Birthday Weekend and Volt Restaurant

This past weekend was one of the best I can recall in quite a while. It was the weekend of my 21st birthday and was filled with day after day of extraordinary eating. I mean, what better excuse to gorge on extraneous amounts of rather unhealthy yet delicious things than it being you birthday. Its just one of those times you have to live a little.

I had a great party at my house on Friday where friends and family came over for eating and celebrating. I cooked up a Southern feast (because I am crazy and actually like to cook my own birthday dinner) complete with chicken and andouille gumbo, cucumber and sour cream salad, southern pecan and apple salad, and an amazing citrus peach cobbler (recipe to come). 

Saturday, my actual birthday, was very special because my sister Nia came home from Boston for the weekend. We had awesome Mexican food at La Sandia Restaurant along with a pitcher of Sangria (my first legal drink!) and though my belly was full of shrimp enchiladas and grilled plantains all day, I still saved room for an evening snack of sourdough, Robusto cheese, and fig and walnut butter. But that’s not all! Nia and I also made strawberry buttermilk ice cream that evening from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams (my birthday present from her) that we devoured as our late-night movie snack.

But the best eating of the weekend took place on Sunday when my mom, dad, Nia, and I went to brunch at Volt Restaurant in Frederick MD, acclaimed restaurant of Top Chef’s runner up, Bryan Voltaggio. I’ve wanted to go for ages so I figured my 21st birthday would be an amazing opportunity to finally go. And although they offer great things for both lunch and dinner, I had to choose brunch, my favorite meal of the day where sweet meets savory for some of the most innovative and delicious food out there.

Volt is stunning inside and out. Inside the old brick building is a modern and sleek interior, both very classy and elegant yet with slightly masculine and rustic touches. Walls and linens are bright white while the ceilings are painted chocolate brown. Modern geometric light fixtures hang down, lighting the rainbow colored graphic prints on the walls, each portraying the various shops and restaurants in downtown Frederick. And servers, though dressed in white shirts, black pants, and ties, walk around in Converse sneakers. The atmosphere was very relaxed yet little did I know I was about to receive the most attentive and flawless service I could imagine.

Although our meal was a three-course prix fixe with six starters, seven entrees, and four desserts to choose from, we still received a plethora of food outside the main meals. We were first served fennel pollen dusted bread sticks to munch on as we perused the food menu and I sipped on my celebratory glass of champagne. Later, we got to pick from the breakfast breadbasket. This was a hard decision with about six breads to choose from. But, with the four of us plus a double dip into the basket between main course and dessert, we managed to try all of them but one. My first pick was the bacon and sage biscuit, a light a fluffy number speckled with huge pieces of apple wood smoked bacon. My second choice was sweeter, a citrus scone filled with lots of lemon zest and topped with a crunchy sugar crust. Both, smeared with local butter, were so delicious. And if that wasn’t enough, we also could not resist ordering the maple bacon doughnuts off the accompaniments part of the menu so we could each have a taste of this salty and sweet delight.

But finally, our menu items arrived with a brigade of four servers and they swooped the plates in front of each in our party at the exact same moment, landing between our always refreshed and replaced silverware. Our wonderful waiter then would go on to explain the details of each of our dishes before leaving us to indulge. For the first course, I chose the goat cheese ravioli made with black squid ink pasta and local Cherry Glen Farm goat cheese. Surrounding the perfectly al dente rounds were kernels of charred sweet corn and Miatake mushrooms and a balsamic brown butter sauce. Though rich and creamy, the dish was just enough, leaving my taste buds satisfied but my stomach still ready for the many more things to come. The other notable starter was Nia’s. She ordered Bryan Voltaggio’s signature “Spring Garden”, and array of beets, greens, carrots, other vegetables, dressing, and coffee grounds arranged to resemble a garden in the dirt.

I was also extremely satisfied with my main course. Most times, when I go to a fancy restaurant, I tend to order fish just because we don’t make it much at home so it is always to treat to get it. And, I trusted that in a restaurant like Volt, it would be a really fresh and good quality fish, cooked just right. I was right to assume this because it was one of the best pieces of fish I’ve ever eaten. I ordered the halibut, served alongside a farro and spring bean risotto, tomato fondue, and anise hyssop. The salty crust on top of that piece of fish was unbelievable and I held each bite in my mouth, savoring the juiciness and the terrific flavor. The accompaniments were delicious as well, mild enough to let the fish shine while still aiding in enhancing its flavor.

As we waited for the dessert, I was yet again presented with another unexpected part of the meal, a special birthday dessert, complete with candle. Funnily enough, it actually turned out to be my favorite dish of the entire meal. It was a mini vanilla bean and pistachio semifreddo, flavored with chocolate flecks and orange zest and set in an elegant spiraled mold. I guess since I’ve been experimenting with ice cream lately, I was even more excited by this, but nonetheless, its taste was almost indescribable and I will definitely be experimenting with these flavors in the future. The texture was different than ice cream, icier yet also denser and more custardy. It was light and not too rich so it served as a refreshing palate cleanser before second dessert.

Finally, among the four of us, we ordered three of the four desserts (no one got the cheese plate for dessert) so we all shared and got to try these amazing confections. We also got a cafetiere of Highlander Grogg coffee to accompany the desserts, a sweet butterscotch flavored coffee that was strong and absolutely delicious. For dessert, Nia ordered a rich goat cheesecake paired with black raspberry sorbet, almond crumbs, a citrus cookie, and rhubarb cookie. My parents got the peach tarte tatin, served with mascarpone ice cream, cinnamon pudding, crème fraiche, and few other droplets of sauces. They really enjoyed this as a refreshing a seasonal way to end the meal. But I could not resist the dessert called “textures of chocolate” which turned out to be a gastronomic piece of art and yet another inspiration for my lifelong goal of going to pastry school. Amongst a snaking strip of chocolate mousse were pools of chocolate caramel, cocoa nibs, chocolate ice cream, chocolate dust, and burnt chocolate crisps. It was so rich yet I ate every bite, not daring to leave any bit of this amazingness on the plate. Finally, as the last plates were cleared, we each received a gift bag to take home, filled with a fresh blueberry crumb muffin.

My 21st birthday brunch was a meal that I will remember for the rest of my life. It was spent with those that I love while eating wonderful food. I can’t think of anything better.

Vanilla Ice Cream

I’ve had this cooking problem for about two years now. It started about the time I really began building up my cookbook collection and delving in the vast ocean of food blogs that I now follow most diligently follow. The problem was, most of these books and blogs featured recipe after recipe for the most innovative and delicious looking ice creams. And let me tell you now, if presented with an array of fabulous desserts, I will always choose ice cream. I would see these recipes and immediately start reading through the ingredients, my heart racing with delight and excitement. I fervently continued, completely absorbed in the directions until I reached this line: “freeze mixture in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.” Wham! Nothing kills a food buzz quite like suddenly facing the maddening and sad truth that you do not have an ice cream maker.

I have considered buying one for a while. I came extremely close last summer but a little voice in the back of my head kept reminding me that I would soon be studying abroad, then it would be winter, and finally I would be living in a dorm room. What good would an ice cream maker do then? But this summer, I had to succumb. The store-bought stuff just wasn’t cutting it anymore, especially after having spent four months in London eating this at least once a week. I couldn’t take those foamy, airy, flavorless excuses for homemade ice cream anymore. Plus, with the prospects of moving into an apartment this fall, with my ever-handy KitchenAid in tow, what was to stop from finally buying that essential piece of equipment?

Well, nothing. So now I have it, the KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment and it might just be the greatest thing I have ever used and my new favorite tool in the kitchen. I got is as an early birthday present (it’s summer right now…why wait to make ice cream) and I have already fallen in love with it. It works amazingly, and now sits in my freezer awaiting a future batch. For my first experimentation with ice-cream making, however, I decided to go for something simple. As hard as it was to avoid bizarre flavors and fun mix-ins, I retrained myself and settled for good ole vanilla. But, I found that plain vanilla, when made at home with good ingredients, was not in the least bit plain.

The recipe used both real vanilla bean (so expensive but so worth the price) and vanilla extract, lots of heavy cream and egg yolks, and sat overnight in the refrigerator to let the flavors develop and mature. What resulted was a vanilla ice cream like I’ve never tasted before. It was so rich and, well, vanilla-y. The amount of vanilla provided this slightly alcoholic taste that was pleasing and sophisticated and, after churning and hardening in the freezer for a few hours, the final result had a smooth and creamy texture. It was also dense yet still light on the tongue and sent my eyes rolling into the back of my head in bliss with every spoonful. With a successful first try, I have a feeling that I’ll be developing a little bit of an obsession here this summer. Many more ice cream recipes to come.

Vanilla Ice Cream
The recipe is exactly as David Lebovitz wrote it on his website. I didn’t want to mess around on my first try and trusted his recipe to lead my in the right direction. I was right to assume he knows what he is doing since it turned out so great. I did have a little mishap at first. After heating the milk and sugar, I added the vanilla and vigorously tried to disperse it in the mixture. I think this was a mistake since the milk immediately curdled. I guess vanilla must have a lot of acid. So on the next try I simply scraped in the seeds and let them sit in a clump, not stirring them around until after they sat in mixture for an hour. I guess this let the milk temper with the acid so when I stirred it later, the milk did not separate.

Ingredients
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup sugar
pinch of salt
½ vanilla bean, split lengthways
2 cups cold heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

In a sauce pan, combine the milk, sugar, and salt and heat on low until steaming and the sugar is dissolved. Using a paring knife, scrape the vanilla seeds into the milk mixture and then toss in the empty pot. Give the mixture a brief stir them remove from heat and let sit for an hour.

In a separate bowl, mix together the egg yolks. Once the milk mixture has sat for an hour, return it to a low heat to warm it up some. Add a little bit of the warm milk to the egg yolks and mix to slowly bring up their temperature. Do this a few times. Then, slowly pour the eggs yolks into the milk mixture, whisking constantly.

Continue to cook this custard over a low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula so that is does not burn on the bottom. The mixture will slowly thicken and it is done when it is able to thickly coat the back of the spatula. Meanwhile, pour your cold heavy cream into a bowl and set this in a larger bowl filled with ice water to keep the cream very cold. Place a strainer over the bowl of cream. Once the custard has reached a thick consistency, pour the mixture through the strainer straight into the cream. Stir the custard with the cream until cool. Add the vanilla extract as well as the pieces of the vanilla pod left in the strainer and stir to combine. Place plastic wrap directly over the custard in the bowl and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, remove the vanilla bean from the mixture and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a container and let freeze for a few hours until hardened.

Harry Potter and an English Supper

I know that this is a food blog, and yes there is a recipe at the end of all of this, but I simply cannot neglect to mention the fact that just on Friday a legacy and phenomenon finally came to an end. Of course many of you know that I am talking about the release of the last Harry Potter movie which I saw at for the midnight showing. In terms of the Harry Potter craze, I was of the lucky group of people who were 10 years old when the books came out and 17 when they finished, so I literally grew up along with the main characters. This has made them special to me in a way that younger generations, who did not endure the 2 year long waits for the next books, will never understand. So now, with the release of the last movie, the end of it all is a bit sad.

The movie itself was enjoyable, but I cannot pretend it was my favorite. Unlike Hallows Part 1, full of suspense, tension, and darkness, Part 2 was filled with much more slapstick humor than I really thought necessary, turning moments where I wanted to be one the edge of my seat, biting my nails, into those where I don’t know if I should laugh or not. That along with Ralph Fiennes’ awkward performance, the slightly non-impressing special effects, and the fact I was in a theatre full of immature pre-teens in costume that whispered incessantly, the big bang I wanted to end with was a bit stunted. It was a good movie regardless and I highly applaud the hard work that went into it, but while the world seems to be ranking it as their favorite, I’m placing it about 3rd or 4thon my list.

On a more food related note, however, I was very pleased to see fellow food bloggers taking advantage of the Harry Potter excitement by recreating some of J.K Rowling’s better known HP food inventions. I saw some delicious recipes for pumpkin pasties, chocolate frogs (apparently you can buy frog shaped moulds somewhere), some adorable chocolate cauldrons that look like they took forever to make, and of course Butterbeer. I only saw this child-friendly version, but I’ve tried one with cream soda and butterscotch schnapps that definitely fulfills that warming-of-the-stomach factor.

Though I did not partake in this Harry Potter treats fiesta, I did, however, recently make a British-style Sunday supper complete with roast beef, gravy made from the drippings, roasted potatoes and carrots, and Yorkshire puddings. Don’t ask me what prompted this move…it was about 90 degrees outside and by the end of things my hair was a frizzled mess and my face greased from the excess number of steam blasts. But in hindsight, its deliciousness makes that issue unimportant.

However I warn you that a full Sunday supper, regardless of the time of year that you make it, is a time-consuming, arduous, sweat-inducing, and messy ordeal. It dirties nearly every dish in the house, as well as every countertop, and leaves no time for cleaning while cooking. Those British mothers really have quite a task for themselves every Sunday. My respect sincerely goes out to Mrs. Weasley…imagine doing this for a family of nine plus the many guests usually present at the Burrow. Though I guess a little magic probably eases the task.

This dinner’s preparation is almost a game of strategy and necessary of extraordinary time-management skills. The roast goes in the oven first, followed 30 minutes later by the vegetables. By the time the roast is cooked the veg should be halfway done, ensuring enough time to make the Yorkshire puddings while the potatoes finish. And while all of this is going on gravy bubbles away on the stove top, waiting to be messily strained through a sieve. Phew! But, I imagine when made in late fall and in the winter, the result would be welcome and comforting, and the experience, probably not much different from the beginning of term feast in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. And the thought of the leftovers the next day makes cleaning much more bearable.

Sunday Roast Supper
I have Jamie Oliver, king of British food, to thank for the recipes and his guidance as he led me to make a meal that I believe Mrs. Weasely would be proud of, Due the complexity, however, I’ll link you to the recipes for the roast, the gravy, and the Yorkshire pudding, and leave you to figure out the time management. I will however give you the roasted potato and carrot recipe, as it has become a new favorite way of preparing vegetables in our house and seasonally more appropriate. We’ve used the technique many times since and have found it a perfect way to prepare the summer’s delicious potatoes and other vegetables. Eat them on their own or as a side dish and the leftovers are great used in something like a frittata the next day.

Roasted Potatoes and Carrots
2 lb potatoes
6 carrots
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, plucked from the stalk
olive oil
salt and pepper

First, wash and peel your vegetables and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut any large potatoes in half and cut the carrot in half lengthways. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add the potatoes and carrots and let them rapidly boil for 8-10 minutes. Drain in a colander and let the vegetables steam dry for a minute.

Pluck out the carrots and set them aside. For the potatoes, however, shake them around in the colander until the sides are really scuffed up on every potato. The uneven edges will crisp up amazingly. Set these aside as well.

Put a large roasting pan on the stovetop over medium heat. Add about 3 or 4 lugs of olive oil into the pan and let it heat up. Add the sprigs of rosemary and mix them around for a second. (You can even add a few unpeeled garlic cloves at this point too if you want some garlic flavor). Finally, toss in the carrots and potatoes and stir them around so they are well coated in the oil. Add a little more oil if they look too dry. Add the salt and pepper, give everything a stir, and position the vegetables so that they are in an even layer in the roasting pan. This will allow then to roast and become crispy rather than steam. Place in the oven for one hour or until golden, giving the vegetables a turn or flip about every 20 minutes so all the edges crisp evenly.  

Waiting and Blueberry Lemon Crumb Bars

It’s your day off, and instead of doing productive things, you sit in a daze and think about what you are going to cook for dinner, bring to a picnic, eat for lunch, whatever. You begin to busy yourself by coming up with a dish. This part is fun, the time go by a little faster; nothing makes the clock hands fly like a little perusing on marthastewart.com or through your favorite food blogs. But then, when you finally decide on the perfect dish, all that’s left is waiting until you get to make it. The clock starts to go by much more slowly. Your fingers itch to rush to the refrigerator and start cooking right away but, oh wait, it’s only 10:00 in the morning... Whenever I find the perfect recipe I just can’t help but turn into a little Veruca Salt…”I want it NOW!”

This is what happened about two weeks ago. It was a lazy Friday, and my day was free with no task but to prepare a dessert to bring to a small picnic get-together that evening. The problem was I already knew what to bring. Days earlier, I stumbled upon a recipe for blueberry crumb bars on Smitten Kitchen and decided that I absolutely needed to make them. It’s blueberry season after all. It only made sense. So I picked up some humungous local blueberries from a nearby farm and the rest of the ingredients. Then it was time to wait.

The minutes meandered by and my mind only thought of those blueberries sitting on the counter just waiting to be made into luscious crumb bars. “Please…cook me now…please.” “Not yet,” I kept saying to myself as I did math in my head, trying to determine the earliest I could make them so that they could still be warm when I brought them to the picnic. I still had 5 hours to wait. Great.

So what do you do while you wait?

I instinctively turned to what I have deemed the cure-all for the ever-boring waiting game: Netflix instant play. Normally I turn to an episode of No Reservations but this time I checked the independent film section and by happenstance, picked a movie that I have since fallen in love with. Though I love to share recipes, I can’t refuse an opportunity to share some cinema recommendations as well, especially when it involves a film that made waiting for blueberry crumb bars a much simpler task. 

The movie was Mary and Max, a claymation/animation flick about a lonely little girl in Australia and a depressed and obese man in New York who form the most unlikely of friendships. I can’t necessarily guarantee you will all like it; it’s a bit out there. But it is bittersweet yet very touching, with both funny moments and sad, and a smashing recipe included for chocolate hotdogs. 

So, as it turned out, in my waiting to make something wonderful, I discovered something else that was just as sweet as those blueberries.

Blueberry Crumb Bars
makes 24 small bars
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

These are an ultimate summer dessert: easy to make while showcasing the wonderful flavors of fresh seasonal berries. I imagine they would be great with other fruits as well but the blueberries were divine and turned into the most wonderful, sticky jam-like filling after cooking. Though you mix the blueberries with lemon juice and sugar to make a sort of syrup, I do recommend resisting the temptation to pour all of the syrup into the bottom crust along with the blueberries. Instead, simply spoon the blueberries overtop, leaving the syrup behind so you don’t get a soggy crust like I did. They still tasted wonderful but weren’t as crisp and crumbly as I had hoped for.

So whatever you end up doing in the time before you get to make these bars, just know that they are certainly worth the wait.

Blueberry Filling
4 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup white sugar
4 tsp. cornstarch
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme

Crust and Crumb Topping
¾ cup white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
¼ tsp. salt
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
1 egg
¼ cup toasted slivered almonds

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 13 X 9 inch baking pan. In a mixing bowl combine the blueberries, ½ cup sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and thyme. Stir until will mixed and set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together the ¾ cup white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, flour, salt, and lemon zest until well combined. Add the butter and the egg and use a pastry cutter to blend the ingredients until well combined and you have still have pea-sized chunks of butter. Add the almonds and mix them in.

Place half of the crust mixture into the baking dish and press it firmly into the bottom. Spoon the blueberries overtop, careful not to add too much of the liquid. Crumble the rest of the crust mixture overtop the blueberries so that it is evenly distributed. Bake for 50 minutes until the crumb topping is golden brown.

Let cool for at least an hour before cutting so they set. Cut into 24 squares. They are best served just slightly above room temperature but store any leftovers in the refrigerator. They are still really good cold but a quick zap in the microwave will easily make them warm again.

Farmer's Market Forays

There is magic in a Saturday Morning. All over the world people wake up and for many, the first thing on their mind is the farmer’s market. No need to shower. It’s worth a grubby appearance for the first pick of the produce and fresh bread. No need to eat breakfast. Chances are more than one vendor has a selection of freshly ground coffee and morning goodies from sweet pastries to egg and cheese sandwiches. Just throw something on, grab one or two reusable market bags, make sure you’ve got some cash, and walk on over.

I’m sorry…did I say walk over. I must be confusing my current life with a previous one where I either lived in London or Harrisonburg and the markets were a mere hop, skip, and jump way. Unfortunately I meant drive over. Yes, we get into the inefficient, gas-guzzling car and drive to get our local produce and artisan goods. Are you picking up on the horrendous hypocrisy my life has come to. But the sad truth is, when I am home, the nearest market is a 30-minute car ride away and turns what should be a weekly sustainable venture into a rare, fuel-costly field trip.

Luckily, last weekend was one of those Saturday mornings where I got to revisit the feeling of being abuzz with farmer’s market exhilaration. We had other errands to attend to so while we were in the neighborhood, a trip to the market was a must. It was actually only my second time at this particular town’s Saturday market. The first visit was actually rather dismal – a few bleary-eyed vendors moping around a vacant parking lot – so things must have gone though some major revamping in the last year. In fact, the market, in a new location in town, was filled with all the right smells, sounds, and sights for a hoard of food-loving locavores. The smell of local eggs turning into breakfast burritos overtook the air while samples of homemade cheeses, chips and salsa, cupcakes, bread, and grass-fed beef led to temptation at every turn. It felt like Saturday morning should feel.

In our browsing, my mom and I played my favoring farmer’s market game: come up with some amazing lunch meal based on what’s fresh at the market. It could be something different every time. And with a little glimpse at some beautiful multicolored and plump cherry tomatoes, flashing their shiny tight skin at me, inspiration struck.

From there we snagged a premade pizza crust, made from local hand milled whole-wheat flour. Next stop was cheese from Everona Dairy. They make the most incredible sheep’s milk cheese in central Virginia and we picked their award winning Piedmont cheese, known for it rich, nutty flavour and great melting qualities. And lastly, a bag of freshly picked greens, though I’m not entirely sure what the various types were. I know there were several sprouts, cress, and leaf lettuces among other herbs but regardless, it was strong and snappy in flavour. We had basil, Parmsan, pine nuts, and ricotta at home…do you see what this is all coming to.

So for lunch, we made a simple pizza, but with such fresh and exquisite ingredients, it became something much more than just simple. We coated the bottom with homemade pesto (recipe below), topped it with the Everona Dairy cheese, dolloped on some ricotta cheese, and placed the cherry tomatoes on top, cut side up so that as it cooked, each tomato became a cup of sweet, hot juice that exploded in the mouth with every bite. Once cooked in a 400-degree oven for 20 minutes we transferred our pizza to a platter and scattered over a few handfuls of the greens, a generous drizzle of olive oil, and plenty of fresh Parmesan cheese. It was nothing terribly inventive, just the result of seasonality and what we could find, but great nonetheless. We enjoyed it slowly, sitting on the back patio and savoring each bite of the well-cared-for local ingredients. Just another perfect summer lunch.

Basil Pesto
There are about a thousand things that you can do with pesto, but not being a big pasta person, my favorite way to use it is on pizza or simply spread cold on grilled focaccia or ciabatta bread along with tomatoes and slices of mozzarella. I love pesto because you don’t necessarily need a recipe; most times you can sporadically throw the ingredients into a food processor and come out with something decent, but after making it so many times, I’ve finally come up with a recipe that reflects the way I like my pesto. It’s fairly heavy on the cheese, light on the garlic, and not too runny either. But feel free to experiment not only with the pesto recipe itself, but also with its uses. Although I made my pesto pizza one certain way, it would have been great with an array of other ingredients: sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, or anything laying around really. Have fun with your pesto!

Ingredients
Three large handfuls of fresh, rinsed basil leaves
1/3 cup of pine nuts, toasted
1 clove garlic
¾ cup grated Parmesan
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Toss the basil, cooled pine nuts, Parmesan, and garlic into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until everything is finely chopped. Then, with the motor running, slowly drizzle the olive oil into the top pouring spout. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add a squeeze of lemon juice, and pulse the mixture a few more times. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Pulse one more time and transfer to a bowl and use as you desire.