Archive for October, 2007

This evening I made two recipes from O’Connell’s latest cookbook from the Inn at Little Washington. I procured the book 2 years ago, but only have returned to it now after my most recent visit.

I made a salad featuring creamy camembert cheese, with a mustardy-vinaigrette dressing, and then I made a corn-infused risotto with garlicky shrimp.

Salad with Camembert

This salad takes three main ingredients: toasted pecans, baby salad greens, and a wedge of camembert cheese that is wrapped in phillo dough. Balsamic dressing adorns the plate, and a vinaigrette balances the flavors. I served a sweeter sparking wine with this, which seemed to be an excellent match with the cheese.

The hardest part is wrapping the cheese in phillo dough. Layer after layer, with all that butter. The cheese wedge gets pan-toasted in more butter, both to toast and cook the dough, but also to melt the cheese.

The real treat is when you cut into this crust of dough, and the delicious cheese “bursts” forth. It mixes with the sharp lettuce, the sweet vinegar, and the diner is simply… amazed. I had never eaten this before at the restaurant, but I recognized its genius upon eating it. Every bite was delicious.

Corn Risotto with Shrimp

The whole meal started with a “call for risotto,” and I found this innovative recipe that marries onion, aborio rice, corn purée, corn kernels, and parmesan cheese. The risotto plays a base to a spicier topping of fresh shrimp, sautéed in garlic and shallot. I augmented the recipe with a little of the wine, and used tarragon instead of chives and crispy leeks as the garnish.

This recipe stood out for the combination of flavors. Corn and risotto rice are a celebration of textural contrasts. The secret ingredient that really “spoke” was the fresh nutmeg. It transformed the dish into something special.

I am guessing a richer Chardonnay wine would have paired nicely. I unfortunately resorted to Fresca soda.

The Cookbook

The cookbook contains many Inn at Little Washington favorites. It is likely more of interest to folks who have been… these recipes took time to prepare, but were well-worth the efforts. Not everyday dishes, for sure, but real gourmet winners.

“Little” Washington, VA is a tiny little village off route 522 in rural Rappahannock County, Virginia. That it has one of the nation’s premier restaurants, you might guess, is a little surprise.

I returned here after little over two years, and enjoyed a delicious experience.

Two choices awaited the diner: a 4-course dinner, or a larger “tasting menu,” with smaller, yet more abundant, choices. Since in my first visit I had the tasting option, this time I chose the 2-appetizer + entrée option, with dessert.

I was lucky enough to sample each of the four first courses shown, above. I ordered the scallop and the baby lamb. Both were delicious, my favorite among the two, the lamb. The rich earthiness of the cauliflower purée, with truffle, and the crisp potato wafer, all made for a delicious backdrop to the exquisite scallop. The lamb, however, was presented ultra-rare, and was like raw beef or prosciutto, but only with intense flavor.

The sorbet vs. the foie gras was another hard choice; the novelty of the sorbet with Virginia ham and parmesan cheese, however, was a real treat.

For my entrée, I had the veal in a parmesan broth. Delicious. The lobster in a grapefruit/butter sauce with baby bok choy was also a winner. The cavalcade of perfect dishes continued onto the dessert courses: a trio of chocolate show-stoppers and a special mint ice cream overloaded with meltingly-hot chocolate sauce.

While all the food was of the highest quality, we felt the service this time around had lost a touch of its magical shine and luster. Gone was the synchronized water pouring, the overview of each dish as it came, the timing. It was nonetheless a great experience, all said and drunk.

I also had some amazing wines with each course, their details now forgotten. Among the real winners was a Chardonnay that an entire show in the mouth. It had inexplicable qualities, from a magical vanilla scent, to the richness of butter and luscious fruit. The herbal Spanish wine served with the lamb was an almost perfect match, so green and refreshing.

I just tasted the best bread I have ever purchased in the Richmond area from Tom Leonard’s Farm Market on W. Broad Street, adjacent to Best Buy.

They don’t make it themselves, but the crust, chew, and flavor were sublime.