The Weekly Feed: Experimentation Edition
Dish of the Week: Sweet potato casserole
Thanksgiving... foodie holiday... blah blah blah. But of course, it is my favorite holiday, not just because of the food, but because of the focus on family. My mother is a fantastic cook. She makes the best scallion pancakes. Her technique is so flawless that family members can tell the difference between the pancakes she rolls out and the ones my aunts roll.
But sometimes my mom likes to "experiment." Now there's experimentation within reason, substituting brown sugar for white sugar, adding a touch of almond extract to a dessert that doesn't call for it. And then there's her special brand of experimentation. She's done fun things like adding hazelnut coffee syrup to chicken stir fry, and dried cranberries in sushi rolls. (We were lucky we got away without that same sushi featuring large chunks of walnuts.)
So what does this have to do with sweet potatoes? As you might have guessed, my mom is not one for "recipes" and tends to wing making sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving. That usually meant additions like orange juice, and lots of burned marshmallows. It also meant that I grew up hating sweet potatoes. Though we all know they're really just a vehicle for toasted marshmallows.
Luckily, I've discovered a recipe from my sister's mother-in-law that I love. It eschews the usual marshmallows for a streusel-like pecan topping. And the half cup of butter helps.
Share with us your favorite Thanksgiving dishes, "experiments" and disasters with us in the comments.
Sweet Potato Casserole
29 oz Canned Sweet Potatoes, Mashed
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Butter, Melted
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Topping:
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Flour
4 Tbsp Butter, Melted
1/8 tsp Allspice
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
1 Cup Chopped Pecans
1. Mix yams, sugar and salt. Add 1/2 cup butter and vanilla blending well. Pour into greased 1 1/2 qt baking dish.
2. Mix brown sugar, flour, butter, allspice, cinnamon and pecans. Spread over yam mixture.
3. Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the top is a golden brown.
Small Bites
RIS real soon
The long touted RIS from Ris Lacoste that's been anticipated for the past several years is coming much closer to fruition. According to Zagat, the restaurant should open by November 30. Check the restaurant's Twitter for more updated details.
Cupcakes Moving In
Just when we thought maybe the cupcakes would slow down, we're seeing even more in town. First up is food truck Curbside Cupcake, which is making one last stop before Thanksgiving at Capitol South. You can follow their future whereabouts on Twitter.
Also New York's Crumbs Bake Shop will be getting in on the D.C. action with shops planned for Georgetown, Cleveland Park, Foggy Bottom, Rockville, Clarendon and Reston. Though this seems like just one more newcomer, a perusal of the web site shows a much larger variety of flavor options than any existing D.C. cupcakeries, including flavors like caramel apple, chocolate pecan pie, and cookie dough. [via WBJ]
DC Diner
Tom Sietsema reports that DC Diner, from Jessie Yan and Vanessa Lim, will be taking over the old Cleveland Park McDonald's space. Even though the main focus will be on traditional American breakfast foods, they say they'll also offer some pan-Asian foods as well. Dim sum-type items please!!
Cup O' Sushi
Everyone mourned the demise of the reasonably priced Sushi Taro lunch specials. But now Kaz Sushi is bringing back affordable lunch sushi starting November 23 through New Year's Eve. For $12 you can choose from the Cup Sushi option of three miniature cups of sushi with California, spicy tuna, salmon tartare, tuna tartare, crunch eel, spicy scallop or seaweed salad toppings. If sushi isn't your thing, you can opt for Hot Pot of miso with pork, daikon radish, carrot, sweet potato, ginger and scallions or the Hot Pot of chicken with tofu, shitake mushrooms, spinach, scallions, glass noodles with ponzu sauce, also $12.