Edinburgh Jazz Festival

Aga Zaryan, courtesy Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival

Most people think festival season over here starts with the Fringe (which kicks off next weekend), but they're wrong. It actually begins two weeks earlier with the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival.

I don't know who does publicity for this event, but I think they're doing a fairly sub-par job, because I hadn't even heard about it until a day or two before it started, even though it's been going on since 1978. You'd think they'd have their PR machine together by now. Or, maybe it's one of those ''you have to be in the know'' kinds of things. If it is, it shouldn't be, because the Festival's pretty awesome. This year, it drew in dozens of the finest jazz and blues musicians from all over the world to perform in venues in and around the Royal Mile. Tickets were, generally, quite reasonably priced (most around 10 pounds) and there were two big free events: a Mardi Gras parade at the Grassmarket and a carnival on Prince's Street.

Husby's a big fan of bluesy jazz, so we went to Aga Zaryan's show on Wednesday evening. Zaryan and her band were one of many groups from Poland appearing at the show, and they were fantastic, mixing their own songs with works by other composers and poets and one or two jazz standards.

So, music fans, just in case the word doesn't get out next year--definitely drop by Edinburgh for the festival if you're in the neighborhood. It's well worth the price of admission.

Hit or Miss: Cafe Fish

By some miracle, I was offered a website editor position with the Scottish Book Trust, which means I get to spend my professional days encouraging people to fall in love with reading and writing. For me, that's basically the exact description of a dream job, so naturally Dear Husband and I wanted to go out and celebrate. We settled on the rather unimaginatively named Cafe Fish for a few reasons: 1. It's local; 2. It's a celebrated fish restaurant in a city that's great for fish, and we love our seafood. Off we went.

In terms of decor, the place is...well, I guess it's a tiny bit incongruous and odd. It's housed in an old building that still has some old wood detailing around the room, but all the fittings, tables, and chairs are sleekly modern and a bit on the chilly side, being mostly metal and black plastic. My guess is they didn't want the place to seem stuffy, and they accomplished that. Strangely, the setup works, though I feel like it would be a little less pleasant on a cold, gray winter's night.

For us, the issues started early, and they were all about service. My husband's drink was wrong--almost completely wrong. The waiter utterly disregarded about half of what he asked for, so that had to be sent back. My prosecco came out without incident, as did the glass of wine I had with my entree. Getting alcohol is no problem here, but if you want to have your water glass refilled, good luck. Ours were ignored completely; the only reason we got more water at all was because my husband managed to flag down another table's waitress. The food was also interminably slow to come out. Normally I'd blame this on the kitchen, but I found it suspicious that another table had time to sit down, eat a two-course meal with wine, pay their bill and leave all before we'd managed to finish our entrees. And it's not like they were speed eating either. There was probably a good 15-20 minute gap between when our appetizers were finished and our entrees appeared, which is absurd when you're talking about fish served with sides that have, most likely, been prepped ahead of time. We got our puddings all right, but then the waiter, who'd been asked to bring the bill, disappeared completely. We never saw him again. The waitress at the table next to us brought the bill after we asked. I think this might have been the only time I've ever dined out and chosen not to leave a tip. I've waitressed in the past and I tend to be very forgiving and generous, but this service was terrible.

Food-wise, the place was all right. Our appetizers were quite delicious (a crab salad with heirloom tomatoes for me, cured trout with beets for him) and my entree (sea bass with spiced aubergine) was lovely both in flavor and appearance. My husband's entree of roasted cod, which cost an extra 2 pounds supplement, was a near complete disappointment. The cod was dull, just a roasted slab of fish that had been seasoned, certainly nothing I couldn't have made at home. The flabby skin on it was unappealing, as was the overly wet puree it perched on, which was as inspiring as the wet sponge it resembled. It gave both of us a definite sad, because cod is a beautiful fish that can stand up to some great flavors, and they just did nothing with it. My pudding -- bramble frangipane tart with ginger ice cream, was nice, with decent flaky pastry and a clean ginger flavor to the ice cream that nicely complimented the rich brambles.

Cafe Fish is only one of many, many seafood restaurants around town, and it's not one we intend to return to when the competition is so high and so good. The prices seemed steep (22 pounds for 2 courses), especially when you can go to somewhere like Angels with Bagpipes for 16 pounds for three courses, and probably get a much better dining experience. Several of the items on the menu cost extra, and I suspect they charged us for a second basket of bread (which we only needed because of the long wait between courses) -- there was a mysterious additional 3 pound charge on the bill we couldn't account for, but since it had been such a struggle to get the bill in the first place, we just let it go and went home, somewhat the wiser.

Verdict: Miss. There are dozens of other, better places to go in this town.

Super Simple Sourdough Starter

As a person who loves to cook and bake, I've been pretty bowled over by the ingredients suddenly available to me over here. The spices alone are enough to send me into overdrive (oh, piri piri, where have you been all my life?) but the flours! Oh, the flours! There's a flour for everything, and some pretty cool specialty ones as well. While perusing the shelves at my local Waitrose, I came across Bacheldre Watermill's organic line and thought, "I'll bet these would make great sourdough starters."

I've done sourdough starters in the past, but they've always been "cheater starters" that used commercial yeast to get the ball rolling. This time, I was determined to do it the old-fashioned way, just using the wild yeast already in the flour. Armed with a sack of stoneground strong malted blend, I settled down to find a recipe I could work with.

What I found was a whole lot of complicated. People out there are passionate about their sourdough, which is great and all, but I think they're making things a lot harder than they need to be, especially for us newbies. They're a bit too deep into the chemistry, and some of these recipes get out of hand. I found one that called for at least half a dozen ingredients. Others told me to add organic grapes to get the yeast going. Yet another called for ten pounds of flour mixed up in a barrel. Who the hell is making that much sourdough starter in their home? This was insane.

You know what you need for sourdough starter? Water and flour. That's it. You don't need special filtered water, tap will do just fine. You may want to go for an organic flour, though. I've heard the wild yeasts are a bit more active in it because it hasn't been processed as much or sprayed with chemicals. It's what I used, and it worked beautifully. You don't need to stick fruit in there--in fact, I'd strongly advise against that, because that sounds like a great way to introduce mold to your starter. You don't need pineapple juice or three different kinds of flour. White, whole wheat, or rye will work just fine, it all depends on your taste.

Let's get started, shall we?

Sourdough Starter

Day 1: In a large jar or plastic container (anything not metal), mix 3 1/2 Tablespoons of flour with 1/4 cup warm (not hot) water. Cover loosely so the gases can escape and set aside in a warm spot for the next 48 hours, stirring 2-3 times per day. You may start to see bubbles on the top during this period. If you do, great, you're off to a good start! If not, don't panic, it doesn't mean your starter didn't take. Some just take a little while to get going.

Bubble up, baby! My starter after the first couple of days

Day 3: After 48 hours has passed, feed the starter with another 2 T flour and 2T water. Once again, leave for 48 hours, stirring 2-3 times per day.

Day 5: Time to start really building this puppy up. Feed with 5 1/4T flour and 3T water. Leave for 24 hours, stirring 2-3 times. At this point, you should be seeing some bubbles in the top.

The starter again after a few days. As you can see, it's less wildly bubbly than it was in the beginning, but still has some action going on

The same starter from the side. You can see little air bubbles here--just what you want!

Day 6: Add about 1/2 cup flour and just under 1/4 cup water. You should now have your starter going. If this hasn't bubbled at all and doesn't bubble even a little after the last feeding, start over. Don't be discouraged--this can be a slightly delicate process, and sometimes starters just don't take. It's probably not something you did. Try, try again.

What I saw: my starter bubbled up on the first day, which was gratifying. After the first few days, it settled down a lot and I just got a couple of bubbles on the top and could see a few on the sides of the jar. That's normal, and my bread still rose just fine. Just because it's not bubbling wildly doesn't mean it's dead. Starters, once they've gotten off the ground, are fairly difficult to really kill. Even if you leave it at the back of the fridge for weeks without feeding it, you can probably still resurrect it with a good feed or two.

You'll start to notice your sourdough taking on some interesting smells as it develops. Mine started smelling strongly of vinegar--don't worry about that, it's completely normal. If the smell's too strong for your taste, remove half the starter and feed as directed below.

Care and feeding: Like pets, sourdough starters need to be fed. The experts say that starters kept out on the kitchen counter should be fed everyday, though I have to admit, I didn't do this with mine and it seemed just fine. So don't panic if you forget about it for a few days. Unless you're baking sourdough every day, you'll probably want to put your starter in the fridge once it's gotten off the ground. Refrigerated starters only need to be fed once a week or so, and since I tend to bake once a week, I just feed it when I'm baking. Saves on waste that way too, since I don't discard what I remove from the starter to feed it.

To feed your starter: Remove about half of it. Either use that half in a recipe or discard it. Feed the remaining starter with equal weights water and flour, stir, let it sit at room temperature for a few hours, and once it's bubbling a bit, loosely cover it and return it to the fridge.

Word of Warning: If you ever see mold inside the container your starter is in, throw it all away. The same goes for any liquid that has a reddish or pinkish colour to it. If, however, your starter gets a dark-colored liquid on top, don't worry. That's hooch. Just pour it out.

Ready for some recipes?

Sourdough Pretzels
I love snacking on sourdough pretzels, but for some strange reason, they're impossible to find over here. Being me, I decided to start making my own.

3/4-1 cup sourdough starter
2 3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup warm water
1 scant tsp salt
1 dipped tsp honey (optional)
1T baking soda
Sea salt for sprinkling

If you're refrigerating your starter, take it out of the fridge the night before you plan to bake and let it come to room temperature. In the morning, remove 1/2 cup starter and feed that 1/2 cup with 1/4 cup flour and equal weight warm water (around 3 T). Mix it up, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and set aside for a couple of hours. Feed your mother starter and return it to the fridge.

Once the starter has fed and grown a bit (it should come to 3/4-1 cup starter), it's time to get started. Mix the water, salt, and honey (if using) in a bowl until the salt dissolves. Add the starter, stirring to break it up (*note: make sure you don't add your starter to HOT water. That kills the yeast. Stick a finger in the water and, if you can comfortably hold it in there, the water should be fine. If you get scalded, wait for it to cool down).

Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and knead to form a fairly stiff dough. Place the dough in a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let proof for 2 hours.

Remove the dough from the bowl, cut it into several pieces, and form each piece into a long rope. Either shape the rope into pretzels or cut it into small pillows to make pretzel nuggets.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/425 F. While the oven's preheating, bring a pan of water to the boil on the hob, adding the baking soda and stirring to dissolve. When the water's boiling, add the pretzels in batches and boil them for about 30 seconds to a minute to develop that nice crust on the outside. Remove them to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet so they can dry off. Once they're dried, place them on a baking sheet lined with a silpat and sprinkle them with sea salt or toppings of your choice. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until browned and crunchy (if you want a softer pretzel, bake for 20-25 minutes). Cool and enjoy!

Sourdough Loaf

I'm just going to warn you, sourdough bread is not for the impatient. It takes longer for wild yeast to raise dough than commercial yeast, so there's quite a lot of rising time here. It's worth it, though. This bread is delicious--perfect toasted, as a sandwich, or just on its own. Try not to dig into it right away (if you can!); the flavor develops as the bread cools, so it's actually more delicious later on.

Recipe by Laura Hart

5oz/150g sourdough starter
1.1 lb/500g strong white flour
1/2 T fine table salt
Cornmeal or semolina for dusting

In a large bowl, mix the flour, starter, and 10 fluid oz/300 ml water, stirring just enough to make a sticky dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 min.

Mix the salt with 3T water and add to the dough. Cover again and leave for an hour.

Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Shape it into a square, then stretch out one side (being careful not to tear the dough) and fold it over into the middle. Repeat the stretching and folding with the other three sides. At this point, the dough will be pretty sticky. Resist the urge to use too much flour--just use enough to keep it from totally sticking to your work surface and hands. Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and leave for an hour.

Repeat the stretching and folding and return to the bowl for another hour.

Stretch and fold once more. You should notice bubbles forming in the dough. Form it into a round loaf by cupping it between your hands and rotating it, tucking the edges underneath until it forms a smooth ball.

Line a colander or basket with a clean dishcloth and dust it with flour. Gently place the loaf in the basket, top side down. Sprinkle the bottom of the loaf with cornmeal or semolina, cover, and let rise for about 2 hours, until a little less than doubled in size. At this point, you can stash your loaf in the fridge if you want to bake the following day.

When you're ready to bake, bring the dough to room temperature (if you've had it in the fridge) while you preheat the oven to 230 degrees C/445 F. Let the oven preheat for at least half an hour, or 20 minutes after the "ready" light goes off, to ensure the inside of the oven is good and hot. For a really good, crisp crust, put a baking sheet or cake tin at the bottom of the oven or on the lowest rack while the oven's warming up.

Gently tip the loaf onto a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. Slash a # or other decoration in the top of the loaf so the steam has somewhere to escape through (otherwise you may have steam blowing out the sides of your loaf, which doesn't look pretty). Place the loaf in the oven, and toss a few ice cubes onto the baking sheet on the bottom of the oven to create steam. Close the oven door and resist the temptation to open it and check your bread. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the bread is golden and sounds hollow when it's tapped on the bottom. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

The Chap Olympiad

Image: Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images

Oh Britain, I love you. Don’t ever change.

One of the things I love about this country is its sense of humor, and the fact that it’s not afraid to make fun of itself from time to time. To that end, we have the Chap Olympiad, billed as Britain’s most eccentric sporting event, dedicated to celebrating “athletic ineptitude and immaculate trouser creases.” Honestly, it’s like something the crew at the Drones Club would have come up with.

Held annually in Bedford Square in London, contestants show up dressed to the nines and let their inner Bertie Wooster out for an afternoon in such events as Ironing Board Surfing, Umbrella Jousting, the Cucumber Sandwich Discus, and the Butler Relay. Sure, at least one of the events might have been a bit racist (Foreigner Shouting, in which contestants had to try and buy an item from a non-English speaking shopowner without killing said shopowner in frustratiom) but it seems like it’s generally a lighthearted (and well-dressed) afternoon. This year’s event was held on the 7 and 8 of July and you can see pictures from the day here. To learn more about the games, get tickets for next year, and catch up on past years’ events, visit thechapolympiad.com.

Royals on the Royal Mile

I SAW THE QUEEN YESTERDAY!

Ok, sorry about the shouting. Excited, you know. Let me back up. This is what's known as Holyrood Week -- the time of year her majesty travels north to Edinburgh to get all her official Scottish duties out of the way before she can kick back at Balmoral for a while. While she was here, she visited the National Portrait Gallery, held a tea party, and made Prince William a Knight of the Thistle. The Thistle ceremony, held at St. Giles' Cathedral on the Royal Mile, was yesterday. I didn't really care much about the ceremony -- certainly not enough to join the enormous crowds of people gathered outside the cathedral for a glimpse of the royals, but I did very much care about the parade of bagpipers who were going to march down the Mile, gather in front of the Parliament building, and put on a show with Scottish dancers and the band Whiskey Kiss. I love me some bagpipe music, and I used to actually do Highland Dance in college, so it holds a special place in my heart. Special enough for me to hoof it down to the Mile, where I fought through those massive crowds and, fortuitously, managed to arrive at the Parliament building precisely at one o'clock, when the concert was due to start.

It was definitely worth the walk. The massed pipe bands played familiar, soaring melodies that brought a tear to the eye, and Whiskey Kiss totally rocked out with their eclectic blend of folk music and electronic beats. If you don't think bagpipes can rock, here's proof otherwise (warning, you may want to turn your computer's volume down a bit. For some reason, this recorded very, very loudly):

The lungs on that guy, huh?

The dancers came out several times, performing along with Whiskey Kiss. Here they are doing a reel (apologies for the shaky cam--I was using my phone to record this):

After one last tune from the pipe bands and a bow from the dancers, the show was over, and we all trooped back up the Mile. I took a minute to duck into a cafe for a latte, and when I came out I couldn't help but notice that everyone was suddenly scurrying out of the street and lining up on either side, prepping cameras, while the police manning the barriers at nearby Waverley Bridge stood around expectantly, apparently ready to spring into action to block traffic. Something exciting was clearly going on, and by sheer dumb luck, I was in an area of the Mile where the huge crowds were not, so I had an unobstructed view of the street. The traffic wardens threw up the barrier and...

 They're heeeere...

In car #1

All right, I know it's basically impossible to see thanks to the glare, but that's Prince Philip in the foreground, with the queen beside him. The second car carried the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and the third one had Princess Anne all by her lonesome (guess Cdr. Lawrence was busy yesterday). I have to admit, it was a bit of a rush to see them all, but then, I'm a royalty nerd.

I ran a few errands and finally headed home. While walking down my street towards my flat, I noticed a motorcycle policeman ride by, followed by another one, and both stopped in the nearby intersection and held up traffic. This is unusual, so I figured someone interesting was coming. I stopped and turned just in time to see a Land Rover with William and Kate inside zoom past, followed by their security detail. A little extra royal bonus at the end of the day!

Places to Try: eteaket

I spent part of my 4th of July holiday meandering through the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, taking in the sight of many a Stuart monarch and aristocrat. It was lovely (I highly recommend you visit--it's free!) but walking around a climate- and moisture-controlled environment for a while can be hard on the feet and leaves you with quite a thirst. I emerged almost precisely at teatime and decided to head around the corner to eteaket on Frederick Street and sit down with a reviving afternoon cuppa.

It being teatime and all, the place was busy, but I was able to find a table in between a young couple and a pair of middle-aged ladies, all catching up over the obligatory pots of tea. I perused the menu, bypassing the sandwiches and salads and going right for the sweet stuff. A slice of the cake of the day--chocolate Earl Grey--and a pot of the intriguing-sounding Chili Rooibos if you please.

While I waited, I took in the sight of the place and deemed it almost self-consciously eclectic. By that, I mean it's actually rather trying to be funky. The magenta and torquoise furnishings, vaguely Indian design on the walls, and Beck on the soundtrack seem to be aiming towards a young-and-hip crowd (tea's not just your gran's drink--it can be sexy and cool!). But then the tea itself comes out in squat, serviceable teapots with mismatched floral cups and saucers alongside, just like what your gran would use (we're cool, but we're not so cool we're stuck up or make you uncomfortable!) Somehow, though, it all works and I felt pleasantly cozy as I settled back against the banquette with the most recent copy of The Pulse to peruse. Smiling staff members delivered my cake and tea (which comes with a little timer, so you know exactly when to take the tea filter out to avoid over- or underbrewing) just as the heavens opened up outside, delivering a drenching downpour. I have to admit, I felt a little smug over that bit of good timing.

Both cake and tea were actually rather surprising. I was, to be honest, expecting a heavy sugarbomb slice with the cake, but it was nothing of the kind. The chocolate sponge was light and fluffy, its richness cut by the tangy cream cheese frosting, which worked so much better than buttercream would have. The Earl Grey flavor wasn't terribly prominent, but the cake was good and I happily downed every little bit.

The tea menu actually warns you to approach the chili rooibos with care, and I will warn you too: it does actually pack some heat. Not so much it blows out your palate, but if you're sensitive to spice at all you might want to try a different brew. This one prominently features rich cherry flavors before moving on to the lingering spice at the end. Apparently, there are also rosebuds, safflower petals, peony petals, and carrot flakes in it, but I didn't really detect any of those flavors. Maybe on the second try (it was delicious enough that I purchased some to take home with me).

For those looking for a soothing afternoon cuppa, lunch, snack, or full traditional tea, this is a lovely place to get it. Unstuffy, charming, friendly, and delicious.

eteaket Cafe and Boutique
41 Frederick Street
eteaket.co.uk

Delicious Discovery: Fallachan Blaand

Is that not one of the most Scottish-sounding names you've ever heard?

Ok, you're going to think I'm insane with this one, and to be fair, you're not alone. Even the waitress thought I was crazy when I ordered it at A Room in the Town the other night. But the thing is, I've gotten to the point where I've become a risk-taking eater, to some extent. The crazier something sounds on a menu, the more I want to try it. So when I spotted Blaand on their puddings menu with the other after-dinner drinks and saw that it was a liquor made from whey (the leftovers from making cheese), I thought: 'that just sounds too bizarre to pass up!'

When the waitress came back around I passed on pudding but asked for a glass of the Blaand. She stared at me and asked, "Are you sure? Do you know what it is?" I smiled pleasantly back and said I did. She hurried off to fetch me a taste before pouring a full glass, probably figuring she was dealing with a tourist getting in over her head and anticipating me spitting a glassful right in my husband's face, which is a pain to clean up.

Back she came with a glass of honeysuckle-colored liquor, which surprised me. I guess because I had cheese on the brain, I half expected it to look milky, almost like a white Russian or something. This was soothingly familiar looking, like a glass of a rich chardonnay. I sniffed, I tasted.

I liked.

It's like nothing I'd ever drunk before, and I used to write a wine column, so I've tried a fair number of quaffs. The first flavor is an eye-opening saltiness that says: "This is not your average after-dinner drink. Brace yourself." But then it moves right along to a tasty sour note tempered by a lightly sweetened edge, like honeyed Granny Smith apples. To finish, there's a slightly earthy flavour that, I'm ashamed to admit, I couldn't quite place, but it was quite pleasing and left me wanting more. The shocked waitress obligingly brought me a full glass, which I polished off slowly. This, like most after-dinner drinks, is a sipper, and it was actually wonderfully refreshing on a summer evening. The menu advises you try it with cheese (makes sense, it being the product of a cheese byproduct), and yes, it would be an excellent accompaniment to a fairly strong or heavy cheese that needs something to cut the richness. It would be marvelous with a blue, for example, or even a creamy brie.

Having raved about it, I have to admit that this probably isn't for everyone. I got the distinct impression that you either love this stuff (me) or hate it (waitress), but it's definitely worth trying, even if it's just so you can say you did it.

Blaand actually has a nice long history in Scotland, even longer than the whiskey this country is so well known for. It was brought over by the Vikings way back when, and it has the distinction of not being classifiable as a wine, a spirit, or a beer because of what it's made out of. It has about the same alcohol content as wine and is served in similar quantities.

Blaand was produced on a small scale throughout Scotland for years, mostly by farmers and crofters who were making cheese and hated to waste the whey. It was used for medicinal purposes and sailors used to take barrels of it on board ship to help them stay warm. With the advent of more mechanized farming and cheese production in the 20th century, the production of Blaand petered out, only to be revived in the last few years by a historian-turned-Lanarkshire farmer named Humphrey Errington (who is also credited with creating the now-famous Lanark Blue cheese). Errington was looking for a way to use the whey on his farm and found an old recipe for Blaand. He whipped some up, aged it in oak casks, and named it "Fallachan," which is Gaelic for "hidden treasure."

A most apt name, I'd say.