Good afternoon everybody,
A few changes to the line up this week. We've said farewell to semlor for the year, but still have a week before the next seasonal speciality, hot cross buns, hit the counter. We are filling the gap with nuts and caramel in the form of the Tosca bun. It's been a while since we've made it so to recap, it's based on the Swedish cake or tart of the same name, and has an almond butter filling, and a mixed nut and honey caramel lozenge baked into the top. The ever popular roasted vanilla bun is back too.
We are thrilled to finally have some rhubarb in the house. E Oldroyd & Sons are one of only nine families still forcing rhubarb in the West Yorkshire "rhubarb triangle". All being well we will have some of the striking, slender pink stems available for sale in the bakery, as well as using them in our brown butter financier and custard cake, with jam to follow in due course. Apple muffins with apple butter and cinnamon streusel return as a weekend special, and we were also notified by Pump Street that their white chocolate, a product which they only make a few times a year due to the labour intensive process, is back in stock, so we've snapped some up to use in the oat cookies, a universally adored Anna Higham recipe.
You may have noticed we've been restocking the marmalade shelves, and are approaching the 500 jar mark, as well as attempting to candy a 10kg crate of Seville oranges a week for the aforementioned hot cross buns. In our opinion the Seville is the best orange for candying, as its thick pith gives high yield and good texture and its bitterness is a match for all that sugar. We'll then use the juice to glaze the buns.
A new cheese in the fridge this week. Carrie Grimes, based in Bethesda in North Wales, has already won great acclaim for her soft, sheep's milk cheese, Brefu Bach. Now she has added a cow's milk companion, Brefu Da. We can't wait to try it, but until Tuesday we will have to rely on the words of Neal's Yard Dairy:
The name plays on the double meaning of 'Da' in Welsh as both good and cattle / livestock. Soft and tender with a fine, delicate rind, this cow’s milk cousin to Brefu Bach delivers milky depth, subtle sour-cream richness and a clean, buttery tang.
Now, let's talk wine, and specifically Alsace, a region which offers the naturally inclined drinker a rich diversity of styles, and often very good value. One of our favourite producers in the region is Domaine Goepp, run by brothers Clement and Sylvain. In the past we have enjoyed fruity Pinot and mineral Riesling, and now we have three new wines, two of which feature one of the rarest local grape varieties, Savagnin Rose, a pink skinned and less aggressively aromatic relation of Gewurtztraminer. Uni'k is a deep orange wine, round, rich and textured. Klevener de Heiligenstein (another alias of Savagnin Rose) is a complex white, combining freshness, ripe fruit and a savoury, nutty character. Finally, another white, Symbiose, a blend of Gewurtztraminer and Pinot Gris from the warm 2019 vinatge, which has been given an extended period of bottle ageing. Now drinking superbly, it is a full-bodied, powerful wine, of great depth and aromatic complexity, and an absolute steal.
That's all for now, thank you as always for staying with us, here's to your health and happiness, and remember, winter always turns to spring.
Kate and Hugo