It’s been summer officially here in California for a few weeks now, and like most seasons in This Great State, it’s peculiarly schizophrenic. Hundred-plus noonday temperatures one week, crisp and chilly overnights the next. They say you can get used to anything, but even the natives here still find time to bitch and moan about the weather instead of doing something about it, like moving. I guess I’m lucky in that I spent a large part of my childhood growing up in the Midwest, a region of the country notorious for its own extremes of climate: jungle-humid summers, savagely cruel winters, and even the springs and autumns were marred by cicada invasions and the odd freak tornado.

For foodies and other gourmand-types, we often mark the changing of the seasons by the availability of our favorite produce, the arrival of which also sometimes serves as a harbinger of things to come. For example, we know it’s spring when we see the first scrawny stalks of asparagus start to appear at the farmer’s market and more “locavore”-minded eateries; we also know that when this unfairly short asparagus season ends, it means that both summer and strawberries can’t be too far off.

Baking also has its own season, but it isn’t summer. Or is it? On one hand, what kind of masochist wants to hang around a hot kitchen on a hot day with the stupid oven on? Summer is for bikini sorbets, barefoot cocktails, and halter top fruit salads, not sweater cupcakes or flannel muffins. On the other hand, baking as an activity may be relegated to the comfort months, but baking as a trend has proven itself lately to be an all-weather sport.  In our post-postmodern world, it’s the end result that is often a more accurate expression of our labors; and if there’s anything that’s the antithesis of seasonal produce, but still representative of an American summer, it’s the powdered drink mix.

Fun fact: the man who came up with the Tang formula, Bill Mitchell, is also responsible for creating Pop Rocks.

There’s no real trick to incorporating Tang or Kool-Aid or Country Time into a cupcake recipe; since these mixes are mostly sugar anyway, you can more or less swap them out on a one-to-one basis. However, since they are flavored, you should limit the exchange to only up to half of the sugar asked for in a recipe; any more than that and the resulting cupcakes will be too intense for even the most dedicated sugar addict.

I made two batches of the Tang cupcakes above, using a recipe that asked for 3/4 cup of sugar. For the first batch, I used half a cup of Tang and a quarter cup of sugar; for the second batch I reversed the proportions, a quarter cup of Tang and half a cup of sugar. The second batch, with less Tang, were more, dare I say, delicately flavored than the first batch, which were more like a slap in the face with a rubber glove filled with sugar.

If you’re making your own frosting, simply alternate the regular doses of powdered sugar with smaller installations of the powdered drink mix of your choice, tasting along the way to monitor the level of sweetness. It may actually be easier to use a can of store-bought frosting (don’t be ashamed, we won’t tell) and whip in the mix that way, since store-bought frostings tend to be pretty homogenous and bland to begin with and could use a little spiking.

Finally, it probably goes without saying that this trashy trick works best with vanilla or other light, “summery” flavored cupcakes. Unless you like the idea of Kool-Aid in your chocolate.

- Top Chef Masters has ya’ll missing Padma more than you might have thought. Summer:

I’m liking Kelly Choi less and less with every episode. The way she delivers her lines is grating… she emphasizes the end of every sentence to give the impression that what she is saying is SO IMPORTANT! and yet she never seems to have a valid comment to make about the food. She has none of Padma’s elegance.

- Everyone wants in on Britannia’s English Breakfast on a Bun creation. Although Lucy makes a fair point:

It’s not an English breakfast without HP and a cup of tea! Other than that it’s perfect.

- And finally, congrats to gansie on her second-place finish in the zucchini-garama masala foodie fight. Don’t miss battle #7: Pineapple and Basil. Mmmm!

PS - bonus comments of the week points to anyone who can explain what the eff is going on in the Kelly Choi pic above.

Maybe I’m on a kick after my cash-saving advice a few weeks back, or maybe I’m just smarting from having to lay out big bucks for a new water heater, but a trip to the freezer today reminded me of another thing I do around the kitchen that saves time and prevents waste.

Since I lack the patience or energy to sit down and make my own chicken or beef stock like a good home cook, I’m constantly cracking open a can of the low-sodium broth for dishes.  Of course, the cans never give me exactly the amount that I need for a dish, so there is invariably some remaining.  When this happens, I’m off to the silicone ice tray (yes, it does put a goofy dice design in them) and create perfect one-ounce packages that I can use to augment when I don’t have enough or for when I only need a quarter cup or so.

You’ll notice that they’re kept in the Reynolds Handi-Vac freezer bags.  Gimmick?  Maybe.  But I got the vacuum for free from someone handing them out on the street corner after the product launched and I do find that my meat has less of that grey funkiness when I use the bags.   I like to think that, in this case, it prevents sublimation.  (And you thought you’d never use that stuff you learned in chemistry!)

Obviously, you can tell I love having these quick-cubes lying around in the freezer, but I need to make sure I don’t accidentally slip them into a drink!  Speaking of which, what better way to be frugal than to save the ten bills it would cost you for a martini at the bar and make one at home like I do most Fridays?  Find out how after the jump.

There’s nothing fancy about this recipe, but it’s a classic for a reason.  Why cover up good liquor with a crappy syrup mixer?

I hesitate to even call this a “recipe,” as it’s something that you can easily commit to memory and use to unwind by yourself or impress your friends without your nose in the bartender guide.  When you get home from work, or about ten minutes before you want to serve, put the martini glass and the shaker in the freezer.  For one martini, take out about four or five good sized ice cubes and crush the ice…not powder fine but not too course.  I don’t have an ice crusher, so I usually bang it out in my mortar and pestle.

Take out the shaker and put the ice in.  I don’t like my martini that dry, so I go with about three quarters of an ounce or a quick pour from the bottle of dry vermouth into the ice.  Shake it well a few times and pour the vermouth into the martini glass from the freezer, running the liquid around and pouring it out.  Then add two jiggers (3 oz total) of GOOD gin to the shaker.  This is not a place to cut corners, as your gin is front and center.  I’m a big fan of the Philadelphia-distilled Bluecoat Gin, but go with what you like.

Shake it about ten times vigorously, then pour it into the glass.  I keep a jar of pimento-stuffed olives in the fridge and I throw in a bunch.  If you’re looking to class it up a bit, pick up some olives stuffed with gorgonzola or feta cheese for some added zing.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of a better way to start the weekend than to know you’ve saved a few bucks. Just don’t drop any chicken stock into your drink!

It has finally happened- the long awaited arrival of Washington’s very own W Hotel. However, more importantly for the residents of DC, the reopening of this hotel means only one thing: the terrace bar, which hosts unrivaled views of the city. You can scope out the Washington Monument and the White House in all its glory, including those pesky snipers that adorn its roof. What could be more pleasant than sipping summer cocktails whilst gawking at the Obamas from afar?

One of my friends managed to secure a spot on the guest list for the opening night of the W Washington’s POV Roof Terrace this past Wednesday. The hotel was abuzz—a true velvet rope event which is not a familiar sight in DC.

I am happy to report that the views from the terrace are exactly how I remembered them to be (back when the spot was Hotel Washington), and then some. The terrace has expanded onto the Pennsylvania Ave side, with an enclosed floor-to-ceiling window bar—great for those cooler evenings. The sophisticated reds and subtle lighting create an atmosphere that is familiar, so not to intimidate, but yet chic, to remind you that you are in a place that is special.

Before you read further I should provide a disclaimer, this was opening night and the place was packed, lines forming at all entrances of the hotel. My experience wasn’t the best but I believe that the service will improve as will the product. Continue reading with view of the White House after the jump.

The first words uttered from our server were along the lines of, its opening night, the place is packed, the wait for food and cocktails is going to be a long one.

My friends and I came for the drinks, the introduction of famed Sasha Petraske of NYC’s White Star and Milk and Honey meant for a sure fire win.

The POV bio promises no more pre-mixed mixers or glub ice; all mixers are fresh and the ice cubes customized for each drink. Impressive, perhaps, for some.

I tried the mojito and the strawberry lemonade, both were indeed fresh and unique and each did play host to a different ice cube, but this is by no means new to any of us. I wasn’t blown away by any account, I don’t claim to be an expert but my friends will attest that I do try my hand at creating my own and tasting the more adventurous cocktails available.

The mojito is a regular of mine, it can be magical at the best of times and simple at its worst, this was somewhere in between. I visited Milk & Honey a year or so ago and it was a more memorable experience than the cocktails at POV. However, I’m sure over time I will come to appreciate the drinks for what they are, simple: thoughtful and somewhat unique. Unfortunately for Petraske, the view will be the draw to POV and not the cocktails, but it certainly will help the evening pass by more blissfully.

POV Roof Terrace
515 15th Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
202-661-2400

Living in the US has taught me one thing: no matter what, no matter where, there is always an ultimate this or ultimate that, the ultimate burger, the ultimate hot dog, the ultimate blah blah blah…

I was watching a show the other week on this very topic, and the host was traveling the country in search of the ultimate/largest cheese steak. This got me thinking — it’s not all about being the biggest (cough cough), it’s about being the best. In my university town of Leeds there is a small cafe called the Crusty Bin. This eatery would serve up the best breakfast sandwich that has ever passed my lips. With this in mind there was only one thing left for me to do: recreate the Crusty Bin breakfast sandwich.

When I first told gansie that I intended on writing a post about a breakfast sandwich that I used to eat during my university life she immediately responded with, “I want it to start with a crazy university days’ story.” I suppose I could tell you about the time I gathered at the Crusty Bin with friends after our university summer ball, when after a night of drinking this was the only place we wanted to be. However, there was one person missing from our group because he was caught only hours earlier doing the dirty with his girlfriend in a portable loo in the grounds of one of England’s finest country estates… I can’t go any further as it wouldn’t be SFW. Or I could tell you the story of how I woke up the day after my 21st birthday, which also happened to be the day I handed in my final year dissertation — with a mohawk and an incredibly painful hangover which was cured by said sandwich. But I won’t.

You didn’t read this post to hear about me, you read this post due to the mouth watering picture above.

A gooey cross-section shot and the full deets on what’s in it after the jump…

Start with a fresh bread — I chose a crispy ciabatta warmed in the oven. From there basically build up in this order: fried egg, sliced grilled tomato, smoked crispy bacon, a good deli sasauage, fried mushrooms and topped off with heinz baked beans.

Left to Right: Mark Peel, Anita Lo, Douglas Rodriguez, John Besh

After a brief hiatus for the holiday, Top Chef Masters has returned, and I’d love to say I’m excited about that fact. I’d love to say that, I really, really would, but Ludo taught me something last episode: I like the d-bags. And by “like,” I mean love to hate, curse their name and feel better about myself as a human being in general because of their existence on a reality show. I wanted to love the civil, the calm, the professional, but that just isn’t the case. Top Chef Masters is no Top Chef.. but I’m still going to tune in every week.

I never really bought into the claims that without Padma and Coliccho the show wouldn’t be as good either, but Tom’s appearance on last night’s episode proved me wrong. Only walking on set for a meager 30 seconds, Tom brought an insight and context to what was going in the challenge that I had yet to see on the Masters spinoff so far this season.

“I can tell right off the bat, [The Masters]  understand something the normal Top Chef contestants never do,” he quipped. “These guys know you don’t get bogged down in the challenge… because through cooking you can pretty much tell any story.” And there the chefs were, walking around cool as cucumbers. Fuck you Tom, I love you.  Padma, I’d take you over a dozen Chois any day.

When Top Chef does come back on, I encourage anyone interested to read Coliccho’s post-game blog write-ups after an episode airs. It usually gives some good rationale into why a decision went a certain way that wasn’t explained well due to time constraints and shitty editing.

ALL THAT BEING SAID, last night’s egg challenge was fantastic! I hope we see that challenge every season moving forward. Anita Lo beat out her fellow competitors, John Besh, Douglas Rodriguez and Mark Peel with a soft scrambled egg with oyster sauce and truffle oil. A very excellent start.

After watching Besh on ‘Next Iron Chef’ though, you would have thought he’d be a little more prepared for this kind of competition. Not even getting his plates out? Seriously? Peel gets bonus points for having an inspirational father/making one-handed pasta.

Then we get Doogie Howser (Neal Patrick Harris - also of Harold and Kumar fame) and a bunch of random magicians that seem to have absolutely no connection to Harris other than he likes magic. The theme was each chef had a word to use for their dish: Lo - Trick Illusion, Besh - Surprise, Douglas - Spectacle and Peel - Mystery.

Again, Anita Lo proves to be the crazy, awesome silent type, busting out a brilliant beef tartare disguised as a sea scallop to take the overall win. Like Susanne Tract before her, the dish was inventive, delicious and seemingly effortless. Even watching them on TV, I get antsy over how calm these women are.

Besh with his “brain freezing” bellini and liquid nitrogen “sorbet” had mixed reviews but earned credit for inventiveness. Peel delivered on his promise of mystery with a brown bag of fish and other assorted goodies getting points for execution. And Rodriguez kinda did something with a flaming coconut and duck several ways that seemed to fail to hit the mark. I’m not sure how this is possible when the words, “Duck-Three-Ways” are involved, but that’s what the tv box told me.

A good episode with good challenges. When the winners do eventually go head to head we’re really going to see some amazing food porn. Until next week.

The Onion’s video podcast has been absolutely killing the popular food landscape lately and the feedbag story is no exception.  Funny, I don’t remember seeing this on the behind-the-scenes tour at Taco Bell!  Someone at The Onion must have made a run for the border lately, because they recently took a shot at Taco Bell’s ingredients (without resorting to the obvious Soylent Green joke, thankfully).

Also in their cross-hairs:  the crowd at Denny’s, for whom I still have more respect than the folks at Olive Garden.

- The press release fairy sent word today that the new season of Top Chef will debut on August 26th.  You can meet and greet with the new chef’testants thanks to a video introduction from Bravo.

- In addition to a delicious-looking recipe for a manchego-stuffed pork burger, the new edition of Food Network Magazine says that their poll found: “Nearly 60% of chefs said they’d want their own cooking show.”  In possibly unrelated news:  little did I know a few weeks back when I tossed around chef Jose Garces’ name for food TV consideration that the scuttlebutt on the street would be that he missed his James Beard Award presentation to attend a Food Network-related engagement.

After the jump:  we double the amount of coverage we’ve given to this season’s Next Food Network Star (in other words, we have two items) and we look at food celebrity footwear…and I promise it has nothing to do with Crocs.

- Who has the best chances of winning Next Food Network Star?  ODDS ARE you don’t care enough about any of the finalists to give a damn!  (See what I did there!?!?!  Odds…like in betting.)

- While checking out an interview with NFNS’s recently-axed Katie Cavuto, I found this nugget:  “After her stellar performance on the Rachael Ray Show, as well as showing her chops when it came to cooking for kids, America was stunned when she was eliminated by the judges this past Sunday night.”  The only thing stunning about Katie’s elimination this past Sunday was that she hadn’t already been eliminated a couple of weeks ago.

- Nigella Lawson is an internationally-respected entrepreneur and a renowned expert on food who has time and again demonstrated a seriousness and…LOOK!  SHE’S WEARING TRENDY SHOES!

Over at the Endless Simmer Flickr Pool, Squeegers has us drooling with some old-school chocolate chip cookies. But that’s just the beginning. Aussie dumplings, I-can’t-believe-it’s-tofu dessert, and a look at the farmers’ market bounty, after the jump…

zucvv brings us some tasty fried dumplings all the way from Melbourne, Australia.

NorwichNuts serves up a Vanilla Tofu Crepe with Almonds, Strawberries, and Balsamic Chocolate.

And belmontmedina is keeping us updated on the DC farmers’ market scene.

Check out all the rest (and send us you own shots!) at the ES Flickr Pool.

I’m used to press dinners. And they’re almost always the same. Food. Drinks. Chatter with writers. Drunk. Stuffed. Repeat.

Last night I was invited to a preview performance of A Tactile Dinner. I mistakenly thought it was a press dinner. I don’t know much about the Futurism movement, besides what I soaked up during college Art History classes, but what I do know is this was NOT the “press dinner” I was used to. It was way more performance than food (audience forced to eat with one hand–no utensils, and play a music box with the other), but an experience nonetheless.

Regardless, check out the photo above. It’s a fucking box of water. What looks like it should be filled with Hawaiian Punch is actually filled with freaking water. Is this the new paper vs. plastic debate?

Event details post jump. And please excuse the bare nails. But, ps - have you checked out my new fav blog?!?!

Viva la degustacione!

banished? productions cordially invites you to

Marking the 100th anniversary of Futurism,
banished? productions cordially invites everyone
to celebrate the passé-ist glory of Futurist degustation:
a tactile seven-course “meal” of gastronomic revolution!
Pasta Prohibited!

R.S.V.P. or food-related concerns to info@banishedproductions.org

Course 1: Polyrhythmic Salad
Course 2: Aural Sensations
Course 3: Aerofood
Course 4: Magic Food
Course 5: Visual Nutrients
Course 6: Totalrice
Course 7: Tactile Vegetable Garden
Digestivo

Tickets on sale today! 4 ways to get your tickets…
*Call 866-811-4111
*Buy Online here!
*Visit the Festival Box Office @ 607 New York Ave NW
*Cash only admissions 1 hour before performance @ Arthur S. Flemming Center, 1426 9th St NW DC

A $5 gratuity is suggested.
More info? Visit www.banishedproductions.org or e-mail info@banishedproductions.org

Donate to banished? productions via Fractured Atlas!

A TACTILE DINNER is presented as part of the 2009 Capital Fringe Festival
Capital Fringe Festival & the Baldacchino Gypsy Tent Bar
607 New York Ave NW * Washington, DC 20001 *www.capitalfringe.org

Dear Cupcakes,

Yes, I’ve said some mean things about you in the past, but how can I stay mad at you when I see something like this?  Sesame Street makes everything better.  Bonus points for adorable use of the cookies.

Love,
TVFF

Found at The Coventry Deli in Philadelphia.