Atwaters – Baltimore Magazine

Ned Atwater Pursues His Passion for Cheesemaking

Lauren Cohen — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 19:13:10 +0000

Clockwise from top; a gorgeous Camembert-style cheese that pairs well with preserves; a Gouda-style cheese with slightly caramel-like flavor and nutty notes; a bleu cheese that is on the milder side; a cheddar-style wedge perfect for cheese boards or sliced sandwiches. —Photography by Kate Grewal, animation by Jon Timian

Ever since he apprenticed at The King’s Contrivance in Howard County in 1976, Ned Atwater has had a dream of becoming a cheesemaker. Now that dream has finally come true.

“The King’s Contrivance was an old classical French kitchen,” says Atwater, while sitting outside his eponymous cafe in Belvedere Square. “The restaurant was in the countryside in an old house with a classical French chef, Michel Beaupin, and everything was done in the strict Escoffier way. The chef, who was from Grenoble, was buying cheese from European suppliers, so I was introduced to cheesemaking at a young age.”

Through the years, Atwater has made his mentor proud by continuing his education with classes in the science—and art—of cheesemaking at famed dairy hotspots in Vermont and Wisconsin. Taking what he’s learned, he recently became a full-fledged cheesemonger, making, on average, 250 pounds of five varieties a week, including a Camembert-style, a Gouda-style, and a cow’s milk feta.

“Cheesemaking is such a magical thing where you turn milk into cheese,” he says. “It’s a transformation.”

Ever committed to local sourcing and supporting area farmers, Atwater buys his milk from Hagerstown’s Palmyra Farm.

“We wanted to identify a farm that raised Ayrshire cows,” he says. “The farmer at Palmyra Farm, Mary Creek-Shank, has won prizes for her ability to get that breed of cow to have a milk that’s high in protein and high in fat, which is good for cheesemaking—she’s well known nationwide for the breeding of those cows.”

From the Patapsco Blue (the blue cheese named for his commercial kitchen’s proximity to the river) to National Pike (the cheddar variety named for the road he travels to Palmyra Farm), the restaurateur feels that cheese should be an essential part of one’s daily diet.

“I really believe in the foundational foods,” says Atwater, who sells his artisanal cheese at all five Atwater’s locations. “If you get the right ingredients, follow the hundreds-of-years-old techniques, and preserve the nutrition in the food, that’s enough. With a good loaf of bread and a good piece of cheese, and some preserves or fresh vegetables, that’s all the nutrition you need.”

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Thanksgiving Pie Recipes and Tips

Lydia Woolever — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 17:07:00 +0000

This might sound sacrilegious but every Thanksgiving, the turkey’s in the oven, the sausages are on the grill, the potatoes are mashed, and I could care less. All I can think about is the pie.

Okay, maybe that’s a stretch: I'll definitely swing by the stuffing, but the pie.

That perfect, sweet slice of America. That simple, comforting taste of home. That warm, buttery, flakey crust, with a dollop of fresh, whipped cream.

It’s the coveted course in my house. It’s the daintily divvied, carefully allotted leftover for the rest of the long weekend. I love the way we all only take a sliver, even though we really want a cut as thick as cash. I love the way we suspiciously eye each other’s slices, either as a green light for seconds or to keep tabs on our late-night snack. It doesn’t matter if we’re full to the brim—we find room. And why not? Life’s too short. The only thing sacrilegious about dessert is skipping it.

Here, we’ve rounded up some holiday pie recipes (if you’re cooking at home), plus a list of where to buy them (if you’re not), and best of all, two easy, classic cocktails for you to sip on the side.

eat in

Courtesy of Ashley Roop, pastry chef for Foreman Wolf restaurant group.

Foreman Wolf’s Bourbon Pecan Pie

Crust: (makes one pie shell)

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

4 oz. butter, cold, diced in ½-inch cubes

3-4 Tbsp. ice water

In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, and salt? Pulse until evenly combined

Add butter and pulse until mixture forms pebble-size pieces.

Add cold water 1 Tbsp. at a time while pulsing.

Pulse until dough comes into a rough mass.

On a floured surface, shape dough into a disc, then wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1-24 hours.
*If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a pastry cutter or your hands.

Filling:

1/3 c. dark brown sugar

2/3 c. granulated sugar

1/3 c. buckwheat honey*

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 lrg. eggs

1 lrg. egg yolk

3 Tbsp. bourbon

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. pecan halves

1/2 orange, zested

*Can substitute other dark honey, corn syrup, or maple syrup.

Roll dough out on a large, flat, lightly floured surface.

Fit dough into 9-inch pie pan, crimp edges, and chill till ready.

In a bowl, whisk together sugars, flour, and salt.

Mix in honey eggs, egg yolk, bourbon, vanilla extract, melted butter, and zest, then store in refrigerator until ready.

Arrange pecans in an even layer in the unbaked pie shell. Pour cooled mix over pecans.

Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes.

Turn oven down to 350°F and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until puffed in the middle.

Let cool at room temperature for several hours before cutting.

Courtesy of Rodney Henry, founder of Dangerously Delicious Pies

Dangerously Delicious Pies’ Sweet Potato Pie

Crust: (makes two pie shells)

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 c. vegetable shortening

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 c. water

Mix dry ingredients together.

Add shortening and water, then knead until it forms a soft dough.

Roll out dough and add to a 10” pie pan. Crimp edges.

Filling:

1 lb. sweet potatoes

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. milk

2 lrg. eggs

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. vanilla

Dash of salt

Bake whole sweet potatoes on cookie sheet at 350°F for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until fork-tender.
Let cool for about 30 minutes, and then remove the skins.

Mash potatoes until smooth.

Whisk in remainder of ingredients and pour into pie shell.

Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes, or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Courtesy of Angie Law, pastry chef at Cunningham's Café

Cunningham Café’s Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Crust: (makes one pie shell)

8 oz. unsalted butter, room temperature

4 oz. granulated white sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 lrg. egg

12 oz. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Using a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together.

Mix in the vanilla, then the egg, then the flour and salt, until dough comes together.

Gently knead dough onto a lightly floured surface. Form into a round patty, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 4 hours.

Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness.

Lightly grease the tart pan with pan spray.

Transfer the dough to pan then gently press it to the edges of the pan..

Run a knife along the pan’s edge to trim off excess dough.

Place the tart shell in the freezer.

Bake the tart shell at 375°F for 15 minutes and allow to cool completely.

Filling:

2 Tbsp. rum

2 Tbsp. water

2 tsp. powdered gelatin

15 oz. pumpkin puree

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1 lrg. orange, zested
1 1/2 c. heavy cream

Combine water and rum in a microwave safe bowl, then sprinkle in gelatin and allow to hydrate.

In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and zest.

Microwave gelatin mix in 30-second bursts, stirring frequently until its melted and clear.

Immediately whisk the hot gelatin into the pumpkin mixture.

Using an electric mixer, whisk the heavy cream to soft peaks.

Fold heavy cream into pumpkin mixture.

Immediately pour into baked tart shell.

Chill for 6-8 hours before serving.

drink up

Courtesy of Aaron Joseph, lead bartender at Wit & Wisdom

Stinger

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz. aged rum

1/2 oz. crème de menthe

1/4 oz. orgeat syrup

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a cocktail mixing glass.
Add ice and stir for 20 seconds.

Strain and pour into a double old fashion glass filled with crushed ice.

Garnish with mint and orange peel.

Hot Toddy

Ingredients:

1 oz. Spice Tree Scotch

1/2 oz. lemon juice

1 oz. Earl Grey honey syrup (1/2 oz. Twinings Earl Grey loose leaf tea + 1/2 oz. honey)
4 oz. hot water

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a cocktail mixing glass and stir.

Garnish with lemon peel.

carry out

Atwater’s
Multiple locations and phone numbers. atwaters.biz.
Order by 11/23. $24-28.

Seven pies including classics, plus apple cranberry, apple ginger, and pumpkin cheesecake.

Bel Air Bakery
140 N. Band St., Bel Air. 410-838-6455. belairbakery.com.
Order by 11/26. $14-17.

32 pies including classics plus mince meat, peanut butter, and caramel apple walnut.

Cunningham’s Café
1 Olympic Pl., Towson. 410-339-7730. cunninghamtowson.com.
Order by 11/23. In-store first come, first serve. $28-32.

Cranberry lemon meringue, pumpkin chiffon, and chocolate bourbon pecan.

Dangerously Delicious Pies
2839 O’Donnell St. 410-522-7437. dangerouspiesbalt.com.
Order by 11/20. $28-35.

26 pies including classics, sweet, and savory plus marrionberry, banana cream, Mobtown Brown (pecan with Swiss chocolate and caramel sauce), and Baltimore Bomb (vanilla chess with Berger cookies).

Dooby’s
802 N. Charles St. 410-702-5144. doobyscoffee.com.
Order by 11/21. In-store first come, first serve. $21-25.

“Damn Good Pie,” pumpkin, and apple-rosemary galette with bourbon-soaked raisins.

Johnny's
4800 Roland Ave. 410-773-0777. johnnysdownstairs.com.
Order by 11/21. $28.

Market spiced apple pie with oat streusel; pecan, bourbon, and local buckwheat honey pie; local fairytale pumpkin pie.

KoDee Cakes
822 W. 36 th St. 410-243-0167. kodeecakes.com.
Order by 11/24. $15-25.

Pumpkin latte, ginger sweet potato, orange cocoa, eggnog cream, and salted caramel, etc.

La Cakerie
49 W. Chesapeake Ave., Towson. 443-504-7925. lacakerie.com.
Order by 11/24. $11-22.

Classics including pumpkin, bourbon pecan, apple, and blueberry.

Petit Louis Bistro
10215 Wincopin Circle, Columbia. 410-964-9999. petitlouis.com.
Order by 11/21. $28.

Market spiced apple pie with oat streusel; pecan, bourbon, and local buckwheat honey pie; local fairytale pumpkin pie.

Sweet 27
123 W. 27th St. 410-464-7211. sweet27.com.
Order by 11/23. $18-21.

Pecan, vegan apple streusel, and pumpkin.

Sweet Heart Patisserie
1410 Forest Dr., Annapolis. 410-263-6513. sweetheartpatisserie.com.
Order by 11/22. $28-34.

Maple walnut pumpkin, bourbon pecan tart, and baked apple tart.

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Holiday Entertaining 2014: Brunch

Jess Mayhugh — Sat, 01 Nov 2014 10:20:00 +0000

BRUNCH

We all know the first meal of the day is the most important one. When entertaining morning visitors, be sure to have a well-balanced meal to serve. We suggest having fresh fruit, farm eggs, bacon, and coffee on hand.

coffee klatch

Cups should be fun and cheerful — helping you to welcome a new day.

Jude Laundry

Jenny Bowers

Penelope Dullaghan

Andrew Bannecker

Designer teacups ($19.97/each) available at Crate & Barrel.

Good Morning / The Perfect Morning Cocktail

Wake up to Blue Hill Tavern’s elderflower mimosa.

Ingredients
187 milliliters Prosecco
1 ½ ounces St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
Splash white or red cranberry juice
4-6 cranberries
Method
Mix liquid ingredients, add ice, serve in a glass, and add cranberries to garnish.

To guarantee the freshest taste, make each drink individually as guests arrive.

THE INCREDIBLE, EDIBLE EGG: Located in the Greenspring Valley area, Carriage House Farm raises free-range hens on a pasture to produce fresh eggs. “Once you get used to eating well — and knowing who raised your food——it’s difficult to go back to your other food. It’s a flavor thing, primarily.” —Gaylord Clark, owner, Carriage House Farms

TEA TIME

SCREEN PRINTED LOCALLY

Tea towels have many uses—lining a breadbasket, wrapping a hot dish, or wiping your hands dry. You can never have too many to spread throughout the kitchen. Tea towel ($16) at Open Eye Press.

TOAST POINTS

AVOCODO TOAST
DOOBY'S

“The avocado’s creaminess contrasts well with the toasted bread, and the lemon olive oil, coarse sea salt, and chili flakes provide tartness with a bit of a salty kick.”
-Phil Han, owner of Dooby’s

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Ice, Ice Baby

Jane Marion — Thu, 10 Jul 2014 16:41:00 +0000

Seems every cause has its own month these days, but one we can fully embrace this July is National Ice Cream month, designated by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 as a time to observe with “appropriate ceremonies and activities.”

We follow directions well, so herewith, a roundup of some of our favorite places to get our licks in:

The Charmery: How can you not love a place whose motto is “Happiness through ice cream?” Enjoy a dizzying rotation of inventive flavors, including Old Bay caramel, Fat Elvis (peanut butter, marshmallow, and banana), kulfi (rosewater, cardamom, and pistachio), and Thai tea.

Pitango Gelato: This Fells Point favorite has some of the dreamiest, creamiest gelato in town. Our constant cravings include the nocciola (hazelnut), pistachio, and stracciatella (vanilla chocolate chip).

Poulet: Yes, “poulet” means chicken, and this outlet is known for its moist rotisserie birds, but this shop also sells incredible handcrafted ice cream. Rum raisin, coffee chocolate chip, and banana cheesecake do the trick every time (and even if you didn’t vote for The Gipper, their ice cream will get your vote, too).

Uncle Wiggly’s: We’re intrigued by the olive oil and sea salt ice cream, the newest flavor at UWIG as its known on Baltimore bumper stickers. But if that doesn’t appeal, there’s always toasted coconut, black-cherry chip, and honey graham. There’s always a line out the door, so be prepared to salivate while you wait.

Atwater’s: This soup-and-salad café recently started making their own line of ice cream, available in Canton and Belvedere Square, for now. Don’t miss the snickerdoodle and chocolate macaroon.

Enjoy chilling.

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Our Favorite Bakery Desserts

Jess Mayhugh — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 12:00:00 +0000

Aunt Erma’s

Pennsylvania Dutch Market, 11121 York Rd., Cockeysville, 410-316-1534.

The
pies, cakes, and cookies at this busy spot in a corner of the market
look and taste like they’re fresh from a home kitchen. There are whoopie
pies filled with peanut butter, mint, or chocolate-chip cream; classic
apple, shoofly, and chocolate-chiffon pies; rice-cereal treats;
pistachio cupcakes; and pumpkin cake rolls with cream-cheese frosting.

Editor’s pick: The chocolate-peanut-butter cookie with a peanut-butter cup embedded in the center.

Atwaters

Several locations including 429 E. Belvedere Ave., 410-323-2396.

The
bakery/cafe may be more known for its inventive soups and rustic breads
that are also crafted into assorted sandwiches, but plenty of sweet
stuff also comes out of its kitchens.

Editor’s pick:
The Pimlico cake—a Baltimore classic with yellow chiffon cake with
Bavarian cream between the layers and a chocolate-ganache frosting
dotted with walnuts.

Dangerously Delicious Pies

Several locations including 2839 O’Donnell St., 410-522-7437.

Owner
Rodney Henry has made a lucrative career out of rolling dough. His
concoctions—from the sweet chocolate-ganache chess pie to the savory
steak pie—have drawn attention for their tender, flaky crusts and fresh
ingredients.

Editor’s pick: The Elvis pie—peanut buttercream with Swiss chocolate topped with bacon.

Patisserie Poupon

Two locations including 820 E. Baltimore St., 410-332-0390.

Owner/baker
Joseph Poupon’s confections are known not only for their taste, but
also for their artistic presentations. For example, the Fraisier has a
marzipan finish decorated with a white-chocolate-dipped strawberry and
is cut to expose sliced strawberries within.

Editor’s pick: The Royale—a dense chocolate-mousse cake topped with chocolate petals cupping whole hazelnuts in the center.

Piedigrotta Bakery

1300 Bank St., 410-522-6900.

The
counters are piled high with all sorts of treats—cheesecake, pannetone,
and lush fruit pies. But proprietor/baker Carminantonio Iannaccone also
turns out one of the most delicious tiramisus in town, which makes
sense. He claims to have invented the treat laden with ladyfingers,
mascarpone, and Marsala wine in his native Italy.

Editor’s pick: Tiramisu, of course.

Makin’ Whoopie! Fun Fact

According
to food historians, Amish women baked whoopie pies and packed them in
farmers’ lunches. When the farmers would find the treats in their lunch
pails, they would shout “Whoopie!”

Local Legacy

Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Maine have all laid claim to the prestigious title of ‘Birthplace of the Whoopie Pie’

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