Spring has Sprung at B&O Brasserie!

by Xani

The long days, the warm weather, the birds chirping (and the Birds fans cheering!).... you know it's springtime in Charm City!  And with spring comes the farmers' markets, wonderful new produce, and an exciting new menu at B&O Brasserie.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a Media dinner to check out the menu and the new chef at B&O.  As a longtime fan, I knew I was in for a treat.  What I didn't know was that Chef Brad Willits had transformed the menu and was going to dazzle us with fabulous new dishes.

Chef Brad Willits showing a big fish who's boss!

With all the new changes to the menu, some things remain the same.  B&O still boasts a cozy atmosphere and a focus on comfort food, and Master Mixologist Brendan Dorr is still behind the bar.  We tried three cocktails during dinner- a specialty happy hour cocktail (changes daily), the Free State Fizz, and the Coppertop.  As usual, each was unique and refreshing.  If only I knew what half the ingredients in the cocktails are!  This is definitely an operation that might benefit from an electronic tablet cocktail list (with links to descriptions of each of the obscure spirits- just a suggestion!)

While sipping our cocktails we were lucky enough to be visited by Chef Brad for a nice chat.  While he looks much younger than his 31 years, he clearly knows his stuff!  He gave us several recommendations for his favorite dishes, and we wanted to try them all.  In the end, we made some difficult choices and ordered.

For starters:

Burrata Mozzarella roasted hazelnuts / spring onions / fennel / balsamic / romesco
Smoked Shrimp Agnolotti sea urchin butter / carrot-cardamom puree / sea beans
Grilled Wild Boar Terrine pickled okra / parsley-grape fruit salad / mustard dressing

For mains:
Amish Brick Chicken 
jasmine rice / morel mushrooms / peas / smoked tomatoes / cider jus

Smoked Pork Shoulder 
plums / turnips / market beans / bacon jam

Cumin Dusted Heirloom Carrots 
yogurt-lime dressing

Burrata

Wild Boar Terrine

What a meal!  Of the starters, the terrine may have been our favorite.  Chef Brad describes it as his version of meatloaf, but it's meatloaf on a whole 'nother level.  Definitely not like grandma used to make (unless your grandma was a french charcuterie expert?).  The burrata had an amazing texture and a clean, milky taste, and the smoke shrimp agnolotti had us at "sea urchin butter"- perfectly sweet and smoky shrimp in delicate pasta, coated in rich uni butter?!  As Gob would say "COME ON!."  We even got a few tips from the chef on making our own uni butter at home- score!

Amish Brick Chicken 

Onto the mains.  Dave knew he had to have the brick chicken after Chef told us how many morels were in the dish- and it did not disappoint!  Not to mention crispy skin and a very generous portion of moist, juicy meat.  A winning dish, no doubt about it.  My smoked pork shoulder was smoky indeed- maybe a tad too much for my taste?  But the bacon jam just about made up for it.  I cleaned my plate hunting for the sweet, tender bacon nuggets. The cumin-roasted carrots were gorgeous- tender, multi-colored little gems packing a lot of cumin flavor.

By dessert the light was gone and so was any hint of restraint!  I tried the lemon-thyme donut and Dave had the creme brulee of the day, which happened to be cinnamon that night.  A few bites of sweetness and we were ready to roll our way out of there....

It was a delicious meal and a pleasure to meet Chef Brad and hear how passionate he is about what he's doing at the B&O kitchen- I am sure there will be many more exciting and delicious dishes to discover!

Thanks Chef and thanks to Amy at Profiles, Inc for the invite.

Hope all our readers are diving into spring!

Xani

A Treat by Any Other Name...

by Xani

Crisp Rice Treats.  You know what I'm talking about?  The treat that's been around for generations, requires 3 ingredients, and no baking?  Yeah, you know what I'm getting at.  Now, I don't really think the Kellogg legal team is going to come my way to shut down BCD just because I co-opt their product name incorrectly (and without permission).  But in this case I admit to using knock-off, Harris Teeter brand crisp rice cereal, and I'm proud of it!  The end result was a special, unique version of the crispy marshmallow bars, made for a very special cause!

I was enlisted to provide some treats for a PTA bake sale.  G is graduating from 5th grade (time flies) and the Spring carnival bake sale at her elementary school will help raise money for the 5th grade graduation celebrations.  The options were limited- I could sign up to bring cookies, brownies, cupcakes, or crisp rice treats!

Well, ever since EP and I delved into gourmet CR treats last year (we created salted caramel and toasted coconut chai flavored bars to give the audience when we participated in SHOW Baltimore) I'm always thinking of how we can kick the standard treats up a notch.

This time I wanted to keep the flavor light and spring-y, and kid friendly.  After I had such success using Fiore di Sicila extract to create Creamsicle cream puffs at our Citrus Celebration brunch, I thought it would make a perfect addition to the treats!

After adding about a 1/2 teaspoon of the extract to the double-batch of treats (this stuff is POTENT! use sparingly), I pressed them into the pan and, for a little extra somethin'-somethin', topped with some colored sugar pearls.

Has a treat ever been easier?  Or TASTIER??  These Creamsicle Crispy Treats are delicious, and Dave and I were literally covered in sticky marshmallow goop from licking the bowl and spoon.  Just a few drops of Fiore di Sicilia turns these treats from classic to smashing!

Sometimes, a treat by any other name tastes just as sweet... let's hope they sell out and raise a few bucks for G's school!

Happy Spring!
X

Master Recipe: Cast Iron Chicken

by EP

Cast. Iron. Skillet. The grand-daddy of cookware. For many years, I didn't have one of my own, but I know how great and versatile they can be, and how many delicious things can come out of them. For instance, we brought Xani's cast iron skillet to the beach with us this past summer (yes, along with 5000 lbs of beach stuff and lots of food, booze, and other kitchen tools), and we used it almost every time we cooked.

Only recently did I come into possession of a cast iron skillet.* I've wanted one for a long time but never got around to buying one, and I have so many great pans (gifts from the BCD parents, to be sure) that I didn't really need one. Now that I have my own, however, I can't stop using it and thinking of ways to use it - I want to make everything in it! Steak, corn bread, apple tarte tatin, fried chicken, buttery croutons for Caesar salad.

Advanced Intuitive Cooking

by Xani

These days, I don’t use many recipes.  For one, most of my cookbooks are packed away in a storage unit, awaiting their fate in a new kitchen (TBD).  There are millions of recipes at my fingertips on the internet, but I’m not using those, either.  Instead, I make up my own recipes as I go, also known as “winging it.”  Developing the “winging it” technique (mostly a combination of familiarity with basic cooking skills, with a little self-confidence mixed in) has been an interesting evolution in my cooking life.  I used to cling to a recipe like a life preserver, now I find freedom in trusting my instincts.

Now, that’s all well and good when you are talking about winging an omelette, vinaigrette, or other simple dish using a few pennies worth of ingredients. If it ends up terrible you throw it away (or give it to the dog) and start over.  But the stakes get higher when you are dealing with a pricey steak, or in this case, a veal breast.

The Cook's Treats

by EP & Xani

When you think of the flavors of Thanksgiving, you might think of rich gravy, tart cranberries, juicy turkey, brussels sprouts (with bacon, if you're doing it right), and sweet pies topped with whipped cream. We, on the other hand, identify Thanksgiving with one particular "taste memory": turkey tails.  Also known as the Pope's Nose. (Sorry, Benedict...you're outta here anyway.).

"Turkey tails? What the...?", we hear you cry. Well, something has to hold up all that plumage!

Citrus Celebrations

by EP

It's winter. Dreariness abounds. We are caught between the sparkly, gluttonous holiday season and the sun-shiny frolick-inducing springtime. The glimmer of hope in this time is the fruit of the "season": citrus. People always give me funny looks when I say grapefruits are in season right now, but it's true! In the US, citrus from Florida or California is as "local" as it's gonna get in February. And lucky for us, we LOVE citrus. Grapefruit is so hot right now, and its French name (pamplemousse) is possibly the most fun word to say - ever.

Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas!

by EP

Hanukkah is over and Christmas is upon us, but before I head up to Plympton, Mass. to celebrate Christmas with Xani and Dave and Dave's family (and eat, and drink, and eat), I wanted to share two Hanukkah meals that I'll be sure to remember for years to come:

DGS Delicatessen: During Hanukkah, I was able to visit a new restaurant in Dupont Circle called DGS Delicatessen.  I heard about its recent opening via Twitter (of course) and after one look at the menu, I knew I had to go.  The menu featured old-school Jewish goodies like kasha varniskas, chopped liver, flanken, kreplach, and knishes, but taken to a unique and/or classed-up level.  For example, the knishes are made with lamb merguez and lentils; the kreplach are filled with bacalao (salt cod); and the chopped liver is topped with gribenes (fried chicken skin leftover from rendering chicken fat - schmaltz!*)).

Sea Creatures Beware: It's Dad's Birthday

by EP

A few weekends ago, per our family tradition, we trekked out to Blackacre to celebrate BCD Dad's birthday.  Readers may recall that when it comes to celebrating Dad (either through his birthday or for Father's Day), we always feature his favorite crustacean: LOBSTER!

This year we decided to do things a little differently.  Instead of slaughtering giant 4-lb lobsters, we incorporated lobster into a sushi/sashimi course (which also featured obscure seafood ordered from Catalina Offshore Products) and a pasta course.  Here was the menu: