Heidrun Meadery was opened in 1997 by Gordon Hull, a geologist and former brewer who began making mead, the ancient honey-based fermented drink, like champagne, with a second fermentation in the bottle. Originally based in Arcata, Northern California, he moved his business 10 years ago and established his own beehives further south, in Point Reyes Station, California, near San Francisco. Its sparkling co-strains use honey close to home and further afield (e.g. Marin County Wildflower and Hawaiian Lehua Blossom), each resulting in different aromas and flavours, just as Champagnes are differentiated by terroir and cuvée. To encourage small beekeepers around the world, he and Michael Zilber, his managing director, have now introduced the World Honey Initiative Collection, three new international sparkling meads in partnership with the World Honey Exchange, an organization that helps honey cooperatives. The sparkling mead from Ethiopian Geteme Blossom is pale and floral, slightly bitter, with a honeyed aftertaste. Chilean Ulmo Blosson is a deeper gold, with hints of spice and soft richness. Tanzanian Miombo Wildflower is amber, full of flavor with an enticing smokiness, making it a great partner for cheese.
Heidrun Meadery World Honey Initiative sparkling mead, $65 each for 750 milliliters, $175 for all three, heidrunmeadery.com.
‘Masa’, a biography of the tortilla from beginning to end
Jorge Gaviria begins “Masa,” his book about corn, cornmeal, and Mexico’s shape-shifting staple, the tortilla, with how he started his California company Masienda, which sold high-quality Mexican ingredients. He covers the pile corn itself; the history, culture and modernization of masa and tortilla making; and the recent return to old traditions in the hands of serious chefs. Nixtamalization, grinding the corn, equipment, forming and cooking tortillas are covered in detail, followed by an illustrated glossary of recipes of the many uses for masa, from arepas to totopos (tortilla chips) and on to modern variations such as the masa from Chef Alex Stupak. tempura batter. It’s an engrossing read, even though all the tortillas you’ll ever consume come from a restaurant or store.
“Masa: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless Staple” by Jorge Gaviria (Chronicle Books, $35), masienda.com.
Cardamom extract adds another note to Winter Spice
Vanilla and almond extracts are probably the most commonly used flavors in baked goods, drinks and more, but cardamom extract, popular in Scandinavian cuisine, can also be used. Now Burlap & Barrel, the sustainable spice company in Queens, New York, has introduced its own spice, made from green Guatemalan cloud forest cardamom and made in combination with Bittercube Bitters from Milwaukee. Pale green, pungent and bitter but fragrant, it can add a spicy, aromatic note to tea or coffee, cocktails and custards. Enhance Irish coffee with a few finishing drops, but use it sparingly as it has the potential to overpower.
Burlap & Barrel Cloud Forest Cardamom Extract, five ounces, $15.99, burlapandbarrel.com.
Danish Smoked Salmon Worthy of the first course
A Scandinavian smoked salmon, with an emphasis on smoked, is an attractive variant of Acme Smoked Fish with their Spence & Co. label. Sustainably farmed Norwegian salmon is cured with salt and then double smoked (twice as long as normal for cold smoked salmon) over beech wood in Outrup, Denmark. The result is silky smooth and seductively smoky. Serve it as an appetizer on a plate with accompaniments like capers and onions instead of burying it in a cream cheese bagel. The salmon is cut into four-ounce packages.
Spence & Co. Danish Double Smoked Salmon, $11.99 for four ounces, Whole Foods.
Nick Cave plates suit every occasion
Nick Cave’s extravagant assemblages and costumes, on display at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum through April 10, can grace your dinner table. Oversized, brightly patterned bone china plates depict six of the artist’s “Soundsuits”: buttons, twigs, toys, crochet, hair, and thread. The plates have a diameter of 25 cm, large enough to use as a charger, for serving, as a dinner plate or even as a wall decoration.
Nick Cave “Soundsuits” signs, $70 each, gift shop Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, guggenheimstore.org.
Pantry Staples from Eleven Madison Park now available nationwide
Eleven Madison Home, the division of Eleven Madison Park that sells packaged foods and other items, now ships nationwide (excluding Alaska and Hawaii), so a taste of the plant-based Michelin three-star restaurant can be just as easily enjoyed in Montana like in Manhattan. Some highlights among the available items include the Farm Trio ($78) with jars of pickled vegetables from the restaurant’s farm: shredded carrots with jalapeños, pale spears of marinated fairy eggplant, and chunks of pickled beets. The breakfast box ($68) includes a bag of apple cranberry granola, a jar of almost winey mixed berry jam, excellent earthy buckwheat pancake mix with milk added (they suggest plant-based, but I used the whole), and tasty peanut butter with the consistency of fudge sauce – spoon it on the pancakes.
Eleven Madison Home, elfmadisonhome.com.