Sonoma (Washington, DC)

Had an early dinner at Sonoma the other day with Kathleen before the 7:00 pm session at the DC Independent Film Festival. It was the only restaurant somewhat near the theatre that was featured in my eat.shop washington dc (2nd edition) guide (which, incidentally, was introduced to me by Kathleen) so we figured we couldn't go wrong. Kathleen got the penne; I order the soup special - I just had to; it was curried carrot soup! - and two charcuterie plates (an eat.shop recommendation). I had a tough time deciding on which of the various charcuterie flavors to order, but feeling adventurous, as I usually am with food, I went with the rabbit rillette plus an order of the prosciutto. This may well have been the first time I've had rabbit meat, though I can't be sure. Regardless, I was pretty curious to see if eat.shop was right about the charcuterie.

The curried carrot soup was pretty good, though I thought a little salt would have made it even better:

The charcuterie, which came with grilled foccacia bread, was delicious. The rabbit rillette was topped with some sort of a red wine jello, and I ended up really liking it even more so than the prosciutto (which was good as well):

Charcuterie.

Close-up of the rabbit rillette.

The service was good though slightly too "leisurely" for my taste (probably didn't help that we were rushing to get to the film festival). Unfortunately, that meant we didn't have time for dessert. I did like the modern decor of the restaurant, and the layout is very open (it is essentially one long room with tables on either side plus a bar), which can be both a good and a bad thing. I'd love to go back and try their other charcuterie meats, though I wouldn't mind getting the rabbit rillette again either!

Pertinent info:
Address: 223 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington, DC 20003
Nearest intersection: Pennsylvania Ave SE between 2nd and 3rd Sts SE
Nearest Metro: Capitol South (blue & orange lines)

Vegetable Fried Rice

Another great recipe from Yahoo! Food/Eating Well. It's not too difficult to make, and tastes very good every time I've made it. To reduce preparation time, I have occasionally substituted fresh garlic with pre-minced garlic (the stuff that comes out of a jar) and ginger with ginger powder without noticeable differences in taste. The original recipe calls for instant brown rice (red flag right there!) so I have always used jasmine rice instead. It works great and probably tastes better than the "instant" stuff. I'd imagine you could substitute any kind of long grain rice. You could also cook the rice a day ahead; leftover rice is always better for frying because the grains don't stick.

VEGETABLE FRIED RICE

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups rice + 1½ cups of water (or 1½ cups instant brown rice + 1½ vegetable broth if cooking rice in saucepan)
  
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 teaspoons canola oil
• 12 ounces asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 medium red bell peppers, thinly sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 8 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 8 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• Hot pepper sauce, to taste

Directions:

1. Cook rice in rice cooker according to manufacturer's directions. (Or see below for directions on cooking rice without rice cooker.) After rice is done, let cool for 5 minutes. (It's even better to use leftover rice.)
   
2. While the rice is cooling, coat a large nonstick wok or skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Pour in eggs and cook, stirring gently, until just set. Transfer to a small bowl.
3. Heat canola oil in the pan over medium-high; add asparagus and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add bell pepper, scallions, garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, until the vegetables are just tender, about 2 minutes. Add the cooked rice, soy sauce and vinegar to the pan; cook until the liquid is absorbed, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Fold in the cooked eggs. Remove from the heat; stir in sesame oil and hot sauce.

Directions on cooking rice without rice cooker (from the original recipe):

Combine rice and broth in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, 12 to 14 minutes. Spread the rice out on a large plate and let stand for 5 minutes.

Yields: 4 servings

Ready to serve.

Links:
http://food.yahoo.com/recipes/eatingwell/652/vegetable-fried-rice (original recipe for 2 servings)

Jeni's Savannah Buttermint Ice Cream

Jeni's Savannah Buttermint ice cream is one of my favorite spring/summer flavors. According to Jeni's website, this flavor is made with salted butter, organic cream from Ohio, and Oregon mint, with tiny pieces of white chocolate flecks. I was surprised to discover that the crunchy bits were white chocolate; I thought they were crushed mint because they reminded me of the Polo mints I grew up on!

Sweet but not too sweet, minty but not too strong.

Your mouth feels minty fresh as you devour this delicious flavor. (Great for a date or something.) ;)

Zucchini Pie

This zucchini pie is one of my favorite recipes. The original recipe I found called for a bread crust, which I wasn't a fan of, particularly because I needed to bake the pie far longer than the suggested time which caused too much browning of the bread (and made it taste bitter!). So instead I made it with a flaky pie crust, and the result was wonderful! The pie itself is pretty easy to make, but one must plan ahead because the crust needs four hours of refrigerating - though the crust really is worth the while. Without further adieu, here is the hybrid zucchini pie recipe:

ZUCCHINI PIE

Ingredients (Pie):

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 4 cups thinly sliced zucchini (about 3 zucchinis)
  
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 2 eggs (or equivalent substitute), well beaten
• 8 ounces shredded Muenster or mozzarella cheese
  
• 2 teaspoons prepared mustard

Ingredients (Crust):

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/4 cup water

Directions for crust (needs to refrigerate for 4 hours):

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball. Shape dough into ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
2. Roll out dough on a floured counter. Don’t over work it.

Directions for pie:

1. Heat oven to 375 ºF. Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and onions; cook 6 to 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in parsley flakes, salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and oregano.
2. In large bowl, combine eggs and cheese; mix well. Add cooked vegetable mixture; stir gently to mix. (Clara's note: If there is any liquid in the cooked veggie mixture, you might want to drain it out first before adding it to the egg/cheese mixture.)
3. Separate dough into 8 triangles. Place in ungreased 10-inch pie pan, 12x8-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish or 11-inch quiche pan; press over bottom and up sides to form crust. Firmly press perforations to seal. Spread crust with mustard. Pour egg mixture evenly into crust-lined pan.
4. Bake at 375 ºF for 40 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. (The pie may be slightly watery because of the zucchini.) If necessary, cover edge of crust with strips of foil during last 10 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6 servings

The finished product.

Time for more gadget-talk...

Whenever I make this zucchini pie, I put my slice wizard to work:

Slice wizard

This slice wizard is made by the same company that makes the chop wizard (which I used to chop the onion; see previous post), which I absolutely adore, so when I saw the slice wizard on clearance at the Linens 'n Things closing sale, I knew I had to get it! And this is one purchase I definitely don't regret! The slice wizard comes with five different inserts (thick slicing, thin slicing, super thin slicing, think julienne, and thin julienne) to suit different slicing needs. I haven't tried all the different inserts yet, but so far, so good!

Zucchini gets inserted into the safety grip holder.

Slice wizard at work.

In less than a minute you've got yourself some thinly sliced zucchini! So easy!

Links:

• Original Italian Zucchini Crescent Pie recipe
• Pie crust recipe
• Vidalia Slice Wizard
  

Wine Gadgets

This is such a great gadget that I feel the need to show it off. This, my friends, is my rabbit wine bottle opener stand:

I accidentally stumbled upon this gadget at Linens 'n Things during their going-out-of-business sale. What I didn't know at the time was what a great investment it would be for $16!! First, you cut the foil of the wine bottle with the handy foil cutter that comes with the wine opener. Then, you place the wine bottle in the stand and adjust the height so that the screw is right above the cork. Hold the bottle securely by squeezing the "rabbit ears," then push the lever over to the other side for effortless insertion of the screw into the cork. Now, continue squeezing the rabbit ears while bringing the lever back, and the cork will come right off. So easy!

I store opened bottles of wine with the Vacuvin system (thanks, Pat!), which vacuums out the excess air in the bottle, thereby slowing down the oxidation process, so my wine doesn't go bad as quickly. This is a great little gadget for people (like me) who take a while to finish a bottle of wine!

While I was at Linens n' Things, I also got a cool wine rack for $6. Not the most space-conscious, but it makes for a great display! (And hey, you really can't go wrong with a $6 wine rack!)

Bouchons au Thon

Found this recipe in the Washington Post. According to the source, "bouchon au thon" means "tuna cork," which certainly doesn't sound nearly as appetizing as bouchon au thon. :) In any case, it is a pretty delicious recipe, though if you need to make your own creme fraiche (which you probably do since it is pretty hard to find in stores), you'd have to plan ahead because creme fraiche takes about 15 hours to be ready. But, it is worth it!

BOUCHONS AU THON

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces canned (water-packed) chunk-light or solid albacore tuna, drained
• 1 cup (4 ounces) finely grated or shredded Gruyere cheese
• 1/3 cup creme fraiche (see recipe below)
  
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• Leaves from 2 or 3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease 8 wells of a standard-size muffin tin with nonstick cooking oil spray. (Clara's note: You will need to fill the other 4 wells with water and then drain it later, so you want to make sure that those 4 wells are on the same side of the muffin tin for easy draining.)
   
2. Place the tuna in a medium mixing bowl; use a fork to break up pieces any larger than a dime. Add the cheese, creme fraiche, tomato paste, eggs, onion, parsley and salt, stirring to thoroughly combine. (The mixture will be a soft orange-pink color.)
3. Divide the mixture evenly among the 8 muffin wells. Use water to fill any empty wells halfway full to prevent those wells from scorching. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops and edges of the bouchons are set.
4. Carefully pour the water out of the muffin wells, then dislodge the bouchons by running a rounded knife around the inside edges of their wells. Let them sit for 2 to 3 minutes, then carefully extract them and transfer to individual plates (2 for each portion).
5. They will collapse a bit as they cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The bouchons can be baked and cooled completely, then wrapped and frozen for up to 1 month.

Yields: 8 muffin-size bouchons (4 lunch-size servings)

CREME FRAICHE (from RecipeZaar)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tablespoon cultured buttermilk
  

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream and buttermilk.
2. Cover the bowl with a towel and let stand in a warm place until thickened, about 12 hours.
3. When thickened, cover bowl tightly and refrigerate until well chilled, 2 to 3 hours.

Links:

• http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2009/03/04/bouchons-au-thon/ (bouchons au thon recipe)
• http://www.recipezaar.com/Creme-Fraiche-22044 (creme fraiche recipe)

Bonus Weekender: Kam Sam Supermarket (Rockville, MD)

I was just getting ready to make some authentic Chinese fried rice and realized that I needed a special tofu product (which I later discovered is called "shui kou bean sauce") that I don't recall seeing when I went to H Mart, so I thought I'd make the 30-minute drive up to the supposedly authentic Chinese supermarket Kam Sam. I had been meaning to scope it out anyway.

I found the medium-sized, unassuming-looking supermarket in downtown Rockville, just outside the new town center. It is much bigger than I had expected but not quite as massive as H Mart. This place is surprisingly clean and stench-free...that is, until you get to the fish aisle, but even there the stench is not too bad. In addition to Chinese groceries, Kam Sam also has a pre-cooked food aisle and a baked goods aisle where they sell cookies, cakes, and buns. They also sell bubble tea behind the bakery counter. I got myself some egg tarts, which luckily I can still tolerate for the most part, but that may not be for long (boo food intolerances!). Anyhoo...the store carries most products I had expected it to carry (Lee Kam Kee sauces, Pocky, 20 different varieties of tofu and soy sauce, etc.), and a few I did not (white flower oil, Darlie products, Chinese incense, etc.). But I was most surprised by the stack of local Washington newspapers in Chinese - I never would've thought there was enough demand for that in this area! Indeed, Kam Sam is really quite authentically Chinese, and you can tell its caters to Chinese people because they broadcast Chinese music (some Mandarin song that sounded vaguely familiar, as if it was a popular song I had heard when I was little) and they don't even bother with English labels in the veggie aisle. People naturally spoke Mandarin to me ("zhi-jiu kwai something-something"...uh, nineteen dollars something-something?) which I could make out only about 30% of the time, so I nod and smile like a good Chinese. Oh, and I almost got into trouble for taking pictures at the store...which is not the first time something like this has happened in a Chinese-owned establishment (ahem). Yep, it's authentic Chinese alright. (Seriously though, what is it with this paranoia that Chinese people have about having pictures of their stuff taken?? Do they think I'm going to steal their business concept or something? I don't get it.)

In any case, I was able to locate the shui kou bean sauce I was looking for with relative ease. Mission accomplished! Still no purple yam (ube) ice cream or dofuhua though. Overall, I do think I prefer H Mart because it's not quite as far and its selection is much more extensive, even when it comes to Chinese groceries. But if I ever had a hankering for egg tarts of if I needed some obscure Chinese product, now I know where to go!

Oh yeeeeah, egg tart. Tastes like childhood.


Haven't had these egg cookie rolls in ages!


They sell white flower oil! And other traditional Chinese remedies.


Chinese incense and that gold origami paper stuff you use to fold into gold bars and burn for your deceased loved ones.


Shui kou bean sauce! A must-have for your fried rice, but definitely an acquired taste.

Pertinent Info:
Address: 300 N Washington St, Rockville, MD 20850
Phone: (301)315-9558

Update (4/11/09 12:35 pm): Well, I opened the jar of shui kou bean sauce, and it did NOT look right. There is no expiration date on it, but I don't need one to figure out that any food that has turned partially gray should probably go straight to the trash bin. Ugh. I'm so disappointed. Guess I will have to find it elsewhere. :(

Palace Cafe's Shrimp Tchefuncte (Part 2: The Recipe)

Please click here for an updated blog post on this dish and the actual recipe from Palace Cafe! 


Read Part 1: The Back Story.

Well, here it is, my attempt at making Palace Cafe's Shrimp Tchefuncte! As I mentioned in my last post, there were slight inconsistencies among the recipes I was able to find online, so I had to make some educated guesses. Moreover, I also noticed that these online recipes called for a different type of rice than what is actually served at Palace Cafe (among a few other differences), so I made various modifications to try and emulate Palace Cafe's dish as closely as possible. In terms of difficulty, I'd say it ranks higher than most things I make, mostly because the taste of the meuniere sauce can vary depending on how much juice you get out of the lemons, and that can change each time you attempt the sauce. (I've made this twice now and the sauce was perfect one time and a tad too lemony the other time.) I guess it's one of those things where practice will make perfect.

Without further adieu, here is my version of the recipe:

PALACE CAFÉ’S SHRIMP TCHEFUNCTE

Rice - Ingredients:

• 2 cups popcorn rice (a.k.a. American basmati rice)

Rice - Directions:

• Cook in rice cooker or follow instructions on package.

Meuniere Sauce - Ingredients:

• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 3 lemons, peeled and quartered (no need to remove seed)
• 3 tbsp Crystal Hot Sauce
• 7 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp white pepper

Meuniere Sauce - Directions:

• In a large saucepan, combine peppercorns, lemons, hot sauce & Worcestershire sauce over medium heat. Reduce by 2/3. Add whipping cream and reduce by 1/2, stirring constantly. As you stir, press gently on the lemon quarters to release the juices. Slowly add the butter by pinching off 2-3 ounces at a time and squeezing it through your fingers into the saucepan, still stirring constantly. As you add the last of the butter, remove your pan from heat; continue to stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Strain through a fine strainer. Cover and set aside.

Sautéed Shrimp - Ingredients:

• 3 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
  
• Creole seasoning (optional)
• 2 cups green onions (about 2 bunches)
• 4 tbsp butter
• dried parsley flakes for garnish

Sautéed Shrimp - Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss mushrooms with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 30 minutes or until golden and tender.
• Wash (in cold water) and season shrimp with salt & pepper (or use Creole seasoning). Melt butter in a large skillet, then add shrimp and green onions. Cook over medium heat for about 6-8 minutes, stirring constantly until shrimp turn pink. When ready to serve, add mushrooms and meuniere sauce and heat.
• Serving instructions: Pack rice in a cup (a shallow coffee cup works well). Invert the cup over the rim of your plate and lift slowly. Spoon Shrimp Tchefuncte around 3/4 of the rice. Add dried parsley flakes for garnish.

Yum!

Just for comparison's sake, here's a photo of the real thing I found on Flickr:

What do you think? Do they at least look similar?

Afterthoughts: So did this replicate Palace Cafe's version? I'd say it's pretty darn close, and any differences may just be a consequence of my skills (or lack thereof) rather than something to do with the recipe itself. It is delicious, regardless. One of the best dishes I've made. (Thumbs up from R. and my colleague Maria as well.) Still, I'm tempted to call up the restaurant some day and see if they'd be willing to send me the real recipe again. :) And I still hope to visit NOLA and the Palace Cafe some day soon!

Links: (The recipe presented above is heavily borrowed from the two recipes below.)
http://www.louisianaseafood.com/recipes-sh-tchef.html
http://www.gumbopages.com/food/seafood/shr-tchefuncte.html

Palace Cafe's Shrimp Tchefuncte (Part 1: The Back Story)

In June 2002, I went to New Orleans for a professional conference, which was held at the Sheraton on Canal Street, just outside the French Quarter. One day I decided to venture out on my own for lunch, and I decided that, despite my measly grad student budget, I was going to have real New Orleans food no matter the cost. It just didn't make sense to me to go eat at McDonald's when I could get that anywhere! I crossed Canal Street whereupon I found myself standing in front of Palace Cafe. I took a look at the menu outside and thought, "Well, it's a bit pricey, but the menu looks good and this seems to be a cute place. I'll just order something small." So into the restaurant I went.

As soon as I entered the premise, I knew I was in trouble. I was stunned by the hospitality. Turns out the restaurant was much more upscale than I had thought. I was greeted by a sharply dressed hostess, and had a total of three servers - all wearing bowties - waiting on me. Pretty soon I also noticed a string trio (or was it a quartet? can't remember now) offering private musical treats from table to table. I looked at the menu and decided it would make me look real lame to "just order something small," so I went with the Shrimp Tchefuncte, described as "sautéed Louisiana shrimp with Creole meuniere, green onions, roasted mushrooms, and popcorn rice." It certainly sounded delicious.

Inside the Palace Cafe in New Orleans (Photo from Yelp)

Meanwhile, the string trio (or quartet) has made its way to my table, and asked if I had a request. I didn't. So I just asked them to play whatever they wanted. Just imagine, a poor grad student, sitting in the middle of a fancy restaurant that was far out of her price range, being serenaded by professional musicians dressed in black suits. I felt a little out of place, but that was no excuse not to tip the musicians. "Ouch," said my wallet.

But let's cut to the chase and talk about the food: Shrimp Tchefuncte. I took one bite and OH. MY. GAWD. It was absolutely the best thing I had ever tasted. (It's been seven years now and it is still the best thing I've ever tasted.) I get the urge to book a ticket to fly down to New Orleans and head straight to Palace Cafe every time I think about their Shrimp Tchefuncte. It was THAT good.

Anyway, a couple of days later I left the Big Easy and headed home. I might have forgotten what I learned at that conference, but I never forgot Palace Cafe and their Shrimp Tchefuncte.

As luck would have it, I got to attend another conference in New Orleans in January of 2005. (Yay for meeting planners!) And as if the food gods heard the prayers from my stomach, the conference was once again held at the Sheraton on Canal Street! (Double yay!!) I stuffed my credit card in my pocket made my way over to Palace Cafe as soon as I got the chance. And needless to say, I ordered the Shrimp Tchefuncte. It tasted just as amazing as I remembered it. This time, I also got the crabmeat cheesecake (like, how could you not??) and a dessert. I was out $40 by the end of the lunch hour, but that's a small price to pay for absolute bliss. And I was grateful I could enjoy this kind of bliss more than once in my lifetime.

As I left the cafe, I told the staff about my story, how I specifically came back to their restaurant after three and a half years just to enjoy their Shrimp Tchefuncte. Then, to my absolute delight and surprise, they OFFERED ME THE RECIPE!! I could not believe it, and even though I didn't cook back then and knew I didn't have the skill to pull off that heavenly dish, I happily accepted their gift, brought it home with me, and stuffed it in a manila folder along with all the poster handouts I picked up during the conference.

(As a side note, Hurricane Katrina hit NOLA later that year in August, and I was actually concerned enough to go to Palace Cafe's website to see if the restaurant was affected! Luckily, other than some minor damage, Palace Cafe survived.)

Fast forward another four-plus years. Yes, I'm still thinking about the Shrimp Tchefuncte. But I think the recipe was lost a few years ago when I moved from Columbus to DC, when I decided to toss out anything that wasn't useful (which included all the poster handouts I had collected over the years). Only thing is, I didn't mean to get rid of my prized recipe!! I was devastated, and even thought of writing Palace Cafe to see if they'd be willing to send me the recipe again. Then, I had the brilliant thought of googling it online. Sure enough, I found a few that claimed to be the Shrimp Tchefuncte recipe from Palace Cafe! Even though there were some slight inconsistencies across recipes, I figured it'd be worth a try to see if I could recreate my favorite dish in the world...

Click here for Part 2: The Recipe and see my attempt at making Palace Cafe's Shrimp Tchefuncte!

Pertinent info:
Address: 605 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Phone: (504)523-1661

Cake Wrecks!

Who knew food could be so funny? The other day I was surfing recipe sites online and stumbled upon http://www.CakeWrecks.com. No no, it doesn't contain recipes on how to bake awful cakes. Rather, this site features cakes found in stores that went "horribly, hilariously wrong." Here are just a few of my favorites (click on the photos for the original post on Cake Wrecks):

And we wonder why so many kids are plotting school shooting massacres these days...


Wow. Just, wow.


I wonder if any Steelers' fans wiped their mouths with their terrible towels after enjoying this cake.

Err...I think I just lost my appetite.

On the flip side...

Well...that IS true, but did we really need a cake for that??

Note: All pictures are posted here with permission from Jen, the awesome creator of Cake Wrecks (the site, not the actual cake wrecks!). Thanks, Jen!

Laughing your head off yet? Check out http://www.CakeWrecks.com for more cakes gone wrong! (Except on Sundays, when the site features awesome-looking cakes!)