Chew on Carla Hall’s Cookies at This Week’s Artfully Chocolate Tastings

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, July 28th, 2011

These days Carla Hall’s plate may be full as co-host of ABC’s forthcoming daytime show The Chew, and with various charity events, food festivals, and culinary classes, but she’s still putting the signature love into her food for her hometown.  Alchemy by Carla Hall is now intently focused on its COOKIECOLLECTIONS, “petite bites of love.”    

I caught up with Carla Hall this past Tuesday at the cookie launch, tasting, and meet-and-greet hosted by D.C.’s Artfully Chocolate (the artist formerly known as ACKC), where it was crystal clear why she was voted Top Chef All-Stars fan favorite.  Hall, with a committed team of three in tow and husband Matthew, made time to chat and take photos with all of her adoring fans (as well as to good-humoredly apologize to All My Children devotees). And yes, she did give us a Hootie (both verbally and on the back of a few raffled Alchemy T-shirts)!

Hall’s partnership with Artfully Chocolate bloomed after she met owner Eric Nelson at June’s Taste of Del Ray food festival, where she was presiding as a celebrity judge. “I met Carla and loved her cookies. They fit perfectly with the experience we are trying to create at Artfully Chocolate,” which is a heavenly marriage of chocolate, confections, and art.

So how did Hall decide to trade event catering for cookies? “I enjoy doing one thing and doing it well,” she explained. She was getting burned out from catering, which required her to constantly switch gears to meet the varied needs of her clients. She regularly baked cookies for her clients, and decided to “make it part of her business plan” to launch the cookie line during her recent turn on Top Chef All-Stars. (Remember the surreal Cookie Monster episode? I demand a recount.)

Hall’s thumb-nail sized cookies, which come in two collections (six “sweet” flavors and four “savory” flavors plus spiced nuts) are without doubt the smallest I have ever encountered.  Their petite size was inspired both by Hall’s habit of grazing (“I don’t want to break off a piece of something, I want to have it all”) and one of her catering pet peeves. She hated finding bits of broken-off food left on platters. “These cookies are too small to break,” she said laughingly.  

And when have you ever been able to say that you ate 20 cookies in a sitting without batting an eye?

If pressed to choose between her bite-sized babies, Hall says her current favorites are the Sweet Collection’s Pecan Shortbread with Vanilla Salt and both the Savory Collection’s Cheddar Pecan and Parmesan Shortbread.

While I did not sample all the varieties that night, my personal favorite was the Cheddar Pecan. Combine sharp cheddar with the characteristic crumble of shortbread (I taste both the love and butter—I actually think they are synonymous sometimes) and a pick-me-up of cayenne. Never thought you’d consider cookies as an accompaniment to chili? Move over cornbread, you’ve been dismissed! Hall also recommends using some of the savory selections as salad crouton substitutes.

If you missed the D.C. cookie launch but are hankering to try Carla’s cookies, Old Town’s Artfully Gifts & Chocolate is hosting a free tasting this Friday, July 29 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. RSVP to info@ArtfullyGifts.com. In addition to the Old Town and D.C. locations, Alchemy by Carl Hall’s COOKIECOLLECTIONS is available at Artfully Chocolate’s Del Ray location (starting July 29), Wagshal’s Delicatessen, and online. Look for the cookies to land in three area Whole Foods soon.

Artfully Gifts & Chocolate
506 John Carlyle St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 575-8686

-Johnisha M. Levi

 

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Pork Nuts Swoon for Acorn-Fed Ham

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, July 27th, 2009

Epicurean cheerleader José Andrés is giving local diners something new to celebrate: the arrival of genuine jamon Ibérico de bellota.

(Image: Thomas Schauer)

The highly revered pork–valued so because of the intense marbling and inherent nuttiness of the meat (these pigs dine almost exclusively on fallen acorns, mushrooms and wild herbs during the last few months of life)–has never before been available here in the U.S.

Starting today, cured ham enthusiasts will be able to sample this sought-after swine at Jaleo and Wagshal’s market.

According to a ThinkFoodGroup spokesperson, the specialty ham will be woven into a featured Jaleo dish every day “until the supply runs out.”  Planned offerings include roasted pork loin with apples ($16) and a pork rib paella ($48).

The TFG source noted that Wagshal’s was only able to secure a limited supply for this initial order–but all the parties involved expect public demand will keep the iberico stream flowing into the foreseeable future.

“When [the] next order comes in [scheduled for this December], we’ll get more and then we’ll pick back up,” the TFG aide projected.

–Warren

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