Soft Pink Wedding

I often say my favorite part of  doing wedding flowers is the collaborative process.  Each wedding has a different floral vision, I always enjoy and often am challenged uncovering this vision and then constructing it for the event.  I am in the process of getting organized for a wedding this coming weekend that is based more on foliage, berries and pods than flowers.  The colors are deep and the textures intense.  Anna's wedding a few weeks ago at the Four Seasons was had a very different feel– soft, light feminine, full and dreamy.

I enjoyed worked very closely with Kelly and Maria of Ritzy Bee on this one to realize the brides vision.  As always it is a joy to see how Kate Headley captured the day on film.

Muscadine

This time of year one my many favorite fruits, muscadine grapes as well as the variety of muscadines called scuppernongs are available.  On ocassion  I find them at farmers markets but they are more commonly at the grocery store since the majority are grown in Georgia and Florida.  The taste is more intense than most grapes and they have a thick skin with very juicy fruit. I prefer grapes with seeds, which the muscadine have, and recently I have had a hard time finding seeded grapes of any variety.   It does seem strange that with all of the information we now have about the health of eating grape seeds and their antioxidant qualities that they are becoming increasingly scarce.  It is easy to find grape seed extracts...but what if you want seeds with your grapes?

Another bonus with the muscadine is they are high in resveratol, another popular antioxidant of the moment.

Late September Dinner with Sommeliers

Dinner last night celebrated some great accomplishments on behalf of a bunch of outstanding sommeliers in DC.  A good friend of 1508 and wine enthusiast scheduled a dinner to celebrate his friends recent successes–  one just became a Master Sommelier, another guest just passed an exam which  qualifies them to sit for the Master Sommelier test in the future and yet another  recently won a sommelier competition in NYC...

The guests were a pleasure and came with wine.  As you can imagine the wine was plentiful and amazing.  A few standouts were 3 magnums:

Henriot, Champagne, Millesime, 1996

Domaine de la Mordoree, Chateauneuf-Du-Paupe, 2003

Chateau Cos D'Estournel, Saint-Estephe, 1986

We cooked the first pumpkin of the season, enjoyed  pacific chanterelles, pigs tongue and lamb from Eco Friendly Foods and vegetables from our garden at 1508 and the Farm at Walker Jones.

Dinner Sunday September 26, 2010

Passing

Pigs Tongue with Mustard, French Breakfast Radish and Wild Capers

Baked Carnival Winter Squash and Black Barley Gratin

Grilled Sirloin with Charred Onion and Marinated Fennel

Roasted Baby Beet

Okra, Eggplant and Peach Salad wrapped in Baby Collard Green

Roasted Tomato Soup with Parsley

Seated

Seared Scallops with Pumpkin, Sesame, Baby Leek and Arugula

Chard, Shallot, Baby Lima Beans and Chanterelle on Corn Cake

Lamb Chop with Fig, Kale and Basil Mashed Potatoes

Grayson Cheese on Cracker

Olive Oil Zucchini Cake with Frozen Rum Raisin

Small Chocolate Bites: Spicy Chocolate Almond Cookie, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Seed, Beet and Chocolate Cake

Take Home: Walnut Rosemary Bread, Beet Ketchup

One more 2010 summer wedding

I just got photos back today from one of my favorite couples that got married this summer–  they are gorgeous, the wedding was at the Four Seasons, used all sorts of purple and white flowers in multiple arrangements on each table, the bride and groom did several DIY projects that filled the celebration with personal touches... Thanks to Joe Shymanski for the images.

Hanging out on Sunday Cooking

Yesterday we spent a good part of the day cooking with a few members of the Walker Jones Farm community.  It was a welcome relaxing and recharging day.  Hanging out chatting, listening to music and doing kitchen prep work felt like the perfect remedy to the day in day out busy-ness that we all practice! The product of our labor will be part of the meal this coming Tuesday at the DC Public School Walker Jones' Back to School Night.  The school is the home of the Farm at Walker Jones where we have been working.  We are really excited that much of the meal that will be served to parents Tuesday night is coming from the farm– collard greens, beets and zucchini.  The meal is being prepared with a whole lot of help from our friends.

Yesterday we made beet ketchup and batter for a zucchini cake.  The tester recipe below for the zucchini cake we made vegan but the batter for the dinner was made with eggs.  If you want you can substitute the 1 cup of tofu with 4 eggs.

Walker Jones Farm Zucchini Cake (vegan version)

1 cup pureed silken tofu (can substitute 4 eggs)

2 cups sugar (we used a vegan cane sugar which is somewhat less processed than most granulated sugars and is also certified fair trade)

1 1/3 cups olive oil (you can taste this so use a good quality oil)

1 c whole wheat flour (we used a stone ground flour from a small mill that adds great taste and texture)

1 1/2 cups all purpose unbleached flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground clove

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon finely grated nutmeg

2 heaping cups shredded zucchini

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all the ingredients in a mixer and mix until just fully incorporated.  Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and spray with olive oil spray.  Spread batter evenly on sheet pan and cook until cake is slightly springy to the touch, about 20 minutes.

Family Lunch/Dinner Saturday September 18

I got to spend the whole day at the Farm at Walker Jones today with John and about 25 volunteers of all ages, harvesting beets, planting turnips and salad mache, weeding...

The weather was phenomenal.  Martin-Lane spent most of the day at ballet.  We all landed at the house around 4:00 happy, weary and hungry!

We threw together a quick lunch mostly with produce from our home garden at 1508 and todays picks from The Farm at Walker Jones...

Raw Green Bean Salad with Capers and Mustard

Wilted Beet Greens with Balsamic

Raw Pear and Cabbage Salad with Walnut Oil and Sherry Vinegar

Raw Shredded Zucchini with Olive Oil, Lemon Juice and Thyme

Cracked Wheat with Small Tomatoes and Sorrel

Red Lentils with Piccolo Basil

Small Beet and Chocolate Cakes

Passing Dinner, September 10, 2010

Most of our Home Restaurants are seated dinners.  We have done cocktails, a couple buffets, some lunches and breakfasts but last Friday was different.  We can seat 20 (once we pushed it to 22) at one table and a couple times have sat an additional table of 10 in the library.  The party last Friday was to celebrate a birthday and as the guest list grew it became apparent that a seated dinner would not be logistically possible.  We decided to do a whole passed dinner, some finger food other courses on small plates.  Throughout the evening we served courses as guests mingled, some sat at tables and others enjoyed the garden.  The format was perfect for the exuberant group. This time of year much of the produce comes from DC, both from the garden at 1508 and The Farm at Walker Jones.  Additional produce was from Path Valley Cooperative, Eggs from Whitmore Farms, Beef and Bacon from Eco Friendly Foods.

Friday Night Menu

Chilled Spicy Banana Melon Soup

Black Barley Risotto with Parsley

Green Beans on Bacon with French Breakfast Radish

Hangar Steak with Grilled Red Onion

Squash Blossom Stuffed with Summer Squash and Walnuts

Scrambled Eggs with Sorrel

Cipolline in Balsamic

Roasted Eggplant, Okra, Fig and Shallot Wrapped in Collard Green

Tomato, Corn, Baby Lima Bean Salad in a Spelt Foccacia

Pacific Halibut with Basil Mashed Potato and Chard

Jasper Hill Farm Cloth Bound Cheddar on Walnut Cracker

Peach Ice Cream on a Corn Cake with Popcorn

Mini Chocolate Cake

Spicy Chocolate, Almond Cookies

September 15, Shop at Whole Foods to Benefit Walker Jones

Over the last several months we have been working intensely on a farm on the corner of New Jersey and K Streets, NW.  The Farm is on the campus of the DC Public School Walker Jones.  It is for the school and the surrounding community.  About 2 months ago the nearly 3/4 acre plot was a grassy field.  On July 16 we began tilling and since then we have grown hundreds of pounds of food which we have shared with students and their families, made into school snacks, given to neighbors and donated to DC Central Kitchen.  We have gotten this far with no money exchanged, just help from volunteers and generous donations of seeds and other supplies. Next Wednesday September 15 Whole Foods is going to donate 5% of their sales from the P Street, Georgetown and Tenley Stores to benefit the Farm at Walker Jones.  This money will be a great boost and help us to further develop the emerging farm.  All shopping at Whole Foods next Wednesday will be greatly appreciated!!

Bread and Butter Style Zucchini

We picked squash today with the K-Kids we have been working at Walker Jones Farm. The Hydrid squash variety is nothing we would have chosen to plant, however after tasting the squash we are happy we did. We planted this particular variety of zucchini because the seeds were donated by Coach, a farmer who works for Whole Foods.  They went into the ground a little less than 6 weeks ago and we have already harvested well over 50 pounds!  Last week we made muffins for the kids at Walker Jones, Saturday volunteers (volunteer day his Saturday from 9-12) have taken squash home and tomorrow we will make mini pizzas for the Walker Jones K-class snack.  Tonight John pickled four large ball jars worth of the squash, some for the for the office of community outreach, some for K-class snacks later in the week. Bread and Butter Style Pickled Zucchini

Apple cider vinegar is a must when making bread and butter pickles. We did not use a recipe--our only measure was taste.

Basically what you need is about five pound of squash, 16 cipolline onions, one nearly full 16 oz jar of Bragg's apple cider vinegar, salt, sugar, tumeric and mustard seeds--We did not use any herbs because we wanted the fresh taste of squash bouncing off the high notes of vinegar but you could add some.

Wash squash well and pat dry and slice, about an 1/8 of an inch thick, place in a large bowl and set aside.

Peel cipollines and slice the same thickness as squash.

Place cipollines in a large pot.  Pour the vinegar over the cippolines. Bring the mixture to a boil, as mixture is heating add small amounts of the remaining ingredients: tumeric, salt, sugar, mustard seeds. Keep tasting and adding until you get the desired flavor.

If vinegar is too strong add water. Salt also cuts vinegar...

Once the mixture comes to a boil pour over the zucchini.  Use plates to make sure      that the zucchini is submerged in the pickling liquid.

After the zucchini cools to room temperature put in individual jars and refrigerate.

Sunday Salad August 1...after farming

Basically the last several months have been consumed with WJ Farm, a half acre farm at the corner of NJ and K Streets NW, that is on the campus of Walker Jones Educational Campus, a DC Public School.  The last couple weeks however have been obsessive–  a couple weeks ago after a whole lot of talk we finally broke ground and since that time I have spent as much time as possible at the farm.  This morning was beautiful and we arrived early, 6 hours flew by weeding and talking.  We were so engrossed that we did not realize how much time had passed or how hungry we were.  On the way home we stopped at the Bloomingdale Farmers Market and bought pretty much one of each vegetable available, all were made into a huge summertime salad which we enjoyed by the forkful on slices of left over bread I had baked yesterday.

Today's August Salad:

fresh butter beans (I covered these with water, brought them to a boil, cooked for about 2 minutes, drained them and immediately cooled them with cold water), sliced huge yellow and orange heirloom tomato, sliced white peach, lots of chopped parley and basil plus a little oregano from our garden, spinach, raw corn cut off the cob, sliced small cucumbers, sliced raw okra from our garden, great Italian olive oil, a drop of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste

All the ingredients were tossed together in a large bowl, seasoned and consumed.  This is my favorite summertime meal which is never the same twice.

If you have a moment and interest come check out The WJ Farm just to see what is going on or to work...Let me know when you are coming and I will meet you there.

Friday July 23, 2010

July is not the busiest cooking month for us which is always a bit frustrating because food is fantastic this time of year. Figs, greens, okra and herbs are coming from our own garden and the offerings from our friends at Path Valley Cooperative are extensive...I had a choice this week of 15 types of beets! We were happy to cook three times last week for enthusiastic eaters– 2 Home Restaurants and one Nomadic Restaurant. Below is the food and wine we served on Friday night.

passing Whitmore Farms chicken liver with garlic, lemon and fennel Whitmore Farms scrambled eggs and sorrel Whitmore Farms bbq rabbit Whitmore Farms grilled goat on kohlrabi Figs with cabbage and radish Chilled beet soup with cauliflower Stuffed squash blossom

Lavender Vodka Martini (Cuilleron) ROSE 'Sybel' VDP des Collines Rhodaniennes 2009

seated Eco Friendly Foods beef sirloin with tiny potato, fermented grains, chives and parsley (Pierre Gauthier) Bourgeuil "Vingt Lieux Dits" 2006

Purslane, tomato, peas, figs, green beans, corn, arugula and basil salad (DeAngelis) Passerina DOC Offida 2009

Pacific black cod, okra, eggplant, carrot, blackened onion and baby red kale (Regis Forey) Nuits Saint Georges AOC 2006

Ardrahan Cheese on a Walnut Cracker

Corn cake with raspberries, black berries, frozen maple syrup and caramelized pecans (Tissot) Cremant du Jura "Indigene" NV