Epicurious Coming to the Dupont Farmer’s Market August 16

July 16, 2009 at 6:34 am · Filed under DC ·Tagged , , ,

farm_mkt2

Image from Epicurious.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably spent a lot of time on Epicurious, the food site that has a mammoth search engine of  Gourmet and Bon Appetit recipes. Even if I don’t always end up using their recipes (some of the stuff from Gourmet is way too complicated for a simple gal like me) I’ll almost always hit it up for research purposes. Case in point: Epicurious provided some valuable ideas and options for yesterday’s bread salad.

I was very happy to hear that fellow Epicurious fans will have the opportunity to meet some of the faces behind the site. Epicurious will be making a nationwide farmer’s market tour in July and August, and will be visiting the Dupont Farmer’s Market on Sunday, August 16th. Visitors can receive a free tote bag and recipe card.

Given that I love to visit the Dupont Farmer’s market anyway, I would totally be going to this, were I not out of town that weekend. But maybe some obliging readers can hit it up and let us know what happened?

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No Cook Dinners, Take Two: Italian Bread Salad With Antipasto

July 15, 2009 at 7:00 am · Filed under cooking ·Tagged , , , , ,

Panzanella Salad 1

A quick and savory dinner that won't heat up your kitchen.

After last week’s disappointing attempt at a no-cook dinner, I was determined that this week would be a better showing. So I did a bit of research, looked at my list of no-cook ingredients, talked to some friends, and decided to go the Italian route.

I got the idea for making no-cook bread salad after I was whining about last week’s middling salmon sandwiches on Facebook. An old friend from college suggested making panzanella, the Italian bread salad traditionally made with tomatoes, basil, onions, and day-old Tuscan bread. A little research revealed that the composition of “panzanella” is a subject of some controversy – some purists believe true panzanella can only be made with certain traditional ingredients, while food magazines apply the term to whatever bread salad the test kitchen has come up with that day.

Given this controversy, I’ll just say that I’ll made a bread salad, and leave it at that.

I decided to keep my salad relatively simple, using stale bread, tomatoes, basil, onions, and a red wine and mustard vinaigrette. My one bit of culinary extravagance is that I baked the bread myself (recipe here), but only because the Safeway on Columbia road is undergoing renovations and was out of almost everything, including fresh bread. To round out the meal, I served my bread salad with some antipasto – in this case, Sopressata and mozzarella cheese topped with basil, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Mozarella with basil

Mozarella with basil, olive oil, salt and pepper. Another simple yet addicting classic.

Before this week I had never actually had bread salad before, but now I want to add it to my regular dinner roster. The stuff is addicting. Soaked in the vinaigrette, the bread becomes soft and chewy, but without entirely losing its texture. The tomatoes and onions provide a crisp textural contrast, and the peppery bite of the onions and the acidity of the vinegar marry perfectly with the sweetness of the tomatoes and basil. And best of all, I didn’t turn on my oven once.

A couple of notes: I made this with grape tomatoes because those are usually the best the Safeway has to offer, but regular tomatoes would work perfectly well if you can actually find good ones. If you want to be more traditional you can soak the bread in water for ten minutes and squeeze it out before adding it to the salad, but this seemed like too much of a hassle for me. Traditionalists may disagree, but I actually liked that the bread wasn’t entirely mushy and added some crunch to the salad. And please forgive the imprecise nature of the recipe below, but this is the sort of dish that probably evolved to use up leftovers and, I believe, was meant to be improvisational in nature.

Panzanella 2

Simple and addicting.


Italian Bread Salad

Ingredients
One small loaf country-style bread or any artisan bread, cut or torn into cubes and left to dry out for eight hours
One pint grape tomatoes
One handful basil leaves, chopped
One half red onion, finely chopped
1/4 red wine vinegar (or more or less, to taste)
1/3 cup olive oil (or more or less, to taste)
2 tsp mustard (or more or less, to taste)
Salt and pepper (to taste)

In a large bowl, combine the bread, tomatoes, basil, and onions. In a small bowl, mix together the red wine vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt, and pepper, until emulsified. Pour dressing on bread salad and to mix until everything is coated in the dressing. Let sit for at least half an hour minimum to absorb the flavors – although it will taste even better if you can let it sit for three or four hours at room temperature. Serve with antipasti, such as cured meats, Italian cheeses, or olives.

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Co Co Sala – Is it Worth A Second Trip?

July 14, 2009 at 6:49 am · Filed under DC ·Tagged , , ,

Co Co Sala 8

Tiramisu shooters at Co Co Sala.

Given my various dessert-related obsessions that I’ve chronicled on this blog (custard, pound cake, shortbread, cupcakes), it was only fitting that I celebrated Modern Domestic’s one year anniversary at Co Co Sala, the stylish Penn Quarter restaurant that specializes in desserts. Elpis and Justice and I went there last Thursday after spending the week staring at the menu obsessively online and carefully considering what we would order.

The restaurant doesn’t only serve sugar – there are savory tapas-style “bites” on the menu, but Co Co Sala’s heart is its multi-course dessert tasting menus and elaborate cocktails. They also serve a variety of hot chocolates, as well as chocolates, which I wasn’t able to sample Thursday, but are certainly on my “to try” list.

Co Co Sala 5

The strawberry basil cocktail was lovely. I bet I could figure out how to make this myself.

Instead, Elpis and I stuck with the three course dessert tasting menus. She chose the “ciocco” Italian-inspired menu, while I got the “co co for grownups,” which reimagines classic American childhood desserts. I also got a drink – since what’s a celebration without a celebratory drink? I had the strawberry basil cocktail, which was nicely balanced and fruity without being too sweet, but a very poor pairing with my chosen menu.

Co Co Sala 2

A mini bostom cream dounut - a pastry perfection.

Like many tasting menus, Elpis and I both thought that our desserts were mixed experiences, filled with some lovely and less than lovely pastries. There were some really beautiful moments on my tasting menu – the mini Boston cream doughnut was soft and airy, the vanilla-flavored filling was creamy and flavorful, and the chocolate glaze was rich and chocolatey and the perfect complement.

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My main dessert (from right to left): malted milk shooter, chocolate cupcake, peanut butter ice cream with chocolate sauce, and a dish of bananas foster.

The mini chocolate cupcake was a dream – fluffy cake crowned with a creamy chocolate buttercream, and topped with crispy little chocolate balls that added a burst of texture. And the strawberry cheese cake pop – frozen strawberry cheesecake covered in milk chocolate and rolled in pop rocks, was fruity and sweet and chocolatey and, well, my favorite thing I ate all night.

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The strawberry cheese cake lollipop was the best thing I had all night.

But not everything was perfect. The bananas foster was too much sugar for a tasting menu – the bananas, sitting in a pool of caramel sauce, was so sweet that it threatened to overwhelm the entire meal. The cappuccino panna cotta was faintly flavored and, frankly, an unnecessary accompaniment to the Boston cream doughnut. And the mint chocolate chip cup – quite literally a chocolate cup filled with mint cream and topped with chocolate chips – was like eating a cup of toothpaste-flavored frosting.

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Not a fan of the mint chocolate cup. Not a fan.

Elpis’ dessert had similar highs and lows. She loved her strawberry and classic tiramisu shooters – the strawberry, especially, was a wonderful reimagining of a classic tiramisu. And she loved the creamy, silky chocolate soup. But she was underwhelmed with the final course – the lemon (was it lemon?) flavored ricotta bite wasn’t to her or my liking, and the chocolate dipped amaretti was stale.

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Chocolate soup.

A couple of problems with the service – the server brought me the wrong third course the first time round, I only got my cocktail with the second course – cemented my feeling that the experience wasn’t all that I had hoped it would be. Although, given that the tasting menus are so elaborate, how reasonable it is to expect that every tiny element will be perfect and to my taste?

I know I’ll be going back to Co Co Sala because I’ve heard wonderful things about their hot chocolate. But based on that night, I’m not in a hurry to go back for dessert. At the end of the day, I’ve been more satisfied with a great cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake, or a great bowl of frozen yogurt from Yogi Berry than I was with the multi-course dessert from Co Co Sala. Maybe, in my heart, I’m just a simple-hearted dessert girl.

Still, this was only one visit, so I’m curious if others have thoughts they want to share about Co Co Sala. Is the hot chocolate worth a second trip? Did we go there on an off night? Have other people had the tasting menus and liked every bite? Dish in the comments.

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Weekly Roundup: Blog Anniversary Edition

July 10, 2009 at 12:08 pm · Filed under DC ·Tagged , , , ,

Peanut Butter Blossom

Happy blog anniversary to me.

I’m still mulling over my first blog anniversary – what does it mean? How should I try to grow? What should I do for next month’s baking project? I have many blog-related things to ponder. But not this weekend, since I have a friend from college visiting from New York – and I couldn’t be more excited to see her. Question – where should we go for dinner on Saturday? Somewhere cute, but no so loud that you can’t have a conversation.

Recipes gathered from my weekly Internet adventures I want to try:

  • Amelia over at Gradually Greener is making nocino, an Italian liqueur, from foraged black walnuts. Okay, so I don’t think I have the gumption to try this, but it makes me want to do a tamer version of flavored liqueur. Like strawberry. Or blackberry. Or vanilla. Man. I am such a girl.
  • Take the Cannoli has a simple vanilla cupcake recipe. Another one to try in my quest for the perfect vanilla cupcake.
  • Mary at the Arugula Files is making “honest” blueberry jam. All these articles about canning and preserving have made me want to get on the jam train. Anyone want to go berry picking some weekend?


And in other Internet news:

  • Carla Hall was such a hit on Top Chef that two more DC area chefs are lined up for season six: Bryan Voltaggio of Volt and and Mike Isabella, chef de cuisine at Zaytinya. Via Best Bites.
  • Oh my God! My furniture prayers have been answered! CB2 may be opening up a store in DC! Via 14th and You.
  • Young and Hungry reports that Kim O’Donnel is ending her blog, “A Mighty Appetite,” of The Washington Post. Sad – I really liked that blog. Did they let her go to let on Ezra Klein?
  • Soon, the nation’s capitol will be awash in peeps! Just Born, maker of peeps and other delicious candy items, is planning on opening a Peeps store at national harbor. Via We Love DC.
  • Can I just tell you how happy I am that Lemmonex is back to blogging? This week she reviewed Red Rocks in Columbia Heights and was underwhelmed. Still, I may check it out – after all, I need to explore my new neighborhood some more.

Happy Friday!

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Modern Domestic Turns One!

July 10, 2009 at 6:39 am · Filed under DC ·Tagged , ,

Thank you (p.m.)

Happy anniversary! Or, um, birthday!

Photo by mwichary via flickr, under the Creative Commons license.

Yes, it’s true – it’s Modern Domestic’s one year anniversary today. My first post, “The Dirty Secret of Homemaker Guilt,” went up a year ago. Elpis and Justice and I celebrated at Co Co Sala with one of their three-course desserts and a cocktail (more on that Monday).

It’s strange to look back on the early days of this blog and see how much things have changed from a year ago. I no longer test cleaning products – mostly because I couldn’t figure out a good way to compare them. I tried to do a monthly book review, but it just ended up being too much work. And over the year the posts have shifted from being about a range of topics to focusing more and more on food. I guess you really end up writing about what you love – and, well, I just don’t love cleaning products.

Reading through my old posts, I can see that I’ve had a lot of fun. This blog has forced me to cook things I never would have cooked, gone to events I never would have gone to, and thought much more critically about the culture of food and home cooking.

But most of the fun is because of you – thank you to everyone who read this blog, left a comment, and offered me your insights, ideas, and tips. I love the debates that you’ve brought to this little corner of the internet – from what to cook in the recession, to who should have won Top Chef, to what a real buttercream frosting should taste like. If you keep reading, I’ll keep writing.

Below are my top posts from the past year. I’m not surprised that they have to do with “sexy” topics: baking, cupcakes, and Top Chef. But the intense interest in my beehive cake kind of astonishes me – who knew that there were so many other bakers out there who want to create beehive cakes? It’s like I’ve stumbled upon some strange Internet baking subculture. The things you learn when blogging.

Modern Domestic’s Top Posts, Year One:

The Secret Life of Bee(hive Cake)s
In which I chronicle how I made a cake shaped like a giant beehive. Apparently, there are a lot of people who want to know how to do this.

DC Cupcake Odyssey: Red Velvet Cupcakery Keeps it Classic
My review of the Red Velvet Cupcakery in Penn Quarter.

Top Design Season Finale: Surprisingly Snark-Free
My recap of the Top Design Season finale, in which I realize how much the show sucked after Eddie Ross got kicked off.

Wine-Themed Wedding Cake
Why is this entry so popular? I guess brides-to-be need ideas on what type of cake to serve at a wine-themed wedding.

DC Cupcake Shops Offer Up Sweet Treats For Valentine’s Day
A roundup of Valentine’s-Day themed cupcakes from DC-area bakeries.

August Test Product of the Month: Homemade Vinegar Window Cleaner
People really want to know how to make their own vinegar and baking soda cleaner.

Presidential Cookie Bake-Off, Round One: Martha Washington’s Shrewsbury Cakes vs. Mary Todd Lincoln’s Gingerbread Men
The Presidential Cookie Bake off is still my favorite thing I’ve done on this blog. This entry pits Martha Washington’s Shrewsbury cakes against Mary Todd Lincoln’s Gingerbread Men.

Top Chef: Since When Does Whole Foods Stock Ostrich Eggs?
This was the infamous episode where Jill got kicked off for making a lackluster ostrich egg quiche. Who makes a dish on Top Chef from an ingredient they’ve never used? Poor strategy.

Top Chef Finale: Top Chef Jumps the Shark in Horrific Season Two Flashback
I’m still mad that Hosea won.

A Brush With Curdled Milk Disaster
I almost ruined a cake batter because I forgot that lemon juice curdles milk. But I managed to save the cake in the end!

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Would You Serve Leftovers to Guests?

July 9, 2009 at 6:07 am · Filed under entertaining ·Tagged , ,

Fridge

For me, it depends.

While I’m kind of tired of reading about the psychology of leftovers (I understand that we’re in a recession, but Food Section editors really need to come up with some new article ideas), I thought the newest leftover piece from The New York Times actually managed to ask a question I hadn’t thought of before: would I serve leftovers to guests?

Among other things, the piece talks about a couple that tried to pass off failed chocolate zucchini bread on party guests, even though the cake was ” turgid” and “oozing” and clearly destined for the trash bin. The baking perfectionist in me would never sink that low – just this weekend I threw away an entire batch of red velvet cupcakes I had intended to bring to a Fourth of July party because they were slightly burned on the bottom.

Okay, so I definitely won’t pass off my failed baking experiments on my guests, but I think I’d happily serve leftover (successful) baked goods. For instance I have some almond cupcakes sitting in my freezer that I’d serve to guests, and I’ve been known to keep a pound cake in my freezer just in case I need a quick dessert (thaw it, toast it, and serve it with berries and whipped cream).

But I don’t think my willingness to serve leftovers would go past baked goods. Many cakes and cookies are perfectly fine served out of the freezer (well, if thawed), but when I’m having people over for dinner I really like the experience of creating a new meal for the occasion. It’s stressful, but part of the reason I have dinner parties is to cook a big meal, try a new recipe, or make something decadent I’d never eat myself. Or maybe I’m just an exhibitionist in the kitchen.

What about you? Would you serve leftovers to guests? Would you serve some leftovers items (like leftover dip), but not others (left over roast chicken)?

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Apartment Inspiration Overload

July 8, 2009 at 6:17 am · Filed under decorating

Apartment 5

No. I still haven't hung these pictures.

I’ve been installed in this new apartment for more than three weeks now, but after the initial flurry of finding places for everything to go, I haven’t done much in the decorating department. No pictures have been hung, no curtains have been hung, no new pillows have been sewn.

Part of the problem is that I still have some furniture to buy (bookshelf, chairs), and I’m still trying to figure out how to reconcile the vastly different color schemes of the living room (brown and green) and bedroom (blue and orange) of my old place.

But a big reason that I haven’t decorated yet is that I’m over-inspired. Every time I go on design blogs or look through a furniture catalog, I see so many items and schemes and tricks that I want to use in my place that I get overwhelmed and distracted and instead spend my evening watching old seasons of “The Office” or “Sex in the City.”

So I’ve decided to try to deal with my inspiration overload in steps. Rather than looking through blog after blog after blog until I can’t remember which photo was which, I’m going to just select one blog, Design*Sponge, and choose a couple photos and images that I really, really like the look of. This isn’t to say that I won’t be looking at other design sources – just that, for today, I’m limiting myself to one.

It also doesn’t mean that my finished space will look anything like these – just that they have a “feel” that I’d like to replicate in my own space. The next step will be looking at my own space and figuring out specific projects I need to do – but right now, I’m trying to only deal with step one.

After looking through these, I think the reason I like them is that the spaces are eclectic and colorful, without being cluttered. They all make good use of white space – which is good, since I can’t paint my apartment. And they have a simple, organic, lived-in feel, which makes sense, since they’re all from people’s actual homes.

Inspiration_piebird4

I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with my bed, which may be why I was so drawn to this photo from Design*Sponge’s sneak peek into Hannah Berman’s home. I like how the bed mixes patterns, and I like the collection of objects on the headboard.

Inspiration_DesignSponge1

This photo also comes from Hannah Berman’s sneak peak. What a beautiful dining room set, and the large floral print on the wall is girly without being over the top. I also like how the orange and blue dishes tie into the colors of the print – but not in an obvious or “matchy matchy” way.

Inspration_sabrinanew3

Okay, this is exactly the kind of duvet cover that I’m searching for! I also love the upholstered headboard – it really anchors the bed. From Design*Sponge’s interview with Sabrina and Eunice Moyle.

Inspiration_alexpeek2

This photo, from the home of illustrator Alex Eben Meyer, is exactly how I’d like my living room to look some day. Clean, modern, colorful without being overwhelming. And I seriously love that couch!

Inspiration_kristenfount1

I love this living room, from the home of Krista Davis. I love the way she brightens up the couch using throw pillows – and I also love the light furniture pieces against the dark wall. Not that I could do that in my apartment, given the paint situation, but it’s still a great idea for that distant day when I actually own a home.

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Cold Dinners, Take One: Smoked Salmon Sandwiches with Radish and Fennel Salad

July 7, 2009 at 7:04 am · Filed under cooking ·Tagged , , , ,

Smoked Salmon Sandwich

No stove or oven required!

Sigh. I was really excited about this one. I really tried.

After you readers chose “summer dishes that won’t heat up your kitchen” for my July cooking project, I did a lot of research on no-cook recipes. I brainstormed lists of ingredients with friends. I poured over recipes in The New York Times. And Epicurious. And all my Ina Garten Cookbooks. And all my cookbooks.

I finally thought I had found something when I hit on this recipe for Smoked Salmon Sliders, from The New York Times. I decided to pair it with a radish and fennel salad from The Naked Chef, by Jamie Oliver that I had been meaning to make for years. It all promised to be so easy, so simple, so fresh – and absolutely no stove or oven required.

But there were snags. The sliders recipe calls for hot smoked salmon, which I couldn’t find, and opted for regular smoked salmon instead. Given that I’m not really sure what hot smoked salmon is (anyone?), I couldn’t tell if this is why the mustard in the dressing overwhelmed the salmon or not. I also sliced the cumbers improperly – they were thick and watery wedges, rather than the elegant paper thin slices I was going for.

And even though I bought the radishes and fennel at the farmer’s market, the fennel seemed really . . . old. Maybe it’s because I didn’t slice it thinly enough, or maybe it’s because I omitted soaking the vegetables in ice water because I still don’t have ice cube trays, but the fennel was chewy and tough and . . . well, not great.

Radish and Fennel Salad

Radish and fennel salad. I think I needed to do a better job of discarding the tough parts of the fennel.

Still, not every dinner can be a winner. And the salad would have been really great if the fennel hadn’t been so tough. And as for the sandwich – well, I’m including the recipe, but I really think that for a fabulous no-cook dinner, you can’t go wrong with bagels and lox.

Recipe: Smoked Salmon Sandwiches and Radish and Fennel Salad

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You Voted: July Cooking Project Winner! And Some Peeptastic Pictures.

July 1, 2009 at 8:45 am · Filed under DC, cooking ·Tagged , , ,

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Meet the Peeps Artists Party at Artomatic

Apparently lots of us live in apartments that lack decent air conditioning, because you guys voted for “Summer dishes that won’t heat up your kitchen” as the focus of my July cooking project. While I don’t have a recipe for you today (too busy finishing up that farmer’s market haul – and all of that requires some kind of sautée/roasting action), I do have some pictures from Artomatic last Saturday. Don’t worry – next week I’ll begin the project properly – and I promise that I won’t just do endless salad variations (well . . . maybe one).

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Meet the Peeps Artists party last Saturday – and thanks to Artomatic for throwing the shindig. It was great to meet such wonderful, creative, talented and resourceful people – I learned new techniques for making peeps’ clothes, choosing a diorama topic, and making fake blood (hint: it involves Elmer’s glue and ink from a red pen). I was also amazed at the level of detail in the dioramas – the photos really don’t do them justice a lot of the time. Pics from the evening, and some of my favorite dioramas, below.

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The peeps scene. Note the giant peep on the left.

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Seeing "Charm City Roller Peeps vs. D.C. Roller Peeps" in person blew me away - the level of detail is amazing (just look at that background, and at the elaborate outfits).

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A detail from "Peepsters Kill Room." I love the sinister lighting.

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A peep on a wire.

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"A Very Peeps Passover" is one of the dioramas that was even more stunning in person.

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I ate that peep right after this photo was taken.

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Cupcake Jewelry At Eastern Market

June 30, 2009 at 6:59 am · Filed under crafts ·Tagged , , , ,

Isabels Rose Cupcake Jewelry 1

Really cute cupcake earrings, by artist Lori Flanders.

When I headed out to the Eastern Market grand reopening on Saturday, I fully intended to try to buy some produce, or eat at  famous food stand, or do something food/domestic related. But the crowds and the sun defeated me. I stood in line for a crepe for about ten minutes, but had to leave when I though that my skin would either burn off, or I’d die of heat stroke. Instead, I downed a smoothie at a coffee shop, which, let me tell you, was not a noteworthy event (don’t you hate how all smoothies just taste like bananas? It’s like you put one banana in there and it’s all over).

But even though my food plans were thwarted, I was fortunate enough to discover a really cute series of cupcake charms by artist Lori Flanders. The handmade glass pieces are from her Isabels Rose line, and I loved how bright, colorful, and precisely detailed all the charms were. I also appreciated that these pieces are an understated cupcake fashion statement. Cupcake jewelry can be overly cute, but I could actually see myself wearing one of the necklaces. I loved the earrings too but, sadly, don’t have pierced ears.

Isabels Rose Cupcake Jewelry 2

Cupcake necklaces. They were cute, but not too cute, if you know what I mean.

You can check out Flanders’ cupcake charms and other glass pieces in her Etsy shop , and you can learn more about her work at isabelsrose.com. She notes on her esty page that as of Monday, June 29, she’s out of the white glass she uses for the cupcake charms, but it looks like a few are still available in the Etsy shop. And more will be available soon.

Isabels Rose Cupcake Jewelry 3

An edgier cupcake charm. Love the detail in this one.

If you want to check out the pieces in person, it looks like the next time Flanders will be in the DC area is at Art on the Avenue, down in Alexandria, October 3, 2009.  Maybe Nonna and I will have to make a return visit to Alexandria?

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