Page 4C
EAT, DRINK & EXPLORE
East Oregonian
Saturday, January 7, 2017
Speyside distilled: Whisky, wool and walking
By MICHELLE LOCKE
Associated Press
ABERLOUR, Scotland — Forget
the three Rs. I went to Speyside,
Scotland’s “single-malt capital of the
world,” to brush up on the three Ws:
whisky, wool and walking.
Striding beside the River Spey on
a misty afternoon, a warm sweater
from a local mill wrapped around
my shoulders, an even warmer dram
of whisky awaiting me at my hotel
ahead, I realized I’d reached peak
Speyside status.
Educational mission accom-
plished. Or, to quote Scottish poet
and noted whisky fan Robert Burns,
“Gie me ae spark of Nature’s fire/
That’s a’ the learning I desire.”
Dreaming of drams and doing
a little whisky wandering of your
own? Here are a few pointers to the
Speyside region’s must-sees.
GETTING THERE
Speyside is located in northeast
Scotland and the closest airport is
Inverness. From there you can rent a
car or take the train to the Elgin, Avie-
more or Keith stations, whichever is
closest to your accommodations. If
you are traveling from London you
may want to consider the Caledonian
Sleeper that runs from Euston station
to Inverness and is a fun way to step
back in time to a slower and more
gracious form of transport.
WHERE TO STAY
Dufftown is home to several
distilleries and has rail service to
Keith during the summer. You’ll find
a number of B&Bs here. Book ahead
since rooms are limited. The pretty
village of Aberlour has the Aberlour
and Cardhu distilleries as well as
The Dowans Hotel, which has a very
good restaurant and well-stocked
whisky bar, plus rooms ranging from
small but well-designed singles that
start at around $100 a night to luxe
suites. In the heart of the village,
you’ll find The Mash Tun, a whisky
bar and restaurant with four rooms.
Also of note is the Quaich bar in
the Craigellachie Hotel, home to
hundreds of whiskies.
GETTING AROUND
There are buses, but car is the
easiest way to get around. If you’re
not renting, you can book a driver by
the day or take taxis. Since taxis are
limited, it’s best to ask your hotel or
B&B host to set up rides a day ahead.
WHISKY
Speyside is known for its single
malts, whiskies made at a single
Michelle Locke via AP
This photo taken June 29, 2016, shows the ruins of Elgin Cathedral. It is an impressive sight, especially the 13th-century west front, in
Elgin, in Scotland’s Speyside region. The cathedral is across the street from Johnstons of Elgin, maker of fine cashmere.
distillery from malted grain, usually
barley. Big names include The Glen-
livet, Glenfiddich and The Macallan.
More than a dozen distilleries are
open to the public. Pick the ones that
mean the most to you for whatever
reason and plan accordingly. See
this website for a helpful interactive
map: https://www.visitscotland.com/
see-do/food-drink/whisky/distill-
eries/ .
The area hosts an annual Spirit of
Speyside Whiskey Festival; the next
is scheduled April 27-May 1.
Three distilleries to consider:
Glenfidditch and Balvenie: These
neighboring Dufftown distilleries
offer contrasting experiences. At
Glenfiddich, you’ll tour the distillery,
visit the warehouses where the
barrels age and finish up with a
tasting. Tours start at around $13,
reservations recommended. The
Balvenie distillery has a traditional,
working malting floor as well as its
own cooperage on site. It’s recom-
mended you book four weeks ahead.
Tours start at $50 and for an extra $30
or so you can bottle your own bottle
of Balvenie. Glenfiddich has a restau-
rant and just around the corner are the
atmospheric ruins of Balvenie Castle,
open to visitors April-September.
Check out the nearby field, you may
see some Highland cattle with their
adorably fringed faces.
The Macallan: The Macallan is
in Craigellachie (pronounced Crey-
GELL-ah-kee) and is the whisky
James Bond likes to drink. Construc-
tion is under way on a new distillery;
check the website for traffic informa-
tion. The Six Pillars tour, about $19,
offers an excellent and in-depth look
into what goes into making and aging
a single malt whisky and finishes
with a tasting of four whiskies.
Reservations required. The distillery
Michelle Locke via AP
In this photo taken June 28, 2016, a worker at the cooperage of the
Balvenie distillery in Dufftown, in the Speyside region of Scotland,
works on a whisky barrel.
Michelle Locke via AP
This photo taken June 28, 2016, shows the line up for a whisky tasting at the Glenfiddich distillery in
the Speyside region of Scotland. The distillery is one of several in the area that can be visited.
is set in an extensive estate backing
on to the Spey and visitors can walk
around the area.
WALKS
The Speyside Way runs about 65
miles from Buckie, on the northeast
coast, to Aviemore, near the Cairn-
gorm mountains. Bikes allowed on
some parts of the route. Find out more
here: http://www.speysideway.org/
WOOL
Elgin is home to Johnstons of
Elgin, maker of fine cashmere. Free
guided tours of the mill are available;
reserve ahead to make sure you’re
not disappointed. More details here,
http://www.johnstonscashmere.
com/us/mill-tour/. If you are at all
into cashmere goods, this is well
worth the time. You’ll follow the
life cycle of cashmere, from fluffy
ball of uncarded fiber to the colorful,
chattering looms that weave fabric
to the lush scarves, knitwear and
other finished products. A restaurant
is on site — the scones are highly
recommended —— and, of course,
there’s a well-stocked gift shop.
Just across the street are the stark
yet elegant ruins of Elgin Cathedral,
open April-September. In the village
of Knockando (knock-AN-doh)
you’ll find the historic Knockando
Woolmill, which has been producing
woven fabric for 200 years and has
a pretty garden setting, a gift shop
selling unique woven goods and an
excellent small cafe. Closed during
the winter, opens for the season in
March.
This sheet-pan salmon supper will start 2017 just right
By MELISSA D’ARABIAN
Associated Press
New year new you. Right?
So let’s get right down
to it: If healthy eating is
complicated and time-
consuming, we will lose
interest before Valentine’s
day has arrived. That’s why
sheet-pan salmon suppers
are so terrific — they take
minutes to make, and yet the
healthy fats in salmon are
filling. Today’s recipe features
salmon alongside super-quick-
cooking asparagus, which
tastes sweet and less grassy
when roasted. This incredibly
simple recipe will start off the
2017 menu rotation right.
Sheet-pan suppers are
perfectly quick for weeknight
eating, and versatile enough
that you can swap out
ingredients to match your
tastes and your fridge. Don’t
have salmon? Use sea bass
or cod, no problem. Just pay
attention to the cook times,
particularly as you swap out
veggies — you may need to
pre-cook hardier vegetables
like broccoli or cauliflower.
(Tip: you can do a quick
microwave steam to par-cook
slower-cooking ingredients
like potatoes before placing
them on the sheet-pan.) You
can even use frozen fish fillets
EASIEST SHEET PAN SALMON
Melissa d’Arabian via AP
Sheet-pan supper of salmon and asparagus.
for this recipe if you add a
little cooking time (use an
instant meat thermometer to
check for doneness).
Since my daughter
is gluten-sensitive, I use
almond flour for a bit of
bread-less breaded texture
on top of the salmon, but feel
free to use crunchy panko
breadcrumbs if you prefer.
Herbes de Provence is my
go-to dried herb blend, and
it can be found now in most
well-stocked grocery stores,
and is a worthy little splurge.
Otherwise, use a mix of dried
oregano, marjoram and thyme
and the results will still be
delicious.
A final weeknight strategy:
you can prep this whole
dinner ahead of time on
your sheet tray and stick it
in the fridge. Then, when
you get home, pop the whole
thing into the oven for a
dinner that is even faster
than microwaving a frozen
lasagna. You’ll save both
time and calories, and who
couldn’t use that in 2017?
———
Food Network star Melissa
d’Arabian is an expert on
healthy eating on a budget.
She is the author of the
cookbook “Supermarket
Healthy.”
Start to finish: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
• 4 fillets salmon, skin removed, 5 ounces each
• ⅓ cup almond flour or almond meal (can
substitute panko bread crumbs)
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried herbes de Provence (or
dried oregano or thyme)
• ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 bunch of asparagus, cleaned and trimmed,
about 1 pound
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt, divided
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• lemon wedges for serving
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and cover a
baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pat the salmon dry gently with a paper towel.
On a small plate, mix the almond flour, herbs,
garlic, lemon zest, half the salt, and pepper with a
fork until well-blended. Sprinkle or brush the lemon
juice even on top of the salmon fillets. Dip the top
of the salmon fillets into the almond flour crumbs,
gently pressing them into the top of the fillets, evenly
dividing the almond flour and herb mixture among
the fillets. Place the fillets on the sheet pan. Toss the
asparagus with the olive oil and remaining salt. Place
around the salmon fillets. Cook until salmon reaches
135 internal temperature and asparagus is tender,
about 15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.
Nutrition information per serving: 293 calories;
133 calories from fat; 15 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g
trans fats); 78 mg cholesterol; 357 mg sodium; 8 g
carbohydrate; 4 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 33 g protein.