amanda mcclements

Mushroom leek spring rolls, a recipe from Ming Tsai's Blue Ginger restaurant, are a family favorite. Last week at the beach, I saw a sign outside a seafood restaurant heralding "redneck egg rolls." I didn't stop to investigate (like a good food blogger should've), but I hear they involve collards, ham and seafood. We don't eat out at the little NC beach we visit yearly, forgoing redneck egg rolls and previously frozen, deep-fried clam strips to cook at home with the wonderful local seafood and farm produce. Case in point, the night before spotting that sign, my dad had prepared a batch of mushroom leek spring rolls with mint dipping sauce, one of his go-to recipes for entertaining. Spring roll prep. Give the man a celeb-chef cookbook, and it's not destined for a dusty shelf. He's cooking out of it. And he's been making these delicious rolls since he got Ming Tsai's Blue Ginger cookbook years ago. They fry up beautifully in not much oil and p...

A yellow doll watermelon makes a colorful companion for summer tomatoes. metrocurean photo Ludlum's, the farm stand a few miles down the road here at the beach in North Carolina, almost always has a nice crop of yellow doll watermelons this time of year. The miniature melons are super sweet and a gorgeous shade of yellow. Kids really love them because, well, watermelons are supposed to be red. Mid-June is also when the first local tomatoes, grown out of the sandy coastal soil, have fattened up and turned flaming red. They're piled on our counter beside my Shenandoah Growers basil plant , which made the trip with me from DC. This cast of characters brings me to one of my favorite summer salads: a simple composition of chopped tomatoes, watermelon, basil and a sprinkling of crumbled feta cheese. Balsamic vinegar, salt, or a little olive oil is optional. Using a yellow melon makes it even more beautiful. You could of course reverse the color combo with yellow (or green or...

Okra chips by the sea. I was about 5 the year I found a junk food oasis on the beach. My extended family was on vacation at Holden Beach on the North Carolina coast, a trip we make most summers, when my mom and I took an overly ambitious trek down the island. She'd given birth to my little brother only a few weeks before and thought a nice long walk would help burn off some baby weight. We made it a good ways from our rented house when mom got faint — maybe too soon for a post-baby beach marathon — and our beloved stretch of sand took on an ominous resemblance to the Sahara desert. That's when the oasis appeared. A massive Indian family (in number, not girth) was having a party under a few small tents on the beach (huge, magnificent tents to a five-year-old!!). We dragged our hot, sandy, dehydrated selves over to ask for a drink. There were probably some wonderful Indian delicacies on the loaded buffet tables I could have tasted for the first time, but my wide eyes zeroed in o...

Beautiful beaches and local beef are draws at the Four Seasons Costa Rica After the holidays, I have no use for winter weather. All those travel ads teasing turquoise water and palm trees have me obsessively searching for airfare bargains to whisk me closer to the equator. I was one lucky dog to get to spend a recent birthday milestone in Costa Rica at the fabulous Four Seasons . The resort and its stunning beaches were phenomenal, but the icing on the cake was the great food, an all-too-often elusive element when you enter tropical resort land. Hotels once played it safe with food they thought American tastes required — Maine lobster in the Caribbean, anyone? — but the warm weather culinary landscape is changing, as resorts step up their game and the islands become the next frontier for celebrity chefs. Jean-Georges Vongerichten , Eric Ripert and Bobby Flay are just a few of the enterprising chefs who've thrown their names behind restaurants in the Caribbean. The foodie shift fo...

Apples at Stribling Orchard All the apples I picked (kidding) As part of the hurricane wine tasting adventure earlier this month, we waited til the clouds parted and visited the historic Stribling Orchard for apple picking. It's a beautiful and enormous property just off I-66 in Markham, Va . We left with about three pecks of fruit, and I'm checking in on Cookthink for ideas to use them up. The first official day of fall is Monday, and according to Stribling's site, apple cider and pumpkins will be ready next weekend. I also picked up some of their blackberry preserves and rhubarb-raspberry jam. Interested in apple picking? Here's a list of apple orchards in the northern part of Virginia. Metrocurean photos

Steamers with butter and clam broth on the rocks in Menemsha, Mass. Confession: I have eaten nearly 70 clams in the past few days on Martha's Vineyard. I can't get enough. Today, I'm heading to Ipswich, Mass., home of the delicious Ipswich clams, to eat even more.

Grapes await harvest on the vines at Linden Vineyards Despite living in DC for eight years, many of them as a food writer, I had never gone wine tasting in Virginia. As luck would have it, I chose to make my maiden voyage in the midst of a tropical storm, but that doesn't change the fact that in less than an hour, you can be surrounded by rolling hills and lush grape vines. Thanks to the driving rain, we managed a measly two stops before seeking refuge at L'Auberge Provençale (with paw paws !). The storm had knocked the power out at Naked Mountain Winery , but you don't need lights to sip wine, so we bellied up to the bar for a tasting. If you like oak-aged Chardonnay, their 2004 was nice and buttery. We left with bottles of the 2006 unoaked Chardonnay, the 2005 and 2004 oaky Chardonnays, and the 2004 Merlot. Wines on the porch at Linden Next stop: Linden Vineyards , one of the state's most well known. Since it was such a quiet Saturday, we were offered a guest pass t...

Paw paw fruit in the orchard at L'Auberge Provençale In the midst of Hanna's drenching rain, I set out for an overnight stay at L'Auberge Provençale . After some hurricane wine tasting (more on that later), we settled in for dinner at the country inn — and my first taste of paw paw . Chef Alain Borel opened the restaurant in 1981 with his wife Celeste. For its fixed-price five-course dinners, the kitchen makes good use of the property's gorgeous herb and vegetable garden and a small orchard, where paw paw trees grow. The green paw paw is reportedly the largest edible fruit native to North America. I had to try both dishes that used paw paw: sautéed foie gras with an ice cream made from the fruit and, for dessert, a towering paw paw soufflé with huckleberry sauce. The flavor was fairly subtle, faintly tropical and very creamy. Ever tried paw paw or seen it on a menu?

Because this is what I could snag from their enormous garden every week.

In one of the more irreverent moments at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans this weekend, top mixologists from all over the country gathered on Canal Street Saturday night to bury the bad cocktail. The appletini was pegged to carry the symbolic burden. A traditional New Orleans jazz funeral — complete with theatrical sobs and yells, a minister (his sash, above, reads "appletini"), a casket and a brass band — paraded down the road to bid farewell to bad cocktails the world over. But in death, there's rebirth, as the Museum of the American Cocktail officially reopens today. What other cocktails deserve a burial?

It's been a weekend of fried pig's ears , moonshine and cocktails ... lots of cocktails ... as I've been drinking my way through New Orleans, where the sixth annual Tales of the Cocktail is being held. Thursday night, I hit John Besh's Restaurant August with fellow DC blogger Counter Intelligence to taste through a multi-course menu paired with cocktails by EatBar 's Gina Chersevani. Check this post at Counter Intelligence for the recipe to our favorite cocktail from the night. DC's blossoming community of craft cocktail connoisseurs is well-represented in the Big Easy. Also mixing it up are Todd Thrasher ( PX , Eve ), Derek Brown ( Komi ), Chantal Tseng ( Tabard Inn ), Adam Bernbach ( Bar Pilar ) and John Hogan of BarMargic . Cheers.

Since the words "blogging" and "honeymoon" just don't belong in the same sentence, please pardon the slow down in posts this week. I'm out of the country celebrating my recent wedding. In the meantime, here's a recipe for a Goombay Smash, a traditional drink on Harbour Island where I got hitched. Goombay Smash 2 oz. light rum 4 oz. coconut rum 4 oz. pineapple juice 2 oz. orange juice Touch of grenadine (variation: apricot brandy) Mix, pour over ice and then garnish with an orange slice.

It was a happening week in Iceland thanks to the annual Food and Fun Festival , which prompted a culinary invasion of some of the world's most talented chefs. DC was well represented by chefs RJ Cooper of Vidalia , Kaz Okochi of Kaz Sushi Bistro and Cliff Wharton of TenPenh , all of whom competed in the festival's cooking competition. Though they didn't snag any awards, the food looked delicious. The chefs were also paired with Reykjavik restaurants where they created special menus and cooked during the festival. Chefs Jeff Tunks ( Acadiana , Ceiba , TenPenh , DC Coast ) and Robert Wiedmaier ( Marcel's , Brasserie Beck ) served as judges on the distinguished international panel that also included New York chef Gray Kunz and New Orleans chef John Besh . Metrocurean was there as the chefs went grocery shopping for ingredients, hit the famous Blue Lagoon and invaded the hot spots of Reykjavik's decidedly cosmopolitan downtown. Despite the country's chilly name, ...

Notes from Iceland ... In a country covered by a whole lot of ice and snow, is there such a thing as local vegetables? By harnessing the power of the geothermal systems that run under the ground, Icelanders are able to grow numerous vegetables, including peppers and broccoli in an eco-friendly way. Above is a white mushroom cultivated in a greenhouse about an hour outside Reykjavik. Ripening tomato from the hot and humid tomato greenhouse Tomato greenhouse

Metrocurean heads off to Iceland today for the Food and Fun Festival , where some of DC's own top chefs will be participating. Watch for photos and more from the Nordic adventure. And for some afternoon Viking distraction, click here . (Photo from goiceland.org .)

Once the temperature hit 102 degrees, my brain started shooting sparks and ceased formulating blog content ... But seriously, I only say that so you'll know I understand your pain, even though I've spent the week gallivanting through the chilly Canadian Rockies, gazing at glaciers, eating wild raspberries wet with cold mountain rain, and trying to avoid grizzlies who also like wild raspberries. Seemed like a good week to be MIA, eh? Here's what I missed in the world of DC dining: • Hank's Deux: The Washington Post reports that chef Jamie Leeds will open a second Hank's Oyster Bar in Alexandria come September. I'm also listening out for official word on Leeds' planned bistro, which the Washington Business Journal reports might be at 14th and Irving streets in Columbia Heights. • Capitol Lounge catches fire for the second time, but The Examiner says the popular Hill bar was expected to reopen tonight. • With Restaurant Week nearing its official end, DC...

Just a few nights ago, I stood under a canopy of South Carolina pine trees and stars, clutching the edge of a plastic table cloth. About 15 of us flanked the sides of a wooden picnic table, holding up the edges of the cloth to create a giant trough of sorts. We waited, mouths watering, for Jerry to dump an enormous, steaming pot of Frogmore stew onto the table. With the bonfire flickering in the background, the moment of truth arrived. Onto the table tumbled enough plump local shrimp, hunks of smoked sausage, potatoes and corn to feed a small army. Once seated with dinner contained to the middle of the table, we passed around a platter of frog legs, fried just minutes before. And to wash it all back? Mason jars of blueberry moonshine from North Carolina. I've died and gone to heaven, I thought to myself. It was meals like this one that made an already enjoyable weekend spent on a friend's Low Country plantation (above) even more memorable. Lunch earlier that day consisted of sw...

Ah, how many things I wish I had time to eat, but alas, wandering the streets of Paris, with no agenda, foggy from jetlag , nibbling along the way, wasn't a bad way to spend a few days. The best part was tasting the cooking of a few of the great chefs of Paris. The theme of our reservations (unintentionally, but indicative of a trend in France) seemed to be "chefs who've ditched their former fine dining ways." First up was Alain Senderens , the renowned chef who raised eyebrows when he closed his three Michelin star restaurant, Lucas Carton , and reopened as the more modern Senderens in 2005. Highlights from dinner included a luscious piece of foie gras poached in an Asian style broth, a crustless vol- au -vent with crawfish and truffles, and rich ginger and cocoa ice creams. The menu helpfully—and somewhat playfully—offers a suggested drink pairing with every dish, whether a floral glass of Vouvray or Talisker whiskey with water. But for all the attention the ...

I'll be heading to Paris for a week, the first time I've been back since working there for a short stint in 2000. Back then, my extremely limited budget kept me on a steady diet of cheap table wine that cost about 75 cents a bottle (oh, the headaches!), warm baguettes, supermarket pasta and the occasional steak frites when I felt like splurging. I'm not necessarily complaining, but I am looking forward to eating in a few real restaurants this time around. Last time I hit the road, your comments provided a wealth of information, so what say ye of Paris, Metrocurean readers? I'm all set on dinner reservations, but I'd love to know your favorite bars for cocktails or wine, a delicious little bakery you fell for, or any other great food finds.

To kick off 2007 with plenty of good luck and fortune, the family cooked the traditional Southern New Year's Day meal, including hoppin' John with fresh black-eyed peas, collards (both pictured below) and cornbread. For a new addition to the repertoire, my dad fried leek rings (pictured above). A sort of take on onion rings — but oh so much better — the leeks were thickly sliced with the centers poked out, dipped in seasoned flour, then buttermilk and egg, and back in the flour before a dunk in hot oil. Fried basil topped it off. Perfectly sized for one bite, the leeks were soft inside with none of the annoying stringiness of onion rings. It's a recipe I'm adding to the "rave reviews" file. Hoppin' John for luck Collard greens for fortune