Archive for December, 2009

Crazy Saturday night with friends. We continued drinking at my place well beyond our 3 1/2 hour stint at The Gibson, deep into the wee hours of Sunday morning. Stomachs were grumbling so Mr. Fresh sprang into action. Spaghetti aglio olio (garlic and oil), a great dish that anyone can make with pantry ingredients we all have on hand (or should have on hand): garlic, olive oil, spaghetti, chili flakes, Parmigiano-Reggiano.

It’s an uber-easy, deeply-satisfying pasta. My pasta rules stand firm: Always cook the noodle two minutes less than the package instructs and toss it with the condiment. Reserve a cup of pasta water to loosen the combined ingredients if they appear too tight. Pre-heat your pasta bowls!  Also, right before bringing the nearly-finished product to the table, always give it a spritz of good-quality extra virgin olive oil.

We all greedily consumed this pasta within minutes. Then again, we were drunk and dawn was nigh.

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Pasta all’amatriciana is one of my winter fallbacks.  It’s classic Roman comfort food. A bacon tomato sauce? Bring it!

It is often made with guanciale (pork jowels) but pancetta or any high-quality American bacon will do. I made this dish on Christmas Day for my family after we unwrapped presents. My father loves when I make pasta, constantly shadowing me as I pull the pasta from the boiling water (salted as heavily as the sea) two minutes before the package says it should be served, tossing it with a bit of the sauce in the saucepan to marry the noodle and condiment. Remember, the noodle is the star. Use the sauce sparingly. Never flood your pasta bowl with ladle after ladle of sauce. For some creaminess, I added a dollop of fresh ricotta and a nice drizzle of some good-quality olive oil.

Recipe after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

What say y’all?

So, winter’s finally come to D.C. We had our first snowfall of the year a week or so ago–it even stuck to a few things for, well, at least a day. It’s cold outside, but there are plenty of parties to go to inside. What better time to pull out this blend of sugar, spice, and everything nice (wine) to get you and your friends in a festive frame of mind? It’s sweetly spicy and is not at all acrid like mulled wines.

This recipe is one I’ve been refining for years, and the tinkering has paid off.  Seasoning the cider separately allows one to be pretty much ready to go at a moment’s notice, to adjust the wine-cider ratio to ones liking, and to heat the wine as little as possible. All good things that I’m sure even Martha would approve of.

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They won’t leave me to lick my “No-More-Gourmet-Magazine-Wounds” in peace.

The following arrived in my mailbox the other day. It’s their consolation prize in the shadow of their axed, 68 year-old brand. “We regret any inconvenience..Subscribers can look forward to receiving BON APPÉTIT MAGAZINE for the remainder of their subscription.”

“Look forward?” Kill me.

I hate BAM. I do. Bookended next to Gourmet, it’s an inferior publication, crystalizing a dumbing-down of the American home kitchen. A pinnacle of our Food Network culture. Some of these themes and frustrations I have were explored in Michael Pollan’s excellent New York Times Magazine piece this summer, “Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch.”

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Well, it’s not Robert Goulet’s eggnog but rather it’s Martha Stewart’s.

Last week I hosted the boozy, Third Annual Robert Goulet Eggnog Extravaganza at my abode and Martha’s highly boozy recipe has been the centerpiece of such a boozy affair. There’s always been something cheesy about eggnog and Robert Goulet. In my cerebral madness, I feel the two are a nice compliment. To the right, you’ll find Herr Goulet feeding eggnog to a local area ram.

This recipe is very distinguishing, refined and unlike anything you’ll find in a carton in the supermarket. Or in Goulet’s old fridge-RIP. It’s cloud-like and heavy all at the same time.  I made this for my family two years ago. My mother proceeded to gulp down two glasses in just a few minutes. “Mom, this is not Gatorade.”

Photo and recipe after the jump. Also, check out this great NPR piece on eggnog from ’06 with Alton Brown.

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I first made these brilliant, sweet-tart gems last summer for a barbeque and they’ve been my go-to lemon bar since. They are not, as should be apparent, you average lemon bar. The recipe, courtesy of the wonderful Baking Bites, saw the addition of pureed strawberries to get the lovely electric pink Strawberry-Lemonade Bars. Such a delicious innovation! The hue is totally unadulterated, and the bars are both lemony tart and possess a pronounced strawberry flavor.

Of course, with the original such a success, I have had a wonderful time subbing other fruits for the strawberries to capture other colorful flavors. Thus far I’ve made sexy mauve Blueberry-Lemonade Bars, glowing orange Mango-Lemonade Bars, and even Kiwi-Lemonade Bars, pictured here with the (isn’t she) pretty in pink originals. I will admit, however, to cheating a bit on the kiwi color… my kiwis were looking a bit wan and what are the holidays for if not luridly colored confections? Next time I will restrain myself and see how green they are au naturel.

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scallops, cauliflower, beluga lentils, vintage caymus vinaigrette, za'atar

I went with a few friends the other night to Bryan Voltaggio’s lovely restaurant in Frederick, M.D., Volt. He’s quite the kitchen talent and I’ve been following him (no, not in a Police, ‘Every Breath You Take’ way) since he was at Charlie Palmer Steak here in D.C. I interviewed him once, briefly, for an article I was writing about D.C.’s impending smoking ban and how Charlie Palmer–along with other DC lobbyist watering holes–were lamenting an era soon to be gone: D.C’s power player cigar scene. Nice guy. His appearance on Top Chef this past season reminded a bunch of us that, “Oh, yeah. His new restaurant is only an hour away.”

We all had a great meal and fantastic conversation in the chef’s sealed-off tasting room, a wise choice by the hostess as the evening became rather rambunctious.

I’m not going to give a review as Luke and I agreed long ago we’re not restaurant critics and this site isn’t Yelp. Suffice it to say, the meal was excellent and Frederick was a nice, transporting escape for a Sunday evening. Voltaggio was not there and I had vowed privately if I we talked, I was not going to torture him with my Padme impression as I did for Season 5 Top Chef contestant Carla when I saw her having brunch at Brasserie Beck over a year ago.

So, yes, the ur-brownies that only get made for parties? I’ve made them three times in the past week. Since we’re in the midst of the holiday party season, I thought revisiting their charms briefly would be smart. First, volume: This is a huge number of brownies that will make your dessert tray. Second, versatility: the batter is so dense it can accomodate almost any mix-in–so go nuts, or crazy, or bananas. (Well, maybe not bananas…) Third, presentation: even with whole nuts the brownies, which have to be chilled before portioning, cut clean and pretty.

So, what’s already been done? Let’s review: there is, of course, the published version with a layer of mints. These got made for Sunday’s condo association party, and were good enough for neighbor to come back to ask for the recipe. Then, the hazelnut version for the antipasti-themed launch party. Then, the batch laced with cayenne, cinnamon, and brazil nuts–the brownie version of a riot-inducing Mexican chocolate torte–for a taco party Friday. Leftovers of the latter have been forced on all comers in addition to getting diced into tiny cubes as the base for a ridiculously decadent hot fudge brownie sundae. Nice.

In any case, consider this dispensation to take the brownie base and have your way with it… and let us know what you come up with!