Stone Soup Bakery Taking Holiday Orders
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, December 13th, 2011
The holidays are closing in on us fast! With all the preparations for out of town families and incredible feasts, who has time to make dessert? These guys! So, let them make it for you!
They’ll meet you in the Burke Centre VRE parking lot in our regular Saturday Farmer’s Market spot on the evening of Friday December 23rd at 7pm with your pre-ordered desserts.
If you happen to need dessert for New Year’s as well, don’t hesitate to order. Provided are freezing and defrosting/reheating instructions to make the storage and presentation of your desserts a breeze.
Pies:
Pumpkin Pie from Stone Soup Bakery
Large $15 each * Small $6 each
Apple
Apple Crumble
Pecan
Sweet Potato
Apple Butter Pumpkin
Key Lime
Assorted Cookies:
$ 10 a dozen
Semisweet Chocolate Chip
Double Chocolate Chip
Oatmeal Raisin
Almond Sugar Cutouts
Gingerbread
Assorted Brownies:
$1- 1.50 each
(must order 20 or more of the same brownie)
Super Fudgy Brownie
Walnut Super Fudgy Brownie
Chunky Pecan Pie Bar
Almond Shortbread Brownie
Peanut Butter Blondie
Place your order with us now to reserve your delicious no-hassle Holiday desserts. I bought an apple butter pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit- not one slice remained!
Stone Soup Bakery – contact Jennifer Graybill & Johnny Connolly
(703)909.6089 * stonesoupbakery@yahoo.com
– Jennie Whistler
What’s that? Why, it’s a Pfefferneusse, of course!
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, December 12th, 2011
Gut Checkers, do I have a great treat for you. As the countdown to Christmas is officially in high gear (12 days!), here’s a great Christmas treat in the form of none other than Christmas cookies!
And these ain’t no ordinary cookies…they’re pfefferneusse!
Pffeffer-huh?
On a recent trip to the new Trader Joe’s in Clarendon, I discovered these under an act of God. Naturally, whenever I go to Trader Joe’s I take my time roaming each aisle numerous times, making sure I didn’t miss anything. Man, am I glad I didn’t miss these cookies.
The distinct taste of these cookies is a complex combination of cloves, cinnamon, sugar, spice and everything nice in your mouth as you bite through the powdered-sugar-covered, crunchy outside and make your way to the soft and cakey inside.
Trader Joe's pfefferneusse
So, a couple of strong recommendations for you:
-If you’re feeling adventurous, try baking these at home from one of these online recipes;
-Go to Trader Joe’s and buy them for $2.99;
-Or, for more of a cookie haven in the Arlington area, stop in at Heidelberg and drool over the freshly baked Christmas cookies (and enjoy the free samples) like I did.
Heidelberg's pfeffernusse
And you can thank me later. 
-Julia Harbo
Mollydooker 5 Course Wine Dinner
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, December 12th, 2011
Bazin's on Church
Wondering what to do for dinner tonight? Want something new, exciting and scrum-diddly-umptious? Head to Bazin’s tonight and enjoy an elegant 5 course dinner paired exquisitely with a variety of wines.
Short ribs, pork confit and coconut tapioca soup are just a few of the delicacies you’ll enjoy. Don’t miss out- seating is extremely limited so call today for reservations.
Check out the menu:
MENU
Seared Maine Scallop
cauliflower purée, golden raisin, creamed onions
The Violinist Verdelho 2010
Short Rib Ravioli
tiny vegetables, foie gras sauce, parmesan
2 Left Feet Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot blend 2010
Maple Glazed Pork Confit
rosemary, wild mushroom ragout
The Boxer Shiraz 2010
Braised Veal Cheeks
truffled potato gnocchi, garlic herb bread crumbs ,natural sauce
Gigglepot Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Coconut Tapioca Soup
caramel, passion fruit granite
Ederton Semilon
RSVP 703 255-7212
Bazin’s on Church, 111 Church Street, NW, Vienna; (703)255.7215; www.bazinsonchurch.com/Dec12.html; $100 per person, excluding tax and gratuity
- Jennie Whistler
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, December 9th, 2011
There’s been some talk of soup this week. It’s December now, and here in NoVA, we should be eating hot, warming, comfortingly hearty soup. And drinking smooth wine to wash down said soup.
Image: marco mayer/Shutterstock
Despite this week’s earlier warm weather, this weekend will be cold. But you can warm up with soup and wine at Lost Creek Winery’s Soup Weekend this Saturday and Sunday.
$15 tickets will get you a bowl of soup — hearty Tuscan bean or lentil vegetable — with warm bread and a glass of one of their wines to enjoy while listening to live acoustic music.
The Soup and Wine Weekend lasts from 12-5 p.m. on Saturday, December 10 and Sunday, December 11.
Lost Creek Winery is located at 43277 Spinks Ferry Road in Leesberg. Call 703-443-9836 for more information.
Have a great weekend!
-Julia Harbo
Chef Jacques Haeringer of L’Auberge Chez Francois Makes Chocolate Tart!
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, December 9th, 2011
One of the most respected and admired chefs in Northern Virginia, Chef Jacques Haeringer, was featured on WUSA 9, showcasing his classic chocolate tart. Simple and delicious!
Chef Jacques is one of America’s most respected and innovative culinary personalities. His menus feature classic Alsatian and French cuisine reinterpreted for American palates. For more information on Chef Jacques or L’Auberge Chez Francois visit www.laubergechezfrancois.com or www.chefjacques.com.
L’Auberge Chez Francois - 332 Springvale Road, Great Falls; (703)759.3800
– Jennie Whistler
Evening Star Café Re-Opens TODAY!
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, December 8th, 2011
Out of the loop on Evening Star Café?
The 15-year old restaurant in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria has been closed for the past month while undergoing fun and communal renovations. Today, December 8, the restaurant re-opens with a revamped look, new menu and new chef Jim Jeffords.
Doors open to the neighborhood today to reveal a refurbished space — original wooden banquettes still line the walls, but a new center with bold blue, plush benches boost the seating capacity to 60. New lighting and artwork by local artist Rick Singleton brings a retro feel with old junk turned into new art, in particular, an old Erector set that hangs the lights from the original ceiling in the dining room.
If you look around the restaurant, you’ll notice small vintage details from unique light fixtures made out of old metal to the trophy display on the back wall of the Majestic Lounge bar (the trophies were donated by community members and date back to 1901).
A light fixture made out of vintage jars hangs over the Majestic Lounge's bar.
As a matter of fact, everything about the renovation process has involved the community, from old trophy donations to a yard sale to sell the old furnishings from the pre-renovated restaurant, to a cocktail-naming night that will take place a couple weeks after today’s opening.
The Evening Star menu still features classic-meets-modern American comfort food, but with a more Southern tone. The back bar (dubbed “The Majestic Lounge”) now features 30 bottles of craft beer, 19 draft beers — served from 1950s vintage refrigerators — and one cask, which will feature local brews and rotate constantly. The bar will be serving original cocktails, including “The Hipster,” made with mezcal, chipotle peppers and PBR. You can also order any bottle of wine from Planet Wine next door with your meal.
The kitchen gets cookin’ today for dinner starting at 5:30 p.m. — and it sure isn’t going anywhere for a while.
The Evening Star Café is located at 2000 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria (703-549-5051). Visit www.eveningstarcafe.net for more information.
-Julia Harbo
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, December 8th, 2011
My new winter favorite!
Two words: taco soup.
It’s a concoction that I adopted from my father, who got it from his brother, who stole it from Mr. Tumnus in the magical land of Narnia after falling through the wardrobe.
It’s magical. A recipe passed down from generation to generation; a culinary treasure so fine that it must be guarded, cherished and kept close.
Ok, here’s the deal. It’s probably the best soup you’ve ever had because A.) It’s tasty and 2.) It’s so easy that even a half-man, half-goat from a fictional, bureau-inspired world could make.
Here’s what you do.
Throw whatever you want into a pot. Those kidney beans that have been sitting in the cupboard for 2 years? Throw ‘em in. That can of diced tomatoes you bought but never used? Into the pot. Canned corn, black beans, refried beans- oh my! They all go into the pot.
Now cover with chicken stock and bring to a boil. Once it’s boiling, throw a box of pasta in with any seasoning you like. I like Mexican chili powder, cayenne, garlic, powdered ranch seasoning packets, taco seasoning… even curry powder.
Now cook all that together until the pasta is tender and voila! You’ve got a hearty, delicious soup and just gotten rid of all those cans of food you never know what to do with.
I like to sprinkle the top of mine with fresh green onion and shredded cheese. And this soup will last forever! Lunch for days!
For those of you who like to have a recipe (my boyfriend goes absolutely bonkers when I just throw stuff into a pot without guidelines. “But how do you know how much to use?!” he cries.) I’ll just write down what I used last time but keep in mind- there is a lot of creative freedom with this soup so don’t feel like you need to follow it exactly!
Ingredients:
1 can of refried beans
1 can of black beans
1 can of cannellini beans
1 can of corn
1 can chopped black olives
1 can of diced tomatoes
½ jar of spicy salsa
2 cans of chicken (they look like tuna cans)
2 boxes of chicken stock
1 box of pasta (ditalini or macaroni works really nicely!)
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 packet of powdered ranch
Any seasoning you like: cayenne, garlic powder, salt, pepper, curry, Mexican seasoning, etc…
Suggestions for garnish: chopped green onions, shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips
To make:
Put everything except the pasta into a large pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, dump in the pasta and cook until tender. One little tip- once you add the pasta, it will absorb a lot of liquid so keep the chicken stock on hand and add more as needed until it reaches your desired consistency.
It can also make a great vegetarian soup! Just swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock and leave out the chicken. Bam!
That may not have been much of a recipe but it works and it’s perfect for a chilly winter night at home! Make it and pass it on…
Enjoy!
– Jennie Whistler
Holiday Gift Baskets From The Butcher’s Block
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, December 7th, 2011
It’s time to start thinking about holiday gifts!
Image: Iaroslav Neliubov/Shutterstock
Naturally, I think that the best gifts are always edible.
Luckily, the Butcher’s Block is offering some made-to-order holiday gift baskets for the uncreative shoppers. Each basket is tailerd specially for the recipient and can feature any non-perishable item from fruit preserves to chocolate, olive oil, vinegar, and house-made candies. Butcher’s Block manager Pamela Doherty and staff will personally assist you with selecting the perfect pairings of food, wine, and anything else. (Perfect for an office round of Secret Santa!?!)
Examples of baskets include the:
Bubbly Fun Basket with Blanc de Blanc Victoria Cuvée, a champagne stopper, wild hibiscus flowers in syrup, a wine chiller bag, cocktail napkins, Zoe’s Chocolate covered almonds and wine bottle candelabra;
Beer-Stravaganza Basket with Old Chubb Scottish ale, Pranqster Belgian golden ale, Lagunitas Censored Copper Ale, Bavik, Gouden Carolus, wine and beer chiller bag, Good Earth wasabi peanuts, Big Riggs dill pickles, beer bands, Good Earth Cajun gourmet peanuts and six can/bottle neoprene carrier;
Cheese! Marvelous Cheese! Basket with a wooden cheese board, cheese markers, cheese cleaver, cheese lyre, cheese plane, Miguel & Valentino tapenade, Miguel & Valentino Picos de Pan, Maille cornichons, assorted apple and quince jams, balsamic vinegar jelly, and Good Earth butter toasted almonds;
Chocolate Craving Basket with Cass syrah dessert wine, dark chocolate French butter cookies, chocolate covered cherries, Zoe’s chocolate covered almonds, Zoe’s fleur de sel caramels, chocolate and raspberry jam, and a Kinder Schokola chocolate bar.
Some pre-made gift baskets will be available for sale, but most will be made-to-order. Call 703-894-5253 to pre-order your basket.
You can also stop by The Butcher’s Block this Saturday, December 10, from 1-4 p.m., for a special holiday open house where you can taste a variety of beer, wine, olive oil and other gifts, including local artisanal treats. Store manager Pamela Doherty will open a variety of beer, wine and olive oil, as well as some of the shop’s local, artisanal treats, and Chef de Cuisine Chris Watson will be there from 2-3 p.m. to offer ideas and answer questions about how to use some of the various products offered at the Butcher’s Block.
-Julia Harbo
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, December 7th, 2011
ALICITA®Salsa announced today that all five flavors of their tangy, not–too–hot staple will now be available at TODOS Market in Woodbridge.
In September of this year, TODOS was named a finalist in UVA’s 2nd Annual Toyloe Murphey Resilience Competition. Carlos Castro and his team were honored along with the other finalists for their continued efforts and remaining resilient in harsh economic times. TODOS has also just opened a brand new 50,000 sq. ft. market in the Marumsco Plaza in Woodbridge. Come check out the new store and be sure to grab some of our delicious ALICITA®Salsa.
In addition to their not-too-hot Original, made from a Kansas heartland family-owned recipe and named after mother Alice who now resides in Maryland, Alicita*Salsa® offers a flavorful array of four international tastes – Japan, Germany, India, and Greece – and will be releasing several new flavors being kept under wraps, very soon.
“We’ve had great success with each new flavor we release,” stated Alicita’s founder and owner, Suzanne Fields, “I am confident in Alicita’s ability to continue producing salsa that is neither too hot for children, nor too bland for adults. We want the entire family to enjoy our product.”
Alicita*Salsa® comes in 12-oz jars with wide mouths for easy dipping and first of its kind; unique 4-oz dipping cups; Snackitas™ perfect for packed lunches, food service, take-outs and more! Alicita*Salsa® can also be found in Giant Food stores as well as select local Walmart’s. Watch your local groceries for these healthy, diverse salsa flavors which are sure to be the stars of your next meal.
Alicita*Salsa® is a privately held company that donates part of its proceeds to over 20 Children’s Charities, such as Feed The Children,St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Food Allergy Network, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and others.
– Jennie Whistler
Wintry Recipe — French Onion Soup
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, December 6th, 2011
With this weekend’s drop in temperature, it finally felt like we were stepping into winter. The nip in the air was appropriate with all the post-Thanksgiving Christmas decorations and lights that now line the streets. Of course, we’re back to too-warm-for-December weather now, but it’s bound to drop again soon.
So, on an appropriately cold evening, I was in the mood for some body warming food, as we should be, here in NoVA, in December. As I browsed my usual web spot TasteSpotting (an amazing compilation of food photos linked to their recipes) I was lured into a picture of the most beautiful cup of French Onion Soup and thought, that’s it.
I love soup, but I’ve never been a big maker of soup myself. For some reason, I’ve always written off French Onion Soup as being too complicated, too sophisticated for me to make. Could I actually be in charge of cooking onions with beef broth and perfectly crusted thick cuts of gruyere cheese over some beautiful, oven-baked ceramic bowl?
As it turned out, yes. Despite my beyond-my-abilities admiration for French onion soup, this recipe was surprisingly simple to make. And very rewarding.
Here’s the recipe I followed, too easily (adapted from SweetSugarBean):
French Onion Soup for two
-2 tablespoons unsalted butter
-3 medium-sized onions, about 6 cups, thinly sliced
-salt, pepper
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
-1 cup white wine
-4 cups beef broth (chicken or veggie is fine, too)
-1 tablespoon soy sauce
-1 teaspoon dried thyme or fresh
-crusty sourdough or French bread
-one whole block of gruyere cheese, grated, about 2 cups (asiago or parmesan reggiano works, too)
With my French onion soup, I took the crouton route by cutting sourdough bread into thick two-inch chunks, sprinkling them with cheese and olive oil, and baking in the oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees until crispy. I put these aside and added them to my soup before baking in the oven. If you don’t like the crouton method, simply cut the sourdough into slices and lay across the top of your soup bowls before topping with cheese and baking in the oven.
In a large pot, melt your butter and add the onions. Cook your onions with the garlic for about 20 minutes, allowing them to caramelize. Add your salt and pepper to season. Once your onions are looking nice and golden, add the mustard and white wine, bringing to a boil and stirring for about 5-10 minutes. Reduce heat and lastly, add the soy sauce, beef broth and thyme.
Pour your soup into oven-proof bowls and add your bread or croutons. Grate your cheese and thickly and generously cover the top of your soup bowl. Bake in oven for about 10 minutes or until top layer of cheese is nice and crusted.
Let cool for a few minutes (I didn’t have the patience and had a very badly burned tongue afterwards…) and dig in. Enjoy with extra bread to dip in.
And, of course, if you want some French Onion inspiration before venturing into making it yourself, you can always turn to your NoVA restaurants here.
-Julia Harbo