Hosting a party can be stressful. I have a horrible tendency of setting a date, making the guest list and sending out invitations, not to mention planning music and making CDs, well in advance, only to find myself in a messy apartment with an empty fridge the morning of said event. As a result, my parties tend to rely more on the right mix of music, booze, and people (and often, explosives) rather than gourmet munchies.
Not that this has ever really been a problem, but sometimes I feel like I should at least have some quick-and-easy hors d’ouvres recipes lying around, for emergencies. And sometimes, homework is not nearly as appealing as a trip to the farmers market followed by experimentation in the kitchen.
Today was one of those times, and even though I don’t plan to host any parties for a good while, I ended up making (for dinner) a dish that I’ll be more than happy to serve at my next soirée. Assuming I remember to make it.
Like nearly everything I make, this was done on the fly, so I encourage people to fiddle with it all to get what you want.
Ingredients:
Thai eggplants (I used 6, which was plenty for my dinner),
2 tbs. Tandoori spice powder (I used Sharwood’s),
2.5 tbs. Champagne vinegar,
2 tbs. lemon juice,
4 tbs. olive oil.
Preheat your oven to 350.
Decapitate your eggplants, and cut them in half. Mix all the other stuff together in a glass, and spoon enough of it over each eggplant slice (the inside side, not the skin side) to cover the whole surface. Put that in the oven for about 17 minutes, remove and let cool.
You could marinate the eggplant in the sauce for a more powerful flavor, but I think that might be a bit much, and make it a less appealing finger food.
See? Tasty and fancy-sounding hors d’ouvres in just 20 minutes!
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16Feb
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13Feb
I have a thing for hot sauces. Ok, well, actually I’m a sucker for odd sauces and spices in general, but I’m especially fond of hot ones. Knowing this, my sister presented me, as my Christmukkah present, a Hot Sauce of the Month subscription. This month’s shipment included a mild selection, Tres Hermanos Chipotle Hot Sauce.
I love chipotles, but I find it hard to use them without making a dish seem forcibly “Mexican,” which can be good or not, depending on my mood. Sometimes though, inspiration (by which I mean experimentation born of boredom) strikes, and something yummy results.
Tonight, I was sauteeing up some portobellas and onions, when the whole dish just struck me as d-u-l-l DULL. Looking about my spice rack for a jazzing-up ingredient, I noticed the Tres Hermanos bottle just sitting there, eying me. Daring me to make a move. (Anyone who knows me knows I probably won’t back down from a dare)
In went the chipotle, and up went my interest! Here’s what I did:
1 lb. portobello mushrooms, cubed.
1 large yellow onion, roughly diced.
1.5 cups tawny port.
1/2 cup Tres Hermanos Chipotle Hot Sauce
Olive oil, salt, pepper.
Add the mushrooms first to a sautee pan, and get them going for a bit. When they’re about 1/3 done, add the onions. At the same time pour in the port, and add more salt and pepper, to taste. Reduce heat to low. After a minute or so, add the hot sauce, and stir.
When the veggies are good and done, remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon, and set them aside. Now up the heat, and reduce the remaining sauce to about 1/4 its volume (deglaze if you like).
Serve the mushrooms and onions over rice, garnishing with reduced sauce. Adding garlic at the same time as the port might be nice, but I didn’t think it was missing. You could also add steak to this, for a heartier dish. -
27Nov
After another Thanksgiving, I thought I’d ease everyone back into the daily grind with something unusual for this web site: a culinary op-ed of sorts. Recently, the people in charge of New York City have begun a debate on whether or not to ban trans-fatty acids in restaurants. In order to understand the implications of this, it is necessary to know a little bit about what trans-fatty acids are, and why officials would want to ban them.
Normally, fat comes in four types: saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, and trans fatty acids. Saturated fat (such as butter, coconut oil, and palm kernel oil) is solid at room temperature, and is generally quite bad for you, in that it has been shown to be correlated with heart disease. Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature (olive, canola, soybean, corn, and vegetable oils), and while still bad for you, are less bad than saturated fats (although the fat content in your diet should come from unsaturated fats as much as possible).
The trouble is that all the flavour and goodness in various recipes comes from saturated fat. Some enterprising companies have discovered that if they add Hydrogen to an unsaturated fat like vegetable oil, it takes on properties that make it behave like a saturated fat (in terms of taste, texture, and body). These hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated oils (which are sold as margarine, vegetable “spreads,” oleos, and shortening) are also called trans-fatty acids (or TFA for short).
Recently, authorities have become concerned because of a link between TFA’s and a number of health problems. TFA’s have been shown to raise the level of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, while lowering the level of HDL (“good”) cholesterol, which leads to an increased risk for heart attack and stroke. Also, there seems to be a correlation between TFA consumption and obesity levels. The federal government, which is in an excellent position to enforce such a ban nationwide, has been silent on this matter, so some municipalities have started to take matters into their own hands. New York City, as the first major city to consider this, is being watched very carefully. Fast-food restaurant chains such as McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s, worried about potential drops in profit margins, have already (supposedly) started investigating alternatives for their fried foods.The proposed ban would only encompass restaurants. People would still be able to purchase margarine, shortening, etc. for home use.
As a professional chef, I am opposed to this sort of regulation for two reasons. First is because it’s badly written legislation that unfairly targets restaurants. Only restaurants would be subject to a ban on ingredients that are otherwise perfectly legal to use. Restaurants generally use a shortening in their deep fryers because it’s cheaper to use, and it doesn’t have to be changed as often as oil (and believe me, changing the oil in a commercial deep-fryer is not trivial). As such, the practical implication of this ban would be to quadruple the cost of anything fried.
The second reason I am opposed to this ban is because I really believe that it is not for a government to regulate what I eat. I am an adult, and I should decide what level of risk I’m comfortable with. I understand that there is a large amount of obesity in our society, but at the end of the day, people are responsible for their own diets, and for their level of activity (or lack thereof). What will happen if this ban comes to pass is that restaurants will most likely revert to using saturated fats such as butter, which is why the American Heart Association does not support the ban as it is currently written.
This sort of regulation first started in the late 1970’s when officials were concerned about Peking duck (which requires that the duck is hung to dry for half a day). It then moved to artisanal sausages and salumerias, and now to TFA’s. As a result, a lot of old-style artisan work is being lost. I admire the New York City government’s intentions, however the practical implications would be to shield people from one danger, while exposing people to another. Where does this end? If they come after Five Guys next, then my friends, the terrorists have truly won.
Got an opinion? Post a comment, or send an e-mail to dcfud.writers@gmail.com. For more information on TFA’s and their health implications, check out the American Heart Association’s web site. -
15Nov
Chocolate is the new coffee, stated the girl across the table from me, and I had to agree. What Seattle yuppies did for America’s taste in coffee, and Whole Foods did for everything else, someone, even as we speak, must be doing for chocolate.When did it happen? Certainly some time before Max Brenner of Chocolate by the Bald Man brought his first chocolate café’s to NYC. And well before Lindt declared chocolate tasting on par with wine tasting with its sophisticated Excellence 99% Cacao Noirissme chocolate bar in 2005. In fact, by the time that Hershey recently jumped on the bandwagon with their belated and dubious Cacao Reserve line, the concept was already in danger of becoming mainstream. Where once we had pharmacy racks of gritty brown wax, now for the first time we have solid organic tablets that snap when you break them, and liquor-infused balls of rich, melting ganache.
And that was how I found myself sitting in Stout, an absolutely terrible midtown sports bar, picking at a salad, trying to stave off what can only be called a ‘sugar hangover’. The last 24 hours had been spent wallowing in the Ninth Annual Chocolate Show in New York, a testament and showcase to America’s slow maturation of chocolate taste.
For three days this last weekend, those willing to wait in the three hour line were rewarded with chocolate sculptures and chocolate cosmetics, and representatives of the Ivory Coast. Demonstration kitchens allowed pastry chefs like Bill Corbett of Dona to show off their chocolate recipes, while the kiddies tried chocolate painting. And yes, there was a fashion show of chocolate clothing, and tastings of bizarre concoctions like chocolate and mushroom bars, and chocolate book signings, and there was even one lone chocolate cupcake vendor, but none of that really mattered because what people really come for is the chocolate exhibitors.
The Chocolate Show is the J-date of the brand-name chocolate distribution world. If it’s a small chocolatier’s dream to someday be picked up by Dean and Deluca or Whole Foods, this is the place to make it happen.
Some of them already have; most of the high-class bars in Aisle 10 were first discovered here. And that means the urgent explanations and smiles at each booth weren’t just from lack of bathroom breaks; each carefully sliced sample had the potential to turn into a business card and a steady supply contract. For a small artisnal chocolate maker, that means a lifeline of money to develop into a larger artisanal chocolate maker, hopefully without sacrificing the artisanal part.
But with so many exhibitors, hopeful tasters didn’t need the to be a corporate scout to tell the incredible from the merely brown. Good chocolate should be crisp and flavorful, smooth and glossy, with no trace of grittiness. It should melt on minimal contact and leave no bitter aftertaste. A perfect example: show standout Rechiuti, serving up plate after plate of jasmine and raspberry truffle slices, swapping business cards and promises to talk further almost as fast as they sold their $5 mini-boxes.
At Serendipitea the samples of fragrant chocolate tea infusions spilled out across the table, while next door, Sweetriot waved around signs and chocolate-covered cacao nibs. As the new cool thing, tea flavoring was also the theme at L.A. Burdick Chocolate where a tea-infused dark chocolate sat next to glossy catalogs and small white chocolate penguins and mice. On the other side of the hall, Gustaux distributed some truly outstanding simple truffles, and Romanico’s Chocolate bravely touted it’s low-sugar version.
Those taking a break from pure chocolate could buy a perfectly spiced fig dipped to look like a pumpkin from John and Kira’s, or try desert wine tasting from the ever-pleasing Quady liquors. Not cutting-edge enough? Coppeneur offered small, crunchy cocoa pods dusted with chili powder.
Some of the better-known manufacturers were already reaping the benefits of a larger operation and brand name; the Japanese chocolatiers Mary’s attracted an absolutely rabid crowd. By early Saturday afternoon they had sold out of golden sesame and sweet potato truffles; and their black sesame seed and green tea ganache was rapidly disappearing. Behind the protective glass, harried pastry chefs struggled to fill orders of their popular seasonal flower line – violet, Japanese plum, lily of the valley, and iris.
For minimalist quality, the strong favorite in pure chocolate seemed to be Felchlin, with their hand-collected wild cocoa bars retailing at $20 each. Closely following them in taste and popularity, Michel Cluizel Chocolates traded their spicy, full bodied samples and catalogs in equal numbers.
I stumbled from the Metropolitan Pavilion in a stupor, vitamin deficient and babbling of cocoa consistency and flavor infusions. Luckily, there was time to find a salad before the inevitable sugar crash and coma set in.
Much thanks to fud writers AMG and JAY for being good sports.
-ZAF
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06Sep
I go to the grocery store almost every day, looking for something to cook for dinner.
Sometimes inspiration strikes – top sirloin on sale, a strange new vegetable to try, et cetera, but then there are the rare moments when an item just LEAPS! off the shelf, demanding purchase. So it was today, when I stumbled across Nestlé’s Yorkie bars.
As you might guess, I had to buy one. I mean, really, sexist candy? I checked the ingredients for some hint as to this bar’s manliness, and found the following: milk chocolate, raisins, flour, and sugar. That’s it: milk chocolate with raisins and cookie crumbs.
Besides white chocolate, which doesn’t even count, milk chocolate is the un-manliest kind out there, and I just don’t see how dry, shriveled grapes could possibly suggest anything complimentary to anyone’s machismo.
As for the taste, Yorkie is nothing special. The chocolate is better quality than you’d find in a Hershey’s bar, and I have nothing bad to say about adding raisins and cookie to it, but the result is just … fine. Not something I need to spend $2 for over a $0.55 pack of Raisinettes and maybe a $0.45 cookie. And definitely not something that makes me feel all manly and ready for a fight. A beer, perhaps, but girls drink that too. -
03Sep
Upon noting that the farmers market was charging a mere $0.49 per pound for baby bok choi, I decided that it was time to attempt a recreation of a dish I had a few years ago. The dish was roasted duck breast with baby bok choi in a vodka-hoisin sauce. Being a grad student, I can’t afford duck, especially for a first try of a new dish, so I figured I’d just do the bok choi.
A second catch: upon arriving home, I realized that the only vodka I have is of the flavored variety….ew. I figured, “I’m making this up anyways, why not make it up some more?” and I did. The results were quite tasty, and the sauce is one that I plan on keeping around for a number of dishes in the future.
Steam about 2 pounds of baby bok choi, rinse with cold water (and ice, if possible) and set aside.
In a mixing cup, mix 2 parts hoisin sauce (I used Lee Kum Kee), one part shochu (good luck finding this in the US – substitute vodka or sake if needed), and one part vegetable stock. Heat the mixture and stir until fully blended. Adjust proportions until it tastes good.
To serve, you can do what I did, or what I would rather have done.
What I did:
Cut bok choi in half, put in a large bowl, and toss with the sauce.
What I would rather have done:
Arrange bok choi on a serving dish, and drizzle sauce over them.
Enjoy! -
31Aug
It’s juicy and delicious! It’s environmentally sound and low in calories! Yes, to everyone who wanted to know where to buy Kangaroo when we ran the initial article a couple months ago, your entreaties have been heard!
I swear I searched for hours with no luck, when apparently all I should have done was try the simplest URL I could think of. The aptly-named Exotic Meats store (www.exoticmeats.com) have all the Kangaroo muscle protein you desire. As long as what you desire are patties and sausages.
Now, granted, those may indeed be two of the best ways to experience these bouncy marsupials, but if you were hoping for a long-legged steak, you’re still out of luck. In which case, allow me to suggest some antelope, elk, caribou, or rattlesnake- all of which can be provided here. Hey, is that an alligator/crocodile sampler? Well, I didn’t want to pay rent this month anyway.
It looks like shipping to DC is expensive but it could be worse- I say group up with some friends and place one large order, then split the shipping costs. Don’t have any friends? Buy some.
Update: Between the time I wrote this and the time I’m posting it, they just started offering Kangaroo Striploin, which I think is a lovely, delicate, and most importantly, un-ground muscle (someone correct me?). So now you really don’t have any excuse. -
07Aug
It’s kind of amazing I’ve lived in Courthouse for a year and never made it to the Arlington Farmers’ Market (which during the summer is operating 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays). Now that I’ve been, I won’t continue to neglect the place.
The market is considered a “Producer’s Market”, which means all the participants have to have made or grown all their products. And what an array of products it is!
Saturday’s trip was profitable. Blackberries. Peach Lemonade. Horseradish Cheddar. Purple peppers. Short ribs. You name it, I threw it in my backpack for the bike-ride home (I’m going to need to get a basket one of these days).
Here are a couple recipes using my Farmer’s Market loot. But I highly recommend you check it out, whether you’re in the market for homemade soap, corn on the cob or that delicious sorbet that everyone lines up to try.
Blackberry polenta cake
I used 2 tbl sugar and found that I wanted a sweeter cake, so I’m upping the recipe. If it does not come out as sweet as you’d like, top with maple syrup, as I did
1 cup fresh blackberries from farmer’s market
1 cup flour
1 cup dry polenta
4 tbl sugar
2.5 tsp baking powder
about a tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk or buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
Blend dry and wet ingredients separately, and then together. Pour into pie pan. Add blackberries, spread out evenly throughout pie. Bake at 400 for approx 20-25 minutes.
Stacked Eggplant Parmesan
breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
2 large purple eggplants from farmer’s market
half a large ball of fresh mozzarella from farmer’s market
1 can diced tomatoes
handful basil from farmer’s market
Italian spices of your choice
olive oil
In saucepan, combine tomatoes, basil, spices and a touch of olive oil and simmer as you prepare eggplant. Preheat oven to 375.
While sauce is simmering, peel eggplant and slice into rounds. Dip in egg, than coat with breadcrumbs. Brown in oil.
Stack eggplant circles with little slices of mozzarella in between each round in square baking pan.
Pour sauce over eggplant stacks.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Serve with pasta or as sandwiches.
Basil/Arugula Pesto
Pine nuts will certainly work with this recipe; I just happened to have almonds on hand
1 cup basil from farmer’s market, packed
1 cup arugula from farmer’s market, packed
about 1/2 cup olive oil
about 1/4 cup almonds, ground
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup romano cheese
Chop argula and basil in food procesor. Add nuts and garlic, then cheese, then oil in a steady stream until desired consistency is reached. Serve room temperature over pasta, spread over bread, etc. -
02Aug
One of the best things about having gone to culinary school in San Francisco is that there really is no other place in this country where everything comes so neatly together. There are three world-class wine regions within an hour’s drive, there are all sorts of fresh seafood (both fin and shell fish) coming in from the Pacific ocean and the San Francisco bay, and best of all, California has all sorts of farmers’ markets where local farmers will sell their wares. Even the local 7-11 carries varieties of food and wine that you have to go to Dean & Deluca to get here.
While I was out there, I indulged in the guilty pleasure of practically every other chef in town: cheese. For most of us, Whole Foods served as our local dealer (really, it is very similar to crack cocaine, you give the guy behind the counter a ten-spot, and he gives you a “rock” of the latest and greatest cheese they have). It was at a local market that I became aware of one of the best cheese-makers in the Bay area: Cowgirl Creamery. Founded by two women that were no strangers to the culinary world, Cowgirl Creamery quickly gained a very good reputation for turning out some of the tastiest cheeses around, simply by being extremely fussy over the ingredients they chose to use.
In addition to a very tasty creme fraiche, the folks at cowgirl creamery make a very addictive cottage cheese (we’re not talking Breakstone’s here), and a classic fromage blanc to round out their fresh cheeses. As for their aged cheeses, I like the Mount Tam (named for Mt. Tamalpais in the north bay), and the St. Pat, which is their seasonal spring cheese, wrapped in stinging nettle leaves (the leaves are washed and frozen first to remove the sting), which impart a smoky artichoke flavour. Their Pierce Point cheese, which is only produced in the fall and winter, is washed in a muscato wine, and rolled in dried herbs from the Tomales bay coastal region, which produces a complex yet not overpowering cheese.
The reason I’m telling you all of this is because the women that founded Cowgirl Creamery are originally from this area, and they have just opened a store in the Penn Quarter of the district (right down the street from the newly renovated Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery). In addition to cheese, their store here also sells charcuterie (cured meats, among other things), local breads, and wines. Check it out!
Cowgirl Creamery
919 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 393-6880 -
28Jul
The Ballston Farmer’s Market debuted last summer, and only had a few vendors. This year, the market is back with many more vendors. The market is open Fridays 11am until 3pm, through October 13. It is interesting that this particular market does not have many produce vendors.
Sunnyside Farms sells organic produce, apple cider, and flowers.
I am very impressed with Firefly Farms goat cheeses. They are some of the best I’ve had, and all of Firefly Farms cheeses have won awards. Besides the cheeses listed here, they also brought two spreadable cheeses today. One is sweet and has ginger, almond, and honey, and the other is savory, and has sun dried tomato, herbs de Provence, and roasted garlic. Check here for a list of stores and restaurants that carry or use their products.
Baguette Republic of Falls Church is also present, and a good selection of hearty breads. They also sell at the Clarendon Farmer’s Market.
I have been eyeing Virginia Lamb’s stand, but have not yet purchased their products.
I have tried Old Pioneer’s Kitchen’s Argentine Chorizo, and chimichurri sauce. Both were good, although unlike theirs, the Argentine-style sausages I am used do not contain both pork and beef. I hear that their Mexican chorizo is good as well.
Arondo of Hondo Coffee owns a plantation in Honduras, and roasts the beans in Stafford, Va. They sell several roasts, and the coffee is quite good. And, the coffee smells so good.
Dick’s Kitchen makes and sells various sauces, jellies, seasonings, and chutneys. His “Oh My God, Oh My God” hot sauce was sampled at a gathering of DCFUD writers. I believe that DCFUD’s editor has promised an article about that particular hot sauce tasting. 🙂
Great Harvest Bread Company in Alexandria is at this market as well. I have a friend that loves their biscotti.
Virginia Green Grocer and Grace’s Pastries are present as well, although I have not tried their products.
The market also has live music at noon, and cooking demonstrations from area restaurants at 1:30 pm. Today, 1 Gen Thai Cuisine (a new Ballston restaurant) demonstrated several dishes. They made chicken satays, fried rice, and somethign similar to a vietnamese summer roll. Willow has already demonstrated dishes on two occasions, and Sangam Restaurant was featured last week.
And…I saved the best for last…many of these vendors provide samples. Firefly Farms, Baguette Republic, Grace’s Pastries, Hondo Coffee, and Great Harvest Bread Company have samples on their tables. Dick’s Kitchen has samples of some products, but you have to ask for them. And, you get to sample the dishes that are featured during the cooking demonstrations.
