For breakfast this morning: homemade egg mcmuffins… So much better than the “real” thing.
Toasted english muffin, fried (or poached) egg, a slice or two of Boar’s Head Black Forrest ham – very lightly fried in the pan, swiss cheese melted on top of the egg. Assemble. Devour.
Enjoy! With a nice hot mug of french press coffee!
It's been a cold, rain-soaked October day, which would be perfect for a warm bowl of stew and a hot toddy. But after a day full of library book sales and the Crafty Bastards fair, I came home tired, cold and very hungry. For dinner I needed something quick and tasty… and something that would also go well with a fresh bunch of arugula and a divine heirloom tomato, both purchased from my trip to the farmers market this morning.
And thus came Ina Garten from her stately Hamptons stead and delivered unto us: Chicken Piccata!
Chicken Piccata, recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home
Use three shallow baking dishes for breading the chicken. In one dish, add the flour. Egg in the next. And in the last, mix together the breadcrumbs and corn meal.
Place the chicken between two sheets of parchment paper and using a meat mallet, flatten to 1/4 inch thick.
Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Dip the chicken in flour and shake off the excess.
Dip into the egg, coating the chicken evenly.
Dip the chicken into the breadcrumb and corn meal mixture fully coating the chicken.
Heat the oil and a half tablespoon of butter in a large saute pan over medium to medium low heat.
When the oil is hot and the butter is bubbly, add the chicken.
Cook for about 3 minutes per side. The outer coating should be golden brown and crispy. Like this!
When the chicken is done, put it on a clean plate and keep warm in the oven.
Next prepare the sauce!
Add two more tablespoons of butter to the pan and melt over medium heat.
When the butter is nice and foamy, add in the lemon juice.
After a minute or two, add in the chicken broth. White wine can also be used in place of chicken broth.
Bring the sauce to a boil, lower heat and reduce the liquid by half.
Getting saucy!
When the sauce is reduced, turn off heat and stir in the additional tablespoon of butter. When the butter has melted into the sauce, serve immediately over the chicken.
Enjoy!
I just found my new favorite restaurant in DC, Mike Isabella's Graffiato. Not only did I get to sit about five feet away from him while he was sitting at the bar and then plating food, but I got to eat his grandmother's gnocchi. Blissful, light, moist, heavenly potato gnocchi!
The service was fantastic. We weren't rushed. Plates and glasses were whisked away almost as soon as we pushed them aside. Glasses were refilled and drinks refreshed in a seemingly automated fashion.
The dishes are small plates ideal for sharing, with a suggestion of about three to four dishes per person. The food comes out as it's ready and the waiter advised against trying to devise any particular strategy for ordering. We ordered a few items at a time as we pleased and just relished the food. Our server was knowledgeable about the food and offered terrific suggestions, which opened our eyes to things we probably wouldn't have otherwise considered. Also, when my husband ordered a DC Brau on tap, but they brought Peroni by mistake, the server corrected it before John even noticed.
And did I mention that they offered Prosecco on tap?! ON TAP!!!
Mmm… Prosecco… On tap… And how cute is the plant in a tin can?
The restaurant had a modern and casual feel that also didn't try too hard. It was dark and intimate, and my favorite part (well, other than the food) was being able to watch the chefs cook and plate the food. And the music selection of upbeat rock and alternative brought me back to my childhood.
Here's our meal in review… (A few of the photos are blurry… Sorry, I was hungry.)
Sugar Snap Peas with Tomato Pesto and Goat Cheese
First of all, goat cheese is one of our favorite things… So much so that we ordered this dish solely because we wanted to eat the goat cheese. The peas had a wonderful flavor of lemon and olive oil. It was almost buttery, but lighter. The tomato pesto was something special… and the peas were perfectly crispy but tender. This was a great start to the meal.
Spiced Red Beets with Pork Fried Almonds
The almonds were so good. They reminded me of the nuts I roasted last Christmas, but with a lot less sugar. The beets were sweet, but not overly so. I'm pretty sure I could make those almonds. Mmm… pork fat.
Blue Crab Salad with Cucumber and Cantaloupe
The blue crab salad was one of the specials of the night. And when they say crab salad, I'm pretty sure they actually mean CRAB. And a *wee* bit of salad. The cantaloupe added a perfect amount of sweetness, so that the salad didn't need a lot of mayo. Nor anything else really. The lump crab was perfectly moist, lightly sweet and full of flavor. It was so satisfying on it's own.
And afterwards they brought us new plates, so the rest of our food didn't get all "beet-y." :)
The bar at Graffiato. I'd love to sit here and just drink Prosecco and watch the chef's work. It's a great concept. And I want those light fixtures.
The countryman pizza at Graffiato is by far the most decadent pizza I've ever had. Black truffles, fontina cheese and a duck egg. The yolk was cracked with a spoon and spread over the pizza as they served it to us. Talk about food porn… The pizza crust was the perfect thickness and not charred. We could actually watch the guy tossing dough from where we sat. At about 6 slices per pizza, it's *almost* too much for small plates shared between two people, but the pizza here is definitely something special and not to be missed.
Roasted potato gnocchi with braised pork shank and burrata cheese was our "pasta" dish, and probably my favorite dish of the night. The gnocchi, apparently made from Chef Isabella's grandmother's recipe, was truly a delight. The gnocchi was soft, moist and not even remotely heavy nor rich. The braised pork was juicy and flavorful without overwhelming the tender gnocchi. It had a bit of a subtly sweet but savory tomato flavor that I want to imagine as the Italian version of barbecue. The totality of the dish was a flavor combination and texture that I don't know how to fully articulate, but it's definitely a food memory that I will not soon forget.
This hearty wood oven dish of three pork ribs and a coriander yogurt was our next to last dish. The meat fell off of the rib bones. The greek style yogurt, flavored with just the right amount of coriander was a lovely complement to the dry rub, oregano seasoned ribs.
For our final dish of the night we wavered between a classic Caesar salad and dessert… The dessert won out, but I'd love to try the salad someday. The "croutons" are made from natural and fresh cream cheese (think nothing like the Philadelphia cream cheese you buy in stores), which is rolled in polenta and deep fried. Umm… I think I need to make those…
Last but not least… dessert. We ordered the Panna Cotta. Coconut, pineapple, cashews, basil… The panna cotta had a subtle hint of coconut, though I really couldn't taste any cashew. The pineapple seemed to be cooked and cooled with a sort of simple syrup that topped the panna cotta. Small, perfectly diced squares of watermelon mixed with basil topped the dish. Basil and watermelon?! How did I not know about this amazingly fantastic combination? The dessert was the perfect end to a fairly rich and indulgent meal. Light, refreshing and not overly sweet, we were definitely pleased. And even more so when the waiter complimented our selection by saying how refreshing it was to have a table that didn't order the chocolate tart. As much as I love chocolate, I'd have to choose this any day…
Chef Mike Isabella… about five feet from our table.
After our meal, Chef Isabella was standing near our table and I couldn't resist thanking him for an amazing meal. He was gracious and polite and asked if we had a good time. We did indeed.
We ordered a total of seven dishes and left full and content, but not stuffed and in pain. Best of all, the prices were fairly reasonable given the level of service and the quality of food.
There are so many other things I'd love to try, like the ham plates, the lobster, and the polenta with spicy pork meatballs and a soft egg. But next time, I think I'll try the chef's tasting menu… Who's with me?
This light and airy meringue is a little bit of heaven and a perfect summer dessert. It's like eating a subtly tangy, creamy, melty marshmallow with a crispy outer shell. Piled high with freshly made whipped cream and your choice of fruits, it may seem a bit decadent but is probably far less sinful than a slice of chocolate cake. As my official taste-tester and good friend Kat said: "The gooey center was the best and I didn't feel so guilty scarfing it down because of the fruit."
On to the good bits…
Mini Pavlovas, recipe adapted from here (eat boutique) and here (smitten kitchen).
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside.
Pour the vinegar and extracts into a small cup and set aside.
Separate the eggs, setting aside the yolks for tomorrow's Hollandaise. :)
Note: According to the Science of Cooking, "egg whites at room temperature can be beaten to a foam more easily than cold egg whites." So if you prefer, you can allow the egg whites to come to room temperature before you begin.
In a large glass or stainless steele bowl, beat the egg whites and salt on low speed until egg whites form small bubbles, just before soft peaks begin to form. About 2 or 3 minutes.
Increase the speed to medium and gradually add in the sugar and cornstarch. Continue to beat for a few more minutes.
Slowly pour in the vinegar and extracts and increase speed to high. Continue to beat mixture until glossy and stiff peaks form. Approximately 4 minutes.
It should look kinda sorta like this:
But maybe with better lighting..
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Depending on how large you would like your mini pavlovas, spoon the mixture onto the parchment paper into 4 (or 6 or 8) evenly sized circles, leaving a shallow depression in the center. This will be helpful later when your piling on the whipped cream and berries.
Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. If you see the pavlovas are cracking or turning slightly brown, reduce the heat slightly.
Turn off the oven and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. Allow the pavlovas to remain in the oven for another hour to cool.
The pavlovas will be hard to the touch and may show signs of cracking as they cool. This is normal. It's okay…
You can store these for a few days or serve immediately… or as soon as you've made the whipped cream and washed the berries.
Whipped Cream
In a medium glass bowl, whip the cream until it begins to thicken. Slowly add the sugar and then the extracts. Continue to beat until the cream becomes thick and firm.
To assemble the pavlova, top with whipped cream and your choice of berries. Blackberries provide a nice tartness to complement the sweetness of the meringue. Strawberries, blueberries or raspberries are also good.
Enjoy! While it lasts…
About two or three years ago I read a Mark Bittman post in the New York Times about polenta for breakfast. The way he described it, like a buttery, creamy porridge improved only with a soft egg on top, it sounded like heaven… Drooling, I decided my dinner for that night would be inspired by that article.
Not knowing what the hell I was doing in the kitchen, I tried making the dish with cream of wheat, in the microwave no less, and I was stunningly disappointed by how disgusting it was. Since that time, I have been a little gunshy about actually trying to make polenta, so I've stuck with the tubes that you can find in most grocery stores, which will do…… But little did I know what I was actually missing.
Tonight I decided to conquer my fears and try again. This time with actual cornmeal. And other than one minor splash burn, it was unbelievably easy to make. No more polenta tubes for me!
This simple side was a nice complement to baked chicken with squash, zucchini and cherry tomatoes. Maybe next time I'll try it with an egg. And some bacon. Maybe some kale.
Polenta
Bring the chicken broth and water to a boil.
Gradually whisk in the cornmeal, making sure to get out as many lumps as possible.
Reduce heat to low, and stir frequently, but not constantly, for 15 to 20 minutes or until thick and smooth.
Stir in butter and salt. If you're waiting for other things to finish cooking, you can just chop the butter and place it on top of the polenta, then put the lid on the pan. It will melt on its own and you can stir it in just before dishing it up.
Serve warm.
Enjoy!
So-Called Instant Pudding 