Old Ebbitt Grill

I stopped counting after 3 visits in the first 2 days of our time in DC, needless to say, we like Old Ebbitt A LOT! A big bonus on our restaurant scale is one where everyone can find something on the menu that makes their tummy happy. This restaurant certainly fits the bill, half a block from the W, our hotel, didn't hurt either.
Hope you enjoy this video clip of just some of the menu items we feasted upon. Not a huge fan of oysters, Beep ate them at every visit, I must admit they were sweet, creamy and lovely to slurp. The shallot vinaigrette is the perfect balance, why doesn't every restaurant offer this accompaniment?
The Eggs Chesapeake was a beautiful variation on this brunch classic, with a crab cake in place of the traditional protein. Cameron, our pickiest eater, proclaimed that the French Toast was BETTER than mine. He did redeem himself by quickly following up with, "Mom, you still make the BEST pancakes." The Fried oyster stew perfectly matched creamy and crunchy and rich but not too heavy. Every item we tried from the menu was a masterful combination of flavors and textures. One that I didn't get a chance to photograph was the Brownie Cappuccino Sundae, Bo and Camille both tried it and dug in before I could snap a photo! The simple addition of warm cappuccino poured over a chewy brownie and vanilla bean ice cream was heavenly!

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

This is a fabulous appetizer to make for a small group, it takes a bit of attention, so I don't usually make these for a crowd. The original, as well as this photo comes from Fine Cooking magazine. As with all my recipes, I have a couple of additions and changes to the preparation, so I have listed the link above, my version is shown here. One difference is how I marinate, the other major difference is how I assemble these tasty bites. I enjoy the crunch of the water chestnut, but don't feel that two are necessary for each appetizer. This wonderful treat is the perfect balance of sweet-salty, crunchy-chewy and is sure to be a hit!

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbs. light brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. chile flakes
6 very large “dry” sea scallops (8 to 10 oz. total), cut into bite size pieces 1/2 or quarted depending on how large they are.
8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts, drained
12 slices bacon, cut in half crosswise, I cut it in thirds thus, I use fewer than 12 strips, I found a half stip to be too long.
24 toothpicks, soaked in water

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place rack in upper third of your oven. Line a shallow baking sheet with foil and set a metal cooling rack on top of foil. I find this works better than a broiler pan. Heat prepared pan in the oven.
In a medium bowl, combine marinade: soy, sugar, giner and chile flakes. Place bacon on a plate and drizzle with a small amount of marinade. Place the scallops in the remaining marinade and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Do not discard the marinade.
Assembly:
Slice bacon strips long enough to wrap around the chestnut and scallop. Place a chestnut in the center of the bacon strip, top with a scallop piece, wrap each edge of bacon over the top of the scallop and secure with a toothpick. Repeat until all of your ingredients are utilized. Remove hot baking sheet and quickly place bacon wraps on the hot pan, return to the oven. Bake turning once, after approximately 10 minutes, so the bacon can cook on all sides, baste with reserved marinade when you turn. Return to oven and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until the bacon is brown and crispy. Watch them closely during this final cooking time. They suggest cooking at 450 degrees, I cook them lower, between 375-400. They can get too smokey in the hotter oven, I prefer to cook a little longer in a lower oven.
Remove wraps quickly to a serving platter so they don't stick to your baking rack. Allow to cool slightly, remember, sugar will be HOT! They are great even as they come to room temperature.

Baked Goat Cheese with Salsa

 

So, my brother-in-law thinks this might be a twist on queso that may only fly in the "Park Cities", possibly, but it is one of the yummiest things you will taste, sophisticated palate or not! Love you Chris, I am making it for you next time I see you and we'll see if you can resist it's creamy deliciousness.INGREDIENTS:1 1/2 C roasted salsa (previous post)8 oz. goat cheese8 oz. cream cheese1/4 C pine nuts, toastedtoasted tortilla or pita chipsPREPARATION:Allow cheeses to soften, cream together and add toasted pine nuts. Form cheese mixture into a disc approximately 1/2 inch thick, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake. Set oven to 350 degrees. In a shallow oven safe dish, remove plastic wrap, place goat cheese disc in the center and top with salsa. Bake approximately 10-15 minutes until warm and slightly bubbly. Serve warm with chips.Toasting pine nuts: I do it on the stove top so I don't neglect them and end up with burnt pine nuts. In a saute pan toast nuts lightly tossing over medium heat, just until they begin to become golden. 3-4 minutes at most.Toasting chips: Cut pita or flour tortilla chips into triangles, arrange in a mostly single layer on rimmed baking sheet. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast in the oven until crisp, flipping or slightly stirring the chips if necessary. 10-15 minutes depending on thickness of your pita or tortillas. If you are really lazy, pop open a bag of your favorite brand of chips! You really can't beat the homemade ones though, they can be done the day before and kept in an airtight container.

Homemade Salsa

 

This is my adaptation of a salsa recipe from Salsas That Cook, by Rick Bayless

IGREDIENTS:
12 Roma tomatoes
2 Jalapenos
6 Garlic cloves, peeled
1 Large yellow onion, sliced
2-3 T. Cider vinegar
1/4 t. Cumin powder
1/4 t. Celery salt
Salt & Pepper to taste
Cilantro fresh, chopped and to taste

Preparation:
Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Place all veggies, first four ingredients on a shallow baking sheet lined with parchment. Roast veggies for approximately 40 minutes, until the skins begin to darken and split. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Meanwhile set up food processor and a fine mesh strainer with a bowl underneath to catch tomato juices.
This is where things get messy . . . peel tomatoes and remove the seeds and core over the strainer so you can retain the juice. Add "meat" of the tomatoes to the food processor along with garlic, onion slices and peeled(remove as much of the skin as possible) and seeded jalapeno. Process, add cilantro and pulse a few more times to combine.
Pour salsa into a storage container and mix in spices and vinegar. Add the reserved tomato juice. Serve now or store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze a portion for later use. This salsa is also used in a warm goat cheese dip, that is unbelievable!! (That recipe to follow at a later date.)

Marvelous Mushroom Bisque

Beep's mom made a memorable cream of mushroom soup, unfortunately she never wrote down the recipe. I have been on a quest to reinvent this old favorite for Beep & Christi and think I may have finally gotten close. One slight glitch, I didn't measure closely while making this one, but it got a big thumbs up from my mushroom lover Bo. I always feel like soup should come out a little different each time. It is sort of like making a salad, you can always add a little of something else and it turns out just fine.
I use a variety of mushrooms each time, it depends on what is in season and what I can find. Any combo will work, pick your favorites. I love visiting F-M 1410, for fresh greens and fungi, it is an eclectic store front with the best stuff.

Ingredients:
10 oz. baby bella mushrooms
8-10 oz. any combination of these varieties:
yellow and black trumpet Chanterelles, shitake, clamshell
1 T. Olive oil
1 T. Butter
3/4 C Chopped onion
3/4 t. dried Thyme
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. celery salt
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 t. Goya Adobo all purpose seasoning ( I use it in just about everything)
1 1/2 T. Worchestire sauce
32 oz. Chicken broth
1 1/4 C Heavy cream
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Preparation:
Saute onion in butter and olive oil over medium high heat, 2-3 minutes, until lightly caramelized. Meanwhile, roughly chop the mushrooms and add to the pan. Add seasonings, except nutmeg. Continue cooking until mushrooms release their liquid, when most of the liquid is gone, add worchstire and allow mushrooms to absorb that as well. Pour in chicken stock and allow all of the flavors to release from the pan. Bring to a simmer and add the cream. Blend with an immersion blender to desired texture. I like to leave some of the mushrooms intact. Grate nutmeg and adjust other seasoning if necessary.

Roasted Beet Salad

Believe it or not, Beep found the original recipe for this salad, which has a much snappier title, Warm Tri Beet Salad with Hand-Torn Croutons, on a Discovery Health link. (I included the link to the original above.) And to think . . . Beep always despised beets, said, "They taste like dirt smells!" I don't go to all the trouble that the original recipe does, but I think mine is just as good and much less fuss.
This is a great basic that you can tailor to your specific tastes or maybe to whatever you happen to have in the pantry and fridge. I swap out the cheese, the greens, and the nuts depending how the mood strikes me or what I have on hand, so get creative and make it your own. May I also suggest that you make a few extra beets, serve them warm the night before as a side dish.

INGREDIENTS:
Roasted Beets:
3 golden beets
3 red beets
1-2 T olive oil
1/3 C hot water
1 chicken bouillon cube
S & P to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash the beets well and remove the greens. Dissolve the bouillon in the water. In a roasting pan just large enough to accommodate the beets, add the beets along with the remaining ingredients, drizzling the olive oil over the beets. Cover with foil and roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until the beets are fork tender. Remove from the oven when tender and allow beets to cool enough to handle. Wipe of the skins, throwing them away and cut off the stem and root. Cut the beets into the desired shape, keeping them in separate bowl so the colors won't bleed. I usually cut them into a large julienne, but you can slice them, dice them, whatever you like. Drizzle with a little lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Salad:
mixed greens to serve 4
8 oz. blue cheese
1 C pecans chopped & toasted

Clean greens, toss with cheese & nuts.

Dressing:
1 1/2 tsp. dijon style mustard ( I use, German Thomy Scharfer Senf)
1/2 C light vinegar, cider, white wine, whatever you have on hand
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 T orange juice
1/2 tsp. salt
12 grinds fresh black pepper
2 oz. olive oil
pinch of sugar to taste

Stir together first 6 ingredients, then slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisking to emulsify. Whisk in sugar, taste and add additional seasoning if needed.

ASSEMBLY:
Casual, toss all the ingredients and dress, serve. Formal, dress the greens and beets separately, arrange cheese, beets and pecans on top of greens, serve.

WOW

I don't often drink white wines, but I do cook with them. Since a normal recipe asks for about a cup or so, I feel obligated to finish the bottle, so follow that well known rule, "don't cook with a wine that you wouldn't want to drink". A great white for drinking and cooking is Kim Crawford Marlborough Savignon Blanc.

"We do things unconventionally, take risks, start things, welcome different. Screw caps keep wine fresher than corks. So we started championing them. We decided the world needed a clean, top quality, fruit driven Chardonnay devoid of the heavy oak. So we started making one. Indeed, when we first started Kim Crawford, we didn't even have a vineyard or winery. Just an idea and a lot of energy."

This New Zealand winemaker's philosophy matches it's wine! I find this one at Central Market, like most others it is priced at $20 or under. I threw away my receipt, so I'm not certain exactly what I paid. WELL worth the price.

Greek Cookies "Karithata" or Sands

This recipe comes from my first generation Greek neighbor. It started with Bo's 3rd grade country project . . . extra credit if you make a food native to your country. Bo had chosen Greece, and as luck would have it, I had one living across the street!



I had no idea what I was making, but was pleased to find that these buttery confections were incredibly similar to the Mexican Wedding Cake cookies I adored as a child, but had never quite found a recipe for them that was satisfactory. Cut with a knife for a more rustic cookie or with a shaped cookie cutter, you will love them either way!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 lb. butter, softened
9 t. or 3 T confectioners sugar, additional 1/4 cup for dusting
2 T ice water
2 t. vanilla
1 C chopped pecans
2 C flour

Preparation:
I am typing this exactly how it was printed in the book, just because I know some cute little old Greek grandmother wrote it, in parentheses are my corrections.
Beat butter with sugar for 15 minutes. Add water, vanilla, pecan and sifted flour. Knead slightly. Shape with a cooky cutter. ( I roll to about 1/4 inch thickness, then cut). Bake on ungreased cooky sheet in oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Cookies will be firm and slightly browned.
Remove from pan, and place on clean surface, which has been sprinkled with confectioners' sugar. (While cookies are baking, dust a parchment lined shallow baking dish with a thin layer of powdered sugar. Remove hot cookies from sheet and place on prepared baking dish and dust with additional powdered sugar.) Sprinkle confectioners' sugar over cookies. Allow to cool. Makes 30.

creme brulee

By far one of my all time favorite desserts, this is a simple recipe that works like a charm. This recipe is from Dallas Dish, the Junior League book I helped to create. Another great thing about this recipe is that it makes 12 desserts, and has a couple of flavor variations, it is easily cut in half if you don't have a crowd or split the mixture prior to adding the flavorings and make two different flavors. I have done both with absolute success. I, as usual, have made one small change to the recipe in the book, it is listed below. Note: Please use the BEST ingredients you can find/afford, when a recipe has so few ingredients it makes such a difference.

Ingredients
4 Cups Heavy Cream, Chilled
2/3 Cup Granulated sugar
Pinch of Salt
12 egg yolks, I use high quality eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract, I use a vanilla bean*
1/4 Cup Turbinado or large grain sugar for dusting, I also use regular granulated
12 4 ounce ramekins

Variations:
White Chocolate:
8 ounces White Chocolate, chopped

Praline:
1 1/2 tsp. Praline liqueur
12 Pecan halves, toasted


Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees, move oven rack to lower third of oven. Prepare a baking dish that fits 12 ramekins or two with 6 ramekins each. Place a tea towel in the bottom of the baking dish and place ramekins on top. Bring a large teapot of water to a boil. This will be used to pour into the baking dish for a water bath.
Separate egg yolks into a mixing bowl and whisk, set aside.
In a small saucepan bring 2 cups of the cream, 2/3 c.sugar, vanilla bean and salt to a temperature of 155 over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in remaining cream and fish out the vanilla bean. Slowly stir warm mixture into the egg yolks while whisking. Split the bean with a sharp knife, scrape seeds, add them to the custard and mix well.
Pour an equal amount of custard into each ramekin and place baking dish on the oven rack. With the oven open, pour enough boiling water into the baking dish to reach 2/3 of the way up the sides of the ramekins. Bake 30-45 minutes. The centers should be set but show no color.
Remove ramekins to a wire rack to cool. Once the ramekins are at room temperature, place on a large baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap to refrigerate. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. This can be done up to 2 days ahead.
Remove custards at least 30 minutes prior to serving. Just before serving, blot any moisture from top of custard and dust with 1-2 teaspoons of sugar and caramelize the sugar using a kitchen torch or under your broiler. Watch carefully to prevent burning.
For the variations, add the flavoring to scalded milk and stir to incorporate. Be certain to melt and combine the chocolate completely. To garnish the praline, place a toasted pecan halve on the melted sugar before it hardens. Have fun with it and invent your own flavors!

Wow

Edge Wines, the latest greatest find for under $20! Beep brought this one home from our good friends in Baton Rouge. Thanks Eric! Voted best Cab under $20 by Food & Wine in 2007, I will have to concur. This Nappa Valley red is smoother than a baby's bottom, easy in the glass and on the pocketbook. This Cab will age well for five to eight years, so put a couple bottles on the shelf for an "anyday" treat. We found it locally at Central Market for just under $18 a bottle. Check them out at: http://www.edgewines.com/ and enjoy.