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Thursday, December 21, 2017
Drink Up / Spirits It's Time to Eat, Drink Eggnog and Be Merry
Posted
By Suzanne Podhaizer
on Thu, Dec 21, 2017 at 8:00 AM
The drink from which eggnog is derived is most likely the medicinal medieval "posset," milk mixed with wine or ale, and seasoned with nutmeg and cinnamon.
Nobody is exactly sure when eggnog got its name, but we do know that it was drunk in America during the 1700s, and that George Washington served an extra-boozy version — laced with brandy, rye whiskey, rum and sherry — to guests.
I'll happily drink nog at any time of year, but it's a must around the winter holidays. You could go full George Washington, or try this variation.
Eggnog
Serves 8, or just one, depending on level of gluttony
Ingredients
Nobody is exactly sure when eggnog got its name, but we do know that it was drunk in America during the 1700s, and that George Washington served an extra-boozy version — laced with brandy, rye whiskey, rum and sherry — to guests.
I'll happily drink nog at any time of year, but it's a must around the winter holidays. You could go full George Washington, or try this variation.
Eggnog
Serves 8, or just one, depending on level of gluttony
Ingredients
- 12 eggs, separated (use fresh, local eggs, because they'll be consumed raw*)
- 1 quart creamline milk
- 1 pint heavy cream (I like Butterworks)
- 2/3 cup sugar plus 2 teaspoons (or swap in maple syrup, to taste)
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg, plus extra to garnish
- a couple pinches salt
- bourbon to taste
- Reserving egg whites for later, whisk the egg yolks until lightened in color.
- Add milk, cream, 2/3 cup sugar, nutmeg and salt. Whisk until uniform in color and texture.
- Beat egg whites, along with 2 teaspoons sugar, to soft peaks. Stir into eggnog.
- Chill. The nog will be a bit foamy on top.
- Pour into glasses, and stir in as much bourbon as you'd like
- Garnish with nutmeg
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Burlington / Restaurant News Bruegger's Bagels Closes on Church Street
Posted
By Sally Pollak
on Tue, Dec 12, 2017 at 2:48 PM
Bruegger’s Bagels closed its Church Street Marketplace restaurant on Sunday after more than a quarter-century in business. The bagel restaurant opened in the Howard Opera House about 27 years ago, said Steven Schonberg, co-owner of the building.
“They’re a very familiar, longtime tenant that I’m sure lots of people will miss,” Schonberg said. “However, as you can see, Church Street continues to prosper. We fully expect to be able to lease it to another high-quality tenant that will bring its own unique benefit to Church Street.”
Bruegger’s was founded 35 years ago by Vermonters Nordahl Brue and Michael Dressell. Its ownership changed over the years, including Bruegger’s acquisition earlier this year by JAB Holding Company, a private company whose properties include Keurig Green Mountain, Panera and Caribou Coffee, according to the company website.
The first Bruegger’s Bagels opened in Troy, N.Y., in 1983. The founders “wanted to learn how to operate a restaurant from a distance,” said Ron Redmond, executive director of the Church Street Marketplace. Bruegger's grew to be a national chain that includes a location in Shelburne, which remains open.
Its closing in downtown Burlington is “typical of the cycle that happens on Church Street where you have stores coming and going,” Redmond said. “If you think of all the stores that were on Church Street 30 years ago, the scene is much different.”
Schonberg said he hopes to have a new tenant occupy the Bruegger's space soon, but has no specific business in mind.
"We work hard at trying to get tenants that will add a dimension that may not be here otherwise," he said. "That will certainly be our goal."
Seventy-five percent of the businesses on the Marketplace are locally owned, up from 65 percent a year ago, according to Redmond.
Bruegger's closing was reported Monday in the Burlington Free Press.
“They’re a very familiar, longtime tenant that I’m sure lots of people will miss,” Schonberg said. “However, as you can see, Church Street continues to prosper. We fully expect to be able to lease it to another high-quality tenant that will bring its own unique benefit to Church Street.”
Bruegger’s was founded 35 years ago by Vermonters Nordahl Brue and Michael Dressell. Its ownership changed over the years, including Bruegger’s acquisition earlier this year by JAB Holding Company, a private company whose properties include Keurig Green Mountain, Panera and Caribou Coffee, according to the company website.
The first Bruegger’s Bagels opened in Troy, N.Y., in 1983. The founders “wanted to learn how to operate a restaurant from a distance,” said Ron Redmond, executive director of the Church Street Marketplace. Bruegger's grew to be a national chain that includes a location in Shelburne, which remains open.
Its closing in downtown Burlington is “typical of the cycle that happens on Church Street where you have stores coming and going,” Redmond said. “If you think of all the stores that were on Church Street 30 years ago, the scene is much different.”
Schonberg said he hopes to have a new tenant occupy the Bruegger's space soon, but has no specific business in mind.
"We work hard at trying to get tenants that will add a dimension that may not be here otherwise," he said. "That will certainly be our goal."
Seventy-five percent of the businesses on the Marketplace are locally owned, up from 65 percent a year ago, according to Redmond.
Bruegger's closing was reported Monday in the Burlington Free Press.
Sunday, December 3, 2017
Dining on a Dime Dining on a Dime: Lost Nation Brewing
Posted
By Sally Pollak
on Sun, Dec 3, 2017 at 4:52 PM
Probably no meal is better suited to this time of year in Vermont than a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of soup. This pair is beautifully made and presented — for $10 — at Lost Nation Brewing in Morrisville.
I stopped in on a sleet-spattered afternoon during the lull between lunch and the end of the work day. The taproom was warm and welcoming, but looking out the window at the bare hardwoods and high evergreens, I could feel the approach of winter.
Beyond the trees is the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, a bikeway and footpath that makes Lost Nation a prime beer-and-recreation destination in warm weather. In the summer, the kitchen serves burgers (bloody or burnt), barbecue and grilled hot dogs to diners at long picnic tables that are often full.
But sitting alone in the brewery with a book, a beer and a grilled cheese sandwich on a gray day is equally appealing.
"You doin' good?" the server asked me a couple of times, just making sure.
The soup that day was white bean with roasted garlic, a rich and hearty purée drizzled with pesto. The grilled cheese is a gourmet-ish version consisting of cheddar and blue cheeses, dressed up with thin apple slices and horseradish.
The sandwich comes on focaccia made at Elmore Mountain Bread in nearby Elmore. Its big, triangular wedges were grilled to perfection, the cheese melty and oozing from the bread. Like a homemade grilled cheese at its best, my Lost Nation sandwich had splatters of fried cheese adhered to the outside of the bread.
As I dined, I read the last pages of Howard Frank Mosher's posthumous book, Points North. The forthcoming collection of stories is set in his fictional Kingdom County — practically a lost nation itself.
Yes, I was doin' good.
I stopped in on a sleet-spattered afternoon during the lull between lunch and the end of the work day. The taproom was warm and welcoming, but looking out the window at the bare hardwoods and high evergreens, I could feel the approach of winter.
Beyond the trees is the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, a bikeway and footpath that makes Lost Nation a prime beer-and-recreation destination in warm weather. In the summer, the kitchen serves burgers (bloody or burnt), barbecue and grilled hot dogs to diners at long picnic tables that are often full.
But sitting alone in the brewery with a book, a beer and a grilled cheese sandwich on a gray day is equally appealing.
"You doin' good?" the server asked me a couple of times, just making sure.
The soup that day was white bean with roasted garlic, a rich and hearty purée drizzled with pesto. The grilled cheese is a gourmet-ish version consisting of cheddar and blue cheeses, dressed up with thin apple slices and horseradish.
The sandwich comes on focaccia made at Elmore Mountain Bread in nearby Elmore. Its big, triangular wedges were grilled to perfection, the cheese melty and oozing from the bread. Like a homemade grilled cheese at its best, my Lost Nation sandwich had splatters of fried cheese adhered to the outside of the bread.
As I dined, I read the last pages of Howard Frank Mosher's posthumous book, Points North. The forthcoming collection of stories is set in his fictional Kingdom County — practically a lost nation itself.
Yes, I was doin' good.
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