• Do not ever plant lemon balm. It will take over your entire garden, and you will get sick of lemon balm tea after three days. You will then rip the plant gigantic shrub out of the garden, leaving a huge hole in the ground, and will now have lots of wasted space because it’s too late in the season to plant anything that is actually useful.
• Whoever planted this ivy is a jerk.

Second year: “Oooh! Mint! Mint has plenty of uses! Not like that stupid old lemon balm!”

• Mint is even worse than lemon balm in the encroachment department. The stupid thing even wormed some shoots around the edges of my house’s old coal door and started growing in the basement. Given that lemon balm is a member of the mint family, I should have expected this. The previous year’s lesson has now been generalized to: “Do not plant any member of the mint family. It is a weed. It might be a tasty weed, but it is a weed. Just buy your mint at the farmers’ market.”
• Whoever planted this ivy is a jerk. Maybe if I ignore the section in the corner, it will strangle the mint for me.

Third year: “Tomatillos! I can make salsa verde!”

• Tomatillos require much more horizontal area than vertical, quite unlike tomatoes.
• Whoever planted this ivy is a jerk. At least the tomatillos are giving it a run for its money.

Fourth year: “Where are all my vegetables going?”

• My neighbors are thieves.
• Whoever planted this ivy is a jerk.
• My neighbors like the ivy. Why can’t they steal the ivy?
• My neighbors are jerks.

This year (Really, the end of last season): “Oh, look! The fennel is flowering. Bah, I’ll get to it later.”

• Do not ever let herbs go to seed unless you want an entire plot of fennel and weeds next Spring. Herbs are weeds. They may be tasty weeds, but they are weeds. The first year’s lesson has been further revised to: “Don’t plant big herbs. Little ones in the windowboxes are fine, because they have nowhere to spread. Buy all large herbs at the farmers’ market. (Except basil.)”
• Trying to rip out a bunch of fennel that is tangled with the ivy just makes for a bunch of fennel roots broken off at just-above soil-level.
• Whoever planted this ivy is still a jerk.

I guess I asked for it, huh?

Perhaps saying so brands me as an infidel, but to be honest, they just don’t do much for me. We recently had two cupcake shops open in my city, and while the cakes are pretty to look at, I just don’t understand the recent national obsession with cupcake-only joints…particularly because the wow factor seems to reside mostly in the style and flavour of frosting, and I have never been keen on copious amounts of frosting. It makes my teeth hurt. So while there’s something to be said for visual appeal, the novelty just isn’t intriguing enough to hold my attention. If there are two types of people in the world, then I am a cookie person. Cupcakes, while fun in the right circumstances, take a back seat.

Because of this strange apathy towards fluffy, frosted cakes, it goes without saying that the standard birthday cake would wither in my house. I don’t dislike all cakes, but tend to prefer heavier, denser ones, and please hold the frosting (although ganache is A-ok). Perhaps if the cupcake shop had a wee flourless chocolate cupcake with no toppings….that is a trend I could go for. Er, but wait, I think that is basically a brownie. Anyway, my everyday sweet tooth prefers the humble cookie as the favourite fix in terms of size and toothsomeness. I like that they don’t need special containers and are easy to transport - all the better to give away if I’ve made too large of a batch. I like that they are drier, chewier, and often dunkable. Also…not that I should be thinking about health when consuming cookies, but in the “low-fat” realm, cookies seem to be able to hold their own better than many other baked goods do. On the other hand, perhaps Nick Malgieri’s new book could put me in my place for that remark.

Even if you disagree, what better month than January to try out those cookie recipes you just didn’t get to during the holidays? Consider this my response to an over-frosted scene. A plus with the following recipes is that they both last for at least two weeks if kept in airtight containers, so no pressure to eat them all at once (ha ha). Since there’s no secret to my love of cookies with apricot and ginger, I was anxious to try Nic’s Apricot Ginger Oat Biscuits from Bakingsheet. Although these are two tastes that taste great together, they are nothing at all like the cornmeal cookies I made last summer, so if you’ve tried one recipe, don’t neglect its fraternal twin here. I made some minor adjustments to make them more flavourful, doubling the amount of ginger and apricots, as well as adding a splash of milk to the batter, as by itself it was too dry to hold together. Otherwise, the cookies were delicious - the corn syrup keeps them a little bit chewy inside, even though the outside is more crisp and biscuit-like. I should note that by “biscuit” I mean the British/Australian use of the term, which usually translates to “cookie” for Americans. I also have a possibly misguided perception that biscuits are less sugary and more crisp than American-style cookies. At any rate, these are just right for dunking into hot tea. They are homey and somewhat humble looking, but have a terrific flavour.

In addition to the biscuits, I made another tea-compatible cookie: Cardamom Squares, adapted from another old recipe from Gourmet. They are not strictly cardamomy - more like just light spice cookies but with cardamom in a starring role. They’re extremely easy to put together, though, as most slice-and-bake type cookies are. They are tender, last for a long time, and look fairly elegant when drizzled with a bit of chocolate. The texture is somewhat more crisp than shortbread, but not quite hard, either.

By the way, don’t you think Cookies for Cynics would make a great book? What sort of cookies would cynics eat? Something bitter, perhaps? I like the idea of a DIY series For Cynics, to replace those awful (Cooking,Business,Science,Remodeling,Whatever) For Dummies how-to books. Of course these aren’t really for cynics, and eating them won’t make you cynical…so don’t blame me!

There is one catch to my cookie fetish: since cookie recipes tend to be uncomplicated and ideal for quick gratification, it tends to make one lazy for trying more complex desserts. With that in mind, I ought to try something a bit more challenging soon! While I don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day, it’s the next holiday I can think of that would give me an excuse to try something a bit fancier (I daresay Candlemas might be too obscure). Oh, as if I need an excuse anyway. Meanwhile, here are the recipes…

Apricot Ginger Oat Biscuits
from bakingsheet

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
generous 1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add corn syrup, vanilla and water and mix until fully incorporated.
Add flour mixture to butter mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in oats, apricots and ginger. If the dough is too dry, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk until is is just moist enough to hold together with pressure.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet. Press down slightly on each cookie to flatten.
Bake for 13-16 minutes at 350F, until cookies are golden all over, not just on the edges.
Cool on baking sheet, before removing to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.
Makes about 2 dozen.

*************************************************

Cardamom Squares
adapted from gourmet magazine
This recipe can be doubled easily - just shape two logs instead of one.

1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped.

Whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, and allspice.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes in a stand mixer (preferably fitted with paddle attachment) or 4 minutes with a handheld. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, then mix in flour mixture until just combined.

Form dough into a 10-12 inch log. To square off the sides of the logs, you can press the dough gently between two rectangular aluminim foil (or plastic wrap, or wax paper) boxes. Otherwise, just roll into a cylindrical shape. Chill the log on a baking sheet until firm, about 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Slice cookies from the log, 1/4-inch thick, and place about 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, switching position of the baking sheets if necessary, until golden on the edges. Cool the cookies on the sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack.

When cookies are completely cooled, melt chocolate over a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl in the microwave on High for 1 minute or until just melted, stirring frequently. Spoon melted chocolate into a non-pleated plastic bag, snip a tiny piece off the end, and pipe a thin chocolate design. Let cookies cool on racks until chocolate is firm (you can place the cookies in the fridge to speed this step up). Store in an airtight container.

Edit: All better. –rlink

Squid and Cranberry Salad
Prep time: A while. Cleaning squid sucks.
Cooking time: Not long, but there is a lot of downtime.
Serves: 2

Equipment:

• A large stock pot with lid and steamer basket insert
• Sharp knife, bowls, strainer, and a small non-reactive lidded container
• A strong stomach, if you are cleaning your own squid

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. whole squid, or maybe 1/4 lb pre-cleaned squid pouches
• A few fistfuls of baby arugula
• 2-3 tablespoons of dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon of slivered, blanched almonds
• 6-8 Kalamata olives
• Your favourite balsamic vinaigrette

Directions:
Clean the squid. This step is time-consuming, messy, and potentially a little bit gross. If you’ve ever cleaned your own fish or butchered a chicken, you should be fine. If not, just use pre-cleaned squid pouches. I don’t use the tentacles in this recipe, and I’m not really sure why. I just find the salad to be more aesthetically pleasing without them.

Everyone has their own method for cleaning squid, but this is what I’ve found to be the most efficient way, if you are careful. Place the squid face-up on the cutting board. Grab the tip of the quill with one hand while holding the body down with the other. Bend the tip of the quill back to snap off the bottom 1/2 inch or so and peel it out backwards, from the broken end to the tip. This will loosen up the innards, allowing you to pull the body and most of the guts out with ease, but be careful not to rupture the ink sac. Flip the pouch face-down and with a sharp knife, make an incision along the body of the pouch right behind one of the fins. Do not slice the fin off, as this is now your handle for removing the skin. Peel the fins and skin off like you were removing a sock by inverting it.

Now the remainder of the quill comes in to play. Hold the tip of the pouch in one hand, grabbing on to the quill through the flesh. Loosely place the fingers of your other hand around the open end of the pouch and push the tip towards the base. This will turn the pouch inside out, removing the rest of the quill and a big gob of slimy squid guts. Wash any remaining guts off of the former inside of the pouch. Slice the pouches into rings and put them into a bowl of cold water.

Put about an inch of water into the bottom of your stockpot and bring it to a boil. Drain and dry the squid rings and cook them in the stockpot’s steamer basket for a minute and a half to two minutes. Immediately plunge them into a bowl of ice water to prevent them from overcooking. Drain and dry the rings again. Put them into the small, non-reactive, lidded container with your favourite balsamic vinaigrette and shake them around to coat. Let them marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

I use a very simple homemade vinaigrette for salads, and it works well with this recipe, too. The extra-virgin olive oil to balsamic vinegar ratio is decidedly in the vinegar’s favour. The only things I add are a pinch of garlic powder, a pinch of fleur de sel, an even bigger pinch of crushed red pepper, and some porcini dust. Porcini dust is absolute gold in the kitchen, and I sneak it into everything. When you buy dried porcini mushrooms, put them into a mesh strainer and shake it over a bowl. Put all of the tiny little fragments of mushroom that sift out into an small airtight container and guard it with your life.

Once the squid rings have marinated long enough, toss them and the remaining marinade with the baby arugula, cranberries, and slivered almonds. Garnish with a few Kalamata olives.

Storage:
This won’t keep well. Servie it right after tossing.

Summary:
It’s tart, tangy, peppery, and a little bit nutty. I haven’t gotten it to be exactly like the one at Zarra’s, but that just means I have to keep trying.

I usually buy kilos of Callebaut for making chocolate desserts, mainly because it’s nearly universally liked and also easy to find in my city (conveniently just a few blocks away from my apartment!). However, I felt that the passion fruit needed a stronger, more robust chocolate to support its tart and juicy flavour. El Rey Mijao does a good job at providing this robustness, since its Venezuelan origin makes it slightly smokier and less creamy than the Callebaut, yet still pleasantly smooth. It’s excellent for nibbling, but not so rare or special that it should only be eaten unadorned. It’s also easily available in my local branch of natural foods supermarket and not terribly expensive to boot.

For the recipe, I adapted a classic American-style truffle recipe from Alice Medrich, substituting passion fruit puree for liqueur. Passion fruit puree can be found in convenient, oblong frozen packages in most Latin American markets and some supermarkets. To use, take out one of the smaller packages from the main package and let it thaw at room temperature before using (this shouldn’t take more than an hour, but if you’re in a hurry, you can also run warm water over the sealed plastic package to help it thaw).

After making the truffle centers, I rolled some of them in toasted coconut, and decided to enrobe the rest. Too late, I realized that after enrobing there would be no way to get any coconut to stick on the outside, so I came up with a slightly unconventional solution. After the outer shell had hardened, I used a pastry brush to very lightly moisten the tops with some of the leftover passion fruit puree. Then, I sprinkled coconut on top, hoping the stickiness of the fruit puree would allow at least some of the coconut to stay on. It worked! The topping is still rather delicate and they would not fare well if subjected to much bouncing or rolling around, but enough coconut stuck on to both hide my amateurish enrobing job and give a welcome top-off to the tropical theme. A better idea would be to sprinkle coconut on directly after enrobing, when the chocolate has not yet hardened (it would also probably be helpful to have two people doing this, one person enrobing and another sprinkling coconut). Here is the result…

Please forgive my lighting issues! :)

I think the enrobed one looks much more elegant, don’t you? They both taste wonderful, though!

The final result was just what I was hoping for, a buoyant dance of tastes and textures: creamy smooth chocolate with a subtle but sharp tang of passion fruit, and the comforting crisp of toasted coconut. The passion fruit really brightens up the chocolate, preventing it from tasting too rich or heavy…so even those who are not crazy about dark chocolate would probably like these. I made a half-recipe, which yielded about 20 truffles. The recipe below is the already-halved version, but you could easily double this for a party.

Passion Fruit Truffles
1/2 cup heavy cream
1.5 tablespoons sweet, unsalted butter
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup passion fruit puree, thawed

For enrobing:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

For rolling
3/4 cup toasted coconut (Note: if using sweetened coconut, pulse a few times in a food processor so it becomes more finely chopped. If using unsweetened coconut, add a tablespoon or so of sugar)

Method:

Place the chopped chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl.
Bring the cream to a simmer in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, then pour over the chopped chocolate. Use a whisk to very gently mix the chocolate until melted and completely smooth. Stir in the passion fruit puree. Pour into an 8×8 inch baking dish and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

After chilling, use a melon baller or teaspoon to scoop the ganache into balls. Shape them into spheres with your hands, being careful not to handle them too much lest they melt. Place the balls on a baking sheet or tray lined with parchment, and, if enrobing, freeze them for about 2 hours or until firm. If you only plan to roll them in coconut, refrigerate for about 2 hours.

To enrobe:
Melt the chopped chocolate in a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, remove the bowl and wipe the water off the bottom. Remove the frozen truffle centers from the freezer and prepare to enrobe. Working quickly, drop a frozen center into the melted chocolate. Use a fork or your fingers to quickly cover the center, shake off excess chocolate, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Do not touch the truffle after placing it on the sheet, as the chocolate shell will harden very quickly and handling it at this point will cause it to smudge. Repeat this with the remaining truffles. Place the baking sheet in the fridge or freezer and serve the truffles either cold or frozen.

To roll:
If you elect not to enrobe, you can gently roll the cold truffle centers in the toasted coconut, and place them back on the tray or baking sheet. These must be served cold or frozen, as they will become too soft and melty at room temperature.

As a person of Celtic extract, I should probably have some strong opinions on shortbread. This might be even more apparent to my friends who were around when I got into a mad bidding war on eBay and spent far too much money on a set of vintage shortbread molds emblazoned with Welsh dragons, Scottish thistles, Irish harps, and English roses (and they don’t even work very well, alas). I do have a few basic criteria: anything called shortbread definitely needs to have plenty of pure butter, no eggs, not be too sugary, and should be crisp, not chewy. I’m not too much of a purist when it comes to the difference between “shortbread” and “shortbread cookie” (traditionally, shortbread is pressed into a mold or formed in a disc, shortbread cookies are just that - rolled into a log and sliced or rolled flat and cut with cookie cutters), but apart from those simple rules, I’m game for a bit of experimentation - plain butter shortbread is a wonderfully simple treat, but there’s no need to stick with just that.

I found this recipe for Rosemary Shortbread a few years ago in Gourmet magazine, and since then it’s become one of my signature holiday cookies. The flavor of rosemary lends a romantic, early-winter mood which goes splendidly with tea. Its texture is both tender yet slightly crisp, and when decorated with little sprigs, makes a lovely and rustic gift when wrapped carefully in parchment and twine.

Rosemary Shortbread
adapted from Gourmet magazine

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup confectioners sugar

superfine sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and rosemary in a bowl.

Mix together butter, honey, and confectioners sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at low speed, then add flour mixture and mix until dough resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Gather dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Knead dough until it just comes together, about 8 times. Halve dough and press each half evenly into a 9-inch pie or tart pan. Score dough into 8 wedges by pricking dotted lines with a fork. If you like, press a spring of rosemary onto the center of each wedge. Sprinkle dough lightly with superfine sugar.

Bake the shortbread until just golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes, then cut along score marks with a large heavy knife. Keep shortbread wedges in an airtight container.

* Pressing them into pans makes it easier to make a uniform shape, but if you like, the halves can be rolled into 8-inch discs and placed on baking sheets to cook.

A couple of days ago, I received my Blogging by Mail package! It was from from a guinea pig with a wok at wok with me (love the name of her blog), whose blog I’d never read before but will definitely begin doing so regularly - she’s got some great-looking recipes there. I can’t believe how amazingly generous she was with the package; the box was absolutely huge!! You can see in the picture that three of the boxes are empty because they’ve been eaten already. ;) “Diddy” (the nickname she goes by on the blog) is originally from China, so many items had a Chinese theme - for example mooncakes, which I’ve heard so much about but never got around to trying (delicious!), flavoured watermelon seeds, and mix for bubble tea (did you know that I love bubble tea?). She also included a box of Buckeyes since she now resides in in the US, as well as a delicious homemade pumpkin roll cake, chocolate covered pretzels and Russian tea cookies (those last three have already been gobbled up). All I can say is WOW!! Thank you so much! It really made my day and tickled every one of my sweet teeth to a major degree. This Blogging by Mail stuff is so much fun, and I can only hope the partner I’ve sent to is half as pleased - no word yet, but stay tuned…

Meanwhile, here’s a not-so-great photograph of a genuinely great recipe for a pistachio cardamom cake I made a month or so ago when things were slightly less busy. It’s very easy to whip up and is just perfect with tea or coffee. Given that I’m already madly in love with cardamom, when it’s mixed up with pistachio and butter in this cake… swoon. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Pistachio Cardamom Cake

1 cup unsalted pistachios
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 scant cup sugar
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Grind pistachios in a food processor until fine. Mix nuts with flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom. Cream together butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at at time and beat until fully incorporated. Mix in milk and vanilla, then add flour and pistachio mixture in two or three batches and mix until just combined.

Pour batter into a 9-inch round cake pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick emerges cleanly from the middle. Sift powdered sugar over the top if desired. The cake is wonderful plain or served with fruit such as orange segments or strawberries.

On the first night, we had dinner at a tapas place called Jaleo, which had an enormous menu that must have been carefully designed to make you want to order absolutely everything on it. Select tidbits we enjoyed were blood sausage, garlic shrimp, potatoes with Cabrales cheese, and house-made chorizo. The place was very busy and had the air of being the sort of venue that attracts the young and pretty. Not a bad thing, just very style-conscious. Service was quick despite the crowd and we only waited about 10 minutes on a Friday night, despite being told the wait was at least 20. I’m now officially spoiled, and it will be difficult to return to the small tapas place here, which does not even come close to the selection and quality of Jaleo.

The next day was lunch at Zaytinya, which we discovered later is owned by the same person as Jaleo. No matter, this place was also terrific, and lunch was a good time to go, as it must also get very busy at night. Zaytinya serves Greek/Turkish mezze, but lest you think the place is all about hummus, think again. Lunch consisted of carrot/apricot fritters in pistachio cream, kibbe balls filled with pignoli nuts and spices, phyllo wrapped fried goat cheese, an egg and halloumi cheese tart, and pork/orange mini sausages. Little bites of food are my favourite sort of meal, since there’s no time to get tired of any one thing and your tongue is constantly surprised. My only complaint about the two restaurants is that they could have gone a wee bit easier on the oil. On the other hand, a bit of grease is sort of in the nature of these type of dishes, and there is plenty of bread to absorb all the delicious sauces.

We also had dinner at a Moroccan place called Pyramids, which came recommended as one of those “hole in the wall/insider” type places that is supposed to serve amazing and cheap authentic food. I have to say, though, that I was pretty disappointed in my dinner, and suspect I might have been given the “American” treatment (maybe I should have made an effort to speak Arabic with the owners). My lamb tagine, while filled with large chunks of tender meat (and truly a steal at only $7), did not taste anything like the sort of tagine I’m familiar with…in fact, only the use of lamb made it differ from an American-style canned beef stew: plain meat and vegetables in a too-salty and fairly tasteless sauce. The most painful bit was how the menu described the dish as having the proper ingredients of a typical tagine - prunes, preserved lemon, sesame seeds…but none of these were to be found in my meal. My companion fared slightly better with a chicken bastilla that had an appropriately flaky pastry and rosewater scented chicken filling, albeit a bit too heavily sugared. Still, I would not recommend this place unless you’re struggling with cash and just looking for a cheap, filling meal (no dinner is over $7, and it comes with heaps of rice and iceberg salad). The owners are friendly and definitely Moroccan (evidenced by their accents), but the food gave no hint to how complex and exciting North African food can be - and I’m not talking fancy or pretentious here, this place didn’t even have any of the typical carrot salads, which are very common and simple yet tasty dishes.

Anyway, the next day all was made right in the world by some outstanding Ethiopian at a restaurant called Etete, not far from the Moroccan place and on a street that seems to live up to the name of “Little Ethiopia”- Ethiopian restaurants and shops completely took over a few city blocks in this part of town. When we arrived, the place was filled with groups of Africans enjoying huge platters of food - definitely a good sign. We shared a vegetarian sampler platter and a spicy lamb dish. The lamb was very good, but the vegetarian stuff was spectacular - all unique flavours, nicely spiced (i.e. not mild), and in huge quantities. I also got a glass of Tej, the Ethiopian honey wine. Unfortunately, as I was driving, there was no chance of finishing it, since the stuff tasted quite potent. An Ethiopian gentleman at the next table observed this and declared that it was awfully weak compared to the varieties that are aged from one to seven years (ours, he said, was probably only about 3 months old). He delighted in describing how one would only require a small quantity of 7-year Tej before passing out. I think I’ll probably skip that!

The final food-related part of the trip came as a surprise - on our way to get breakfast and coffee before driving home, we stumbled upon a large organic farmer’s maket in Dupont Circle. Unlike the Pittsburgh markets, which are all but closed for the season, this one was going strong with greens and veggies galore, not to mention apples, farmstead cheeses, artisanal breads, ciders, jellies, jams, homemade soaps, meat, fish, and all manner of delicious treats. I was thrilled to find some homemade sour cherry preserves that didn’t include any other ingredients besides fruit and sugar (you wouldn’t believe how hard this is to find) and got two jars. We also grabbed some apples, cider, and bread for the ride home. Perhaps should have gotten some cheese, too, but I was concerned it was not cool enough in the trunk to survive the trip (little did I know we would run into a small snowstorm!).

All in all, I would say that DC seems like a great place to explore food options, and this is a view from only a 2-day visit. Now that I have a better idea of how the city is laid out, it should be easier to explore a bit further next time.

PS: Apart from food, there is also a great secondhand bookstore in Dupont Circle called Second Story Books, which had a rather nice selection from what we found.