Weekly Roundup: Dreaming of Pie Edition

November 13, 2009 at 7:37 am · Filed under DC ·Tagged , , , ,

Apple pie

You haunt my dreams.

I can’t stop thinking about pie. All day I’m distracted by the the thoughts of the pie I’m going to make this weekend. Will it use a pastry crust? A crumb crust? A cheddar crust? Will it be a fruit pie? Or a pudding pie? I don’t know why I didn’t start baking pies months ago – they’re just so fascinating.

Maybe this means I need more hobbies. Or, um, friends.

Recipes I want to try:

  • Parmesan popovers from Adventures in Shaw. Popovers are an excellent holiday feast food – they’re easy, tasty, and impressive.

And in other news:

  • The Arugula Files reviews the bar menu at Bourbon Steak, which is both decadent and reasonably priced.
  • Lemmonex reviews Masa 14, the hot new tapas restaurant on 14th Street. She is tired of tapas.
  • NPR has a good primer on quinces, which I’ve been wanting to try. I looked for them at the farmer’s market last weekend, but didn’t find any – anyone know if they’re available in this area?
  • The Tipsy Baker, aka writer Jennifer Reese, has a thoughtful, tough, review of Jonathan Safran Foer’s new book, Eating Animals over at Double XX.
  • Gradually Greener previews a promising new social networking site for foodies, Smörgie.
  • The Internet Food Association is tired of cupcakes. I, personally, am tired of people who are tired of cupcakes. You’ll notice I tried to defend them in the comments, but, alas, the majority of comments are firmly in the anti-cupcake camp.
  • Capital Spice has google-mapped out all the restaurants on Tom Sietsema’s Fall Dining Guide (from the Post), Tim Carman’s 50 Best Restaurants (from the Washington City Paper), and the Washingtonian magazine’s 100 Best Restaurants. Now if only I could read maps.

Happy Friday!

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Rustic Guinness Bread

November 12, 2009 at 7:49 am · Filed under baking ·Tagged , , ,

Guinness Bread

I still haven't drunk all that Guinness . . .

I still have a lot of beer left over from last month’s beer baking binge, and I haven’t really been in the mood to drink lately. I think I’m too busy with all these various baking projects, blogger get togethers, and early morning choir performances. Or maybe it’s that I’m watching too much Mad Men – watching people who are always drunk, or hungover, makes sobriety much more attractive.

This weather has also put me in the mood to bake, so I put two and two together and made some Guinness bread this weekend. I was also inspired by my chat with Tiffany MacIssac, the Pastry Chef at Birch and Barley, who’s been incorporating beer into their breads and desserts. I decided to use the basic hearth bread recipe from The Bread Bible, which Rose Beranbaum suggests as a good basic recipe to use for adaptations.

The beer in this bread is a subtle flavoring – it gives it a slightly more bitter, darker flavor, and a honey-colored crumb. To counteract the smoky, bitter flavor of the Guinness, I upped the amount of honey in the dough, which gave the bread a mellow sweetness. You can’t really tell that the bread uses Guinness, but the beer definitely gives the bread a subtle depth of flavor that I liked quite a bit. Because this loaf uses bread flour, which has a higher protein content than regular flour, the bread is satisfyingly chewy, with a crisp crust and light texture.

This bread is good toasted in thick slices with a good slathering of butter and a sprinkling of sea salt. Or top it with goat cheese, arugula, and Prosciutto for a quick open-faced sandwich. And it’s refined enough that you can enjoy a slice with some cheese and a glass of wine. Or your favorite craft brew. Or even a Bud Light, if that’s what you prefer. I don’t judge.

Guinness Bread - Inside

My favorite way to eat this bread is toasted and topped with a fried egg. I'm classy like that.

Recipe: Rustic Guinness Bread

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Buttery Caramel Ice Cream

November 11, 2009 at 3:32 pm · Filed under dessert ·Tagged , , , ,

Buttery Caramel Ice Cream 2

God. I love ice cream.

An ice cream maker isn’t just a kitchen tool – it is a path to dessert freedom. Think about it – can you think of a dessert that is more adaptable than ice cream? Because ice cream (and yes, I’m using it as a generic term here for any frozen, churned dessert, including gelato, sorbet, and sherbet) is essentially just a liquid frozen in an ice cream maker, it is incredibly versatile.

Flavors that can only serve as accents in a cake – like citrus, nuts, or fruit – work perfectly well as the main flavor in an ice cream or sorbet. Because ice cream doesn’t rely on sugar for structure, like a cake does, it’s much easier to control the amount of sweetness in your ice cream. And you can mix pretty much anything into ice cream (within reason). I can have my mint ice cream with some cookies, fudge, chocolate chips, brownies, or anything else good-tasting that I can think of.

Suffice it to say, I love my ice cream maker. And I was very excited to use it to make David Lebovitz’s salted butter caramel ice cream this weekend, although I wasn’t ambitious enough to make the caramel praline mix-in that the recipe called for.

Now, I had originally intended to make this ice cream to go along with my caramel apple walnut pie, which seemed like a natural accompaniment. However, the ice cream wasn’t quite set up when my taste testers arrived, so what I served them was much more akin to caramel sauce.

In retrospect, I think fate was trying to tell me something with the soupy ice cream, because I actually don’t think this ice cream is the right accompaniment to my pie. The ice cream is incredibly rich, with a deep, luscious toffee flavor – and it’s so good on its own that it overwhelms the pie. The subtle sweetness of the pie crust and the tangy interplay between the apples and the caramel gets lost in the richness of the caramel ice cream. Next time, I think I might try the pie with a lighter ice cream, like ginger or vanilla.

No, this caramel ice cream is a big, bold ice cream. It’s deep caramel and butter flavors are rounded out with a bitter, burnt sugar undertone. It deserves to be the star of the dessert plate. I actually think it would be very good in a sundae, topped with some chocolate sauce, caramelized hazelnuts, and whipped cream. But it’s also quite fabulous on its own.

Get the recipe for Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream over at David Lebovitz’s blog.

Buttery Caramel Ice Cream 1

Slightly melty, yet no less delicious.

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Pie Time: Caramel Apple Walnut Pie

November 10, 2009 at 7:29 am · Filed under baking ·Tagged , , , ,

Caramel Apple Walnut Pie

It's pie time.

It’s November. We’re officially in the holiday season. It’s cold outside (sometimes). And the fruits in season – apples, quinces, cranberries – are naturally drawn to pie. Nature, tradition, and expectation declare that it’s pie time.

So my November baking project will be focusing on pie. But not just any pie – festive pie. Holiday pie. Dare I even say it – party pie.

My first offering, caramel apple walnut pie, is a regular apple pie tarted up for the holiday season. I mixed roasted walnuts with the apple filling, added a layer of caramel on the bottom crust, and a drizzle of caramel over the top.

Because the caramel is so sweet, I decreased the sugar in the apple filling – giving the apples a nice tartness that contrasts with the sweet caramel. The crunchy walnuts give a textural contrast to the soft apples, and their slightly bitter flavor helps bring out the sweetness of the rest of the filling. Actually, if I were to make this again, I think I’d up the caramel content – make some more of it and drizzle it over the apples, not just keep it in a layer on the bottom of the pie.

Still, the pie crust was flaky and crisp, the apples were sweet and tart without being overpowering, and the caramel drizzled over the top looked rustic and inviting. Pretty good for my first pie attempt in quite some time.

Many thanks to my taste testers, Nonnka and Deborahdawn, who came over on very short notice Sunday to deal with an excess of pie.

Caramel Apple Pie - Slice

Hello, pie. It's been awhile.

Recipe: Caramel Apple Walnut Pie

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Weekly Roundup: Bring on the Sugar Edition

November 6, 2009 at 6:52 am · Filed under DC ·Tagged , ,

Pie Crust

Everyone's indulging their sweet tooth these days.

Is there something in the air? There seem to be a whole lot of sweetness going on in the food media this week. People are baking pies, they’re drinking hot chocolate, they’re making cookies. I think it’s the fall weather and the start of the holiday season – people are just in the mood for sugar. Of course, I’m always in the mood for sugar – everyone else is just catching up to me.

On another note, thanks to everyone who came out to the Food Blogger Happy Hour at The Black Squirrel this Wednesday! As usual, I had a great time – DC Food Bloggers have proven, once again, that we’re a lively, friendly, and welcoming bunch. Can’t wait to see everyone in December.

And now, the recipes I want to try from this week’s Internet surfing:

  • The Dirty Radish is baking up sage cookies, which look like a cross between a cookie and a cracker. I love desserts that walk the savory and sweet line, and these look lovely.
  • David Liebowitz poaches pears. Yes, it sounds so simple, but why do they look so delicious?

And in other foodie news:

  • David Guas, former Pastry Chef for the Passion Food Group, just came out with a new cookbook, DamGood Sweet (also the name of his consulting business). Best Bites interviews Guas about his Louisiana heritage influences his desserts (think banana pudding, lemon icebox pie, and sweet-potato tarte tatin).
  • DCist interviews Zaytinya’s Mike Isabella about his controversial performance on Top Chef.
  • Um, would you buy 7-11 brand wine? What if it were only $4 a bottle? Soon, this will no longer be a hypothetical question. Via Top Shelf.
  • And speaking of hot chocolate, Metrocurean looks at some of the hot chocolate cocktails around town.

Happy Friday!

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A Return To Savory Baking: Pissaladière

November 4, 2009 at 7:31 am · Filed under baking ·Tagged , , , ,

Pissaladiere

At last, something that won't give me a toothache.

There’s been a whole lot of dessert going on in my tiny apartment kitchen. Cupcakes, turnovers, more cupcakes, ice cream, Oreos – it’s been a regular sugar fest.

So this Sunday, I went down a savory path. I was inspired by that deconstructed vichyssoise pizza over at The Arugula files, so my mind was already turning to pizza. And as I was flipping thorough “Barefoot In Paris,” Ina Garten’s Paris-themed cookbook, I spotted a recipe for Pissaladière. Also called “Provencal Pizza,” it consists of a flatbread topped with sauteed onions, garlic, olives, and anchovies. It looked perfect.

Now, I am an adventurous eater, but eating plain anchovies on pizza is too much for me (even the anchovy-topped pizza at 2Amys isn’t to my taste – and I trust in their ingredients). So I skipped them, and just had the olives and onions. I wasn’t able to find really good quality olives in the Giant (surprise, surprise), so I settled for regular Kalamata’s. They were fine, but I bet a really nice oil-cured olive would have been better. The onions, however, were fabulous – you cook them over the stove before placing them on the pizza, and they go all soft and sweet and silky.

The crust, however, was a little disappointing. I usually love Ina Garten’s recipes – especially for baked items – but the crust was a little too bready, yeasty and soft for my taste. I know that part of it is my oven, but I also think the recipe is over-leavened – an entire packet of yeast to two cups of flour seems like a lot to me. I think I still prefer The Bread Bible’s pizza crust - even in my crappy oven, it still turns out light, airy, and crispy.

Still, the sweet streak has been broken, thank goodness. And this was a lovely savory recipe to break it with.

Pissaladiere 2

I'm totally using those onions as a pizza topping again.

Get the recipe for Pissaladière over at The Food Network.

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Reminder: Food Blogger Happy Hour Tomorrow! 6pm at The Black Squirrel

November 3, 2009 at 6:41 am · Filed under DC ·Tagged , , ,

Nov food blogger happy hour

Out of the internet, into the bar.

Beer. Bar food. Food Bloggers. Adams Morgan. It sounds like a recipe for a fabulous evening, no?

If you think so then you should definitely come out to the third monthly food blogger happy hour this Wednesday at 6:00. We’ll be at The Black Squirrel, which has an excellent beer list, laid-back vibe and, although I haven’t sampled it, good bar food too. Look for us on the second floor.

If you’re planning on attending, please leave a comment here, or on any of the “planning committee’s” blogs: The Arugula Files, Gradually Greener, Capital Spice, Capital Cooking, and the Beer Spotter.

November Food Blogger Happy Hour
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 6:00 pm
The Black Squirrel
2427 18th St NW
Washington, DC 20009
www.blacksquirreldc.com

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Bake Sale Success! And The Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake Recipe

November 2, 2009 at 6:52 am · Filed under DC, baking ·Tagged , , , , ,

Bake sale - cupcakes

Devil's food cupcakes with almond frosting - just some of the bounty for sale at the DC Food Blogger's Bake Sale.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the first annual (we hope ) DC Food Blogger Spooktacular Bakesale Saturday! We sold out of everything – and raised $500.50 for Martha’s Table. Highlights included watching really cute kids parade around in their Halloween Costumes, talking frosting with Warren Brown (!!!), and seeing the baking talents of DC’s food bloggers -like those cupcakes in the photo from Thrifty DC Cook. Adventures in Shaw did a fabulous job of organizing – kudos to her for putting the event together!

Bakesale - Snickerdoodles

Little kids were especially drawn to the packaging.

Prettily wrapped snickerdoodles from Macheesmo.

Bake Sale - Cranberry Muffins

Did I tell you it rained?

Also prettily wrapped cranberry muffins from The Arugula Files.

Bake Sale Loaf Cake

The world needs more loaf cakes.

Chocolate loaf cake from Gradually Greener.

Also, my chocolate peanut butter cupcakes were a hit! And my individual packaging solution – placing the cupcakes in plastic disposable wine cups and wrapping them in cellophane, actually worked out really well.

Bakesale - Peanut Butter Cupcakes

I topped them with little pieces of chopped peanut butter cups. Yum.

So, as promised on Friday, here is the recipe. I really can’t take credit for them – these cupcakes owe their deliciousness to the combined genius of Martha Stewart and Ina Garten. Who knew that Martha Stewart’s “easy” cupcake recipe would turn out to be such a stroke of genius?

Recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

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Halloween in Photos

November 2, 2009 at 12:17 am · Filed under DC ·Tagged ,

Bake Sale - Unicorn Pegasus 2

This was my favorite - I love that unicorn Pegasus!

I had to share some of my photos from Halloween – these costumes are just too cute to keep to myself. Most of these are taken from the Halloween costume contest at the 14th and U Farmer’s Market – and a couple are from my own night out later.

Bake Sale - Superdog

Superdog!

Bake Sale - First Cupcake

This was a special moment - a duck's first cupcake.

Bake sale - Ladybug

I love this dog - I mean, ladybug.

CIMG2151

A tortured 1950's housewife and The Lady In Red.

CIMG2170

Pippi Longstocking.

CIMG2171

Swine Flu.

Halloween - Costumes

Mark Sanford and his Argentinian mistress. DC does political costumes well, no?

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Weekly Roundup: Happy Halloween Edition

October 30, 2009 at 7:07 am · Filed under DC ·Tagged , , ,

Pumpkins 2

Pumpkins from Homestead Farms. Happy Halloween!

Tonight: lots of baking, frosting making, and whoopie pie and cupcake assembling.

Tomorrow: Food Blogger Bakesale and Halloween parties.

Sunday: Singing, cleaning, and possibly collapsing.

For those of you who weighed in on my search for a perfect/doable Halloween costume – many thanks. I finally made my final selection, based on your ideas, laziness, and my current obsession with Mad Men. I loved Meg’s idea of being Lucille Ball, but that costume would take a little bit too much work to put together. Instead, I’m going to be a generic, tortured 1950s housewife. I have a full skirted 50’s style dress that I’ll pair with an apron and pearls, and I intend to walk around with a large bottle marked “Valium” and a martini glass. Hopefully people will get it. If I really get it together, I might hand out these (even if it might be fake, the sentiment rings true).

So now that you’ve heard about my fabulous Halloween plans, I’d love to hear yours. Any creative costume ideas you’re dying to share? Any great parties you want to brag about? Any Halloween-themed food you’re going to be making? Please share!

And now, onto the roundup. Recipes I want to try, as found on my RSS reader:

And in other news:

  • This tale of cupcake woe over at Sassy Radish, who recently made four dozen cupcakes for a friend’s wedding, is possibly my favorite thing I read all week. Anyone who’s had to make a large batch of any baked good in a home kitchen will sympathize – the batter is too big for your mixer, the frosting is impossible to pipe, etc. Haven’t we all had those days when we’ve been a tad overambitious in the kitchen?
  • The Black Rooster, a local dive bar, isn’t closing after all. Via Young and Hungry.
  • The Washington Post has a much-needed primer on making stock.
  • I cannot wait to find out the results of The Tipsy Baker’s onion ring challenge, which pits homemade onion rings against Burger King’s.
  • Behold this beautiful pumpkin cake from Rose’s Heavenly Cakes.

Happy Friday! And Happy (early) Halloween!

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