Food

Ari Post • July 26, 2011

Tis’ the season to be fat and happy. Let’s just face it.

There are endless news articles that come out this time of year warning the helpless public of the looming holiday season and its devious inclination to burden us all with blubbery baggage around our midsections. Then they will proceed to assure us that if we just follow some odd number of holiday eating tips, we can make it through to spring as bright and trim as a daisy.

Or we can be honest with ourselves and accept our fate.

I have always done what I can to keep fit, but despite my most diligent efforts, I never fail to pack on a few cold-weather pounds. That’s just how it goes. Squirrels do it and so do bears, and they seem fairly content on the whole. So I’m just not going to burden my conscience with a five-pound margin of error.

It’s frigid outside. There is less light. Our body’s natural reaction to these harsher elements is to cushion itself with a bit of insulation to keep warm. That’s surely one of the reasons we start craving heavier, thicker, more nourishing foods in the wintertime.

Foods like chicken potpie. There are few dishes that so instantly activate our receptors for things rich and savory, says Ris. A buttery, flakey crust enveloping a gluey union of chicken and softened vegetables in a milieu of thick gravy that binds all the parts together like an idea giving form to the words of a sentence.
Like many of the dishes Ris chooses to cook with me, potpie is a time-honored, traditional food that can be endlessly incarnated. It is one that takes kindly to experimentation and exploration. And as I have found with Ris, her concern isn’t always what she puts in these dishes, but how to handle the preparation and the ingredients in use to bring out as much natural flavor as possible. Whether you add kielbasa or andouille sausage, parsnips or carrots, peas or broccoli is not vital to the essence of the dish. Each substitute will add a different dimension.

What matters is that you put in the herbs first thing to season the melted butter, and make sure the vegetables are all nicely aromatic before mixing in the stock, releasing the flavors of each ingredient which fuse together as they simmer. Pre-roasting the pearl onions and mushrooms will ensure that much more flavor. Deglaze them with sherry for even more.

Ris prefers grainy roux for use in potpies. The proportions are roughly equal parts butter to flour, but adjust to preference, she suggests. Slowly whisking the flour into the melted butter keeps it from forming clumps. And cook it well, says Ris, “to avoid that raw flour taste and bring out the nuttier side of the four.”

Another point she stresses is to never add salt and pepper to the dish until after you have combined all the ingredients into the pot (added the stock and the roux and the potatoes to your vegetables) and your filling has had time to reduce. The reduction process intensifies the salt of the stock, and you run the risk of over-seasoning if you’re not patient. Also keep in mind that diced potatoes only take about five minutes to cook, so once you add them you should be nearly finished.

When the filling is looking like it’s ready, I watch Ris pick up a spoon and dab the underside against the filling in the pot. She is “napping” the back of the spoon, she explains to me as she reveals the gooey film that has adhered itself to the spoon’s belly. This tests the consistency of the filling and lets you know if it’s ready. Upon running a finger across the sticky spoon, if the gap you created in the gravy does not fill itself back in, your filling is at the right consistency. You are now ready to ladle it into its bed of pie crust and stick it in the oven.

Again, like many of the dishes Ris and I have cooked together, chicken potpie is a great vehicle for leftovers. “Just like borscht is a kind of Eastern European method for dealing with leftovers,” she says, “potpie is a very British way to use them.”

Use turkey, sweet potatoes, salmon, asparagus or anything in between, says Ris. A Shepard’s Pie, potpie’s Irish relative, is traditionally made with lamb or beef with a mashed potato topping in place of the pie crust.
But a true potpie demands a pie crust, and it’s important that it be done the right way. “You should always cook the crust with the potpie filling,” Ris tells me. “The crust should never be cooked separately. It must bubble together with the filling.”

Ris recommends 100% pure butter puff pastry, which you can buy frozen from the grocery store if baking isn’t your strong suit.

Don’t let cold weather get the better of you. Put on the burner, heat up the oven and bring some warmth into the winter months ahead. A few extra winter pounds have never been more worth it.

RIS’ Chicken Pot Pie

“In my humble opinion, there should always be plenty of light, flaky crust in a chicken potpie. At my house we would fight over my mother’s flaky pastry lining the bottom of the pyrex baking dish.?Make plenty of your favorite pie dough or buy 100% butter puff pastry, rolled to 1/6” and cut to cover and/or encase individual ramekins or larger casseroles.”
—Ris

For the roux
4 ounces butter?1 cup flour

For the filling
makes 3-4 quarts, 6-8 servings

8 oz mushrooms, quartered if large and roasted until golden, seasoned with S&P, fresh thyme and olive oil.
1 cup pearl onions, peeled and roasted until golden seasoned with salt, pepper, fresh thyme and olive oil.
2 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, diced, about 2 cups
2 large stalks celery, large dice, about 1 cup
2 carrots, large dice, about 1 cup
2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
2 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
2 qts chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 large potato, large dice, about 1 cup
1-2 cups or to taste root vegetables that are available: parsnip, celery root, sweet potato, or all of the above, large dice
1 cup frozen English peas
2 cups roasted chicken meat, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper?
Sherry vinegar

Roll out your pastry to suit your needs and keep covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Make the roux: Melt the butter in a heavy based saucepan. Whisk in the flour stir constantly, spreading the paste over the bottom of the pan to lightly color and cook the flour, for about 5 minutes. Set aside in a warm place until ready to use.

Roast the mushrooms and pearl onions. Set aside when done until ready to use.

In a heavy based 2-gallon soup pot or Dutch oven, melt the 2 Tablespoons of butter and add the diced onions, celery and carrots. Sprinkle with the chopped thyme and sage and cook until the onions are barely soft, stirring occasionally, just enough to release the aromatics from the vegetables, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Let simmer for another 5 minutes to meld the flavors and season the stock.

Add the potatoes and any additional root vegetables. Season lightly with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Bring just to a boil and add the peas, roasted mushrooms, roasted pearl onions and chicken meat. Bring back just to a boil again, keeping in mind that you have about 5 minutes to finish from this point before the potatoes are overcooked.

Thicken with the roux, whisking in a bit at a time and dissolving each bit, not to leave lumps. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt, pepper and a dash of sherry vinegar for brightness. Remove from the heat.
Prepare your pastry to accommodate your vessel. Fill with the potpie filling and cover with more pastry. Filling can be hot if put in the oven immediately or chilled and can be kept in the refrigerated until ready to use.
Cooking time will be in a 350 degree oven, but will depend on size of pie and whether or not filling was hot or cold. Individual portions take 20 minutes or so. Larger casseroles may take up to 1 hour.

Ari Post •

When Chef Daniel Bruce created the Boston Wine Festival over twenty years ago, it was hardly driven by divine inspiration. “The initial reason for the wine festival is that it was a slow year,” he says with a chuckle. Since then, however, Bruce’s wine festivals have been steadily growing, spreading like gospel throughout the country.

This will be the second year that Bruce brings his wine festival to the District, hosted again by The Fairfax Hotel at Embassy Row. Calling the event a festival is a loose way to say it; the Capital Wine Festival is a series of wine dinners, in which each meal is constructed around a specific region or style of wine. Bruce brings in the winemakers and proprietors of each participating winery to discuss the wines and terroir of their particular regions, affording guests a uniquely intimate experience with their wine and food, and putting a distinct twist on the farm-to-table experience.

In order to be true to the wine he selects, Bruce goes about planning the dinners in a way that most chefs would never consider. He does not choose the wine to complement the food, but tailors the cuisine around the flavors of the individual wines. “There’s nothing worse than the wine coming off bad because the food wasn’t prepared right to go with it,” he says.

“Working with the wine makers has changed the nature of how I work,” he says, revealing a sincere and personal devotion to Cuisine, which he defines as a seamless blend of wine and food. “In a lot of ways, the winemakers are like chefs, bringing out the best flavors the grapes and the land have to offer.”

Bruce’s personal history with wine began around 30 years ago, while he was working abroad in Tuscany and France. “Wine there is part of the table,” he says. “Wine is just such a part of their culture. Just as regular as a food source.”

Growing up in the United States, where wine is not part of the culture, Bruce found the commonality of table wine in Europe to be a revelatory experience. The wine, almost always local, greased the evening conversation, drew out the night, and helped form bonds among friends and family.

Table wine also affected the flavor of the local food offerings. While it may not always have been perfectly constructed or balanced (though being Tuscan, it was probably damn close), the flavors of the land were so richly engrained within the wine that they complemented the surrounding cuisine like nothing Bruce had ever tasted.

When he returned to the States, Bruce went to more formal tastings, which opened his eyes to the potential and diversity of wine to complement different cuisines. He began pairing food and wine at dinner tastings for winemakers in the basement of Manhattan’s Club 21, working with the sommelier to choose the wines. Only after meeting and befriending the winemakers did he begin constructing his plans to showcase distinct regional wine varieties with tailor-made foods.

23 years ago, Bruce founded the Boston Wine Festival. He now has four around the country, including the French Quarter Festival in New Orleans, the Capital Wine Festival, and the Berkeley Wine Festival, which he kicked off in 2010.

Tasting the wine is Bruce’s first priority in putting together a dinner. It may sound like a well-dressed excuse to knock back some good vino, but it’s really no joke. He samples 3,000 wines a year, taking careful notes on each bottle. “My wine notes tend to be chef-driven,” he says. “Not wine driven. I might write down, ‘Belon oysters,’ next to a Chardonnay, or something that invokes food ingredients.”

He then chooses the winemakers based on a theme or a group that shows a spectrum of styles. The process falls somewhere in the infinitely coextending parameters of art and science. “I try to strike a balance,” he says simply, deceiving the complexity of this job. “It’s a matter of recalling the structure of the wine. I’ll find something that uses contrasting, parallel or compatible flavors. I use the flavor of the wine as a departing point for the food.”

Wines with higher acidity are easy to pair, he admits. That’s why Pinot Noir and Barolo are so often recommended at restaurants. When the wine is less acidic, he says, you have to be a little more careful with what you cook or you might overwhelm the plate. “Having tasted the wine, I know how far I’ll go with the intensity and flavors of the dish.”

He particularly likes cooking for Pinot Noir because, as he explains, it is a wine that is true to the terroir that it comes from, “Which, as a chef, gives me more options.”

“I do a dish created only for that wine,” Bruce says of his cooking philosophy. “There are subtle differences to all the wines. So why shouldn’t I honor that tradition by creating individual dishes?”

Bruce uses the wines he selects in the cooking process as well, from using syrups made from the varietal, to a marinade or glaze or herb reduction for meat and vegetables. Again, he only cooks with the wines he decides to feature, further displaying the versatility and flavors of each selection.

Bringing together winemakers and wine enthusiasts, the Capital Wine Festival celebrates great wine from around the globe. Prior to each dinner, guests will enjoy a reception or seminar before being seated for an evening of food and wine pairings. “When people get to meet the person behind the wine, it’s a great thing for them. They can go back and tell their friends, and they have a story. There is always a story behind a bottle of wine, and now they can be a part of it.”

Once a week, beginning on January 20, the Capital Wine Festival will host eight intimate wine dinners at the Fairfax Hotel at Embassy Row. For ticket purchases please visit CapitalWineFestival.com, or call 202-736-1453. Each dinner is limited to 60 guests. [gallery ids="99589,104944" nav="thumbs"]

Corrie Dyke •

Restaurants around town are offering up a plateful of events. From culinary classes to food festivals, the local dining scene is freshening up for spring.

Westend Bistro by Eric Ripert has introduced new menu items, which it debuted at a hugely successful tasting night last February 17. The new mouthwatering plates include a chicken-fried pork belly appetizer, black walnut and cauliflower soup and a succulent triggerfish.

Citronelle will host a five week wine series, starting with Wine Profiling, Saturday February 26 from 1 – 3 pm. The restaurant, located at 3000 M Street NW, will continue the series March 18, April 30, May 12, and conclude on June 18. Classes are $100 individually, with deals varying on how many classes you sign up for. Reserve a space by calling 202 625 2150.

The Herman J. Wiemer Winemaker Dinner at Chef Geoff’s Downtown will take place Tuesday March 22 at 7 pm. Fred Merwath, winemaker and owner of Herman J. Wiemer Vineyard, will be the featured speaker at the dinner. The menu features five courses each paired with a featured wine. Chef Geoff’s Downtown is on 13th Street between E & F NW. Tickets are $69 and can be purchased at ChefGeoff.com

Oyamel Cocina Mexicana will celebrate the fourth annual Tequila & Mezcal Festival March 14 through 27. Oyamel, 401 7th Street NW, will be offering premium tequila and mescal, served in flights, and specialty cocktails. Stop by Oyamel from 4 – 6 pm March 15 – 24 to enjoy complimentary samples of tequila and mescal. A celebratory menu will also be available during the festival, incorporating the spirits.

John Engle will return to Brasserie Beck and take on the position of Chef de Cuisine. Engle, most recently at Mussel Bar in Bethesda, will be serving up the brasserie’s signature mussels, along with other Belgian favorites. 1101 K Street NW.

Open Kitchen’s next spread of cooking classes will be going on February 27 – March 1. The hands-on classes cover everything from cupcakes to the cuisine of Venice. The classes run for three hours and range from $79 to $89 per class. Details on the classes can be found at OpenKitchen-DCMetro.com

The Source by Wolfgang Puck launched its new Presidential Menu Tasting on Presidents Day, which featured all of the dishes enjoyed by President Obama and the First Lady during their January dinner at the restaurant. The special menu will continue during regular business hours in the main dinning room of The Source, 575 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.

HomeMade Pizza is now open at 1826 Wisconsin Ave. NW. The take-and-bake pizza shop makes everything with fresh, all natural ingredients. Stop by the new store February 23 and 24 for the launch party and take part in fresh produce giveaways and free pizza.

Even more pizza is hitting the area when Pizzeria da Marco opens its doors at 8008 Woodmont Ave. in Bethesda on March 28. The pizzeria will feature authentic Neapolitan pizza cooked in a handcrafted wood-burning oven.

Fourteen Alexandria restaurants participated in the Cherry Challenge earlier this month. Restaurant chefs competed with cherry-inspired dishes, drinks, and desserts. This year’s winners were no strangers to the competition. For the third year in a row Temp Restaurant placed in the finals, taking the win in the starters category with their Insalata di Ceresa e Mela di Fuji. Murphy’s Irish Pub and Restaurant won the entrée with their three-time winning Duck a la Cherry. Sweet Cherry Rye from Food Matters took the prize in drink, and an ice cream from Dishes of India won dessert. Each person who ordered the dish or menu item was given a ballot to judge the item on taste, presentation, and creativity.

The half beef, half pork smoked sausage has long been considered the District’s signature dish. Domaso will be hosting its first annual Top Dog Half Smoke Challenge, Sunday May 1 at 3pm. Ten area chefs will be presenting their interpretation of the local favorite. Admission is $20 per person and includes samples of all ten half-smokes, a signature Skyy Vodka cocktail, tax and gratuity. Domaso will be donating 100 percent of the proceeds to Brainfood, a non-profit youth development organization based in DC that helps build life skills and promotes healthy living. The restaurant is located at Hotel Palomar, in Arlington, VA.

Support the rebuilding of the Fauquier Livestock at the Cattlemen’s Hoedown, February 26 at Barrel Oak Winery. The benefit runs from 6-9pm in Delaplane VA. The night will feature a live and silent auction, wine and appetizers. Tickets are $25, reservations can be made at 540-364-1572.

Jordan Wright •

The past two months have brought a variety of assignments and pleasures: interviews with Bravo’s Top Chef finalist Kelly Liken; BLT Steak’s Laurent Tourondel; Eric Ripert, star of the PBS series “Avec Eric”; a meeting at the Sofitel with patriarch Giorgio Gucci, third generation of the Gucci empire, in town to testify to Congress about the pervasiveness of black market goods and to offer ideas for new ways of enforcing existing laws. Of course, we all want the latest accessory. But he warns to stay away from the sidewalk vendor handbag and wristwatch knockoffs. He tells me plans are to arrest the buyers as well!

Giorgio Gucci Launches 50 Year Old Connoisseur Cognac

Gucci is launching an ultra premium brand connoisseur cognac, “Giorgio G”, this week at the Pierre Hotel in New York City where his 30-, 50- and over 50-year old cognacs will sell at auction with the remaining 4,000 bottles offered to collectors. The indelibly charming Signori Gucci completed our interview with a kiss on the hand. Viva Italia!

5,000 Bottles of Wine on the Wall (Countdown to Zero)

A stay at the Vail Cascade Resort and Spa in Colorado earlier in the month brought us to pinnacles of dining higher than Vail Mountain itself. The food scene there is as breathtaking as Vail Mountain. We dined at the resort’s Atwater Restaurant, where dinner is often served entirely by candlelight overlooking the sparkling
Gore Creek. Larkspur has a wine list so extensive it was in “mouseprint” so as to allow guests to lift the weighty leather tome in order to select one of 5,000 bottles from over 500 labels.
Restaurant Kelly Liken, she of recent Top Chef fame, created an elk carpaccio stole my heart and thoughtfully celebrated my birthday with a personalized menu.

Paradise Among the Turkeys and Elf Watermelons

One of my favorite local chefs, Robert Townsend, prepared a spirit-soothing luncheon and turkey tasting at Ayrshire Farm (You can order your organic and humanely raised heritage turkey from their Home Farm store in Middleburg) and introduced me to a new vegetable from his garden. Have you ever seen a Mexican sour gherkin? So cute! It looks like an elf’s watermelon. In its natural state, it is crunchy, tart and lemony, like a kosher pickle. Conveniently, you can grow it in a pot with a trellis. How perfect!

The gorgeous early fall afternoon was shared with two-time James Beard award-winner Joan Nathan, whose latest book, “Quiches, Kugels and Cous Cous” is set to be released next month. Joining him was entrepreneur extraordinaire Mitch Berliner, whose company, MeatCrafters, makes freshly cooked, cured and smoked meats that sell at the Bethesda Central Farm Market. Mitch was a co-founder back in the day, before the term “locavore” came on the scene—if you go back that far.

Go-Go Techno for Bittman

Meanwhile, Mark Bittman, in his latest foray into the techno-world of home cooks, has launched an app for iPhones based on his book “How to Cook Everything Essentials”, which is the “Joy of Cooking” for young moderns.

Tourists Wowed by Cheesecake “Ice Cream” Cones

A private behind-the-scenes tour of The Source’s catering kitchens, led by Executive Chef David Spychalski, proved to be delicious. After shooting the beautiful food in the Newseum’s cafeteria, I sat down to enjoy it, dining on tempura soft-shell crab, sushi, and all manner of scrumptious desserts. Heads up: if you’re invited to an event at the Newseum, expect scrumptious food. Spychalski, who has been perfecting some creative new offerings, then served up samples to the surprised tourists who had been eagerly watching the whole tasting. Grateful, bug-eyed and thrilled were their reactions to cheesecake ice cream cones, chocolate truffle lollipops and massive trays of glistening sushi. The kids, thinking they were part of a TV show, became instant autograph hounds.

Local “Top Chef” News

A premiere viewing party for “Top Chef Desserts” was held at Hook for pastry chef and “Top Chef” contestant Heather Chittum. Although she was nowhere to be seen, (Bravo contractual restrictions
were in full force) her spirit was very much alive with a table the length of the restaurant chockfull of her signature desserts. Her crave-inducing Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart and Whoopie Pies were paired with champagne cocktails while guests watched Chittum on the big screen. Virtual Heather, but real desserts!

The town is abuzz with the news that “Top Chef” alumnus Mike Isabella will open his new restaurant, Graffiato, at 707 6th Street with investor Bryan Voltaggio next February. Isabella was the former head chef at José Andrés’ Zaytinya, still one of our favorite spots.

Eat, Chat, Drink – Ayurvedic Style

My search for an Ayurvedic Indian restaurant brought me last month to the Van Ness area, where I dined at Indian Ocean, the only one of its kind in our area. The Ayurvedic style of cooking reflects the ancient Hindu art of medicine and prolonging life, and owner Raj Kapoor is an avid messenger of the philosophy.

Everything we sampled, including the traditional dishes like Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Roghan and tandoori oven baked dishes, were so much fresher and lighter. The secret: they don’t use butter, ghee or heavy cream. Also noteworthy is that nothing is canned and no flour or sugar is ever used; only yogurt cream and olive oil.

With a menu that favors Goan and Northern Indian cuisine there is much to like, and the UDC and Harvard Law students fill up the place at lunchtime. Their exclusive use of halal meats brings in the local embassy crowd who often use Indian Ocean to cater their receptions.

Mango, mint, tamarind and date chutneys are made in-house, and are more delicate and less sugary than most versions we know. Standouts were Palak Gosht, Samosa Chat, Onion Kulcha, Kabuli Naan, bread stuffed with raisins, cashews and almonds. The Goan influences fill the menu with seafood dishes using lobster, trout, salmon and prawns, and there is a wealth of vegan dishes. They are open seven days a week with a champagne brunch on Sundays.

Red Fruit Festival is a Red Hot Hit

The first annual Mid-Atlantic Red Fruit Festival, held in the Pavilion Room at the Ronald Reagan Building, was a red-hot hit! In a contest sponsored by the Washington Post, winning home cooks from our area were paired with top local chefs who recreated, and in some cases amped up their recipes. My favorites were food blogger April Fulton’s Tomato Tarte dessert. Fulton, whose blog is TheFoodScribe.com, was paired with Chef Xavier Deshayes. She told me Dessaye added hazelnuts to her tart crust and a sugared mint leaf. Bravo to him! It was highly addictive. Another winner in my book was Jessica Sidman whose blog, TheFrozenFix.com, reports on her ice cream and sorbet experiments. Sidman was paired with local chef Michael Lund, formerly of Zynodoa in Staunton, VA, who consults with restaurants and teaches Farm-to-Table classes at Stratford University. Lund served her Green Tomato Marbled Goat Cheese Ice Cream in mini black pepper tuiles topped with crushed corn nuts.

Fashion for Autism – Features Breakout New York Designer

Throngs of Georgetown’s adorable fashionistas ganged up for the cause at City Tavern Club. The venerable old watering hole was rocking with disco lights, a performance by Julliard concert pianist Edvinas Minkstimas, and a full-blown red carpet fashion show with designs for men and women by Colombian-born Edwing D’Angelo. The silent auction featured a pair of glittering eight-inch heels by Fever Footwear. Well, I suppose you could just wear them to bed! Miss DC 2010 Stephanie Williams was on hand to help us eat the chocolate and vanilla cupcakes from Serendipity3. When, oh when, will they serve the first Frrrozen Hot Chocolate confection in DC? [gallery ids="99210,103454,103475,103471,103459,103467,103464" nav="thumbs"]

Shelle Tran •

Magnificent monuments, a cupcake craze and powerhouse politics are not the only things that make the nation’s capitol unique. The annual Cherry Blossom Festival welcomes the spring season with the blooming of beautiful flowers and three weeks full of events. This year, the Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off on Thursday, March 24 with a fundraiser at the Washington Monument. This event, known as “Stand with Japan”, is organized to express our condolences and support for Japan in the wake of their recent tragedies. All donations go to the National Cherry Blossom Festival Red Cross Online Donation site and will benefit the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Fund.

Along with fundraisers, festivals and parades, local restaurants are also joining in on the festivities. Restaurants all over town are offering a special Cherry Blossom Festival menu. The menus include desserts, entrees, and cocktails, all inspired with a cherry twist! From duck confit with sour cherry compote and braised artichokes to a chocolate covered cherry martini, the menus will be sure to satisfy. Below is a list of participating restaurants and their offerings.

Againn
– Eton Mess with Brandied Cherries
– JP Caceres’ Cherrio Cocktail (vodka, cherry herring liquer, lemon juice, rose water, egg whites)
1099 New York Ave NW. 202 639-9830

Art and Soul at the Liason Capitol Hill, an Affinia Hotel
– Steamed Southern style pork buns with sour cherry hoisin dipping sauce
– Grilled tuna with coriander spiced rice, marinated bok choy, maitake mushrooms and ginger chile glaze and Yuzu ginger trifle with sour cherries and candied kumquats
– Cherry Pick Cocktail (Vodka, sake, cherry reduction)
415 New Jersey Ave NW. 202 393-7777

Bangkok Joe’s
– Peking Duck Bao with cherry-hoisin sauce
– 7-spiced roasted shrimp with caramelized tomatoes and cherry ponzu butter sauce
– Warm cherry upside down cake
– Frozen cherry bellini (champagne, bing cherry, cream sherry, lime juice)
3000 K Street NW. 202 333-4422

Café Dupont at The Dupont Hotel
– Goose Liver Torchon with cherry orange compote
– Chargrilled NY Strip Steak with a cherry reduction
– Vanilla Bean Pana Cotta with a cherry crumble
1500 New Hampshire Ave NW. 202 939-9596

Carmine’s
– Sicilian Triple Cherry Cassata
– Frozen Cherries Jubilee (Cruzan Rum, Luzardo Maraschino Liquer, port, lemon juice, brandied cherries)
425 7th Street NW. 202 737-7770

Cuba Libre
– Barbacoa de Pato con Cerezas
– Cherry Tini (Pyrat XO Rum, Combier, lemon grass- infused guarapo, bitters, bing cherries)
– Coconut Cherry Frozen (Three Olives, cherry vodka, lemon grass- infused guarapo, coconut puree, maraschino cherry juice)
801 9th Street NW. 202 408-1600

Current Sushi
-Cherry Blossom Martini (cherry vodka, sake, black cherries)
1215 Connecticut Ave. 202 955-525

Dino
– Tart Cherry Gin Cocktail (Plymouth Gin, Leopold’s Tart Michigan Cherry Liquer, Orchard’s Cherry Liquer, Leopold’s Cranberry Liquer, lemon juice, simple syrup, club soda)
3435 Connecticut Ave. 202 686-2966

Farmers and Fishers
– F&F’s Cherry Slump
3000 K Street NW. 202 298-0003

Georgia Brown’s
– Peanut Butter and Jelly Foie gras with dried cherry jelly
– Chicory Rubbed pork tenderloin with cherry and balsamic demi-glace
– Dark Cherry glazed roasted free range chicken
– Mexican chocolate and cherry cobbler with cinnamon sticky bun ice cream
– Cherry Mojitos (cane sugar, ginger, cilantro, a cinnamon swizzle stick)
950 15th Street. 202 393-4499

Hudson Restaurant
– Free Range Lamb with chervil johnnycakes and bing cherry gastrique
2030 M Street. 202 872-8700

J.Paul’s
– Baked Brie with cherry marmalade
– Cherry and Pecan Crusted Lamb rack
– Cherry Almond Strudel
– Sam Adams Cherry Wheat Beer
3218 M Street NW. 202 333-3450

Kaz Sushi Bistro
– Cherry Blossom Special Chitashi
1915 I Street. 202 530-5500

Kellari Taverna
1700 K Street. 202 535-5274
– Cherry Blossom Salad with jumbo shrimp and cherry balsamic
– Pan roasted fagri with a bing cherry demi glace
– Greek yogurt with sour cherry preserves
– Kellari Cherry cocktail

Morton’s The Steakhouse
– Cherry Blossom Cocktail (three olives cherry vodka, lindemans cherry limbic, and prosecco)
1050 Connecticut Ave NW. 202 955-5997

Neyla
– Duck Manti with dried Cherries
– Baby arugula with arak soaked cherries
– Pan roasted grouper with kiln dried cherries
– Dark chocolate cherry crème brulee
– Chocolate covered cherry martini (Valhrona chocolate, vanilla vodka, and dark cherries)
3206 N Street. 202 333-6353

Old Glory
– Sam Adams Cherry Wheat Beer Battered Onion Rings with Sweet and sour dried cherry cherry pepper dip
– Old Glory Red Stag Bourbon Buffalo Wings
– Cherry Cola BBQ Glazed Salmon with cheddar cheese grits, backyard cucumber slaw, and grilled beefsteak tomato galette
– Black Forest Cheesecake with cherry brandy chocolate sauce
– Red Stag Mint Julep( red Stag Cherry Bourbon, vanilla bean, mint, simple syrup, cherry brandy, soda, red stag- soaked maraschino cherry)
3139 M Street NW. 202 337-3406

Plume at the Jefferson Hotel
– Duck Confit with sour cherry compote and braised artichokes
1200 16th Street. 202 448-2300

Ten Penh
– Togarashi Seared Tuna Tataki with seaweed salad and ponzu sauce
– Duck confit and wild cherry gyoza with daikon and toasted pinenut salad
– Pan seared black grouper with a scallion crabmeat rice noodle crepe and black bean sauce
– Dried cherry and rhubarb crisp with honey, vanilla, and sesame ice cream
1001 Pennsylvania Ave. 202 393-4500

Zola
Cherry Cured Valentine Miller Ham Rillettes with cherry gelee and brioche
Anise glazed sea scallops with country ham, ramps, and cherry suds,
Roast quail with cherry aigre-doux, goat cheese polenta and seedling salad
Cherry braised beef short ribs with sunchoke puree, pea tendrils and foie gras emulsion
Cherries with bruleed vanilla sponge cake and tonka bean cream
800 F Street. 202 654-0999
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Georgetowner •

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Have you ever dreamed of a world filled with cupcakes? Were there cupcakes everywhere you looked, with smiling servants at the ready? Was the heavenly aroma of sugar hanging sweet in the air? Best of all were you able to taste each tantalizing treat and experience the joy of tingling taste buds as you took bite into each sweet?

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp The National Capital Area Cake Show made this dream a reality for hundreds of cupcake enthusiasts on Saturday as they hosted the first ever, Cupcake Cocktail Hour. Hosted at the Northern Virginia Community College, 54 cupcake bakers brought sample sizes of cocktail inspired cupcakes. By the end of the night, it was estimated that there were 154 different types of cupcakes for sampling with over 700 guests attending the event.

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspThis was the 3rd annual National Capital Area Cake Show, with over 8,000 people in attendance throughout the two day show, March 26-27. The show ran from 9-3 each day offering classes, cake tours and even a television-style live challenge. The Cupcake Challenge grew out of an idea of combining a tasting competition with a fun theme.

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp“Cupcakes have kind of exploded in DC. While cake decorating appears intimidating to some, no one is afraid of a cute cupcake!” said Melissa Westervelt, who spearheaded the idea of a Cupcake Challenge. “There are people out there making really great stuff in their home kitchens and in new bakeshops. I wanted to elevate that, to draw the ‘cupcake people’ into this great community atmosphere.”

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Amateurs as well as professional bakers were invited to participate in the challenge, allowing those new to the business a chance to get their name out while well-established bakeries were able to share their reputation with a wider audience. 11 professional and 43 amateur bakers took the challenge to create original cocktail cupcakes.

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp “People are passionate about cupcakes. I know competitors with no culinary background who worked for weeks to perfect their recipe and they can be very proud of the results! I even heard about a few baking days, tasting parties, and Facebook friendships that formed as people developed the perfect cocktail cupcake,” Westervelt said. “Area professionals need a place to shine too. If I want a cupcake right now, I am walking into one of their shops. They were totally open to creating new flavors, engaging with the other bakers and creating some amazing display pieces for the Cupcake Challenge.”

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp The challenge was advertised with the National Capital Area Cake show, but ticket sales soared after a promotion with LivingSocial, which offered five free tickets for cupcakes along with the price of admission. The campaign was responsible for the sale of 550 tickets to the Cupcake Challenge alone and close to 1,585 general admission tickets to the show. Proceeds from the event benefitted Icing Smiles, a non-profit organization that provides custom celebration cakes and other treats to families impacted by critical illness of a child

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp“Baking is more than mixing up flour, sugar, and butter. It’s the muse, the creative process, the joy of the celebration that the sweet is created for. When I stumbled into the world of cake shows and competitions, all of that was amplified,” said Westervelt. “There is this network of artists where the competitive spirit is real, but the goal is camaraderie, sharing knowledge, and demanding something tastier and more gorgeous than you have ever made before.”

Georgetowner •

For many people nationwide, a homemade pie is as symbolic of the American Dream as baseball and a house with a white picket fence. For Alli, Erin and Cat Blakely, three sisters from Northern Virginia, pie is also a personal dream that they plan on bringing to Georgetown by the end of this summer with the opening of their pie shop, O’B Sweet.

The sisters, who grew up in Great Falls, spent a lot of time in Georgetown throughout their childhood, attending church at St. John’s on O Street. “We’re just local girls, and that’s why we wanted to stay in Georgetown with our shop,” said Erin.

They started their baking careers early in life when their mother taught them how to can fruit and make pies, “to keep us all busy,” said Erin. After following separate careers in different fields, the Blakelys finally decided to fulfill their dream of operating a family business.

“We’re sisters. There’s three of us. We’re all two years apart,” said Erin. “We’re best friends and baking pies was something that brought us all together having fun even on the holidays after our lives kind of took us in different directions.”

Even the name the sisters chose reflects their family roots. “We’re Scott-Irish, so the ‘O’ kind of brings in that part of us,” said Erin. “The ‘B’ is for our last name, Blakely, and the ‘Sweet,’ obviously, is because we’re sweet.”

The trio is currently looking at retail space at 3833 Prospect St., according to Robert Tack, the real estate broker representing O’B Sweet. The market, Tack noted, is ready for a new sweet tooth craze—a refreshing idea noting the area’s baffling cupcake fetish.

“I think they’re gonna do well with their concept,” he said.

The Blakelys are already setting themselves apart from average Georgetown bakeries and cupcakeries. The shop will feature an array of savory and sweet pies in three sizes: nine inches, seven inches, and “Cuppies,” single-serving mini pies that are original to O’B Sweet. Because most of their fruit comes from local growers, their menu of flavors rotates seasonally, while their cream pies will be available year round. The shop will cater events as well as delivering pies and providing seating where customers can enjoy their Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Cuppies with coffee or hot cocoa.

While the shop has a few months until their grand opening, O’B Sweet’s catering business is already up and running. The sisters have supplied weddings, birthdays and dinner parties with their homemade pies and plan to continue this service through the process of opening their store.

“Pies are really all-American classics, so we’re trying to take that and make it more mainstream,” said Erin. “It’s giving people the option, instead of going to cupcakes, to go to pies… There’s nothing like this in Georgetown.”

Mark Hodgson •

In 2011, our nation’s capital will see something it hasn’t seen in over fifty years: a production brewery worthy to bear the District’s name. DC Brau, a venture between DC area natives Brandon Skall and Jeff Hancock, plans on pumping out kegs and cans to bars and retail stores in the city within the next three months. Casual and enthusiastic, it was a pleasure to pick the brains of these entrepreneurs on the subject of beer, business and…well…more beer.

Skall and Hancock are both veterans of the beer and wine industry. Skall worked for a major national wine importer before turning to the import side of the business. The three-tier system is confusing on its best days, and having a background in distribution is an asset. Hancock has been a professional brewer for seven years now, and has a degree from the Seibel Institute of Technology, one of only a handful of academies in the country with an accredited brewing program.

Opening a brewery is quite an undertaking. The capital needed is steep, and skimping on the initial investments tends to cause short-lived dreams of self-employment. Skall and Hancock are playing it smart. They have spent the better part of the last three years researching commercial space, redefining commercial business laws in the city and attracting investors.

The last brewery to operate in the District was Heurich Brewing Company, whose factory was on the grounds where the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts now stands. It closed in 1956, after which production was moved to New York. As a result of this time gap, very little information was available on classifications and regulations regarding commercial breweries in DC. “They thought we would be carrying drums of green smoking liquid and pouring it down the drain.” Skall laughs, “Or burning soot, or asbestos on a regular basis.”

No one in DC public offices has been around long enough to know or remember the standard procedure. So with the help of a lawyer, Skall and Hancock explored the exciting world of DC regulatory agencies. Although it took some time, the brewery space was finally approved.

As it turns out, their resurfacing and navigation of alcohol production laws is helping more than just DC Brau. With the expanding market and popularity of craft beer, the Capitol is going to be seeing an influx of commercial breweries in the coming years, and some have already contacted Skall and Hancock for advice. “We’ve been doing a lot of trail blazing not just for us, but for all of the soon to open breweries” say Skall.

Of course, they were happy to help. This spirit of camaraderie has defined the modern day craft beer business. Unlike the wine industry, which can be esoteric, discriminatory and prone to wild inflation, the craft brewing industry has a strong reputation for being good-natured and diplomatic (in terms of pricing, collaborations and mutual support of one another).

Of the group of prospective operations in Washington, DC Brau aims to be the first to open. And it is more than likely to happen. They are 90 percent of the way there.

Driving up to an unimposing industrial building with a sticker on the door is pretty much par for the course when touring breweries, and DC Brau is no different. Upon entering though, you are greeted by a bold, red-and-white “tasting” room with a large, freshly lacquered wooden bar.

I put “tasting” in quotes because the team is still working on the legal issues regarding sampling beer. Once again, no one in the city has tried to do this in a long time.

Still, they have bet on its approval and as a result have an inviting entrance in which to talk about the hardware in the back. A brewery design company was hired to put together a 15-barrel system that has just arrived from China.

“It’s a hands-on system, not as automated as some others,” remarks Hancock. His smile gives him away, and you can tell he is itching to brew. Already in place is the electrical and plumbing infrastructure, boiler, cold box and of course, the canning line produced by the same company that made Dale’s Pale Ale famous.

DC Brau is going to test the marketing potential of craft beer in a can along with other east coast operations. Blue Mountain in VA, Brewers Art in Baltimore and Sly Fox in PA are just a few of the craft companies trying out cans. DC Brau will have its focus on cans and draft initially, with special seasonal releases in hand-bottled bombers.

We can expect to see three core beers to appear on shelves this year, each named fittingly after some element of the democratic system. The team has been doing test batches at home in order to hone down the malt bills and hop schedules. The Public Ale is a balanced 6-percent pale ale with a firm hop bite. The Citizen, a 7-percent Belgian-style pale ale, will utilize a De Konick yeast strain. And then there is The Corruption IPA, aimed to be a powerful West Coast IPA featuring the new and underused Citra hop variety.

When asked whether there were any plans for lagers, they did not rule out the idea. But ale production has a much quicker turn around, and Skall and Hancock aim to start pumping beer out of the facility as soon as possible.

An intriguing area of the brewery lies towards the back of the space behind an old sliding bay door. The room is about the size of a flat bed cargo truck, long and narrow. The space, actually lying underground and hanging between 45 and 55 degrees year-round, is a perfect room for prospective barrel aging.

Craft breweries without wooden barrels are becoming a minority, and DC Brau is not going to be left behind. After hanging out with Brandon and Jeff for a morning, you can tell they are going about this in the right way. Proper fundraising has allowed them to get the equipment needed to meet the initial demand, but also enough fermented space to grow organically. If it all works out for these first few years, the brewery has the option to purchase and expand to adjacent space.

What truly grabbed my attention when first reading about DC Brau was its brand identity. The logo mixes early 20th century Russian constructivist typography with American patriotic imagery, with the colors, red and white, leaning both ways. A striking design and logo is so important, and not all new breweries pull it off.

In a few months I hope to pop a can of DC Brau in my apartment, the first package of beer coming out of our nations capital in over 50 years.

Friends of Rose Park •

Now in its eighth year, the Georgetown Farmers’ Market in Rose Park, sponsored by the Friends of Rose Park in cooperation with the D.C. Division of Parks and Recreation, is open from 3 to 7 p.m. every Wednesday (rain or shine) until the last Wednesday in October at the corner of O and 26th Streets.

Each week the Friends of Rose Park suggest a recipe using ingredients in season and available at the farmer’s market. This week we are featuring a recipe for Tomato Bread Salad, provided by Pam Moore of the Friends of Rose Park. There are delicious tomatoes and tasty fresh bread available at the farmer’s market, and this recipe produces a wonderful salad for a hot summer evening.

Tomato Bread Salad
• 1/2 12-inch French baguette cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 1 large garlic clove
• Olive oil

Rub bread with oil and garlic, toast in a skillet on the stove until golden brown.

• 6 medium or large tomatoes, cut into large chunks
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Place drained tomatoes in bowl. Whisk vinegar and oil together. Mix all ingredients and serve immediately.

Georgetowner •

When Washington chef Ris Lacoste navigates her hatchback Saab into a tight corner space at one of a half dozen farmers’ markets in D.C. and Northern Virginia, there’s scarcely enough time for her to hop out before being met with a bear hug from a smiling, bronze-skinned farmer materializing by her door.

Talk about a warm welcome.

“I still go to the market. I love going to the market. It’s church to me,” Ris says. And you can’t help but notice, as she holds to her nose a ripe peach or fistful of basil, a kind of ecclesiastical intensity, a spiritual joy struggling to be both reverent and unloosed at once. Having purchased top-quality produce direct from farmers for 20 years — ingredients that have, in part, accelerated her reputation and assisted her meteoric rise to executive chef of 1789 and, most recently, the much-lauded RIS — you could say she’s a defender of the faith, of knowing who grew the food on your plate, which makes it all the more sacred.

In a city hemmed in on all sides by farmland, that congregation is growing fast.

New farmers’ markets are springing up almost every year in the District, and like any fad, enduring or not, it is bound to come equipped with buzzwords. So too within the farmers’ market niche, in which you’ll often hear “organic” tacked onto pesticide-free crops, or the “quality over quantity” concept anointing produce with a kind of life force, a value all its own beyond the bulk rate doled out by grocery clerks.

Above all, you’ll hear the word “community,” a vast concept with particular resonance in the world of food, encompassing everything from breaking bread with one another to the symbiotic bond between farmers and those they feed, the cyclical relationship that underpins such a gathering of neighbors and friends.

With Ris as my guide, I visited five of Washington’s markets, on the lookout for the best produce, but mostly with an eye for the men and women who grow it and bring it to our fingertips. Come meet the region’s farmers — and what they have to offer.

—

Glover Park and Burleith
—
Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Wisconsin Avenue and 34th Street (Hardy Middle School parking lot)
Through Oct. 30

It’s worth the trip up Wisconsin to this Georgetown newcomer, just two years old but already ahead of the pack in its community outreach efforts, not to mention its role as a hub for Georgetown, Glover Park and Burleith neighbors out for a Saturday stroll with family, friends or the pooch. Executive Director Lauren Biel and team, who manage the market through a non-profit known as D.C. Greens, have worked overtime to make the market an engaging community center, bringing in bluegrass musicians, jugglers and even a road bike technician. The organization is also pitching a program to build gardens at public schools across the District this fall, and staunchly supports the D.C. Farm to School Network, an initiative tapping local — and higher quality — food sources for the District’s public schools. Biel says such an environment will help draw residents away from the impersonal environment of behemoth supermarkets.

“[By moving away from farmers’ markets], you lose the agora, you lose that community meeting ground, so to have this come back … we know that we need these places, that it’s the right way to live life, a fuller, more mutual experience,” she says.

Making the rounds, we were impressed by the selection, ranging from Jason Edwards’ stunning hydrangeas to authentic Parisian croissants, courtesy of Bonaparte Breads’ Claudio Schmidt. Whitmore Farm’s Will Morrow showed us four different color varieties of beet and offered up a few of his game rabbits, raised on site in Maryland and now making a popular resurgence. At Montross, VA’s Westmoreland Produce, Arnulfo Medina’s nonpareil selection of cherry and heirloom tomatoes — including the strange, robust Cherokee purple variety — caught our eye, along with his melons (honeydew and yellow) and grab-bag of chili peppers.

Finally, at Suzanne Smallwood’s Veggie Emporium, we stumbled across something even Ris had never seen before: a lemon cucumber, a yellow, tart variety of the classic salad topper with a loyal following.

Recipe: Blue Goat Cheese Panzanella Salad

3 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 head radicchio, cut into roughly 1-inch squares
2 cups baby spinach, cleaned and dried
1/2 head romaine, cut into roughly 1-inch squares
6 radishes, sliced
48 cherry tomatoes, cut in half, any or mixed colors
1 small red onion, cut into julienne

1 loaf raisin walnut bread, cut into half-inch cubes for croutons
9 ounces blue goat cheese, cut into half-inch cubes

For the dressing:
Makes 5 cups, much more than you need
2 shallots, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Zest and juice of two oranges
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup Kalamata olive brine
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup walnut oil
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup peanut oil
Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

For the port glaze:
16 ounces port
8 ounces balsamic vinegar

To make the glaze, combine the port and balsamic vinegar in a heavy based non-reactive pan and reduce to a thick syrup. The 3 cups of liquid should reduce to about 4 ounces. Let cool and keep covered in the refrigerator for as long as a month.

To make the vinaigrette, combine all of the ingredients except the oils in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the oils one at a time starting with the walnut oil followed by the olive oil and then the peanut oil. Vinegars and oils vary in strength and flavor. Each dressing is different. You may therefore not need to add all of the oil in this recipe. Be sure to taste the vinaigrette before adding the last of the oil to check for desired level of acidity. Taste for seasoning and adjust. The vinaigrette can be made and kept covered in the refrigerator for up to a month. However, it is best served at room temperature.

Toss 1 1/2 cups of the raisin walnut croutons in olive oil and toast in a 350 degree oven until golden.

To make the salad, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, including the croutons but not the cheese. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Dress to your liking with the olive vinaigrette and divide the mix into 6 bowls. Stud each salad with about 1 1/2 ounces of the blue goat cheese and drizzle with the port glaze.

—

Rose Park
—
Wednesdays, 3 to 7 p.m.
O and 26th Streets
Through Oct. 27

Started by the Friends of Rose Park in 2003 under a partnership with D.C. parks and rec, this is the original Georgetown market, run by volunteers and conveniently located for locals and downtown visitors alike. We took a moment to chat with Anchor Nursery’s Jim Breger and his wife Alice, based in Galena, MD. While the nursery specializes in growing herbs (basil is a perennial favorite among customers), the Bregers also stock a variety of exotic veggies, including a flying saucer-shaped squash and the oriental heirloom eggplant, roundish and hued whitish-purple. Fans of spicy will feel right at home next to Anchor’s barrel of hot peppers — jalapenos, poblanos and super chilis among them.

Recipe: Girl Scout CEO Camp Salsa
By Ris Lacoste

4 medium tomatoes (about 1 1/4-inch, diced)
1 small onion, diced (1/4-inch, 1/2 cup diced)
1 small poblano chili, finely diced (3 tablespoons, finely diced)
1 jalapeno chili, minced (2 tablespoons, minced)
1 large clove garlic, minced (1 tablespoon, minced)
3 scallions, diced (1/2 cup, diced)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1/2 lime (1/2 ounce, 1 tablespoon)
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Makes about 3 cups

Cut the 4 tomatoes in half horizontally. Squeeze out the seeds into a bowl. Discard the seeds. Puree 4 of the tomato halves in a blender. Cut the remaining 4 halves into 1/4-inch dice. Place tomato puree and diced tomatoes in a bowl and add all of the remaining ingredients. Mix well with a spoon and taste for seasoning. Adjust with more salt, pepper, sugar or lime juice to balance the flavors to taste. Adjustments will be necessary depending on the ripeness and acidity of the tomatoes. Make your own version of salsa by adding other ingredients such as tomatillos, corn, cucumber, other summer vegetables, pineapple, mango, fresh or roasted chilis of any kind. The options are endless. Serve with tortilla chips.

—

FreshFarm Market, by the White House
—
Thursdays, 3 to 7 p.m.
810 Vermont Ave.
Through Nov. 18

Part of an 11-market network governing the Chesapeake Bay region, FreshFarm’s White House location serves as an easy midpoint between Georgetown and the city center, its proximity to the executive mansion even earning a nod from the first family (Michelle Obama stood alongside Mayor Fenty during the market’s opening ceremony this spring). Ris and I stopped by Jim Huyett’s Sunnyside Farm, based in West Virginia, for a crate of delicious peaches, perfectly ripe for the season. Across the aisle, Firefly Farms’ Gloria Garrett sliced off a few samples of their “Merry Goat Round,” a mild, creamy goat cheese that took silver at the prestigious World Cheese awards.

Recipe: Peaches and Honey Bread Pudding (serves 12)
By Terri Horn

1 loaf brioche or challah, crusted and cubed
6 peaches, peeled and sliced and tossed with a bit of honey and a dash of lemon juice
8 ounces white chocolate, cut into chunks

Custard: 1 quart heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
9 eggs, whisked just to mix
6 ounces sugar
Whisk together eggs and sugar

Heat cream with vanilla bean just to a boil. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Temper the hot cream into the egg mixture. Strain. Fill buttered 6-8 ounce molds half full with brioche cubes. Stud with peach slices. Cover with more brioche cubes. Stud with 3 or 4 white chocolate chunks. Pour warm custard over and let sit for 30 minutes, adding more as it sits to keep mold full. Bake in water bath at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, depending on the size of the mold. Serve warm with crème anglaise, raspberry sauce and/or lightly sweetened whipped cream.

—

Arlington
—
Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Courthouse Road and 14th Street, Arlington (Courthouse parking lot)

Arlington is great for the 20- or 30-something on the go. Located within sight of the Court House Metro stop (and surrounded by ample parking), this well attended gem stacks up to any market found in the District. We first paid a visit to Jesus Ochoba of Laurel Grove Farm near Reston, VA, which offered an assortment of greens, yellow squash, white and purple eggplant, red radishes and potatoes. The next tent over was Ellen Polishuk with Potomac Vegetable Farm, Ris’ favorite for shallots and herbs.

Afterward, we stopped by to visit an old hand at Arlington’s market. Westmoreland Berry Farm, founded by Chuck Geyer and a charter member of the market for nearly three decades, was selling plump tins of blueberries by the pallet and walnut-sized blackberries, true to form. Delicious.

Recipe: Mixed Berry Upside-down Cake
By Chris Kujala

Makes 1 – 8 inch cake
1 1/2 – 2 cups mixed berries

For the topping:
8 ounces unsalted butter
8 ounces light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cake batter:
1 cup semolina flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 egg whites
1 cup whole milk
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
8 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Set the oven to 325 degrees.

Spray or grease one 8-inch cake pan and line with parchment paper. Melt the 8 ounces of butter in a heavy based sauce pot. Add the sugar and vanilla and stir until dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Pour into the prepared cake pan and chill until firm.
To make the cake batter, whisk together all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the egg whites, milk, vanilla, lemon juice and zest. Whisk the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Whisk in the melted butter.
Add a single layer of mixed berries to cover the bottom of the pan set with the chilled brown sugar-butter mixture. Pour the cake batter over the fruit and tap the pan on the counter a few times to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake in a 325-degree oven about 20 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Serve warm with ice cream of your choice.

—

Dupont Circle
—
Sundays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (10 a.m. to 1 p.m. January-March)
1500 block, 20th Street
Year-round

Earning nods from the Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times, the Dupont farmers’ market, also part of the FreshFarm network, is likely the closest thing to a flagship within the Northwest quadrant. Two hallway-like rows of shouting vendors line the street of this already lively neighborhood, letting visitors experience something reminiscent of Old World bazaars. It’s a hoot.

Our first stop was the Pennsylvania-based Toigo Orchards, helmed by none other than Mark Toigo, a gregarious descendant of Italian grappa makers with an encyclopedic command of the science behind his crop. If you can tear yourself away from this raconteur’s captivating stories, don’t forget to check out his produce — particularly unique are his jars of fresh honey (harvested on site) and a Jamaican green called callaloo, stewed with okra and Caribbean spices.

Heinz Thomet, recommended highly by Ris for his figs, had set up shop next door. Across the path, Zach Lester of Fredericksburg’s Tree and Leaf Farm showed us his beautiful, tear drop-shaped Magda squash and heirloom carrots, which, interestingly, are more flavorful in winter.

Tom from Leesburg’s Blue Ridge Dairy showed off his collection of artisanal cheeses and yogurt, including aged smoked mozzarella, mascarpone, Greek yogurt, Honey YoFresh (made with whole milk) and several other delights.

Ris and I made a final stop at Eli Cook’s Spring Valley Farm, located in Shepherdstown, WV. Not to be missed are his wall of corn, a mound of pristine stalks barely a day old, juicy peaches and lush bunches of opal basil, slightly less flavorful than the traditional variety but lit up by a stunning purple color.

Recipe: Crab Cakes with Jalapeño Creamed Corn

6 crab cakes

For the jalapeño creamed corn:
4 ears sweet corn
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 freshly diced grilled or roasted jalapeño pepper
Sugar, if needed
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Unsalted butter

For the garnish:
Scallions, cut into fine julienne
Basil sprigs

Cut kernels off ears of corn (should yield about 2 cups of corn) and place kernels in a saucepan. Barely cover with heavy cream. Add jalapeño pepper and a pinch of sugar, if needed. Cook until cream reduces slightly. Finish with salt, white pepper and a little butter. Feel free to lighten this recipe with milk and/or light cream. Or use corn milk made by covering the shucked ears of corn with milk, bringing to a boil and simmering gently until the corn milk is released from the ears, about 20 minutes

In a sauté pan, heat the oil or clarified butter. Sauté the crab cakes until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.

To serve, ladle 3 oz. of corn cream on to 8 plates. Place 1 crab cake on each plate and garnish with scallions and basil.

UPDATE: Check out CNN’s spot on Ris and Spring Valley farm [here](http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/07/17/natpkg.farm.to.table.cnn?iref=allsearch).
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