A great cobbler recipe will serve you all spring and summer long. Photograph courtesy of Shutterstock.
From a culinary standpoint, this time of year rules. Great produce floods the market, patios become a second—and far superior—dining room, and invitations to backyard barbecues start showing up in your inbox. To get you inspired, we’ve collected 20 excellent recipes for spring and summer fare, all of it courtesy of Washington restaurants and shops. There are fancy popsicles from Pleasant Pops, amazing grilled chicken from Estadio—even instructions on how to properly booze up a watermelon. It’s all in the service of making this your tastiest spring and summer ever, so go forth and make something wonderful.
Bright pasta primavera will outshine typical potluck dishes. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
May is here, and the weather has finally improved. We’re looking forward to getting into some spring cooking, starting with this technicolor pasta primavera from Renee Shields Farr, owner of the Sapore Oil & Vinegar shop in Eastern Market. Made with rainbow-striped bow-tie pasta, it’s a pretty dish to bring to a potluck picnic.
Pot pie: A delicious way to use up those Thanksgiving leftovers. Photograph courtesy of Shutterstock.
Seeing as you can order a “Thanksgiving sandwich” at local eateries year-round, consider swapping out the usual stack of leftovers between slices of bread for a dish that’s nearly as simple and far more indulgent: a creamy pot pie that uses leftover veggies and turkey alike. We first heard about this dish from chef Matthew Miller while previewing the newly opened Trademark in Alexandria, and couldn’t resist asking for the recipe.
“It’s as easy as taking yesterday’s dinner, putting it in a pan, and putting pastry on top,” says Miller of the pot pie. The British-born toque suggests using leftover sweet potato and green beans in addition to shredded turkey and gravy, though you can substitute any Thanksgiving vegetables you see fit. And if you’ve managed to sop up all your giblet sauce the day before, don’t worry; just stir in ⅓ cup of flour after you’ve sautéed the leeks, garlic, and celery, and then slowly stir in 1¾ cups turkey broth.
David Guas’s Dat-O-Lanterns. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
One of the favorite sweets at Bayou Bakery is chef David Guas’s “Dat-O,” an oversize, house-made take on an Oreo that has been on the menu since the Louisiana-style cafe opened. We asked Guas to create a Halloween riff on the sandwich cookie, perfect for parties of all ages or for doling out on the big night.
There’s really no trick to this Halloween treat, which can be made up to four days in advance and sealed at room temperature in an airtight container. To create a “Dat-O-Lantern,” Guas uses a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter, which you can find in the seasonal section of many markets and gourmet shops. Pro tip: If assembling the cookies gets messy at the end, try creating a makeshift pastry bag with a Ziploc (just spoon in the orange filling and then snip off one corner), and pipe the sweet stuff along the borders and into the center before gently topping the frosting with a second cookie.
The Long Island Iced Tea may bring back (hazy) memories of college, but there’s no reason this booze bomb should be relegated to sophomore year. Just ask Jack Rose Dining Saloon cocktail guru and documented LIT aficionado Rachel Sergi.
“I absolutely love them,” says Sergi, whose friend and fellow bartending superstar Gina Chersevani is also a fan. “I love iced tea to begin with, and me and Gina work hard on making cocktails all the time. But every once in a while, we want something that just tastes easy. It’s either a Long Island done properly or nothing.”
Sergi’s advice on being certain that a given bar is an LIT-safe space? “Ask if they have sour mix on the gun.” If the answer is yes, you should probably steer clear. Better yet, whip up your own version at home with Sergi’s recipe, which doesn’t stray too far from the common potent mix of vodka, gin, rum, tequila, a sour element, and Coca-Cola. Instead of bottled sour mix, Sergi uses fresh lemon juice and citrusy Bols Blue Curaçao, and swaps out the Coke float for an easy-to-make cola syrup. The best news for your end-of-summer bash: You can brew a big batch in advance (keeping the syrup on the side) and mix to order or let guests pour their own. It should go without saying, this is one powerful concoction—consume accordingly.
It’s not likely to show up on the bar menu any time soon, but ask nicely while reserving your table--and at least three days in advance--and Bourbon Steak bartenders might be able to prepare slices of vodka-filled watermelon for you and your dining companions, says head bartender Duane Sylvestre. Sylvestre and his fellow head bartender Jamie MacBain recently served a more refined version of this frat-house favorite during a cocktail class at the bar, and we thought it would make a great centerpiece for a Fourth of July picnic. It works like this: You poke small holes in the melon, allowing its juices to drain, and vodka fills in the liquid space. It takes about three days to fully infuse the fruit—the best way to do it is in the fridge, but if space is an issue, cover your project with foil or plastic wrap and keep it stored in a cool space.
One final word of warning from Sylvestre: “Sometimes the melon tastes like there’s no booze in it at all, until you take a step. Have no more than two slices, and drink water, water, water, with your watermelon.”
We’re big fans of the desserts owner Brian Noyes turns out at the Red Truck Bakery in Warrenton, Virginia. A day trip to the old Esso station where Noyes bakes fresh pies and moonshine cake is always worth the drive, but seeing as Independence Day falls on a Wednesday this year (lame) we asked him for a quick but delicious cobbler recipe you can make at home.
“My grandmother in North Carolina was always whipping up a dessert with fruit from her garden and whatever was on hand in her pantry,” says Noyes. “I use her rolling pin and mixing bowl in my bakery, and continue her tradition with cobblers every summer.”
There are no real tricks to the dessert—you just need sweet, ripe berries from the market and eight friends to share it with.
Boqueria's pan con tomate. Photograph courtesy of Boqueria.
Need a signature summer party dish? The versatile Spanish classic pan con tomate—which can be eaten all day, from breakfast into the wee hours—is a cinch to prepare, requiring only ripe, meaty tomatoes, a fresh baguette, and good-quality olive oil.
We’ve been addicted to chef Marc Vidal’s version at Boqueria since the tapas spot opened in March, especially alongside some chilled sangria. Vidal serves marinated olives with the dish but says you can dress it up further with slices of cured meats like chorizo or jamón Serrano, or Spanish cheeses such as Manchego. Your guests can layer them atop the tomàquet spread for a richer snack.
Boqueria’s Pan con Tomate
Serves 10
Ingredients
1 classic French baguette, cut in half lengthwise and each half cut in half on a bias
2 tablespoons tomàquet (recipe below)
1 tablespoon Valderama olive oil or other high-quality olive oil
Pinch Maldon salt or other flaky finishing salt
1 tablespoon marinated olives, such as Amanida cocktail olives, for garnish
The first step to re-creating Honey Pig’s tender beef barbecue? Let the meat marinate overnight. Photograph courtesy of Honey Pig.
How we’d love to replicate the entire Honey Pig experience at home—meat sizzling on tabletop grills, flowing Soju, big-name chefs getting buzzy at neighboring tables, bathroom dance music. The stripped-down Korean barbecue joints in Annandale, Ellicott City, and Centreville are favorite stops for industry types, the late-night karaoke crowd, and local families who come to feast on flavorful meats like this tender steak marinated in a pungent mix of soy, garlic, sesame, and chili, from owner Mickey Lee.
For optimal tenderness and flavor, Lee suggests starting a day ahead and allowing the steak to marinate overnight before tossing it on a hot grill. Look for “flanken”-cut short ribs—long, thin slices cut across the bone—at global markets including H-Mart and El Grande International Supermarket (6901 Hechinger Dr., Springfield, 703-256-5201), where you can also pick up fresh-made banchan (side dishes) such as kimchi and spiced radishes. In a pinch, sliced rib eye, available at Whole Foods, will do, too. And don’t be afraid to play fast and loose with accompaniments. “A bowl of white rice is great and simple,” says Lee. “Korean beef goes with just about everything, so feel free to be flexible with your side dishes.”
BlackSalt's soda bread is the perfect thing to bake for a St. Patty's party.
BlackSalt is known for its fresh fish, but pastry chef Susan Wallace’s Irish soda bread—studded with golden raisins and walnuts—is also pretty great. We scored the recipe so you can bake it up on St. Patrick’s day. (Having a party? Try this tasty Irish whiskey cocktail, too.)
