Ristorante Tosca

http://www.toscadc.com/index.shtml

I am glad I decided to add restaurants to this blog because I went out to dinner again just last night! It is Restaurant Week here in Washington, D.C. and I went to Ristorante Tosca with five of my friends. I have always wanted to try this restaurant and it exceeded my expectations. The meal was incredible. Tosca is truly fine Italian dining. The dining room is stylish and contemporary but comfortable. The food is elegant and sophisticated. All of their pasta is homemade daily. Lucky for us Tosca offered their entire menu for Restaurant Week (most places have a limited menu). However this made ordering that much more difficult! I decided to take advantage of the options (i.e. be a piggy) and forgo the traditional first course appetizer. Instead I went right to the good stuff and ordered a pasta dish, a fish, and then dessert. Excellent decision!

My selections:

• Tortelli di zucca alla Pavese con burro nocciolato, salvia e amaretti sbriciolati
• Tortelli filled with roasted butternut squash, sautéed with brown butter, sage and amaretto cookies

• Rana pescatrice arrosto in crosta di melanzane e timo su peperoni scottatie olio alle mandorle siciliane
• Roasted monk fish in a eggplant and thyme crust with sautéed peppers and almond olive oil

• Tortino tiepido al cioccolato bianco cpn gelato al cioccolato amaro e marmellata di arancini cinesi
• White warm chocolate cake with bittersweet chocolate ice cream and kumquat compote

The tortelli was my favorite. Since it was my first course, there were only four delicate tortelli, plump with butternut squash, served in a rich brown butter sage sauce. I could not imagine ordering an entire entrée of this dish. However I was VERY tempted to lick the plate when I was finished…

The monk fish was served with a thick crust of eggplant puree on top of sautéed peppers and oil. It was a simple dish, but quite rich.

I barely had room for dessert so it was a good thing I wasn’t crazy about the warm chocolate cake. I failed to notice the first word in the dish was “white” so I was surprised when a yellow cake with a custard filling was set in front of me. I despise all custard-like food so I was disappointed when a thick creamy filling oozed out of an otherwise tasty cake. So I essentially just ate the (delicious!) homemade ice cream with the kumquat compote (which would have made an excellent dessert in its own right without the cake!).

Overall it was a fabulous three hour dining experience with good friends, conversation, wine, and of course food :)

Jaleo

www.jaleo.com

So I have decided to expand my blog to include restaurant reviews. I love to eat way more than I like to cook so I think it is a fitting addition.

Tony and I went to Jaleo in Bethesda the other night for dinner. We enjoy this Spanish-style tapas restaurant and have eaten here on a number of occasions. However, this time we went as “mystery shoppers.” Tony signed us up with this company that compensates you for going to certain restaurants. All you have to do is go to a pre-selected restaurant on a designated date and fill out a rather comprehensive report online about your experience. It’s great! So we took advantage of our ($70!) credit and had an excellent meal.

We splurged and ordered a pitcher of white sangria. We usually just get the traditional red sangria which is amazing, so I was a bit hesitant to veer from the norm. However after hearing the bartender's description and watching him make it for someone else I was sold. They make it with sparkling white wine, brandy, vodka, vanilla liquor, LOTS of strawberries and fresh mint. It was delicious.

We then ordered the following array of tapas:

• Tomato bread with Manchego cheese
• Seared Tuna with sesame seeds and raisin sauce
• Monk fish with eggplant puree
• Brussels sprouts with dried fruit and pancetta
• Sirloin steak (I don't eat red meat so I don't recall the specifics!)
  

The tomato bread with Manchego is a MUST. We always get it. I really enjoyed the tuna- perfectly pink in the middle. I like monk fish, but neither of us were excited about the eggplant puree- it overpowered the fish in my opinion. We’ve been on a Brussels sprout kick for some time so we had to try the dish. The dried fruit added a nice sweet contrast to the sprouts. I assume the pancetta added an additional layer of saltiness, but since I don't dig pig I worked around it! Tony devoured the steak- however there was a mix up in the kitchen so he was salivating when it finally arrived. He was ultimately rewarded for his patience though as the waiter took the steak off our bill which left room in our budget for dessert! (not that any so-called budget would stop us otherwise)…. We enjoyed a mini chocolate molten cake with walnut sauce and a scope of vanilla bean ice cream. The cake was excellent in its own right- but the walnut sauce added a wonderful nutty layer to the chocolate flavors. Mmmm… I can still taste it!

Tomato Basil Soup

Initially I found a recipe for bread and tomato soup on epicurious.com which sounded very good. However, if I followed the recipe it would have been very bland- basically just canned tomatoes, broth and mushy bread. Not so good after all. So first I decided to remove the bread and use as croutons (as recommended in a comment to the original recipe on epicurous.com) instead of letting it dissolve in the soup. The soup still needed more, so I added an additional can of tomatoes (instead of the one can called for in the original recipe). Lastly, I went out on a limb and added the cream cheese. This could have gone one of two ways… but to my surprise (and delight) it was exactly what was missing! The soup is great and I am proud of myself for experimenting and straying from a recipe!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups day-old white bread, torn into small pieces
2 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
4 cups chicken stock
8 basil leaves, chopped into small pieces
¼ cup chive and onion cream cheese
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste

Directions

Heat the oil in a large, deep sauce pan over low heat. Sautee garlic 1-2 minutes. Add the bread, stirring until oil is absorbed and bread it lightly toasted. Remove bread and transfer to bowl.

Add tomatoes, chicken stock, basil, salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, than reduce heat. Simmer about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cream cheese. Puree with immersion hand blender. Serve with bread cubes and grated parmesan cheese.

Cheese Puff Egg Casserole

This is an old recipe from my mom! Perfect for a New Year's Day brunch with friends.


Ingredients
10-12 servings

10 eggs, beaten to blend
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese (3/4 lb.= 4 cups cheese)
2 cups cottage cheese
½ cup (1 stick) melted butter
½ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Lightly butter 9X13 inch oven-proof glass baking dish. Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Pour egg mixture into prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned and tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Serve immediatey.

Roasted Winter Vegetables

adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients

Serves 6

1 medium onion, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch wedges
1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch wedges
4 small turnips, peeled and cut in half
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
1 pound butternut or acorn squash, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
12 ounces brussels sprouts, cleaned and trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
Olive-oil, cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray two 12-by-14-inch roasting or jelly-roll pans with cooking spray. Arrange onions, turnips, carrots, squash, and brussels sprouts evenly in the two pans. Drizzle all with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and toss lightly to coat vegetables. Sprinkle each pan with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle rosemary and thyme evenly over each pan.

Roast for 25 minutes. Turn vegetables with a spatula for even browning. Cook until vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife, 15 to 25 minutes more (brussels sprouts may cook faster than other vegetables; if so, transfer to a serving platter, and keep warm until remaining vegetables are tender).

Cinnamon Chicken with Couscous and Dried Fruit

adapted from Bon Appétit (December 2005)

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
1 teaspoon ground ginger, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
¾ cup mixed chopped dried fruit (such as dried cranberries, apricots, and dates)
1 14-ounce can low-salt chicken broth
1 cup couscous
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint, divided

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon ginger. Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until skin is brown, about 8 minutes. Turn chicken and transfer skillet to oven. Roast chicken about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate; tent with foil.

Add onion to drippings in same skillet; sauté onion over medium-high heat until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add dried fruit and remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon ginger; stir to coat. Add broth; bring to boil. Remove skillet from heat, stir in couscous and 1 teaspoon mint. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Season couscous to taste with salt and pepper.

Mound couscous on platter; place chicken atop couscous. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon mint and serve.

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Martha Stewart Living

Gingerbread and chocolate= two of my favorite things! I made these for our annual Christmas cookie exchange. I was really happy with the way they turned out. The cookies were really moist and actually quite chewy! It was also the first time I used my Kitchen Aid mixer and since I made 4 dozen- it really made things a lot easier!

Ingredients

7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions

Line two baking sheets with parchment. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.

In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with wrap; refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2- inch balls; place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies.