Lots of Everything

June 22, 2009

Cooking from Modern Spice: Pan-Seared Trout with Mint-Cilantro Chutney

Filed under: home cooking, product reviews — by Rochelle @ 8:00 am

I’m very enthusiastic about Monica Bhide’s new cookbook, Modern Spice. Want your own copy? Comment to this post and tell me why you would like the book, and I’ll pick the best response and send it to ya.

As part of a blogger virtual dinner party using recipes from the book, I recently cooked the Pan-Seared Trout with Mint-Cilantro Chutney.

First, I gathered my ingredients. Mint from my garden (it’s gorgeous!), cilantro, a serrano pepper, lemon juice, salt, red onion. Put it all in a blender and buzz it until it’s an aromatic puree. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Then I seasoned some trout with salt and pepper and seared it in a hot pan until cooked on both sides, which only took a few minutes. I served the trout topped with the chutney. Alongside, we enjoyed some basmati rice which I cooked with a dried chile pepper, some star anise and cinnamon to give it a nice aroma.

This was about the world’s fastest dinner, and everybody loved the vibrant, herbal sauce atop the simply sauteed fish. I also liked this recipe because it gave me a chance to use some of the mint from my fledgling herb garden. The chutney doesn’t keep all that long, but it’s so easy to make that you can put it together in just a few minutes and serve it fresh for dinner.

Recipes are below the cut.
(more…)

June 20, 2009

Whispering Canyon Cafe, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Orlando

Filed under: Disney, restaurants — by Rochelle @ 7:48 pm

My family supped at Whispering Canyon on the last night of our recent vacation at Disney. I didn’t know if we would love or hate Whispering Canyon. The name is a sort of inside joke, because there’s nothing whisper-like about this restaurant–it’s one the loudest, most boisterous restaurants imaginable. This is a place that serves food in a giant skillet, where things stop periodically so everybody can jump up and join a server in dancing the Hokey Pokey, where kids play with Lincoln logs while waiting for their table.

“This restaurant is unabashedly American,” I told my husband. It’s goofy and fun and loud and sure to become my son’s favorite restaurant once he’s old enough to express an opinion on these matters. Just like America, it’s big, brash, noisy, crazy, and unashamed of all these qualities. It’s where you go to laugh your ass off with dinner. (If you want sedate, head around the corner to Artist Point.)

There is a standard menu of appetizers, entrees and desserts, but we elected to sample the all-you-care-to-eat skillet in order to fully participate in the swing of things at the Canyon. The skillet includes four barbecued meats: brisket, chicken, pork spareribs and pulled pork. There’s also some homemade mashed potatoes, corn, slaw, a salad with apple vinaigrette, and cornbread. The meats were all acceptable–not exactly competition BBQ, but the brisket sported an actual smoke ring and the ribs were delightfully sticky and tender. We liked the tart vinaigrette and crisp greens of the salad as a contrast to the rich meal, and the cornbread was a good example of cakey-type cornbread.

I had a fantastic pecan pie for dessert–deep-dish, not too goopy or sweet, sharpened with a generous slug of bourbon. My husband’s apple pie was also all-American, piled high with sweet fruit.

We cottoned on to the ketchup ritual at Whispering Canyon early on: if you want ketchup, you have to get everybody at your table to scream “WE NEED KETCHUP!” Then the people with ketchup on their tables have to get up and bring it to you. Early on, we saw one table get snowed with about 30 bottles of ketchup at once. Later, our boy got to hand three bottles to another table–he loved being a part of the ketchup ritual and was totally adorable while doing it.

This is the sort of restaurant that I imagine does not exist outside of Texas and maybe Wyoming, except that it also exists at Disney World. It’s not five-star food, but it’s solid and the restaurant is so fun, the quality of the food almost doesn’t matter. Go with your kids and feel free to forget your manners for a while.

June 18, 2009

The Disney Dining Plan, Walt Disney World, Orlando

Filed under: Disney, product reviews, restaurants, travel — by Rochelle @ 2:22 pm

We just returned from 11 days at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. (My family purchased a timeshare there last summer, so we’ll be returning most summers for a little over a week and dining around the parks. Some capsule writeups of various restaurants we tried this year are soon to come.)

We decided to try out the Disney Dining Plan this time around, to see whether it represented a good value for our family. We purchased the standard plan, which includes one quick-service meal, one table-service meal and one snack for each person staying in your room every day. There were 5 of us for the first week (my parents, my husband and I and our son). For the last 4 days, there were only the three of us–me, my husband and the boy.

Look below the cut to see what the plan includes and an overview of how we felt about trying it out… (more…)

Learning the Intricacies of Spice

Filed under: Published articles, home cooking — by Rochelle @ 1:35 pm

I wrote a little story for the Frederick News-Post that ran yesterday on the subject of learning to cook Indian food at home.

Read it here.

I interviewed Rajni Hatti of Charles Town, WV (who is about to teach an introductory Indian cooking class at my friend Christine’s teaching kitchen, The Kitchen Studio, in Frederick). I also talked to my friend Monica Bhide, whose new book Modern Spice is destined to become your best friend when you employ Indian ingredients and techniques.

The flavor of Rajni’s raita has stayed with me ever since she demonstrated it in her kitchen for me. I’ll have to make more once I get home to my mint plant this weekend.

May 25, 2009

Sweet New Things

Filed under: food shopping, home cooking — by Rochelle @ 3:29 pm

Zoe Tsoukatos of Zoe’s Chocolates just tipped me off that the Pennsylvania chocolaterie will be opening a storefront in Frederick on May 30. “It’s a super tiny place— in between Earthy Elements and Asiana, but a perfect start for us.” Be sure to check out the pomegranate and lemon wall chocolates if you stop by. I assume this means they’re moving out of the tiny counter they were renting from Proof bakery.

My son and I went by the Frederick Farmer’s Market on Baughman’s Lane last Saturday. It’s nice to see the market in full swing. Of course we stopped by the Cakes for Cause booth for a snack while we were around. The most recent information I have is that they’re aiming for a June opening in their storefront. Meanwhile, it’s worth going to the market to check out their scones, cookies, and other treats.

Meanwhile, I’ve had the opportunity to bake a fair amount recently–an activity I thoroughly enjoy but rarely indulge in because I tend to eat whatever I baked. I made an assortment of cupcakes for my son’s birthday, a banana cake with sour cream ganache for a potluck, and then the most unbelievable German chocolate cake ever for my husband’s birthday.

Those cupcakes are nagging at my brain. They tasted great but they were terribly uneven. I used Rose Levy Beranbaum’s recommended recipes for All-Occasion yellow butter and chocolate cakes (she includes adjustments to the recipes if you’re making them as cupcakes). The yellow ones overflowed the pan while the chocolate ones were a little fallen. I think my pan is partly to blame–I have a cheapo nonstick job that has a seam around where each cupcake divot is welded into the frame, which seems to make it impossible to remove a cake cleanly. Is there a better cupcake pan out there I should be trying? What’s been your experience with silicon vs nonstick vs traditional pans? Is heavier better? And then how do I keep them even? Should I use a scooper or something to at least ensure the amt of batter in each cup is the same?

I’ve already had a request for cupcakes for a little girl’s fall birthday, so I better bone up before then. Suggestions welcome.

May 10, 2009

What to Do With Ramps

Filed under: food shopping, home cooking, southern food — by Rochelle @ 8:24 pm

I have been talking about ramps to friends since about March, when my friend Marsha suggested that it was almost ramp season. “Almost ramp season” seemed likely, but it was a cold spring around here, and the ramps seemed to show up late this time around. I ended up buying some from a produce coop my friend Mindy helps to run, and when I had the opportunity to buy them at a reasonable price I nabbed 1.5 pounds. I gave a handful to my friend Lewis, but the rest went into my fridge.

Those ramps never left my brain all week. I wanted to find as many interesting things to do with them as possible in the short season I knew they’d be available. I have more ramps coming this week, but here’s how I have used the ones I got in on Tuesday:

Kilt Spinach Salad: A kilt (Southern for killed) salad is a lovely way to welcome spring, and with some beautiful spinach also coming in from the coop, this one seemed like a no-brainer. I separated the leaves from the bulbs of a couple of ramps, chopped the ramps coarsely, and sliced the bulbs into delicate rings. I sauteed them in a little butter. I added chopped bacon (I had no bacon fat, but it would have been even better than the butter), a generous shot of apple cider vinegar, and a little olive oil. Once the dressing was boiling hard, I dumped it over the spinach and tossed quickly with tongs. Nice lunch.

Ramp Kibbeh with Ramp Tzatziki: Cook about 2 cups of bulgur wheat (just dump boiling water on it and let it sit 20 minutes, drain and use). Combine in a food processor with a chopped onion, a few handfuls of ramp leaves, and some garlic and pulse to combine. Add 1lb of ground lamb and pulse to combine. Using moistened hands, form into oval patties. Grill or cook in an iron skillet until crusty-edged and cooked through.

For the tzatzki, peel and seed a cucumber. Shred it and salt it heavily. Set it aside to drain in a sieve for 20 minutes. Push as much water out as possible with your hands, then mix it with some Greek yogurt, pepper, lots of chopped ramp leaves, and some fresh mint.

Serve the hot kibbeh and the tzatziki atop a big salad with grilled pita points.

Fettuccine with Ramps and Ricotta: Boil some good fettuccine in heavily salted water. Meanwhile, saute an enormous handful of chopped ramp leaves in butter with salt. Add a great wodge of ricotta. Drain the pasta when it is nearly done, and add it to the skillet of ramps along with a generous ladle or two of the pasta cooking water. Toss until the pasta is coated with the sauce, the sauce is thickened and the pasta is thoroughly cooked.

Ramp Fried Rice: Add plenty of chopped ramp leaves to the garlic/ginger/scallion mix that you use to start a standard fried rice.

I am saving most of the bulbs to pickle, per a Lee Bros recipe. We’ll see how they come out! I love ramps!

May 5, 2009

Welcome Back, Spring

Filed under: food shopping, home cooking, southern food — by Rochelle @ 8:28 pm

I bought ramps for the first time ever today. I’ve eaten them before, but I never had a chance to buy them in the past. I was thinking of pickling some of the roots so they’ll last a little longer in the fridge. Anybody got a good recipe for pickled ramps?

We started tonight by chopping some leaves and pressing them into some steelhead trout. Some dots of local butter and some salt went on top, and then I roasted them on a bed of scallions in the oven. They were most excellent with some local asparagus on the side.

I remember once eating simple sauteed ramps atop grilled bread at the Press Room in Shepherdstown and really enjoying those. This thread on eGullet had some interesting ideas, including throwing them on pizzas or grilling them and throwing them atop a burger.

I also found the first garlic greens of the season at the Shepherdstown farmer’s market last weekend, from Blueberry Hill. I’m probably going to use them to marinate a steak later this week. Some might also show up in my lamb kibbeh that I’m planning to throw atop a salad for dinner in a few days.

By the way, I’m still writing about food–but not everything shows up here or in the Frederick News-Post. You can follow me on Facebook for lots of snapshot culinaria. There’s also a Facebook group for my catering business, Rochelle Myers Catering and Cooking Classes. Hope to see you around the social networks!

March 4, 2009

Getting Better Service

Filed under: Published articles, restaurants — by Rochelle @ 9:31 pm

I wrote a story for the Frederick News-Post that ran today on the subject of getting better service in restaurants.

You can read the column here.

I got the following email in response to the story, which I am reprinting here verbatim with permission:

Hi,
I enjoy your columns, but have to disagree with this one. It is always a two-way street in any business relationship, however, the restaurant business is a service industry. I feel that you should get the same service when they are busy as when they are slow. It is up to management to be staffed appropriately.

Your article seems to say that it is up to the customer to see that we are treated well, but except in the case of a rude or disorderly customer I believe that is the restaurant’s responsibility.

Mary Cannette

Mary has some good points here. I earn part of my income by catering, and I’m well aware that restaurants, like caterers, are a service-based business. I expect to be restored when I visit a restaurant. If it’s a place with table service, I want to have my needs anticipated and to feel like my satisfaction is important to the establishment–I don’t just want a plate of food. (And the more I spend on dinner, the higher my expectations are in this regard.)

That being said, I don’t eat out when I know restaurants are strained. That includes holidays like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day and most Saturday nights between 7 and 9pm. I’d rather eat out on a Tuesday evening in early March, like I did last night with some friends. Sure, sometimes it’s easiest to go out on a weekend, but I know I’m unlikely to see a restaurant in its best light at that time.

Thanks, Mary, for your message. It’s always nice to hear a different perspective on these matters, and I love hearing from readers.

I do plan to publish a counterpoint column in a few weeks. What do you think should go in there?

February 18, 2009

The Chocolate Gala!

Filed under: Published articles — by Rochelle @ 10:15 pm

I’m excited to be judging at the Chocolate Gala of the Frederick Sister Cities Association in a couple of weeks.

Click here to read a column on the subject.

Click here to go to the website for the gala and learn more on the subject.

February 13, 2009

Volt: A James Beard Award Semifinalist

Filed under: restaurants, southern food — by Rochelle @ 10:37 pm

I’m pleased to see that Volt in Frederick has been named a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant. You can see the full list of nominees for restaurant awards here:
Official Semifinalists

This is pretty big news for a restaurant in Frederick!

While I’m gushing about Volt: they’re offering a Restaurant Week menu starting next Tuesday through the 22nd. $20.09 for lunch, $35.09 for dinner–three courses at both meals. The dinner offering is an especially great value. If you’ve been meaning to get over there but haven’t found the resources to do so, now’s your time. It would be great if more Frederick area restaurants joined in the Restaurant Week promotion.

(The Greensboro native in me is also pleased to see Quaintance-Weaver group up for Outstanding Restaurateurs. I have enjoyed Lucky 32 and Green Valley Grill while visiting the folks in Greensboro.)

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