Latest news with #Elmina
New York Times
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
A Chef's Favorite Dessert Is Also the Easiest to Make
Eating malva pudding for the first time feels like meeting a soul mate, its swirl of butter and sugar instantly familiar to the deep heart's core, its softness, somehow simultaneously fluffy and dense, thrilling and intimate. With each bite of the cream-soaked cake, there's a sense of wonder: I already know you so well, have we met before? And maybe you have — lucky you! In which case, each reunion must be pure joy. Or maybe malva pudding reminds you of the tacky chew of sticky toffee pudding or the milky sponge of tres leches. But why spend time trying to track down connections when those minutes are better spent getting this easy, fast dessert into the oven and eating it warm from the pan. Recipe: Malva Pudding Malva pudding originated in South Africa and is beloved there and throughout its diaspora, but its creation remains a mystery. The lack of concrete facts about its history seems less important than the dessert's strong foundation: tender cake seasoned with apricot jam and drenched in buttery sweetened cream. Those fundamentals remain intact as cooks around the world make and remake it. The chef Eric Adjepong initially tasted malva pudding at Madiba in Harlem, during its incarnation as a South African restaurant, and it instantly became his favorite dessert of all time. 'It just blew my mind,' he said. 'It is divine.' He composed a version for his restaurant, Elmina in Washington, D.C., and for his new cookbook, 'Ghana to the World: Recipes and Stories That Look Forward While Honoring the Past,' written with Korsha Wilson, who contributes to The New York Times. Even as Mr. Adjepong has gained national recognition through his appearances on 'Top Chef' and his hosting of Food Network shows, he continues to perfect recipes in the kitchen. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Washington Post
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
At the enticing new Elmina, Eric Adjepong brings Ghana into focus
We're just a few bites into a second course at the sleek new Elmina in Washington when our server acknowledges our smiles with a grin and a cry. 'Slap your momma, right?' he fairly shouts, using playful slang to describe a dish so delicious, it bests your mother's cooking. For sure. Dorothy Sietsema wouldn't recognize the fufu resting on a bar of braised goat in a bowl of peanut soup, but I suspect she'd polish off the combination, one of multiple sweet spots on the tasting menu created by former 'Top Chef' contestant and cookbook author Eric Adjepong at Elmina on 14th Street NW.
Axios
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Chef Eric Adjepong's hotly anticipated West African restaurant opening in D.C.
From sous chef to Top Chef, cookbook author to Food Network host, Eric Adjepong champions West African cuisine — and now, with the opening of his first restaurant on 14th Street, he has a new platform to share his passion. Why it matters: As West African cuisine is gaining momentum nationally, Adjepong is one of the leading chefs exploring the ingredients and techniques through a modern lens — and Elmina promises to be like nothing else in D.C. Catch up quick: The Ghanaian chef, born in the Bronx, has strong ties to D.C. He cooked at Kwame Onwuachi 's Afro-Caribbean Wharf restaurant, Kith and Kin, and ran a private chef/catering company here between TV stints. Even as his reach expanded — including a line of West African foods in Whole Foods and African-inspired dishware at Crate & Barrel — he's looked to open a restaurant here. What he's saying:"I've been thinking about a restaurant space as long as I could remember," Adjepong tells Axios. A year ago, he inked a deal for the former Seven Reasons building. The new spot opens Feb. 18. "Africa being the second biggest continent in the world but the food being relatively unknown is a travesty. There's so much technique and history and stories — I feel privileged to help bring that to the forefront." Zoom in: The richly textured, multitiered space — inspired by the meaning of Elmina, "treasure" — offers a variety of experiences under one roof, from prix-fixe to street food. On the highest end, guests can opt for five-course tasting menus ($105 per person, plus $55 optional pairing) with multiple choices within each category to encourage sharing. A series of small plates culminate in "big chops" — platters for two or more like whole grilled lobster with fisherman's stew, or crispy jollof duck rice. Many options explore the connection between West Africa and the diaspora, such as hamachi crudo with passionfruit and peri-peri (a native chili) oil. The intrigue: You don't need to spend big to get flavor. An a la carte, walk-in "chop bar" menu, available in first and second-floor bars, draws from Ghanaian street food. Look for a variety of meat or seafood kebabs, plus some fun mashups like a yassa smash burger or crispy okra fries. Most dishes fall in the low-to-mid $20s or below. Having worked in D.C., Adjepong knows "brunch is massive." Elmina will open Saturday afternoons with lots of Ghanaian riffs on American favorites like cardamom-lime cinnamon rolls, oxtail hash or eggs bennie with peri-peri hollandaise. If you go: Elmina, 2208 14th St Northwest. Tasting menu and brunch reservations via Seven Rooms.
