samphire is everywhere there’s fish. Fenn’s Quay chef Kate Lawlor uses Carrigeen Moss in a dessert. I’ve eaten Nori crisps in West Cork. You may buy Nori Bake from Galway company Connemara Food Ventures. Arbutus are one of the bread companies using it. Recently, from a new Union Hall venture, I sniffed a gin with a seaweed ingredient! Today, there was a Seaweed class in UCC (Diploma in Speciality Food Production).

 Many people deserve credit for the rise and rise of seaweed and related products in our restaurants and in our homes. Prannie Rhatigan of the Irish Seaweed Garden is one. The McKenna's, Sally and John, are eager supporters. And there are many more.  In Dungarvan, Sea of Vitality supply Milled Dillisk and Ground Kelp and recipes galore and neighbours Dungarvan Brewing Company have a Seaweed Saison.

Today, I just want to shine a little light on Marie Power, the Sea Gardener, also from County Waterford. I met Marie during the Harvest Festival. I had to wait a little while as her stall was so busy. We enjoyed a little chat and then I moved on as people were starting to queue!

 One of the things I bought that day was little bag of Dillisk. That brought me back to my childhood and holidays in Mayo with my mother who loved her Carrigeen and Dillisk. These are straightforward seaweeds.

But things have moved on a lot since those good old days. Maire had a few bars for sale and I helped myself to a couple. The Almond and Orange Bar was good but my slight favourite was the Coconut and Lime. Both contain free range eggs, seeds galore, dark chocolate and, of course, a seaweed mix.

Dillisk & Sea Salt from Wild Atlantic Way Products

She was also doing a tasting that sunny day of her Mushroom and Olive Caponata. I tried that and bought and it was used just the other day on top of a pasta dish, “180 mls of goodness”. It can also be used on vegetables or cold on crostini or salad or use as a dip with raw vegetables or crackers. Recommended!

By the way, Marie learned much of her early knowledge from a 2007 workshop in Annestown with Prannie Rhatigan (see above).  Now Marie herself does foraging walks, cookery demos, ecology workshops, nutrition talks and visits schools and colleges as she spreads the good news about seaweed. And she has a book published too called The Sea Garden - a guide to seaweed cooking and foraging. The book and her products (also a list of stockists) are available online here - no queue!

Taste of the Week. Vienna Lager by Elbow Lane.

Taste of the Week

Elbow Lane Meeting House, Vienna Lager 5.4%, Bradley’s of North Main Street

Elbow Lane may have “breached” the German Beer Purity law here but when that extra ingredient is love, well it is easy to forgive! And this Vienna Lager, a collaborative effort with the famed Bradley’s of North Main Street, is a winner, copper in colour, rich in flavour, well balanced and with a pleasant smoothness all through. It is a seasonal offering, brewed for the festival on the horizon. You may need to move quickly to get your hands on some as it is a "very limited" edition.

Not only does the love come from Cork. Some freshly picked hop flowers from Elbow Lane's garden were added to the German Perle and Herzbrucker hops and the Munich and Vienna malt.

Three men are credited on the label: Michael Creedon of Bradley’s, Russell Garet the Elbow Lane brewer, and David Dempsey who came up with the name (after a lane near Bradley’s). I like the bottle too and its long neck. Now better head on down town and get some more of our Taste of the Week.

Riedel at the Grainstore. The Glass that Surprises

Riedel at the Grainstore

The Glass that Surprises

A rather special decanter.

Maximilian Riedel, representing the 11th generation of the Austrian glass-making firm, says Riedel are always up for a challenge. He was speaking during last Thursday’s comparative wine tasting event in the Grainstore at Ballymaloe House.

And Maximilian found a new challenge during his brief visit to East Cork. He enjoyed a tour of the local Irish Distillers facility. He was very impressed with the whiskey and told us in Ballymaloe that his new goal is to develop “the perfect glass for Irish whiskey”.

And taking up challenges is not new to the famous glass-makers (founded 1756) who lost almost everything during the war. But not their glass-making skills and not their love of it. They also loved their wine, still do, and eventually they became known as the makers of the varietal wine glass. So far, they have covered the main varietals but only ten per cent of the total!

But did you know they also make a glass for Coca Cola? Max told us how his father took up the challenge when a man from Atlanta came calling. “Why Coca Cola? We like to be challenged!” Working with a company who employ over “one million people worldwide” was just such a challenge. And they came up with a  glass that satisfied both them and Coca Cola and it was included in the Grainstore tasting.

Calm before the Riedel

He also indicated that the glass is very suitable indeed for your Cuba Libre cocktail! Actually, while the wine glasses are varietal specific, they are versatile enough to suit related varieties. For instance, glass #1 in the tasting was New World Pinot Noir (6449/67). But Max said it was “..the best champagne glass, full stop! Try it, you’ll be surprised”. Maybe not so surprising when you think that Pinot Noir is one of the champagne grapes. It is also suitable for Nebbiolo.

And it was with #1 that we started. Like #3, it holds a full bottle. But we weren't that greedy! The Pinot Noir glass has a “flare” at the top and this has helped reduce the acidity and so improve the whole experience. Beautiful aromas from the dedicated glass, reduced in #2 (for Old World Syrah) and further reduced in #3 (Cabernet).

“It is below room temperature, because I like it that way! Very well balanced, fresh, fruit, long, sweet and smooth… in #2 we are losing the fruit…. if we drink it from #3, people won't like Pinot Noir, it is heavier, drier, bitter…. the wrong glass could turn people off..” A further demo, using Lindt white chocolate, again showed a big contrast between #1 (good) and #3 (bad).

The Pinot Noir by the way was from Oregon. Wine #2 for glass #2 was a French Syrah (St Joseph 2013). In the proper glass, the Syrah showed a beautiful nose and then fruit, minerality, acidity, pepper, a beautiful structure and great aftertaste”. In #3, the message was diluted “aromas not bad, but not as intense….extreme spice and tannins on the palate..and where did the fruit go?” With Number 1 glass, he remarked: “a perfectly made wine in the wrong glass”.

 Max, and Riedel generally, do have a sense of humour and it showed again with his next demo, again with the Syrah but now in a plastic cup. “The nose is gone, lost….but not as bad as the wrong Riedel glass!”

“Bourdeau, toujour Bordeaux,” he remarked as he poured the third wine, a special treat: St Estephe 2009, into #3 glass. “... depth, structure, enough acidity, very elegant, dark berries, all in the right glass. In Number 1, it was no way close, fruit down...bitter and dry..green! Number 2 was worse again, “less fruit, more alcohol and bone dry”. And he showed the engineered pattern of the flow from the various glasses and it is this pattern that causes some of the variations.

Riedel didn't have any at Thursday’s demo but they also have a range of stemless glasses, the range invented by none other than Max himself. “The stem has no influence on the wine.” And then we were into the Coca Cola demo. That glass was developed with the help of the American company's Twenty Noses, their travelling tasters.

And again, the Riedel glass came up trumps: “You can almost see the secret Coca Cola formula here, the various fruits, a little cinnamon.... In the plastic cup, it goes flat faster, gets warmer faster, no aromas, more acidity.” The glass itself is very thin. “The thinner the glass, the longer it stays cool,” said Max.

The wines

By the way, he got no arguments all evening, all around me seemed to be agreeing, both during and after. And I have been a Riedel convert for a while now.

The wines, from Mitchell & Son:

1 - Dundee Hills Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir 2012

2 - Yves Cuilleron Les Pierres Séches Saint Joseph 2013

3- Chateau Ormes de Pez Saint Estèphe 2009

The wine glasses, all from the Riedel Veritas range:

1 - New World Pinot Noir, 6449/67

2- Old World Syrah, 6449/41

3 - Cabernet, 6449/0

The reference for the Coca Cola glass is 0414/21. Check them all out here. Mitchell’s are also the Irish agents for Riedel and you may see their glass selection here.

The next wine event in Ballymaloe is also a gem and features a dinner this Wednesday (18th) with Manuel Lozano of the famous Sherry producer, Bodegas Lustau. Full details here.

Max with plastic!
Strictly for demonstration purposes!