My Foodie New Year’s Resolution

Photo courtesy of Legal Nonresident on Flickr

Come January 1^st I, along with the rest of America, will be vowing to go to sleep earlier, get to the gym more, and pick up a new hobby like learning how to use a crossbow or knitting.  This year I decided to make a Foodie New Year’s Resolution. And since I’m putting it on my blog for the entire world to see, I pretty much need to stick to it.

In 2010 I resolve to once a month get outside of my comfort zone in the kitchen, push the envelope a little, and try new things. This activity could take on a variety of different forms. Maybe once month I’ll try to cook with an exotic new ingredient (I just won a cook book from Tastespotting.com that includes a recipe for frogs Provencal…I’m pretty sure that counts as both exotic and new for me.) Another month I’ll try to create recipes outside of my classic French/Italian comfort zone and maybe make an Indian feast. I

Photo courtesy of Velo Steve on Flickr

would also like to learn how to use new spices like curry and Thai chilies. And if I can master the art of the soufflé I’ll be a happy girl. And of course I promise to write all about it on State Dinner…even the disasters (and I imagine they’ll be a few).

So, what’s your foodie New Year’s resolution? Tell me below.

Blizzard Brownies

What’s a girl to do when she is stuck inside during a snow storm? Well clearly make a batch of brownies that is so completely delicious that she can barely keep her hands off of them! Introducing my Blizzard Brownies. This is not your average brownie. It is studded with salty peanuts, has a layer of peanut butter frosting, and is topped off with chocolate ganache. Trust me when I tell you this might be the best brownie recipe on the face of the Earth.

Blizzard Brownies

Brownie Ingredients

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
10 ounces bittersweet and semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used a mixture of both)
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Frosting & Ganache Ingredients
1 cup chunky peanut butter (do not use natural or old-fashioned. I used Peter Pan)
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided, room temperature
¾ cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

7 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preparation for brownies:

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325˚. Line 13×9x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving long overhang, spray foil with Pam.

Place ¾ cup butter in heavy large saucepan. Add both chocolates; stir over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar, vanilla, and salt, then eggs, 1 at a time. Fold in flour, then nuts. Spread in prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center come out with moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Place pan on rack to cool.

Preparation for frosting & ganache:

Using electric mixer, beat peanut butter and ¼ cup butter in medium bowl to blend. Beat in powdered sugar, salt, and nutmeg, then milk and vanilla. Spread frosting over brownies.

Stir chocolate and ¼ cup butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Drop ganache all over frosting; spread until surface is covered. Chill until set, about 1 ½ hours.

Using foil as aid, transfer brownies to work surface. Cut into squares. Bring to room temperature before serving (with a big glass of milk!).

A version of this recipe originally appeared in Bon Appetit, January 2007

State Dinner’s Trip to the White House

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to receive an invite to tour the White House and see the holiday decorations. It was a wonderful honor and a delight for a political geek like me. While I didn’t get to see Bo Obama or  Sasha and Malia, I did get to see where the White House’s state dinners are held in the State Dining Room. It was beautifully decorated with Christmas trees and flowers. I was a little surprised how small the room was. Only 140 people can attend a seated dinner, which leads me to believe that they use some of the other rooms for larger events. (Although the 140 room capacity could explain why it’s such a hard invite to receive).

In the corner they displayed the White House Gingerbread House. The beautiful house was created by White House executive pastry chef Bill Yosses. Chef Yosses used more than 250 pounds of white chocolate, 150 pounds of gingerbread dough, and honey from the White House garden to make the elegant looking house. And to top it all off a marzipan Bo sat on the front lawn. There is even a special cut out/shadow box on the front of the house that shows the State Dining Room (I like to think this is a special shout out to Chef Yosses’ favorite DC-based blog!).

Here are some pictures from the tour:

Your's Truly in the White House's State Dining Room

The State Dining Room

The White House Gingerbread House with Marzipan Bo

The White House Christmas Tree

Standing in front of the entrance to the White House...amazing!

Holiday Cookie Making Extravaganza

For the first time this year I decided to give homemade presents to my co-workers, friends, and the workers in my apartment building as a special holiday treat. I must confess that up until recently my usual course of action when it came to cookie making was walking down the street to the grocery store, purchasing cookie dough that comes in a log, and placing it in an oven. But this year I decided to make Martha Stewart proud and make all my cookies from scratch. I was helped out quite a bit from the December issue of Real Simple magazine where they gave a simple sugar cookie recipe and 10 different ways to prepare the cookies. There is nothing like spending a snowy weekend (Snowpocalypse 2009!) elbow deep in flour and colored sugar to really bring in the holiday spirit.

These recipes are both delicious and a lot of fun to make.  Happy Holidays!

Basic Sugar Cookie Dough

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for shaping the cookies
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1.    In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2.    Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.
3.    With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated (the dough will be stiff). Shape into a disk and refrigerate, wrapped, for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. Use the dough as directed below.

Note: All the cookies here use 1 recipe of Basic Sugar Cookie Dough. Bake the cookies at 350°F on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 1 ½ inches apart. Cool slightly on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Holiday Cutout Cookies

Divide the dough in half. On floured surface roll each piece out ¼ inch thick. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters (I used stars). Refrigerate on baking sheets until firm. Sprinkle with decorating sugar and bake until just beginning to brown, 12-15 minutes.
Makes about 40 cookies

Chocolate-Dipped Wafers

Divide the dough in half. On a floured surface, roll each piece out ¼ inch thick. Cut into squares with a 2-inch cookie cutter (I used one with scalloped edges). Refrigerate on baking sheets until firm. Bake until just beginning to brown, 12-15 minutes. Dip cookies in 4 ounces melted chocolate and sprinkle with ½ cup crushed almonds, peppermint candies, edible pearls, or crushed pecans. Chill until set.
Makes 45 cookies

Linzer Cookies

Divide the dough in half. On a floured surface roll each piece out ¼ inch thick. Cut half the dough into regular rounds with a 1 3/4-inch cookie cutter. With the second half of the dough cut into rounds and cut the centers with a smaller shape. (Or you can use a special linzer cookie cutter). Refrigerate on baking sheets until firm. Bake until just beginning to brown, 12-15 minutes. Spread raspberry jam on the solidly round cookie piece and sandwich with the rounded cut-out piece. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.
Makes 32 cookies

Martha Stewart’s Brownie Cookies

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
¼ cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light-brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1.    Preheat over to 350°. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set in microwave until melted (should take 1-2 minutes, watch carefully so it doesn’t burn). Let cool.
2.    In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until lightened in color. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until combined. With mixer on low, alternately beat in chocolate and flour mixture; mix just until combined (do not over mix).
3.    Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, about 2 inches apart, onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cookie comes out clean, 14-16 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Makes about 30 cookies

President Obama’s First State Dinner

Photo courtesy of the AP

The President and First Lady held their first state dinner last night at the White House, welcoming India’s Prime Minister, Manmoahan Singh, and his wife Gursharan Kaur to a night of elegance, glamour, and prawns. This dinner was the hottest ticket in town. Some how my ticket got lost in the mail (maybe it’s because I haven’t updated my blog in awhile) but the guest list included Oprah’s BFF Gayle King, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Deepak Chopra, Senator John Kerry (minus the fabulous Teresa), Director Steven Spielberg, and many others.

The First Lady once again stole the show with her enchanting gown by Indian-American designer Naeem Khan.

Photo courtesy of the AP

And now on to the thing you care most about….the food. The White House brought in celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson (of Aquivit fame) to cook the night’s vegetarian menu. Samuelsson’s menu used seasonal vegetables found in the White House garden, as well as honey from the garden’s beehive. He also incorporated Indian spices in to the American menu. Jane Black published the full menu on the Washington Post’s website:

Potato and Eggplant Salad
White House Arugula with Onion Seed Vinaigrette
≈
Red Lentil Soup with Fresh Cheese
≈
Roasted Potato Dumplings with Tomato Chutney, Chickpeas and Okra
or
Green Curry Prawns with Caramelized Salsify, Smoked Collard Greens and Coconut Aged Basmati Rice
≈
Pumpkin Pie Tart
Pear Tatin
Whipped Cream and Caramel Sauce

Photo courtesy of Brenda Smialowski of Getty

≈
Petits Fours and Coffee
Cashew Brittle
Pecan Pralines
Passion Fruit and Vanilla Gelees
Chocolate-Dipped Fruit

The elegance of such affairs is a welcome distraction and I personally hope the Obama’s plan to host many more exciting events in the future (and feel free to invite me next time…I promise to behave myself.)

My “Famous” Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf Cake

Growing up in New England the real sign of Fall began when leaves started to turn beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow. But a close second would be when my Mom started to bulk up on cans of Libby’s Pumpkin. Besides making delicious pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, her real specialty was a family recipe for chocolate chip pumpkin loaf cake (at one point called Harvest Loaf in our family.) This recipe was made by my Grandma Judy and everyone else in our family has pretty much kept the tradition through the years.

It is a delicious loaf cake with all the tastes of Fall–pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and chocolate. It quickly became a favorite of our neighbors, friends, and teachers. During the holidays my Mom would load up a big shopping bag full of pumpkin cake and we would hand them out to everyone from the crossing guard to our librarian, Ms. Kelly (who loved to lightly toast the cake and eat it with cream cheese.)

I recently made the cake for our Food Bloggers Halloween Bake Sale. Apparently the four loaves that I made sold out quickly. So I thought I would share the recipe with all of you so you could make the recipe at home. Enjoy it with a glass of milk or warm apple cider.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf Cake

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 ¾ cup sifted flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. ginger
¼ tsp. cloves
¾ cup pumpkin
1 cup chocolate chips
½ cup chopped walnuts

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Sift flour with soda, spices, and salt. Add to creamed mixture in thirds, alternately with pumpkin, beating until smooth. Stir in chocolate and walnuts. Turn into a greased and wax paper lined 9×5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 350° for 1 hour.

Note: One can of pumpkin makes 2 loaves (double the recipe). I almost always make 2 loaves at a time. This cake also freezes well.

Food Bloggers Spooktacular Bake Sale!

Come join me and other DC Food Bloggers at the 14th and U Street Farmers Market to stock up on some Halloween goodies and support a great cause. Food bloggers from around the city will be showing up with cookies, cupcakes, pies and other delicious treats. Yours truly will be making my famous chocolate chip pumpkin loaf. It’s a crowd pleaser and four loaves will be up for grabs.

Also stay tuned for my Halloween post where I will be providing you with my family recipe for this delicious cake.

All proceeds of the bake sale will benefit a wonderful local cause, Martha’s Table.

Save the Deli!!

Whenever I hear about a restaurant space becoming available in my neighborhood I often find myself later that night laying in bed dreaming up a business plan to bring the perfect New York-style Jewish deli to DC. In my opinion, DC is a deli wasteland. It’s one of the major things this city is missing. We have ok versions out in the suburbs, and for the time being, Morty’s, over near American University is my go to spot to fulfill the tastes of my childhood. But in reality, we have little to offer in the matzo ball soup and pastrami sandwich category.

I have come up with the perfect business plan for DC’s premier deli. It would be open 24 hours Thursday-Sunday. It would have a take-out counter and perfectly sliced corned beef. At least one person on the wait staff would remind you of your Great Aunt Esther. It wouldn’t be too refined or chic. Within a month there would be signed photos of Chuck Schumer and Barney Frank on the wall. It would be wonderful!

It appears that I am not alone in my longing for an old-school deli. The Jewish deli as we know it is dying off.  The New York Times recently ran a story on this exact issue. And writer David Sax is equally obsessed with the notion of the Jewish deli. He has even written a book about it, Save the Deli: In Search of the Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye, and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen. (Note: check out the guide to Yiddish phrases “so you don’t sound like a schmuck” that Amazon.com offers up in the review of Sax’s book).

Lucky for us Washingtonians David Sax will be at Sixth and I Synagogue on Wednesday, October 21st at 7pm for a discussion of his book and how it relates to the Jewish body (samplings of deli food will also be available!). Tickets can be bought on the Sixth and I website.

So come one! Come all! Save the Deli!!

Thank you kskobac, Melting Noise, Gandhu and Sarah, and Delta Niner for your Flickr images.

Restaurant Week Round-Up-Summer 2009

Restaurant Week tends to be a pretty divisive topic among the DC foodie community.  People either love it or hate it. Accept it or avoid it. With great anticipation, the various message boards spin into a tizzy once the restaurants are officially announced.

Personally, I like Restaurant Week. I often use it as an opportunity to try out new restaurants in towns or visit places I have been meaning to get to but often forget about. Much planning goes in to my Restaurant Week schedule. There are certain places that are known to book up fast, so once the dates are announced I usually jump on OpenTable right away to snag a reservation. Over the years I’ve had some great experiences at local restaurants during Restaurant Week—notably Bistro Bis, PS7,  1789, and the Prime Rib. I’ve also had a few disasters, Notti Bianche being the most memorable when they clearly sent a piece of fish out that was at least 2 days past its sell date. For the places I enjoyed, it served as a wonderful first impression, and in many cases I have returned over and over again (PS7 is pretty much my version of Cheers).

This years picks for Restaurant Week had an unplanned Southern theme. My three choices were dinner at Vidalia and Art and Soul and brunch at Firefly. My reviews are below:

Vidalia

The last time I was at Vidalia I was 19 years-old and had traveled from Boston to DC with my father to start my very first summer as a DC intern. This was 8 years ago and from what I had heard, a lot had changed at Vidalia. I had fond memories of Chef Buben’s classy Southern cuisine. But just a few years ago there was a much publicized revamp of the menu. I was excited to share my meal with my Southern food-loving friend Allison. Unfortunately the complete meal didn’t live up to my high expectations.

It should be mentioned first and foremost that the service was wonderful. You often hear about rude or lazy service during Restaurant Week but everyone at Vidalia treated us as if it was any other night—probably not the easiest task when you are seating double the amount of tables you normally would on a Tuesday night.

Vidalia offers a very generous menu during Restaurant Week, with few up-charges. They also allow you to choose from a 3-course menu for $35.09 or a 5-course menu for $45.09 (an incredible deal, if you ask me). 5-courses seemed a bit too much, so we went with the 3-course tasting. For me, the appetizers were the high point of the evening. I ordered the sweet garlic velouté with fried frog legs and a meyer lemon dip. This was a pitch perfect first course. The frog legs were delicately fried and rested in a thick garlicky soup. It all came together beautifully and hinted at  a refined quality of Southern cuisine. My friend’s appetizer looked beautiful (I did not get a chance to taste it). She ordered a raw copia with some sort of coco sauce and a mint gelée. The flavor combinations sound odd at best but she said it was delicious.

It was the entrée section that both Allison and I felt the meal fell short. I try not to eat pork products as much as possible. Many of the entrees included pork so in order to steer around those options I went with the roasted leg of lamb. It was served with small, whole eggplants and a delicious fig jam. There was nothing wrong with this dish, it was perfectly cooked. It just came across as boring and a little uninspired, especially compared to the amazing appetizer selections. Part of this might have been my dish choice. But I also think there are ways to make lamb Southern and exciting and this wasn’t one of them.  My friend ordered the one vegetarian option—the caramelized Vidalia onion crepe with a fried hen egg on top. While the dish looked interesting, the crepe had very little going on inside besides onions. After awhile it all became a bit too much. Perhaps if they had included other vegetables, it would have been a tastier dish.

Dessert helped our meal end on a high note.  Whenever I mentioned to someone that I was going to Vidalia for dinner they told me I must try Lemon Chess Cake, so naturally that’s what I went with. This dessert did not disappoint. It was light, sweet, and tangy. I would love the recipe for this cake because it tastes so fresh and light and therefore not that bad for you (but I’m sure it is). Allison ordered the pecan bar served with vanilla ice cream.

Overall this was a nice meal, but I came out feeling a bit disappointed, especially with the result of our uninspired entrees. I often find the first course offerings at restaurants are more interesting than the second courses. Vidalia just might be one of those places.

Vidalia- 1990 M Street, NW Washington, DC 20036  (202) 659-1990 www.vidaliadc.com

Art and Soul

For my second Restaurant Week dinner I headed up to the Hill to check out the new hot spot Art and Soul. Coming right off the heals of his appearance on Top Chef Masters, Art Smith (Oprah’s personal chef, from the days when Oprah was fat!) opened his first DC restaurant  at the beginning of the year and it has been a tough reservation to get since then.  So my friend Jen (from the wonderful Beets and Bonbons) and I booked well in advance. I was a little skeptical about booking a second Southern restaurant right after eating at Vidalia but I had been dying to try out Art and Soul, so I forgot any semblance of a diet and dived right in. In my opinion Art and Soul did not disappoint.

It had been a long, tough day with the death of Senator Edward Kennedy, my personal hero, occurring early that morning, but the minute I walked into the stylish and vibrant Art and Soul I knew I was in for a mood lifter. The walls are covered in pop art of famous leaders like Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. And the tables were decorated with fresh herbs.

Art’s menu is hard to choose from because everything sounds so good. While we were deciding on our orders the friendly waitress brought out a cast iron skillet filled with light, fluffy bread that peeled off into leafs. I’m not entirely sure what type of bread it was but it was fresh and delicious.

For a first course I went with the grilled shrimp served with a mildly spicy chili limon sauce and a grilled corn succotash. The shrimp was prepared perfectly and paired well with the light sauce. My only complaint was it was speared on a sugar cane stick that made it close to impossible to take off. I almost had a Pretty Woman moment where a shrimp went flying across the room. Despite the difficulty I had eating this dish, it was delicious. Jen ordered the gazpacho soup with shrimp. From what I could tell she didn’t love this dish. She said it tasted like “a bowl full of bloody Mary mix.” Probably not the most delightful thing to eat with a spoon.

The second course was a win-win for both of us.  I ordered the crispy whole trout that was lightly dredged in cornmeal and pan fried. It was served with a vinegary spring bean salad and a perfectly-matched rhubarb vinaigrette. This dish was incredible! All the flavors went together perfectly and balanced each other out. I would order this dish again and again. Since Art Smith is known for his chicken, Jen ordered the chicken with goat cheese drop biscuits and a wonderfully thick gravy. This dish sang the songs of the South.

A quick note on Arts plating: I love it! As you can tell from the pictures, the kitchen takes a layering approach to the plating, which I really appreciated. Some how this presentation helps to marry the flavors and bring the whole dish together.

Even though I was starting to feel full, I couldn’t pass up dessert…it was included in the $35.09 price tag after all. Again, this course was delightful. I ordered the chocolate cheesecake. Art and Soul’s rendition of chocolate cheesecake is beautifully light, almost mousse-like with a delicate crust. It was very rich, a chocolate-lover’s dream come true. Jen ordered the peach pecan crumble with vanilla ice cream. It tasted like a single-serving version of peach crisp.

Overall this meal received two thumbs up in my book. I will certainly return again. They put their best foot forward during Restaurant Week, which only leads me to believe that they can perform excellently under pressure and just as well during regular service.

Art and Soul- 425 New Jersey Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001  (202) 393-7777 www.artandsouldc.com

Firefly
For my final Restaurant Week adventure I made a last minute reservation for brunch at Firefly to catch up with old friends. At $20.09 this was a great deal. I had been to Firefly a few times for drinks and dinner but lately it seemed to have fallen off my radar screen, which was pretty odd considering it is only a few buildings down from my apartment. I’ve always liked the charming décor at Firefly and thought it would be a fun place to enjoy a relaxing Sunday brunch on a sunny afternoon.

Our server seemed a bit scattered, placing our bread basket down only to quickly pick it back up and bring it to the table next to us. He also forgot a few drinks and only seemed to refill my friend’s coffee on a regular basis. But that aside everything ran pretty smoothly.

The Restaurant Week brunch menu gave you the option of a cocktail, main course, and side. They were very generous with their portion sizes and had a pretty full menu to choose from.

I started with my favorite morning cocktail, a mimosa. Firefly sticks to the classic version of the drink, which I appreciated. For my main course I ordered the Sun’s Special, a mushroom and cheddar omelet served with crispy home fries and marble rye toast. Since my dish already came with a few of the side dish options, I ordered the mixed greens with a sherry vinaigrette as my side. The salad was quite large (a full-sized dinner plate) and lightly dressed. While nothing was overly fancy or exotic everyone seemed really happy with their meal. We didn’t feel rushed or hovered over, so we were able to sit back and catch up for over an hour.

After taking part in Restaurant Week at Firefly they are back on my radar screen and I will make sure to place them in my rotation of Dupont Circle brunch places.

Firefly- 1310 New Hampshire Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036  (202) 861-1310 www.firefly-dc.com

Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies

I have recently become pretty obsessed with the flavor combination of cream cheese and chocolate. These brownies bring together all your parts of two well-liked desserts: the creaminess of cheesecake mixed with the richness of chocolate brownies.  A big glass of milk is highly recommended when enjoying this special treat.

Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies

For brownie batter:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

For cheesecake batter:
8 ounces cream cheese, well softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make brownie batter:
Put over rack in middle position and preheat over to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.

Heat butter and chocolate in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately, low heat, whisking occasionally, until just melted. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combined. Whisk in flour until just combined and spread in baking pan.

Make cheesecake batter and bake brownies:
Whisk together cheesecake batter ingredients in a small bowl until smooth (I used a handheld mixer to make it smooth. It also works faster, especially if the cream cheese isn’t super softened.) Dollop over brownie batter, then swirl in with a knife or spatula.

Bake until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set, about 35 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 16 brownies

Gourmet Magazine, June 2007