Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

We spent our weekend exploring Central VA. We visited the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, walked around Williamsburg, and spent Monday morning at James Madison's Montpelier. We also ate lots of delicious food (butterscotch scones, oysters, espresso oreo ice cream), produced a concert together (Well, Jack did most of the actual producing. I got to carry some coffee and soy milk for band members), and danced at a wedding to plenty of Justin Timberlake and Dre. Overall, the weekend was educational and so much fun, not to mention HOT!

The VA state bird...in salt and pepper form.

The Black Sheep.

The roaring Richmond metropolis.

Watching Stephen Kellogg.

Staying dry at Friday Cheers.

I know that guy.

Rad musician at the farmer's market

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts!

Lights inside VMFA

Montpelier

James and Dolley. What a cute couple- our tour guide said they wrote love letters to one another throughout their lives together.

Jack liked this black walnut tree. It reminded him of his "granddad," whose favorite ice cream flavor was black walnut. I thought it was nice that he was excited about it. 

Door to the garden.

Simple and Great

 The days are slowly starting to stretch out, as the sun lingers in the sky a little longer each night. It is my humble opinion that long, hot days in the sun are best ended with fresh vegetables on the grill. I fancy onions, squash, sweet potatoes, and pretty much anything that won't fall through the cracks of the grill. Corn charred on the grill is quickly becoming my latest obsession. I've seen recipes all over that feature everything from cotija cheese to mayo to lime butter. You can even grill the corn right in its husk. I like to remove the husks so the kernels can get brown and smoky. The result is perfectly tender, sweet kernels that can be eaten right off the cob. It's nice every now and then to discover something so simple that tastes so great.

Corn with rosemary butter.

Season liberally.

Happy in a Snap: Friday Cocktails

In my search for a fun and different FC, I looked no further than the pomegranate. The awesome company, POM Wonderful was nice enough to send me a few bottles of their juice to try. Having never sampled pomegranate juice (except maybe in the form of one or two pomegranate margaritas), I was really pleasantly surprised. It's super light and not overly sweet. I immediately started searching for fun ways to use the juice in a cocktail. While, I am dying to try the Pomtini, I was craving something a little more unusual this week. Enter the Pomegranate Ginger Cocktail. I set off to make a perfect pomegranate ginger simple syrup and ended up with an incredilbly thick substance. Needless to say, I let too much of the liquid from the pomegranate juice evaporate. When I went to mix my first drink, the syrup hardened up, on contact with the ice cold liquors. Not wanting to waste the valuable juice, I remembered a cocktail I had at Bang! in Charlottesville about a month ago. The bartender had taken a martini glass and striped it with honey. What a fun presentation with candy stripes for your cocktail glass. Cheers to that!

Pomegranate-Ginger Cocktail (adapted from Bon Appetit)

• 1 cup pomegranate juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/4-inch-thick slice fresh ginger

• 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup of pomegranate juice
• 1 ounce Cointreau or other orange liqueur
• Ginger Beer or Club Soda

Preparation

Boil first 3 ingredients in heavy small saucepan until syrup is reduced to 1/3 cup, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Cool. Or boil the syrup for a while longer until it's reduced to a considerably thick syrup.

Stripe glasses with thick pomegranate syrup. In a shaker, combine pomegranate juice, lime juice, Cointreau, and ice. Shake well. Strain into striped glasses. 

Merci

When my aunt sent me one of these for my birthday...

(It's a charming little egg separator, in case you were wondering), I thought it would only be appropriate to thank her for thinking of me. I may be a little bit tardy in sending my thanks, but this little offering should make up for it.
My Aunt Janet and I have quite a history. For several summers around the ages of 10-14, I spent a week or two up in Pennsylvania with her, my uncle, my grandmother, and three of my cousins. During those few short weeks, I learned to: pick the juiciest raspberries on the side of road, multiply (the 12 times table), cook in a cast iron pot set over a fire, correctly spell the entire Pledge of Allegiance, dance in plastic green hula skirts to Paul Simon, read some less than great books  (The Blossoms Meet the Vulture Lady?!), sport a bump-less ponytail, surf on kickboards in the deep end of a swimming pool, pretend I was a member of the 1996 USA gymnastics team, feel remorse for stealing Hershey's Kisses, do "colonial" activities, appreciate white peaches, run a successful lemonade stand...and the list goes on. What fun we all had in those summers before jobs and school and boys and real life. Not that I am complaining, but I do miss being 12 sometimes.

What is this humble little confection? Why, it's coconut toffee biscotti.

Biscotti is twice-baked.

Let's drizzle some chocolate on top, too.

Drizzling...

Close-up.

A perfect accompaniment to your morning, or evening coffee.

Auntie Janet, these are on their way to you!

Coconut Biscotti (adapted from Annie's Eats)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. coconut extract
1 cup flaked coconut
3/4 cup toffee brickle
3 oz. dark or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.  Set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, eggs, vanilla and coconut extracts.  Beat on medium-low speed until thick and smooth, about 2 minutes.  With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Fold in the flaked coconut and toffee with a spatula.
Turn the dough out onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.  Divide into two equal segments and form each into a log 1-inch deep, and approximately 4 inches wide.  (Be sure to leave room between the logs as they will spread during baking.)
Bake for 40 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack.  Using a serrated knife, cut the logs diagonally into 14-20 slices, depending on thickness.  Lay the slices on their sides and bake for 10 minutes.  Flip the slices over and bake for 10 minutes more.
Place the chocolate into a heatproof bowl.  Microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted.  Drizzle over the biscotti and allow to cool until the chocolate is set.

Girl Scout Drop-Out

I dropped out of Girl Scouts. Well, technically I dropped out of Brownies. I never camped out with a gaggle of 12 year-olds in the woods, got a first aid badge, or sold a single cookie. Somehow I still managed to have an undying adoration for s'mores: that perfect combination of lightly charred marshmallow sandwiched between two graham crackers and oozing milk chocolate. There's nothing like it anywhere. I found this recipe after reading a few variations. This one stuck out to me because of its simplicity. It tasted like...well, just a s'more with no bells and whistles and nothing fancy. This pie was just ooey gooey s'more-like perfection. If you also enjoy the campfire delicacy, you'll love this pie.

Graham cracker crust.

Chocolate pie base, pre-baked.

Torched Pie.

First Prize Pies’s S’Mores Pie (from The New York Times Magazine)
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10-15 graham crackers)
8 tablespoons melted butter
7 ounces milk chocolate, broken into chunks
1 cup heavy cream
1 egg
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water, divided
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.
1. Make the crust. Crumble graham crackers into the work bowl of a food processor and process until finely ground. Alternatively, you can put them in a bag and whack them with a rolling pin until finely crushed. Pour melted butter into crumbs and mix (hands are best for this) until the butter is fully incorporated and the texture is that of wet sand. Butter or oil a 9-inch pie pan and firmly press the graham cracker crumbs against the sides, then against the bottom of the pan (the underside of a measuring cup works well for smoothing the bottom crust). Chill for at least 30 minutes to avoid crumbling when serving.
2. While the crust chills, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare the chocolate filling. Put the chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan until scalded — do not boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 1 minute. Whisk the cream and chocolate together until glossy and smooth. Add a pinch of salt, then crack the egg into the chocolate mixture and whisk to fully incorporate. Pour into chilled crust and bake for 25 minutes, or until the filling is set but still slightly wobbly in the center. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
3. Prepare the marshmallow topping. Pour 1/4 cup water into the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the gelatin on top. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together the remaining 1/4 cup of water, sugar and corn syrup just until sugar is dissolved. Heat until a candy thermometer reads 260 degrees, or hard-ball stage. Remove from heat, turn stand mixer to medium speed to begin beating the bloomed gelatin, and slowly pour in sugar syrup, scraping any remaining syrup from the pan with a heat-proof spatula. Begin increasing the speed of the mixer, avoiding any splashing, and beat until the mixture is white, fluffy and tripled in volume. Add vanilla and beat for a few moments more. Pour the mixture onto the cooled chocolate layer, gently spreading it to the edges of the crust with a spatula. Refrigerate, uncovered, 30 to 60 minutes.
4. The last step: brûlée the marshmallow. A torch is best for this (a propane torch from the hardware store or a butane crème brûlée torch). If using a torch, clear the area of any flammable items, ignite the torch, and slowly wave the flame over the surface of the marshmallow until you achieve the desired level of toastiness. If you do not have a torch, use the broiler of your oven. Preheat the broiler, cover the edges of the pie crust with foil or pie shields, place the pie on a baking sheet and broil — watching carefully to prevent burning — for 2 to 3 minutes, rotating as necessary.
5. To slice the pie, it helps to dip your knife in hot water, then dry it with a towel. The heat facilitates easy slicing through the marshmallow layer.

Pizza Party

When we were in Napa in April, Cliff Lede Vineyards had brilliantly hired Knickerbocker's Catering to cook pizzas outside their tasting room. What a pairing freshly fired pizzas and excellent Cabernet Sauvignon make!
Knickerbocker's purchased an incredible (and portable) stone pizza oven, which cooks wood-fired pizzas in mere moments. Among the pizzas were a gorgonzola and fig, a pepperoni and artisan sausage, and my personal favorite the pesto with shrimp and paper thin onions. This past week, I broke out our old pizza stone and got to work recreating this tasty pie.

I used the arugula and basil pesto from this recipe. I then heated it with a little bit of half and half and about half a teaspoon of cornstarch.

I layered thin slices of mozzarella over the pesto, placed a few shrimp on top and then sliced a quarter of an onion super thin.

Bake at 450-500 F for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

So rustic and pretty.

Shrimp & Pesto Pizza (Inspired by Knickerbocker's Catering)

Ingredients

1/2 cup Pesto

3 Tablespoons half and half

1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch

3-4 thin slices mozzarella cheese

1/4 lb. fresh shrimp, shelled

1/4 onion, sliced thinly

Pizza dough

 Directions

Preheat oven to 450-500 F. If you have a pizza stone, put the pizza stone in the oven while it heats. Heat pesto and half and half over low heat until combined. Add the cornstarch and stir until thickened. Stretch pizza dough to desired size. Spread pesto on the dough. Place slices of mozzarella on top of the pesto. Place  shrimp and onions on top of mozzarella. Bake the pizza for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is lightly browned.

Blush and Bashful and Baked Bars

 

So, I've done a little bit of theater in my life, including musicals, plays, one-acts, and monologue competitions. At one point, I was certain I wanted to spend my twenties pounding the pavement in search of my big break. Well, it took me all of four months at an acting conservatory to decide I would probably be just as happy doing something else, and that acting was not my life. Don't get me wrong, I love being on stage and performing, but I am happy to keep my day job.
I recently auditioned for Steel Magnolias and was required to audition with a southern accent. Well, accents aren't exactly my strong suit. When I played Mary in The Secret Garden and Cecily in The Importance of Being Earnest, I worked diligently for months with my accent cds and the dialect coaches to muster up some semblance of a decent English accent. So, with just four days notice about the Magnolias audition, I was out of luck. My boyfriend, Jack, grew up in Birmingham, AL and has what I consider a charming southern drawl. When I asked him if I could practice with him, he replied, "Jenna, you have talked to me everyday for the past 5 months. If you can't do a southern accent at this point..." I know. He's so sweet. I think he was getting back at me for criticizing his poor English accent (oh, the irony). Anyways, I did get called back for Shelby, but ultimately the part went to this awesome chick with a stellar southern accent.
When I made these bars, for some reason I immediately thought of the south. This is the kind of dessert that would make Paula Deen blush. There is lots of butter, pecans, chocolate, butterscotch, marshmallows and even sweetened condensed milk, which I once heard her say she is tempted to drink right out of the can. Even though my skills in terms of accents are still a work in progress, I can make a mean southern influenced dessert any day of the week.

BAKED BARS (adapted from Baked: New Frontiers In Baking)

For the crust:
2 C sweetened shredded coconut
2 1/2 C finely ground graham cracker crumbs (about 20 crackers)
1 C unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
1 1/3 C pecans, toasted and chopped
1 1/2 C (9 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 C mini marshmallows
3/4 C butterscotch chips
3 1/4 C (26 oz) sweetened condensed milk


Make the Baked Bar crust:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Butter the sides and bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan or spray it with nonstick cooking spray (I lined my pan with foil before buttering- makes it easier to remove from the pan)

On a parchment-linedbaking sheet, spread out the coconut. Put the baking sheet inthe oven and toast the coconut until itstarts to turn golden brown, 7-10 minutes. Remove from th oven, toss the coconut, and return it to the oven for 3 more minutes.

Put the graham cracker crumbs in a large bowl, add the toasted coconut, and toss with your handsuntil combined. Add the butter. Use your hands to combine the mixture, then turn it out into the prepared pan. Using your hands, press the crust into an even layer on th bottom and up the sides of the pan. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to create a prefectly even crust.

Refreigerate the crust for 15 minutes, then bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let the crust cool completely.

Make the Baked Bar filling:
Increase the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

Evenly spread the nuts in the bottom of the crust.

Spread the chocolate chips over the walnuts, followed by the white chocolate, followed by the buttersotch chips.

In a steady stream, pour the sweetened condensed milk evenlyover the filling. Shake the pan very gently to make sure the sweetened condensed milk is evenly distributed.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, roating the pan evey 10 minutes, until golden borwn and bubbly. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into squares and serve.

Baked Bars will keep, wrapped tightly and at room temperature, for up to 4 days.

Oh, and while the huge bars make for dramatic pics, you will definitely want to cut these in half, or in thirds.

Hawaii in a Bowl

Last summer, my mom and I spent a few days in Hawaii together. We stayed in Waikiki, which was considerably less quaint than I anticipated. Still, we had so much fun driving around the island (away from the touristy parts), enjoying cocktails by the water, eating macadamia nut waffles, visiting the Pearl Harbor memorial, and dining at some of the really nice places on the island. One of our favorites is Roy's, which is a Hawaiian (and now international) institution. Roy Yamaguchi, a James Beard Award-winner opened the very first Roy's in Honolulu in 1988. The rest is history (33 locations, all over the world). The restaurant offers Asian/Hawaiian fusion and the result is really special. To begin the meal, instead of bread, generous bowls of edamame are placed on the table. These are not like any edamame I've ever tasted. Salty and spicy, and bursting with flavor. I have been thinking about those little nibbles since I returned from our trip. Finally, after long last, I tracked down all of the ingredients and found a pretty good recipe.

Wok-charred Edamame (from Three Dog Kitchen)

1 pound edamame in the pod
2 TB salt
3 TB sesame oil
2 tsp. finely minced fresh garlic
1 tsp. finely minced fresh ginger
1 tsp. white sesame seeds
1 TB sugar
1 TB soy sauce
1 to 2 tsp. shichimi (Japanese chili pepper, available at Asian grocery stores)

Heat a large wok over medium-high heat.   Add 2 TB of the oil and toss in the edamame.   Stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until well-coated with the oil.

Make a well in the edamame and add the remaining 1 TB oil, garlic, and ginger.  Stir-fry for 20 to 30 seconds, until barely light golden brown, then add the sesame seeds to the well.   Stir to mix evenly, coating the edamame.   Sprinkle in the sugar and toss several times, allowing the sugar to melt and glaze the edamame.   Add the soy sauce, shichimi and mix well.   Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, if necessary.   Transfer to a platter and serve immediately.