Highland Park Whisky: How the World’s Best Spirit Became So

When you go to Scotland, you’re sure to sense something special there: a love of life with the courage to meet life’s hardships with wit and courage and never, never to give up who you truly are.

One has to only remember Magnus Eunson, the founder of the Highland Park Whisky Distillery, to see these elements reflected in the Scottish character.

After being defeated by deceit in the Battle of Culloden in 1746, Scotland became an occupied country where even its national beverage was prohibitively taxed by the victorious English.  It was bad enough that the English had banned the kilt and golf, but in essence whisky, too!  That was too much.

So the Scots fought back. They brewed and aged their own, choosing to dodge the hated English tax collectors.  And this is where we first meet Madnus Eunson.    

A man of many talents (like so many Scotsmen), he was a butcher, a church official - and a very skilled smuggler, especially when it came to whisky.  As a result, the English taxmen or ‘excisemen’ were always on his trail, trying to find his secret hiding places.

One of Madnus favorite places to hide whisky was the local church.  After all, he reasoned it only made sense that such “good spirits” belonged in a holy place.  But after some weeks, the English began to suspect the church basement as a hiding place.

Quickly, Madnus and his friends quietly moved the whisky casks into his own home where he covered them with a long white tablecloth.  On top he set an empty coffin.

Then he invited his neighbors *with the promise to share with them later a good dram” to come and “mourn” loudly, very loudly the empty coffin.  When the English broke into the house, they were greeted by loud laments and heart-tearing cries of grief.

Though they paused, they were more intent on searching the house than respecting the “dead”.  It wasn’t until one “mourner” pointed to the coffin and said “smallpox” that they remembered their manners and left – suddenly in a panic to be ‘polite’.

Well, with such a founder, it should be no surprise to anyone that Highland Park has gone on to fame and glory as the world’s greatest whisky.  Even Winston Churchill acknowledged that when he visited the Distillery in 1939.

When offered a polite cup of tea (he was English, after all), he declined and asked for Highland Park Whisky with a verbal force that only Churchill could master.

But have no fear, you won’t have to smuggle yours or equal Churchill’s verbal torrent. Today you can easily purchase this aged perfection anywhere in the United States or on the Internet.  And it’s perfect for the Holidays – as a gift for a friend or just for yourself.

Aged in Spanish sherry casks for 12 to 40 years, its single malt flavor melts in mellow tones that say whit and wisdom, courage and tradition, elegance and enduring standards – in short, Scotland!  

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2010

Martha Stewart and Stephen Colbert Relive Holiday Memories Together

At this time of the year our thoughts often drift to past feasts with family and friends.

And Martha and Stephen Colbert are no different.  Indeed, their shared culinary memories aired recently on The Colbert Nation. 

If you haven’t seen this episode, take a moment and consider. 

Among other things you can learn how Martha kills turkeys and which ingredients were Colbert’s childhood favorites.

If the episode doesn’t leave you smiling, well, we’ll always have ketchup.

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2010

Williams-Sonoma COOKING AT HOME: A New American Classic

Each year hundreds and hundreds of cookbooks are published on a seemingly endless range of singular topics.  Cupcakes, bacon, seafood, bread, vegetables – the list goes on and on.  There’s only one problem (well, actually there’s several problems).

First off, these cookbooks usually offer the reader only recipes (and sometimes a note or two of culinary history) but very seldom any empowering information as to why, for example, some cupcakes require baking soda and others need baking powder. The result is that the home cook becomes recipe-bond and creativity often goes out the window. 

Second, all these individual books on individual topics can take up a lot of shelf space and end up costing a collective pretty penny.  But take heart – two great culinary writers have solved this problem AND created a new American kitchen classic in the process.

Meet Chuck Williams (that’s Chuck Williams as in the founder of the famous Williams-Sonoma Stores) and Kristine Kidd (the former food editor of Bon Appetit Magazine and long-time collaborator with Williams on many culinary projects).  

Together they have created a must-have cookbook, Cooking at Home, which shares all the culinary secrets professional chefs know well.  Among the many details explained is when to use fresh pasta and when to use dry (hint – the answer is in the sauce).  Then there’s an informative summary (with supportive recipes) of the seven types of soup.  Williams and Kidd detail the difference between cornmeal and polenta, Chinese rice and Italian risotto.

The list goes on and on as the authors cover everything from cooking basics to every course and food group.  As you cook, you learn, you grow.  The accompanying notes are a revelation and also a secure starting point for embracing creativity in the kitchen. 

If you purchase one new cookbook this year or need an idea for the perfect birthday gift for a fellow cook, take a moment at your local bookstore and glance through this soon-to-be legendary book. 

It’s entitled to sit on your kitchen shelf next to your weathered copy of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  Both books reflect a core belief that cooking will be more creative (and exciting) if both technique AND ingredients are clearly understood.

Cooking at Home by Williams and Kidd will enable you to explore each area – one remarkable page after another.   Well done!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2010

At Home with the World: Madhur Jaffrey

Madhur Jaffrey is that rare culinary writer who principal’s ingredient is life itself.  Whether you are reading any of her many cookbooks or watching her latest film (yes, she is also an accomplished actress), you can’t help but sense a joyful depth in all she does.

There is purpose and passion to what she shares.  And share she does – from the story of her childhood in India surrounded by a large extended family to her days as a young acting student in London.

It was in cold foggy London that she first longed for the comfort of the foods made by loving aunts and her distant mother.  There was only one problem – Madhur had never been one to see the kitchen as a place of interest.  In short, she couldn’t cook.

After short (and often incomplete) cooking notes began arriving from her mother, Madhur realized that if she wanted authentic Indian cuisine while aboard, she was going to have to learn to cook.

Soon two career paths emerged for Madhur – the stage and the kitchen.  Yet her rich heritage from the ancient cultures of India saw these two interests as part of a single life focus: community shared.

During a recent interview she explained that she sees acting as sharing the passion/the inner meaning of the play with the audience – to draw them in until they discover a warmth of understanding that makes the evening worthwhile.  

She shared that she considers cooking to be no different – it should also enrich community, bring people together in a deeper sense of self.

In her newest cookbook, At Home with Madhur Jaffrey, she carries that spirit forward on every page.  Each recipe is adjusted to comfortably fit in a western kitchen.  Yet each recipe was collected directly from cooks in Indian, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanks as they cooked for family and friends.  You can almost smell the spices as you read recipe after recipe.

Each dish is enticing and begs to be shared with others.  Madhur explained that her goal was to free the cook from the tiring tradition of long and difficult hours of ethnic food preparation.  Then there would be time for what truly matters in life – laughter, conversation, fellowship and family.

There is a gentle grace and ease in Madhur’s writing that makes you feel at home within these rich cuisines of Asia.  She is truly a citizen of the world and invites you to be one, too – one bite at a bite.

Just be sure to invite your friends to join you.  No one should dine alone.

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2010

Ferran Adria Foundation Update

Ferran Adria was recently interviewed by Decanter Magazine in London and the questions were all about what’s next for the world’s most famous chef and why he has chosen to close his flagship restaurant, El Bulli.

Though Ferran has not tired of cooking and creating, he explained that he has become weary of the pressures of operating a restaurant.  What busy chef can’t relate to that feeling.

Ferran’s answer (or at least as much as he will tell us at this time) is that he will be focusing on the creation of The Foundation, a creative culinary center where he and other innovative chefs can experiment in all matters culinary.

There Ferran will continue his belief in transparency – he plans to publish daily notes about all the subjects explored at The Foundation on the Internet!  No secrets – rather shared creativity.  Now that’s a future we can all look forward to!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2010