technique from Cook's Illustrated magazine:
One thing that can go bad quickly regardless of whether it's local or not is berries. I'm sure you've had the experience of buying berries, putting them in the fridge, and throwing them out in several days because they're moldy. A solution is to wash berries in three parts water to one part regular white distilled vinegar. This kills mold spores and bacteria on the surface of the berries. Then rinse with cold water. Then spin the berries dry in a salad spinner lined layered with paper towels. Store in a paper towel-lined container with lid ajar to let moisture escape.
I split a batch of wild black raspberries purchased at the Shab Row farmers' market in Frederick. Half the batch I left in the container I purchased them in, loosely covered. The other half I prepared as above. The washed and dried berries are still good one week later (save for one, lone moldy berry). The unwashed half were moldy. The procedure above bought me at least several extra days of good berries.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
E.M. Restaurant - Chinatown, New York, New York
June 21, 2008
Chicken feet. Jellyfish.
The morning after Steely Dan at the Beacon Theatre (and several bars after that), we agreed to do dim sum in Chinatown for brunch.
I asked our friend from high school (Brian) who lives on the Lower East Side to take us to a real deal place. I'm uninterested where tourists eat in Chinatown. Take me to some place authentic, I said.
So we head to Chinatown and on the outskirts the crowd is racially mixed. As we kept walking, we eventually got to a point where we were the only six non-Asians around. We entered the restaurant and we were the only non-Asians there. We sat down at a round table in a brightly lit room not unlike a banquet room of a modest hotel. Throughout the meal the wait staff was very welcoming while gladly and proudly telling us what every dish was.
We had shrimp shu mai, pork shu mai, a braised leafy green in soy sauce, lamb and turnips (probably boiled), and a scallion pancake (one of the table's favorite dishes) as well as several pork rib dishes. On the whole, there were familiar Chinese flavors involving soy sauce and mixing sweet and salty. Sometimes the food was pretty pungent (fish sauce? oyster sauce? an ingredient with which I'm unfamiliar?), such as the pork shu mai, yet the lamb and turnips was quite bland (other than the disturbing skin attached - and at least one piece with a few hairs unremoved).
Alright. Chicken feet.
If you've never had chicken feet, would you like them? The answer to that question is pretty much the same as the answer to: Do you like the skin on chicken? Because once you eat the skin off of a chicken foot, there's really nothing left but bone and cartilage. Brian said he prefers fried chicken feet to the ones that we had because the skin on fried feet is crispy while the skin on the ones we had was soft. I assume I would agree. The chicken feet were in a brown, salty and sweet sauce, topped with sliced scallions - flavors and appearance that you'd associate with Chinese cuisine.
Jellyfish tasted like cabbage but had one of the worst textures of any food I can think of ever trying. It was described by people at the table as like "a mouthful of chicken cartilage," "eating an ear or nose," and "eating bubble wrap."
What was different from regular Chinese restaurants in the 'burbs was that most of the food was much more modest. To me, there's a real peasant quality to dishes like chicken feet and the lamb and turnips, yet the waiters were in white shirts and black bow ties. The Americanized Chinese restaurants I'm used to seem to serve more expensive cuts of meat - but at higher prices. The six of us shared quite a few small dim sum plates and had tea and water and the bill (pre-tip) was $55. In New York. Where I paid $11 for a 6-pack of Sierra Nevada. Where I paid $15 for a beef brisket sandwich and pickles.
One ingredient that was noticeably absent was anything with duck. Brian said that duck (as well as roast pork) tends to not show up at weekend dim sum brunch but does at other Chinese meals (lunch, dinner).
Was the food amazing? No. Was this a good, affordable, and very interesting brunch in NYC? Absolutely.
Chicken feet. Jellyfish.
The morning after Steely Dan at the Beacon Theatre (and several bars after that), we agreed to do dim sum in Chinatown for brunch.
I asked our friend from high school (Brian) who lives on the Lower East Side to take us to a real deal place. I'm uninterested where tourists eat in Chinatown. Take me to some place authentic, I said.
So we head to Chinatown and on the outskirts the crowd is racially mixed. As we kept walking, we eventually got to a point where we were the only six non-Asians around. We entered the restaurant and we were the only non-Asians there. We sat down at a round table in a brightly lit room not unlike a banquet room of a modest hotel. Throughout the meal the wait staff was very welcoming while gladly and proudly telling us what every dish was.
We had shrimp shu mai, pork shu mai, a braised leafy green in soy sauce, lamb and turnips (probably boiled), and a scallion pancake (one of the table's favorite dishes) as well as several pork rib dishes. On the whole, there were familiar Chinese flavors involving soy sauce and mixing sweet and salty. Sometimes the food was pretty pungent (fish sauce? oyster sauce? an ingredient with which I'm unfamiliar?), such as the pork shu mai, yet the lamb and turnips was quite bland (other than the disturbing skin attached - and at least one piece with a few hairs unremoved).
Alright. Chicken feet.
If you've never had chicken feet, would you like them? The answer to that question is pretty much the same as the answer to: Do you like the skin on chicken? Because once you eat the skin off of a chicken foot, there's really nothing left but bone and cartilage. Brian said he prefers fried chicken feet to the ones that we had because the skin on fried feet is crispy while the skin on the ones we had was soft. I assume I would agree. The chicken feet were in a brown, salty and sweet sauce, topped with sliced scallions - flavors and appearance that you'd associate with Chinese cuisine.
Jellyfish tasted like cabbage but had one of the worst textures of any food I can think of ever trying. It was described by people at the table as like "a mouthful of chicken cartilage," "eating an ear or nose," and "eating bubble wrap."
What was different from regular Chinese restaurants in the 'burbs was that most of the food was much more modest. To me, there's a real peasant quality to dishes like chicken feet and the lamb and turnips, yet the waiters were in white shirts and black bow ties. The Americanized Chinese restaurants I'm used to seem to serve more expensive cuts of meat - but at higher prices. The six of us shared quite a few small dim sum plates and had tea and water and the bill (pre-tip) was $55. In New York. Where I paid $11 for a 6-pack of Sierra Nevada. Where I paid $15 for a beef brisket sandwich and pickles.
One ingredient that was noticeably absent was anything with duck. Brian said that duck (as well as roast pork) tends to not show up at weekend dim sum brunch but does at other Chinese meals (lunch, dinner).
Was the food amazing? No. Was this a good, affordable, and very interesting brunch in NYC? Absolutely.
Local Farmers' Markets
I've been taking advantage of the mid-week markets in order to avoid the crowds of Saturdays. But I believe I'm missing a lot at the Fairgrounds and Baughman's Lane. I've got to check those out soon.
July 1: Coldstream Lot, Lake Linganore
This is a new market, which will hopefully expand. There were only three vendors and only one sold produce (the others were baked goods and coffee). But it's hard to complain when it's the closest one to my house.
Most of the produce at the one stand was not from the farm of the stand owners. They had a few items from their farm in Keymar, MD, some goods from a neighboring Carroll County farm, and others from as far away as South Carolina. I'm at the markets for local produce only so I bought a nice pint of cherries for $2.50. I paid $4.00 for a pint at the Shab Row market last week.
June 19 and 26: Everedy Square and Shab Row, Frederick
For its small size, the Shab Row market has a decent selection of goods from various-sized farms. In addition, there is a bakery, and on the 19th, there was a vendor who makes and sells chocolate truffles. In the two weeks, I've purchased blueberries, two types of summer squash, cherries, Thai basil, rosemary, orange-lemon-lime-ade, and a chocolate truffle. I've been pleased with the quality of all of the goods I've purchased (but a regular-size chocolate truffle for $2 was too much).
June 4: Heritage Farm Park, Walkersville
My first farmers' market trip of the summer was a bit of a disappointment at first, yet yielded a really good dish.
Only a minority of stands had produce. The rest hawked items such as wool and flavored popcorns, yet the trip was not a bust because I had cut out a recipe from the previous week's Washington Post's Food Section. From one produce vendor, I purchased radishes. From the other, I purchased spring onions. The dish was "Butter-Braised Radishes" and it exceeded my expectations. I had only had raw radishes in the past and was never much of a fan, but cooking them in water and a little bit of butter, along with sauteed spring onions, was a great new flavor. I saved the recipe and will make it again. I need to return to the Walkersville market.
July 1: Coldstream Lot, Lake Linganore
This is a new market, which will hopefully expand. There were only three vendors and only one sold produce (the others were baked goods and coffee). But it's hard to complain when it's the closest one to my house.
Most of the produce at the one stand was not from the farm of the stand owners. They had a few items from their farm in Keymar, MD, some goods from a neighboring Carroll County farm, and others from as far away as South Carolina. I'm at the markets for local produce only so I bought a nice pint of cherries for $2.50. I paid $4.00 for a pint at the Shab Row market last week.
June 19 and 26: Everedy Square and Shab Row, Frederick
For its small size, the Shab Row market has a decent selection of goods from various-sized farms. In addition, there is a bakery, and on the 19th, there was a vendor who makes and sells chocolate truffles. In the two weeks, I've purchased blueberries, two types of summer squash, cherries, Thai basil, rosemary, orange-lemon-lime-ade, and a chocolate truffle. I've been pleased with the quality of all of the goods I've purchased (but a regular-size chocolate truffle for $2 was too much).
June 4: Heritage Farm Park, Walkersville
My first farmers' market trip of the summer was a bit of a disappointment at first, yet yielded a really good dish.
Only a minority of stands had produce. The rest hawked items such as wool and flavored popcorns, yet the trip was not a bust because I had cut out a recipe from the previous week's Washington Post's Food Section. From one produce vendor, I purchased radishes. From the other, I purchased spring onions. The dish was "Butter-Braised Radishes" and it exceeded my expectations. I had only had raw radishes in the past and was never much of a fan, but cooking them in water and a little bit of butter, along with sauteed spring onions, was a great new flavor. I saved the recipe and will make it again. I need to return to the Walkersville market.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Il Forno Pizzeria - Frederick, MD
June 2, 2008
I'm angry at myself. Years ago I ate at Il Forno and really enjoyed the pizza and then it, well, kind of fell off my radar. My mistake.
My wife, kids, and I met some friends at Il Forno for a rare weekday meal out last night. We split a margherita pizza (tomato sauce, whole milk mozzarella, and fresh basil) and an alla salsiccia (tomato sauce, whole milk mozzarella, homemade ground Italian sausage, and fresh garlic). The toppings are simple, fresh, high-quality ingredients that elevate Il Forno over most pizza joints (though they could've been distributed a bit more evenly - a pizza pet peeve of mine). But the excellent crisp, wood-fired crust stood out the most to me.
Ledo Pizza still has it's place for it's flakier, somewhat pastry-like crust, and dense provolone topping (though their sauce is unnecessarily sweet). And an occasional Uno Chicago deep-dish is good for that couple-thousand calorie guilty pleasure. But next time my family wants pizza, I'll first suggest Il Forno. And curse myself under my breath for forgetting about it.
I'm angry at myself. Years ago I ate at Il Forno and really enjoyed the pizza and then it, well, kind of fell off my radar. My mistake.
My wife, kids, and I met some friends at Il Forno for a rare weekday meal out last night. We split a margherita pizza (tomato sauce, whole milk mozzarella, and fresh basil) and an alla salsiccia (tomato sauce, whole milk mozzarella, homemade ground Italian sausage, and fresh garlic). The toppings are simple, fresh, high-quality ingredients that elevate Il Forno over most pizza joints (though they could've been distributed a bit more evenly - a pizza pet peeve of mine). But the excellent crisp, wood-fired crust stood out the most to me.
Ledo Pizza still has it's place for it's flakier, somewhat pastry-like crust, and dense provolone topping (though their sauce is unnecessarily sweet). And an occasional Uno Chicago deep-dish is good for that couple-thousand calorie guilty pleasure. But next time my family wants pizza, I'll first suggest Il Forno. And curse myself under my breath for forgetting about it.
Michel Richard Citronelle - Washington, D.C.
December 8, 2007
Number #1 in The Washingtonian. The higher of the only two DC-area restaurants in the October 2006 Gourmet magazine's America's Top 50 Restaurants at #12 (the area's only other restaurant was The Inn at Little Washington at #23). And the one with "Washington's most awe-inspiring chef" of the four four-star restaurants in The Washington Post Magazine's Dining Guide 2007.
We had to take the plunge. My wife and I, along with my brother and sister-in-law, chose the extravagance of Citronelle instead of Christmas gifts for each other. What followed was the most expensive meal I've had and certainly one of the best, though not necessarily my favorite.
We chose the nine-course Promenade Gourmande (instead of the three-course meal or the approximately 15-course Grand Degustation). The next three and a half hours was a tour de force of great ideas, stunning preparation, outstanding ingredients, with a sense of playfulness in both concept and plating. Among the many triumphs was the buttery and crunchy (from pistachios) "escargot crumble" of the amuse bouche followed by the "portobello truffle cappuccino" - a portobello soup with a whipped potato topping consumed via straw, which looked like, well...
Probably the table's overall favorite throughout the meal was the broiled sake-miso marinated sablefish. The fish was meltingly tender and flavorful yet not overpowered by the marinade. The centerpiece for me, however, was the black angus veal steak with sweetbreads and morel sauce. While the fish course showed Richard's expertise with Asian flavors, the veal dish had the classic flavors and ingredients of his native France. It was superb.
Most of the parts of the dessert courses were excellent, which is what one might expect from Richard, who was a pastry chef before he tackled savory fare. The jolie pomme, essentially an apple sorbet dessert, was delicious as well as visually beautiful with its thin, crunchy candy apple slices and vanilla bean serving as the apple stem. The chocolate course was a stunner with Richard's take on the Kit-Kat bar as well as the hard, dark chocolate-covered ice cream on a stick. The petit fours included large, perfect raspberries but also chocolate-covered grapes, an odd pairing that I don't think works particularly well.
There were a few other disappointments in the meal. Though the Truffle-foie gras Napoleon pairs two legendary delicacies and the layers of black truffle and brown foie gras looked amazing, the gelatinized texture wasn't terribly appealing and the flavors weren't as enjoyable as I hoped. The lobster burger was also a letdown; I didn't taste the ginger mayo and the lobster was surprisingly flat-tasting. That said, I'm going to take two positive aspects away from this course. First, when I eventually make it to Richard's other DC restaurant, Central, I won't choose the lobster burger entree. Second, the burger was served with potato chips fried in clarified butter. Though my chips at Citronelle were oversalted, I have since fried chips at home with clarified butter with success and I thank Richard for the wonderfully decadent idea.
I walked away from the meal happy (and extremely full) but not thrilled. At such a price, which was $20 more than the Citronelle website said at the time, the Promenade Gourmande certainly featured some amazing food but wasn't perfect. At least for such a price, Citronelle did offer some high-dollar ingredients, such as truffles, foie gras, abalone, and veal sweetbreads. But as the most expensive meal I've had to date, perfection is what I expected. For less money, my wife and I were proportionately happier with our meal at Minibar. And as far as four-star DC restaurants go, my brother preferred his meal at CityZen to Citronelle.
Number #1 in The Washingtonian. The higher of the only two DC-area restaurants in the October 2006 Gourmet magazine's America's Top 50 Restaurants at #12 (the area's only other restaurant was The Inn at Little Washington at #23). And the one with "Washington's most awe-inspiring chef" of the four four-star restaurants in The Washington Post Magazine's Dining Guide 2007.
We had to take the plunge. My wife and I, along with my brother and sister-in-law, chose the extravagance of Citronelle instead of Christmas gifts for each other. What followed was the most expensive meal I've had and certainly one of the best, though not necessarily my favorite.
We chose the nine-course Promenade Gourmande (instead of the three-course meal or the approximately 15-course Grand Degustation). The next three and a half hours was a tour de force of great ideas, stunning preparation, outstanding ingredients, with a sense of playfulness in both concept and plating. Among the many triumphs was the buttery and crunchy (from pistachios) "escargot crumble" of the amuse bouche followed by the "portobello truffle cappuccino" - a portobello soup with a whipped potato topping consumed via straw, which looked like, well...
Probably the table's overall favorite throughout the meal was the broiled sake-miso marinated sablefish. The fish was meltingly tender and flavorful yet not overpowered by the marinade. The centerpiece for me, however, was the black angus veal steak with sweetbreads and morel sauce. While the fish course showed Richard's expertise with Asian flavors, the veal dish had the classic flavors and ingredients of his native France. It was superb.
Most of the parts of the dessert courses were excellent, which is what one might expect from Richard, who was a pastry chef before he tackled savory fare. The jolie pomme, essentially an apple sorbet dessert, was delicious as well as visually beautiful with its thin, crunchy candy apple slices and vanilla bean serving as the apple stem. The chocolate course was a stunner with Richard's take on the Kit-Kat bar as well as the hard, dark chocolate-covered ice cream on a stick. The petit fours included large, perfect raspberries but also chocolate-covered grapes, an odd pairing that I don't think works particularly well.
There were a few other disappointments in the meal. Though the Truffle-foie gras Napoleon pairs two legendary delicacies and the layers of black truffle and brown foie gras looked amazing, the gelatinized texture wasn't terribly appealing and the flavors weren't as enjoyable as I hoped. The lobster burger was also a letdown; I didn't taste the ginger mayo and the lobster was surprisingly flat-tasting. That said, I'm going to take two positive aspects away from this course. First, when I eventually make it to Richard's other DC restaurant, Central, I won't choose the lobster burger entree. Second, the burger was served with potato chips fried in clarified butter. Though my chips at Citronelle were oversalted, I have since fried chips at home with clarified butter with success and I thank Richard for the wonderfully decadent idea.
I walked away from the meal happy (and extremely full) but not thrilled. At such a price, which was $20 more than the Citronelle website said at the time, the Promenade Gourmande certainly featured some amazing food but wasn't perfect. At least for such a price, Citronelle did offer some high-dollar ingredients, such as truffles, foie gras, abalone, and veal sweetbreads. But as the most expensive meal I've had to date, perfection is what I expected. For less money, my wife and I were proportionately happier with our meal at Minibar. And as far as four-star DC restaurants go, my brother preferred his meal at CityZen to Citronelle.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
I'M BACK
I've been finishing my Master's thesis. I should've posted here about my absence but I couldn't stand to look at how long I've been gone.
It appears that it's over.
Right now I'm excited about the summer 2008 opening of VOLT restaurant in downtown Frederick: http://www.voltrestaurant.com/
Presentation looks nice - for content about the restaurant, check out the blog link, accessible on the above page or here: http://blog.voltrestaurant.com/
I'm also excited about the numerous farmers' markets that are opening in May and June.
For Maryland, organized by county: http://www.mda.state.md.us/md_products/farmers_market_dir.php
For the Frederick County Virtual Farmers' Market site, which includes info on the new Tuesday market: http://www.discoverfrederickmd.com/farmersmarket/html/detail.htm?cat=115&store=1078
It appears that it's over.
Right now I'm excited about the summer 2008 opening of VOLT restaurant in downtown Frederick: http://www.voltrestaurant.com/
Presentation looks nice - for content about the restaurant, check out the blog link, accessible on the above page or here: http://blog.voltrestaurant.com/
I'm also excited about the numerous farmers' markets that are opening in May and June.
For Maryland, organized by county: http://www.mda.state.md.us/md_products/farmers_market_dir.php
For the Frederick County Virtual Farmers' Market site, which includes info on the new Tuesday market: http://www.discoverfrederickmd.com/farmersmarket/html/detail.htm?cat=115&store=1078
Monday, January 21, 2008
Using the Demiglace - Pan Sauce for Steaks
I came up with the following because I wanted to taste the demiglace in a relatively simple sauce.
Pan Sauce for Two Steaks
2 cooked steaks (grilled, pan-fried, or broiled)
3 tablespoons (shot glass) cognac
1/2 cup no or low salt veal or chicken stock (see previous post for veal stock recipe)
1 tablespoon homemade veal demiglace (see previous post for recipe)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt and black pepper to taste
Add cognac to pan on medium-high heat and reduce by about half. Add stock and reduce by about half. Add demiglace. Whisk in butter, one tablespoon at a time until incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with steaks.
Pan Sauce for Two Steaks
2 cooked steaks (grilled, pan-fried, or broiled)
3 tablespoons (shot glass) cognac
1/2 cup no or low salt veal or chicken stock (see previous post for veal stock recipe)
1 tablespoon homemade veal demiglace (see previous post for recipe)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt and black pepper to taste
Add cognac to pan on medium-high heat and reduce by about half. Add stock and reduce by about half. Add demiglace. Whisk in butter, one tablespoon at a time until incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with steaks.
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