Brigadeiros and gabrielas

My cooking soulmate got married this past weekend, so in honor of her wedding, I made a first attempt at serious confectioneering. Luckily, it came out successfully and I showed up to the wedding with a pretty sweet gift. Yes, that pun was intended.

If Brazil had a national candy, it would be the brigadeiro. That Americans don’t eat brigadeiros and likely have never heard of them is the type of thing that would hurt a Brazilian’s soul. To be honest, the first time I had one, it hurt my soul, too, that I had been deprived of such bliss for so many years. Essentially, brigadeiros are condensed milk heated slowly with cocoa powder or ground chocolate until they combine and slightly caramelize. You then allow the mixture to cool, dry, and harden, and shape as many 1″ balls
as you can get out of it. The balls are normally rolled in chocolate sprinkles, but there’s nothing stopping you from rolling them in pretty much anything, especially outside of Brazil where you don’t have the weight of tradition to deal with. I got even more deviant and made a second mixture that didn’t include chocolate at all, but did include vanilla, cinnamon, and ground cloves. My sister calls them “gabrielas” after a song that mentions all the ingredients, or something like that. She speaks Portuguese and knows the situation with Brazilian culture. I just really enjoy faking it.

In any case, both brigadeiros and gabrielas come out soft, dense, and glorious. They’re good for impressing existing friends, obtaining new friends, and just generally contributing to the Greater Good of Humanity.

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Brigadeiros

Makes 15ish.

• 1 can of condensed milk
• 4 T cocoa powder or ground chocolate
• 1 T butter

Put all ingredients in a frying pan and heat over low heat for ~10-15 minutes, or until you have an amazing-smelling mass of somewhat gelatinous chocolate. You’ll know when it’s done when the chocolate stays together as a solid mass when you tilt the pan. Turn the chocolate out onto aluminum foil or wax paper and let it cool and dry for at least a half hour. More is better, if you have time. Shape the chocolate into 1″ diameter balls. If you cooked the mixture enough and let it dry sufficiently, the chocolate will be easy to shape and not overly sticky. Roll the balls in whatever you want. Chocolate sprinkles are the norm, but I also do all kinds of nuts, cocoa + coffee grinds, coconut + crystallized ginger, etc. Put the finished brigadeiros in mini cupcake wrappers.

Gabrielas

Makes 15ish.

• 1 can condensed milk
• 1 T butter
• 1 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t ground cloves

Follow the same procedure as above.

I got the chocolate store down the street from my apartment (Biagio, 18th and Florida NW) to give me a box so I could make everything look more legit.

African Restaurants in DC

I recently have been trying African restaurants in DC. While DC is full of Ethiopian food, for those craving other African cuisine, it can be well hidden. I consider myself an expert on Senegalese cuisine, having lived as a Peace Corps volunteer there for over two years. I’ve also traveled and lived in many other countries throughout the continent. It’s a big continent, which means, there’s no such thing as “African” cuisine-it’s a varied as Asian. While most of the restaurants listed below advertise themselves as “African”, their cu sine is indeed country-specific: you’ll not find fufu at a Senegalese restaurant or yassa at a Ghanaian restaurant. To help you, I’ve listed the specific country the food comes from. (Identifying Africa, a continent of 53 countries as one country is one of my pet peeves) Now for some recent restaurants I’ve been to and want to go to:

Chez Aunty Libe (Senegalese): 6115 Georgia Ave. NW Washington, DC 20011 202/291-6454

While NYC has great, authentic Senegalese food, it is surprisingly hard to find in the DC area. This restaurant is the only one I could find. It’s way up GA Ave, near Walter Reed, and is a small place run by a Pulaar woman, Aunty Libe. The mafe is as authentic as it comes-great peanut flavor with the right consistency of thick sauce over rice. The bissap was great as well, although she didn’t have the bissap with mint. The yassa, which can be hard to get right, did not deliver. It just didn’t have that spicy great flavor I remember.

I have yet to try the main Senegalese dish-ceeb uj en. Chez Aunty Libe is very friendly and the atmosphere feels like you’ve stepped into Senegal with music videos on TV and Senegalese-style table clothes. Before you go you might want to call ahead, as most of her business is catering/take-out so by dinnertime she is often sold out of dishes.

here’s a link to the menu: http://www.seneweb.com/clients/auntylibe/

Sumah:(Sierra Leonian) 1727 7th Street NW
Washington, DC 20001-3105

As I’ve never been to Sierra Leone, I was anxious to try the cuisine. Located in the Shaw district, next to a church, it is a small restaurant, fairly run-down, with a large TV set on CNN. My friend and I ordered a variety of dishes for sampling. While it might be an acquired taste, I was not taken with the food. I food the okra and green potato leaves bitter and oily and the jollof rice had too much palm oil (a very potent taste) for my liking. The dish I liked the most was the peanut stew, which is very different than the Senegalese peanut sauce dish. The Sierra Leonian peanut stew is very soupy/liquidy and didn’t have the rich peanut taste that the Senegalese dish does. I also found the prices a little higher than I was expecting for location and condition of the restaurant-a true hole-in-the-wall. But for those who have been to Sierra Leone or have acquired a liking for okra, perhaps the food will hit the spot. Sumah’s website is: http://www.sumahsrestaurant.com/index.html

Akosombo (Ghanian): 613 K St NW Washington, DC (202) 408-1133

While many folks are familiar with Ghana Cafe in Adams Morgan (on 18th street), there is also Akosombo . It is near Mt. Vernon Square/Penn Quarter and is, from the looks of the outside, another hole-in-the-wall.

However, it is reportedly suppose to be better than Ghana Cafe. Having lived for a summer in Ghana, I’m anxious to try this place. The menu can be found online at: http://washingtondc.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?areaid=0&restaurantid=22803&neighborhoodid=0&cuisineid=16&home=Y

Roger Miller Restaurant(Cameroonian) in Silver Spring, MD: 941 Bonifant St Fl 1, Silver Spring, MD 20910 301-650-2495

Lastly, I’ve heard good things about this place. Their website is: http://www.rmrestaurant.com/index.html and good review from the Washington Post is at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?node=cityguide/profile&id=884139.

New Openings

The Hill embraced its local foodies a few weeks ago with the opening of one of DC’s only independent kitchen stores (i.e. not Bed, Bath, & Beyond or Target, as much as I do love Target) right across the street from the Eastern Market metro. I stopped by Hill’s Kitchen two weeks ago and managed to spend about an hour there, even though the store isn’t that big. Owner Leah Daniels is really friendly and helpful; she overheard me talking about how I wanted a spice funnel and then presented me with her selection. (i got a stainless steel one for $3.) According to HK’s first email newsletter, the store is planning to host “an array of different events…including book signings, chef demos, as well as tastings and coffee cuppings.” Their first event is taking place this Sunday from 11am-2pm and features a tasting of products from LowCountry Produce, a small company from South Carolina.

Also this weekend is the grand opening of Tangysweet, a yogurt/smoothie place in Dupont that bills itself as an experience, not just a store. They serve only classic, green tea, and pomegranate yogurt, all of which are intended to taste a bit more sour and yogurt-like than ice cream, and they also make smoothies. Toppings include all kinds of berries, crunchy cereal things, and, if you look closely, you might be able to find Oreos, but I can’t be sure from the picture. The decor looks to be trendy and environmentally friendly. Tangysweet will be open until 2am on weekends, so we’ll see how it fares against Jumbo Slice in the race for the best and/or most sought-after late-night munchie.

Westend Bistro

(Written by Anna, posted by Ariana)

The most recent edition of The Washingtonian’s “Dining Out” e-newsletter featured a story on Eric Ripert’s DC venture, Westend Bistro. For those of you unfamiliar with Eric Ripert, he runs Le Bernardin in NYC, a very high-end four-star restaurant that I have heard lots of excellent buzz about but have never had the opportunity to dine there (http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/restaurants/7843.html). Ripert’s description of Westend Bistro intrigued me so much that when my aunt came to town last night to visit and told me she was staying at the Ritz-Carlton in Foggy Bottom (where Westend Bistro is located), I thought it very serendipitous and suggested we try it out. I am so glad that we did – the atmosphere is beautiful but laid-back, the service is excellent, the food is exciting and memorable, and the wine is delicious.

Despite the feature article in The Washingtonian, we had no trouble calling the restaurant right before walking down to it and getting a reservation for 2 around 7:30pm on a Thursday night. I started with a glass of MacMurray Pinot Noir, which the waiter (who was already our best friend) poured straight from the bottle – I love that! Otherwise you never know what you are getting. My aunt was sipping Bacardi Limon and tonics all night, and the waiter did an excellent job of refreshing our drinks without pressuring us. To start I ordered the tuna carpaccio, and my aunt ordered potato and leek soup. The carpaccio was the best I have ever had – in other restaurants, I often find carpaccio swimming in a sea of lemon juice and/or oil, but this carpaccio was a ripe shade of pink, perfectly seasoned, and well-presented. The potato and leek soup was very good as well, but clearly I preferred my appetizer! It took me a while and several conversations with our waiter to determine my entrée, as the menu has some unusual and tempting items (e.g., Skate, Cauliflower Cous Cous, etc.) but I ended up going with the roast chicken with country stuffing because, as they say on Top Chef, sometimes the simplest dishes are the hardest to perfect. This chicken was amazing – it nearly melted off the bone and was very soft and tender, and soaking in its own juices. Scrumptious. My aunt ordered the flank steak (a beautiful cut of meat) and a side of mashed potatoes, which were ridiculously creamy but not milky. For dessert neither of us could resist the pineapple upside-down cake with coconut sorbet. It was the perfect finish because the cake had a crispy, caramelized crust but the inside was soft with a hint of spice, and the pineapple was fresh and sweet. The coconut sorbet complemented it all perfectly.

I highly recommend this restaurant. It was an excellent dining experience, not only because the food was perfectly prepared and very satisfying, but also because the service and atmosphere are very well executed and it is a more comfortable and down-to-earth restaurant than most of its kind. You can find more information on menu and location on the website: http://www.westendbistrodc.com/

Brasserie Beck

I went to Brasserie Beck a while ago. Totally recommend the bar-great selection of beers and they even have beer-tasting! Also, I loved the marble counter-don’t worry it’s not too fancy, it’d be ok to wear jeans to grab a drink. The food is a little too expensive for what you get. It’s really good food, but for the prices, it wasn’t sensational.

OMG strawberries

According to pickyourown.org, strawberry season is upon us.  So much excitement.

Having lived in the Great North (i.e. Canadia) for four years, the heat and humidity of a DC summer makes me want to die and, as much as I’m enjoying the spring, I can’t ditch the thought of how sweaty and unhappy I’m going to be in a month.  The only things that keep me optimistic are the return of the Screen on the Green festival and the prospect of berry-picking.  Right now, it’s not too hot yet AND I can pick strawberries, so this is really the best of both worlds.

To herald the beginning of strawberry season, farms all over Virginia are having strawberry festivals this weekend or next weekend.  Alternately, if you’re not into the whole “family fun” thing, you can get your strawberries at a farm sans festival and they’ll still be just as delicious.  As government contractors, we always have to concern ourselves with preemptive/preventative action, so here’s a link to recipes that incorporate strawberries on Epicurious since you’ll inevitably return home with more than what you can actually eat.  And, in case anyone is really ambitious, here are directions for canning and making ice cream.

Farmers’ markets galore

In my continuous quest for good and seasonal produce, I have this habit of hitting up farmers’ markets in DC like it’s my job.  I pick up flowers at the Adams Morgan Market on 18th and Columbia NW on Saturday morning and then head over to Eastern Market for the afternoon. I go to Dupont Market on Sundays to buy apples, greens (I tried chrysanthemum greens for the first time this weekend — they taste like carrots, it’s great), and mushrooms.  I might do some meandering around U Street and rumor has it there’s a market in Mount Pleasant, so I’m going to investigate that this weekend.  The Washingtonian has decided to exacerbate this farmers’ market fascination I have by publishing a map pinpointing all of the markets in the NoVA-DC-Baltimore area that can also be viewed as a weekly schedule.  I’m really excited, although this means that I’m literally going to be market-hopping whenever I’m not at work.

21st Annual Taste of Arlington

Directly from the press release:

Taste of Arlington® is a mouth-watering event for the whole family that transforms the Ballston area into a lively street festival. Over 12,000 people from the Greater Washington, DC Metro area sample foods and beverages offered from 45 of the ”Best of the Best” restaurants in Arlington while listening and dancing to local entertainment, exploring children’s activities in the Kid’s Korner sponsored by the National Science Foundation and enjoying outdoor fun!

Admission is free! Booklets of twelve taste tickets are sold for $20.00 in advance or $2.00 each at the event. Virtually every genre of cuisine is represented: Italian, American, Mexican, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Irish, Beach Fare, Barbecue, Chinese, Indian, and most importantly desserts!

Discounted TASTE tickets go on sale March 17, 2008 right here on www.TasteofArlington.com!

Join us as we celebrate 21 years of this festive happening and help us support Community Residences Inc. and their mission of providing quality services that enable individuals with disabilities the opportunity to live as independently as possible in the comfort and safety of their own homes and communities.

Community Residences, Inc. is a leading non-profit organization providing housing, programs and services for individuals with intellectual, mental and physical disabilities, as well as the homeless in Virginia and Maryland.

Self-serve wine bar at Ceviche

Thanks to Levana for tipping me off about this.

Directly from the press release:

Washington, D.C.  - Ceviche Restaurant located at 2404 Wisconsin Avenue in Glover Park, has premiered the first self-serve enomatic wine system on its second floor wine bar.  Guests will be able to taste 24 varietals of wine by the ounce at the touch of a button.

The enomatic machine is a fully automated wine preservation system that dispenses wine via a wine debit card purchased by the customer.  Ceviche wine bar guests may select any combination of the 16 red and 8 white wines.  Tastes range from $1.50 per ounce to $10 per ounce, with an average per ounce price of $2.

The wine list will change frequently to allow guests to return and experience new regions and flavors.  Currently there are many Spanish, Argentinean and Chilean wines.

“It is a fun, interactive way to taste wine with friends. I invite everyone to come learn how to use the machine and explore Latin American wines,” says Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld.  “It’s like a toy for adults!”

Latin Concepts Chef Ismael Otarola developed a complementary menu that features cheese and charcuterie platters, ceviche samplers and various Latin American tapas.

The second floor wine bar will be available to rent for private parties, wine tasting and corporate events seven days a week between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. and some evenings based on availability.

Ceviche Wine Bar is under the Latin Concepts umbrella which includes: Ceviche Silver Spring, Chi Cha, Gazuza, Guarapo and Mate. All are owned and operated by restaurateur Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld.

Ceviche Glover Park is conveniently located on Wisconsin Avenue near the intersection of Calvert Street; between Georgetown and the Washington National Cathedral.  For reservations please call (202) 333.3877.

HOURS: 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday-Thursday; 4 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday; 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. Saturday; 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday

Weekly fun things

Courtesy of Metrocurean.

Tuesdays

Butterfield 9 on 14th and F Streets NW (near Metro Center and McPherson metro stations) has started a weekly lemonade stand happy hour on Tuesdays from 5-7 with complimentary snacks at the bar. The lemonade-themed cocktails, each selling for $10, include Lemonade Sunset with brandy and creme de cassis, the Brandy Apple Lemonade Cooler with cherry brandy and sour apple liquor, and the Verde Lemontini with vodka, triple sec, and parsley.

Fridays

The chef at Acadiana at Mt Vernon Square, a Louisianan restaurant by the owners of TenPenh, DC Coast, and Ceiba, begins its weekly crawfish boils this Friday and will continue through the summer every Friday from 3:30-6:30. Crawfish is $13/pound, shrimp is $17/pound, and both come with fresh potatoes and corn on the cob. Add a bucket of ice-cold Abita Lights for $12 and you’ll be full, tipsy, and really satisfied before sunset.