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Photo Friday
2008-05-02 18:57:00
Sorry, no recipe today, but I do have some fun food photos (see above, and more after the jump). It’s not that I haven’t been in the kitchen, it’s just that I’m, well, a procrastinator. Highlights of the week were chewy chocolate chunk cookies with red-wine soaked cherries (I don’t care for cookies, and I can’t stop eating these – I think it’s because of the cherries), a Korean dinner (tofu
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Fresh Ricotta and Spinach Gnocchi
2008-04-30 18:12:00
Because I am the kind of person who doesn’t easily accept failure, I set out again last weekend to make the spinach and ricotta gnocchi that I had first (and successfully) made for my friend in NYC last month and again a few weeks ago (which didn’t make it to the table for reasons that have been sworn to secrecy ;) I’ve probably said this a million times already, but I think one of the basic
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Spring Vegetable Soup
2008-04-28 20:27:00
I’ve fallen back into my habit of weekly trips to the farmer’s market. I went to the market again this past Saturday to get: Milk, eggs, yogurt, and raw milk cheddar from South Mountain Creamery – because milk that isn’t ultrapasteurized, egg yolks that are practically orange, and raw milk cheeses are way tastier than what you can buy at the supermarketSpinach - to recreate the spinach and
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Herbed French Gnocchi (Gnocchi Parisienne)
2008-04-23 21:57:00
“What makes these gnocchi French ?� is the question that was asked when I served them. A very good question, indeed. French gnocchi are made without semolina or potatoes that are used to make the more common Italian gnocchi. They are actually made from pâte à choux, that incredibly versatile dough that is used to make everything from gougères to éclairs. Pâte à choux is composed simply of
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Fresh Ricotta: Remnants of a Failed Dinner
2008-04-22 18:24:00
I’ve lived in Baltimore for nearly two years (I have?!??!) and this past Saturday was the first time I went to the Waverly farmers market. I’ve been to the Sunday Baltimore farmers market (the bigger one under the JFX) many times, but that one only runs from mid-May to mid-December. The Waverly market is much smaller than the Baltimore market, and it also has a few stands that sell produce
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Mushroom and Taleggio Pizza with Gremolata
2008-04-16 19:25:00
So, in case it hasn’t been apparent, I haven’t done much cooking for almost a week now. I was away for the weekend, and while I did make some good stuff for dinner for me and my partner-in-crime/bff on Saturday night (spinach and fresh ricotta gnocchi, key lime pie cupcakes), I didn’t have my camera with me, so neither of those things end up counting (because no one wants a recipe without a
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Baked Eggplant Parmesan
2008-04-10 19:22:00
One of my early memories of helping out my mom in the kitchen is making eggplant parmesan once a month on Sunday evenings. As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to help in the kitchen. When I was really little, I was allowed to stir things (initially ones that weren’t on the stove, but as I got older, the stove was no longer off-limits) and I beat eggs on Sunday mornings for omelettes and stirred in seasonings, but I think that this dish was one of the first things with which she really let me get my hands dirty – both literally and figuratively. My mom would slice up the eggplant and prepare the bowl of dredging liquid (she used a thin batter made of chickpea flour and water), and she did all the frying. But I was completely in charge of everything else. I loved dipping my hands (oh, and the eggplant slices, too) into the dredging solution and then coating them in breadcrumbs. My hands would always end up a huge, sticky, crumby mess after completing a few sli...
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Simple Spring Brunch
2008-04-08 22:19:00
I think I’ve expressed my love for brunch on here enough times to forgo doing so yet another time. This brunch is simple, fresh, and light, and it's one that I make only in the spring, when asparagus are plentiful and in season. But because of its simplicity, it’s one of those meals that will only taste as good as the ingredients you put into it. In addition to fresh asparagus and delicate baby greens, I used farm-fresh eggs from the Waverly market, homemade bread (using the incredibly popular no-knead recipe), a freshly-squeezed lemon vinaigrette, and good parmigiano-reggiano cheese. Oh, and a touch of white truffle oil to make things decadent. Each part of this dish is incredibly simple to prepare, but together, they combine to form a meal that is definitely greater than the sum of its parts (or however that saying goes). Simple Spring Brunch : mixed baby greens with lemon-parsley-caper vinaigrette,grilled asparagus with parmigiano-reggiano, gri...

Middle Eastern Agrodolce Strawberries
2008-04-07 18:34:00
I couldn’t resist buying the strawberries that were staring me in the face at the supermarket last week. I’m actually not a big fan of strawberries (I prefer raspberries, big surprise, and blackberries), but, hey, sometimes we all make impulse purchases. At least this one wasn’t a $600 pair of killer metallic lavender stilettos that were 40% off…not like I’ve ever done that… Anyway, I had no idea what to do with these strawberries, especially because, as I mentioned above, I don’t so much care for them. For some reason the word “agrodolce� (which, in Italian, means “bittersweet�) was stuck in my head all week (as were many other Italian words; this was probably because I was singing some songs by Bellini in the shower earlier in the week and then I couldn’t get them out of my head), and then at one point “agrodolce� and “strawberries� ran into each other somewhere in the grey matter inside my little dome. But, of course, never being content...
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Spring Risotto: Risotto with Asparagus, Peas, Parsley, and Lemon
2008-04-04 06:55:00
When my mom visits me (which she is currently doing), I love to cook meals for her that she would normally never make for herself. Being that it is supposedly spring (it was 50 degrees in Baltimore on Thursday despite the fact that it was 75 degrees on Tuesday…what is going on???), I decided to make a spring risotto. I had bought a few pounds of asparagus a few days ago in a fit of spring fever, so some of it was definitely going into the risotto. (I bought way more asparagus than I needed for the meal I made a few days ago…sometimes I get carried away.) To further springify the risotto, I added a few things that I always have on hand but are springy nonetheless: peas, parsley, and lemon. Oh, and sauvignon blanc. There’s always New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc in my fridge; I have a slight (read: major) obsession with it. 20 minutes and a little bit of stirring later (yes, just a little – risotto isn’t as fickle and stir-crazy as it’s made out to be...
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Baked Vegetable Samosas
2008-04-02 03:08:00
I love samosas, but it’s hard to find a good one in my neighborhood in Baltimore. Now, before you tell me that there is not just one, but four Indian restaurants (actually, two of them are Indian/Nepali) within a 10 minute walk of my apartment, let me tell you something first: I’ve had samosas from three of the places (the fourth opened just a month ago), and none of them have been good. They’ve either been really greasy or the filling was flat-out bad (or both). So, what’s a girl to do? Well, of course, the answer is to make her own. But wait – said girl (that would be me) hates deep-frying. I decided that the way to get around that problem would be to use puff pastry as the wrapper for the spiced potato and peas filling, and then to bake the samosas. The puff pastry is rolled out a bit so that it doesn’t get too puffy (thereby more closely resembling a regular samosa), but it is still light, flaky, and moist. The best part is that these samosas are incredib...
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South Indian Spiced Purple Cabbage
2008-03-25 17:24:00
Now that it’s warming up, I’m returning to cooking with seasonal produce and doing so simply and minimally so as to let the vegetables shine. I’m on a current kick of cooking vegetables in a South Indian style, which involves just a few light spices and short cooking times. The result is a meal that is not only quick, but tastes fresh and delicious. Unlike North Indian dishes, which frequently contain onion, ginger, garlic, and garam masala, South Indian food frequently utilizes roasted lentils, mustard seeds, and dried red chilis to provide a light yet distinctive flavor. The mustard seeds are popped in hot oil to release their characteristic flavor, and the lentils are then added to impart the oil with a nutty flavor. Red chilis provide a bit of heat, and asafetida provides an earthy flavor that is reminiscent of but not quite as pungent as leeks or shallots. I am not one for mise en place (I add things directly from their containers; who wants to dirty ...
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Carrot Cupcakes with Golden Raisin Cream Cheese Frosting
2008-03-21 15:52:00
I’ve never been a huge fan of carrot cake, but Matt absolutely loves it – it’s what he gets for his birthday cake every year – so I decided to make some carrot cupcakes for his committee meeting the other day. I’ve eaten plenty of carrot cakes, and I’ve made carrot cake one or two times before, but I wasn’t too thrilled with the end result (I will admit that I am very picky about baked goods). I think my main problems with it are that it is frequently too dense, sweet, and/or oily, and it usually contains nuts and raisins, which makes the cake seem more muffin-like than cakey. Also, the frosting is almost always too sweet for my taste, but that’s usually the case with any frosting on any baked good I’ve ever eaten. To remedy these problems, I added lots of carrots to the batter to give it natural sweetness and moisture, thereby reducing the amount of oil I would need to use. In a non-traditional move, I added golden raisins (which I hate in the cake itsel...
More About: Raisin , Cheese , Carrot , Cream , Golden

Review: Woodberry Kitchen
2008-03-20 17:05:00
Matt has been working really hard for his committee meeting (which was yesterday), so I decided that I’d treat him to a nice dinner at Woodberry Kitchen , about which I have heard many great things. Their mission statement (from their website): Woodberry Kitchen features the seasonal best from local growers and emphasizes organic meats and sustainable agriculture. Our goal is to nourish and delight our guests with cooking grounded in the traditions and ingredients of the Chesapeake region.All photos from Woodberry Kitchen websiteThe restaurant itself is stunning. It is situated in an old foundry, and the soaring ceilings, exposed brick, wood, and metalwork give it a rustic yet wholly modern feel.We were seated upstairs, which we liked, as it made us feel a little secluded from the noise and hubbub of the downstairs area. Right off...
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South Indian Green Beans
2008-03-18 17:25:00
I really did not like green beans when I was younger. My mom made them two ways: French cut ones with garam masala and chopped ones with roasted lentils and coconut. My brother loved the former and I recall seeing them on the dinner table very often, but I didn’t like them – they were too spicy for me. She made the latter version less frequently, and I don’t recall really liking them, either. But, like most people, my taste buds grew up along with the rest of me, and now I love them. (Although, oddly enough, I used to really like broccoli but now I won’t eat it, ha!). My mom has been teaching me how to make more South Indian dishes recently. I feel like an idiot for not having learned to do so earlier because not only is it really delicious, but it’s incredibly easy and quite healthy. My mom gave me the instructions for this one a few weeks ago and I think it is now one of my favorite things to eat. South Indian Green Beans (serves 2 as a side dish) ...

Irish Car Bomb Float
2008-03-17 02:36:00
Who needs dessert and an after-dinner cocktail when you can have both in one glass? An Irish Car Bomb is a half pint of Guinness into which a shot glass filled with Baileys and Jameson is dropped and then chugged before it curdles. I was introduced to this drink a few years ago on St. Patrick's Day by a friend of mine who happens to be half-Irish. I love Guinness so I knew it would be good - and it was.Old photo (September 2004) of me in front of a gate to theGuinness brewery in Dublin - I told you I love the stuff!I wanted to make something for St. Patrick's Day but traditional Irish fare was out of the question and I had no desire to put green food coloring in frosting and call it a holiday cupcake. I was perusing the Ben and Jerry's website the other day and when I came across Dublin Mudslide (Irish Cream liqueur ice cream with chocolate chocolate chip cookies, and a coffee fudge swirl), I remembered the Irish Car Bomb float that I had made a few years back after having tri...

Mini Key Lime Pies for Pi Day
2008-03-14 15:08:00
Today is 3.14 and that means that today is Pi Day! Yes, my recognition of this makes me a nerd, but this is something I have known for a long time and I fully embrace it. I almost forgot about Pi Day but Kate reminded me. I recently had a conversation with her about Key lime pies (particularly the ones from Steve’s Key Lime Pies in Red Hook, Brooklyn) so I decided that’s what I would make for today’s “holiday.� Steve’s Key Lime Pies is simply that – it’s run by a guy named Steve and he makes Key lime pies, and only Key lime pies. He does so out of a converted warehouse on a pier in Red Hook, Brooklyn. I used to hate Key lime pies (probably because most of them are made with regular limes), but a few years ago, I heard about Steve’s amazing pies and, since I lived about a 30-minute walk away, I decided to try out his pies. I bought a Swingle, which is a single-serve 3� pie on a stick that is frozen and dipped in dark chocolate, and a mini-pie (4...
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Highbrow Meets Lowbrow: Salted Caramel and Dark Chocolate Covered Peeps
2008-03-13 18:02:00
In a fit of extreme boredom, my dear friend Kristen challenged me to a food blog throwdown of Jerz (her) vs. Lawnguyland (me). The first challenge: Peeps.Why Peeps? Because...it’s almost Easter and Peeps are everywhereI think Peeps are simultaneously disgusting and awesomeI got an email from Jacques Torres the other day (ok, not really from Jacques himself) advertising chocolate covered Peeps bunnies and I thought “I could totally make those at home, Jacques! Why should I give you my hard-earned cash when I can make mine for mere pennies and use classic Peeps chicks instead of making Cyclops bunnies?�I forwarded the email to Kristen, and before I knew it, war had been declared on me.I decided that I couldn’t make an ordinary chocolate covered Peep, as that would be far too pedestrian. What could I add…I quickly ran over a list of recent food trends and then it came to me: sea salt caramel. The saltiness and crunch of the caramel would balance out the diabetes-inducing swee...
More About: Chocolate , Dark , Covered , Caramel , Dark Chocolate

Baked Egg Gratin
2008-03-11 19:43:00
I was supposed to post this a month ago, but clearly I forgot about it. After my weekend trip to NYC, where I had not one but two brunches with my friends (one of which was in fact at Five Points, and at which I indeed ate baked eggs and drank morning punch), I remembered this old post…***Brunch is an institution in NYC, and I have discovered that it’s not so much a big deal anywhere else. I suppose it has a lot to do with the fact it’s so easy to just hop on the subway and meet your friends within a half hour, regardless of where you’re going and regardless of the weather. But even if it weren't so easy, sunny Saturdays were definitely made for brunch and pavement pounding. When I woke up today, the sun was streaming through my windows and the sky was perfectly blue, and it reminded me of my weekends in NYC – I definitely would have met my friends at Five Points on a day like this and then, having been fueled on baked eggs and morning punch, roamed the East Vi...
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I'm still here...
2008-03-06 17:27:00
...I just haven't been up to any new cooking lately.My parents came down to Baltimore this past weekend and my mom stayed here to hang out with me for a few more days. I've been doing my fair share of cooking, but I haven't made anything new - I wanted to make my mom some stuff that she had seen on here! And I'm going to NYC this weekend, so I definitely won't be doing any cooking for the next few days.(I totally love this photo of light graffiti on the Brooklyn Bridge)This is what I've been up to in the kitchen:Sunday: Pizza bianca with portobello mushrooms and taleggio cheese (yes, it was this month's Cooks Illustrated test recipe) and a deconstructed blueberry cheesecake (from Elizabeth Falkner's Demolition Desserts - I totally love her work and I love that book)Monday: banh mi chayTuesday: my mom made an awesome South Indian dinner for me, my bro, and the bf - she made dosai, sambar, coconut chutney, vada, dahi vada, and bhel puri (not South Indian, but whatever).(Thes...

Spanikopita (Spinach Pie)
2008-02-29 22:24:00
My mom claims that my brother developed a love of spinach because of his childhood obsession with Popeye. I don’t have any such stories, but I also am a huge fan of spinach. Especially when it’s baked with cheese in a flaky phyllo crust. And especially when you haven’t slathered every layer of phyllo dough with butter, so you don’t feel so bad about eating one more. Spanikopita are traditionally Greek, but I’ve seen them at Middle Eastern restaurants, too. I guess everyone has their own variation on the theme (the Italians have the spinach and cheese calzaone). I suppose my version isn’t totally authentic, what with the mozzarella cheese in there, but I didn’t have enough feta so I had to add what I had on hand. Also, I don’t add dill to mine, as many people do, because I seriously hate dill. So add dill to yours, use all feta cheese, add other herbs or cheeses – whatever floats your boat. I’m sure it will turn out great. Spanikopita(makes 6) ...
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Green Rice
2008-02-28 05:25:00
I made this rice to go with the enchiladas I made the other night. I used to just make plain rice with enchiladas, but this is way better and is what is always served with enchiladas now. This starts out being made like risotto but ends up like regular rice: I sauté onions and garlic in oil, toast the rice, and then add the hot cooking liquid – all of it at once – and then I cover the pot and leave it alone over low heat. And yes, I’ve tried making this without heating up the cooking liquid before adding it to the rice, but it ends up taking more time to cook and the rice comes out more separate. Yeah, it’s a little more laborious than plain rice, but not that much more so if you do some prep in advance. Besides, it’s way better than plain rice and therefore totally worth the extra effort. Green riceServes 4 1 large poblano pepper1 small Serrano or Jalapeno pepper1 cup vegetable broth2 handfuls cilantro leaves, chopped (I have small han...
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Kiwi Cupcakes with Lime Frosting
2008-02-26 18:06:00
Although I’m not really a summer person (I can’t stand the heat!), one of the things I love about summer is the wonderful fresh fruit that it brings: peaches and berries of every variety are abundant and are perfectly juicy and sweet. Unfortunately, fruit in the winter tends to be limited to apples and bananas – blah. However, it’s summer in the southern hemisphere right now, which means that kiwis are plentiful and cheap, to boot. I recently bought a ton of kiwis with a new cupcake recipe in mind. Unfortunately, my first attempt at it was a bit of a failure. Kiwi s have a lot of water in them, and their flavor is really subtle, so my addition of a healthy dose of kiwi puree resulted in wobbly cupcakes with a fair amount of kiwi flavor. I decided that the solution would be to reduce the kiwi puree so as to get rid of a lot of the water and intensify the kiwi flavor. The cupcakes came out great the second time around, and the kiwi flavor is present, but it’s just ...
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Great Tastes
2008-02-23 01:49:00
I'm such a procrastinator - I was supposed to post this a few days ago...Tomorrow is the Great Tastes Expo. It's taking place at the Tremont Grand Hotel in downtown Baltimore, and it features lots and lots of food - vendors, demos, and panels. At 3 pm, a panel of Baltimore food bloggers (I'm one of them!) will convene to discuss...pretty much anything we want (so long as it's related to food).Joining me will be:John of The Baltimore SnackerXani and Erin of Black Coffee and a DonutDara of Dining DishRachel of Coconut & Lime and Food MavenAndrea of Kitchen GoddessKit of Mango & GingerMeg of Pigtown PigoutDan of The Hungover GourmetJake of Unique Culinary AdventuresIn addition to all of the great food (I'm really looking forward to sampling stuff from Cinghiale and Dangerously Delicious Pies), there are tons of beer, wine, and spirits available for tasting (I should probably hold off on that until after the panel...) as well as demonstrations (I'm avoiding Warren Brown ...

Sanguine Salad (Roasted Beets, Blood Oranges, and Pomegranate)
2008-02-19 13:44:00
I made this last week as part of dinner for Valentine’s Day because, although it is red, it is comprised of a variety of components that are all a deep, bloody shade of red – perfect for a dinner made by someone who hates Valentine’s Day! This salad is stunning for the senses: visually, it’s an arresting amalgamation of the deep reddish-pink of roasted beets, the juicy maroon of blood oranges, and the radiant ruby of the pomegranate seeds; on your tastebuds, the combination of earthy, sweet, tangy, tart, and acidic works wonderfully. It’s a dish with looks that could kill and a taste that thrills the palate – an awesome combination for Valentine’s Day or any day of the year. Sanguine Salad (Roasted Beets , Blood Oranges , Pomegranate )(serves 4) 2 medium beets3 blood oranges½ cup pomegranate seeds½ small red onion1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses3 tablespoons high-quality extra virgin olive oil1/8 teaspoon sal...

Jalapeno Cheddar Buttermilk Cornbread
2008-02-16 16:56:00
I’m on the fence about cornbread. When it’s good, it’s soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet, and I totally love it; when it’s not, it’s grainy and dense and I really have no desire to eat it. That being said, I really like cornbread with chili, and I’ve always made a jalapeno-cheddar version to go along with it. However, I’ve never been really thrilled with the cornbread recipes I’ve used – they’ve all produced a dense and crumbly cornbread that, while tasty, wasn’t quite right texturally. So, of course, I had to come up with my own, and I think it worked out great – the cornbread come out soft, fluffy, just slightly sweet, a little tangy, kinda cheesy (in a good way!), and slightly spicy – cornbread perfection! Jalapeno Cheddar Buttermilk Cornbread(makes one 8�x8� square) 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour ¾ cup yellow cornmeal 1 tablespoon sugar2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 2 eggs ¾ cup butter...

Vegetarian Three-Bean Chili
2008-02-13 05:29:00
I don’t know why people can’t make chili without meat. Seriously, what’s so hard about it? Something must be, because the very few versions of vegetarian chili I’ve had weren’t so great. They were basically a flavorless concoction of every vegetable known to man thrown into a pot – I’m sorry, but that’s not chili, it’s some sort of tasteless vegetable stew. So because I can’t find chili that bears any semblance to the version that is loved by carnivores, I had to resort to making my own. The first version of this came about a few years ago, and, over the years, the list of ingredients has grown to include chipotle peppers and dark chocolate (to evoke the taste of a mole sauce). Don’t be daunted – this is seriously the easiest thing to make. Serve it with some jalapeno cheddar cornbread (recipe forthcoming) for a really easy and totally comforting meal – perfect for a cold and icy night like the one we’re having here in Baltimore. Vege...
More About: Vegetarian , Bean , Chili

Perfect Red Velvet Cupcakes
2008-02-08 22:57:00
I hate red velvet cake. It looks totally creepy, what with it being a scary shade of deep red, and it doesn’t really taste like very much – I know there’s cocoa in it, but its flavor is rarely discernible. I made some red velvet cupcakes over the summer because they were requested for a party, but I was not satisfied with them – they were not even remotely chocolaty, the color was frightening, and they were a bit dense. A few days ago, I wanted to make cupcakes and since I was being stared down by the carton of buttermilk in my fridge, I decided to revisit red velvet cake, albeit with a few revisions in mind. I added more cocoa than is normally used, I added the red color with a light hand, and I made sure that they came out light and fluffy by using both baking powder and baking soda and by adding the baking soda and vinegar at the end. The result: fluffy, soft, kind of chocolaty, and not-so-scary-looking cupcakes that I can’t resist. Turns out red velvet cake isnâ...
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Love and Death by Chocolate
2008-02-04 02:43:00
Love and death: a weighty theme for this little food blog of mine, isn’t it? Don’t worry, I promise it will lead to a recipe.Love and death are a popular and enduring pair: amongst their many appearances are their unbilled star turn in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, in Sara Teasdale’s poetry of the early 1900’s, and in indie rock from the early 2000’s (in particular, on the debut album of one of my favorite bands, The Stills). It’s fairly easy to see how these two are linked; some people will do anything for love (just look at what Juliet did).So what do love and death have to do with food?Let me digress first by pointing out that Valentine’s Day is coming up soon. Every year at this time, we are, without fail, assaulted by a barrage of all things pink, red, heart-shaped, and chocolate; combinations thereof range from the drugstore variety to the haute, because apparently any combination of pink+hearts+chocolate = love. I tend to hate Valentine’s Day because of it...
More About: Love , Chocolate , Death , Death By Chocolate

Dark Chocolate Glaze
2008-02-04 02:12:00
This glaze is part of Love and Death by Chocolate .Dark Chocolate Glaze(makes approximately 2 cups)¾ cup heavy cream8 ounces semisweet chocolate2 teaspoons light corn syrup***************In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil, the reduce the heat and let it simmer for 2 minutes. Put the chocolate and corn syrup in bowl, and pour the hot cream on top. Let the cream sit for 3 minutes, then stir well until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
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