The Sunday Roast

Author: chefemrose

  • Celebrating one year of The Sunday Roast 🎉

    Celebrating one year of The Sunday Roast 🎉

    Thank you for sticking with me on this journey — have a cookie as a treat! Check out the December edition reflecting on the past year.

    Well, folks, we did it!!! This labor of love has been going for a year now and I could not be happier that I stuck with it. There have been loads of bumps along the way as my job got busier and my free time shrunk, but the connections I have made in the D.C. food community are extremely worth it. As a special one year anniversary edition, I revisited with some of my past newsletter subjects to get y’all an update on their lives, and then look to 2021 to see what people’s goals are and what they expect or need to change. I was blessed that these connections gave me more of their time, and it allowed me to be reflect on the past year for myself, while inspiring goals for the next year. And that also sparked the idea for me to share my own recipes that I made for the holidays and have for the past few years. So this means you’ll be seeing a very different format below, but I hope you like it and it sparks a conversation. Let’s dive in then!

    This month: It’s been a bit of a chaotic month, but I made the best of the most wonderful time of the year. I started a new fitness challenge that also focuses on self-love and mental health, so the daily reflections I’ve been doing have inspired me to be more proactive and ambitious. With that said, I wanted to create an anniversary edition while still connecting with a local foodie. Anela Malik helped connect me with Yasmin Elgibali, a home baker based in Burke, VA, so scroll down to read more tips from her as well. And I would still love to hear from every one of you on what you expect to see in the new year.

    Some background: In a monthly newsletter, I combine a DC local’s story behind their favorite recipe(s), or ones that whip up some nostalgia, with photos and prose of my attempt at replication. These recipes vary in difficulty, but they are always ones close to the heart. This newsletter is sent on the third Sunday of each month as the name suggests.


    A fun note: Make sure to mark this email as NOT spam, move it to your inbox or add my sending address  to your address book to avoid the newsletter regularly ending up in the abyss. Sometimes Mailchimp email campaigns go straight to spam.

    First thing’s first: Meet Yasmin.

    Yasmin grew up enjoying baking as a hobby and it was always in the back of her mind. She went into marketing as a career at first after graduating college and lived in New York City, but soon baking came back to the forefront so she started taking pastry classes. She actually was inspired to take those classes because she had won a photoshoot contest with Cosmo about people’s dream jobs. She had said her dream job was a cooking show host, but when they asked about steps she was taking towards that dream, she realized she needed to be more serious about classes. So she took culinary classes, worked full-time in advertising, and on the weekend, she learned all things vegan baking by working at the famous Peacefood Cafe. 

    Baking was a great creative outlet for her but she was nervous to start her own business. especially in NYC. So, after moving back to her hometown of Burke, VA, and sitting on the thought during the beginning of the pandemic, she realized it was now or never. Yasmin has enough marketing experience and business savvy to make it work after she jumped right in. She kicked off her logo creative process and brainstormed recipes while on a roadtrip to a wedding.

    A few weeks later, she got the business up and running after a friends and family taste test, creating a website, figuring out the best place to get her ingredients and lots of other homework to make sure she was successful. She fully formed her LLC in August and has had her business running for several months now! She wears all the hats and works operations, baking production and marketing every day.

    Yasmin decided to offer gluten-free and vegan treats, something she’s passionate about, so that she could fill a gap in the market in NoVa and so that everyone can enjoy her baked goods. She frequently sells her goodies at farmer’s and holiday markets, in addition to taking orders via social media and ecommerce on her website. She says many of her customers hear about her bakeshop through social media because they are often looking to support local and small businesses who offer delicious scratch-made treats that remind them of home. Her most popular treat? Pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls. Her signature holiday cookie tins are taking off as well, though, which include her favorite thing to bake: peppermint sugar cookies.

    Looking to recreate Yasmin’s success? Check out her top tips below for starting a home-based bakery and how to keep things running.

    Discover her website.

    And her Instagram.

    Top tips on: starting a home-based bakery

    Number one:

    Figure out why you want to do this and who you want to be. Ask yourself: what do you enjoy baking, what are other bakeries around you baking, what can you do differently? Merge what you enjoy baking with a gap in market, but stay true to yourself.

    Number two:

    Keep it small to start and choose only a few products. Make quality product and become an expert, so you don’t need to offer everything to everyone. Focus on the recipes you enjoy making while adding a twist or two.

    Number three:

    When developing recipes, take meticulous notes and photos of each step. Then you can revisit what worked and didn’t, like frozen versus chilled butter. Also, make sure to weigh everything in grams since it is more precise.

    Number four:

    Once you’ve narrowed down a menu, do a tasting with friends and family, though make sure you cover different demographics. Make anonymous surveys so people can be honest about their favorites and least favorites.

    Number five:

    Being home baker is all about having visibility and raising brand awareness while providing consistent quality. Find a mentor and reach out to other local businesses for advice and networking purposes.

    Time to catch up

    I asked my former interviewees for an update on them or their business, and what they’re looking for in the new year, including any personal goals, and top food tips for essential workers looking for a quick meal or at-home workers looking to spice things up in the kitchen. Read all the knowledge they have to offer below!

    Laura of Booze Free in DC

    2020 accomplishments: I got laid off this year. That was definitely a hard time for me — the uncertainty of how I was going to support myself. I’m so grateful for the pandemic unemployment assistance package but it was (and is) still a time of the unknown. But I’m beyond proud of my accomplishments because I took the crazy amount of lemons from 2020 and made some sweet, sweet lemonade. I started a web design agency for therapists and other helping professionals. I really built Booze Free in DC (check out my most recent Holiday Gift Guide!) and worked on Zero Proof Nation with my co-founder Chris Marshall. I got my first byline in District Fray Magazine and I have some exciting things coming up for Dry January too! 

    2021 improvements: Obviously I want as many small restaurants and bars and bakeries to succeed and get through what is probably the most challenging time for the hospitality industry we’ve seen in decades. Once we get to a semblance of new “normalcy” in 2021, I would love for the industry in general to reflect the boom in non alcoholic beverages — that includes expanded zero proof menus (maybe a “no ABV” label on menus…) I want to work with DMV businesses to consult on zero proof menu/beverage creation. I want to create my booze-free travel guide/magazine for DC as a blueprint for other global cities. 

    Food tips: For the essential workers out there, I love you! Thank you for your service. I think what’s most important right now is to remember that we don’t have to numb out with booze. Our mental health is sacred so let’s take care of it with some fantastic booze-free beverages, whether it’s a fun new seltzer or a complex zero proof cocktail. Our bodies and souls will be happier and healthier. Let’s start 2021 out right!

    Jaimie of Red Bandana Bakery

    2020 accomplishments: Our biggest accomplishment of the year was our online cake decorating class.  We baked small cakes and provided the frosting, fondant and sprinkles for curbside pickup, then broadcast a Facebook live event where we demo’d the process live while taking questions as participants decorated along at home.  We advertised on groups like Support Moco Restaurants and had a HUGE turnout–one weekend there were over 100 participants, and baking 100 cakes for one weekend was definitely a new record for this bakery!

    2021 improvements:A personal goal for me in 2021 is going to be striking a better work/life balance.  For the sake of social distancing we have severely cut down on staffing at the bakery and I have had trouble turning down any orders that come in as we try to survive business-wise, which has led to a lot of late nights and 90-hour weeks for me and my few helpers here.  I can’t wait to get to a place where it’s safe to bring in some more staff, and meanwhile we need to work on setting boundaries with our order-taking.

    Food tips: As we’ve been trying to minimize trips to the grocery store and buy things that keep well I’ve been cooking a lot more with beans, and I would really recommend chickpeas specifically!  They are cheap, highly nutritious and so versatile–we use them in countless items at the bakery for every meal of the day–a vegan chickpea scramble on breakfast sandwiches, hummus with challah chips for snacks, a hearty chickpea curry stew for lunch or dinner, or even pureed with cooked apple and cinnamon and oats for our sweet chickpea blondie desserts!  We have baking kits available for those, too.

    Maria Saenz

    2020 accomplishments:  “I am very fortunate to have help economically during these times so it hasn’t been that stressful for me. The only inconvenience is not feeling comfortable visiting any of my family or friends. As of now I don’t feel too stressed about the news because we kind see a light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccine being already distributed.”

    2021 improvements: “In the year 2021, I would for this horrendous epidemic to be over!!!! Please!! Please!! And definitely my one of my goals is to hug and visit my family and friends more often. So many things we take for granted.”

    Food tips: “Foods that I have been enjoying and that are super easy to make are beef soup and a lot of chicken and beef stew. Some nights when I feel very tired I would just order pizza too. Instant noodle soups can save the day too.”

    Anela Malik of FeedtheMalik

    2020 accomplishments: “I am so proud to have worked with and gotten to know so many amazing, hard-working, and empathetic food folks this year. Those relationships have meant the most to me in a year that has felt so disjointed and disconnected.”

    2021 improvements: “I hope as businesses look to rebuild after the end of the pandemic that they also look to ensuring that their workplaces are truly safe, that they offer opportunities to a diverse array of workers, and that they operate with an eye towards sustainability and equity as well as profit.”

    Food tips: One of my top food tips for anyone is that beans are truly underrated. They’re cheap, easy to reheat, one pot can last for days, and can be made so delicious and phenomenal with just the addition of a few other elements. Don’t sleep on beans folks! 

    Michael and Jerusalem of Roaming Rooster

    2020 accomplishments:  We have a lot going on right now. We opened our U Street location since we last spoke and in January we’re going to open a location in Tenleytown. We’re also opening a location in Western Market and a Skyland location in a few months. It’s been a shitty year for the service industry so we almost feel guilty but we’ve been one of the lucky ones. We also won a $25,000 grant through the Discover Pay It Forward program that people nominated us for. We have half of it to five non profits in the DMV, so that was a big deal for us. We had close to 4,000 nominations from community members so we had some meetings to pick the charities we donated to. Otherwise, we continue to serve only pick-up and delivery through our restaurants. The community is so supportive and it’s a humbling thing. We’re beyond grateful especially during this difficult time for families and businesses. 

    2021 improvements: Our plan is to expand menu. We have milkshakes coming soon, and we’re currently ironing out those details, and we’re looking to add a breakfast menu with biscuits. We’re in the process of rebranding with a new company logo and new packaging, so we’ve been very busy with that lately. We want to keep progressing but stay focused and maintain our quality. After we donated some of our grant, we were inspired to set up some sort of non profit to help the community regularly. That difference we can make is high up on our agenda. We do still hope the government provides relief because a lot of people and businesses are struggling. The way things are going right now, too many people are suffering, so we hope to see some sort of stimulus or help.

    Food tips: You can pick up our fried chicken and make a simple pasta at home, and even add some sauce to make a parmesan chicken. When it comes to cooking, make sure not to cut corners and get the best ingredients you can. And you can never go wrong with spices. 

    Eric Wang of Thamee

    2020 accomplishments: “We’re still here! It’s not my intention to be glib nor facetious with this response but to be honest. Unfortunately, with the restaurant industry besieged in this war of attrition, the fact that Thamee has managed to survive this far is an accomplishment on its own. Even though, I sometimes don’t feel like it’s much of an accomplishment. When the pandemic hit, our restaurant was less than 10 months old, which means in two more months, we will have been in this pandemic longer than we had normal restaurant service. Since then, we’ve seen numerous restaurants announce their permanent closures, and more announced every day. Most of them have had more years of operation, and many of them were owned and operated by celebrity chefs and experienced restaurateurs. Our survival thus far has been due to a combination of customer support, the hard work of our staff, generosity of our landlord, and grants we’ve received from both government and non-profit organizations. Still, those things, however generous and assiduous, haven’t been enough. Our current weekly sales are under 20% of where they were in February 2020, which means every day we’re accruing debt and cutting costs where we normally wouldn’t so that we can survive longer. However, with the advent of the vaccines, there is a theoretical timeframe we can expect dining to return to normalcy. And that has given me a renewed sense of purpose to survive through this pandemic. The first night that we can seat customers at our bar and shake hands and hug and share a drink, then I’ll know if survival truly feels like an accomplishment. 

    2021 improvements: “We need a bailout package, direct cash relief injected into individual small businesses so that the owners and operators can do what we need to do to keep our restaurants open and to set us up for success when the restrictions are lifted. To be clear, I am not against any of the restrictions on dining. It’s imperative that we continue to stay vigilant and follow these restrictions for our public health and safety. But to ask the hospitality industry to continue to suffer without giving us the financial means to survive would inevitably continue the cascading effects of closures and unemployment, and so on. I would also like to see the industry normalize livable wages, health insurance and paid time off as part of a standard benefits package. The one thing that the pandemic has really brought to light is the condition in which hospitality workers often lack access to these things, and therefore, many people don’t go to the doctor’s when they’re sick and they continue to work while they’re sick. And if they’re sick with something contagious, we all get sick. And as consumers, if this is something we agree on, then we need to get used to paying slightly higher prices when dining out. We need to realize when we pay for a steak, it’s not just a twelve-ounce piece of beef we’re paying for. We’re also paying for the time, the grueling labor and artistry of numerous real human beings and their livelihoods. Therefore, my goal for 2021 for Thamee is to survive through this so that we can continue to be an example of how a small independent restaurant can pay a livable wage and offer health insurance and paid time off to our full-time employees.”

    Food tips: “For essential workers: Soups, stews and curries!  They are a delicious way to deliver a lot of flavor and nutrients with a relatively short cooking time. Most soups/stews/curries take less than two hours to make from start to finish, and a lot of that time is passive cooking time, which means you can do whatever you like while your pot bubbles and simmers. You can make a lot of it, so you actually get more meals out of your cooking time than you would cooking individual meals every day. You can also freeze them in individual microwave safe containers without losing tastes or nutrition value. Stick it in the microwave and they are ready to be enjoyed. For your carbs, go for rice (which keeps well in the fridge, and can also be turned into fried rice), pick up a loaf of bread from your favorite bakery, or egg noodles which cook the fastest and have similar nutritional content as other pastas.

    For those looking to experiment: If you can afford it, host a Zoom cooking class with a chef from your favorite restaurant. Email chefs and ask them if they would do a cooking class for you and your friends for a fee. Most chefs I know are generous people who can’t wait to share their expertise. It’s a great way to learn and to spend some time with your friends.”

    Danny Llledo of Xiquet and Slate

    2020 accomplishments:     I’m so proud of the team that we’ve built at Xiquet. We opened in March, two weeks before the whole world went crazy, and we had to completely figure out how to shepherd a brand-new business through a pandemic. We got innovative — beyond just pivoting to takeout meals, we’ve launched online paella classes and wine tastings that have been a huge success and have helped us stay in business. Book a private Zoom event for the holidays or another special occasion and email contact@chefdannylledo.com!”

    2021 improvements: “I’m so looking forward to the end of the pandemic so we can really show all of D.C. 100% of what our new restaurant has to offer.”

    Food tips: “Olive oil + garlic + vegetable of choice is always a great quick option. Last night I sautéed some spinach and kale I had in the fridge already, topped it with a little bit of parmesan, and made a great quick meal when I got home late from the kitchen.”

    What are my goals?

    2020 was a rough year. But I did have some highs in addition to the lows. I grew my subscriber count to 89 people and managed to churn out 11 newsletters, making a new connection for each one. I tried new recipes almost every day and experimented frequently in the kitchen, including finally learning how to bake with sourdough. I started a new job at POLITICO doing what I had long dreamed of doing: copy editing. I continued to build meaningful relationships with family, friends and my boyfriend. I rediscovered my love of reading. I started working out regularly again and lost weight. But enough about that. I need to set goals for 2021, and I want to share them with you for accountability.

    1. Grow my subscribers to 120 by the end of the year (ambitious, I know).
    2. Post more frequently and create more engaging content on my Instagram account. Increase that follower count as well.
    3. Experiment with new formats and designs for the newsletter, like I am this month. Keep content mostly local while still trying new ideas, such as one a close friend gave me that may involve the Great British Bake Off.
    4. Expand more on themes for each month, like the pie edition for November.
    5. Dedicate more time each month to reach these goals and grow my newsletter. Become more engaged in the D.C. foodie community by building on current connections and meeting at least 10 new people.
    6. Continue to try new, healthier recipes every day and cook most meals on weekdays.
    7. On that note, try every restaurant on my growing list of must-trys. Eat at or from a new place once a week if possible!
    8. Try new cuisines as well. Georgian is next!
    9. Feature more minority-owned businesses and home-based bakers and cooks. 
    10. Have fun!

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  • Peppermint patties

    Peppermint patties

    These taste just like York peppermint patties and are so addicting,

    Here is another recipe I found that I’ve adjusted over the years. I’ve finally found the easiest way to make these and I’m never going back, and that is with a silicone candy mold. I bought a snowflake themed one at Walmart and the patties looked adorably all things winter.

    Top tips from me:
    1) I would recommend using a baking or candy silicone mold like I did. I found that forming the patties, freezing them and then dipping them in melted chocolate was super messy and quite hard as the patties melted. I would have to continuously stop and refreeze them, but this way was way more efficient.
    2) Candy melts/wafers are the way to go! Don’t bother trying to melt chocolate chips with butter or oil, or any other method. I bought 2 bags of the Ghiradelli ones and I probably still needed more, but that’s likely because I doubled the filling.
    3) If using mold, make sure to cover the entire mold and leave no bubbles or empty spots or it may stick and break while coming out.
    4) And on that note, I definitely recommend dark chocolate.
    5) Add a drop more peppermint extract than the recipe calls for.
    6) Feel free to add some more holiday cheer with sprinkles on top! I opted for none this year since I did the mold, but the snowflake shape was still very cute.

    Time:
    It probably took me about an hour to finish these because I stuck the mold in the freezer in between each step. This will make at least 30 in the about 2″ snowflake mold I made, though I doubled it and made at least 40 plus extra filling.

    Ingredients:
    1/4 cup softened butter — 1/3 cup light corn syrup — 1-2 tsp peppermint extract — 3 cups powdered sugar — 2 cups dark chocolate candy melts 

    Instructions:

    Use an electric mixer to combine butter, corn syrup, extract and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix for about 3 minutes until ingredients create a dough ball.

    IF USING SILICONE MOLD: Melt in 30-second increments candy melts in microwave. Using a barbecue brush, cover the mold just enough for the first layer of chocolate.

    Stick the mold into the freezer until the chocolate is solidified, about 5 minutes.

    Break off about a 2 teaspoon-sized section of the peppermint filling and press into the mold above the chocolate. Make sure to leave about 1 cm of space for the remaining chocolate.

    Brush the remaining chocolate on top and fill in any bubbles. Make sure the filling is covered completely.

    Stick the mold into the freezer once more until everything is solidified.

    Pop the patties out of the mold and crack off any extra chocolate from the bottom. Enjoy!

    IF NOT USING MOLD: Break off the same size of filling and roll into a ball. Flatten into a patty then put on a pan lined with parchment paper. Freeze for about 10-15 minutes.

    – Melt the candy melts in the same way. Take patties out of the freezer and using a fork or dipping tool, dip each in chocolate until fully coated. Transfer back to the pan to cool.

    Top with sprinkles (optional) and enjoy!

  • Dark chocolate peppermint shortbread

    Dark chocolate peppermint shortbread

    Super dark, buttery and melts in your mouth.

    I found this recipe a couple years ago and decided to modify it into something I could make whenever. I am the BIGGEST fan of super rich, bitter dark chocolate, and so this recipe does it for me because it is extremely decadent with bursts of sugar in the chocolate chips. Try it out!

    Top tips from me:
    1) Make sure the butter is room temperature.
    2) Use the darkest cocoa powder you can find! Hershey’s Special Darks works great but Dutch cocoa powder is lovely as well.
    3) Make sure you sift all the dry ingredients.
    4) Cream your butter, cocoa powder and powdered sugar together for at least 30 seconds.
    5) You can bake these cookies several ways and I’ve found every method works just fine: flatten the dough out into about 1/2 inch thickness then either cut squares, use a cookie cutter or take a glass to cut out cookies. Or, freeze the dough in a log and then slice into circles and bake. This time I experimented and put the dough into a silicone gingerbread man mold and they came out super thick and delicious!
    6) You don’t need to add the peppermint, or you can add more than I do, it’s totally up to you!

    Time:
    This recipe takes very little time, unless you are freezing the dough for about an hour. Otherwise, it takes approx. 30 min total. This will make about 18-20 cookies.

    Ingredients:
    1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature — 1/2 cup powdered sugar sifted — 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder, sifted — 2 teaspoons vanilla — 1 teaspoon peppermint extract — 1.5 cups all-purpose flour — 1 cup dark chocolate chips

    Instructions:

    – Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

    – Cream the butter, cocoa powder and sugar together until completely combined and smooth. Add in the vanilla and peppermint extract.

    – Mix in the flour. Don’t over mix!

    – Fold in the chocolate chips and turn the dough out onto a board dusted with cocoa powder.

    – Either form a 10″ inch log or an 8″ pie-crust-like disc then wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours.

    – For the log, slice 1/3″ cookies. For the disc, use a cookie cutter or glass to cut cookies. Put dough on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

    – Bake for 12-15 minutes. Don’t worry if the cookies are still soft as they will firm up while cooling.

    – Cool them on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

    Did you make this recipe and have suggestions? Leave a comment!

  • Celebrate Thanksgiving with delicious pie 🥧

    Celebrate Thanksgiving with delicious pie 🥧

    You can still have the best part of the meal on a different-looking holiday with the recipe in November’s edition.

    A perfect amount of tart and sweet. My aunt said it tastes like her favorite: currant pie!

    Welcome back to The Sunday Roast! Apologies for the delay in sending the next newsletter. October got away from me and then I decided to take a break, but now I’m back and better than ever! This month, Covid-19 hospitalization and death rates have been rising at a scary pace and a lot of people are deciding to stay home alone or with roommates to celebrate Thanksgiving, a time that’s normally spent with family and close friends. With that lost time in mind, I decided to focus on the one comfort food I know people would enjoy and easily make for the holiday: pie!

    This month: I reached out to my Twitter followers to ask for recommendations for local pie makers to feature in a special Thanksgiving edition, and one friend suggested Pie Sisters in Georgetown. As a storefront I’ve spotted frequently as I drove across Key Bridge towards AU, I immediately knew I had to feature the iconic shop. I reached out via their website and heard from Alli, one of the sisters and owners, immediately, and now here we are! Also, remember to check out all recipes and past month’s feature at my website. Also, my subscriber count is at 85, and I want to hear from every one of you.

    Some background: In a monthly newsletter, I combine a DC local’s story behind their favorite recipe(s), or ones that whip up some nostalgia, with photos and prose of my attempt at replication. These recipes vary in difficulty, but they are always ones close to the heart. This newsletter is sent on the third Sunday of each month as the name suggests.


    A fun note: Make sure to mark this email as NOT spam, move it to your inbox or add my sending address  to your address book to avoid the newsletter regularly ending up in the abyss. Sometimes Mailchimp email campaigns go straight to spam.

    Meet Alli, Erin and Cat.

    Pie has been their life. Alli, Erin and Cat grew up watching their mother make pies for the whole neighborhood as kids lined up to get a slice of peach pie. To get that slice, though, they had to work in an assembly line canning fruit and making fresh fruit pies. The sisters’ mother would freeze pies of the season, like the infamous peach, so they could pull it out in the winter and enjoy it even then. 

    The family tradition lived on, but the sisters moved onto different careers in different cities, including marketing and finance in New York for Erin and Alli. They would make pies to bring family and friends together at parties, but nothing more than that. Then, Georgetown Cupcake took off and the sisters thought: “Isn’t pie so much better than cupcakes?” So they set off to prove that and opened Pie Sisters in the same neighborhood in 2011. They grew up in the area by attending St. John’s and living in nearby Great Falls, so they knew the waterfront neighborhood was ideal. Their current location was hard to come by but definitely worked in their favor since its visibility across from the Key Bridge drives marketing.

    At first, they struggled because they made high quality pies in glass dishes, but eventually customers understood they were getting the ultimate pie and now they’ve built a loyal customer base that’s carried them through the pandemic with little change other than converting former seating into more baking and freezing space, and less weddings to cater. Plus, selling the pies in glass dishes means customers can pass off the pie as their own work and continue to return for more pie.

    They came up with the innovative cuppie, which was a mini pie the size of a cupcake, so that anyone could still walk around Georgetown and enjoy the comfort dessert. Erin and Alli say making the cubbies can be painstaking since they’re smaller and require the same attention and detail as larger pies, but they[‘re worthwhile and the sisters pride themselves on putting lots of love and hard work into each beautiful and presentable pie. They even went a step further and made bite-size pie bites, which they say along with cuppies are especially popular for catering orders. 

    The sisters continue to sell frozen pies to this day so that customers can bake the pie and even take the credit for it themselves if they want, because that delicious smell that encompasses your kitchen is worth it.

    Discover their website.

    And their Instagram.

    The story behind their recipe.

    Alli credits Erin with creating the Jumble berry pie recipe and all its intricacies. She one day started baking down berries, which if you make this can be any kind you prefer, to see how she could create the perfect berry pie.

    With Alli’s help on making a delicious crust, the sisters created a deliciously tart pie with a perfectly sweet crumble. And while others may associate Thanksgiving with pumpkin and pecan pies, especially the Pie Sisters’ uber popular bourbon chocolate pecan pie, but Alli and Erin, who I talked to, said this one is different and special — perfect for the holiday.

    I baked a full-size pie because pies are my absolute favorite thing to make, but Pie Sisters makes most of their flavors in cuppie size, which they say are the most popular with customers.

    This flavor in particularly is also a customer favorite and one many people may know Pie Sisters for. Erin mastered the recipe and added a special ingredient other pie-makers may not think to add: blackberry liqueur. The flavorful alcohol adds just a bit more of a berry flavor to the filling and really makes the flavor pop against the buttery, brown sugar-focused crumble on top. But don’t worry: the alcohol obviously cooks down when baking the pie.

    Most of the pies at Pie Sisters are more simple and that’s because the sisters want to focus on fresh, local ingredients without bogging down fillings with any extras. They say that pie got a bad rap back in the day because some would be so loaded with sugar, but that the dessert is actually quite healthy compared to some cakes and cookies, especially the way the sisters make it.

    A slice of their pie will never bog you down — you simply savor every bite. That’s why this recipe in particular has a small amount of sugar in the filling. Erin says she always starts with 1/4 cup of sugar in it and then taste tests it along the way to see if more is necessary. I put that amount in and found it didn’t need anymore, but it totally depends on your sweet tooth’s preference. Further adjustments you can make if you want to include adding a second crust on top instead of a crumble, though I suggest the crumble since it’s the best one I’ve ever had. 

    I also strongly suggest making this pie for Thanksgiving. It’s the perfect combination of flavors and it’s something unique from the typical pumpkin or pecan pie. Pie in general is such a comforting food, and with a holiday coming that most people cannot spend with their family due to coronavirus limitations, Pie Sisters has stepped in with its pre-orders. Alli and Erin say the pandemic has been such a transient area with some people yearning so much for home that they break down and cry in the shop because pie reminds them of the family they cannot see.

    The sisters never expected to make such an impact with their annual sale of pies, a family tradition, but it’s super rewarding. They’ve even already reached capacity for Thanksgiving orders! Some customers are new, but the sisters continue to see loyal customers come back each year for their tradition of a Pie Sisters’ pie —  and some are even driving from New York and Annapolis. Their pie must be that good, especially those adorable little cubbies, so make some of your own to chow down on come November 26!

    Bake a comfort pie for yourself this Thanksgiving!

    CLICK HERE FOR ALL PAST RECIPES

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  • Jumble berry pie

    Jumble berry pie

    This pie is literally perfect. The filling is tart while still bursting with berry flavor, paired with the deliciously sweet, crunchy and buttery crumble. The crust I made was buttery too and added to the overall euphoric experience.

    Top tips from me:
    1) You are welcome to use whatever pie crust recipe you’d prefer to make. I typically do an all-butter crust, but Alli shared with me that she typically does a shortnening-based crust, so I did half butter and half shortnening. It was delicious and easy! Recipe linked below.
    2) Erin and Alli recommend allowing the sugar to cook down in the strawberries before adding the rest of the berries. Also make sure to drain any excess liquid to make sure the filling won’t flow everywhere. 
    3) They only add a cornstarch flurry to make the filling more solid, and not tons of other stuff like gelatin or baking powder. You can truly taste the difference in how fresh their filling is!
    4) You can use frozen berries instead of fresh if you’d like, but the sisters recommend thawing them out a bit in warm water before adding to the pot.
    5) Make sure you combine the liqueur, lemon juice and cornstarch into a slurry before adding to the filling.
    6) Melting your butter to create the crumble makes an even flavor and crunch, versus some other recipes that leave the butter in chunks. Make sure to get a wet sand like consistency! This means you will not use all the dry ingredients you mixed, so either toss the rest or save it for the second pie.
    7) Sprinkling a combination of cornstarch and sugar over the bottom of the crust before adding the filling will ensure that the crust will be buttery and flaky, and not soggy.

    Time:
    With the prep, cooking the filling down and chilling the pie crust, this took me approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes to recreate, plus any time you would need to let the pie cool. Don’t serve it directly out of the oven or the filling will be too liquidy! It serves about 8 people but nobody is judging you if you eat the whole thing.

    Ingredients:
    1 cup strawberries, halved — 1 cup blueberries — 1 cup blackberries — 1 cup raspberries — 1 and 3/4 cups sugar, 1/4 for the filling and the rest for the crumble — 1/2 cup blackberry liqueur — 1/2 cup lemon juice — 1/2 cup cornstarch, half for filling and half for dusting crust — 1 1/2 cup brown sugar — 3 cups flour — 1 tbsp cinnamon

    Instructions:

    FOR THE FILLING:

    – Fill pot with frozen strawberries and sugar. Heat until warm.

    – Using a ladle and strainer, drain excess liquid from pot if necessary.

    – Add remaining berries, heat, stirring occasionally. If necessary drain excess juice.

    – Stir together lemon juice, liqueur, and cornstarch in separate bowl, making a slurry.

    – Once berry mixture starts to bubble, add slurry and mix well.

    – Cook until the filling boils fully for at latest 1 min. stirring well.

    FOR THE CRUMBLE:

    – Mix all dry ingredients together. 

    – Melt 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick) 

    – Add 2 1/2 cups of crumb mix in a bowl with melted butter and mix with hand until the mixture resembles wet sand.

    ASSEMBLY:

    – Prepare pie crust bottom shell and crimp edges. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

    – Sprinkle dusting on the bottom of the pie (1/4 cup cornstarch or flour with 1/4 cup sugar).

    – Add cooked berry filling.

    – Sprinkle crumb topping evenly on top of pie.

    – Bake for about 50 min or until pie starts to bubble. If the crumb starts to burn or brown too much, cover the pie completely with aluminum foil.

    – Cool completely before serving. Enjoy!

    Did you make this recipe and have suggestions? Leave a comment!

  • Bring the Mediterranean to your kitchen 🍚

    Bring the Mediterranean to your kitchen 🍚

    Learn how to make the classic rice dish from one of the top paella chefs in America in October’s edition.

    Salt and garlic cuts through the delicious crispy rice with juicy chicken.

    Welcome back to The Sunday Roast! It’s officially spooky season and while things are going to be a bit different this Halloween, I’m still super excited to dress up at home. Anyone have an idea of what I’ll be?

    This month: I’ve got the perfect comfort food for you that won’t weigh you down, and may even transport you to a dream vacation on the Mediterranean: paella! This deliciously salty and slightly crunchy dish is one of my favorites, though I’ve only had it a couple times: once in Madrid and once at Jaleo. That changed when I found this City Paper feature from my friend Chelsea on local chefs hosting virtual cooking classes. I immediately signed up for the next paella cooking class from Chef Danny Lledo because I couldn’t wait to be able to cook a dish I previously saw as a delicacy I rarely had. Just after I healed from coronavirus, one of my first full meals was the delicious chicken and vegetable paella that Danny told me how to make me step-by-step, while also providing the ingredients. I decided to revisit his incredible paella-making skills for this month’s newsletter so my readers could get a chance to experiment in the kitchen and change things up with a fancy dinner. As always, remember to check out all recipes and past month’s feature at my website. Also, my subscriber count is at 85, and I want to hear from every one of you.

    Some background: In a monthly newsletter, I combine a DC local’s story behind their favorite recipe(s), or ones that whip up some nostalgia, with photos and prose of my attempt at replication. These recipes vary in difficulty, but they are always ones close to the heart. This newsletter is sent on the third Sunday of each month as the name suggests.

    A fun note: Make sure to mark this email as NOT spam, move it to your inbox or add my sending address  to your address book to avoid the newsletter regularly ending up in the abyss. Sometimes Mailchimp email campaigns go straight to spam.

    Meet Danny.

    Danny Lledo grew up eating paella. His parents immigrated to the U.S. from Spain and operated a catering company, where they continued to serve their perfected paella. And on top of the dish always on the table, Danny would sample different paellas when he visited family members in Spain as they served the traditional variety they were known for.

    While he originally forayed into finance and was a consultant for restaurants, in 2012, Danny decided to take the leap into the kitchen and focus on his love of cooking. His background in finance allowed him to be comfortable in public speaking, like leading a wine tasting, while also having the cooking skills to resonate with any patron.

    Danny’s father’s accomplishments as a chef from Denia, Spain, then inspired him to follow in his footsteps and become one of the most awarded paella chefs in America. He then trained to relearn how to cook the dish most well-known to him as something that could win competitions. He said that while he already knew the recipe by heart, he knew that other chefs competing, especially in Spain, would know paella well, too, so he got to work for many years. And that practice definitely made perfect since Danny has accumulated eleven paella honors including six first place awards: Best Paella at the LA Paella Wine & Beer Festival 2016 and 2018 and at the D.C. PaellaFest in 2019; People’s Choice Paella at the Paella Wine & Beer Festival in 2017; the Best Valencian Paella at the Paella Wine & Beer in 2018 and at the D.C. PaellaFest in 2019. He also competed as a finalist at the prestigious Paella Valenciana de Sueca International Competition in 2018, as a finalist of Fideua de Gandia International Competition in 2019 and again at the Paella Valenciana de Sueca International Competition in 2019, where he received the Accèsit award.

    In addition to his several years honing his paella skills, Danny mastered his other restaurant skills working at top Spanish restaurants, including José Andrés’ Think Food Group, Taberna del Alabardero and Botin, which he credits with paving the way so that he could alter open his own restaurant celebrating Valencian cuisine. His Glover Park restaurant, Xiquet, sits above Slate Wine Bar, which he took over management of in 2013 but reopened as a small plate venue with Xiquet’s more extensive dining room in February 2020, just before the pandemic hit. 

    Discover his Twitter.

    And Xiquet’s website.

    The story behind his recipe.

    As you’ve already read, Danny is the master of paella, one of my favorite dishes of all time, so naturally, I asked him to share his secret. With a lot of care, practice and attention to perfecting the crust at the bottom of the dish, called a socarrat, you can master the paella and cook a dish (somewhat) close to what Danny serves at Xiquet. There are a few years of expertise in difference — plus, he uses an all wood fire kitchen to uniquely yet perfectly cook his menu — but I promise this Danny’s recipe is written so it’s easy to follow with a delicous end product. 

    Danny’s recipe is perfectly curated for one person, or easy to double, triple or quadruple for a fancy meal or dinner party. His easy-to-share recipe was developed for virtual cooking classes he started running in May, with the main driver behind it being the pandemic forcing the newly opened Xiquet to close.

    He started with only four that month, but now they’ve becoming a recurring Wednesday class, at least twice a month. Danny has seen new and friendly faces in his classes. The one I attended in the beginning of September had some of his friends and others have had recurring customers who couldn’t make it to the restaurant so they supported him via Zoom, or new customers introduced to his work through the classes and continuously join. He’s also noticed friends and colleagues have gotten together to take the class. Danny also teaches private classes for companies, such as law firms in the area, twice a month. The classes started as a way to stay alive in the pandemic, he said, but now they’ve cultivated a club of friends and customers who order take-out or sign on multiple Wednesdays. And they’ve taught Danny how to be a better teacher as well.

    The lasting impact of the pandemic on Xiquet has to do with when the restaurant opened, so Danny and the team had to adjust quickly and make permanent changes to how the restaurant operated.

    Now, with D.C. restaurants open with partial capacity and relying on to-go orders, Danny feels that every guest that comes in to Xiquet chose to trust and support the staff, and he considers that an honor. Usually, restaurant staff may thank customers for coming out, but now, it’s more of a deep appreciation for their support and a sense of responsibility for their safety, he says. 

    The first paella class he did was chicken and vegetable, which is the variety I ended up making as well. He chose it for that class since the ingredients are fairly easy to get from the store or online without having to find a specialty store to find unique ingredients like rabbit or cuttlefish (by the way, I got my saffron, paprika and bomba rice from these links). He also thinks the ingredients are more of a comfort food, like the Spanish equivalent of your grandma’s chicken noodle or matzah ball soup, so it resonates with his customers and, he thinks, with The Sunday Roast readers.

    But for Danny, arroz a banda, or Valencian paella, is the best and most underappreciated of the dish, plus it’s nostalgic for him since he grew up eating it with his family. He believes very few people properly execute Valencian paella, but it’s still something to celebrate and honor, especially at his restaurant that specializes in and serves up the regional cuisine. Regardless of the featured meat or ingredient in a paella, which on Instagram is usually seafood, Danny says the most important ingredient is the rice, which he typically imports from the Valencia region since there’s nothing like it. The sofrito in each paella, and the featured meat or vegetable, is usually quite uniform so the incorporation of the broth or stock and the cooking of the rice are the most important steps.

    Impress your partner, parents or roommate with crispy paella.

    CLICK HERE FOR ALL MY PREVIOUS RECIPES.

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  • Chicken and vegetable paella

    Chicken and vegetable paella

    Fresh cauliflower, juicy chicken, crispy rice, salt, garlic, tomato — what could be better?

    This is my new favorite go-to to impress people with my cooking skills. You can easily make this in about 30 minutes but impress people with that deliciously salty and rich flavor with the crunch of the socarrat the rice creates.

    Top tips from me:
    1) Danny says the prep takes the most time here, and I agree, though make sure you set timers and pay close attention when cooking.
    2) Use chicken thighs or legs so there’s enough fat to create flavor! Chicken breast will get too dry.
    3) It’s definitely easier to cook each vegetable one at a time so that you don’t have to carefully pick out the peppers and cauliflower later. So cook the cauliflower first, then peppers, then put and leave in the green beans.
    4) I used my food scale to measure out the rice, but feel free to convert that to cups, just don’t add too much without adding enough stock.
    5) I had to pour a little more stock in later to avoid burning the paella early on, and when I did the cooking class, Danny recommended adding a little bit of water at the time just to ensure the rice has enough liquid to absorb.
    6) Make sure to evenly pour the rice into the pan. You want the broth to completely cover it as it sinks to the bottom.
    7) Pay close attention to the cooking times; if you don’t decrease your heat at the right time, it could burn, like mine did a little bit. That last minute is important to create a crust!

    Time:
    This dish requires a bit of prep with chopping everything up, but once you do that, it will only take about 30 minutes to complete. The amounts provided by Danny are meant to serve one person, though I definitely had some leftovers.

    Ingredients:
    6 oz of chicken thighs and/or leg, cut into 3-4 in. cubes — 2 tbsp salt — 0.5 cup green beans, cut into 1.5 in. pieces — half of a red pepper, cut into 2 in. pieces — 0.6 cup small florets of cauliflower — 1 tbsp sweet paprika — 1 clove garlic, minced — half of a tomato, pureed — 50 ml olive oil — 100 g bomba rice — 0.5 g saffron — 1.5 cups chicken stock 

    Instructions: 

    – Add olive oil one to a frying pan and warm over medium heat until shimmering.

    – Add chicken to the pan (adding salt to taste) and brown the meat on both sides.

    – Add all the vegetables to the pan with the chicken (adding salt to taste). Cook them approx. only 60%, leaving them al dente, then remove the cauliflower and peppers. Leave the green beans in the pan. 

    – Add sofrito (tomato puree, garlic and sweet paprika) to pan, combine and cook for 1 to 2 minutes .

    – Add chicken stock and stir to combine. Increase temperature to high to bring to a boil.

    – Add saffron to broth and boil for 2 to 3 minutes.

    – Add rice to pan and cook on high heat for 10 minutes, then add back the rest of the vegetables evenly throughout the pan.

    – Lower to medium heat and cook your paella for another 8 minutes until the broth is gone.

    – Then, increase the heat again to high and cook for 1 minute. Allow the rice on the bottom to create a socarrat. Scrape some rice back to check that it crisped properly.

    – Enjoy!

    Did you make this recipe and have suggestions? Leave a comment!

  • A healthy recipe to add to your routine 🐟

    A healthy recipe to add to your routine 🐟

    Thamee co-owner Eric Wang talks growing up in Japan and its influence for the September editiong.

    The salmon was flaky and cooked perfectly, while the crunchy, pickled cucumbers balanced with the umami miso.

    Welcome back to The Sunday Roast! It’s the first month of fall (and my birth month), which means it’s my favorite time of year, even though the beginning of the month was rough for me. As some of you may already know, I tested positive for coronavirus and dealt with all the symptoms, including nausea, a fever, coughing and shortness of breath. After quarantining and resting for 2 weeks, I’m grateful my body fully healed and I can get back to working, exercising and just generally being a human being, albeit one that is social distancing and almost always wearing a mask. Thanks to everyone for their well wishes and movie suggestions!

    This month: I’m super excited to feature a restaurant I’ve been following for awhile. I first noticed Thamee when Anela Malik, or FeedtheMalik, featured their paratha sandwiches and Burma takeout boxes on her Instagram and I knew it was a must-go kind of place. After some back and forth, I was lucky to secure the time of one of the co-owners, Eric Wang. Keep scrolling to read about his journey from a childhood in Japan to joining the restaurant business in D.C. Remember to check out all recipes and past month’s feature at my website. Also, my subscriber count is at 81, and I want to hear from every one of you.

    Some background: In a monthly newsletter, I combine a DC local’s story behind their favorite recipe(s), or ones that whip up some nostalgia, with photos and prose of my attempt at replication. These recipes vary in difficulty, but they are always ones close to the heart. This newsletter is sent on the third Sunday of each month as the name suggests.
    A fun note: Make sure to mark this email as NOT spam, move it to your inbox or add my sending address  to your address book to avoid the newsletter regularly ending up in the abyss. Sometimes Mailchimp email campaigns go straight to spam.

    Meet Eric.

    Eric met his business partner and co-owner of Thamee, Simone Jacobson, on OkCupid of all places. He said they didn’t have a romantic connection but respected each other enough to become friends and one day, business partners. Simone approached Eric about working on a pop-up centered around cooking from her mom, Chef Jocelyn Law-Yone, specifically a Burmese dessert called falooda. He of course said yes, inspired by the fact that he was 10 years into a career in an industry he hated and had started making a habit of saying “yes” to things he had not done before. Eric considers that pop-up, part of the origin story on Thamee’s website, as his first step into owning a restaurant.

    As partners, the two then opened a pop-up business, Toli Moli, in 2016 to critical acclaim, but according to Eric, zero financial success. Instead of calling it quits, they took a big step in opening Thamee, one of the first Burmese restaurants on the D.C. food scene. The inspiration was the amazement Eric felt the first time he tasted Jocelyn’s cooking, which had a comforting, yet familiar strange quality to it that he wanted the whole world to experience. So they opened a place that elevated Burmese home-style cuisines at a time when there were only similar restaurants in Silver Spring and Falls Church. Eric says inspiration aslo came from other area chefs elevating Southeast Asian food, like Chef Seng Luangrath of Thip Khao.

    As the person who handles the financial, accounting, legal, compliance and administrative HR sides of business, Eric was honest that the pandemic has hit the rookie restaurant hard. In March, Thamee first closed to protest staff from catching the virus. Before then, Eric also worked expo and prep with kitchen staff a couple days of week, while also filling the coveted role of chief taster of food. Now, however, the restaurant has had to launch new initiatives to help sustain the business, including their Saturday Sammies pop-up with paratha flatbread sandwiches, and meal prep Burma Boxes inspired by friends’ requests for recipes and popular programs like Hello Fresh. Both have received positive feedback and provided an avenue to share Burmese food with customers, but Eric says the reality is they need more to sustain a business their size. Restaurants in D.C. are struggling to keep afloat without proper pandemic assistance, resulting in Michelin-starred restaurants offering diner breakfast items to supplement income or the Hilton Brothers choosing to close all seven of their establishments, as Eric points out. Thamee took a two-week break from operations to rest, rejuvenate and re-strategize their plans going forward to further adapt and survive this difficult time. 

    As of now, there aren’t anymore pop-ups scheduled but Eric promises more will come soon. They also plan on continuing to parter with La Tajena to operate their breakfast tacos pop-up. And one day, Eric hopes to do a pop-up of his own food, showcasing his three biggest influences of Taiwanese, Japanese and Cajun/Creole cuisines. 

    Discover his Twitter.

    And Thamee’s Instagram.

    The story behind his recipe.

    Eric has always been a lover of food, and his appreciation started during his childhood spent in Japan from ages 6 to 12 with his grandmother. After being born in Taiwan and living there for 6 years, Eric was sent to live with his grandmother outside of Tokyo before then immigrating to Northern Virginia with his family at the age of 12, fleeing a hostile political environment in Taiwan. His parents worked minimum wage jobs at Dulles Airport for over a decade to help pay for college and a career, but his story is not unique as he became part of an immigrant-owned restaurant in D.C. He says some immigrants came as children, others as adults, but all of them had to reconcile with hardships from the early years to first survive then thrive. Him and his co-owners at Thamee, a fairly successful women-of-color- and immigrant-owned small business, feel a responsibility now to do better as they trust each other unconditionally as they encounter hardships that pale in comparison to the years of hardship they endured when younger, Eric says.

    Paired with his background, Eric began really experiencing the culinary revolution in D.C. around 2008 by frequently eating out, enjoying craft cocktails and cooking, which led to him appreciating different cuisines outside of what he grew up eating.

    He became interested in not only the food offered but the story of each business and its owners. He did his research for many years through eating, drinking, traveling and befriending people in the industry before then meeting Simone. Now, at Thamee, he steps back to have the chef and her staff create their own Burmese-inspired menu, so most Japanese influence actually comes from the expert kitchen.

    The specific recipe he gave me to cook was a favorite dish of his when he was child — something his grandmother would make frequently as they grew up poor and fish was the cheapest protein in Japan at the time. His grandmother would cook the fish on a small charcoal grill and serve it with takuwan, or pickled radish, so now the dish reminds him of his time in Japan.

    She also used to upcycle the miso marinade, meaning she’d pour the remaining marinade into a small pot with water and cook it into a soup. To further add to the nostalgia, a similar dish is the first meal he had at a Japanese restaurant in the U.D. as a “lonely, immigrant teenager,” he says, though the restaurant now makes it with black cod. The restaurant, Tachibana, best resembles the Japanese home cooking Eric grew up with, and it’s nestled in a non-descript office park in McLean, Virginia.

    Eric originally described the meal as something light and healthy, which peaked my interest as someone now trying to prioritize her physical health while stuck in a personal quarantine. He says the fish is nutritious and pairs well with a warm bowl of miso soup on winter mornings. And yes, he did frequently enjoy the fish as a breakfast in Japan, since it’s common to eat fish any time of day. Nowadays, he mostly makes it for dinner, and only a couple of times during quarantine since he doesn’t have an accessible fish market nearby Columbia Heights.

    He prefers to hit up Eastern Market of District Fishwife for quality fish to really make the dish. He splits cooking duties with his partner, so while he’s been cooking some favorites lately, like fried okra, gumbo and jambalaya, he said he would switch back to Taiwanese dishes soon. He still makes a roast chicken once every month for the past 10 years to keep perfecting his recipe, and that’s partly due to the philosophy of kaizen, or continuous improvement, being ingrained into him after being exposed to Japanese culture at a young age. The phrase, “always do better than you did yesterday” stays in his mind as he looks at restaurant operations, workouts at the gym or cooking at home. 

    Eric has it own personal touches to the dish, however, different from Tachibana or his grandmother’s recipe. He typically makes it more often with salmon steak than Spanish mackerel,

    though he credits that to the easy access to salmon in D.C. fish markets. If you can get Spanish mackerel, he says the pure fish flavor is “a perfect vehicle for the fermented umami of miso.” His favorite component, though, is the perfectly crispy skin and that first satisfying crunch with all the flavors. Unfortunately, I did mess up the skin a bit due to my inability to properly grease a pan and my lack of experience cooking fish, but my boyfriend did comment that the skin was also his favorite part.

    Enjoy delicious salmon, sans any guilt, with Eric’s recipe.

    CLICK HERE FOR ALL PAST RECIPES!

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  • Miso Yaki Salmon

    Miso Yaki Salmon

    A little bit of salmon, some green onion and some soft rice. Yum.

    My boyfriend was my taste tester again but he said, “the fish was flaky but not too flaky,” “the skin was my favorite,” and “I like the crunch. It’s good to have crunch or else it’s just mush. And it tastes good. Like the flavors are overpowering and it all compliments each other.” Basically, the fish had a sweet note, balanced with the rice and the vinegary cucumbers, which Eric swears by as the best and quickest pickle, while the green onions added a fresh crunch.

    Top tips from me:
    1) Eric says you’ll need a fatty and robust fish, so in order of preference, filet of Spanish mackerel, salmon steak or salmon filet (skin attached for best results). I used salmon filet only because it’s all I could find.
    2) You can find most of the Japanese ingredients at Hana Market on Florida Ave., which is where i bought everything except for the cucumber, since I already had some, and the fresh fish (a fish market or a grocery store work well). As Eric says, “I would die for Hana Market.”
    3) Eric says no Jasmine, Arborio or Basmati rice for this dish since they all have flavor profiles that don’t match. He says: “Basmati has almost an herbal and earthy quality to its flavor profile, which is best served with something that has powerful, mouth-coating flavors like Indian curries, lamb or dishes high in acid. I’ve tried using basmati for Japanese and Taiwanese dishes and I find that flavors clash most of the time.”
    4) Use a bit less soy sauce if you’re using Chinese, according to Eric.
    5) The fish needs to be marinated for at least 4 hours, but I left it overnight. The cucumbers need to pickle for at least 2 hours as well, and Eric says they can be kept for about 2 weeks.
    6) Definitely ensure your pan is well-oiled. I didn’t and my skin stuck to it unfortunately. Also make sure to brush off any excess marinade before setting the fish on the pan. I didn’t properly do this and the sugars in the excess marinade cemented the skin to the pan. 
    7) Don’t worry too much about the precision of the ingredient measurements but pay attention to temperature and how you’re cooking it, according to Eric. Because it is fish, the margin between undercooked and overcooked is small. He recommends letting the fish sit in room temperature for at least 15 minutes before going in the oven. If you have the time and energy, you could get three or four pieces of fish and cook them at different times and tweak your own method every time. 
    8) I used cooking sake instead of regular sake and the flavor was still wonderful!

    Time:
    This dish require some prep and overnight soaking, so total it took me about 18 hours total with the overnight marinade and pickles, however, the cooking time is only about 30 minutes, and it’s only that long because of the rice since the fish cooks quickly. This serves about one person, with the 8 oz. of fish.

    Ingredients:
    8 – 16 oz of fish — 1/4 cup miso, white preferred, but red is fine too — 3 tbsp sake — 2 + 1/2 tbsp mirin — 4 tbsp granulated sugar — 1 tbsp of Japanese soy sauce — 1 tbsp of kosher salt — 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar — a cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch ribbons — green onion, chopped — approx. 1 cup (uncooked) Japanese rice

    Instructions:
    – For the marinade, mix these together the following: miso, sake, 2 tbsp of the mirin, 2 tbsp of the granulated sugar and Japanese soy sauce.
    – Place the fish in a zip bag and pour the marinade in, making sure it coats all of the fish. Seal the bag and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
    – Cut your cucumber to approximately 1/4-inch thickness, or use the second or third thinnest setting on a mandoline.
    – In a sealable container, add the following: salt, 2 tbsp of the sugar, 1/2 tbsp of the mirin and vinegar. Mix in the cucumber and massage the pickling liquid into the cucumber. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
    – Grease a sheet pan and preheat the oven to 435 degrees F.
    – Remove the fish from the marinade and brush off any excess. Place the fish on the pan, skin-side down if using a filet.
    – Bake the fish — 10 minutes for either filet, or 13 minutes for the salmon steak.
    – For skin-on filet, take the fish out and turn the broiler on high. Flip the fish so that skin is facing up, and place it under the broiler just to crisp the skin, about 90 seconds.
    – Serve the fish with rice and a side of the quick pickles, then garnish with the green onions. Enjoy!

    Did you make this recipe and have suggestions? Leave a comment!

  • A look at a beloved D.C. speciality 💫

    A look at a beloved D.C. speciality 💫

    I slowed things down and did a hands-on lesson on how to make Salvadoran pupusas for August’s edition.

    Citrus salad paired with gooey cheese = heaven.

    Welcome back to The Sunday Roast! This month will be a little bit different and shorter. I was unable to snag some restaurateurs’ time this month as everyone is busy staying afloat. I’ll be back to my regular reporting next month, but for now, this month’s edition is more personal as it’s contributes to my growth as a cook and includes a subject I know well.

    This month: Nobody’s schedule lined up with mine as things remain hectic in the nation’s capital. Fortunately, I reached out to a close friend, who has grown up knowing how to make a food many consider iconic in the DMV area: the Salvadorean pupusa. It was quite the feat, and it forced me to think on my feet and change the format a little, but I think it was well worth it. Remember to check out all recipes and past month’s feature at my website. Also, my subscriber count is at 84, and I want to hear from every one of you.

    Some background: In a monthly newsletter, I combine a DC local’s story behind their favorite recipe(s), or ones that whip up some nostalgia, with photos and prose of my attempt at replication. These recipes vary in difficulty, but they are always ones close to the heart. This newsletter is sent on the third Sunday of each month as the name suggests.

    A fun note: Make sure to mark this email as NOT spam, move it to your inbox or add my sending address  to your address book to avoid the newsletter regularly ending up in the abyss. Sometimes Mailchimp email campaigns go straight to spam.

    The story behind Maria and her recipe.

    Maria flatten the dough into a perfect circle.

    Maria Saenz is my boyfriend’s older sister, who I’ve grown close to. As a young child, she immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador with her mother, and she’s carried her culture and love for its food with her. Now, as a mother of four daughters, one of whom was just born two months ago, and a dental assistant currently at home, Maria says she cooks full-blown homemade meals for her whole family at least twice a day.

    She typically cooks some brunch due to everybody sleeping in, then a big dinner, but it’s always easier for her to cook for her family rather than get takeout from several restaurants. She’ll figure out what to cook each week, though she says quarantine has made it hard to come up with ideas, but she’ll frequently cook classic Salvadoran recipes when her kids request them, such as fried plantains paired with sour cream or sopa de res, a beef stew. Her go-tos? Beans and rice, and eggs.

    I reached out to Maria about featuring her cooking because I knew that pupusas and other Salvadoran food were beloved by the D.C. area, but also because I’ve sampled her food several times and she’s a fantastic cook.

    I was excited to feature a dish quite popular in the DMV, while also finally learning how to make one of my boyfriend and my favorite takeout. She was ready to teach me while also sharing a piece of her story. She hopes to teach her children to value Salvadoran culture and cooking, since she’s been able to keep her roots and not been totally Americanized. The recipe is something from back home that she cooks for comfort, and for teaching her kids.

    Maria brought some of the ingredients needed, including Maseca instant corn flour and Rio Grande crema la Bendición (Salvadoran style), while I brought the 2 lb. bag of mozzarella cheese, plus the tomatoes, cabbage, cilantro and limes for her version of the cabbage that pairs with the cheesy pupusas.

    While the recipe may overall be the same for most people, some adjust it to fit their tastes, like some restaurants that emphasize a meat filling such as pork or beef. Maria leaves just cheese in her pupusas because it’s much quicker and easier to make, and I personally enjoy them (and more of them) with just cheese since it’s much less greasy. However, Maria’s pupusas are different and creamier because she mixes that Salvadoran style cream, which tastes a bit like a sour cream, into her shredded cheese before adding it into the dough. She says it helps the filling stay in the middle of the dough and not have the pupusa fall apart. Compared to other restaurants’ pupusas, her’s are much less dry and greasy, meaning they’re more enjoyable. You can, of course, add any filling you’d like to the inside, but Maria typically skips the meat since it may add hours or an extra day to your cooking time.

    The dough consistency is the most important part, and I was watching Maria for most of the day but especially to start out the dish,

    since she’s the pro and I was there to learn. She taught me how to form a ball in your hand, how to then scoop from the middle out to form a disk, then how to place a ball of the cheese mixture in the middle and fold up and crimp the edges to make a dumpling.

    Finally, forming a ball with the cheese-filled dough, then flattening the ball into a 1/4-inch thin disk, and smoothing over any cracks in the edges. The process was very daunting at first, but once I had Maria explain each step and I practiced, my pupusas went from small and misshapen to perfect circles.

    The dish is typically served with a vinegar-infused cabbage salad that one would pick a bit up using the pupusa, like a finger food.

    Maria chose to adjust her cabbage by adding a lot of lime juice instead of vinegar because she’s a big fan of citrus flavors. She also adds chopped cilantro to add some more flavor, and it creates a pico de gallo-esque salad. Some of her family even eats the salad by itself since it’s so good. Overall, the result is a deliciously-fresh crunch on top of the soft, salty, ooey-gooey cheese, and it’s perfect.

    Craft your own comfort food any night of the week with Maria’s recipe.

    Click here for all my past recipes

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