The Houndstooth Gourmet

Last Sunday at the Dupont Market I bought blackberries. They are still sweet and plump, so keep an eye out for them and enjoy while they last! Here’s a recipe for an easy and light cheesecake, with blackberry topping.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter

1 tablespoon cinnamon

24 ounces Cream Cheese - softened

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup blackberry jam

2 cups fresh blackberries - or you can substitue frozen berries

Directions

Pre heat oven to 325 and allow cream cheese to come to room temperature.

Combine together graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. I used a food processor. Press evenly onto bottom of a springform pan.

In mixer, whip cream cheese with paddle attachment. Add eggs one at a time. Add sugar slowly. Pour mixture over crust.

Bake on middle rack for 45-50 minutes until set. Depending on your oven and size of springform pan, you may need slightly more or less baking time.

Mix sour cream and sugar until incorporated. Mix in vanilla. Pour over cheesecake and continue to bake 10 additional minutes. Allow to cool completely.

In the meantime, combine preserves and berries in pan and heat on low for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool.

Pour berry mixture over cheesecake and serve.

Hint: make both cheesecake and topping the day before. Store covered in refrigerator until ready to serve. Reheat berry mixture in pan or microwave. Serve berries poured over entire cake, or along side for individual use.

Tags: Recipe, fruit, baking by Ramona
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Tags: sandwich, Recipe, pork, eggs by Ramona
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This week’s farmers market trip was to the Dupont Circle Farmers Market. Dupont is one of a half dozen Freshfarm markets. It’s held on Sundays year round.
Being the height of the summer growing season, this D.C. market was bustling today, despite the looming clouds threatening to dowse us with rain (which isn’t a bad thing, we need it badly). Peaches, tomatoes and melons are still going strong. Corn was less abundant, however, I did purchase a type of yellow corn called Mirai™ (pronounced me-RYE) from Toigo Orchards®. To me, Silver Queen (or most supersweet white kernel corn that falls under the same moniker) has been the king of corn. But, this may change.
Mirai™ (meaning “the future is almost here” and “taste”), a yellow, white or bi-colored corn, was developed in 1992 at a seed company in Illinois. It’s popularity in the USA is resurging now after being grown primarily in Japan, where smaller boutique farms would tend to and pick it by hand. With seeds once again available here since 2001, Mirai™ has become known for it’s corn taste, sweetness, tenderness and longevity after picking. It can be stored for longer periods of time due to a decreased starch content. I have read it can keep in the refrigerator anywhere from 17 days to 6 weeks!
So here’s the Mirai™(left) alongside a supersweet white variety that came from Lancaster County PA. The Mirai™ comes from Shippensburg, PA. Tasting the two raw; they were both sweet and juicy. However, after cooking (shown below, with white corn on bottom) in boiling water for 2 minutes, the Mirai™ developed a depth of corn flavor that the white variety didn’t. The white corn remained sugary and did not develop any flavor to speak of.
I’m fortunate I came upon this corn today, as it’s lead me to rediscover what corn should taste like; it ought to retain the flavor of corn and not forsake that for sweetness. I may even consider giving up the butter and salt.

I’m not promising….

Tags: District of Columbia, Washington, farmers markets, Markets by Ramona
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King Street is the main thoroughfare running through Alexandria Virginia’s Old Town neighborhood. From the Potomac River to the Masonic Temple sitting up high on Shooter Hill, King Street is lined with restaurants and boutique shops and services. Most every type of cuisine can be found including Italian, Classic American, Southern, Indian, French, Lebanese, Chinese, Greek, Thai and Seafood. The restaurants also range in quality. But, things are really starting to look up with the more recent addition of destination restaurants known for exemplary cooking, and quality, locally sourced ingredients.

Raising the culinary bar are Chef Cathal Armstrong and his wife Meshelle who own Restaurant Eve, Eamonn’s A Dublin Chipper and The Majestic. Their trinity of restaurants ranges from a fish and chips pub, to classic southern American, to world class dining in Restaurant Eve’s Tasting Room. The ripple effect from these choice restaurants is that other fine restaurants and chefs are looking to Old Town to join in King Street’s abundant and ever increasing business and tourist appeal.

In the near future, this is what we can expect to see opening on and around King Street:

Hank’s Oyster Bar, located in Washington D.C.’s Dupont Circle neighborhood will be opening another location at 1026 King Street. With the closing of the short-lived Bohio’s Cuban Bistro, Chef Jamie Leeds saw an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. A fall 2007 opening is expected.

Bookbinder’s Restaurant, a Philadelphia landmark, is expected to open another location at 109 S. Asaph Street by the summer of 2007.

Sauciety, Jamieson Grille, a modern American grill, will be a street level anchor restaurant for the new 4 star , 4 diamond Westin Hotel, now being built in the booming Eisenhower Valley. Opening is expected for October November of 2007. Could this be Alexandria’s Maestro of the Ritz Carlton Tyson’s Corner, VA? Or perhaps CityZen of Washington D.C.’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel?

I hope so!

Tags: Alexandria, Virginia, Restaurants by Ramona
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It’s a rite of passage, a tradition and a tourist’s delight. Although crabs are mainly associated with Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay, the entire D.C. and Northern Virginia region revel in summertime’s blue crabs.
This is the time of year when most good crab houses serve local blue crabs. A good crab is heavy for it’s size and contains sweet white meat. At Cantler’s Riverside Inn they come with a liberal dusting of Old Bay seasoning, a knife, a mallet and brown paper for the table. Now, I’m not originally from this area, and any Marylander could pick me under the table with their skills, but I did manage to give myself a primer on crab picking before I went. Mainly I think, the give away that one is new to the blue crab is the use of the mallet to crack the shells. From what I gather, the mallet is used to smack the knife, which is over the area of the shell you want to crack.
Using my novice picking skills, I managed to pull out a nice amount of meat from my crabs. It
wasn’t pretty, but I managed to get a few nice chunks dunked into the clarified butter provided and placed into my longing mouth.
We also ordered the crab dip and steamed shrimp. The crab dip had a lot of chunky meat, and was made with mayonnaise and a dash of paprika. It came with a Pillsbury-like roll which should be dashed for some nice crackers. With the generous portion given, you don’t need the cheap bread for bulk.
The Old Bay seasoned shrimp were large and served right out of the steamer. This alone could make a nice lunch along with perhaps, a cup of soup. Yesterday’s soup of the day was cream of artichoke with crab. Sounded good, but there was the blue crabs calling my name.
I couldn’t resist.Cantler’s Riverside Inn
458 Forest Beach Road
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Phone: 410-757-1311

Note: Cantler’s has indoor and outdoor dining areas. Outside the community picnic tables overlook the river and docks. They are very popular and get busy on the weekends especially. There is one small access road to get into Cantler’s parking lot, and it gets backed up. I’d advise that someone get out of the car and put your name on the list ahead of time, so by the time you park, your wait won’t be too long.

Tags: Maryland, Restaurants, crabs by Ramona
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