A State of Pure Chocolate Bliss

Since I've started my whole baking adventure, I only have 2 cupcake recipes under my belt. I realized that I tend to make the same recipes over and over cause it's was I'm comfortable with. So I challenged myself to try something a little different and branch out. One of my favorite cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes is their chocolate ganache, so why not attempt a version of it at home! And not only am I gonna attempt something new, but the chocolate on chocolate combo really excited my taste buds -- I could already picture taking a bite into the moist cake coupled with the dark chocolate ganache frosting.

Cupcake ingredients -- yields 24 cupcakes
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups cane sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.

Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Using an ice cream scoop, distribute the batter between 24 muffin wells, filling each well 2/3 full. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack and cool completely. While the cupcake is cooling, prepare the frosting.

Frosting ingredients
18 ounces good quality semi sweet chocolate; chopped
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 pint of raspberries

Place the chopped chocolate in a large heat safe bowl and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat heavy cream over medium heat until it begins to boil. DO NOT walk away from the stove. The cream could boil over and you will be with a big mess to clean up. Immediately pour hot cream over chocolate and let it sit for five minutes. Begin stirring the cream with a whisk starting in the center of the bowl and working your way outward. As you stir, you will see the cream and chocolate come together.

Allow ganache to cool completely and set up before piping (about two hours). I decided to forgo the piping since my skills aren't that great. So instead, after about an hour, I dipped the top of the cupcakes into the ganache frosting and let the frosting set. Then place a raspberry on top to finish.

Paying homage to Marvin Gaye in the District

We've heard about this place for a while and just hadn't managed to get a seat. Because of their small dining room, it was a little tough getting reservations. But we finally did it! We were booked for dinner on Friday night at Marvin in DC's Shaw neighborhood. I had been dreaming of their famous fried chicken and waffles for months, and was ecstatic at the chance to finally devour some!

We met up with our friends early at the roof top bar upstairs. The vibe was definitely pretty cool -- think young professionals mingling in the open air bar and mix in the whiffing smells of delicious burgers on the grill. So you can get your libations flowing and work up your appetite for dinner at the same time! And somewhere in the background, you get New Orleans jazz playing, tying everything together. As you're winding down the work week with a beverage or two, your phone rings and the hostess on the other end lets you know your table is ready! Quick walk downstairs and next thing you know, you're seated with a menu filled with tempting options.

My first impression of the menu was that it was very eclectic, a mix of Brussels moulles and frites along side shrimp and grits from the deep south, how could you go wrong with that. I definitely wanted to try a few items, but settled on the mussels to start and then fried chicken and waffles for my entree.

We ordered two types of mussels -- chorizo and fennel and coconut curry. As with any true moulles and frites bistro, we got a good helping of crusty bread to use to soak up the savory sauces. The mussels were cooked perfectly and weren't over done, tasteless or rubbery. I really liked that they still had a subtle briny taste. They were definitely on par with Brasserie Beck and Granville Moore's. With each order of mussels, you also get a heaping portion of french fries with 3 dipping sauces - saffron aolli, horseradish mayo and traditional ketchup. Needless to say, there wasn't anything left but crumbs, we inhaled the fries and mussels! We should have timed how quickly we devoured everything.

And for the piece de resistance...free range fried chicken and Belgian waffle. When it came out, the chicken and waffle were served on top of collard greens! I wasn't about to complain about the combo, it looked great. The chicken was a generous portion of perfectly seasoned chicken breast and the breading was super flaky and crunchy. Now I by no means consider myself a fried chicken connoisseur, but I love it with a passion (my cholesterol level begs to differ) and can appreciate one that is fried to the wonderful golden crispiness perfection! And it was served with a little honey on the side. Now imagine cutting a piece of fried chicken, getting a piece of the waffle, some collard greens and a little dollop of honey all in one bite, it was an explosion of flavor in my mouth -- sweet and savory, crunchy and soft. I was very very impressed. The meal was totally worth the hype and worth the wait!

There were a few other entrees on the menu that I want to try -- shrimp and grits, seared sea scallops (my favorite seafood dish of all time), and lobster waterzooi. I can't wait to go back. Parking was a pain, but I feel that the end result was worth it. I feel like you get two great things all in one place, a cool bar to hang out and a great dinner! In my book, that's a win win combo.

DeLonghi Deep Fryer review

So we got our new deep fryer last week, the DeLonghi D677UX. It wasn't the one with the rotating basket, the husband accidentally purchased the wrong one, but we were still quite happy with the one we got, and it was at a better price too. One of the things that did catch me off guard was the size, it is a little bigger than our old deep fryer, but it wasn't a deal breaker.

We tested it out last night by making Paula Deen's southern fried chicken recipe. Here are some of the cool features that made frying the chicken a breeze -- anti-odor and anti-vapor filters; cool to the touch exterior lift handle for the frying basket; oil draining tube to drain and recycle oil; and it's non stick interior.

The thermostat ranges from 300 to 370 degrees, and it took a mere few minutes to heat up our oil to the perfect 350. There's an indicator light that goes off, letting you know when the oil is ready for your frying pleasure.

And not that I have an issue with my house smelling like fried chicken, but with it's built in air filter, there was no greasy oily chicken smell. I couldn't even tell we were frying up a storm in the kitchen. The frying basket was pretty large, but we still only managed to cook 2 large pieces of chicken at a time. So it probably won't be great if you're feeding a large crowd, unless you don't mind cooking in batches. But I didn't mind waiting at all. And the basket could be lifted and lowered with the lid closed, so that totally helps prevent oil splattering all over the place.

The viewing window on the lid wasn't that great, we had a hard time watching our fried chicken get golden brown. We ended up opening the lid a few times to make sure the color was what we wanted. I think that would be one thing I'd really want changed, a better viewing window.

 

To clean, you just use the built in tube to drain out the oil after it's cooled down, wipe down the interior with a wash cloth, then wipe again to dry, place the frying basket in the dish washer and you're all set! I'm very particular about cleaning, and having this be such an easy appliance to clean makes it a definite winner in my book.

All in all, I'm extremely happy with our deep fryer, and for the price, it really was a great buy. I can't wait to test out more deep fried goodness with it!

Third time is the charm for Tiramisu cupcakes!

We had planned an Italian-themed dinner for Saturday night. The main entrees came out amazingly delicious, we made linguine alla carbanaro and chicken marsala. I'd like to take a moment to pat ourselves on the back for a successful dinner! Future blog entry about the entree will be coming later.

But the main point of this post is the interesting day I had on Saturday trying to make the dessert -- tiramisu cupcakes. I never thought I'd spend an entire day baking, and baking the same exact recipe! I had made the cupcakes a week before and wanted to tweak the recipe this time around. Here are my results:

Round number one - instead of brushing the cupcake, I decided to soak the cupcake in the coffee mix. This was a disaster. The cupcake became uber soggy and not edible.

Round number two - I decided to brush the cupcake with twice as much of the coffee mix. Again, over saturated the cupcake and had to toss out that batch.

Round number three - finally, success! Here's the final recipe.

Cupcake ingredients:

1 1/4 cup of cake flour (non self rising flour), sifted

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 cup of milk

1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved

1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces 

3 large whole eggs plus 3 egg yolks, room temperature 

1 cup cane sugar

Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

Line standard muffin tins with paper liners -- ingredients above make 12 cupcakes. In a bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Heat milk and vanilla-bean pod and seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat just until bubbles appear around the edge. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter until melted, and let stand 15 minutes. Strain milk mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, and discard vanilla-bean pod.

With a mixer on medium speed, whisk together whole eggs, yolks, and sugar to mix. Set mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, and whisk by hand until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm, about 6 minutes. Remove bowl from heat. With a mixer on high speed, whisk until mixture is fluffy, pale yellow, and thick enough to hold a ribbon on the surface for several seconds when whisk is lifted. Gently but thoroughly fold flour mixture into the egg mixture in three batches. Then fold milk mixture into the batter until just combined. 

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until centers are completely set and edges are light golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. 

Coffee Marsala Syrup

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon of freshly brewed strong coffee

1 ounce sweet Marsala wine

1/4 sugar

Stir together coffee, Marsala and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Let cool. Then brush generously over the cooled cupcakes using up all the syrup. Let the cupcakes absorb for about 30 minutes.

Mascarpone frosting

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces mascarpone cheese at room temperature

1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

With the mixer on medium speed, whisk heavy cream until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, whisk together mascarpone and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture until completely incorporated. Use immediately.

Dust the cupcakes with cocoa powder before serving. They also refrigerate really well overnight in an airtight container.

It's shrimpin time

On our way home today, we decided to make a quick run into Costco to get some gigantic shrimp. It was such a gorgeous day outside, and we both really wanted to break in the grill and start the grilling season early. The original plan was to grill them outside, I wanted to try making some sweet and spicy grilled shrimp. But by the time we got home, it was a little too dark to start up our Weber grill. So I figured, why not try out some salt and pepper shrimp in my new wok!

Using a wok is a great way to make healthy and quick after work type meals. However, it does take a few extra steps to prep the wok before using it for the first time. Before using your wok, first wipe the inside and outside of the pan with an oiled paper towel, then place the wok over high heat. Allow it to cool and repeat the process several times to give it a good coating -- this will make it easier to clean down the road and give it a good non-stick coating.

When using the wok, it's really important to get it to a very high temperature before adding the food. And you should work quickly and stir the food frequently once added to the wok. If you cook the ingredients for too long, this will cause them to either burn or be saturated with their own juices and become limp and soggy. And once you've finished making your delicious meal, simply clean the wok with soap and water and dry immediately.

Now back to the subject at hand, salt and pepper shrimp!

Ingredients:
1lb of large shrimp, de-veined and peeled
2.5 tbsp of kosher salt
4 cups luke-warm water
3 tbsp rice flour
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp of sugar
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp of unsalted butter
2 shallots, finely diced
2 scallions, chopped
1 Thai chili pepper, finely chopped

Wash the shrimp thoroughly under cold water. In a bowl, dissolve 2 tablespoons of salt with the 4 cups of luke warm water. Soak the shrimp in the salt water for 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

In a bowl, combine the rice flour, corn starch, black pepper, sugar, garlic and 2.5 tbsp of salt and thoroughly  mix. Add in the shrimp and make sure to thoroughly coat each piece. Set aside.

With the wok over high heat, add the oil and butter. Once the oil gets hot, add in the shallots and stir quickly for a few minutes. Then reduce the heat to medium and add the chili peppers. Toss in the flour coated shrimp and stir quickly until the shrimp are pink and the flour has browned. Add in the scallions and garnish with more black pepper. Serve with a bowl of hot steaming brown rice, and enjoy the delicious and hardy meal.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken...finger licking delicious!

Who doesn't love a good fried chicken every once in a while. Why not throw the health rules out the window, and entice yourself with the crispy, salty goodness!

This is actually my second attempt at making fried chicken. The first time I made it, I was over a friend's house and helping her with the recipe, and man, was it delicious when it came out! I think we were all in awe and amazed at how well it turned out. So I attempted it again for dinner on Valentine's night, and it was still finger licking good! I think the tricks to making this come out perfect are double dipping the chicken and finding a good balance between cooking it in a deep fryer and finishing it off in the oven. I feel like I need to tweak the mix of seasonings a bit, but other than that, the recipe is ready to be tried again!

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
4 cups of buttermilk
4 cups of all purpose flour
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon of garlic salt
1 tablespoon of onion powder
1 tablespoon of celery salt
1 tablespoon of paprika

Thoroughly wash and pat dry the chicken pieces. Then place the chicken in a large bowl and pour all the buttermilk over top. Let the chicken bathe in the buttermilk covered in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a deep fryer, or large heavy bottom pan, heat frying oil to 325 degrees --you can use either canola or vegetable oil. In a bowl, mix together the flour and all the spices.

Working with a few pieces at a time, thoroughly coat the chicken in the flour mixture. Then dunk it back into the buttermilk and back again into the flour mixture to double dip the chicken. Cook in the deep fryer for 7-10 minutes, or until crispy golden brown in color. Set the chicken on a wire rack to drain and finish deep frying the remaining pieces.

Transfer all the chicken to the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes.

We served the chicken with a side of home made french fries and had a great meal!

Who has a craving for some french fries?

There is an on going debate in our house about which place has the best french fries. I've got two overall favorites, McDonald's and Popeyes. I think I like both because they are thin fries with just the right amount of salt!

We were over our friend's house Superbowl weekend and they made their own french fries! I don't know why, but that idea never occurred to us. So my husband was inspired to try making them at home. Why go to some fast food joint when we can make relatively healthy fries at home! I got a really cool chopper for my bridal shower and all we had used it for was to chop onions - http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/professional-multi-chopper/?pkey=cfruit-vegetable-tools%7Cctlfvtveg.

But we thought it would make the perfect and evenly sliced french fries. And oh boy, it sure did. The fries came out the perfect size, just like how they make them at McDonald's and Popeyes! We wanted some fries to snack on, so we got 2 huge russet potatoes and decided we'd each have a potato as an after work snack. After giving them a good thorough scrubbing and drying, we put the whole potato into the chopper. It does take some muscle to get the whole potato to go through, so use those biceps if you are using the chopper. If you don't have one, you can just as easily hand cut the french fries. Just try to get them in even slices so they cook at about the same time.

Next, we heated up some extra virgin olive oil to about 350 degrees in a deep pot. We monitored the temperature using a candy thermometer. We have a deep fryer too, but it was at my father in laws house, so we needed to go to plan b. We cooked the french fries in batches to get them a golden brown color. After each batch, just lay them out on layers of paper towels to soak up the oil. And then once all the fries have been cooked, refry them again only for a minute or two this time for that extra crunch. We loved the idea of double frying. Next, transfer all the fries to a large mixing bowl, sprinkle in some finely grated sea salt, thyme and rosemary. Mix well and enjoy.

Homemade Duck Noodle Soup!!

One of our favorite places to eat is Peking Gourmet Inn in Falls Church. I seriously think we should get our picture up on their wall for being one of the most frequent customers. I sit at work sometimes and just crave that delicious Peking duck wrapped in the pancake with plum sauce. Such deliciousness! There have been times when I think that we're going to Peking Gourmet for dinner, but actually get disappointed when we end up going somewhere else! I don't know what they do to that duck, but I am an addict!

Another bonus of going there is that I can ask the waiter to take home the duck bones to make duck noodle soup! What awesomeness, I can make two meals out of a trip to Peking Gourmet.

So what exactly is duck noodle soup. I like to think of it as the Asian version of chicken noodle soup. Nothing soothes the soul like a big bowl of egg noodles and roast duck! So we went to Peking Gourmet last night for dinner and here is tonight's dinner.

Ingredients:

2 lbs Duck bones

2 yellow onions with skin left on

1 ginger root  roughly peeled

2 large shallots with skin left on

6 garlic cloves peeled

1 tbsp whole black peppercorns

palm full of rock sugar

2 tbsp of sea salt

10 cups of water

1 llb Chinese BBQ pork

1 whole roast duck

1 package of egg noodles

Optional:

baby bok choy

watercress

sliced scallions

chili garlic sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the onions, ginger root, and shallots in the oven for 10 minutes to soften. In an 8qt pot, add the duck bones, onions, ginger root, shallots, garlic, black peppercorns, rock sugar, sea salt and water. Bring the pot to a boil and cook for 30 minutes uncovered. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for another 45 minutes. Remove the fat and foam as it forms on the surface of the broth.

Pour the broth through a fine strainer to remove all the particles and fat, toss out all the duck bones, onions, shallots, ginger root, garlic and peppercorns. Return just the broth to a pot and bring to a boil before serving. Cook the egg noodles according to the instructions on the package. Here is a trick I learned from my mother in law for making the perfect egg noodles -- only cook the noodles for one bowl at a time. Then place the bowl with the noodles in the microwave for 30 seconds. Repeat the steps for however many bowls you are serving. Finishing them off in the microwave helps to dry out the noodles so that don't get overly soggy and adds in a little crunch for texture.

To assemble, in a bowl, add the egg noodles, a few pieces of BBQ pork and roast duck. If you want, add in a few pieces of baby bok choy and watercress. Generously add the broth to the bowl and sprinkle with the scallions. If you want a little kick, add in the chili garlic sauce and enjoy!

A little taste of Italy

So for this month's edition of family food adventure--a monthly tradition where we get together with the family and try out new restaurants--we decided to try Filomena Ristorante in Georgetown. This place had made an appearance on the Travel Channel's Pasta Paradise episode and there were some pretty good reviews and I had received a good number of recommendations to try it out. So we figured we'd go see what all the hype was about.

The first thing I want to point out is the decor. Tacky and over the top doesn't come close to describing it! We went the weekend before Valentine's day and the place was all decked out with red sparkly hearts and cherubs hanging from the ceiling, white doves carrying red hearts in their mouths hanging over each of the dining tables and red lights strung from wall to wall. And all these "festive" decorations were on top of a mash up of bizarre decorations--think of a home inhabited by a hoarder with a mix of goods from the flea market, yard sales and hand me downs! And I don't even want to begin to describe the pseudo-garden of Eden set up behind the buffet table. With that being said, the wait staff were extremely friendly and the food totally made up for the decorations!

There were 4 of us at lunch and we all decided to forgo the buffet at the restaurant, we wanted the good stuff this place was known for, pasta. We ordered the gnocchi della mamma, rigatone con salsicce, fettucine alla carbonara and cannelloni frutti de mare.

The gnocchi was good in a simple bolognaise sauce, how could you go wrong with that! The potato based dumplings are purportedly made on site by the Pasta Mammas and it was definitely fluffier than what I've had before.





According to the menu, Bono came here and ordered 2 bowls of the rigatone. The marinara sauce definitely tasted like it's something that came out of your grandmother's kitchen and the sausage was plentiful and meaty.

The fettucine was another pleaser and if you were able to get a bite of  the prosciutto with the fettucine, it was delicious! The sauce was a little too runny, but overall, not bad at all.

But the definite crowd pleaser was the cannelloni frutti de mare. How could you go wrong with  a dish of shrimp, crab meat, scallops, mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta cheeses stuffed in black pasta sheets smothered in lobster sauce!




There was a lot of hype over the huge portions of the meals, I really didn't notice it. But then again, I was with 3 guys who normally inhale their food in two bites, so we all polished off our dishes and didn't take home a doggy bag.

Overall consensus, the food was definitely really tasty and a great choice for the food adventure. And I had eyeballed their linguine with clams --my hands down all time favorite dish--so I am totally going back and giving that a shot. There wasn't much of a lunch crowd, but I could see how it can get packed for dinner and why there's so much buzz around this place.

The many faces of NaCl

As an avid sodium lover and a hater of bland food, I fear the day when my doctor tells me I need to cut back. I know I have a salt addiction problem, but I feel that it really does add to the food and just makes it tastier!  The 3 that I've used regularly in my kitchen are sea salt, kosher salt and table salt. For a time, I used to think that they all tasted the same, but with just different textures and colors. But I've actually come to learn that using the right type of salt can make a difference in the outcome of your dish -- and this helps with my salt addiction, since I'm learning why I should add salt instead of just throwing a tbsp here and there just cause I want it to taste saltier.

There are 5 commonly used types of salt and it can actually play an important role in the quality of your food. While most of us use the standard variety that you can get for $0.33 a can, there exists a good number of options that are well suited for a different number of purposes.

Table Salt - this is a fine grained salt used by most of us in salt shakers and in our home kitchens. This salt is pretty neutral in flavor and dissolves quickly. It's mined from the underground salt mines and is heavily refined and processed. It's refined to remove impurities and it may include some additives, such as iodine for health reasons. I personally am not a fan of table salt because I feel it really doesn't have much of a flavor.

Kosher salt - this is a salt that's simply free from additives. Kosher salt can be fine grains or slightly larger crystals, and is most often used for canning, curing or meat brines. Kosher salt got its name because its crystals make it perfect for curing meat, a step in the koshering process. The lack of additives in the salt makes for a clearer brine and doesn't add any unwanted additive flavors during the preservation period. It's also great for all purpose cooking since it dissolves fast and the flavor disperses quickly. One of the reasons I love it is because the coarse crystals make it easy to add in a pinch full to a dish I'm making without over salting my food!

Sea salt - this is salt that's harvested after piping sea water onto a flat field, letting the sun evaporate the water out, and collecting the salt crystals that remain. Sea salt contains fine deposits of other minerals, which is one of the reasons why there are so many varieties. The area where the salt is harvested and the mineral properties of the water in that location give this salt a more complex flavor. I'd describe the flavor as more pungent and flavorful then the other salts, hence that could be the reason why I'm in love with sea salt. It can come both in fine grains or more granular and can be pretty expensive depending on the area it was harvested.

Fleur de sel - literally translated as the flower of salt, fleur de sel is a very expensive sea salt from the northern Atlantic coast of France. The grayish salt is complex in it's flavor and is prized for that particular flavor, the texture and the crunch. The fleur de sel is the very top of the evaporated salt layer and is comprised of flake-like crystals of salt. Consider it a special occasion salt when you're cooking dinner for a significant other and want to impress them, just sprinkle a little over food just before eating and let the magic happen!

Rock salt - also known as the industrial salt, it's sold in large crystal format and has not been processed and is full of impurities. This salt is normally used as road salt and ice cream machine salt because it helps to regulate the temperature. It's mined from deposits in the earth and is not sold for use directly on food. It's normally packaged in it's organic, unprocessed form. And since we've been having some snow and ice storms coming through our area, use it on your sidewalks and driveways!



Who knew there was such a wide variety of the common table salt, and who knew there's such a thing as pickling salt or flaked sea salt, the lesser known varieties! But it definitely opened my eye to get great options out there and I'm rather excited to try more recipes that call for salt!

Pho in DC?!

I've eaten a version of pho all my life, it's definitely one of my favorite comfort foods. And while my mom makes the best Cambodian version of pho I've ever had, I do have a sore spot for the authentic Vietnamese version. My mother in law happens to be a pretty good chef and has had a few pho restaurants, and just because I'm pretty used to her cooking, I tend to compare every bowl to hers.

Now there are numerous places to go in Northern VA for a good bowl of pho, however I haven't been able to find a good bowl of pho in DC that has wowed me. So last fall, I noticed that a sign for Pho DC was put up two blocks from my office and the sign on the door said it was opening in November. I finally made it there after they opened! Just to set the scene, I went during the later lunch rush and had to wait about 20 minutes to get a seat a the bar. It seemed packed, but I attributed that to their grand opening.

The first dish I tried was pho ga --chicken pho. I love chicken pho, I would take it any day over a bowl of the beef noodle soup. And to be frank, it was actually a very decent broth. I really couldn't pick it apart and couldn't find to many things wrong with it. A few things that stood out in my mind was the way it was served. At most of the other pho places I've frequented, there's normally a bottle of hoisin sauce, siracha and chopsticks and spoons adorning the table. And when the bean sprouts and herbs come out, it's on one huge platter to be shared with the table.

Pho DC kinda took it up a notch and each diner gets their own little sauce dishes with hoisin and siracha and own cute little bowl of bean sprouts, basil, jalapenos and lime. I was actually quite impressed by that, I like the idea of having my own and not sharing! No more spreading germs!

So last night, I met up with two girlfriends to go there for dinner. I wanted to try some more items from their menu before creating my opinion of what I thought of the place. One of my all time favorite dishes is hu tieu - pork and shrimp noodle soup. My mother in law introduced that to me and has even taught me how to make it at home --which was superbly delicious and will be making it's way onto this blog. So I wanted to see how their version compared to mine.

I ordered it with egg noodles and when it came out, it smelled exactly how my house smells when I make it! I took a few sips of the broth, and it was delicious! I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it completely took me by surprise, I was very impressed. All I added was a little black pepper and went to town. I was also happy that they were pretty generous with the amount of BBQ pork and shrimp added to  the bowl, I think I counted 5 pieces of shrimp!

So I had to go back again today for lunch and try it again to make sure that my taste buds weren't playing a trick on me last night! Again, it was hands down one of the best bowls of hu tieu I've ever had. I was happy to come back again and get it, and can definitely see future trips down the road.

Now with that being said, would I drive from Falls Church to DC for pho? Probably not. Would I drive from Falls Church to DC for a bowl of hu tieu, well that depends on if I'm too lazy to make it at home. But if I'm in the city and am craving a delicious bowl of that pork and shrimp noodle soup, I'd definitely would go to Pho DC! But this actually means that I must continue my search to find a place for a good bowl of pho in the city! Until then, I'll continue making it at home or just venturing out to Arlington.

Trying to master the signature swirl

I've been a fan of cupcakes all my life! How can you not love receiving an individual cupcake, it's your very own dessert that you do not have to share with a single person! When I was working in Bethesda, there was this bakery right next to our building, I remember going there pretty much on a weekly basis to get their delicious hazelnut cupcake. I remember the cake being so delicious and chocolaty, and the hazelnut frosting was perfect, even topped off with a little hazelnut on top. It was how I treated myself if I was having a particularly stressful day or because I felt like I deserved a treat!


I then stumbled onto Georgetown Cupcakes a few years ago and fell in love!!! I've tried the other cupcake places, they are popping up like hot cakes around the area --Baked and Wired, Cake Love, Crumbs, Curbside Cupcakes, Hello Cupcake, just to name a few. Now, each of these places are good, but I'm still very partial to Georgetown and it will always be my number one cupcake place. Heck, we even served them at our wedding, that's how addicted I am! And yes, I am nuts and will stand in line for them. To me, they are just that good and totally worth it.


So, when the two sisters who founded Georgetown went on the Today Show and gave out their signature cream cheese frosting recipe, I was all over it! By this time, I had received my Kitchen Aid mixer as a Christmas present and knew that baking would be a part of my future! For those of you who haven't used this mixer, it's like the best kitchen appliance ever! My mixer is this charcoal gray color and I absolutely love it, both for it's functionally and because it looks super cool. So the first thing I made with my cool new mixer were chocolate cupcakes with the Georgetown cream cheese frosting recipe! They came out beautifully and were delicious!

I'm still having some issues with the piping. And I definitely cannot master the Georgetown signature swirl yet, but practice makes prefect!

Cupcake ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1/2 teaspoon baking soda, sifted

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 1/4 teaspoons good quality pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted European-style butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a standard muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, add milk and vanilla extract; stir to combine and set aside. In the bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low, add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with milk mixture; beat until just combined. Add cocoa powder and beat until just combined.

Fill each muffin cup two-thirds full with batter (I used an ice cream scoop and the amount of batter for each muffin cup was perfect). Transfer to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 18 to 20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for two minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting ingredients:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/4 teaspoon good quality pure vanilla extract

6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

Place all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until well combined. Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a large 5/8-inch round tip. Pipe frosting onto cooled the cupcakes.

If you have will power and can manage to not devour all the cupcakes in one sitting, they store really well in an air tight container for a few days.