FAMOUS FOODIES and the aspiring chefs who love them take over the Washington Convention Center (801 Mt. Vernon Place NW) this weekend for the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show (Metrocooking.com). Attend presentations by Food Network stars such as Paula Deen, Tyler Florence and Giada De Laurentiis, along with cooking demonstrations and wine tasting seminars. Tickets start at $20.
Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post
FALL VEGETABLES at the Thanksgiving table usually come in few forms, mainly of the mashed or covered-in-marshmallow variety.
But picture this as an alternative: a kabocha squash, cut in half, baked until soft, then filled with chopped apples and walnuts, and drizzled liberally with real maple syrup and baked again.
"It makes a really good dessert," said Jim Huyett, owner of Sunnyside Farm in Charles Town, W.Va. Alternately, kabocha, a sweet, green-skinned Japanese squash, also works well when stuffed with sausage, peppers and rice. Huyett said that in the coming weeks, he'll also start selling one of his fall favorites: carnival squash.
"It tastes a lot like acorn squash -- a lot like how much butter and brown sugar you put into it," he said.
Summer might be the busiest time for the farmers markets in the area, but as fall rolls in, it brings roots and leafy vegetables that go beyond the usual mashed potatoes and salads. And, in many cases, they're a snap to prepare. At the Freshfarm Market at Foggy Bottom one recent Wedensday, a table at Quaker Valley Orchard's booth was covered with butternut squash and heirloom pumpkins with names such as Long Island Cheese and Cinderella.
Continue Reading "Fall Into Thanksgiving: Local Farmers on Fall Foods" »
A NEW RESTAURANT, wine bar and lounge on L Street NW hopes to take diners around the world with "international tapas." The Reserve, which opened a month ago, is the brainchild of owner Moe Hamdan, who worked as a promoter in D.C. for years.
"I recently got married and had a little boy," he says. "I got tired of not being able to have a place to take my wife out and have dinner, a cocktail and relax."
He also wanted something with a lounge feel.
"In Los Angeles, New York, Miami, lounges are more a sit down, have conversations with friends over food and stay for drinks kind of thing," he says. "Here, every place describes itself as a lounge, but it isn't that."
Frederik De Pue, a chef from Belgium who also runs 42 Degrees Catering Services, is helming the kitchen. "I've reworked classics and have a number of vegetarian options," De Pue says. "The entire menu will change seasonally, but I'll keep a couple classic dishes."
Continue Reading "Make a Reservation for Cool: The Reserve" »
EATING IN
Kale With Raisins and Toasted Pine Nuts
INGREDIENTS
» 1/4 c toasted pine nuts
» 3/4 lb kale (about 6 cups)
» 2 c water
» 2 TBSP olive oil
» 2 garlic cloves, minced
» 1/3 c raisins
» salt, to taste
PREPARATION
» 1. Wash and strip kale. Bring water to a boil in a 10- to 12-inch skillet that has a tight-fitting lid. Add the kale and cook, covered, over high heat, stirring occasionally until tender, approximately five minutes. Remove and drain.
» 2. After patting skillet dry, heat olive oil and sautee garlic for 15 seconds. Add raisins and sautee for 30 seconds to
one minute, stirring constantly to prevent browning or burning. Raisins should be glossy and slightly puffed.
» 3. Add greens and stir to combine. Season with salt to taste and cover for a minute until greens are heated through. Garnish with pine nuts.
(Adapted from "Greens Glorious Greens" by Johnna Albi and Catherine Walthers)
THE PHRASE "dinner party" may conjure a "Mad Men" scene, with guests sitting stiffly around a table set with Granny's silver, making small talk while choking down chicken divan. But New York food veterans Zora O'Neill and Tamara Reynolds think having people over for a meal is a nearly lost art in need of revival. In their new book, "Forking Fantastic! Putting the Party Back Into Dinner Party" ($20, Gotham), they share recipes and tips for hosting a bash.
» EXPRESS: Why don't people throw dinner parties anymore?
» REYNOLDS: They're misinformed. People our age don't understand they can be as simple as saying, "I'm going to roast a chicken and make a salad. Will you guys come over and bring a bottle of wine and have dinner?"
» EXPRESS: Why should they?
» O'NEILL: When you start regularly sitting down at the table with people, you realize this is a great social thing. You can recharge and meet new people.
» EXPRESS: Can anyone can teach themselves to cook?
» O'NEILL: Like any self-improvement project, it doesn't come overnight. Cooking for other people is a motivator that makes you cook. Often, people think, "If it's just for me, it's not worth it." But if you have people over, you're excited and make more effort.
Continue Reading "Dinner Parties Demystified: 'Forking Fantastic!'" »
U.K. CELEB CHEF Gordon Ramsay's rep as an expletive-spewing kitchen commando hasn't won him any pals on TV shows such as "Hell's Kitchen." But he must fare better at home -- or, at least, that's what his latest book, "Gordon Ramsay Cooking for Friends" ($35, William Morrow), suggests.
He ramps up comfort foods (a fresh herb-powered chicken pie, almond-spiked chocolate swirl cheesecake) while keeping them simple enough to make for an impromptu Sunday brunch, either for a solo snacker or a table of guests — who, presumably, like him better than his co-stars do.
THE FREAKISH .001 percent of the population that pays attention to desserts starring apples, caramel or other non-cacao bean products can stop reading now -- because "Absolutely Chocolate" ($30, Taunton) might not turn them into sugar-craving zombies dying to chomp dishes such as Triple Chocolate Ice Cream Pie or Fudge Cake with Ganache Drizzle.
Pity these unbelievers, for they shall miss out on easy how-tos and haute food porn photos.
NEIGHBORHOOD RESTAURANT GROUP co-owner Michael Babin believed that Washingtonians needed more places to sample the ever-growing array of craft beers, without any more ubiquitous flat-screen TVs, dingy lighting, chicken fingers or frites. So he and his partners dreamed up such a place — a pair of them, actually.
This new, two-part endeavor opened last week in the former Dakota Cowgirl space in Logan Circle. The ground floor houses the fine-dining Birch & Barley (exposed brick, bamboo floors, earthy hues), while the upstairs offers a hip bar and lounge, ChurchKey (D.C.'s longest bar, decadent accents). Both floors will feature executive chef Kyle Bailey's contemporary American cuisine and beer director Greg Engert's formidable beer list: 500 bottled brews, 50 drafts and five cask-conditioned ales.
Continue Reading "Why So Serious?: Sexy New Two-in-One Craft Beer Hot Spots" »
THE WORLD OF HOME BREWING has never been dull, but these days, it's bubbling over with excitement. With the rise of interest in fine, artisanal and historic brews, area home brewers are turning their kitchens into laboratories, experimenting with ingredients, styles and chemical reactions.
The craft has gone from hobbyists tinkering in their garages with Internet-bought kits to home artisans brewing award-winning concoctions that combine passions for science, history and a really good beer.
Last week, the D.C. Homebrewers Club held an "Iron Mug" competition — basically, an "Iron Chef" for beer. The secret ingredients were white-wine concentrate and woodruff, a flavor substitute for hops. The winners, JT Thomas and Will Kohudic, both 40, made an innovative version of Berliner Weisse, a sour wheat beer whose recipe dates back to 16th-century Berlin.
TENPENH MAY HAVE a smoky pumpkin, but now you can re-create Dino's Fizz.
SPICED CHIANTI FIZZ
Ingredients:
» 1.5 oz. Chianti good enough to drink on its own
» 1/2 oz. citrus- & ginger-infused grappa or Cointreau (Cointreau adds orange tones to the drink without being overly sweet like Triple Sec or Grand Marnier.)
» 1/4 oz. spice-infused simple syrup (Use any combination of spices — cardamom, cloves, white pepper, star anise, bay leaves — to infuse equal parts water and granulated white sugar. Heat 2 cups each sugar and water in a saucepan until sugar dissolves, stir in spices and let steep. Shake all ingredients with ice in a shaker. Strain into highball glass filled with fresh ice. Top with bitter lemon soda and garnish with a fresh orange slice.)
» Dash Fee Brothers' orange bitters (Fee Brothers' bitters are available locally at Pearson's and Ace Beverage; there are also several online sources.)
» Bitter lemon soda (Dino's Scott Palmer likes the Fever Tree brand) (Fever Tree Bitter Lemon soda is available at several locations including Connecticut Ave. Wine & Spirits. Commercial brands like Schweppes or Canada Dry will work in a pinch.)
Addison Road