Browsing the cheese aisle in my local Dunnes Stores a feta cheese caught my eye.
Barrel Aged Feta c/othewhiskeynut
‘Barrel Aged’ it stated.
What barrels & for how long?
Turns out beechwood for a minimum of 60 days.
Beech Barrels c/othewhiskeynut
I couldn’t discern any wood influence – but enjoying the feta brought me back to lazy beachside days in Greece tucking into a wholesome & fresh feta cheese salad after the previous nights entertainment.
The diversification of Irish Whiskey continues with this delightful smoked salmon pâté from unionhallsmokedfish.com.
Delightful! c/othewhiskeynut
Infused with West Cork Irish Whiskey – a venture founded by former fishermen itself – this is not an entirely unexpected food pairing.
I found it a light salmon pâté – yet bursting with flavour.
Can I have some more? c/othewhiskeynut
The fresh citrusy salmon was accentuated by a gentle soft smokiness which gave depth & complexity to the mix. Quite what the Irish Whiskey brought to the palate was hard to judge – but I found it irresistible.
The back label info c/othewhiskeynut
I’d have easily polished off the whole lot if it wasn’t for the other half reminding me to leave some for the guests – who also enjoyed what was left!
What better way to enjoy breakfast than indulge yourself with Irish Whiskey Marmalade on yer toast?
How could I resist? c/othewhiskeynut
Erne Larder is currently available in the Lidl chain of stores and I happily spread a liberal amount all over my sourdough toast earlier.
Whiskey Marmalade! c/othewhiskeynut
The marmalade has a solid consistency – it doesn’t run over the toast – is fairly dark in colour and comes with orange peel in the mix to give added bite & texture.
The nose was rich & inviting, heavy with orange, a hint of malt & fresh zestiness too.
The taste was wholesome, bursting with flavour & full bodied.
If this was a whiskey I’d be saying it possessed character, depth & added flair.
A very satisfying way to start the day.
Sláinte
NB – Please note the 2% refers to the percentage of Irish Whiskey – source not stated – in the recipe, not the ABV of the marmalade.
If you’re out shopping for some sliced ham – as I was – and you come across a Whiskey Smoked one – there can only be one response – buy it!
Now it might be a gimmick.
It might not be up to much.
But it sure is worth a punt!
A proper sandwich. c/othewhiskeynut
I happily slapped a few slices in a sandwich layered with mayonnaise for a taster.
Very nice!
To be fair no whiskey has been used in the smoking. It’s the whiskey wood chips that provide the fuel source for the aromatic smoke after the spirited liquid has been removed.
3 days maturation – sorry – curing! c/othewhiskeynut
Trying the ham ‘neat’ did reveal some subtle smokiness which gave welcome added flavour.