zoramargolis

How far is far enough to avoid the cross-pollinating? And does this mean my bells will just be hot, and my hots be sweet?

Don't put them right next to each other, that's-a-for-sure. As far away from each other as possible.

Slightly off topic--Does anyone have the current issue of Saveur? (I left my issue on the plane. ) There is a chicken dish, resting on (I think) a bed of fried onions or shallots. I want to say it was some sort of Asian recipe. Can someone tell me the name of the dish? I can then research it on Saveur's web site.

Is it perhaps Sali Chicken (chicken stew with potato sticks, on page 18)? It seems to be the only chicken dish photographed with the chicken sitting on a bed of something. And it does have ginger and garam masala in the recipe.

While I'm here-- we are having a forager's meal tonight, from my gleanings in Battery Kemble Park yesterday:

Cream of oyster mushroom and lamb's quarters soup

Queen Anne cherry clafouti--

I found a tree, which appears to be a volunteer of many years' growth, absolutely LOADED with ripe cherries. OMG, I went berserk. My husband had to drag me away, or I would still be there picking...

I hope your sweet and hot peppers are far enough away from each other that they don't cross-pollinate. This is the voice of experience speaking. It can be more than a bit confounding when your bell peppers are as spicy as the jalapeí±os are. They're not nearly as useful.

Also, I can't imagine going to all the effort you have done to prepare the soil and plant seeds without growing some beans. I always considered them one of the tastiest treats in the garden--and pole beans taste better than the bush varieties IMO. And then limas and shell beans, like Cranberry or Jacob's Cattle are fun to grow, and good eating.

In the days before the proliferation of farmers' markets, growing your own was the only way to get really good stuff. It's totally different now. So that's my excuse for not having a vegetable garden anymore, plus I don't have enough sun in my yard, plus I have a bad back. Excuses, excuses. But I really used to love vegetable and herb gardening. Now all I do is have a few herbs growing--thyme, lavender, chervil, tarragon, marjoram and oregano, stuff that's not so easy to find at the market.

Dinner for visiting cousins from Canada, who love Mexican food:

Guacamole and chips

Jicama sprinkled with lime juice and ancho chile powder

Pico de gallo

Watermelon-papaya gazpacho demitasse

Chiles rellenos stuffed with crabmeat with mole verde and crema Mexicana

2005 Turkey Flat Rosé

Barbacoa de Cabrito-- boneless shoulder of young goat, marinated in citrus-chile adobo, wrapped with avocado leaves in banana leaf, and steamed for three hours

Frijoles refritos

Saffron rice

Homemade tortillas

2004 Tait, the Ballbuster (75% shiraz, balance cabernet and merlot)

Key lime pie

2004 Peller Estates Vidal Ice Wine (gift from the Canadian cousins--wow, was this delicious!)

Does Agraria have parking or is it street parking only?

Underground lot parking in Washington Harbor complex. They don't validate. It's $7.50 to park there after 5.

The prosciutto San Daniele was significantly cheaper here than at two other well-regarded shops I visited within a few days.

Come on, Joe. Tell us about the time you invited Roberto Donna and Jeff Black and their wives over to your house and cooked dinner for them!

I'm still on the "take the kids to a farm" program. Take 'em someplace where they can run around a bit with out getting in anybody's way or breaking anything. All the indoor lectures in the world aren't going to be as effective, or cool, as actually seeing stuff growing, especially if they're city kids. And, sheesh, they're already stuck in summer school, let 'em get outdoors.

I don't think that Homestead Farm in Poolesville is organic, but they host school groups during the Fall, so probably would be amenable to a group of kids visiting in the summer. They have pick-your-own fruit orchards and berries, vegetables, and a "petting zoo" where the kids can feed sheep, goats, pigs and chickens. Less than an hour from downtown DC in Montgomery County.

[quote name='giant shrimp' date='Jun 7 2006, 11:11 AM' post='40157

(appetizer: walking home via tenleytown i came across some mulberry trees. until reading a couple of posts by zora margolis, whose knowledge of foraging from local parklands is formidable, i have all my life thought these were best left for the birds. the berries from a low-hanging limb were ripe and extremely sweet to the point of tasting flat, though some still retained their tartness. the seeds are quite tender though get caught between your teeth, and even if you are careful to prevent yourself from staining a white shirt, you will still wind up with purple fingers.)

I never remember to take plastic gloves with me to the park, so I am still trying to scrub under my nails to remove the blackish-purple residue from mulberry picking. Small price to pay, though. When I see those fat, shiny, luscious berries hanging there, I am unable to stop myself from picking as many as I can. It's a true addiction, I'm afraid.

Whenever I make things with lots of seed-y berries like mulberries, blackberries, etc, like coulis or sorbet or preserves, I puree them and strain out as many seeds as I can, which are a real nuisance to eat. And mulberries don't seem to have a whole lot of flavor raw. I find that, similar to blackberries and black raspberries, they have much more depth of flavor when they are cooked. You might try throwing a few mulberries into some pancake batter if you don't want to get into a big project involving pureeing and straining. The griddle cooks the berries and improves the flavor, and there aren't enough seeds to be a problem.

Oh, and almost all ripe berries require a bit of lemon juice for balance, if they are very sweet.

[split off from Pauli Moto's Asian Bistro thread]

Go to Coastal Flats instead. I had lunch there last week, and it wasn't bad at all.

And upon returning from the picnic, I realized there were no appropriate goodies in the house (the ~2 million homemade crackers leftover from the picnic where deemed "not filling enough")

The crackers I brought home were instantly devoured while being exclaimed over, and they disappeared in a flash. I wish I had taken more! I know that I will be making some soon, so thanks for posting the recipe. Absolutely fabulous!

15 years ago I owned a restaurant in Montgomery County with 2 friends. I laugh now when I think that we used Wycliff as the house wine. $23 for 18 liters sold at $2.50 a glass. A liter yields 6-7 glasses. That's a long way to today selling $25 glasses of Premier Cru Chassagne-Montrachet!

If you consider the profit margin on the Wycliff (almost $220 profit per carton), you were doing a heckuva lot better back then.

I think chef L was making a reference to chef W's mention in some feline publication.

Ah, cats as cats can... now I understand. As usual, I am out of the loop on the inner circle references. Thanks for cluing me in.

I hear the kitty food is quite cheap at Costco.

So are paper towels, AA batteries, computer printer ink and laundry detergent. And your point is?

A salt tasting without Maldon? Unthinkable! I will provide same.

Rosé, Turkey Flats Vineyards, Barossa Valley, Australia, 2005 $38

Magenta and cranberry nectar tinted. Whiffs of white peach, cassis, and Jolly Ranchers are joined by dense berry flavors, all lightened by a touch of lemon zest. This juicy blush is comprised of Grenache, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Dolcetto.

I've used this website for baking supplies. Fantes The site is fairly annoying to navigate and finding stuff can take a bit of searching.

Fante's is a great place to get copper pans re-tinned. They charged about half of what the local place in Bethesda wanted. I packed up my copper pots, shipped them to Philly; Fante's did a great job re-tinning (about $50 per pan), polished them really well and shipped them back, after about a month.

Derek was the consummate host tonight, proudly introducing the space, the amenities, the bar staff and the classic cocktail menu.

Don't expect rustic, despite the North Dakota farm connection. It 's quite the opposite--elegant, modern, sleek. the huge space has been cleverly divided into separate spaces--almost like a group of small restaurants connected to the same kitchen. Stone, glass, and wood and lots of modern lighting fixtures. There are several private dining rooms and a lounge area, many with fireplaces and flat screen tv's. In one, "The Wine Room", a huge round table is surrounded on all sides by floor to ceiling sculptural metal grids which will hold wine bottles.

The bartenders are charming and Derek has decreed that topshelf liquor will be used for the cocktails. I had a tasty Sazerac cocktail and a tangy Margarita, made with Patron Silver. Tom, the head bartender, was trying out recipes from a book of "obsolete" cocktails that Derek found online. Porcupine and I shared a Jack Rose, made with applejack, lemon juice and pomegranate grenadine. One of the fun things Derek did this evening was to set up a tasting of the seven or eight different types of bitters he has sourced-- two different orange bitters, blood orange, peach, mint, in addition to Angostura and another herbal/botanical, the name of which I can't recall, along with a "sunflower" bitters decoction he made himself. My favorite was one of the two orange bitters that was strongly perfumed with cardamom.

Just before Derek gave us a tour of the place, including the kitchen(s)--there is a huge prep kitchen behind the open kitchen that services the restaurant-- a selection of really good truffles was set out where the hors d'ouevres had been. Chocolate, raspberry-chocolate-chile, and a white chocolate flavored with cardamom and rolled in crushed pistachios. Presumably, these will be provided as a post dessert treat to dinner guests.

The menu philosophy appears to be carefully sourced ingredients prepared with simplicity. Prices are fairly high. How the place will feel when it is full of people, and how good the food and service will be are questions that remain to be answered. The bar is sleek, attractive, comfortable and friendly. The drinks are great. That we know for sure.

Derek seems very determined to provide good service, and to recruit, train and develop a waitstaff that will exemplify his philosophy.

Is the screwtop on the Chateau Guiot rosé new for 2005? I had this wine last year and don't remember it having a screwtop. I haven't had the 2005, but the 2004 was very nice indeed.

Yes, it is a new feature this year, and a welcome one indeed. Australia has been ahead of the curve on screwtops for fine wines. It's about time for more world-wide use. There's no controversy when they put a screw-top on a rosé--it's meant to drink young and not be cellared, after all.

Of the rosés reviewed in today's WashPost Food Section (can someone provide a link to the article for me?), I have had the 2005 Chateau Guiot -- again last night, by coincidence. It is excellent, intensely flavorful and refreshing. We also like the screwtop, which makes it convenient to pour a quick glass on a hot afternoon

I just wanted to let all of you know that Artisan Confections has now opened a small retail shop in North Arlington. It is located at 4815-B Lee Highway which is almost at the intersection of Glebe (in the same strip as Subway, Dominos and the Indian grocery). We are very close to Arrowine, Pastries by Randolph, and Heidelberg Bakery.

On which side of Glebe is that--the Arrowine/Randolph's side or the Heidelberg Bakery side?

Dinner for 10--

Appetizers in the yard, with liberal applications of Off Deep Woods spray:

Fava bean crostini with Jamon Serrano and Pecorino Romano

Roasted beets with orange vinaigrette

Marinated white anchovies

Merguez lamb meatballs

Fennel slaw with lemon vinaigrette

Charcoal grilled veggies: baby yellow squash, red bell pepper, baby bermuda onion

Sicilian olives

2005 Turkey Flat Rose (Australia)

2005 Elyse Rose (Napa Valley)

Main course at the table:

Charcoal mixed grill--butterflied lamb leg; yearling venison rump roast, marinated in cooked wine marinade with juniper berries

Fresh creamed corn (fresh sweet corn scraped off the cob, stewed with sweet butter)

Grill-roasted asparagus

2001 Picchioni Andrea Rosso D'Asia

2000 Fontana Graziano Trentino Lagrein

Cheese course:

Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam; Cashel Blue; goat gouda; Idiazabal. Australian blood plum jelly, dried figs and dates.

Dessert:

Apricot upside-down cake

Wild mulberry sorbet (made with berries picked in Battery Kemble park) !! Wow, the flavor and color of this were amazingly intense !!

Creme Chantilly

Bonny Doon Muscat

So we had an amazing dinner at Craftbar on Friday. The highlight was morels with a roasted leg of lamb. They tasted like they were sauted in the world's most perfect butter.

Isent Mr. BLB to DuPont this morning and he found a box for $20.

Now what do I do with them? What is the shelf life? Should I cook them tonight or can I wait until tomorrow? I'm on the train now and would rather wait but not if they won't hold up well!

Thanks!

Jennifer

Contrary to the advice posters above have offered, a pint of morels is not really that many. I've seen the baskets of them for sale at Dupont. I think you have one nice meal for two people, there. You can keep them for several days in the refrigerator. Just don't put them in plastic. Keep them in a paper bag. If they are in good shape, keep most of them whole. If you've got some wtih crumbly stalks, chop those up, but when you've paid that much for a mushroom, I say see keep them whole so you can see and taste what you have. What I would do is go out and buy some really nice veal rib chops, sear and then finish in the oven and serve with sauteed morels with some chopped shallot and cream and deglaze the meat pan with some marsala or sherry and add to the mushrooms. Sprinkle with some chopped fresh chervil or tarragon. That's what I would do if I had a $20 basket of morels.

bump

Anyone know if they have stopped serving the pieces of jicama altogether or do I just have bad timing? I have been there twice in the past 6 weeks and they didn't have my beloved jicama either time.

Last nights dinner was a good as I expect it to be. I had the LA style pork taco for the first time and it was okay, but I wasn't overly impressed. The fish tacos continue to be the standout for me. The last time I was there they had a grilled fish option (instead of their usual fried fish) and I liked that one better. Last night my mom got chile relenios (sp?) and declared it better than the one she had last week in Sonoma. I think our only major complaint was that the salsa was one the sweet side and even the addition of hot sauce didn't provide the heat we were looking for.

The rumaritas were fantastic and provided the necessary lubricant to get my sister to dish out stuff we didn't necessarily needed to hear

I was at the Arlington branch yesterday for a late lunch. Too early for tacos al pastor, which is my favorite dish there, but which is not available before 5 p.m. I also had the crispy pork taco, which was so-so, and my daughter had a chile relleno, which was quite good. No jicama. I don't eat there very often, so I am unable to identify this as a trend. In general, though, it is just okay.

Then again, I am one of those snobbish, sniff-y Southern Californians. To quote Todd Kliman, in his new Cheap Eats issue revue of La Sirenita: "...we're now getting our first tastes of authentic Mexican cooking. Southern Californians may sniff at the results, but it's a promising development."