Knock Knock

The Door Knockers of France & Spain

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Rum: The Kraken

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Name: The Kraken Type: Rum, Spiced Rum ABV: 40% Rum is inextricably linked in myth, legend and marketing with the Caribbean.  With Pirate captains like Long John Silver and the British Navy.  The origins of the name are unclear and one strain of thought according to etymologist Samuel Morewood is that it may have been derived from slang for the best, as in "having a rum time".   In days of yore the navy used to issued a daily ration of rum to its sailors and indeed only stopped in 1970.  A double ration was issued at special times following the order to "splice the mainbrace", an order which could only be issued by the Queen, a member of the royal family or by the Admiralty.  In order to reduce the effects of the alcohol the rum was diluted with water and was known as grog, a term for booze that is still in use. The Kraken is a legendary giant sea creature which reputedly lives off the costas of Norway and Greenland.  It's also a blac...
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From The Holy Mountain

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Title: From the Holy Mountain Author: William Dalrymple Genre(s): Travel, History Earlier this year a new name appeared on my twitter feed,William Dalrymple. Usually retweeted by my favourite Kerryman (yes I have one).  After reading a number of his tweets over the space of a few weeks I decided to follow him myself, which by the way William you have not reciprocated, however we'll let that slide. His tweets were usually about India be it history or society and drew me in from a travel and history point of view.  A google search revealed his books and newspaper articles.  A chance meeting with my favourite Kerryman lead to a discussion about Mr.Dalrymple's books.  "Any good?" I asked.  "Outstanding, says the Kerryman, probably my favourite book ever".  And Kerrymen don't lie.  So off I took myself to O'Mahonys Bookshop in Limerick and purchased a copy of From The Holy Mountain. Eased into my favourite armchair I started to re...
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Low n Slow

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Low n Slow is a barbecue cooking method that does exactly as it says on the tin, low temperatures and a slow pace.  This method is ideal for large items such as turkeys, hams, chickens and also for meats that benefit from long slow cooking such as brisket and pork belly.  Temperatures for low and slow are typically 150F/65C to 300F/150C.  Times will vary depending on what you are cooking.  My Christmas ham takes about 8 hours.  What most people refer to as barbecue is in fact grilling at high temperatures.  Your everyday common garden variety barbecue with burgers and sausages is to low and slow as a greasy spoon cafe is to a michelin star. Low n Slow to my mind is best done over natural lumpwood charcoal.  As the great Spanish chef Jose Andres said "I prefer natural hardwood lump charcoal, the other stuff makes your food taste like Goodyear tyres"  I won't even comment on gas. Low n Slow allows for smoking food with natural woods.  Thes...
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