Corn Soup

DAVID ZAMUDIO, ALMA COCINA LATINA

SERVES 4

If you’re not cooking with corn, it just isn’t summer. “Growing up, my grandmother would make me soups,” says David Zamudio, executive chef of Alma Cocina Latina. “This corn cream soup is inspired by one that she often made.” As soup recipes go, this one is incredibly basic, says Zamudio. “Boil all of the ingredients first, then blend and strain. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!” And if you want to turn this simple soup into more of a meal, you can do that, too. “The soup goes great with crispy cassava [yuca] bread,” he says. To finish it off, “Brush the cassava with butter and herbs to complete the flavor profile.”

INGREDIENTS

1⁄2 large onion

1 leek (white part only)

1 clove of garlic

4 cups of water

1⁄2 tablespoon salt

1⁄4 teaspoon pepper

1⁄2 teaspoon onion powder

1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder

1⁄2 teaspoon Old Bay

7 ounces corn kernels, preferably cut straight from the cob
1 bunch cilantro, reserving some for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Dice the onion.
2. Slice the leek.
3. Boil all ingredients for about
30 minutes over medium to high heat, with exception of cilantro.
4. Add the cilantro, blend, and strain. 5. To garnish, add additional
cilantro leaves.

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Hottest Day on Record

CHELSEA GREGOIRE, DRINKABLE GENIUS

SERVES 1

“At first I thought about making a cocktail that
could stretch into fall, but then I remembered: August in Maryland is an absolute swelter!” says Chelsea Gregoire, who grew basil during quarantine. “My basil was immediately gigantic. To use some of that beautiful basil, I crafted this summer refresher.”

INGREDIENTS

2 ounces light rum (or any light spirit: vodka, gin, tequila)

1 ounce peach liqueur or peach juice
3⁄4 ounce lemon juice

3⁄4 ounce Campari

1⁄2 ounce green tea syrup, (see below)
2 large or 4 small basil leaves
3 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters

For Green Tea Syrup: In a small saucepan, bring 16 ounces of water to boil. Once hot, remove from heat, and add two green tea bags. Once steeped, remove tea bags. Put saucepan on low heat, and add 16 ounces of sugar. Stir until dissolved. Cool and store in refrigerator for up to three weeks.

DIRECTIONS

1. Add all ingredients to a shaker
or Mason jar with ice.
2. Close, and shake vigorously.
3. Pour the shaker contents into a Collins glass, adding more ice, if necessary. 4. Garnish with fresh basil.

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Rigatoni with Lobster, Eggplant, Burrata, and Pistachios

JULIAN MARUCCI, TAGLIATA

SERVES 2

For this recipe, Julian Marucci, executive chef at Tagliata, says he decided to focus on the combination of lobster and eggplant. “Eggplant has a natural bitterness that goes well with sweet flavors,” he says. “The remaining ingredients complement the lobster and eggplant.”

INGREDIENTS

Extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons shallot, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon celery, minced
2 small eggplants, peeled and medium diced
1 tablespoon capers 1 ounce pistachios, toasted and chopped
11⁄2 ounces honey
11⁄2 ounces aged sherry vinegar
13 ounces rigatoni
2 lobsters, 1 pound each
1 lemon
1 piece of burrata
2 sprigs of fresh basil, small leaves
1 teaspoon chives

DIRECTIONS

1. Sauté shallots, ginger, garlic, celery in extra-virgin olive oil, carefully cooking to just sweat the vegetables without color. 2. Add eggplant to saute pan. Season with salt and pepper stirring frequently, cooking on low to medium heat.
3. Once the eggplant is soft and tender, add capers, nuts, honey, and vinegar. Taste and set aside
to be mixed with pasta.
4. Boil roughly five quarts of water, season with salt. Cook pasta according to package. Strain pasta and mix with eggplant mixture in a large bowl. (Don’t rinse pasta with water). Add some olive oil and stir. 5. Cool pasta in refrigerator.
6. Cook lobster in boiling water
for 9-12 minutes, depending on size of pot and lobster. Once cooked, chill in ice water, then clean and dice meat.

To Serve: Toss pasta with more olive oil, if needed. Add lobster meat, lemon juice. Plate in a large bowl, garnish with torn burrata, a drizzle of oil, basil leaves, and chives. Save tail meat to use as garnish.

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Chipotle Honey Chicken Tacos with Street Corn Salad & Bacon Guacamole

JOHNTAY BEDINGFIELD, LA FOOD MARKETA

SERVES 6

“This is an easy, approachable dish that’s clean and light,” says Johntay Bedingfield of his recipe. “I like to use one ingredient, like cilantro, in more ways than one. You can use stems for marinade and the leaves for the corn salad and guacamole.” And if you want to make the dish a little lighter, he sometimes swaps the mayonnaise for yogurt in the corn salad. “It’s tangy and adds a nice cream component,” he says.

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. chicken (preferably thighs)

Chicken Marinade (yields about 12 ounces)
2 cans chipotle peppers
1 tablespoon adobo liquid (from chipotle peppers)
1 bunch cilantro stems
5 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
1 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1⁄4 cup white vinegar
2 limes, juiced and zested
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS
1. Place all ingredients in blender or bullet. Mix well until smooth.
2. Use 1⁄3 of marinade to coat chicken. (Set aside remainder of marinade.) Cover and let chicken rest in refrigerator for 1 to 4 hours.

TO GRILL CHICKEN:
Heat grill. Oil or spray grill as chicken will stick a little because of the sugar and honey. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Grill for about 7 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the chicken. Allow chicken to rest 10 minutes before cutting. Dice chicken and toss with about
1 tablespoon of reserved marinade.

Street Corn Salad
4 ears corn (in husk)
1⁄4 cup mayonnaise or Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons chipotle honey marinade
1 teaspoon salt
2⁄3 bunch cilantro tops (minced)

DIRECTIONS
With corn still in husk, place corn in a container large enough to submerge in water. Allow corn to soak as long as the chicken.

TO GRILL CORN:
I like to grill my corn in the husk so it steams and keeps the corn tender while picking up charred notes from the grill. You want to burn the husk when grilling. Grill corn for 12-15 minutes, turning every few minutes. Allow to rest for 10 minutes to cool down before shucking husk off the corn. Once cooled and shucked, cut corn off cob. In a mixing bowl, mix mayonnaise or yogurt, marinade, salt, and cilantro. Fold in corn. Set aside for assembly later.

Bacon Guacamole
1⁄4 pound bacon

4 avocados

1⁄4 cup small diced red onion

1⁄3 bunch of cilantro tops (minced)
1⁄4 lime juice

DIRECTIONS
1. Cook bacon at 350 Fahrenheit for 14-16 minutes until super crispy, almost burnt! Once cooled, dice bacon into bits. 2. In a mixing bowl, add avocado, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and bacon. Mix well. Cover with plastic wrap.

Tortillas
1. Place tortillas (double stacked) on grill for about 30 seconds on each side. Don’t be afraid of a little color. Wrap tortillas in a kitchen towel to keep them warm until ready to serve.

ASSEMBLY: Start with your tortilla, place a smear of guacamole, add chicken, and top with street corn salad.

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EAT

July 19: Cocktails & Cajou

In advance of National Ice Cream Day on July 19 (be sure to check out our handy guide to local ice cream shops for the cherry on top of a perfect Sunday), Cajou Creamery is continuing this Friday-night Instagram Live series with special guest Chelsea Gregoire of Drinkable Genius. The hospitality veteran will join husband-and-wife owners Dwight Campbell and Nicole Foster to create tasty cocktails that incorporate Cajou’s entirely-vegan flavors. Grab a pint, sit back, and kick off your weekend by tuning in to the fun conversation. While you’re at it, consider donating to Cajou’s Kickstarter campaign to help fund nationwide shipping and equipment for a new storefront.

DRINK

July 18: Old Line Spirits Courtyard Bar Grand Opening

Old Line Spirits. 200 S Janney St. 12-8 p.m. Prices Vary.

Old Line Spirits is opening its long-awaited outdoor courtyard on Saturday. In honor of the debut, the Highlandtown distillery will be offering a full summer cocktail menu featuring its own whiskey and rum, as well as its latest release: New Normal Vodka. Deddle’s Chicken & Donuts will also make an appearance to serve up juicy Buffalo wings made with a signature Old Line Whiskey sauce. You can even bring your pup, as long as it’s on a leash, and non-alcoholic drinks will also be available.

SEE

July 18: The Wind of Change Gallery Opening at Baltimore Clayworks

Baltimore Clayworks. 5707 Smith Ave. 2-8 p.m. Free.

Strolling through galleries and gazing at art is one of things we’ve missed most during quarantine, but this weekend, Baltimore Clayworks is ready for you to view its latest exhibition, The Wind of Change: Contemporary Ceramics of Taiwan. Professor Ching Yuan Chang of Tainan National University of Arts has expertly curated a unique display of Taiwanese ceramics to display the craftsmanship, creativity, and resilience of clay. The solo exhibit will also feature displayed works by one of Baltimore Clayworks’ very own fellows, Samantha Briegel. Briegel’s “Maintaining Comfort” spotlights functional vessels inspired by fabric and fashion. Entries will be timed and masks will be required to ensure that guests can wander through the gallery safely, so be sure to reserve your spot online.

HEAR

July 19: Live From The Zen Garden

Zen and the City. 811 N Charles St. 5-9 p.m. $5-15.

This weekend, instead of massages and facials, downtown wellness center Zen and the City is bringing you a live outdoor concert. Described as “Tiny Desk-meets-Artscape,” the event will allow guests to browse and purchase art from Charm City creators before heading into the garden to enjoy the tunes. The series will be broken into 60-minute slots, with performances by electronic soul artist Jazzo, poetry duo The 5th L, and singer-songwriter Mariah Ash. Seating is limited, so don’t forget to bring an outdoor pillow to get comfortable outside.

DO

July 18: Yoga at the Zoo

The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. 1 Safari Place. 8-10 a.m. $14.99-24.99.

Since so many yoga positions are inspired by the animal kingdom, what better place to hold a downward dog or cobra pose than the Maryland Zoo? All yogis are welcome to travel to Safari Place to take part in a 60-minute, Vinyasa-style yoga class. The class is designed for both beginner and intermediate yoga lovers, so no need to worry if you’re not a master yet. The session will take place at Penguin Coast, allowing participants to gaze at the flowing waters and swimming penguins while sweating it out in the summer heat.

After working as the general manager and beverage director at Hampden’s True Chesapeake Oyster Co. since October, Chelsea Gregoire has decided that it’s time to move on.

Gregoire will devote herself full time to her restaurant consulting company, Drinkable Genius.

“I’ve been in this industry a long time,” says Gregoire, who is currently studying for her sommelier certification. “It’s not a massive surprise to anyone that restaurants are really struggling, and the whole business model is really difficult, especially when people cannot gather together. When I started to feel like there was a possibility we might be coming back to work soon, I had to stop and reflect on what my role will be in this new landscape and what that meant for my team.”

It was a decision she made for the greater good. “I knew that if I was able to stay on and take a salary when not everyone was going to be able to come back to work, it wouldn’t sit well with me, especially when I have my own business,” she says. “I’ve bounced back before and I have the ability to do that, so I was in the best position to make that sacrifice and say, ‘You know what? Don’t pay me a salary. Let me make this decision for the good of everyone. You don’t need a general manager for 10 tables and then 20 tables,’” she adds, referring to the reduced capacity for in-person dining.

Gregoire started her wryly named Drinkable Genius in 2016, and went on to help open Ida B’s Table and True Chesapeake Oyster Co., as well as a revamp the cocktail menu for Market Tavern in Sykesville. The modest Gregoire, who was named Esquire magazine’s Beverage Director of the Year in 2019, doesn’t want anyone to think that she’s calling herself a genius with the name of her company.

“The name rolled off the tongue one day,” she says. “And I had to step back and say, ‘Does that make me sound like a jerk?’ Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t think of myself that way, but rather I like to say that I create drinkable works of genius, something exciting and innovative that you can either drink in a cocktail glass or take in through an experience. That’s how the name plays out.”

She has also worked for a number of spirit brands and collaborated on events centered on community building.

“I’ve helped a variety of different restaurants and concepts open for the first time or just provided some guidance in making changes and fine-tuning things,” Gregoire says. “I think people seek me out because of my approach to hospitality. I try to come in and help with all of the math and the costs, as well. Right now, business owners need the ability to step back and figure out how they can save money and earn more money despite the climate. I’m not expecting a ton of response, but I’m hoping that if there’s someone out there who needs a hand and some fresh ideas, they give me a call.”

Gregoire, who earned a master’s degree in theology, found her True North from behind the bar. “A bar creates this wonderful atmosphere of great energy and great community,” says the Baltimore-born, Annapolis-raised hospitality veteran. “Making cocktails and learning about wine and spirits and beer scratches that creative itch and being behind the bar scratches that community itch for me—I just fell in love.”

On Sunday night, Gregoire worked her last shift at True Chesapeake, a project that was years in the making.

“It was bittersweet,” she says. “It always is. You work really hard on a project and get really close to the ownership team and your staff that you curated and brought together. But when it’s time to go, it’s time to go. I feel like we had a great last few days. ‘The kids’ threw me a little get together on Saturday night. Ten of us got together and sat around talked about our memories. On my last night chef [Zack Mills] and I had a glass of Champagne together. It was just really good send off.”

Then again, Gregoire, who lives in Whitehall Mill on the grounds of the restaurant, isn’t straying very far. “I know we will stay in touch,” she says.