Oscar Nibbles: Cracker Jack

The Bacon-Wrapped Blue Cheese Dates are great with sophisticated, romantic Oscar-winning fare. But when you're watching a nail-biting, heart-pounding thriller you want something you can smash between your teeth. You want popcorn. And this homemade Cracker Jack is just the ticket.

Cracker Jack is the snack brand of caramel popcorn with peanuts. It's sold with a small toy surprise as well. This homemade version comes together quickly and is a fun alternative to plain popcorn. Pair this snack with the Nebraska, Gravity, American Hustle and Captain Phillips cocktails.

Homemade Cracker Jack
Adapted from a recipe by Brown Eyed Baker, as adapted from Ezra Pound Cake

10 cups freshly-popped popcorn
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for buttering the bowl
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup roasted peanuts

1. Preheat oven to 250 F.

2. Coat a large mixing bowl with butter and put the popped popcorn in the bowl.

3. Combine 6 tbsp. butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, water and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, whisking ingredients to combine and cook until the mixture reaches 250 degrees F, about 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and whisk in the vanilla and baking soda. Immediately pour the mixture over the popcorn and carefully fold the caramel into the popcorn using a spatula then gently stir in the peanuts.

4. Transfer the coated popcorn/peanut mixture to a lined, rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven and set on a wire rack to cool. Gently break up the popcorn and serve immediately or store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.

Oscar Nibbles: Bacon-Wrapped Blue Cheese Dates

Along with the Homemade Cracker Jack, this is my other Oscar party snack this year. It's a little more sophisticated, the kind of savory finger food that goes well with a sweeping epic drama with a bit of romance. Something like Titanic, The English Patient or Shakespeare in Love.

This recipe is really pretty easy. Handling the dates can get sticky, but that's about the most difficult part.

The roasting time will vary depending on the bacon used. I buy the thick bacon from the meat counter at Whole Foods, so I needed to roast this longer than if I'd used something thin. Just keep an eye on it and be sure to turn them over occasionally or they could get burnt on the bottom.

Pair this appetizer with the 12 Years a Slave, Dallas Buyers Club, Her and The Wolf of Wall Street cocktails.

Bacon-Wrapped Blue Cheese Dates
Adapted in part from Bacon-Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Cream Cheese and Almonds, Food Network

18 medjool dates
3 oz. blue cheese (I used maytag blue)
6 strips of bacon, cut into thirds
18 toothpicks

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. Cut a slit down the length of the side the date. Pull it open and remove the pit. Also remove the hard part where the date was attached to the plant, if not already removed. Place a piece of blue cheese cut to fit in the cavity left by the pit and squeeze the date closed (it probably won't close all the way, which is fine).

3. Wrap each date with a slice of bacon and secure the bacon with a toothpick pierced through where the bacon overlaps and through the date to the other side. Place the wrapped dates in a roasting pan and roast for 10 minutes if using thin bacon and 20 minutes if using thicker bacon, turning them halfway through. When the bacon has crisped, remove from the oven and set on paper towels to cool.

Oscar Cocktails 2014: All the Recipes

Here, in one place, are the recipes for all 10 of this year's Oscar Cocktails, with links to the original posts if you want the story for each drink, plus the recipe photos at the bottom. Cheers! Raise a glass to your favorite film as you watch the Oscars this Sunday night on ABC.

American Hustle: Looks and even tastes like a Pimm's Cup but is actually a forgery made with other ingredients.

1/2 oz. American dry gin
1/2 oz. sloe gin
1/2 oz. Campari
1/2 oz. yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz. Orange cognac liqueur (such as Grand Marnier)
3 dashes orange bitters
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Cucumber slices and mint leaves (garnish)
Club soda

Combine gin, sloe gin, Campari, Chartreuse, orange liqueur, orange bitters and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake until cold. Fill a collins glass with ice layered with a few slices of cucumber and mint leaves. Strain mixture into glass, top with club soda and stir to combine. Serve garnished with a cucumber slice and mint sprig.

Captain Phillips: (Captain) Morgan Rum plus (Phillips) Screwdriver ingredients is the formula for this cocktail sweetened with a Somali-spiced syrup.

1 1/2 oz. Captain Morgan spiced rum
3 1/2 oz. orange juice
3/4 oz. Somali spice syrup (see recipe below)
2 dashes orange bitters
Orange wedge, for garnish

Combine rum, orange juice, spice syrup and orange bitters in a rocks glass with ice. Stir well until combined. Garnish with orange wedge.

Somali Spice Syrup

½  tsp. cumin seeds
2 tbsp cardamom pods
1 tsp cloves
1 cinnamon stick, broke in half
¾ cup water
¾ cup sugar

Toast cumin seeds in a saucepan until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and increase heat to bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Allow mixture to cool in pan and strain out spices. Transfer to a container to chill in the refrigerator.

Dallas Buyers Club: a Gin & Tonic riff inspired by Ron Woodruff's quest for better treatments to improve his health and prolong his life.

1 1/2 oz. barrel-aged gin
1/2 oz. ginger liqueur
3 oz. tonic water
Lime wedge garnish

Add gin, ginger liqueur and tonic to a rocks glass with ice. Stir to combine and garnish with lime wedge.

Gravity: Made to look like outer space with enough booze to make you feel weightless. 

1 oz. sloe gin
3/4 oz. Kahlua
3/4 oz. blue curaçao
2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
Lemon zest

Combine sloe gin, Kahlua, blue curaçao and bitters in a cocktail mixing glass with ice. Stir until mixed and cold then strain into a cocktail glass. Sprinkle with lemon zest.

Her: Gin cocktail inspired by the film's colorful production design and refreshing take on modern relationships.

1 oz gin
½ oz Aperol
½ oz Campari
½ oz ginger liqueur
2 oz. Italian lemon soda (San Pelligrino limonata)
Lemon wheel
Rosemary sprig

Combine gin, Aperol, Campari, ginger liqueur, and lemon soda in a rocks glass with ice. Stir to combine. Garnish with lemon wheel and rosemary sprig.

Nebraska: Beer cocktail with moonshine and other ingredients inspired by the film's namesake state.

4-5 mint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish
1 oz. fresh lemon juice (juice from 1/2 lemon)
1 oz. moonshine
1/2 oz. St. Germain elderflower liqueur
1 tsp. honey
6 oz. American pale ale

Add mint leaves and lemon juice to a shaker and muddle. Add ice, moonshine, St. Germain and honey and shake well until cold and mixed. Strain into a highball glass with ice. Add beer and stir to combine. Garnish with mint sprig.

Philomena: A cold dessert cocktail riff on Irish Coffee inspired by the film's connection to Ireland and America.

1 oz. bourbon
1 oz. Bailey's Irish cream
1 oz. Kahlua
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 dashes chocolate bitters
Cinnamon stick (garnish)

Combine bourbon, Irish cream, Kahlua, vanilla and chocolate bitters in a cocktail mixing glass with ice. Stir until combined and very cold. Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

12 Years a Slave: Saratoga cocktail modified to represent Solomon Northup's journey from freedom to slavery.

Absinthe, scant amount
1 oz. rye whiskey
1 oz. sweet vermouth
1 oz. apple brandy
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1/2 lemon wheel (garnish)

Rinse a chilled coupe glass with absinthe. Combine whiskey, sweet vermouth, apple brandy and angostura bitters in a cocktail mixing glass with ice. Stir until combined and chilled, then strain into the chilled coupe. Garnish with lemon wheel.

The Wolf of Wall Street: Like a shady business deal, this is a vodka martini tinted green like money and sweetened with a little powder (sugar, that is).

1 1/2 oz. vodka
1/2 oz. green chartreuse
1/2 oz. dry vermouth
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1 tsp. powdered sugar
Lemon twist (garnish)

Combine vodka, green chartreuse, dry vermouth, lemon juice and powdered sugar in a shaker with ice. Shake until cold and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

(Bonus) Blue Jasmine: A blue, jasmine-flavored Stoli martini inspired by the movie's title and main character, Jasmine.

2 1/2 oz. jasmine tea-infused Stolichnaya Stoli Citrus vodka (see below)
1/2 oz. Lillet Blanc
1/2 oz. blue curaçao
Lemon twist

Combine tea-infused vodka, Lillet Blanc and blue curaçao in a cocktail mixing glass with ice. Stir until mixed and very cold. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

To infuse vodka: Combine 3 oz. vodka with 1 jasmine green tea teabag and allow to steep for 12 minutes. Discard tea bag.

Vote for your favorite Oscar cocktail on Facebook.

Oscar Cocktails Bonus: Blue Jasmine

Blue Jasmine tells the story Jasmine (Cate Blanchett), a once wealthy Manhattan socialite who struggles to pull together a new life for herself in San Francisco after her philandering husband Hal (Alec Baldwin) is convicted of fraud. At the heart of this film is the fascinating performance by Cate Blanchett, nominated for Best Actress. The film is also nominated for Academy Awards for Supporting Actress (Sally Hawkins) and Original Screenplay.

The name alone almost writes this cocktail: something blue and something jasmine. Given Jasmine's love for Stoli martinis, I infused Stoli Citrus with jasmine tea and combined it with blue curaçao for color. Lillet Blanc and a lemon twist complete the martini.

Oscar Cocktails: Blue Jasmine

2 1/2 oz. jasmine tea-infused Stolichnaya Stoli Citrus vodka (see below)
1/2 oz. Lillet Blanc
1/2 oz. blue curaçao
Lemon twist

Combine tea-infused vodka, Lillet Blanc and blue curaçao in a cocktail mixing glass with ice. Stir until mixed and very cold. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

To infuse vodka: Combine 3 oz. vodka with 1 jasmine green tea teabag and allow to steep for 12 minutes. Discard tea bag.

The Feed: February 26, 2014

The Feed is my weekly round up of interesting food-related stories from newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites.

Washington Post: “Store brands, the (now) welcome option,” by Bonnie S. Benwick.
Store brands have a bad reputation, the common assumption being that they are of lesser quality than name brands—an effort to shift volume at low cost. Benwick looks at how attention to store-brand marketing and quality is changing the reality driving that assumption, as well as how a small national chain, Aldi, is changing the playing field with its own off-name brands. Benwick also rates a selection of Aldi store products after using them in her home.

Washington Post: “The Gibson, a cocktail with movie-star status,” by M. Carrie Allan.
Here’s yet another example of how Carrie Allan has an uncanny knack for writing about exactly what I’m interested in. A few days ago I was reading the Scandi Gibson cocktail recipe in Savory Cocktails, which calls for cocktail onions. Not quite sure what that involves, I tweeted at Allan seeking her opinion on whether said onions are better homemade or bought. Her response? “This is the next column!” How cool is that?! Her column is all about the Gibson, the martini famous for its pickled pearl onion garnish. Nodding to the upcoming Oscars, I love that she recounts the Gibson’s star turn in North by Northwest, my favorite Hitchcock film. And the answer to my question? Homemade of course. She also includes a tempting recipe for a garnish-less Gibson made with red onion shrub.

New York Times: “A Taste You Hate? Just Wait,” by Frank Bruni.
Bruni’s essay looks at how our taste evolves over time. How sometimes we might “hate” something when we’re younger and then later love it. He includes a mention of Washington Post restaurant critic Tom Sietsema, who apparently used to loathe fennel, but now likes it.

New York Times: “Rich Comfort Food to the Extreme,” by Melissa Clark.
Given that it snowed today (again), I could really go for some of Clark’s Meat and Potato Skillet Gratin, which she likens to a marriage between shepherd’s pie and potato gratin.

Wall Street Journal: “Disco-Era Cocktails Are Groovy Again,” by Kara Newman.
I’m so ready for some ‘70s-style cocktails after reading Newman’s article. I’ve made a Harvey Wallbanger before, but now I’m ready to try these others, like The Grasshopper. I see a cocktail theme week in my future.

Food & Wine: “Mad Genius Tips: Just the Excuse You Need to Make Ginger Cocktails,” by F&W Editors / Justin Chapple
Using just a spoon and fork Justin Chapple, F&W’s mad genius, makes easy work of grating ginger, a task I’ve found to be a big pain with other methods (love my microplane, but not for that).

Thrillist: “Do Bottled Waters Actually Taste Different? We Found Out,” by Dan Gentile.
You may scoff at the notion of tasting bottled water, but in a world where there are actually water sommeliers, it actually makes sense. Gentile runs down the minerality and mouth-feel of a number of popular brands.

Los Angeles Times: “Your guide to 5 IPAs: Decoding the different styles of this hop-intensive beer,” by John Verive.
Verive offers a useful guide for understanding the differences between IPA styles. Particularly helpful to learn what Imperial IPA is.

Slate: “Unacceptable Ingredients: How many of the groceries sold at Walmart would be banned by Whole Foods?” by Ben Blatt.
Whole Foods won’t sell products containing things like high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and MSG, among a list of 78 banned ingredients. Some may cry foul—after all, they still sell soda with sugar, for example—but in general it's nice that the store pays attention to potentially harmful ingredients.

James Beard Foundation: “The 2014 Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalists,” by JBF Editors.
Check out the list of this year’s semifinalists—the next cut, the finalists, will represent the “nominees.”

Oscar Cocktails: Dallas Buyers Club

Dallas Buyers Club looks back to the early days of AIDS, when a diagnosis of the disease was akin to a death sentence before the development and approval of the life-saving drugs available today. In the film, rodeo cowboy Ron Woodruff (Matthew McConaughey) is diagnosed with AIDS and given a few weeks to live. Unsatisfied with this prognosis and the poisonous drugs available at the hospital, Woodruff begins a quest for better AIDS treatments, starting a buyers club to supply himself and his members with unapproved yet more effective pharmaceuticals. The film is nominated for six Academy Awards, including Picture, Actor (McConaughey), Supporting Actor (Jared Leto) and Original Screenplay.

Since Ron's pursuit of treatments that will improve his health and extend his life is a central plot of Dallas Buyers Club, I used that as inspiration for the drink, a riff on the gin & tonic--"tonic" is this case could also mean something physically restorative. And the barrel-aged gin represents Woodruff's desire to do what the doctors tell him he won't: age.

Dallas Buyers Club

1 1/2 oz. barrel-aged gin
1/2 oz. ginger liqueur
3 oz. tonic water
Lime wedge garnish

Add gin, ginger liqueur and tonic to a rocks glass with ice. Stir to combine and garnish with lime wedge.

See all of this year's Oscar Cocktails.

Farro Risotto with Pancetta and Kale

Farro (which I recently learned is pronounced FAR-ō, not FAIR-ō), is a wonderful way to substitute a nutty grain for rice in risotto. I used it in last year's Multi-Grain Risotto and wanted to give it another shot with different flavors. It's typically semi-pearled, meaning part of the bran has been removed. This helps it cook faster than say, wheat berries, which are not pearled. However, that also means that technically farro isn't a whole grain unless you find an unpearled variety somewhere.

I've paired it here with pancetta, which is an Italian meat like bacon but not smoky, and kale, the hearty green that's getting so much attention at the moment. You could certainly mix this up: use bacon or ham or omit the meat to make it vegetarian. Other greens like escarole, spinach or mustard greens would be good in this dish too.

Farro Risotto with Pancetta and Kale

1 1/2 cups farro
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
4 oz. diced pancetta
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 sweet onion, diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3/4 cup dry white wine (I used pinot grigio)
1 bunch of kale, stems removed and leaves chopped into 2 inch pieces
1/2 grated cup parmigiano-reggiano

1. Rinse farro then soak in about 4 cups of water.

2. Combine chicken broth with 2 cups of water and warm over medium-low heat in a medium saucepan.

3. Heat a Dutch oven or large sauté pan over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook until crisped and brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Remove excess rendered fat to leave about 1 tbsp. in the pot.

4. Add butter to pot with rendered pancetta fat. Add onion and sauté until softened, about 5-8 minutes. Drain farro and add to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally to toast, about 5 minutes.

5. Add pancetta back to the pot, then add the white wine. Stir frequently as the wine cooks down until the point when a spoon swiped across the bottom of the pot leaves bare pot that isn't immediately covered with liquid. Then, start adding the warm broth by the ladle, stirring to incorporate and cooking until each added ladle of liquid is incorporated so that the bottom of the pot can be seen when a spoon is swiped across it. Continue cooking and adding liquid until the farro is cooked enough to still be a little chewy (you may not use all of the liquid), about 30 to 35 minutes total cooking time. Add the kale and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parmesan cheese and serve.

Oscar Cocktails: Philomena

In Philomena, a mother (Judi Dench), with the help of a British journalist, searches for her son who was adopted in the early '50s from an Irish convent where she had the baby following an unplanned teenage pregnancy. The film is nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Actress (Dench).

Since Philomena's story begins in Ireland and eventually makes its way to America (spoiler: because that's where her son went after he was adopted), I wanted a drink that represented both countries. I immediately thought of the Irish coffee, made with Irish whiskey and coffee. However, rather than serve this warm, I decided to make it a cold dessert cocktail, which in a way resembles a mudslide. Instead of Irish whiskey, I used American bourbon, but the Irish still comes into play with Bailey's Irish cream. Instead of coffee, I used coffee liqueur (Kahlua). Vanilla, chocolate bitter and cinnamon round out the drink's flavors.

Oscar Cocktails: Philomena

1 oz. bourbon
1 oz. Bailey's Irish cream
1 oz. Kahlua
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 dashes chocolate bitters
Cinnamon stick (garnish)

Combine bourbon, Irish cream, Kahlua, vanilla and chocolate bitters in a cocktail mixing glass with ice. Stir until combined and very cold. Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

See all of this year's Oscar Cocktails.

Restaurant: Oyamel (Washington, D.C.)

Last year, I wrote about Jaleo as it celebrated its first 20 years. This year, another José Andrés restaurant reaches a milestone, as Oyamel, his Mexican restaurant, turns 10. The newly expanded space is decked out and ready to celebrate.

Initially, I was unimpressed with Oyamel. It opened in 2004 in Crystal City and we paid it a visit around that time. I thought the tacos were too small and the tres leches cake too dry. These were the days when I was so into Tex-Mex that if my Mexican food wasn't oversized and draped in cheese I wasn't interested. We were huge fans of our neighborhood Alero in Cleveland Park (which we've lately rediscovered is a great place for Sunday afternoon fajitas and margaritas). I just didn't get the small plate concept translated to Mexican.

Later, after its move downtown, I gave Oyamel a second chance and grew to really love it. Now I count it among my favorite Mexican restaurants. It's menu offers a great balance between favorite dishes that are always available and seasonal specials. I recommend aiming for a mix of both.

Dinner must start with table-side guacamole (pictured at top), which is sort of a cliché, but theirs is so good I look past that. It's classic but interesting too, made with green tomatillo, a nice squeeze of lime juice and a crumble of queso fresco. The chips are also quite satisfying, crisp and salty as they arrive with a smoky-spicy salsa. Run out of chips? They promptly bring more.

The Oyamel margarita on the left and a daily special margarita on the right.

Of course, a good margarita is just the ticket to wash down that guacamole. The classic made with tequila blanco, triple sec and lime is tart and refreshing. For something a little different, the Oyamel carries its salt suspended in a foamy "salt air" instead of on the glass's rim. On a recent night, I opted for the margarita daily special and loved it: smoky mezcal with triple sec, apple, cinnamon and lime. The smoky-tart flavor of the mezcal with the apple and lime was something I'd love to try to replicate.

Acelgas con nuez de Castilla: sautéed Swiss chard with cabbage, shallots, toasted hazelnuts, raisins and apricot puree.

Like Andrés' other Penn Quarter pillars, Jaleo and Zaytinya, Oyamel's menu is dominated by small plates. I'd generally recommend five or six for table of two. On a recent evening, our favorite was the seasonal Acelgas con nuez de Castilla, which was sauteed Swiss chard with cabbage, shallots, toasted hazelnuts and raisins served over a spiced apricot puree. The combination of the greens, shallots, roasted nuts and sweet raisins was marvelous. Also good that night was Chile en nogada, a poblano pepper stuffed with ground pork, pine nuts and apples topped with a creamy sauce of goat cheese and walnuts and a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds. A lot of the dishes at Oyamel are spicy, but this was one comparatively mild and nicely balanced. Another good vegetable dish was the Brussels sprouts with chile de arbol sauce, pumpkin seed and peanuts, although they weren't really "crispy" as advertised on the menu.

Tacos are ordered individually, and as I mentioned abovce are fairly small, so they don't share well. So if you see one that interests your party, I recommend ordering at least one each. We enjoyed the Cochinita pibil con cebolla en escabeche (pictured at top), which is pit-barbecued pork flavored with Mexican sour orange and served with pickled red onion. Not the best taco I've had there, but definitely serviceable. I like that the taco offerings rotate, so you'll never see the same selection. Years ago I remember having a really good mushroom and corn taco.

Chile en nogada: poblano pepper stuffed with ground pork, pine nuts and apples topped with a creamy sauce of goat cheese and walnuts with pomegranate seeds.

A favorite we always order are the papas al mole, basically French fries in a spicy mole poblano sauce topped with Mexican cream and queso fresco. It's like a Mexican version of fries with gravy and I always want some whenever we go to Oyamel.

Service at Oyamel is efficient. Sometimes too much so. If you're hoping to swip a chip through a little bit of sauce left on a plate after the main morsels have been devoured, be sure to protect it from the roving bussers, who will snatch it away if you're not looking. Food comes out quickly here too, although they generally pace it so that "starter" type tapas arrive before the heavier meaty ones.

I'm always surprised when Jaleo and Zaytinya make best DC restaurant lists but Oyamel, for whatever reason, gets fewer accolaides. You wouldn't know it from the crowd assembled near the front door waiting for a table. Despite the recent expansion that added another dining room and doubled the bar, there appears to still be a wait for tables (so I definitely recommend a reservation). Ten years in and Oyamel remains as hot as ever. In fact, the night we were there last, we just missed dining with DC's two biggest VIPs: the President and Mrs. Obama came in for dinner just minutes after we'd left.

Oyamel, 401 7th Street NW (at D Street), Washington, D.C. (Penn Quarter). (202) 628-1005. Reservations: Open Table.

Oscar Cocktails: Captain Phillips

Captain Phillips is based on the true story of Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks), whose cargo ship was invaded by Somali pirates, leading to his being taken hostage. The seafaring thriller is nominated for six Academy Awards including Picture and Supporting Actor for Barkhad Abdi who plays the lead pirate.

For this drink, I started with the movie's title. What can you use for "Captain?" How about Captain Morgan spiced rum. And for "Phillips?" Well, phillips is a type of screwdriver, so in goes the orange juice. From there, I wanted to give the drink some spice that represented the setting of the movie in the seas around Somalia, so I came up with a Somali Spice Syrup based on a blend of spices popular in the country's cuisine.

Oscar Cocktails: Captain Phillips

1 1/2 oz. Captain Morgan spiced rum
3 1/2 oz. orange juice
3/4 oz. Somali spice syrup (see recipe below)
2 dashes orange bitters
Orange wedge, for garnish

Combine rum, orange juice, spice syrup and orange bitters in a rocks glass with ice. Stir well until combined. Garnish with orange wedge.

Somali Spice Syrup

½  tsp. cumin seeds
2 tbsp cardamom pods
1 tsp cloves
1 cinnamon stick, broke in half
¾ cup water
¾ cup sugar

Toast cumin seeds in a saucepan until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and increase heat to bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Allow mixture to cool in pan and strain out spices. Transfer to a container to chill in the refrigerator.

See all of this year's Oscar Cocktails.

The Feed: February 19, 2014

I love maple syrup, but a young Chelsea Clinton didn't--one of the amusing tidbits Tim Carman shares in his Washington Post profile of a former White House chef.

The Feed is my weekly round up of interesting food-related stories from newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites.

Washington Post: “Farm bill: Why don’t taxpayers subsidize the foods that are better for us?,” by Tamar Haspel.
Haspel’s article asks a really great question that I’ve asked myself many times: if we know that as a society we should be eating more fruits and vegetables, why are we using our tax dollars to subsidize corn and soy—crops that are used as feed for meats and processed into all sorts of junk foods? Turns out the answer isn’t what I expected, and I was surprised to learn that many specialty growers—the ones that grow the “healthy” vegetables would rather not have the subsidy and its accompanying strings.

Washington Post: “Collards, the new kale? For an old favorite, trendiness seems beside the point,” by Joe Yonan.
I like kale just fine, but there are a lot of other greens in the garden. I’m glad Yonan highlights collards this week, which is a fantastic green—must easier to prep than kale since its leaves lay flat, making it easy to slice out the ribs. He shares a recipe for Stir-Fried Spiced Collards and Chickpeas (check out my own recipes for Miso and Honey-Braised Greens and Collard Greens with Bacon).

Washington Post: “White House memories: chef John Moeller on pretzels, maple syrup and calorie-counting,” by Tim Carman.
I know this is starting to look like Food (Section) Fight! (three Post stories!), but I just couldn’t resist including Carman’s profile of former White House chef John Moeller. My favorite part is the story about a new head cook who tried to serve Chelsea Clinton real maple syrup against Moeller’s objections, knowing that she preferred maple-flavored corn syrup.

Wall Street Journal: “Is Your Wine Lousy or Simply Having a Bad Day?,” by Lettie Teague.
“Corked” is a common expression associated with wine that’s gone bad (an important distinction to bad wine). But what does it really mean? Teague offers an excellent examination of the various wines good wines can go bad and how to identify if your bottle is one of them.

Wall Street Journal: “A Winning Schnitzel,” by Rob Mifsud.
Mifsud’s article on wiener schnitzel really put me in the mood to try to make the European breaded veal cutlet, which I haven’t had in years. I’d never thought about how tonkatsu (Japanese breaded cutlet) is basically the same dish.

Associated Press: “Movie cocktails that leave us shaken and stirred,” by Michelle Locke.
Probably because I have my Oscar Cocktails series running now that I was attracted to this story about the history of cocktails in movies from the silent film era to Die Another Day’s mojito.

Huffington Post: “8 Delicious International Cuisines You're Probably Missing Out On,” by Huff Post Taste.
Cuisines from Thailand and Vietnam are both very popular in the U.S. But that country between them—Laos—hasn’t generated much heat in America. It’s a shame, as Huff Post Taste describes it as a cross between Thai and Vietnamese influences, which sounds amazing. Here is a profile of Laotian and seven other international cuisines yet to catch on in the U.S.

New York Times: “Stuffed Dates to Remember,” by Melissa Clark.
My mouth started watering as I read about Clark’s spin on bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with chorizo and served with silky tomato and piquillo pepper sauce.

New York Times: “Riding a Chef’s Twists and Turns (Restaurant Review: Mission Cantina on the Lower East Side),” by Pete Wells.
Danny Bowien made a name for himself with Mission Chinese Food, his Lower East Side Chinese outpost that become one of New York’s hottest meal tickets. While Wells awarded that restaurant two stars, he gives only one to Bowein’s foray into Mexican, which he calls “curiously unsatisfying,” but notes that “the disappointment does not sting the way it would if the prices were higher.”

Thrillist: “Testing The Secret Menus At 8 Chains, From Chipotle To Shake Shack,” by Liz Childers.
I’ve never eat a Quesarito—the secret burrito at Chipotle made with a quesadilla instead of just a tortilla—but I’ve been tempted to ask for one to see if it’s a possible. I read about it awhile ago, but it’s not on the menu. Childers went around to eight fast-food chain restaurants asking for their notorious “secret” items and chronicled the results.

CNN Eatocracy: “Dark, light, sweet, creamy: 12 chocolates to know,” by America’s Test Kitchen.
I’m kind of a sucker for a food guide, especially if it’s about a food I like. And who doesn’t like chocolate? I’ve only ever heard of one such person in my life. America’s Test Kitchen has put together a concise and informative primer on the dark brown substance (including its ghostly imitator, white chocolate).

Oscar Cocktails: Nebraska

In Nebraska, Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) is convinced he's won a million dollars when he receives a magazine publisher's sweepstakes notice. Although his son David (Will Forte) recognizes the notice as a scam, David nonetheless agrees to drive his father from their home in Montana to Lincoln, Nebraska so he can claim his "prize." The quirky comedy-drama is nominated for six Academy Awards including Picture, Actor (Dern), Supporting Actress (June Squibb), Director (Alexander Payne) and Cinematography, for its beautiful black and white photography by Phedon Papamichael.

Woody is a beer lover, so I knew the Nebraska had to be a beer cocktail. I wanted something hoppy and refreshing, so I muddled mint with lemon juice (Woody's "winning ticket" is, after all, a lemon) and used Dale's pale ale as the cocktail's main ingredient. For the drink's spirit, I choose moonshine (a legal version), since corn is Nebraska's top crop. Honey nods to Nebraska's state insect: the European honey bee. And elderflower liqueur gives the drink an extra floral edge while nodding to its star Woody and his wife Kate (Squibb).

Oscar Cocktails: Nebraska

4-5 mint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish
1 oz. fresh lemon juice (juice from 1/2 lemon)
1 oz. moonshine
1/2 oz. St. Germain elderflower liqueur
1 tsp. honey
6 oz. American pale ale

Add mint leaves and lemon juice to a shaker and muddle. Add ice, moonshine, St. Germain and honey and shake well until cold and mixed. Strain into a highball glass with ice. Add beer and stir to combine. Garnish with mint sprig.

See all of this year's Oscar Cocktails.

Spelt Soup with Escarole and White Beans

For my In / Out list back in January, I declared heirloom grains "in." I don't think I was wrong. I'm seeing lots of recipes for grains other than your typical rices and wheat varieties.

This soup appeared in the January issue of Bon Appétit as part of their "new healthy" theme. Spelt is an ancient variety of wheat native to Southern Europe where it's long been a staple. According to The New Food Lover's Companion it has a slightly higher protein content than typical wheat.

I loved the grain's chewy texture in this soup, which also features escarole, another under-appreciated ingredient, plus cannellini beans. I think you could easily make this vegetarian by omitting the pancetta and using vegetable broth. We ate this during last week's snowstorm, and it hit the spot.

Spelt Soup with Escarole and White Beans
Adapted from a recipe by Bon Appétit

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 sweet or yellow onion, finely diced
1 small fennel bulb, cored and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 large (or 2 small) celery stalk, finely chopped
4 oz. pancetta, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup spelt
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. tomato paste
3/4 tsp. red chili pepper flakes
12 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 head escarole, cored and leaves torn into bite-size pieces
1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Shaved parmigiano-reggiano cheese (shaved with a vegetable peeler)

1. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring often until golden-brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add spelt and cook, stirring frequently, until grains have toasted a bit, about 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Add onion, fennel, carrot, celery and garlic to pot and season with salt and pepper. Sauté vegetables until softened, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add tomato paste, and red chili pepper flakes and cook another minute.

3. Add broth to the pot and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the spelt is tender, about an hour. Stir in the escarole and beans and cook until the escarole is wilted, about 5 minutes. Serve soup in bowls topped with a few fresh shavings of parmesan cheese.

Pasta with Brussels Sprouts, Bacon and Walnuts

Brussels sprouts, as they say, are having a moment. They're not just a little more popular than usual, but have gone from being a fairly consistently maligned vegetable (Brussels sprouts? Ewww) to one of the hottest ingredients in restaurants and home kitchens.

I think we have two key things to thank for their resurgence: the oven and bacon. Roasting Brussels sprouts rather than steaming them releases their sweetness and provide caramelization. The best roasted Brussels sprouts are wonderfully brown and somewhat crispy. The second key thing is bacon, which has become a natural partner with the bitter green nubs.

Here I've combined the two in a pasta dish along with walnuts and a simple sauce. Dry white wine could be used instead of vermouth, although I find pasta dishes are a great way to use up bottles of vermouth if you're not a habitual martini drinker.


Pasta with Brussels Sprouts, Bacon and Walnuts

Makes about 5 servings

12 oz. Brussels sprouts
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt, to taste
12 oz. dried farfalle pasta
1/3 cup walnut halves
1/2 lb. bacon, strips cut into 1/4-inch wide pieces
1 sweet onion, peeled and diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. fresh chopped rosemary
1/4 cup dry vermouth
Grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut the ends off the Brussels sprouts and remove outer leaves. Cut the remaining sprout in half through the root end so the halves remain intact. Add sprouts to a bowl, drizzle with 2 tbsp. olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and toss to coat sprouts with oil. Arrange sprouts on a baking sheet cut-side down. Roast until browned, about 35 minutes. Set aside to cool. If doing ahead of time, refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until 2 minutes shy of al dente. Set aside 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and then drain the pasta. Set aside until ready to use.

3. Toast walnuts in a small dry frying pan until fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from pan and coarsely chop.

4. Heat a Dutch oven or large sauté pan over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until browned and fat has rendered. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper-towel-lined plate. Drain off excess bacon fat, leaving about 2 tbsp. in the pot. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and rosemary and stir to combine. Cook for another 2 minutes, then add the vermouth. Stir to incorporate and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the roasted brussels sprouts, toasted walnuts, cooked bacon and partially cooked pasta. Add the reserved cup of pasta cooking water and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes until pasta is al dente. Serve in bowls topped with grated parmigiano-reggiano.

Oscar Cocktails: Her

In the film Her, recently separated Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) acquires a new smartphone with a hyper-intelligent operating system that he names Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) and forms a romantic attachment to. The movie is nominated for five Academy Awards, including Picture, Original Screenplay and, for its beautiful vision of a futuristic Los Angeles, Production Design.

One of the things I love most about Her is the film's colorful visual design. The sets, props and costumes in every scene are like a perfectly composed color palette. Thus, the Her cocktail is inspired by the colorful look of the film, as well as its refreshing take on human connection.

Oscar Cocktails: Her

1 oz gin
½ oz Aperol
½ oz Campari
½ oz ginger liqueur
2 oz. Italian lemon soda (San Pelligrino limonata)
Lemon wheel
Rosemary sprig

Combine gin, Aperol, Campari, ginger liqueur, and lemon soda in a rocks glass with ice. Stir to combine. Garnish with lemon wheel and rosemary sprig.

See all of this year's Oscar Cocktails.

Dallas Desserts Valentine's Day Edition: John Ross's Brownie-Blondie Sundae

Dallas Desserts is a collaboration with Dallas Decoder, the top fan site for classic Dallas and TNT Dallas. 

At the end of the second season of TNT's Dallas revival (which returns for its third season February 24), John Ross is really living up to his reputation as a bad boy. He'd just married Pamela Barnes, daughter of longtime Ewings' foe Cliff Barnes, but could not resist getting a little sugar on the side from Emma Ryland, daughter of his uncle Bobby's wife, Ann. He's his daddy's son through and through.

Along those lines, this is John Ross's perfect Valentine's Day sundae: anchored by a rich chocolate brownie with roasted peanuts...and a decadent peanut butter blondie with chocolate chips. With this sundae, the heir to the Ewing Oil legacy can have his cake and eat it too. Topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, dark chocolate sauce, chopped peanuts and whipped cream, this is as rich and delicious as the young Mr. Ewing himself.

John's Ross's Brownie-Blondie Sundae

1 3-inch square fudge brownie with peanuts (see recipe below)
1 3-inch square peanut butter blondie with chocolate chips (see recipe below)
1 generous scoop of vanilla ice cream
Drizzle of dark chocolate sauce (see recipe below)
1/4 chopped roasted peanuts
Sweetened whipped cream (see recipe here)

Place a brownie in the bottom of a shallow bowl. Top with a blondie (heat in the microwave for 20 second if desired). Place a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of the blondie. Drizzle the whole thing with chocolate sauce. Scatter chopped peanuts over the sundae and top with a generous dollop of freshly whipped cream.

Fudge Brownies with Peanuts
Adapted from Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies with Salted Peanuts, Bon Appétit

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish
7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
4 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 13 X 9 baking dish with aluminum foil and butter the foil.

2. Heat 3/4 cup butter in a heavy large saucepan (at least 2 1/2 quarts) over low heat. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking to combine after each addition. Fold in the flour, then the nuts.

3. Spread batter evenly into prepared baking dish. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Place a rack to cool then cut into squares.

Peanut Butter Blondies
Adapted from a recipe by Jen's Favorite Cookies

1/4 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/3 cup (3 oz.) peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Combine butter, peanut butter and sugar in the bowl of stand mixer. Beat on medium-high until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until mixed well. Add salt and flour and beat on low speed until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

3. Line a 9 X 9 square baking dish with aluminum foil and brush with butter. Press dough into the baking dish. Bake until the top and edges are brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool then cut into squares.

Dark Chocolate Sauce
Adapted from The Best Chocolate Sauce Recipe, David Lebovitz

1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Whisk together water, sugar, corn syrup and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat. When the mixture just boils, remove from heat and stir in the chopped chocolate. Continue stirring until the chocolate has completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Allow to cool and store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Oscar Cocktails: The Wolf of Wall Street

Director Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street unabashedly immerses itself in the vulgar, corrupt and greedy world of late 1980s Wall Street, based on the true-life story of Jordan Belfort. The film is nominated for Academy Awards for Picture, Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio), Supporting Actor (Jonah Hill), Director and Adapted Screenplay.

For The Wolf of Wall Street, I wanted a cocktail that the businessmen in the film could drink while closing deals. Inspired by the vodka martini, I used green chartreuse to represent money, lemon juice to signify the undervalued stocks (i.e. "lemons") Belfort's company peddles and powdered sugar to stand in as the, um, powder that also fuels the film's main characters.

1 1/2 oz. vodka
1/2 oz. green chartreuse
1/2 oz. dry vermouth
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1 tsp. powdered sugar
Lemon twist (garnish)

Combine vodka, green chartreuse, dry vermouth, lemon juice and powdered sugar in a shaker with ice. Shake until cold and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

See all of this year's Oscar Cocktails.

The Feed: February 12, 2014

Love hoppy beer? You really need to visit Oregon and try beers like these.

The Feed is my weekly round up of interesting food-related stories from newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites.

Washington Post: “Valentine’s Day tributes to the Food and appliances we love,” the Food section staff.
The whole gang gets into the act on this one: essays about their favorite food and kitchen appliances. I’m with Jim Webster (“there is nothing — nothing — I want for dinner more than a huge bowl of pasta”). Loved Jane Touzalin’s story about the only argument she ever won with her father because she could identify butter over margarine. And Bonnie Benwick’s commercial refrigerator is sure to stir jealousy in any home cook who ever brought home too much food to fit in the fridge.

Washington Post: “Hops: The beer ingredient (most) drinkers love,” by Greg Kitsock.
I’ll admit it, I’m a hophead. I love my beer with the biggest, bitterest hop kiss possible. Chris does too. I’ll bring home those craft beers with pictures of hops on the labels and he’ll declare them not hoppy enough. Kitsock looks at the rise in popularity of the little green cones in flavoring beer, which weren’t always the prize attraction they are today.

Closet Cooking: “Beef Wellington Tarts with Mushroom Blue Cheese Sauce,” by Kevin Lynch.
Beef Wellington is a Christmas tradition in our house, but I didn’t make it this year because I wanted to try something different. Shame this Closet Cooking recipe for a deconstructed version hadn’t come along, or I’d have definitely made it. This looks amazing. I love that he incorporated greens into the dish. Lynch offers this as a possible Valentine’s Day dinner for two. Sounds perfect.

Thrillist: “A Field Guide to Regional BBQ Styles in America,” by Adam Lapetina.
This is the best region-by-region explanation of the different types of barbecue, complete with signature dishes and examples of prime purveyors. I’d never heard of Alabama barbecue before (or the mayonnaise-based sauce popular in that iteration). Makes my mouth water just reading this.

New York Times: “If It’s Chili, It’s Personal,” by Jennifer Steinhauer.
Who doesn’t love chili? I made a whole week’s worth of chili recipes last year. Here, Steinhauer provides a good 101 on the subject, complete with recipes.

New York Times: “Why Can’t You Find That Wine?,” by Eric Asimov.
Asimov looks at why it’s hard to find certain wines—it has to do with distribution being different in every state—and offers helpful suggestions for those dedicated to finding a certain bottle, like Wine-Searcher.

Wall Street Journal: “Melted Cheese's Delicious Secret,” by Sarah Nassauer.
Cheese is great. But melted cheese is really something special. This distinction isn’t lost on foodmakers. Nassauer looks at the allure of melted cheese and efforts to capture it.

NPR: “Thank You, Shirley Temple, For The Original 'Mocktail',” by Eliza Barclay.
Child star Shirley Temple Black passed away this week. Barclay has a nice tribute to the actress and her namesake mocktail, which she didn’t invent but was apparently protective of.