Canterbury knows how to party! And this week-end is one long holiday celebration starting tonight with the tree lighting. Read on…
The C in Canterbury stands for Community. We work together and play together—and even disagree together—but in the end we always pull off something magical.
The magic of PTO Christmas trees being delivered to the green then the stringing up the lights on the BIG tree and donning the gazebo.
The Lighting of the tree happens at 5:00 tonight Friday complete with live instrumental music followed by hot cocoa and tastings of sparkling wine, cheese and art at the store. We are open till 8pm this evening for some extended shopping hours.
The Crew that hung all those magical tiny lights rimming the store front. Thanks guys!!!
And inside the store is magical thanks to the entrants to our Gingerbread Home contest!
Our Sunday team–John and Constance–that keep the store magical this time of year so Dave and I can take a little break at home. Thank you guys!!
A little magic for your entertaining at home…
Balsamic pearls! Little bubbles of aged, sweet & tart balsamic vinegar syrup that pop in your mouth like caviar. Spoon them over cheese or fruit or add them to any cooked dish as a finishing flavor. Ask to try some.
Pinecone Bud syrup! We loved it so much last year that it’s here still to drizzle over cheese, add to cocktails and even spooned over ice cream! Sweet and aromatic with a flavor all its own, ask to try some.
French honey with nuts! A traditional French treat, hazelnuts or almonds are macerated in honey to meld the flavors to scoop over cheese or ice cream. These are fun for the holiday table.
Roasting meat
Char is the flavor that defines oven roasts. If your oven is not hot enough to start with you miss that flavor component and, instead, the meat steams which causes the fat and the flavor to melt off. AND lack of heat makes the meat tough…that lower temperature shrinks the long fibers to make the meat bouncy and springy instead of tender. Conversely, low and slow (like a pot roast) tenderizes meat but then no char is obtained. But this is not prime rib material.
Another safe guard against flavor disappearing in oven roasts is the use of a rub. Rubs can form a crust and/or will draw the juices to caramelize on the surface of the meat encouraging that char and browning.
We’ve made up a few blends of rubs for you to play with. They also dub as excellent seasoning for roasted veggies or even salad dressings. And FYI, these mixes are pure concentrated ingredients. Most rubs on the market contain up to 75% dextrose as a filler to bulk up the product. Dextrose is not good for our bodies.
But I also played around with our cranberry dip mix and got some really excellent results on a pork roast. Here is what I did:
Preheat the oven at 450′ for one hour. Meanwhile, mix one packet of the cranberry dip mix with 1T water, 1T olive oil, 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp ground black pepper.
Smear this all over the roast then put in the oven. Immediately reduce the heat to 350′ and roast until it is done. (check roasting times against your desired doneness and the size of your roast).
Click here for next weeks plan-head menu specials.
Have a great week-end and we hope to see you ’round the store,
Jane and Dave
Canterbury Country Store 