Erin Go Bragh: Twists on Cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day

March 17, 2014April 30, 2014 by Rebecca Penovich | 6 Comments

Powerscourt House outside of Dublin. Built in 1730 by the 1st Viscount Powerscourt, it stands on the grounds where a 13th-century castle once was. Photo credit: Connie Abbott-Foster

I am Irish (and Scottish) on my mother’s side. My maternal grandmother, Nell Marie Taylor’s (b. 1892 – d. 1990) Protestant parents migrated from Scotland to Northern Ireland and then to America and settled in Chillicothe, Ohio where she was born in 1892. She married Frank Cullen whose grandfather and uncles emigrated from Ireland during ‘the great hunger.’ Frank’s father owned a broom straw farm in southern Illinois and he and Nell met at church supper in 1922.

I grew up in St. Paul which has a large Irish contingent and I remember the St. Patrick’s Day Parade downtown was a big deal. No where near as big as Chicago or NYC’s celebrations, but a big deal nonetheless.

Old men would wear the green top hats emblazoned with ‘Erin go Bragh’ in gold or silver glitter and I remember asking my mom what that meant. She said it means “Ireland forever.”

If I were a Celtic person 800 years ago standing on this same spot, I would be thinking of heaven and eternity too.
Photo credit: Connie Abbott-Foster

My sister recently honeymooned in Ireland, traveling all over the island, and she shared some of her favorite photos and places with me for this post. She had a grand time and fell in love with the country, the scenery, the people, their history, and the food. Must be in the blood I say!

Lovely profusion of flowers.
Photo credit: Connie Abbott-Foster

I don’t recall that we made a big deal of the holiday at home and don’t have any memories of Irish food in particular that my mother would make. If she made cabbage, I’m sure I didn’t eat it because at the time I was very, very picky.

These days I like cabbage and this recipe from Food 52 for Suspiciously Delicious Cabbage is wonderful. Shredded green cabbage caramelizes slowly in butter and the grated fresh ginger melts into the creamy sauce. Fabulous with a roast chicken or pork loin. One of my favorite bloggers, Five and Spice, developed the recipe and her husband provided the moniker ‘suspiciously delicious’ because he couldn’t believe there was no meat involved, it had so much rich, umami flavor.

Try it!

Kylemore Abbey, a Benedictine monastery founded on the grounds of Kylemore Castle in Connemara, County Galway.
Photo credit: Connie Abbott-Foster

A fun take on corned beef and cabbage is this recipe for Reuben Dip from Closet Cooking. I have made this before for a catering gig (graduation party) and it was a big hit. Keep it hot in a chafing dish or small crock pot or fondue pot.

Many recipes will tell you to use bottled Thousand Island dressing which I find too sweet. Closet Cooking’s recipe above makes his own Russian Dressing. I don’t bother to make the corned beef homemade as he does (it just makes too much), so I buy 1/4 – 1/2 pound sliced corned beef from our favorite deli depending on how much dip I need to make.

Easy!

Tea and pastry shop in Ireland.
Photo credit: Connie Abbott-Foster

Thank you Connie Abbott-Foster for the pictures!

NOTE: From Wikipedia on translation of ‘Erin go Bragh.’ “The term brách is equivalent to “eternity” or “end of time”, meaning the phrase may be translated literally as “Ireland until eternity” or “Ireland until the end (of time).”

Lovely shamrock plant from my good friend, Adrienne, who is from Ireland. Photo credit: Rebecca Penovich

Cemetery where my favorite Irish poet, W.B. Yeats, is buried.
Photo credit: Connie Abbott-Foster

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Now should I go make a green cake?

St. Valentine’s Day – Sparkling Wines That Will Delight You

February 14, 2014 by Rebecca Penovich | Leave a comment

Happy Valentine’s Day from Corks & Cake!
Photo credit: Rebecca Penovich

I’ve done some research for you, dear Corks & Cakers, just for you.

Yes, tasting sparkling wines from around the globe. Some one has to do it, no?

Here we have 5 sparklers to recommend for Valentine’s Day (or any day) that will delight you without causing you pain and regret in your pocketbook. (Not that I ever regret Vieuve Clicquot, mind you.)

These wines from Germany, Spain, France, Washington, and California are delicious and not expensive. They are not too sweet or sour (like some inexpensive wines are) and will easily match with your Valentine’s day treats, whether they be salty or sweet.

Photo credit: Rebecca Penovich

NV Schloss Biebrich Sekt, Germany

A remarkably drinkable wine at a STEAL for $3.99-5.99 depending on your Trader Joe’s location. Bright and floral, modest apple aroma, warm pear flavors.

Great to drink by itself or to buy by the case and have a mimosa or bellini party for a crowd.

I recently saw a brunch idea in a magazine where the hostess set out crystal pitchers of assorted fresh juices on a tray: orange, blood orange, cranberry, peach, pomegranate and guests could mix their own custom mimosa. Fun!

Vintage valentines are awesome.

Michelle Brut from Chateau St. Michelle

Washington

$11.99

From the winery’s tasting notes: This sparkling has delicate flavors of apples and citrus and lively acidity. Try it with spicy fries, artichoke or cheese dips, calamari, salty snacks.

Yum! Sparkling wine does go well with salty snacks and I like to pair a good bottle with humble and easy crunchies like popcorn, potato chips, salted peanuts, or (my fave combination), Fritos! Try it.

Photo credit: Rebecca Penovich

Blason de Bourgogne Crémant de Bourgogne Cuvée Brut Reserve

France

$10.99, Trader Joe’s

Made in France from the same varietals used to make Champagne and produced in the champenoise methode. For the quality and the price, Crémant is hard to beat. Elegant and flavorful, pear, apple, bubbles easy to drink and light on the tongue.

Biutiful, Cava Brut Nature

Spain

$9.99

Lively acidity and flavors of toast, apple, pear, and citrus. Try it with goat cheese-stuffed dates or dates wrapped in bacon and broiled.

I love tulips more than roses for Valentine’s Day.
Photo credit: Rebecca Penovich

Domaine Carneros Brut Cuvée

California

$21.99

The most expensive of the bunch, but priced well under French champagne, Domaine Carneros Brut Cuvée is an award-winning wine from California that can hold its own against the French. “Festive and vibrant with bright aromas of fresh cherry and lemon, raspberry, pear and crisp mineral. Drink now”.

91 Points, Wine Spectator: Domaine Carneros, 2006 Brut Vintage Cuvée – November 2009

Best U.S. Sparkling Wine – Food & Wine Magazine, October 2009

This is the wine I would savor as an apéritif with an elegant smoked trout or smoked salmon paté on a cracker.

Cheers and happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! Photo credit: Allison Beuker Photography

Red velvet cupcakes with buttercream frosting would be a perfect treat for your Valentine.
Photo credit: Allison Beuker Photography

Strawberry ‘Carpaccio’ with Ginger Creme Anglaise & Balsamic Syrup

February 11, 2014 by Rebecca Penovich | 3 Comments

Photo credit: Rebecca Penovich

This dessert looks so fancy yet it is very simple. I loved the combination of ginger cream with the strawberries and the pop of balsamic syrup. In fact, I loved the ginger cream so much I ate it with a spoon like crème brûlée.

You could even serve this at breakfast (with or without the balsamic syrup). Simply provide the crème anglaise in a little pitcher and let your guests pour it over their sliced berries.

Photo credit: Rebecca Penovich

Ingredients

8-10 fresh whole strawberries (to serve 2 guests)
drizzle of balsamic syrup (I used Isola Imports ‘Classic Cream with aceto balsamico Di Modena’)
1 batch of crème anglaise (recipe follows) (you will have extra leftover, eat it with a spoon out of the fridge!)

You can buy this in grocery stores or you can make your own by reducing balsamic vinegar. Be sure to use the highest quality balsamic vinegar from Italy that you can afford. It makes a difference!

You can buy this syrup in grocery stores or you can make your own by reducing balsamic vinegar. Be sure to use the highest quality balsamic vinegar from Modena, Italy that you can afford. It makes a difference!

I took the time to hull the strawberries very carefully in a ‘V’ pattern because I wanted the slices to look like hearts.

After hulling the tops, I sliced each strawberry in half lengthwise. With my sharpest knife I sliced each half into thin slices and laid them flat on a serving plate as you would carpaccio.

Not all your slices will turn out perfectly. But that’s okay! I saved my ugly slices and hunks and put them in a bowl and drizzled them with the ginger cream as a cook’s treat.

In fact, you don’t need to be persnickety about slicing at all – I was going for a Valentine’s day effect for the picture.

Ingredients

For the crème anglaise:

This recipe is from Gourmet January 1998 via Epicurious.com

a 4-inch piece peeled fresh gingerroot (or 1 teaspoon fresh ginger paste)
1 cup half-and-half
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar

Directions

Cut gingerroot into 4 pieces and smash with flat side of a knife.

In a small heavy saucepan bring half-and-half and gingerroot just to a simmer over moderately low heat, about 10 minutes (do not let boil). [NOTE: Or use 1 teaspoon of refrigerated ginger paste from a tube and add that to the half-and-half.)

While mixture is heating, in a bowl whisk together yolks and sugar until smooth.

(If you’ve used gingerroot pieces, fish them out and discard when half-and-half is warm and infused. If you’ve used ginger paste you can leave that in as it will melt into sauce.)

Add hot half-and-half mixture to the egg yolks in a slow stream, whisking constantly, then transfer custard back to pan.

Cook custard over very low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon about 5 minutes until it thickens slightly (do not let boil).

Pour custard through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and cool. (Crème anglaise may be made 3 days ahead and chilled, covered. Bring crème anglaise to room temperature before serving.)

Photo credit: Rebecca Penovich

Spread 1-2 tablespoons of the ginger creme anglaise on a dessert plate (the amount will depend on the size of your plate.

Then carefully arrange the strawberry slices in a circular pattern until the entire plate is covered.

Drizzle the balsamic syrup lightly across the strawberries in a decorative pattern (a little syrup goes a long way.)

Enjoy with your Valentine!

Photo credit: Rebecca Penovich

Here’s a quick video tutorial from Epicurious to show you how to make a créme anglaise without curdling the eggs. It’s important to not overcook the cream and to temper the eggs before adding them back to the cream. Once you have the hang of it, you are set to make all kinds of custard desserts.

Indian-Inspired Ground Turkey Curry Samosas

January 11, 2014January 11, 2014 by Rebecca Penovich | 2 Comments

We cannot resist samosas when dining at an Indian restaurant and I wanted to try to make them at home. I wanted to find some acceptable shortcuts to the traditional Indian recipe as I was going to make these for New Year’s Eve appetizers to bring to a party and didn’t want to deep-fry.

I adapted this Jean-Georges Vongerichten recipe for chicken samosas so that instead of deep-frying in spring roll wrappers I could use Trader Joe’s all-butter puff pastry and bake them.

I simplified the spices to reflect what I had on hand and added potatoes sautéed in turmeric oil to give them some East Indian flair. I made them appetizer-size and I used ground turkey instead of chicken. I didn’t have whole cumin seeds to toast and grind, and didn’t have tamarind paste or diced tomatoes so I improvised. And I added garam masala to take them in a more Indian direction.

Isn’t that annoying? I always want to reference a recipe that I start out with (out of respect, politeness, giving credit where credit is due), but I so often change, substitute, adapt, or improvise off the written script that the recipe is almost reinvented.

I share my reinvented recipe with you below (and link to the original inspiration above, so you can try both if you like!)

Happy New Year!

I used ground turkey that I had defrosted. (The photo shows the 3-pounder behemoth I purchased on sale; I only used 1 pound of turkey for these appetizers.)

Because the holidays were so busy and I was making a lot of consecutive dishes, I did this in steps over a couple of days so I would not lose my mind. But it is really easy enough to do all at once.

Step 1: Make the turkey and spice filling. (Keeps for 5 days.)

Step 2: Make the cilantro yogurt dip. (Keeps for 3 days.)

Step 3: Make the turmeric potatoes and add to turkey mixture. (You can do this 1 day ahead before you assemble and bake the samosas. You could opt out of the potatoes if you are pressed for time; the ground meat mixture is good.)

Step 4: Assemble and bake the samosas. (Serve that day.)

Since I was taking them to a party in the neighborhood, I baked them and took them right over. They were good at room temperature. Awesome right out of the oven. Perfectly fine for my husband’s snack after errand-running, reheated in the toaster oven at 350°.

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey
3 T. canola or vegetable oil
1 cup diced red onion
1 large russet potato, peeled and chopped into bite-sized chunks (about 1/2 inch) (OPTIONAL)
1 T. peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 T. minced garlic
1 T. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric powder (divided, 1/2 tsp. for the ground meat, 1 tsp. for the optional potatoes)
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 T. Trader Joe’s dry chili paste
1/4 C. chicken broth
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
1 T. fresh lime juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Heat 2 T. oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring, until translucent and softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.

Add the coriander, turmeric, cayenne, and ground cumin and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.

Dissolve the dry Trader Joe’s Thai dry chili paste in 1/4 C. of chicken broth. Add that mixture to the onions and aromatics in skillet. [NOTE: This product is made with dried mushrooms and tamarind paste. Since the Chef’s recipe called for 1 T. of tamarind paste and I didn’t have any, this was a good substitute. I think you could leave it out but it would have a less authentic Indian restaurant flavor.]

Add the ground turkey and cook, stirring, until the meat is completely cooked through (no pink) and broth has evaporated, about 7-8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper; stir in the fresh cilantro and the lime juice.

Remove from the heat, and cool to room temperature.

This is a mixture of dried mushrooms, tamarind paste, coconut sugar, dried chili, lemongrass, garlic, shallot, and soy sauce. It is a handy condiment to add Asian flavor to your stir-fries and curries.

OPTIONAL POTATOES: Place chopped potato in medium saucepan and cover with cold water, add a healthy pinch of salt to the water and bring the potatoes to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer potatoes until soft enough to fall off when pierced by a fork, about 7 minutes.

Drain potatoes in a colander and return to the saucepan. Place over low heat and let potatoes dry out their moisture, shaking the pan, 2 minutes.

Heat the remaining T. vegetable oil in skillet over medium heat and add 1 tsp. turmeric to the oil, stirring to color the oil, 1 minute.

Turn potatoes into skillet and sauté, tossing to coat with turmeric oil, 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Take off heat, and let cool. You can add the potato mixture to the turkey mixture and let flavors meld overnight.

Defrost the puff pastry according to the package directions. (You can do this overnight in the fridge or for several hours on the counter at room temperature, plan accordingly!)

Place a defrosted sheet on your lightly floured board or counter.

Cut the sheet into fourths and then cut each square on the diagonal to make a triangle. [NOTE: This will give you luncheon-size samosas as in the photo. I tested this recipe twice–the first time I made them for lunch; the second I cut the pastry smaller and baked them for the party.) For appetizer-size, cut the triangles on the diagonal to get smaller triangles (about 3 inches).

Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each triangle and fold the point over to reach the other point. Seal the edges by pressing down with your finger.
Preheat oven to 400 ° and bake samosas until golden, 18-20 minutes.

Cilantro-yogurt dip:

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
¾ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar, plus more to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

To make the dip: Put the cilantro leaves in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the yogurt, lemon juice, and sugar. Stir well, season with salt, pepper. You can also add heat with a chopped jalapeno or with a dash of cayenne. We were serving children at the party so I left the dip mild.

Enjoy memsahib!

A Traditional Christmas Panto

December 30, 2013December 1, 2023 by Rebecca Penovich | 1 Comment

Pantomime is an eccentric British theater institution. Usually performed at Christmastime, pantomine (slang, panto) emerged during the Restoration with roots in the commedia dell’arte of Italy. By the beginning of the 19th century, this wonderfully strange, campy, corny, quirky mix of musical comedy and fairy tale had become a tradition.

Young Queen Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret performed in these musical comedy stage productions around Christmas and New Year’s, as pantos were a big part of their holiday celebrations at Windsor Castle, where they lived after evacuating from Buckingham Palace during wartime.

John, Joe and I attended our first Christmas panto in England at a village theater in the north. Pantomimes rely heavily on audience participation (that’s a main part of the fun) and when the lead character called for a TALL volunteer, we pushed John into the fray. He played a door and a Christmas tree, much to his chagrin and our glee. Later on in the village, we passed two children in the shops who pointed at John and said, “Look mummy! It’s the door!”

JP endures the indignity of being a prop in the 2008 panto in England.

Back at home in Maryland, we have the beginnings of a new Christmas tradition with our friends, Chris and Adrienne Harrington. The British Players (formerly The British Embassy Players) mount a Christmas pantomime production at the Kensington Town Hall each year. This year was Cinderella, a traditional British panto directed by Charles Hoag. Chris purchased a passel of tickets for several friends and their children and away we went. After the play we adjourned back to our house for dessert and hot chocolate.

I arranged an assortment of cookies and treats in various shapes, sizes, and flavors beforehand on the buffet, making sure to include everyone’s favorites. The spread featured delightful options like chocolate cookies on Christmas, adding a festive touch to the holiday dessert selection.

I knew I wanted an abundance of offerings but couldn’t make it all, of course, so I baked some homemade cookies and bars and rounded it out with my favorite seasonal treats from Trader’s Joe’s.

Homemade:

Dried Cranberry and Chocolate Cookies

These are everyone’s absolute favorite cookie. I think I made at least 9 dozen throughout the Christmas holiday to eat and give as gifts.

Chinese Chews

I found the recipe at one of my new favorite blogs, She Wears Many Hats. This is a vintage recipe, dating back to the 1900s, but no one seems to know why they are titled ‘Chinese.’ Some recipes call for dates and walnuts, but I followed She Wears Many Hats and made these with just pecans. They were like a blondie without chocolate. Chewy in a good way with lots and lots of brown sugar.

I made a batch of Sugar Cookies with Sprinkles for those who don’t like chocolate or nuts. I can’t say I was blown away with them (why are sugar cookies so hard to get right?) so no recipe to recommend.

From the store:

We love Trader Joe’s.

(Left: Pepperidge Farm Pirouettes with Chocolate and Hazelnut. (Top to bottom: Trader’s Joe’s English Toffee, Trader Joe’s Caramels with Fleur du Sel, Trader Joe’s Jo Jo Cookie Assortment (like chocolate-covered Oreos).

And Walker’s Shortbread (our favorite at Christmastime.)

Everyone at our house gets shortbread in their Christmas stocking.

We decorated the front porch with candy canes, garland and mini trees.

And a lovely guest brought the cutest miniature mince pies–an English tradition!

Another lovely friend brought a big bowl of Chocolate Mousse and the children had hot cocoa with mini marshmallows and candy canes.

Santa made an appearance.

We had some savory treats also (because I like salty and crunchy better than sweet.)

Keeping it English, I put out a Stilton and a 5-year aged white cheddar (both from Trader Joe’s cheese section.)

We passed around a bowl of Spiced Pecans and a bowl of smoked almonds, both excellent with the various sparkling wines we served.

Schloss Beibrich Sekt is a wonderful sparkling wine from Germany. A great buy. Michelle Brut from Columbia Valley in Washington State another lovely find!

And let’s not forget my favorite potato chip: Kettle Brand Salt and Pepper Chips. Because it’s not a party without a potato chip, in my opinion, but are kettle chips healthier than the others?

We served an assortment of beverages, including lemonade, Pellegrino, Coke and Diet Coke, Capri Suns for the kids, white and red wines and IPAs for the adults.

I had planned to offer coffee and put out the china cups and saucers beforehand, but we totally forgot to brew it or offer it. Since the play didn’t wrap up until 9:30 pm, this was a late party and no one asked for coffee as I’m sure they wanted to go to sleep at midnight with visions of sugar plums in their heads.

The marvelous tree at Kensington Town Hall, large and festive.

Hope everyone had a happy Christmas! Thank you, Chris and Adrienne for the panto tickets and the lovely new Christmas tradition.

Cheers,

Rebecca

Don’t Throw Out That Turkey Carcass! Gumbo

December 7, 2013December 7, 2013 by Rebecca Penovich | Leave a comment

Don’t throw out that turkey carcass–make gumbo!

Ingredients

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup bacon fat (or vegetable oil)

2 large yellow onions, chopped

1/2 cup chopped green onions, white and green parts (save the green for garnish)

1 large green pepper, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

14 ounces of smoked sausage, cut into rounds (I used polska kielbasa but andouille is more gumbo-authentic)

4 cups of shredded turkey meat from the carcass, white and dark meat

1 picked-over turkey breast carcass (14-16 lb.)

12 cups of chicken stock (enough to cover carcass in your large stock pot)

2 bay leaves

1 bunch flat Italian parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons thyme (dried or fresh)

3 tablespoons filé powder

Salt and pepper to taste (don’t underestimate the need for salt, start with a healthy pinch and taste and correct as your gumbo cooks down)

Hot sauce for the table

Steamed white rice to accompany

Directions

Heat the bacon fat til hot but not smoking in a large heavy-bottomed stock pot and add the flour, whisking constantly. Cook the roux at medium-high heat for 10 minutes, whisking constantly so it doesn’t burn. Roux should be a caramel color.

Add the chopped onions and sauté until softened. Add celery and green pepper and sauté until softened. Add the chopped garlic and sauté (do not let garlic scorch.) Add the rounds of sausage and sauté til browned.

Add the turkey carcass. (My carcass was just the breast because I braised the Thanksgiving turkey legs separately and those bones were gone.) Smash it down somewhat in the pot and add the chicken stock. (I used the braising liquid leftover from the turkey legs and added Swanson’s chicken broth to top it off. )

Add the leftover turkey meat. Add the bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours.

Remove the carcass. Taste and adjust the seasonings (add more salt, pepper, thyme). Add the chopped parsley. Add 3 tablespoons of filé powder and simmer slowly, stirring until slightly thickened.

Serve over white rice, with your family’s favorite hot sauce on the side.

Ghouls and Goblins: Halloween Party!

October 23, 2013 by Rebecca Penovich | Leave a comment

Back when I was single, I have to admit I thought Halloween was annoying. You have to go buy candy that you don’t want. You have to answer the doorbell that is interrupting your evening. You would rather turn off the lights or go out.

Now that I’m a parent Halloween is unavoidable. And I have to admit, I love the creative aspect of it. I find myself completely immersed in pinning Halloween craft projects on Pinterest. I can’t help but buy more Halloween decor every year at thrift shops. We spend weeks talking about Joe’s costume ideas, and then days shopping for said costume and props. I invite Joe’s friends to come over and do the outdoor decorating and we transform the front yard with spiderwebs, gravestones, dorky signage, a strobe light on the porch, a mechanical ghoul on a motion sensor, streamers, and lights.

It’s fun!

Go away! Halloween is not fun. Wait, yes it is!

We have a great neighborhood with lots of kids and families and for the past few years we’ve had a group Halloween party to get the kids together before trick or treating. Our neighbors across the street hosted a pizza party for a couple of years and when they moved, we picked up the baton (or wand or scepter or scythe, if you will.)

It is a great opportunity to see all the kids in their costumes and have some spooky fun.

We host it outside and pitch our party tent (which is a plastic canopy with flaps I bought online from a golfing outlet.)

Here is our skeletal (ha ha) party plan in case you’d like to do one in your neighborhood:

Prepare your guest list. We like to be inclusive so all trick-or-treating age kids and babies on the 3 streets that comprise our neighborhood are invited.

Send out an invitation. We like Evite and Paperless Post for their cute invitations and easy way to track RSVPs. Some families have filters that block those emails and some families I don’t have email addresses for so we also do a paper flyer that a helpful mom puts in the appropriate mailboxes.

Lay in your supplies and groceries. We have pizza delivered so there’s no cooking. Make sure you have enough Halloween-y paper plates and napkins. We also buy bottled water, sodas and ice. And candy. Don’t forget the candy.

Decorate the weekend before. Save some last minute touches (lanterns, gauze spider webs, garlands, table linens, candles and flowers for the day of.)

Start the party before sundown so the little ones can get an early start on trick-or-treating and you get to see everyone’s costume before dark.

Guests often want to know what they can bring so delegate dessert and appetizers. It is BYOB for adults but do have a cooler filled with clean ice, a full ice bucket with tongs, bottle and wine openers, and cups for those adult beverages.

Make your Halloween playlist or set your ipod to Pandora’s Halloween Party Radio station. Michael Jackson is a must. Loud speakers are a must. Blast it!

Party down. When it gets dark, the children set off for the candy hunt with adult chaperones. Other designated adults take their stations at their doors to give out the candy. And other designated adults (usually those who have worked to help set up the party and do the hostess’s bidding hang around to polish off the pizza, have a beverage, and enjoy the spooky candle glow.)

Time to trick or treat! Give us some candy or we will egg your house.

Happy Halloween!

Many, many thanks to Allison Beuker of Allison Beuker Photography for the outstanding pictures that captured the children’s infectious Halloween excitement and creativity. Perfection.

An Unapologetically Retro Dip

October 1, 2013October 2, 2013 by Rebecca Penovich | 1 Comment

Braunschweiger Pâté

Anyone with any knowledge at all of French cuisine will scoff at calling this pâté, but I certainly can’t call it “meat dip” and get anyone to try it, now can I?

My mom broke out this retro appetizer at Christmastime and it is really tasty despite its homely looks. For you skeptics out there, I made this for friends in college and a Corks & Cake college friend reached out to say she had a request from another college friend for the recipe! That’s almost 28 years later, people! (Gulp! I just divulged my real age.)

It is very easy and makes a large quantity, so save this to try when you are having a cocktail or holiday party or when you have multiple pot lucks to contribute to. (A little goes a long way to satisfy, and believe me, this dip is rich so you don’t want a large quantity lurking in your refrigerator for days and days after you’ve had your fill.) Share it, baby!

Ingredients

1 16 oz. package of Braunschweiger (pork liver sausage); I use Kahn’s brand that I find in my grocer’s deli section
8 oz. Philadelphia brand cream cheese, softened (NOTE: do not use the whipped kind, it has too much air and contains more emulsifiers)
2 T. grated yellow onion (NOTE: it is important that the onion is grated, not minced. That will give you a wonderful, juicy mush to intoxicate your pâté with. Break out the box grater.
1 1/2 T. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. garlic powder (NOTE: I don’t recommend chopped fresh garlic here because you want a perfectly smooth paste without bits of garlic for your guests to bite into on their cracker.
1/4 tsp.Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Mash the Braunschweiger and the cream cheese with a fork in a mixing bowl until incorporated.
Fold in all the other ingredients.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate. You can serve right away but I find that the flavors develop better overnight.

Serve with your favorite retro crackers. I’m partial to Triscuits Original. Melba toasts if you are old school. Ritz crackers if you are a junk food hedonist. Carr’s Water Crackers if you are a snob (just kidding.)

Cheers! And enjoy your ‘meat dip’ with a dirty martini or an IPA.
Photo credit: Chip Pye.

Grilled Chicken and Radish Picnic Baguette with Herbed Cream Cheese

September 22, 2013 by Rebecca Penovich | Leave a comment

This is a simple sandwich to share with a crowd.

One of the keys that makes it so tasty is taking the time to trim and marinate the chicken before grilling. As you probably have found, boneless, skinless chicken breasts can be boring, and worse, dry. On the grill, they can get tough as a deck of cards and cook unevenly.

Since I’m determined to try to get more chicken into our dinner rotation, I’ve been reading tutorials on how to get chicken breast right. (Yes, chicken tutorials. This is life-long learning at its pinnacle.)

The gauntlet thrown, it was time to tackle the chicken breast and find a way to keep it juicy and flavorful without drowning it in sauce.

What I learned:

1. It’s important to trim the breasts. Cut off the tenderloins and save for another use. These are the filet mignon of the chicken breast (if you will allow me that analogy) and really should be used in a stir fry or sauté where you can showcase their tenderness. Sure you can just open the package and toss the uber-plump breasts on the grill, slather with some sauce and they will be edible (maybe), but you want something good, right?

Your goal here is to get a piece of breast that has a consistent thickness. Since most commercially farmed breasts are so big, I often cut them in half after trimming. That gives me smaller pieces to deal with and I can better monitor how they are cooking. You are going to slice the breasts thinly for the sandwich so you don’t need to worry about serving a 1/2 portion of breast.

2. Pound the heck out them. I sandwich the breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and use my trusty mallet.

You could use your rolling pin or the flat bottom of a heavy pan. Really whack those babies to get them an even thickness, ideally 1/2 inch thick. Kids love this task by the way, so go ahead and delegate it. Have them pound both sides.

3. Marinate the breasts for at least an hour (or longer.) You want to use a combination of oil and acid (vinegar or citrus juice) along with salt, pepper, herbs, spices or other aromatics. I find that fresh herbs in a marinade tend to char on the grill so I’ve used dry in this recipe. (Plus you will get fresh herby goodness in the cream cheese spread.)

Really Good Marinade

Ingredients

1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil
3 T. red wine vinegar
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes (more if you like spicy)
1/4 tsp. dried oregano or thyme
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fennel powder (optional, I had ground fennel seeds for another recipe)

Directions

Whisk all together and taste. Correct the seasoning if you’d like more vinegar or less; more spice or less.
Pour over chicken breasts and marinate, covered, for one hour or more in the refrigerator.

Chicken resting off the grill.

4. Grill over high heat for 2-3 minutes per side. Watch them and feel them. When the breasts feel firm and resist the tongs, they are done. Let the breasts rest on your cutting board so they can absorb their juices. Do not overcook!

5. Slice thinly against the grain.

For the sandwich

1 good baguette (good toothsome bread is essential: it makes all the difference in a sandwich)
3 radishes, sliced thinly
2 shallots, sliced thinly (TIP: I sprinkled a little red vinegar over the shallots to slightly pickle them while I assembled the sandwich, this takes away some of that raw onion harshness)
8 grape tomatoes, sliced in half
Herbed cream cheese spread (I made my own with 3 T. cream cheese, 1 T. of mayonnaise, 1 T. chopped fresh parsley, 1 T. chopped fresh basil, pinch of salt and pepper)

Assembling the picnic sandwich.

Adding the shallot and tomato.

Assemble the sandwich:

Slice the baguette in half lengthwise and spread some of the cream cheese mixture on both halves.
Place the sliced chicken in a single layer on one half, topped with a single layer of pickled shallots.
On the other half of the baguette, assemble a layer of the radishes, topped by the grape tomatoes.
Sprinkle a little salt and fresh ground pepper over the chicken and shallot side (not too much)
Put both sides together and press down to adhere.

When ready to serve, cut your picnic sandwich into serving slices and hold them together with a short bamboo skewer.

Pack them into your picnic basket or cooler and enjoy the concert or the game!

For some helpful grilled chicken breast tutorials, check out:

Once Upon A Chef

Kalyn’s Kitchen

Food 52

Deliciously Local! Dinner Party with Relay Foods

September 11, 2013 by Rebecca Penovich | 3 Comments

Today has been a day of remembrances. I remembered where I was exactly on this day in 2001. I remembered that today was also the birthday of a good friend who died too young a couple of years ago. Facebook told me today was also the birthday of a good friend still alive. Google News told me today was the birthday of Mickey Hart (Blast from the past! My Proustian college memories were scented NOT of madeleines but of patchouli and clove cigarettes.)

This day 12 years ago hammered home that we, as humans and as a country, are vulnerable. That technology fails us and also connects us. That family and friends are always more important than political ideology. That there are heroes among us. That you should always keep your car gassed up. (Okay sorry, that was a joke. I was waxing too philosophical.)

I would like to dedicate this post to all of my friends and neighbors who I adore and love to break bread with. You are awesome.

This summer we held a big outdoor party featuring local foods from our region. Relay Foods spurred the idea when they reached out for hosts and hostesses in Maryland and Virginia to hold a house party and introduce neighbors and friends to their delivery/pickup service for a wide variety of regional food, including artisanal and specialty foods.

Based in Charlottesville, Virginia, Relay Foods collaborates with local farms, artisan food makers, and handmade brands. They gather vendors from all over the Shenandoah Valley, Maryland and beyond and deliver to urban locations (Baltimore, DC, Richmond, Northern VA.) Since I had ordered our organic, free-range turkey from them a few Thanksgivings ago, I was on their list for people to recruit.

As many of us in the neighborhood have CSA shares or shop at farmers markets weekly, I knew I’d be preaching to the choir. I didn’t have to do much to get people excited to come taste some new local foods. But this was an opportunity to introduce them to a service that would aggregate produce from several farms and also afford small producers of specialty meats, cheeses, desserts, breads, jams and other farm fresh products the opportunity to reach a larger market via Relay Foods’ digital hub and distribution system.

[Full disclosure: Relay Foods gave me $100 food certificate to spend online at their site for the party. I went beyond that and shopped on my own dime at their site and our local markets, including my favorite organic market, Roots Market in Olney. All of my opinions and recommendations are my own and neither Relay Foods nor Roots paid me to plug them or sponsor this post.]

Some of the farmers and artisans featured on the menu:

Sausage Craft: two guys in Richmond making handcrafted sausage the Tuscan way (wholesale only)

Perryhill Produce: Jonathan and Jillian, young farmers from Buckingham, VA.

Virginia Chutney Company: From Washington, VA, the hot peach chutney

Mountain View Farm: 250-acre dairy farm in Fairfield, VA making farmstead cheeses

Moorenko’s Ice Cream: Silver Spring-based artisan ice cream, fabulous flavors

Let’s Grow Local/Josie’s Homemade Foods–our own local Kensington girl (and god-sister to my son, Joe) making jams, chutneys, preserves. Not represented by Relay Foods (yet) but you can buy Josie’s jam and chutneys at Let’s Grow Local farm stands on University Blvd in Wheaton and in north Chevy Chase

Josie’s Homemade

I rounded out the menu with three vegetarian side dishes and several craft brews and wine, including a chardonnay I love from Barboursville Vineyards in Virginia.

Barboursville Vineyards is located on the Monticello Wine Trail outside of Charlottesville.

In crafting the menu I was inspired by this Crostini party post by Honestly YUM. So many interesting flavor combinations and a really beautiful appetizer.

Ricotta crostini party from Honestly YUM inspired the appetizers. Photo credit: Honestly YUM

Lovely guests helped prepare the crostini. Showing off their handiwork!

Lovely guests helped prepare the crostini. Displaying their handiwork!

Lovely local cheeses and black truffle salami.

MENU

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Assorted ricotta and feta crostini with local fruit, vegetables, proscuitto, jams, corn chutney, preserves

Local cheeses with crackers and ginger, fig, and fruit preserves, black truffle salami

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Main:

Assorted local Italian sausages, grilled with Vidalia onions and red, yellow and green peppers

Little hoagie rolls

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Salads:

Orzo with grape tomatoes, pine nuts and black olives

Watermelon with feta and pea shoots

Potato salad with garlic, olive oil and capers

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Moorenko’s Ice Cream Sampler:

Bittersweet Chocolate

Red Hot Chocolate

Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip

Coconut Almond

Fresh Ginger

White Chocolate Mint

Salted Caramel with Praline

I made homemade ricotta following the Smitten Kitchen technique using whole milk and heavy cream (recipe here) and a feta spread using domestic feta for the crostini (baguette slices brushed with olive oil, toasted in oven on both sides, rubbed with a garlic clove and lightly salted).

Art student, Sam, creates our Relay Food Deliciously Local Foods party menu.

On the Ricotta crostini:

cucumber slice, fresh chopped mint, fresh dill
sliced strawberry over Josie’s Homemade strawberry preserves with tarragon, drizzled with balsamic syrup
sliced purple and white radishes with sea salt
fresh blueberries over Josie’s Homemade blueberry preserve, drizzled with local Maryland honey
Virginia Chutney Company Hot Peach chutney

On the Feta crostini:

thinly sliced procuitto
sliced grape tomatoes and fresh basil
lemon zest and fresh oregano
Josie’s Homemade chipotle corn chutney

For the onions and peppers to go with the grilled sausages, I sliced them, drizzled them with olive oil, seasoned with salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme and put them in a small square foil tray covered with more foil and placed them on the grill while the sausages were cooking.

When the sausages are done, take the foil off of the the peppers and onions and mix the grilled meat and the veg together with their juices.

For the ice cream course, I wanted everyone to get a taste of all 7 flavors so we kept it casual and gave each guest 7 spoons and passed the pint containers up and down the table. That probably wasn’t hygenic even with all the separate spoons, but at that point getting out tasting 17 bowls/cups was too much and it was too hot and sweaty–we wanted to enjoy the night and eat ice cream.
It was a fun night but there was no way I could have done it without the help of every guest.

Seriously, I always bite off more than I can chew (figuratively) when I throw a big entertainment. But fortunately for me, we have a crew of fabulous friends who love to pitch in, cook, decorate, serve, bring chairs, bring wine, spark conversation, and help clean up!

So shout outs to all of you and in particular to:

–the lovely girls who painted the menu blackboard and helped decorate and hang lanterns after swim practice

–our favorite art student who did the the chalkboard art menu for us (still have it–saving it!)

–my good friends Peter K, Allison B, and Charlie R for the photography

–Alyson K for executing the myriad trays of crostini toppings, drizzles, and garnishes

–Allison B, for the wine, beer, and ice run

–Tim S, for heading the grill and grilling hot dogs, vegetables, and sausages with aplomb (hope you got some of that)

-Josie K for all the homemade farm stand preserves and for beautifully styling the cheese boards

-Amy F and Maddie F for stuffing the Relay Foods goody bags for everyone

-Craig L for coming early to help set up tables and chairs outside, then move them all inside because of rain, and then outside again when the sun came out–rock star!

-John P for underwriting all of the hospitality and for having the energy to do the dishes before bed, love ya babe

Land ahoy! The Yachtsmen in the Palisades Parade.

Corks & Cake

celebrating food and family with vintage flair

Category Archives: Corks & Cake Entertains

Erin Go Bragh: Twists on Cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day

St. Valentine’s Day – Sparkling Wines That Will Delight You

NV Schloss Biebrich Sekt, Germany

Michelle Brut from Chateau St. Michelle

Washington

Blason de Bourgogne Crémant de Bourgogne Cuvée Brut Reserve

Biutiful, Cava Brut Nature

Domaine Carneros Brut Cuvée

Strawberry ‘Carpaccio’ with Ginger Creme Anglaise & Balsamic Syrup

Ingredients

Ingredients

Directions

Indian-Inspired Ground Turkey Curry Samosas

Directions

Cilantro-yogurt dip:

A Traditional Christmas Panto

Homemade:

From the store:

Don’t Throw Out That Turkey Carcass! Gumbo

Ingredients

Directions

Ghouls and Goblins: Halloween Party!

An Unapologetically Retro Dip

Braunschweiger Pâté

Ingredients

Directions

Grilled Chicken and Radish Picnic Baguette with Herbed Cream Cheese

Really Good Marinade

Ingredients

Directions

For the sandwich

Assemble the sandwich:

Deliciously Local! Dinner Party with Relay Foods