Cocoa Mademoiselle

Georgetown Clyde's and a Two Week Hiatus

This past week Amy and I went to Clyde's on M. street for dinner. Our original intention was to try Old Glory Barbecue since I was really craving some pulled pork and cornbread, but when we got there, it turned out there was a wedding reception going on for the rest of the evening. 

I'd never been to Clyde's before, despite the fact that it's a classic. When you enter the restaurant, you can see why it's a Georgetown favorite - the wood paneling, the old-school aviation decor and the long bars. We were seated in a nice area in the back where there were sky lights, so I didn't have to do anything with the point and shoot I brought along, even though the tables were a bit cramped.

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Amy and I ordered the grilled pizza - mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, basil pesto and chanterelle mushrooms - as an appetizer which turned out to be surprisingly good. The exterior of the crust was really crispy while the interior still doughy soft and there was definitely a good glug of extra virgin olive oil in that pesto.

My entree was the chili-lime hanger steak with roasted corn, pico de gallo, and black beans. Though there could've been a bit more seasoning with the salad, the meat was perfectly pink and not stringy at all, which is usually a problem. Amy's grilled shrimp looked HUGE and delicious, although I didn't get to try any because I already had my own food to contend with.

Verdict: Clyde's is good, but not great. The ambience certainly gives the restaurant extra points, but I'm going to have to try their brunch before on deciding how I feel about the place.

Also, just wanted to mention that I'll be taking a two week hiatus from posting. I'm taking the LSAT on September 26 (LESS THAN TWO WEEKS HOLY CRAP AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH) and it's SERIOUSLY crunchtime for me. People keep asking why I'm taking it so early as a junior, but truth be told, I'll be graduating a year early (this coming May to be exact) and applying this fall. I have no idea what's gonna happen after I take the test (who knows, I might even have to take it again >.<) and I don't even want to think about it right now.

See you in two weeks! I'll probably cook/bake/grill/fry something to celebrate afterwards.

Lunch

Pan con tomate

Country bread
Extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
halved cherry tomatoes 
prosciutto

Slice bread, drizzle in olive oil, and toast in non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When toasted, rub lightly with clove of garlic and then sprinkle with sea salt. Take halved tomatoes and squeeze pulp onto the slices of bread. Top with sliced prosciutto.     

Gargantuan Coconut Cupcakes from the Barefoot Contessa

My relationship with Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten is rather complicated. Half of the time I want to strangle her for living in such a perfect little world - house in the Hamptons with a separate barn just for cooking, perfect fresh ingredients all the time, fashionable gay friends - and half of me shudders at the thought of a Food Network without her faaaaaaabulous presence.

I will say, however, that her recipes are probably the most reliable and most delicious of all the chefs on that network, except for maybe Tyler Florence who I like as well. Giada has been hit or miss for me, especially for some of her healthier dishes where the vegetables are just crying for a little something extra (read: butter) but Ina, with her "never hold anything back" food philosophy rarely disappoints. 

Case and point. These cupcakes. While they're certainly not health food, they're so goddamn delicious that you don't even care how many calories you're eating in butter alone. First of all, there's creamcheese frosting involved. Second of all, they're GINORMOUS. I really don't know how Ina manages to make only 18 out of that much batter. There's definitely enough for about 24! 

The first time I made these, I used her box mix. I know, shame on me. But when I looked up the recipe, it turns out the original isn't bad at all; there's just a couple extra ingredients that you have to get before you start making them. Also, just a note: MAKE SURE that the butter and cream cheese are actually at ROOM temperature. This was the second time that I didn't wait long enough (what can I say, I'm an impatient person) and the butter just broke up into little pebbly pieces and wouldn't cream well until another 10 minutes later anyway.

PS: IMHO, these trump Georgetown Cupcake's version. One thing I don't really like about their's is that the frosting is way too sweet. Teeth-numbingly sweet. These have a better creamcheese:confectionary sugar ratio that retains that tartness I lprefer.

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Ina Garten's Coconut Cupcakes

3/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 extra large eggs at room temp.
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

Frosting

1 pound cream cheese at room temp.
3/4 pound unsalted butter, room temp.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 1/2 pounds confectionars' sugar

preheat the oven to 325.

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar on high using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 5 min. With mixer on low, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter. Line muffin tin with paper cups, fill 18-20 cups to the top. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are golden and the toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before taking out of the pan and letting cool completely.

Meanwhile, make frosting. Turn electric mixer on low and cream together creamcheese, butter, vanilla, and almond extracts. Add confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth. Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with remaining coconut (which I forgot all about hence the lack of an apparent coconut crust in the photos)

The start of weekly roommate dinners

Last night was the first of our roommate dinners and we started off with the steak au poivre I used at the tapas party over the summer as well as some roasted thin asparagus with sharp parmesan. Everything looked so nice with the white porcelain dinnerware, new silverware, and lavendar tablecloth. Plus, I'm still loving the fact that our dinner table is located in the nook we have near the windows, which just makes everything even more cozy. 

Assuming that my roomies weren't just being nice, the dishes were a success despite the fact that the stove top I was cooking the steaks on wasn't even level. I hope they all get used to being my guinea pigs. 

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Steak au poivre

4 4 oz. steaks, I used rib eye but  New York strip or filet mignon would work beautifully as well
3 tablespoons butter
extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion,thinly sliced 
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/4 cup water
salt and pepper
minced parsley to garnish

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Pepper the steaks really liberally and salt as well. When butter is melted, turn heat to high and cook steaks. Leave for about 3 minutes. Remember: don't move the steaks once you've placed them in the pan. You want a good caramelized crust to form on the outside and shifting the steak just ruins that. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the meat has a small bit of resistance when press down on the center if you like your meat medium-rare (which is how it should be IMHO). Take out of the pan, cover with foil, and let rest. 

Pour excess grease or oil out of the skillet but leave the brown bits on the bottom. Add the remaining butter and stir until melted. Add the water and dijon mustard and stir, all the while scraping up the brown bits, which have all the great flavor from the meat. Add onions and cook until soft. Season to taste. 

Spoon sauce over steaks and garnish with the parsley. 

Roasted asparagus with parmesan

1 lb green asparagus
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Meanwhile, cut the woody ends off the asparagus spears. On a shallow baking pan, drizzle asparagus with extra virgin olive oil and season with liberal amounts of salt and pepper. Mix the asparagus well and then place in a single layer. Top with the parmesan and roast for about 25 minutes or until the asparagus are slightly brown.

A look at the new apartment!

So, FINALLY after two years of dealing with crappy Leo's food, I'm living in an apartment! The location is perfect; we're right in the middle of campus between the library and the brand new business building and we don't have to climb any stairs, which was my big worry especially while we were moving in. 

For some reason, our apartment is a lot larger than the others that I've seen and my roommates and I eventually concluded that it was probably originally for a handicap since the shower has one of those pull down seats and hand-held shower nozzles in addition to the shower head.

Pictures! 

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Also, the stuff from Crate and Barrel and Amazon has come in, which means our kitchen is more or less complete. There's a decent amount of counter space near the stove where I keep the cutting board for convenience and on the other side of the really deep sink, there's plenty of room for all the coffee and tea devices. I'm so excited about the food that's gonna be coming out of that kitchen this year. NO RAMEN WHATSOEVER. Unless there's a healthy amount of Sriracha sauce involved.

Korean Barbecue in Annandale, VA

Last night a bunch of us went to a Korean BBQ place called Honey Pig in Annandale, VA, about an hour's bus ride away from DC. I never knew this but there's a really big Korean community in that area; once we got off the bus, almost all the signs I saw had Korean translations as well. When we went inside the restaurant, there was pop music - Korean and American - blaring as loud as possible and tons of little bbq stations set up. The decor wasn't fancy or pretentious at all. In fact, it reminded of those little hawker stands in China where everyone just crowds around a table on makeshift chairs and just eats to their heart's content.

One of us pointed out the huge posters advertising their current sales (1 serving of barbecued pork belly for only 12.99!) but it turns out that those posters are always up to make the customers feel like they're getting a better deal. 

We were seated in the back of the restaurant, far away from all the really loud music, and give two grills. Because one of the girls, Yung, had been before, she suggested that we just get pork belly instead of beef, which apparently was only mediocre. And oh. my. god. Well, in all honesty, the plain pork belly wasn't that great; our lady didn't get a good first sear and some of it was overcooked, but whatever's in the spicy sauce of the second round, I LOVE. I'm willing to bet there's a healthy amount of gochujang in there and if that's really the case, I'm making some as soon as I get home. 

Honey Pig Gooldaegee Korean Grill
7220 C-Columbia Pike 
Annandale, VA 22003
703.256.5229

I'm finally living in an apartment this year and no longer living on the dreaded 10-meal-per-week plan! My roommates and I kinda lucked out; the space we're living in was originally intended for a handicap so everything is much more spacious than in other apartments. Pictures of our lovely kitchen will be up soon!

Only downside to cooking more; it turns out that the Safeway near campus was actually completely demolished over the summer, so the nearest grocery store is Whole Paycheck, ahem, I mean Foods. To save money, I may start getting groceries through delivery, which makes me sad because I love the experience of going to the supermarket. =/ 

However, I did receive a perfectly timed email from Crate and Barrel promoting it's outlet sale and ordered a bunch of white porcelain dinnerware as well as a hand mixer. Which means of course that I'll be whipping together some of the Barefoot Contessa's coconut cupcakes sometime this coming weekend. Yay for baked goods and anything with creamcheese frosting! My second sister Laura will be jealous. 

I'm going to try posting recipes regularly again now that I'm back at school and cooking more often. On my current to-do food list: something with salmon and something with asparagus. Maybe a dijon sauce thrown in there? Hmm.

Here are two more recipes from the tapas party that I promised. I first had the spinach dish at Jaleo in D.C. and I think it's part of the reason I recently overcame my aversion to green and leafy vegetables (yes, I was one of those kids). The toastiness and crunch of the pine nuts adds really great flavor as well, and plumping the raisins in the hot water beforehand makes all the difference.   

The shrimp was definitely the most popular dish of the night. We didn't even bother with transferring it to a nice serving platter; I just moved the hot saute pan from the stove and set it on the counter, right before every one attacked the garlicky olive oil with crusty slices of bread. I think we bought about 2 pounds of smaller sized shrimp, and within 25-30 minutes, we had eaten it all. It was so good that we couldn't even stop eating it even if we wanted to! It's also something that anyone, even complete kitchen novices, can make so if you've never cooked anything before, I HIGHLY recommend letting this be your first attempt.

Spinach with raisins and pine nuts

1/4 cup raisins
1 pound of fresh spinach, stems removed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pine nutes
salt and black pepper to taste

Soak the raisins in hot water for about 10 minutes, until they become plump. Wash the spinach, but don't completely dry the leaves. Steam in a large saute pan until they've become wilted and tender, less than 5 minutes. When the spinach is cooler, squeeze out all excess moisture and chop roughly. 

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, drizzle in olive oil over medium heat and add the pine nuts and raisins. Stir occasionally, until the pine nuts have become toasted and slightly golden. Add the spinach and sautee for about another 4-5 minutes until everything glistens. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot or at room temperature. 

Shrimp with garlic

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (it must be EVOO, the fruitiness really adds to the flavor) 
6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced as thin as possible 
1 pound peeled shrimp (in this case, it's better if the shrimp are on the smaller side)
coarse salt to taste (NO black pepper) 
chopped parsley for garnish

On medium heat, combine oil and garlic in a deep skillet or saute pan. When the garlic begins to sizzle and turn golden, add the shrimp. Cook and stir until the shrimp have become opaque. About 3-4 minutes. MAKE SURE that you don't overcook the shrimp, otherwise they get all nasty and rubbery and the dish is ruined (no pressure!). 

Stir in however much salt you want, garnish with parsley and serve immediately, directly from the pan. The sauce tastes AMAZING with good country bread. 

As promised, two of the many recipes from tapas at Phil's. 

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Sangria

1/2 cup sugar syrup (half part sugar, half part water, heated until sugar dissolves)
two bottles of fruit red wine or red Zinfandel (we used one of each and doubled the recipe)
juice of 2 lemons
2 oranges, sliced
2 lemons, sliced
2 apples, sliced
2 peaches, sliced
1 large bottle of sparkling water 

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher or large punch bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. Serve with ice.

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Patatas bravas

These are a classic tapas dish in Spain, and as with anything involving potatoes and extra virgin olive oil, they are so delicious without the heaviness of something deep-fried. Really easy to make too. They're traditionally served with a spicy tomato sauce and/or allioli, the garlic mayonnaise.

16 small red potatoes, quartered. Leave skins on.
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, or enough to coat all the potatoes
coarse salt

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put the potatoes in large pot and cover by 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil, and then turn heat to medium. Leave for about 20 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender. 

Transfer potatoes to a baking sheet, toss with the olive oil and salt, and spread into one even layer. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with tomato sauce. 

Tomato Sauce

2 cups plain marinara sauce
cumin, cayenne pepper, paprika to taste

Combine to personal taste and heat. 

My friend Phil recently got his entire kitchen renovated (it's soooo beautiful!) so a bunch of us invited ourselves over there to cook up some Spanish tapas dishes. Needless to say, after three hardworking, sweaty hours, and two rounds of delicious food (and before we were even able to get to the churros and Spanish hot chocolate), we were gut-bustingly full on gambas al ajillo (shrimp with garlic), patatas bravas (crispy, peasant-style potatoes dipped in tomato sauce), and other dishes. And I just wanted to thank everyone for putting up with me barking orders at them, especially Phil, who had his kitchen taken over by a food-obsessed mad woman and his parents who trusted that we wouldn't destroy their house, and Julia, who took all the pictures while I was running around the kitchen.  

Menu

• Spicy and candied almonds 
• Gambas al ajillo, shrimp with garlic
• Sauteed wild and cultivated mushrooms with parsley
• Patatas bravas, peasant style potatoes
• Pan con tomate, bread with tomato rub
• Espinacas a la catalana  (Spinach Catalan-style)
• Steak au poivre (which, yes, is French and really had no business being there but we needed beef)
• Sangria

The shrimp, potatoes, and steak (no surprise with this meat and taters loving group) were the biggest hits of the night but what made me happiest was everyone seemed to be eating everything. Even the spinach wasn't neglected. 

I wanted to post pictures from the entire night before getting to all the recipes, but stay tuned because they'll all be coming in soon!

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All moved in!

I'm finally living in an apartment this year and no longer living on the dreaded 10-meal-per-week plan! My roommates and I kinda lucked out; the space we're living in was originally intended for a handicap so everything is much more spacious than in other apartments. Pictures of our lovely kitchen will be up soon!

Only downside to cooking more; it turns out that the Safeway near campus was actually completely demolished over the summer, so the nearest grocery store is Whole Paycheck, ahem, I mean Foods. To save money, I may start getting groceries through delivery, which makes me sad because I love the experience of going to the supermarket. =/ 

However, I did receive a perfectly timed email from Crate and Barrel promoting it's outlet sale and ordered a bunch of white porcelain dinnerware as well as a hand mixer. Which means of course that I'll be whipping together some of the Barefoot Contessa's coconut cupcakes sometime this coming weekend. Yay for baked goods and anything with creamcheese frosting! My second sister Laura will be jealous. 

I'm going to try posting recipes regularly again now that I'm back at school and cooking more often. On my current to-do food list: something with salmon and something with asparagus. Maybe a dijon sauce thrown in there? Hmm.

Spinach Catalan style and Shrimp with Garlic

Here are two more recipes from the tapas party that I promised. I first had the spinach dish at Jaleo in D.C. and I think it's part of the reason I recently overcame my aversion to green and leafy vegetables (yes, I was one of those kids). The toastiness and crunch of the pine nuts adds really great flavor as well, and plumping the raisins in the hot water beforehand makes all the difference.   

The shrimp was definitely the most popular dish of the night. We didn't even bother with transferring it to a nice serving platter; I just moved the hot saute pan from the stove and set it on the counter, right before every one attacked the garlicky olive oil with crusty slices of bread. I think we bought about 2 pounds of smaller sized shrimp, and within 25-30 minutes, we had eaten it all. It was so good that we couldn't even stop eating it even if we wanted to! It's also something that anyone, even complete kitchen novices, can make so if you've never cooked anything before, I HIGHLY recommend letting this be your first attempt.

Spinach with raisins and pine nuts

1/4 cup raisins
1 pound of fresh spinach, stems removed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pine nutes
salt and black pepper to taste

Soak the raisins in hot water for about 10 minutes, until they become plump. Wash the spinach, but don't completely dry the leaves. Steam in a large saute pan until they've become wilted and tender, less than 5 minutes. When the spinach is cooler, squeeze out all excess moisture and chop roughly. 

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, drizzle in olive oil over medium heat and add the pine nuts and raisins. Stir occasionally, until the pine nuts have become toasted and slightly golden. Add the spinach and sautee for about another 4-5 minutes until everything glistens. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot or at room temperature. 

Shrimp with garlic

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (it must be EVOO, the fruitiness really adds to the flavor) 
6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced as thin as possible 
1 pound peeled shrimp (in this case, it's better if the shrimp are on the smaller side)
coarse salt to taste (NO black pepper) 
chopped parsley for garnish

On medium heat, combine oil and garlic in a deep skillet or saute pan. When the garlic begins to sizzle and turn golden, add the shrimp. Cook and stir until the shrimp have become opaque. About 3-4 minutes. MAKE SURE that you don't overcook the shrimp, otherwise they get all nasty and rubbery and the dish is ruined (no pressure!). 

Stir in however much salt you want, garnish with parsley and serve immediately, directly from the pan. The sauce tastes AMAZING with good country bread. 

Straightforward sangria and crispy patatas bravas

As promised, two of the many recipes from tapas at Phil's. 

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Sangria

1/2 cup sugar syrup (half part sugar, half part water, heated until sugar dissolves)
two bottles of fruit red wine or red Zinfandel (we used one of each and doubled the recipe)
juice of 2 lemons
2 oranges, sliced
2 lemons, sliced
2 apples, sliced
2 peaches, sliced
1 large bottle of sparkling water 

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher or large punch bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. Serve with ice.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Patatas bravas

These are a classic tapas dish in Spain, and as with anything involving potatoes and extra virgin olive oil, they are so delicious without the heaviness of something deep-fried. Really easy to make too. They're traditionally served with a spicy tomato sauce and/or allioli, the garlic mayonnaise.

16 small red potatoes, quartered. Leave skins on.
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, or enough to coat all the potatoes
coarse salt

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put the potatoes in large pot and cover by 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil, and then turn heat to medium. Leave for about 20 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender. 

Transfer potatoes to a baking sheet, toss with the olive oil and salt, and spread into one even layer. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with tomato sauce. 

Tomato Sauce

2 cups plain marinara sauce
cumin, cayenne pepper, paprika to taste

Combine to personal taste and heat. 

Tapas party at Phil's

My friend Phil recently got his entire kitchen renovated (it's soooo beautiful!) so a bunch of us invited ourselves over there to cook up some Spanish tapas dishes. Needless to say, after three hardworking, sweaty hours, and two rounds of delicious food (and before we were even able to get to the churros and Spanish hot chocolate), we were gut-bustingly full on gambas al ajillo (shrimp with garlic), patatas bravas (crispy, peasant-style potatoes dipped in tomato sauce), and other dishes. And I just wanted to thank everyone for putting up with me barking orders at them, especially Phil, who had his kitchen taken over by a food-obsessed mad woman and his parents who trusted that we wouldn't destroy their house, and Julia, who took all the pictures while I was running around the kitchen.  

Menu

• Spicy and candied almonds 
• Gambas al ajillo, shrimp with garlic
• Sauteed wild and cultivated mushrooms with parsley
• Patatas bravas, peasant style potatoes
• Pan con tomate, bread with tomato rub
• Espinacas a la catalana  (Spinach Catalan-style)
• Steak au poivre (which, yes, is French and really had no business being there but we needed beef)
• Sangria

The shrimp, potatoes, and steak (no surprise with this meat and taters loving group) were the biggest hits of the night but what made me happiest was everyone seemed to be eating everything. Even the spinach wasn't neglected. 

I wanted to post pictures from the entire night before getting to all the recipes, but stay tuned because they'll all be coming in soon!

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer