Anyone familiar with the DC blogosphere knows that approximately one out of every four DC blogs is dedicated to complaints about our nation’s capital. Transplants from New York, especially, say that DC is boring, but I am completely baffled by that statement. How are they not completely overwhelmed by all there is to do around here? Do they need a fun starter kit? Here’s one! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the International Club of DC. (No, I have absolutely nothing to do with its existence; I just like to present things.)
As part of my never-ending quest to learn to make every sort of cuisine on the planet, I attended the ICDC’s Indian Cooking class at Heritage India on Wisconsin Avenue in Glover Park. Heritage India chef Sanjeev Tuli led a lively, sparks-flying demonstration of five courses. Strangely, he started off with a calamari appetizer, which is not exactly Indian by Heritage, but was sautéed with coconut and lemon for an Indian-fusion flavor. The squid was beautifully tender and delicate, even though I couldn’t shake the “but this is Italian!” feeling….as I scarfed down my calamari.
Happily, the remaining courses were more authentically Indian: chicken pasanda (a light chicken curry in a creamy almond sauce, and the clear crowd favorite), vegetable dishes aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower)and bhindi masala (sautéed okra), and kheer (a sweet, wholesome-tasting rice pudding). Tuli even passed around curry leaves and curry powder to demonstrate the gap in aroma and flavor between the two. Tuli was dismissive of curry powder, saying that it is a “British invention” having nothing to do with Indian cooking. I personally love curry powder, but I had to admit there was a big difference between the two, and resolved to cook with curry leaves next time, just to mix it up a little.
Recipes were given out at the end of the three-hour class, but Mr. Tuli could not be reached for permission to reprint them here. Luckily for you, however, the ICDC is offering this class again on Sunday, September 3, from noon to 3. The class includes a demonstration, lunch with dessert, and recipes, and costs $39 for a limited time. I recommend you buy your tickets as soon as possible, as these classes always sell out.
Namaste, and happy cooking, DC!
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04Aug
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02Aug
Ok, I’ll admit it. My standard response to anyone recommending Cakelove for anything other than an eclair is “have you tried Natalia’s Elegant Creations?” And yes, I know…some of you like the Cakelove cupcakes. Well, maybe those of you that haven’t – as I have – been spoiled by NYC cupcakes from places like Magnolia and Buttercup. I haven’t tried Natalia’s cupcakes yet, but if they are the same quality as her cakes, they should be quite good.
Natalia does not have a storefront, but her cakes, bars, cookies, and cupcakes are available at Dean & DeLuca in Georgetown. She can be reached through her website, or phoned at (571) 239-0256.
I was lucky enough to try Natalia’s desserts last summer, when she was selling at the Clarendon Farmer’s Market…until a positive article about her – made from scratch, European-style – baked goods appeared in the Washington Post food section. At that point, she was just too busy to shlep to farmer’s markets.
You can order directly from Natalia, and have her deliver to you for a fee, which is $7 for Arlington and Falls Church, and $7-12 for DC, and Fairfax and Montgomery counties. By ordering direct, you can request custom orders, and order from her catalog, including gluten-free or nut-free items.
Natalia is currently looking for a location for a storefront. I hope that works out for her.
Dean & DeLuca
3276 M St. NW
202-342-2500 -
02Aug
One of the best things about having gone to culinary school in San Francisco is that there really is no other place in this country where everything comes so neatly together. There are three world-class wine regions within an hour’s drive, there are all sorts of fresh seafood (both fin and shell fish) coming in from the Pacific ocean and the San Francisco bay, and best of all, California has all sorts of farmers’ markets where local farmers will sell their wares. Even the local 7-11 carries varieties of food and wine that you have to go to Dean & Deluca to get here.
While I was out there, I indulged in the guilty pleasure of practically every other chef in town: cheese. For most of us, Whole Foods served as our local dealer (really, it is very similar to crack cocaine, you give the guy behind the counter a ten-spot, and he gives you a “rock” of the latest and greatest cheese they have). It was at a local market that I became aware of one of the best cheese-makers in the Bay area: Cowgirl Creamery. Founded by two women that were no strangers to the culinary world, Cowgirl Creamery quickly gained a very good reputation for turning out some of the tastiest cheeses around, simply by being extremely fussy over the ingredients they chose to use.
In addition to a very tasty creme fraiche, the folks at cowgirl creamery make a very addictive cottage cheese (we’re not talking Breakstone’s here), and a classic fromage blanc to round out their fresh cheeses. As for their aged cheeses, I like the Mount Tam (named for Mt. Tamalpais in the north bay), and the St. Pat, which is their seasonal spring cheese, wrapped in stinging nettle leaves (the leaves are washed and frozen first to remove the sting), which impart a smoky artichoke flavour. Their Pierce Point cheese, which is only produced in the fall and winter, is washed in a muscato wine, and rolled in dried herbs from the Tomales bay coastal region, which produces a complex yet not overpowering cheese.
The reason I’m telling you all of this is because the women that founded Cowgirl Creamery are originally from this area, and they have just opened a store in the Penn Quarter of the district (right down the street from the newly renovated Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery). In addition to cheese, their store here also sells charcuterie (cured meats, among other things), local breads, and wines. Check it out!
Cowgirl Creamery
919 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 393-6880
