M Street - Washington, DC
September 25
Things I did on Saturday:
Booz volunteers at National Public Lands Day - Washington, DC
Neighbors at Johnny Walker tasting - Washington, DC
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Ben,
Cydney,
Jeff,
Johnny Walker,
Krishnan,
National Public Lands Day,
neighbors,
Rob
Toffee Cookies - Take 2
Have I mentioned that I love toffee? Imagine my excitement when I came across this recipe while perusing food blogs (definitely not) at work. Warning: this recipe has a pound of chocolate in it.
Chocolate Toffee Cookies
...to combine the brown sugar and eggs, beat for 5 minutes. Beat in the chocolate and vanilla. Stir in the flour, then stir in the toffee chunks (I suppose you could follow the original recipe and also add walnuts, but I think nuts are for pansies). Some toffee porn:
Don't be alarmed by the batter being very thin. I was, because I did not read the whole recipe and did not realize there was refrigeration time involved. I loathe recipes with refrigeration time, I'm not that patient! But alas, it's necessary for this one. Refrigerate for about an hour, then drop spoonfuls onto a parchment paper/wax paper/silpat covered cookie sheet. If you want, sprinkle with salt. I did this for the first 1 or 2 batches and then forgot. If I knew which cookies came from which batches... I'd let you know if it made a difference. Bake for 12-15 minutes (I definitely needed at least 15). Also, let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for at least 10 minutes or so before transferring to a cooling rack, otherwise the bottoms will be too soft and fall out.
I'd say these are better than Toffee Cookie attempt number one, but not every day cookies. They are VERY rich! Remember... a POUND of chocolate. On that note, I'll never fall asleep tonight from too much sugar intake.
Chocolate Toffee Cookies
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 pound chocolate (I used a combination of bittersweet and semi-sweet, some Ghiradelli, some Baker's)
1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1 3/4 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
5 toffee bars (1.4 oz each) (like Heath), chopped
salt (optional)
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl with a whisk. Melt chocolate and butter over a double boiler. If you're ghetto, like me, do this:
(The Pot-On-Pot "I don't have a" Double Boiler)
Use an electric mixer (I have one of these!):
(My BEAUTIFUL pistachio green KitchenAid mixer [thanks Dad!])
...to combine the brown sugar and eggs, beat for 5 minutes. Beat in the chocolate and vanilla. Stir in the flour, then stir in the toffee chunks (I suppose you could follow the original recipe and also add walnuts, but I think nuts are for pansies). Some toffee porn:
I'd say these are better than Toffee Cookie attempt number one, but not every day cookies. They are VERY rich! Remember... a POUND of chocolate. On that note, I'll never fall asleep tonight from too much sugar intake.
Peach Pie
While at Eastern Market this weekend, my mom and I saw signs for the last week of summer peaches and decided we absolutely needed to have peach pie. After sampling every peach vendor, we picked the best and headed home to bake. I'm sorry to say this isn't going to be a very cohesive recipe... I wing it with fruit pies.
Peach Pie
Double pie crust (store bought or home made)
8-10 peaches
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
Preheat oven to 350. Line a pie plate with one pie crust. Cut up the peaches into wedges and put in a big bowl. Toss with the flour, sugar, and cinnamon (btw I didn't measure, so these are estimates), be gentle so as not to smush the peaches. Fill the pie with the peach mixture. Cover with second pie crust (you can just cover it, or do a lattice). Pinch the two pie crusts together. Beat an egg with a splash of water and brush the pie crust with a pastry brush. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the crust is browned and the fruit juices are bubbling. YUM!
(Ugh, when will I be blessed with better kitchen backdrop and lighting??)
Eastern Market - September 18
I l.o.v.e. Eastern Market in the fall. My mom came down for a visit this weekend and we headed to the market to sample all the produce and enjoy the beautiful weather. SO excited for fall cooking and baking season!
BTW, I'd like to officially introduce my new camera! You may remember from my first post my longing for a DSLR. Well, I finally took the plunge and bought a beautiful new Canon T1I. We've been together for about a month now, and we're in love (I still have feelings for the G9, don't worry).
Henry's Pasta
A couple of years ago I was in NYC with Amanda and Kate having a girls-night-out dinner at Henry's. I told the waitress my pasta was some of the best I'd ever had, and she brought over the chef who explained his whole process to me! (he was kind of cute too...) My version isn't quite as good as the original, but it's not bad either. Really easy and takes about 20 minutes!
Jamie's Recreation of Pasta From Henry's
(feeds 3-4)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups of mushrooms (I used crimini and shitake)
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth
1 package of fresh fettucini (I use Bertolli's, unless I get a chance to go to the market and get home made)
3-4 handfuls of spinach
Salt and pepper
Salt a pot of water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook until it starts to get fragrant. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper, cook about 5 minutes, until they're soft.
Add butter and let melt. Add enough broth to cover the mushrooms and let simmer. Cook the pasta (if you're not using fresh pasta, you'll want to boil the water before starting, and do the rest while the pasta's cooking).
Cook according to directions, usually 2-3 minutes. Drain pasta. Turn off heat on the mushrooms, and add pasta and spinach to the skillet. Toss everything together with tongs, the heat of the pasta and sauce will cook the spinach.
Jamie's Recreation of Pasta From Henry's
(feeds 3-4)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups of mushrooms (I used crimini and shitake)
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth
1 package of fresh fettucini (I use Bertolli's, unless I get a chance to go to the market and get home made)
3-4 handfuls of spinach
Salt and pepper
Salt a pot of water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook until it starts to get fragrant. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper, cook about 5 minutes, until they're soft.
Add butter and let melt. Add enough broth to cover the mushrooms and let simmer. Cook the pasta (if you're not using fresh pasta, you'll want to boil the water before starting, and do the rest while the pasta's cooking).
Cook according to directions, usually 2-3 minutes. Drain pasta. Turn off heat on the mushrooms, and add pasta and spinach to the skillet. Toss everything together with tongs, the heat of the pasta and sauce will cook the spinach.
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