Have you ever walked into one of those fancy kitchen stores that abound and thought to yourself, "How is the heck am I ever going to be able to afford THAT?!" Well, fear not, for I have come to take your hand and lead on a kitchenware shopping journey "sur la cheap" (meaning I will show you things you can buy for under $10 so you don't feel so bent out of shape that the copper cookware set selling for $1k is out of your reach).
Exhibit A - I can't get enough of those lovely jewel toned ice cream bowls and cups from India (I think) shown up there. Anodized aluminum wear is cheap, kid-proof, and lots of fun. The bold, modern shapes will make you feel like you're back in the 50's or 70's or something.
Exhibit B - I don't know about you, but I love glazed Japanese pottery, especially the ones like these hot little numbers shown above. Use them for salt, olives, cornichons, or perhaps in an even more orthodox non-gaijin fashion, i.e. for a little shoyu.
Exhibit C - Cute Kuhn Rikon paring knives! Bless those Swiss for coming up with such colorful and fun cooking equipment. And for real, when was the last time you proclaimed you had one paring knife too many? Right. Never.
I have often wondered why it is that The Diner in Adams Morgan only serves 3 slices of toast with its eggs. Well, after years of pondering in the desert, I have been told what amounts to, at least, a partial explanation: they were often throwing the 4th piece away from bussed plates. So, ingeniously, they decided to remove that oft-wasted 4th piece (NB: I promised not to quote the long-time server who gave me this information, so this IS NOT a quote). Of course, the astute journalist that I am, I needed to ask: "So do they stow away the 4th for the next customer's 3 pieces??" He said, perhaps (not a quote) , to which I replied, "Of course, you work the front of the house, not the kitchen." He seemed to appreciate my facile use of the insider lingo. Finally came the time for me to humbly admit that my question must surely be the tabby cat of all questions posed to The Diner servers regarding their operations. Indeed, it was.
(NB: The photographic evidence was taken with the clandestine spy camera that I inherited from my grandfather, along with a toolbox, many years ago. Please do not reproduce).
As has happened for the 13th December in a row (save one), I held a gløgg (read: mulled red wine Scandi-style) party chez moi this past weekend. I could write volumes about the tradition, but suffice it to say, my Gløggfest is primarily an attempt to cultivate a "hyggelig" vibe. This word, which exists in all of the Scandinavian languages, refers to a sense of coziness or, alternatively, the "complete absence of anything annoying, irritating, or emotionally overwhelming, and the presence of and pleasure from comforting, gentle, and soothing things."
As those familiar with Scandinavian custom are aware, gløgg is indeed a potent brew! Done right, a pot of gløgg consists of simmering cheap red wine spiced with cardamon, cinnamon, and cloves, sweetened with sugar, and then spiked with a little vodka for good measure. On the side are bowls of blanched almonds and raisins to be added only to individual drinks. Gløgg is consumed with a spoon in hand for to reach the tasty nibbles. In short, it's deliciousness in a cup! (Here's Petworthfrontman AT showing ya how it's done.)
The fun doesn't stop there, though, as no Scandi party is complete with a smörgåsbord of sweets and savories! On the sweet side of table I served cookies (spice and walnut-hazelnut), pastries (Danish braids filled with apricot/marzipan and berry/confectioner's cream, as well as saffron almond snails), cakes (poppy seed and flourless chocolate walnut), and candies (Daim!). On the savory side there was surf (home-cured gravlax with mustard sauce and dilled shrimp salad Skånsk style) and turf (open-faced cucumber sandwiches, Scandi cheeses, and some latkes in honor of Chanukah).
Since you're now ready to throw your own festive gathering, here's my very own gløggrecipe (as previously published in the Washington Post).
Gløgg (Serves 9)
Ingredients: 3 cardamon pods
1.5 litres red wine (2 bottles)
1 cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vodka
1/2 cup blanched almonds
1/2 raisins
Technique: Using the flat side of a knife, carefully smash the cardamon pods and reserve the shells and seeds. In a large pot, mix the wine, cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamon pieces. Simmer 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and let steep for at least 2 hours. Strain, if desired. Return pot to a low simmer, then slowly add the sugar, stirring constantly. Stir in vodka. To serve, put a scant tablespoon each of almonds and raisins into a mug, then pour 6 oz. of gløgg on top. Serve with a teaspoon so revellers can eat the almonds and raisins as they drink.
Add a sprinkling of candles, a heap of Abba tracks, and a mound of your nearest and dearest to the pot and - bam - you have yourself a pretty cozy party!
In a later post I will discuss the merits of making your very own Danish pastries! In the meantime, here's another gløgg recipe that has some elements that I'm not psyched about, but check it out nonetheless.
I'm a strong believer in having a favorite mug, glass, plate, bowl, what have you. Throughout the years, my tastes have changed, as have my favorite mugs for sipping my morning tea. So, I thought I'd share with you a great idea for what could, perhaps, become YOUR favorite vessel for hot beverages! Introducing the Moomin mug by Arabia of Finland! There are many to choose from, but this is the limited 2008 holiday mug and I think it's just adorable (which means my tea tastes better in it). [Eek! It sold out! Now you'll have to play the market! - Ed.]
On Sunday night some friends and I braved the cold winds to attend Chef Spike's Latke Mania at Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, a spiritual and cultural space located at 600 I Street, NW, in Chinatown. Having only seen a few minutes of Top Chef, I wasn't really sure what to expect for this latke making demo, but what I can say is that I had NOT imagined 500 people (!) piled into the historic sanctuary ready to rock the latke. Expectations hardly mattered, though, because what we did get was an hour of nerve-grating potato grating courtesy of Spike Mendelsohn and his nagging mother (who both work here: www.goodstuffeatery.com). So, may I introduce you to Spike's Three Strikes?
Here's a picture of Spike getting ready to light the menorah on fire. Note the look of the interpreter.
Strike 1 - He didn't know how to light a menorah - The evening kicked off with an intro to Mr. Mendelsohn and then a menorah lighting ceremony for the first day of Hanukkah. Spike was in charge of both reciting the prayers (turns out there's three of them on the first night) and lighting the candles. The prayers were spoken in the wrong order (he tricked the sign language interpreter) and with unbelievably poor pronunciation. But that wasn't the worst of it. For giggles, Spike fired up his kitchen torch to light the shamus, a feat that is not so easy as you'd believe. After finally getting it to light, Spike aimed his torch at the first candle, much to the horror of the audience. "Noooooo!” they shouted, but Spike didn't get it. He tried again. They pleaded again. He finally got it - he dropped his torch and lit the first night's candle with the shamus, as custom dictates. If they meant to bring him in for Jewish credibility, he lost me by minute number 5.
Strike 2 - Spike's awful mother - Really, this woman was just terrible! Unclear who conceptualized her joining Spike in the demo, but it gets a big 'ol FAIL from me. I didn't know anything about these people before I showed up, but it turns out that Mama Spike has long been a restaurateur. She also seems to hold her son in contempt with his Top Chef fame. The end result was her bossing him all around the stage in front of a large crowd. Maybe it was supposed to be cute or funny or "Jewish". No clue. I just thought it sucked.
Strike 3 - Halfa Latke! - My friends and I were nervous that, given the enormous crowd, we had saved our appetites for nothing. About a half an hour into the event Spike announced that we should not fear! Though the audience was large, he promised that 500 latkes had been prepared and were ready for munching in the social hall following the demo. Well, we didn't wait until the end to score us our latkes. Sporting the face only a poker player could love, one from our group busted into the social hall and asked, "We have to leave early for school tomorrow and wondered if we could get our latkes now?" To my surprise they agreed. To our surprise, each plate contained a mere HALF LATKE! What the?! Need I say that it wasn't even that good? To be fair, they taste by far the best coming right outta the pan.
Welcome to the very first posting of Hot Pans. This blog will serve as an outlet for discussions on food and comfortable living. I'll kick it off with a description of my 13th annual gløgg party, held this past Saturday in Washington, D.C. Stay tuned!
Exhibit B - I don't know about you, but I love glazed Japanese pottery, especially the ones like these hot little numbers shown above. Use them for salt, olives, cornichons, or perhaps in an even more orthodox non-gaijin fashion, i.e. for a little shoyu.
Exhibit C - Cute Kuhn Rikon paring knives! Bless those Swiss for coming up with such colorful and fun cooking equipment. And for real, when was the last time you proclaimed you had one paring knife too many? Right. Never.
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