Fancy illustrating the season in your cooking and your choice of whisky? Let me take you through the four seasons with some easy nibbles, savoury and sweet. We will start with spring.
Bright acid colours, raw, light and crunchy ingredients convey the sensory identity of spring. We want freshness, simple and straightforward flavours. Exactly what a ”springtime whisky” will reflect. Why not stick to the season and offer a springtime buffet? Here are a few easy ideas.
The egg sandwich
Serves 4
You will need…
3 hard boiled eggs
3 sandwich bread slices
a few lettuce leaves
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1tbsp olive oil
a pinch of salt and pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
30 g butter mixed with a tsp grated lemon
Cut the bread into triangles. Butter them. Blend the eggs with oil, vinegar, herbs and spices. Place a little piece of salad on each small piece of bread. Top with the egg mixture.
Smoked Salmon Rounds
You will need…
4 slices of lightly smoked salmon
2 lemon slices
3 sandwich bread slices (or mini oatcakes)
a few spinach leaves
3 tbsp mascarpone
1 tbsp whisky
1 tsp lime(or lemon) juice
pepper
a few sprigs of dill
Cut the bread in rounds (or use mini oatcakes), the salmon and the spinach too to the exact size.
Mix the mascarpone with the lime juice, the whisky and pepper. Spread the mixture on the bread. Top with a spinach leave and a salmon round. Decorate with a little piece of lemon pulp and a sprig of dill (or chervil)
PS: of course you will use the whisky you serve with the nibbles)
Lemon curd tartlet
You will need…
12 mini shortbread (homemade or bought)
12 tsp lemon curd (homemade)
Just spread the lemon curd on the shortbread. And add grated lemon zest on the top.
I gave the recipe of lemon curd in my cooking post of July 2013 (but don’t use the gelatine leaves)
You can easily find a shortbread recipe on the net. Here is a link for a traditional recipe (using rice flour): http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/18723/traditional+shortbread
Whisky Pairing
Now, your springtime single malt. It will be rather young, matured in bourbon casks with a citrussy, grassy and minty or aniseed profile. Plenty to choose from!
Glenrothes Alba Reserve, BenRiach Heart of Speyside, Auchentoshan Classic, Glenfiddich 12 Year Old or Glenlivet 12 Year old, a young Caol Ila (in this case replace the smoked salmon by raw salmon), the lovely Ardbeg Blasda (if you are lucky enough to find it), etc…