In the Cupboard

Don’t forget your mother!

Flowers (and maybe some chocolate, salt and wine) for your mother

Come by the shop this Saturday or Sunday! Or we can deliver flowers, chocolate, and bubbly across the Portland area. Through our network of like-minded independent florists we also deliver flowers nationally. Flower delivery: toll free 888-388-4633, or order online here>>

Happy Mother’s Day from Jennifer, Mark, and staff at The Meadow!

markbitterman :: May.07.2010 :: Newsletter Archive :: No Comments »

Pimm’s Cups are one of those astonishing oddities that crop up once in a while that make me wish we were still under colonial rule by the British.  Real scones with currants are another.  Ploughman’s chutney.  Salt & vinegar chips (crisps).  Jumpers.  I don’t know if the Brits actually drink Pimm’s cups, but it is irrevocably British in my mind. Sort of like holding up the pinky finger when drinking tea: something that most Brits would surely punch you if you actually demonstrated.

The Pimm’s Cup is a far better, and more dignified drink than it’s ingredients would suggest; 7-Up is not something I would normally want to be caught drinking in huge quantities.  The namesake ingredient, Pimm’s No. 1, however, is pretty cool.  It was invented in 1923 by the mixologist and oyster bar owner James Pimm.  The drink is based on gin, and contains a bunch of other fruits and spices and herbs.  (Mr. Pimm later went on to make Pimm’s based on whisky, rye, brandy, and vodka).  Splash a bunch of Pimm’s  in a glass, mix with 7-Up, add a slice or three of cucumber and a wedge of lemon, and you’re off.  But add two drops of Adam Elmegirab’s magnificent Dandelion and Burdock Bitters, and you will likely hop the next boat to the old world.  Adam Elmegirab also makes a phenomenal Boker’s Bitters that is pretty amazing (more medicinal) in this and about 1,000 other cocktails.

Serves 1

2 ounces Pimm’s No. 1
2 dashes Dandelion and Burdock Bitters
7-Up or lemon-lime soda of choice
3 rounds of cucumber
1 wedge of lemon

In collins glass filled with ice, pour the Pimm’s and Dandelion and Burdock Bitters.  Top off with 7-Up.  Drop in 3 slices of cucumber.  Squeeze lemon wedge and drop into glass as well.  Sip away, mate.

markbitterman :: May.03.2010 :: Drink :: No Comments »

Hi everyone! We just wrapped up an incredible week wining and dining with incredible people from the International Association of Culinary Professionals, which was held here in Portland this year. It was great to visit with so many foodies and friends and foodie-friends and house-guests, but in the melee we’ve not yet shared some great new things in the shop.

• Salted Caramel Classes
• Recipe a Week – Making the Most of Your Salt
• Join the Meadow on Facebook
• New Products!
• Free Shipping on Orders Over $35

Two Salted Caramel Classes with David BriggsJoin us for a salted caramel demonstration and tasting! David Briggs of Xocolatl de David will share his expertise
in the art of making fine caramels, and Mark Bitterman of The Meadow will
discuss the subtle, occasionally startling ways salt brings flavor and savor to
confections. We will sip a little wine, taste caramels with various quantities and
types of salt, try the caramels on different kinds of goodies, then sip a little more wine. Revel in the wild and
beautiful flavor combinations David brings to classic caramel candy. At the end of the evening, you will be taking home a little pot of
freshly made salted caramel sauce! Sign up now, space is limited!

Friday, May 7th from 7:00pm to 8:30pm – $20

Sign up>>

Tuesday, May 11th from 6:00 to 7:30pm – $20

Sign up>>

Recipe a Week – Make the Most of Your Salt

We’re proud
to present our Recipe of the Week series.
Each week (as the Fates allow) we will bring you a recipe designed to showcase the best ways to use and appreciate artisan salts with your favorite foods. Recent recipes:

	Roasted Lemon Chicken with The Meadow Sel Gris: Coarse, crunchy salts like sel gris (coarse sea salt) should be a legally required addition to roast chicken.  The real question is, should the salt go on before you tuck the bird into the oven, or after you have carved it and set it on the table?  Before you don your finest wrestling gear to settle the matter with violence, consider the possibility that both are great. More>>
	Sole with Herb Butter and Fleur de Sel de I’lle de Ré: …Fleur de sel has no higher purpose than to grace the buttery-moist flesh of sole.  The excellent fleur de sel from Ile de Ré, France, with its mineral sheen of a full moon, underscores the perfection of each of the other elements in the dish, defining their features in the most loving light.  Sole is so delicate that the grassy pungency of fresh herbs must be suffused in butter to preserve the balance of the fish… More>>
	Spring Salad: Baby Greens, Clementine, Pansy, Marlborough Flakey Salt: …I think of salad.  The tenderness of baby greens in my mouth, the citrus pop of a crescent of clementine, the bitter nip of an edible flower, all whipped into a moment of suspended perfection by a snowflake glint of Marlborough Flakey sea salt on the tongue. The spring salad clears the mind, refreshes the skies, and says through flavor what my winter weary heart yearns for… More>>

Join The Meadow on Facebook!

The Meadow is now on Facebook.
Follow us on Facebook to find out about new products, specials, classes,
and more!  You can also follow us on Twitter and
our blogs – Saltnews.com, Chocolatenews.org, and Inthecupboard.com.

New Products!

The Meadow Flake – Our
new house flake salt is intense and bright-tasting, lending a brilliant silver geometry to food and a fun, almost startling
texture. Frankly, they’re some of the biggest crystals we’ve seen –
huge pyramidal babies up to an inch across! Crunch them with your fingers or leave them whole.

Black Diamond – A blacker, visually burlier version of our popular Turkish Black Pyramid salt. This is the salt for the wild and the mild alike, from cakes of crab or codfish to banana cream pies. Seriously.

Cyprus Hardwood – Massive flakes of caramel-sweet smoke flavors (actually, it really reminds me of Wheaties!) make this salt perfect for sprinking on salads, cheeses, pastas, and oatmeal.

Lemon Flake – Its a flake salt, and it’s lemony. Try as we might to stay focused on the traditional, unflavored salts, this lemon flake salt was way too much for us to resist. At a recent dinner with chefs Andy Schloss and David Joachim at Amnesia Brewing, we lined the edge of a Dusty Trail Pale Ale with lemon salt for a palate cleanser. Amazing.

Boker’s Bitters – Founded by John G. Boker in 1828, Boker’s bitters gained popularity
in New York and around the world as the finest bitters of the Golden
Age of mixed drinks. Boker’s Bitters were famously the preferred brand
of Professor Jerry Thomas and featured throughout his book, ‘How to Mix
Drinks or The Bon Vivant’s Companion,’ now recognized as the world’s
first bartender’s guide. Referencing recipes dating back to 1853, these recreated bitters are
compounded using the finest botanicals and are once again being used around the world.

Angostura Bitters – Made since 1824 using the same secret blend of herbs and spices,
Angostura aromatic bitters is a natural, fragrant flavor enhancer.
Bitter-sweet, robust, and spicy, Angostura aromatic bitters is the
secret weapon for many great cooks, as it imparts an extra zing and
flavor intensity to a wide variety of every day food and drink recipes. Because of its delightful flavor and aroma it has become popular for
use in soft drinks, cocktails, and other alcoholic beverages. It also
imparts an exquisite flavor to soups, cereals, salads, vegetables,
gravies, fish, grapefruit, fruits, jellies, sherbets, ice cream,
sauces, puddings, mince pies, apple sauce, and more.

Free Shipping on Orders over $35

We are currently offering free shipping
to anywhere in the U.S. on orders over $35.
Do you have a friend or relative to whom you would like to introduce
artisan salts, chocolate, or bitters?
This is the perfect opportunity to do so. Our Starter Set, Fee Brothers Starter Bitters Set,
and almost all of our Cookware salt blocks all ship for free!Cheers,Jennifer & Mark

markbitterman :: May.01.2010 :: Newsletter Archive :: No Comments »