Photo of ‘Gravlax and eggs Evelyn’ by PoPville flickr user theraspberryexpress
Damn this looks awesome. You can see the story of the full meal here.
Photo of ‘Crown rack of lamb’ by PoPville flickr user theraspberryexpress
Photo by PoPville flickr user caroline.angelo
I thought this shot from caroline.angelo was awesome. She asks and answers two awesome questions:
“Two questions that were rolling around in my head:
1. If you pour pumpkin pie filling into an ice cream maker, will you get pumpkin ice cream?
and,
2. If you mix candied walnuts into said ice cream, will it be the most delicious ice cream ever?
The answer to both is a resounding YES!”
So my two follow up questions are – how expensive is an ice cream maker? And can I operate one with nearly zero culinary skills?
DC-Inspired Recipes are by Laura from Lauralicious in DC.
Maybe your “Good Deal Or Not” apartment you found this summer was a “Or Not,” because yikes, you have unintentional “housemates”! For those of you calling the landlord for the 10th time now to get an exterminator, this one’s for you.
This week’s recipe is the Rat-Burger – of course, if you want your friends to eat it, you can tell them it’s a Ratatouille and Goat Cheese Sandwich.
The detailed recipe is available here at Food and Wine magazine.
Ingredients:
Vegetables: eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onions, and tomatoes
Seasonings: olive oil, red pepper flakes, garlic, thyme, basil, and parsley
Goat Cheese spread: plain goat cheese, butter
Sandwich vehicle: potato rolls, hamburger buns, or sub rolls like the original recipe
The recipe walks you through sauteing the vegetables, and simmering them with the tomatoes. It makes a lot, so don’t be afraid to cut the proportions in half – you’ll still get about 8 extremely enjoyable hamburger-sized sandwiches. Then you’ll mix up the goat cheese spread, although I’ll admit that goat cheese is creamy enough by itself, so if you’re a healthy eater, you can leave out the butter. Definitely include the seasonings if you can – the combination of the red pepper flakes alongside the cheese tastes just unbelievable.
DC-Inspired Recipes are by Laura from Lauralicious in DC.
Ready for a long weekend? This week’s recipe is a Peach Crisp Tart, which would work well for Labor Day picnics or just enjoying at home on your day off (or for grumbling at home over the fact that Metro always deems it necessary to close about 5 stops over a holiday weekend). You can make it with any kind of fresh peaches – especially if you were a little greedy at the farmer’s market with all those donut peaches for sale (just sayin’…). The bottom is a standard ready-made pie crust and the top is a crispy topping of brown sugar and cinnamon.
Ingredients:
1 ready made pie pastry
1/4 cup slivered almonds
4-6 peaches
1 teaspoon + 1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon orange marmalade
2/3 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup butter or margarine
Continues after the jump. (Including bonus Peach Sangria!) Read More
“DC-Inspired Recipes” are by Laura from Lauralicious in DC.
As fresh corn goes, we’re pretty spoiled in DC with Maryland corn. They’re practically giving the stuff away at farmers market. I come home each week with about six ears. Luckily, fresh sweet corn is too delicious to get tired of. This week, I’d like to share some ideas of how to cook up some fresh DC-area corn. What are some other ways you like to enjoy local sweet corn?
1. Fry up some Corn, Cheddar, and Herb Fritters.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
salt to taste (not more than 1.5 tsp)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
3-4 ears of corn
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
handful of herbs
First, you’ll want to cook the corn. Peel and boil the ears for 5-8 minutes. Then slice the kernels off the ear into a bowl. Start heating up some oil in a deep fryer or deep skillet at the same time. Then, make the batter. Sift the flour in a bowl, together with the salt and baking powder. Beat the eggs and mix them into the batter along with the milk. Then stir in the corn, cheese, and herbs. When the oil is heated, measure out the fritters with a spoon and fry five at a time. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the fritters are golden and crispy.
Continues after the jump. Read More
DC-Inspired Recipes are by Laura of Lauralicious in DC.
Like most DC residents, I am obsessed with my blackberry. This one just happens to be the fruit and not the smart phone.
Ever since I picked up a basket of blackberries at the farmer’s market, I’ve been hooked. Some days, I’m lucky to get home with half the basket left. Blackberries are awesome, and this recipe for Blackberry and Mascarpone Waffles is even more awesome because it combines blackberries, cheese (which makes everything better), and waffles (the superior breakfast pastry).
Blackberry and Mascarpone Waffles
Ingredients:
Fresh blackberries
Mascarpone cheese
Waffle mix
Optional: maple syrup
1. Make waffles according to the package. I used multigrain waffles from Trader Joe’s, but obviously you don’t have to be fiber-crazed like me and can just make regular waffles like a normal person.
Continues after the jump. Read More
DC-Inspired Recipes are by Laura from Lauralicious in DC
100-degree temps aren’t playin’ around in DC these days. Humid summer days are the perfect time to enjoy a cool dessert such as Cantaloupe and Mint Granitas. This time of year, you can get the cheap melons at farmers’ markets. It’s easy to make granitas with fresh melon. There’s minimal cooking and prep time, and most of the work is done in the freezer. That means more time cooling off at the pool instead :)
Cantaloupe-Mint Granitas:
Ingredients:
1 cantaloupe
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp water
1/4 cup sugar
Handful of chopped fresh mint
1. Purée the cantaloupe until smooth. Pour into a long, flat plastic Tupperware dish so that the puree is no more than about 1 to 1.5″ thick.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the lemon juice, water, and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add to the cantaloupe and mix well. Mix in the chopped mint.
3. When frozen, scrape with a fork and add to a glass or serving bowl.
What are some of your other favorite cool desserts to make in the hot DC summer?
DC-Inspired Recipes are by Laura of Lauralicious in DC.
This week’s recipe combines two mid-Atlantic summer staples, zucchini and fresh herbs from the garden. I was thinking about how to use up all the zucchini I got from my local farmer’s market. Quiche is a dish that’s fun to make and is easy to pack in the next day’s lunch. It would be a great Sunday evening dish. You’ll need a couple of hours to prep the crust, make the filling, and bake the pie. The trade-off is that it makes a big 9-10″ pie with 6 servings, and it keeps well for a few days at a time. Those that don’t like zucchini can of course use other vegetables as part of the filling.
Herbed Zucchini Quiche
* 2 tbsp Olive oil
* 2 Garlic cloves; peeled and chopped
* 1 Medium yellow onion; peeled and chopped
* 2 tbsp Chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley, rosemary, oregano, or thyme)
* 6 Eggs
* 1/4 cup Sour cream
* 1/3 cup Heavy cream
* 2 or 3 zucchini, sliced thinly with a box grater
For the Pastry – Use a pre-made crust or make it your own:
1 1/4 cup sifted flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup ice water
Continues after the jump. Read More
DC-Inspired Recipes are by Laura from Lauralicious in DC.
What’s better than wine and quickly-grilled sandwiches for dinner? More wine? More sandwiches? I don’t know either. This particular sandwich, with Turkey, Swiss, and Sun-Dried Tomato, is similar to one featured at Veritas, a wine bar in Dupont.
Ingredients:
Bread of your choice
Sliced turkey
Swiss cheese
Sun-dried tomatoes – see below on how to make your own
Whole-grain mustard ( such as this recipe that was featured earlier on PoP)
Assemble the sandwiches and grill them in the method you prefer (grill pan/Foreman/grill/etc). Slice into 4 triangles and serve with wine.
Make your own sun-dried tomatoes (an activity to be reserved for those days when you have no wine):
1. Slice 1 lb. of tomatoes
2. Season with salt (lightly!).
3. Heat the tomatoes in oil.
4. Once hot, add herbs of your choosing, a thorough sprinkling of sugar, and enough water to keep them moist.
5. Heat until caramelized.
What are your favorite wine bars in DC? Got any favorite dishes to order with wine?
DC-Inspired Recipes are by Laura from Lauralicious in DC.
This week, I’ve still got local produce on the brain, thanks to ongoing farmers’ markets and CSA pickups. Squash and zucchini, of all shades of green and yellow, seem to multiply in my refrigerator these days.
If I had to pick a favorite squash, it would be patty pan squash. It’s shaped like a flying saucer, and let’s face it, it’s just cool to eat something that looks like it came from a kitschy B-movie space flick. It tastes a bit like cauliflower. Here’s a recipe for Stuffed Pattypan Squash featuring spinach (also local!), Parmesan cheese, and fresh summer savory.
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