A couple of weeks ago we invited friends over for an evening of fun, frollicking (in its most innocent sense ) and whisky which we had brought back from our holidays on Mull.
Now we're doing the same again next weekend with different friends, but these 2 are serious foodies and I'm starting to get a bit nervous.
I've got lined up so far:
- peat smoked salmon and peat smoked trout from North Uist
- I'll be stocking up on cheese and oat biscuits at GG's next Thursday
- I've thought of doing a lightly roasted carpaccio of Angus beef in a light herb/salt crust, but I'm not sure on that one
- alternative: steak tartar - but it's difficult to get the seasoning right, if you're not sure of how sensitive the tastebuds are
- dessert: either a butterscotch tart or crannachan
Does anybody have any ideas for sort of "finger food" type of dishes which are relatively good to prepare in advance? I don't want to be spending most of my guests' time with us in the kitchen, worrying if something is being burnt to a cinder
Typically mackerel mixed with onions, spices, etc; then breaded; then deep fried. Tuna works too. I unfort don't know the recipe; it's one of the things I am happy to let my Mum just make. Maybe this is the time to ask her.
Alternatively, you could drop by the Lankan take-away at Josefstrasse 140 and ask them to prepare you a batch, with hopefully a bulk discount. I could help you with this if required as they do know me well.
I'm not sure I would go to peaty on the food-- you want the peat to be mostly in the glass, I would think, and have something for food that's more of a balance or that can bring out other flavors in the whisky.
I'm no expert but I might try foods to tease out those other notes, be they apricot, cream, caramel, what have you... I think HB's suggestion of spice is good. Maybe a spicy lamb or 'wild' sausage would be easy to do?
Maybe you can go slightly Moroccan-- said spicy sausage with a cous cous that includes some dried fruit? [but I would pair this with a less peaty whisky myself]
I think the take-away usually makes them with tuna. Surely tinned mackerel is available in these parts. I'll ask the take-away if they do mackerel ones.
I am no expert but my husband is a whiskey fanatic and loves such things. I've learnt that its best to avoid cooking or serving heavy foods with spices during the event. This detracts from the guests being able to fully inhale the aroma, and taste at the tasting itself. An assortment of grumpy's cheese, crackers and fruits should be good enough - and a dessert after to end the evening.
Dont quote me on that though - I cant tell the difference between a bottle of Jacks and a 1939 Macallan.
Cheddar cheese or parmesean cheese straws and hot, spiced nuts. The cheese straws are readily available store-bought and here's a recipe for the nuts that has never failed to please at my parties:
Toast a few containers of mixed nuts on a cookie sheet for a few minutes. (Not too long, they burn easily!)
Saute a couple of cloves of chopped garlic and one or two chopped shallots with some chopped, fresh rosemary in olive oil. Pour over the nuts.
Melt about a half of a stick of butter in the micro with two or three spoonsful of dark brown sugar, a healthy pinch of sea salt and a pinch of cayenne. Pour the melted mix over the nuts.
Stir everything together and serve warm. (I serve it in a chafing dish to stay warm at parties, but you could always reheat in the microwave throughout the party if you need to.)
I asked a few Scots what goes well with good whiskey and they always replied the same. MORE scotch! Well that's what it sounded like, I can't always understand them.
In my opinion you don't want anything with a strong taste or smell. Both will detract from the whiskey. I like some very mild cheese, for texture, and some slightly salted crackers. But that's just me.
P.S. If you get a good bottle of peaty whiskey then NOTHING is better than a couple Wheatsworth biscuits. Just my 2c worth.
So I am guessing serving with lots of coke, 12 pints of lager and a kebab isn't in order??
I would go with something relatively simple - oatcakes, mature cheeses and a range of chutneys. The only trouble will be getting hold of such things in Switzerland