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Asparagus Flan with Mint-Pea Puree and Wilted Pea Shoots
2008-06-05 21:09:00
I got to the JFX market a little late on Sunday, but I was still able to get my hands on some great spring produce (although they still don’t have too much of it – it’s mostly flowering plants and food vendors). In addition to a few pounds of asparagus (which I love), I picked up lots of mint and pea shoots, which I’ve never before seen at the market. Pea shoots are the tops of pea plants, and
More About: Asparagus , Mint , Shoots

White Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
2008-06-03 19:45:00
There’s really not much of a story on these cupcakes – they were made as per a friend’s request for his 30th birthday. I sent him an email listing all the possible flavors of cake and frosting I could make. He picked white chocolate, vanilla, lemon, and strawberry, and I decided on white chocolate cupcakes with strawberry frosting. Most white chocolate cakes and cupcakes are very dense (which
More About: Strawberry , White , Chocolate

Brown Sugar-Hazelnut Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream Frosting
2008-05-29 17:51:00
I don’t want to play favorites, but I’m going to have to: this here is my favorite cupcake to date. It’s actually my favorite cake (I’ve made it a few times before), but because I wasn’t in the mood to make a full-out layer cake (nor did I think it would be a good idea to have my favorite cake sitting in my apartment), I decided to just turn the cake into cupcakes. What makes this cupcake so
More About: Blackberry , Sugar , Brown , Brown Sugar

Vegan Palak “Paneer”
2008-05-27 17:42:00
Palak paneer is commonly called saag paneer despite the fact that there actually is a difference between the two. Technically, palak paneer is made with spinach and saag paneer is made with mustard greens and spinach, but most restaurants (and home cooks) make their versions with just spinach and call it saag paneer anyway. My mom, however, has always correctly called her version of it palak
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Chewy Chocolate Cherry Cookies
2008-05-21 19:38:00
In case you couldn’t tell from the lack of a single cookie recipe on here to date, I’m not really a cookie person. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth (but you might not know it from all the cupcakes I make - and then give away), but, if given a choice between a cookie and a cupcake, I’m going for the cupcake, and pie beats out both of those. Sure, I’ll eat a cookie every now and then, but only
More About: Cookies , Chocolate , Cherry

660 Curries Book Giveaway
2008-05-20 17:41:00
I’ve decided that I’m going to give away all three copies today as opposed to giving one away each week. Why? I’ve tried out 4 recipes from the book and, quite frankly, I’m not thrilled by them. Granted, I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to Indian food (I was raised on it, can you blame me). The recipes aren’t by any means bad, but I don’t think that they’re great, either. That being said, I do
More About: Book , Curries

Lady Baltimore and Lord Baltimore Cupcakes
2008-05-16 17:45:00
Tomorrow is a big day in Baltimore – the running of the 133rd Preakness takes place tomorrow evening (and I’m going!). Although this race might not be as glamorous as its counterpart in Kentucky, it’s certainly not devoid of class, refinement, or traditions – you better believe I’ll be wearing a pretty dress, heels, and a big hat decorated with ribbon and flowers, as will countless other women
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Chana Saag (Spiced Chickpeas and Spinach)
2008-05-13 13:07:00
This is the first of three recipes that I'll be posting from 660 Curries. Don't forget to leave a comment by 9 pm on Sunday, May 18th to be entered into the drawing for first of three copies of the book (see this post for details). ---------- I had a ton of fresh spinach that I had gotten at the market earlier in the week, so a spinach recipe was in order. I was all set to search the index
More About: Spinach

Book Review and Giveaway: 660 Curries
2008-05-12 19:29:00
A few weeks ago, I received a copy of Raghavan Iyer’s book 660 Curries . As the title might imply, the book contains hundreds of recipes for Indian curries. What the title doesn’t imply, though, is that the book contains recipes from all regions of India, and not every recipe in this book is for what generally comes to mind when you hear the word “curry.” The book opens with an introduction to
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Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
2008-05-09 13:00:00
I’ve wanted to buy an ice cream maker for almost a year now, and I finally bought one last Friday for the low price of $20! (Thanks to David Lebovitz for the tip about the sale at Amazon – apparently they sold out of them really quickly, so I’m glad I was able to get my hands on one.) One of my favorite flavors of ice cream is (and always has been) mint chip, but these days I just can’t eat it
More About: Ice Cream , Chocolate , Mint , Cream , Chip

Spring Onion and Potato Soup with Garlic-Parmesan Croutons
2008-05-07 18:44:00
I’ve really become obsessed with buying everything at the farmers market – Michael Pollan would be proud of me. I haven’t been to the supermarket in weeks! (OK, that’s not entirely true – I’ve been there to buy yogurt and bananas. I suppose I could make my own yogurt, but growing bananas is totally out of the question.) Spring onions are one of the things that are in season and abundant right
More About: Garlic , Soup , Potato , Onion

Strawberry Rhubarb Ginger Scones
2008-05-05 18:36:00
I can’t believe I got up early on both Saturday and Sunday to go to the Waverly and Baltimore Farmers Markets, respectively. Saturday’s trip was exclusively for dairy, and Sunday was the opening of the larger Baltimore Farmers Market (the one under the JFX). I really love going to the JFX market – waking up early, perusing the market, and walking home with bags full of produce makes me feel
More About: Strawberry , Scones , Ginger

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
More About: Spinach , Fresh , Ricotta , Gnocchi

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
More About: Spring , Soup , Vegetable

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
More About: Dinner , Fresh , Ricotta

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
More About: Pizza , Mushroom , Taleggio

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...
More About: Baked , Parmesan , Eggplant

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...
More About: Middle , Eastern , Strawberries

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...
More About: Lemon , Spring , Risotto , Asparagus , Peas

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...
More About: Baked , Vegetable

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 ...
More About: Purple , Cabbage

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