Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I am back again with a new edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I briefly highlight some interesting wine and food items that I have encountered recently.
**********************************************************
1)  Abby Lane Chef/Owner Jason Santos introduces a weekend brunch to the theatre district. Abby Lane is now offering brunch every Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 am through 3 pm.

Menu highlights include:
FIRST COURSE
--Smoked Salmon Bagel “Nachos” made with house-made boursin, pickled onions and capers ($11)
--Crispy Buffalo Oysters with celery root puree, gorgonzola, and house-made hot sauce ($11)
--Made-To-Order Cinnamon Doughnuts with three dipping sauces ($7)
ENTREES
--Blue Corn and Blueberry Pancakes with orange-honey butter, grilled sausage, and cinnamon pecan syrup ($12)
--Lobster Roll with a buttered brioche, fresh lemon, and fries ($21)
--Breakfast Pizza with cheese, bacon, sunny-side-up eggs, and potatoes ($15)
BRUNCH COCKTAILS
--Gin & Jam with gin, fresh lemon, strawberry jam, and a cinnamon sugar doughnut ($10)
--Cure for the Common Hangover with bourbon, ginger, fresh orage, and carrot juices ($11)
--There Once Was… with Nantucket’s 888 blueberry and mint Vodka, topped off with cisco grey lady ($12)

2) Puritan & Company launches its Sunday brunch this weekend, introducing the first “Provisions Table” approach of its kind. The main attraction of Sunday mornings at Puritan will be the transformation of the communal dining table into an a la carte Provisions Table, which will display all the house-made pastries, biscuit sandwiches, and more, presented in pre-priced individual portions. These selections will change weekly, but may include house-made nosh such as: Boston Cream Doughnuts, Coconut Cake, Babka, Croissants, Cookies, and Ham & Cheddar Biscuit Sandwiches. Guests are welcome to take whatever offerings they please from the Provisions Table (while they last), and each plate will be attached to a certain price point.

Taking the same approach on brunch as on dinner, Chef Will Gilson also presents a seasonal and fresh, modern New England a la carte menu in the form of griddle cakes, smoked bluefish pate, and more. The a la carte menu (attached) will also change weekly due to produce availability, and will include, but not be limited to:

STARTERS
Smoked Bluefish Pate// allium bread, herbs, chili flake $7
Greek yogurt parfait// granola, summer fruit preserve $6
Chopped Salad// market vegetables, egg, tarentaise $9
Duck Rillette// pumpernickel, pickled fruit $10
MAINS
Muscovy Duck Hash// farm eggs, herbed-crème fraiche $15
Early Summer Vegetable Quiche// market greens $12
Organic Griddle Cakes// maple, honey butter, nuts $13
TASTY SIDES
Pumpernickel toast $2
Cream of wheat $6
Smoked pork belly $5
SUNDAY SIPPERS
In-Square Shandy// summer ale, ginger, lemonade $8
Market Bellini// strawberry, mint, prosecco $10

When: Every Sunday, beginning July 21, from 11am-2pm

3) The “Scuola Culinaria,” - the cooking school at Tuscan Village, the property which houses both Tuscan Kitchen restaurant and the artisanal foodie wonderland of Tuscan Market in Salem, New Hampshire, has just announced its first hands-on cooking class to be held on Tuesday, July 30, from 6pm-9pm.

The first demo-based class held at the restaurant in late May sold out over 100 seats in less than 24 hours. Joe Faro, the owner and creator of Tuscan Brands, says “The demo class was great, but teaching artisanal techniques is at the core of what Tuscan Market does. We have a virtual army laboring over fresh baked breads and handmade pasta every day. We want to share that with people in an authentic and transparent way. We are extremely passionate about the food we create at the market and we want people to be connected to the food we make for them in a very personal way.”

The class which will be taught by Faro will lead students through the from-scratch creation of one of Tuscan’s most popular pastas, “Roasted Butternut Squash Cappellacci.” Students will create their own pastas as well as complete the plated dishes with a sage brown butter sauce, topped with Parmigiano Reggiano. While students are cooking away, the Chefs at the newly opened Trattoria within Tuscan Market will prepare a multi-course meal for the group to enjoy after the class comprising of not only the fresh cappellacci, but an antipasti course and a secondi course of roasted pork tenderloin. All students will take home all the pasta they make after the class and receive a Tuscan t-shirt. The class price is $125 per person and can be reserved via: http://www.tuscanbrands.com/kitchen/cooking-school/

Tickets will be released to the general public on July 22.