Baby Cake

This cake was my last big baking project in my DC kitchen.  I was going to do a “wordless Wednesday” post, since we’ve been so ridiculously busy lately getting ready for the move and getting in some quality time with our friends (and the city) before we go.  But I couldn’t help myself…

I’ve been in this kitchen for just over three years, but I’ve learned so much in it.  My blog was born here, and there’ve been lots of other firsts along the way.

A little over a year ago, I made my first-ever three-tiered cake for a post-wedding party for a couple of my favorite people.  This past weekend, I made my last cake in DC for that same couple’s baby shower!

Getting the frosting color just right.
(I’m wearing a Caps t-shirt for the occasion.  How Washingtonian of me.)

I planned ahead and spread the baking and assembly out over two nights, but  I probably should have taken three.  The night before the shower was a late one (and appropriately so, since pretty much every other big baking project I’ve ever done has kept me up until the wee hours) – but it was totally worth it.

For the cake, I went with a 12-inch base tier of Cooks Illustrated’s “Fluffy Yellow Layer Cake” and a 9-inch top tier of Cooks Illustrated’s Sour Cream Fudge Layer Cake, which didn’t rise anywhere near as much as I thought it should and was more like a brownie or flourless torte than a layer cake.  I ended up needing to make a second batch (which also didn’t rise much) to get the height I wanted for the top tier – but the flavor was amazing.  The frosting was a basic vanilla buttercream.

Post-cake chaos…
I don’t know what I’m going to do without this island.

Are you really taking my picture at 3 o’clock in the morning?

The top. Inspired by this design.

 

Detail.

Shower time!

I’m certainly going to miss my kitchen and excuses to make huge cakes for my DC friends. 

Only 14 days until our big move…

Celebration and Anticipation

As August draws to a close, we have so many reasons to celebrate:  birthdays, anniversaries, coming out of two natural disasters (within 5 days) unscathed, and anticipating the beginning of a brand new chapter of our lives!

August has always been one of my favorite months.  Yes, it’s hot.  Yes, its arrival means that summer freedom is coming to a close and school will soon be back in session.  But it’s also the month of my birthday!  (And my mom’s; I love that we share the same day.)  For over a decade, it was also the month of an annual extended family beach trip.  And for the last three years, it’s been the month of Brian’s and my wedding anniversary.  So it’s a great month.

This year August was even more eventful than usual.  I spent almost every weekend working on a film (rather than my usual sleeping in and going to the farmers market and cooking and blogging).  I was also in the midst of a will-we-or-won’t-we-be-moving-across-the-country-next-month quandary, which was causing me more than a little anxiety.

Happily, everything seems to be turning out even better than we’d hoped.

A couple of days before my birthday, I was offered a wonderful and unique opportunity for a new job at an organization whose work I admire and that is actually in the same field as my graduate degree. (Imagine that.) I accepted the position on the morning of my birthday, which happened to also be the same day as my first earthquake ever. Maybe it means that this coming year is going to be particularly …. vibrant? Moving? Earth-shaking? Or maybe it doesn’t mean anything.

The new job means a new city and a cross-country move. Actually, we’re moving back home. We’ll be within driving distance of our families, close to lots of friends, and finally in a position to get a house with a yard, where I’ll finally get to grow some vegetables of my own(!).  

I've learned a lot in my 5 years in DC. We’ve enjoyed our city life, but we’re at a point where being close to our families is a priority, where the comforts and ease of small-town living are more alluring, and the inconveniences of the city are starting to outweigh the advantages. A five- to ten-minute commute is also pretty appealing.

Guess what?  I blew them all out in one breath.

Our destination town is Fayetteville, where Brian and I first met and where we both attended the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is a charming place nestled in the beautiful Ozark Mountains.  It’s a top college town and boasts a lively arts scene, a brand-new American art museum (nearby), and a 60-stall farmers market.  It’s a place where college football passions run high and cost of living runs low.  It’s also the home of some of my favorite people in the world.  

Oh, but it does get hot there.  And there’s no Trader Joe’s within a 199-mile radius. (The closest one is exactly 200 miles away.  I checked.)  Whole Foods is 180 miles away.  I’m already anxious about where we’ll find our favorite cheeses.  (Yes, I mean you, Santa Teresa.) Is it possible to buy cheese online?   On the upside, there is a great locally owned natural foods store (a co-op, in fact) that I’m excited to explore.

September 28 will officially be our last day in the District.

John F. Kennedy said that “Washington is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm.” 

He knew what he was talking about, and there are a number of things we won’t miss about the city, including the WMATA with its myriad problems and those of the DC/MD/VA drivers who refuse to use their blinkers or turn their lights on in the rain.

On the other hand, there are plenty of things we will miss about DC. I’ll miss my kitchen and its humongous island (but hopefully I’ll find a new one with equally excellent counter space). We’ll miss having the year-round Dupont farmers market and our neighborhood14th and U farmers market, Ethiopian food, and great grocery stores.  We’ll miss the U Street Corridor; wine happy hour and bocce at Vinoteca; fried oysters and gypsy jazz at 1905.  I’ll miss the shopping (but not the inconvenience of getting there).  We'll miss impromptu weekend trips to New York City that don't require a plane ticket. We’ll miss the view from our rooftop deck and seeing the Washington Capitals play live.   We’ll miss the parish we’ve grown to love and the beautiful Masses at the Basilica.  Most of all, we’ll miss our DC and New York friends. But we'll have great excuses to come back and visit.

So, here’s to August 2011, and all that the next year has to offer!

the bleak midwinter

… is not so bleak with a little work and planning in the height of summer.  Even though we arrived too late to buy greens at the Dupont Farmers’ Market this morning, we had our fair share of local produce for dinner tonight.

At the farmers’ market we got a yellow onion, and from the freezer we pulled some Italian sausage, bought at the U Street Farmers’ Market in October. 

Then, we opened the very first jar of my very first batch of home-canned tomatoes!  All the effort of that long August evening was worth getting to open a jar of tomatoes in mid-January and smell their fresh sweetness and sunny acidity redolent of a summer afternoon. 

Midwinter Pasta with Sausage and Tomatoes

Serves 4.

6-7 ounces sweet Italian sausage (2 links)
½ yellow tomato, chopped
1 pint jar of whole tomatoes
2 gloves garlic, minced or pressed
2-3 pinches of salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
fresh parsley, chopped fine (optional)
2 ounces freshly grated parmesan cheese
8 ounces whole wheat penne (or other short pasta)

Set water to boil in a medium size pot. 

Meanwhile, remove sausage from casings.  In a large sauté pan, cook sausage over medium heat, breaking up with a wooden spoon as you go.  When sausage is almost cooked, add onion.  When onion is translucent, add garlic and tomatoes (with liquid).  Bring sauce to a simmer and allow to cook for 20-30 minutes; stirring occasionally.  Add water as needed.

When water comes to a boil, salt generously, add pasta,  and cook until al dente.  Drain.

Season sauce with salt, pepper, and parsley.  Add 1 ounce parmesan and cooked pasta to sauce and toss over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. 

Serve with remaining parmesan.

Blue Hubbard Squash

This lovely little squash graced our countertop for many weeks before it finally graced our dinner plates.  As a squash I had neither seen nor heard of before, it possessed an air of mystery from the start.  When I saw it at the market, I knew it was special.  Blue hubbard. A sophisticated bluish greenish gray unlike any I had seen on a squash before.  When I heard its name, only the “blue” part really stuck with me, and I decided that it must be blue on the inside, too.  I could just imagine all the blue pies and casseroles and risottos.   Of course the rational part of me knew that I was being silly, but a part of me hoped that it would actually be blue inside.   I didn’t bother looking online to find out the truth.  I wanted to be surprised when it finally came time to cook the squash.

So how does one cook a blue hubbard squash?  Much like any other winter squash.  I chose to roast and mash the squash to serve alongside sautéed catalogna rossa greens and dijon-thyme baked chicken breast.
Even though it wasn’t blue inside, the squash was exceptionally good and particularly sweet and creamy.  At half the carbs and calories and 1½ times the potassium and fiber, this mashed winter squash makes an excellent substitute for mashed potatoes.
 
Mashed Blue Hubbard Squash

 

Serves 2.  Recipe can easily be multiplied for larger squash.

12 ounces hubbard squash
grapeseed or olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons milk
salt
4-5 leaves fresh sage, minced (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F. 

Cut squash into large pieces.  Scoop out seeds and fibers. (Discard or reserved for another use.)  Brush a thin coat of oil on the cut sides of the squash. 



Bake, cut side down, until squash is soft and can be pierced easily with a fork.  (This took 20 minutes for the squash pictured, but time will vary depending on the size/thickness of the squash.)





When squash is cool enough to handle, use a spoon to scoop out the flesh.




In a saucepan, combine milk and butter over medium heat.  When butter has melted and milk is hot, add squash and mash with a potato masher or fork until desired consistency is reached.  Season with salt.  When squash is heated through, stir in minced sage leaves and serve. 

Vitamin Greens

It’s a funny name for a vegetable—redundant (aren’t all greens full of vitamins?) and potentially even off-putting (is the fact that they contain vitamins really all they have going for them?).  Vitamins greens really are one of the sweetest greens and in person are nowhere near as intimidating as they sound.  Also known as Vitaminna, the thick, leafy green, according to sparse online resources, is a member of the Chinese cabbage family, related to bok choy, and chock-full of Vitamin A.


What’s more, it’s delicious.  This assessment comes from a girl who is a fan of such greens as chard, kale, and dandelion, but I promise you that it’s the truth.  Vitamin greens are one of if not the sweetest winter green I have tasted to date.  They’re sweeter even than chard and leave none of the chalky mouth-feel that it sometimes does.
I had never even heard of vitamin greens until last month, when I saw them mentioned in the weekly 14th & U Farmers’ Market e-newsletter.  I have an ever-expanding love for greens and knew that I had to try them.  They did not disappoint.  They’re sweet and bright with just enough bite to bring them down to earth.
Over the next couple of weeks, in addition to the several bunches that we bought  for immediate consumption, we also blanched and froze some for use during the winter.  We haven’t broken into them yet, since one of the downtown farmer’s markets had fresh greens just last week.  I am looking forward to adding the frozen greens to soups and stir fry.
Since we couldn’t find anything about how to cook vitamin greens, we improvised.  The first time, I removed the stalks before cooking, but we learned at the market the next weekend that we could cook the stalks right along with the leaves. 
That being said, if you want to reserve the stalks for another use, they’re great raw (sliced in salad or dipped in dressing).  They’re also excellent in a cheddar-red-onion-vitamin-green-stalk omelet.   (A concoction born of necessity: a near-empty refrigerator after almost a week away for Thanksgiving.)  The omelet was so good that we made it a second time (with goat cheese instead of cheddar and the addition of thyme). 
The below recipe is a quick, simple way to eat your greens. (And I honestly couldn’t believe how delicious they were!)
Sautéed Vitamin Greens

Serves 4.
1 bunch vitamin greens (washed, trimmed, and roughly chopped)
1/2 red onion (sliced)
1 tablespoon olive or grapeseed oil
salt and pepper

In a wide Dutch oven or  deep sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and a pinch of salt.  Sauté, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent and just begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes.  Add vitamin greens and toss until the greens begin to wilt.  Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until greens reach desired tenderness, about 5 to 10 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

We had them with prosciutto-wrapped pork chops.  There’s an excellent recipe here.

October in November

Several weeks ago, we had November in October.  This week it’s October in November.

I recently went to the 14&U farmers' market looking for the fresh lima beans I had seen at previous markets.  They didn’t have any lima beans, but they did have another fresh bean, which the seller at Garner's Produce told us were called “October beans” and extolled the virtues of  their rich, earthy flavor and meaty texture.  At $5 for a 1-pound bag, they were a bit pricey, but we thought it might be worth it to give them a try.  (And considering that they can replace the meat in a meal and last the two of us two meals apiece, it wasn’t a bad investment.)  Our friend at Garner wasn’t kidding about how delicious they are.  We went back for two more bags this past Saturday.

Their more complex flavor and meaty texture notwithstanding, cooking with fresh beans was such a pleasure.  It was so easy just to come home from work, throw a few ingredients in a pot and have dinner an hour later. 

I was curious to know more about these so-called October beans, so I did a little looking around on the internet.  As it turns out, they are the very same beans my grandmother used to grow in her garden!  They’re the ones I wrote about last year when I made my grandmother’s soup.  My mother vaguely remembered that they were called “horticulture beans,” but neither of us knew where to find them.

They answer to many names, including October beans, horticulture beans, horticultural beans, French horticultural beans, cranberry beans, speckled cranberry beans, shelly beans, shell beans, and wren’s egg beans, to name a few.

Mystery solved!  I thought.    When I looked at pictures, I realized that they may not be quite the same thing – but they did seem to be called by the same set of names. 

Back at the market this past Saturday, I asked the producer about this apparent discrepancy and he explained that, when fully mature, his beans would also be speckled like the ones I had seen online.  He was having to pick them before fully mature this year because they were late to ripen because of the weather.  (Or something to that effect. I don’t remember his exact words.)  Second mystery solved.

Then I remembered a image from our recent trip to Italy:  Could these also be the same beans we had seen at the market in Venice? 

There, they were simply called “beans,” but their shells look awfully similar to those of October beans…

It makes me so happy to have discovered these beans again.  When I spoke to my mother this evening and told her I had found horticulture beans, she was equally thrilled (which also makes me happy).

For our first taste of October beans, I wanted try something simple, so that the flavor of the beans would shine through.

---

October Bean Soup
printable recipe

5 oz. center-cut bacon, cut into small pieces
1 small or ½ large onion (yellow or red), chopped
2 small carrots, chopped
14 oz. fresh October Beans*
2 cups chicken broth
6 cups water
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 oz. short pasta, whole wheat or homemade**
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

*If you can’t find October beans, you may substitute another white bean, such as cannellini. If beans are dried, they should be soaked overnight.  If they’re canned, reduce water by about half and reduce cooking time to about 20 minutes.
**Whenever possible, I prefer to use homemade egg pasta like my grandmother did.  If I have homemade spaghetti or fettucine on hand, I break it into smaller (2- to 3-inch) pieces before adding it to the soup. This is also a great place to use the small scraps from a batch of longer pasta.

In a large pot (I use a Dutch oven), cook the bacon over medium heat until mostly cooked.  Add the chopped vegetables and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent. 

Add the beans, broth, and water and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until beans reach the desired consistency.  Stir frequently and add additional water, as needed.  When the beans are almost cooked, season with salt and pepper.

Increase heat slightly to bring the soup make to a full boil.  Add the pasta and cook just until al dente. Do not overcook because the pasta will continue to soften in the hot soup.  (Homemade, dried fettuccine will cook in about 3 minutes, while the whole wheat pasta we used takes 10-11 minutes.)

Variation: The second time around, I made variation similar to my grandma’s soup. (These are the same beans she used, after all.) I added 2-3 teaspoons of tomato paste and a couple dashes of white wine vinegar just before adding the pasta.  This was intended to mimic her addition of ketchup to the broth.  It came very close.  Next time I might try adding a teaspoon of brown sugar (since ketchup is basically tomatoes, vinegar, and sugar).

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The first time around, we used whole wheat pasta: 

The second batch, made with homemade fettuccine:

hello, fall: ham and bean soup

Today is the first day of fall that actually feels like fall!  We woke up to a cool, drizzly Sunday, and after three days of 90-degree weather, it’s a welcome change.

As my self-proclaimed idea guy, Brian is always dreaming up things he’d like me to cook.  Often they’re inspired by ingredients we have on hand and other times they’re dredged up from childhood memories in his parents’ kitchens or restaurants around St. Louis.  When the weather turned cooler a few weeks ago, Brian decided that he wanted ham and bean soup like his dad used to make.  Since we recently decided to try to avoid canned food, I was excited to cook with dried beans for the first time (super easy and cheaper than canned beans).  The search for a smoked ham hock for the base of the soup brought me to Eastern Market for the first time in over 2 years (and the second time since I’ve lived in DC).   I appreciate the market even more this time than I did two years ago, and I’m planning to make it a regular stop!  It’s so refreshing to find real butchers.  (Not like the ones at the grocery store, who looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language when I asked for a ham hock.)

The recipe below is based upon instructions from Brian’s dad, with a few of my own tweaks.

Ham and Cannellini Bean Soup
printable recipe

1 pound dried cannellini beans
1 smoked ham hock
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 large stalk celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 bay leaves
2 cups fully cooked ham, diced (about 1/2 pound)
freshly ground black pepper
salt, as needed

The night before making the soup, pick through the beans and discard any that are wrinkled or discolored.  Then rinse the beans and soak overnight in a pot with 6 cups of water. 

Drain the beans.

In a large pot or Dutch oven,  cover the ham hock with water by about 2 inches.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat slightly and maintain a gentle boil for 1 hour, adding water as necessary to cover ham. 

    After about 45 minutes, sauté chopped vegetables over medium heat with about 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, until vegetables are tender and just begin to brown.

Add the vegetables, bay leaves, and drained beans to the pot with the ham hock.

Cover and boil for another 1.5 to 3 hours, until the beans reach desired tenderness and ham hock is falling off the bone, like so:

During approximately the last 1/2 hour of cooking, add the diced ham. 

Before serving, remove bay leaves and ham hock from soup.  Discard skin, fat, and bone,  Chop remaining ham and add back to the pot. 

Season with freshly ground black pepper and salt, if needed (ours didn’t need any additional salt).

    

Serve with cornbread, an onion wedge, and a small mound of sea salt.*

*The McCue method for eating ham and bean soup:

- Take one layer of onion wedge.
- Dip onion in salt.
- Bite onion.
- Take a bite of soup.
- (I was scared at first, too.  But it was quite tasty and fun!)

Happy Autumn!

DC&U: a 3-day crash course

Sometimes it takes an outsider to really make you appreciate your own backyard.  (Not that we have a backyard.)  When my sister and brother-in-law visited from Austin last weekend, we spent three days seeing our neighborhood and our city through new eyes.  My sister had been to DC a number of times but not in a few years.  Her husband had never been.   Their only request, however, was to do what we normally do.  So that’s what we did—only we crammed into those three days three months’ worth of eating and doing and seeing.   We were lucky that the weather cooperated, bringing us warm sun, cool breezes, and a clear blue sky.  It was so much fun to show our guests some of our favorite spots and experience a few new ones ourselves along the way. 

Friday: We headed over to Duffy’s Irish Pub for wings (DC’s best) and fish & chips—Brian says they’re the best he’s had this side of the Atlantic.  We drank spritz on the roof (one of our favorite pastimes of late), and heard some straight-ahead jazz at Utopia over cocktails, crab cakes, and pan-fried brie with a lovely, warm (and Christmas-y) cinnamon-orange compote.  We always love the crab cakes and the brie was great (although I did find myself wishing that there were some fresh apples to go along with it.)  Be careful how you order the house Manhattan.  For me the Manhattans have been hit or miss, but  they do a great job on Brian’s vodka martini, and the jazz is always just right.

 

Saturday: We got out to 14&U Farmers’ Market for some local produce and made brunch at home afterwards: duck eggs (scrambled and fried) from Pecan Meadows, bacon from Truck Patch Farms, a fresh baguette, and a (local) French melon.  I highly recommend giving duck eggs a try.  They are about the size of “jumbo” chicken eggs but have larger yolks, so they are very rich and creamy. Yum!

 

After an afternoon working on electric guitar wiring and shopping (you can guess who was doing what), we barely made it to Vinoteca in time for happy hour (a number of wines for $5) and managed to get in a few rounds of bocce.  (The guys shouldn’t feel too bad about losing—it’s in our blood, after all.)  For an inexpensive red after happy hour, I’m a fan of the Marchesi di Barolo “Maraia” Barbera.  Also try the ricotta crostini—you won’t be sorry!

Later, we went to the rooftop at Marvin for drinks and (when that got too loud) Bistro La Bonne for more drinks and some French fare.  We’ve been meaning make it to Marvin for a while now.  I’m glad we finally did (although I still haven’t gotten to try the moules frites).   Before Saturday, we hardly knew that the seven-month-old Bistro La Bonne even existed and happened upon it when looking for a laid-back and not-too-crowded place to sit outside.  I thought their paté was good but not the best I’ve ever had (although maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for paté at 11pm), but the cheese plate was outstanding.  I particularly liked the “double cream” cow cheese they served – so buttery and delicious.  We’re looking forward to going back for some French bistro food.  (We expect to be spoiled by Paris in a few weeks(!), so they’ll have to really impress us. :) ) 

It’s not one of our usual stops, but we couldn’t resist the smell of Jumbo Slice Pizza a couple doors down from Bistro La Bonne as we headed home.  (At least we split it four ways.)

Sunday: We took a (mostly) unintentional walking tour of the city: from our place near 9th and U to L’Enfant Cafe for brunch at 18th and U (as usual, Brian and I shared two of our favorites: crêpe complete and a Nutella and strawberry crêpe);

then south through Dupont Circle to the White House; down to the Mall, past the Washington Monument, and east for a brief rest at the Sculpture Garden fountain; on to the Smithsonian National Museum of Art at 9th and Constitution; north to Gallery Place and the National Portrait Gallery at 7th and G; northwest via fro-zen-yo to the Cathedral of St. Matthew at 18th and M; then homeward via Whole Foods at 14th and P.

According to Google Maps, we walked over 8 miles that day.  We kept saying we were going to get on the metro, but it was such a beautiful day that we thought, “Why waste it underground?”  Plus, we were getting good and hungry for the grass-fed beef burgers we would have that evening on the roof!  The grill was in use, so we cooked the burgers on the  grill pan inside and brought them upstairs to eat. 

Grass-fed Beef Burgers, a quick and easy method
printable recipe

grass-fed ground beef
kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon per pound)
freshly ground pepper (to taste)

Simply season the ground beef with kosher salt and pepper and shape loosely into 4-ounce patties that are thinner in the middle than around the edges.

Grill for about 3 minutes per side.  Add cheddar cheese to the patties about a minute before they are done and cover the grill pan with foil (or close the grill) to melt the cheese. 

Best burgers any of us had had in ages.  With such a simple preparation, I’m sure this was attributable to the fact that the cows were grass-fed.

Around 11:00 pm, I remembered that my sister and I had planned to make a cake and learn/practice making buttercream roses.  Since they were leaving the next afternoon, it was now then or never.  I whipped together 4- and 6-inch layers of white, almond-scented cake (like the birthday cake I made a few weeks ago).  We did the icing and decorating Monday morning.  I passed on what little know-how I had about making buttercream roses, and after laboring over a few pink and purple flowers apiece, we let ourselves get a bit carried away with the extra icing. 

It looked like the Barbie Dream House we shared as kids had exploded all over that defenseless little cake.  Nonetheless, it made a great breakfast with a cup of coffee—a sort of final fling before the holiday ended and we went back to our everyday lives.