a lemon butter-poached dream & pastry cream

I've been so happy to be part of the Market Street Dish! Culinary School team of guest chef instructors. I held my first two classes this past August and September and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

My September Cocktail Party in a Flash! class focused on elegant, seasonal bites perfect for a cocktail party. I also wanted to focus on varying textures so every bite would tickle the tongue.

My first soup recipe totally weirded out my Dad.

First of all, his brow furrowed at the thought of blending together "soggy bread" with water, fruits and vegetables.

Second of all, he detests nuts and told me he was totally not interested in a soup with ground almonds.

I totally changed his mind.

This soup is an interesting combination of green grapes, almonds and cucumbers with fresh tarragon that was featured in the August issue of 360 West, but also features the addition of lemon butter-poached granny smith apples that pay homage to early autumn produce.

White Gazpacho with Lemon-Butter Apples

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 ½ cups white bread, cubed

½ cup blanched and slivered almonds

1 cup granny smith apple, diced

1 t lemon zest

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ c water

2 garlic cloves

3 cups green seedless grapes, washed

1 English cucumber, peeled and diced

1 teaspoon lime zest

Juice of one lime

1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, chopped

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat cream in a small saucepan until just simmering then pour over bread cubes to soak. Let cool.

Melt butter. Add apples and lemon zest. Sauté for 10 minutes over medium heat until tender. Let cool.

Arrange almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast at 400 degrees approximately 5 minutes until golden brown. Let cool.

In a blender, combine cream and soaked bread mixture, almonds, water, garlic and olive oil and blend until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.

Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled. Serve soup chilled and ladled in small shooter cups or glasses with sliced grape rounds, fresh tarragon, toasted almonds and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

The next course was my play on corn cakes dressed with the addition of sweet bell peppers, end-of-summer squash, salty crumbled pancetta and a fragrant marjoram aioli.

The batter of these cakes can get a bit thick but do not despair-- a shot of buttermilk will do the trick if needed. Flip these savory cakes just like pancakes then top (or smother) with the marjoram aioli and deliciously-crisp pancetta.

Sweet Pepper, Corn & Squash Cakes

with Pancetta & a Marjoram Aioli

yields approximately 25 2-inch cakes

4 slices pancetta (approximately ¼ pound)

1 T extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for sautéing vegetables

1.5 cups fresh corn kernels

1 cup zucchini, diced small

1 cup red bell peppers, diced small

1 Tablespoon scallion, sliced thin

1 cup cornmeal

½ cup AP flour

1 teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoons sugar

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

Unsalted butter, to cook cakes

In a sauté pan over medium heat, render pancetta with olive oil until crispy on all sides, approximately 15 minutes. Drain on paper towel. Chop and set aside.

In the same pan, sauté corn, zucchini, bell peppers and scallions, for approximately 10 minutes, adding additional olive oil if needed. Let cool completely.

In a small bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, salt, baking soda and sugar. In a large bowl, combine sautéed vegetables, egg and buttermilk. Stir in dry ingredients to wet mixture until just combined.

Heat a griddle over medium-high heat. Melt butter then add scoops of cake batter. Cook on two minutes per side, until golden and cooked through. Keep warm while making other corn cakes. Serve hot corn cakes with marjoram aioli and crispy pancetta

Aioli:

1 Tablespoon fresh marjoram, minced

½ cup mayonnaise

Juice of ½ lemon

Fresh-cracked black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Serve a dollop atop corn cakes.

Finally, dessert time.

Growing up in downtown Austin, we always visited a tiny bakery on Burnet Road called Upper Crust Bakery.

My go-to after school snack was always a small carton o' milk and their to-die-for bran muffins.

When my mom and I were tempted for a sweet confection, we split one of their incredible eclairs.

I love the first bite of an eclair.

...buttery & flaky pate a choux dough...

...oozing (not-too-sweet) pastry cream...

...the crunch of it's chocolate shell...

Perfection.

I wanted to create that perfect bite of an eclair in an individual parfait perfect for parties.

For the pate a choux dough, I substituted store-bought puff pastry cut into circles for ease.

For pastry cream, I made a classic pastry cream with vanilla bean paste.

For that signature chocolate crunch, I used chocolate two-ways: espresso ganache & semisweet chocolate chunks.

Top parfaits with toasted hazelnuts for a nutty crunch.

Mini Chocolate Eclair Parfaits with Toasted Hazelnuts

Pastry cream:

yields 1 cup

1 ¼ cups whole milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 egg yolks

¼ cup sugar

2 Tablespoons AP flour

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Whisk together sugar and egg yolks. Add flour and cornstarch and whisk together to form a paste. Set aside. Meanwhile, simmer milk and vanilla until simmering. Add ¼ of paste mixture into hot milk mixture, whisking quickly to temper. Add remaining paste mixture to tempered milk mixture and whisk constantly, over medium heat until thickened and flour and cornstarch have cooked out, approximately 3-5 minutes. Transfer pastry cream to a bowl over an ice bath to cool down. Cover pastry cream with plastic wrap directly over custard so a skin will not form—cool completely.

Espresso ganache:

½ cup heavy cream

½ teaspoon instant espresso coffee

½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Bring heavy cream and espresso powder to a simmer over medium high, whisking together to combine. Pour atop chocolate chips in a bowl and stir until combined and glossy. Set aside and let cool.

Remaining components:

1 sheet puff pastry, cut into 1-inch circles

Semisweet chocolate chunks and toasted hazelnuts, to garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place puff pastry circles on a greased baking sheet and bake until puffed and golden brown, approximately 10 minutes. Let cool.

To assemble parfaits, assemble mini parfait glasses or cups on a serving tray. Layer espresso ganache with pastry rounds, pastry cream and semisweet chocolate chunks. Repeat to reach the tops of cups. Garnish with a pastry round, chocolate chunks, toasted hazelnuts and a drizzle of espresso ganache.

The class was a delight to teach! Make sure to check out my upcoming Market Street Cooking Classes in November and December:

Unconventional Side Dishes:

Thursday, November 10

Stray away from the Thanksgiving norm with unique, yet simple, side dishes from Chef Callie Salls of Linguine and Dirty Martinis.

Adorn your holiday table with: Savory Bleu Cheese Cheesecake with a Black Pepper Fig Compote; Roasted Apple & Onion Soup with Toasted Pecans & Sage Oil; Cranberry Relish with Grapefruit Rind, Pomegranate & Mint; Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Rutabaga with Bacon & Hazelnut Brown Butter.

Homemade for the Holidays:

Thursday, December 8th

Treat your friends, families and neighbors to made-from-scratch confections ready in a snap and perfect for holiday gifts!

Guests will learn how to prepare, package and label edible goodies to-go: Spiced Blueberry Jam with Star Anise; Lemon Lime Curd; Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies; Pecorino & Black Pepper Cheese Straws; Dark Chocolate Truffles with Fleur de Sel.

hot sake for the soul

I've always been that gal who wants to steal a bite from every plate at the table.

Even if I opt for the creamy risotto, my wandering eye...err, stomach, is perpetually catching a glance at the silky carbonara two plates over.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that
is ideal for me!

That being said, tapas, sushi, appetizers, small plates and side dishes have always been friends of mine.

A sushi binge with the girls at the newest west 7th sushi joint, Blue Sushi Sake, was just the trick.

My chopsticks guiltily darted from plate to plate with flavor-draped delights:

charred shishito peppers

succulent pork gyoza with crispy leeks

yellowtail sashimi with ponzu and a spicy jalapeno kick

bluefin belly with yuzu and mustard microgreens

king crab maki blanketed in bright avocado

and a funky, vegetable maki with spiced aged tofu and napa cabbage

After a washdown of
hot sake for the soul,
my belly with its' wandering eye was fully rejuvenated.

With our recent exuberant welcome to autumn, I put my hefty flame Le Creuset Dutch oven to use for my favorite cooking technique for chilly weather: braising.
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Braised Beef Short Ribs with a Lemongrass Soy Glaze

Short Ribs are inexpensive, yet luscious, when prepared low and slow. This recipe is a perfect chilly weather supper for two that can be virtually ignored during a lazy afternoon.

Several hours before dinner, start by making glaze then brush simmering ribs with this flavor-punched glaze whenever you might step to the kitchen:

Serves 2.

Lemongrass Soy Glaze:

1 c water

1/2 c soy sauce (I used reduced sodium)

1/2 c sugar

2 T orange zest

2 T fresh ginger, minced

2 T lemongrass, minced

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Reduce over high heat approximately 15 minutes until thickened. Set aside in a small bowl for brushing atop short ribs.

Short ribs:

2.5 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
(kosher salt and fresh-cracked pepper to season)
2 T vegetable oil
2 c onion, diced
1 c celery, diced
1 c carrot, diced
1 T fresh ginger, minced
2 T lemongrass, minced
5 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
1 c fine red wine
1 c soy sauce
2 c fine unsalted beef stock
1 t kosher salt
2 T unsalted butter
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Heat Dutch oven over medium heat. Add vegetable oil and swirl to coat bottom of pan. Add short ribs and sear on all sides to brown. Remove short ribs with tongs and set aside.

Add onions, celery, carrots, ginger, lemongrass and thyme to hot pot to deglaze brown bits from the bottom. Saute approximately 10 minutes until vegetables are tender. Return short ribs to pot and nestle atop vegetables. Add red wine, soy, beef broth and salt.

Cover and simmer over low heat approximately 3.5 hours until falling apart tender. During braise, brush tops of short ribs with lemongrass soy glaze every 15 minutes (or whenever you think of it!).

To serve, transfer ribs and strained vegetables to serving dish to rest. Increase heat on remaining sauce in Dutch oven and reduce for 5 minutes. Right before serving, whisk in butter to slightly thicken sauce. Spoon sauce atop short ribs and serve with celery root puree.

This tangy puree is bright white and beautiful with the espresso-colored short ribs. Sliced scallions add texture and creme fraiche adds body and tang.

Celery Root Puree with Creme Fraiche and Scallions

Serves 2.

1 small celery root, diced into 1/4 inch cubes
1 large russet potato, diced into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 c heavy cream
1/4 c creme fraiche
2 T unsalted butter
2 T scallions, sliced thin on the bias
kosher salt to taste

Add celery root and potatoes to a pot of salted, cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer approximately 15 minutes until fork tender. Meanwhile, heat butter and milk and bring creme fraiche to room temperature.

Drain celery root/potatoes well then puree with a potato masher or potato ricer. Add warm milk, butter and creme fraiche. Salt to taste and garnish with sliced scallions.

The next thing on my mind was dessert.

These cakes are light and fluffy with a delicate crumb. I cut down the crystallized ginger component from the original recipe, swapped from a large bundt to minis, and made a beautiful blood orange compote to spoon under the delicate confections.

Ginger Cakes with Turbinado and a Blood Orange Compote

Adapted from Epicurious Double Ginger Bundt Cake with Ginger-Infused Strawberries

Yields one 12-cup bundt pan

(I used 2 mini-bundt pans filled halfway before baking)

softened butter for brushing pan

1/2 c raw sugar (I used turbinado)
2 and 1/4 c AP flour
4 t ground ginger
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 c crystallized ginger, minced
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 c sugar
4 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
2 t vanilla bean paste or extract
1 c sour cream

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Brush softened butter inside bundt pan or mini bundt pan. Sprinkle raw sugar and coat completely by shaking pan. Tap pan to remove excess.
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Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Toss with crystallized ginger and coat completely. Using a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar approximately 8 minutes until pale yellow and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with sour cream and vanilla in 2 additions, beating on low speed until just blended after each addition. Spread batter in pan or mini bundt pans- filling about halfway up mini bundts.

Bake cake(s) until top(s) are light brown and toothpick comes out with a few small crumbs attached about 55 minutes for a large bundt or 35 minutes for mini bundts. Transfer to rack; cool in pan 15 minutes. Loosen cake around mold by gently tapping and invert onto rack to fully cool.

Serve with blood orange compote and garnish with crystallized ginger candies.

Blood Orange Compote

2 cups water
2 cups sugar
zest and fruit of 2 blood oranges

Combine ingredients in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium high heat until syrupy and reduced by half (fruit will break down). Cool in bowl atop an ice water bath then chill completely in cooler.
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Share these sparkling delights over after-dinner coffee or a last glass of bubbly-- perfect for upcoming holiday affairs!

striking hues & TCU

The natural beauty of food is what truly inspires me to cook.

A lone pomegranate sitting in an oversized bowl could be the prettiest thing I've seen in a while.

Curling lemon zest from a microplane floating lovingly atop Italian meringue is a true masterpiece to me.

Still-dirty carrots passed from a farmer to a customer is a wealth of beauty in itself.

Rich hues, layered textures and gorgeous platings sourced my inspiration for the newest article in my Easy Entertaining column in the fall issue of Fort Worth Foodie magazine: Cooking with Color.

The featured recipe is a deep emerald, rich fuchsia and striking orange side dish perfect to brighten up any kitchen table:

Watercress, Radish and Shaved Carrot Slaw

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1 c radishes, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 c watercress leaves

1 c carrots, sliced thin with peeler
juice of one lime
1 t lime zest
1 t honey
1 t extra virgin olive oil
1 t rice wine vinegar
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 t kosher salt

Toss watercress, radish and carrots together. Whisk together remaining ingredients in a small bowl then drizzle atop vegetables. Serve chilled as a side dish, room temperature atop tacos, or warmed with grilled meats.

This fabulous issue of Foodie features Fort Worth culinary entrepreneurs who are also proud Texas Christian University Horned Frogs! Check out my bio as a TCU alum as well as my newest Linguine and Dirty Martinis mention and ad.

Speaking of gorgeous colors, I fell in love with this sticky, glazed chicken drenched in an intense plum-hued glaze concocted in an effort to play with tamarind paste.

The ripened tamarind fruit is a sweet and slightly sour confection coming from the tamarind tree indigenous to Africa but is also widely distributed in South Asia. The paste is viscous, fragrant, a bit bitter and can be found in the International aisle of the market.

Tamarind-Glazed Grilled Chicken with Fresno Chiles, Citrus Rind and Ginger

Yields: A platter of eight georgeously-glazed chicken breasts

Marinade:

1 shallot, sliced thin
2 T fresh basil, chopped
8 organic, antibiotic-free boneless, skinless chicken breasts

In a casserole dish, toss chicken with vegetable oil, shallot and basil. Finish with a sprinkling of:

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[ground cardamom + ground coriander + kosher salt + fresh-cracked pepper + red pepper flakes]

Cover dish with plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours before grilling. Meanwhile, simmer this insane tamarind glaze.

Glaze:

2 c apple juice
2 c water
2 c sugar
1 fresno chile, sliced thin
juice and zest of 1 orange, lime and lemon
2 T fresh ginger, minced
3 T tamarind paste (no seeds)
sprinkle of salt

Reduce all ingredients over medium high heat approximately one hour until reduced by half and thickened. Set aside to cool. Reserve 1/4 of glaze to brush atop chicken during grilling and remaining to finish on cooked chicken.

To accompany the sweet and spicy main course, I settled on an oh-so-simple side that shines healthy and bright. Chopped dried apricots and pistachios would be a perfect substitution if fresh figs aren't available.

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Fresh Fig, Shallot and Rosemary Couscous

2 c vegetable stock
one 5.4 oz box of plain couscous
1 cup fresh figs, halved
1 t fresh rosemary, minced
1 shallot, sliced thin
kosher salt and fresh-cracked pepper to taste
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Bring vegetable stock to a boil then stir in couscous. Take off heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork before serving.

We finished our menu with a minimal ingredient side dish that my mother threw together in minutes:
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Steamed Corn with Butter and Lime

Simply steam individually-wrapped corn with plastic wrap for 4 minutes in the the (gasp!) microwave. Carefully unwrap cobs and toss with unsalted butter, kosher salt, fresh-cracked pepper and a squeeze of lime. Garnish with lime wedges.

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This sweet, spicy and healthy meal was perfect for our end of summer blues!

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Lovely odd 'n ends are truly coming together for Linguine and Dirty Martinis, LLC.

I am so excited to finally have my new Linguine and Dirty Martinis business cards printed and ready to network!
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I designed the cards with maroon and black hues and continued my pomegranate theme on the back. Monogrammed ivory chef jackets were stitched in black, maroon and slate with my same fabulous, curvy font. I cannot wait to donn 'em!

Finally, my sample seasonal menu is available to view

on my website

with delectable autumn dishes perfect for a fall fête.

As always, combinations are original (and heartfelt) to Linguine and Dirty Martinis.
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Please view my menu and email callie@linguineanddirtymartinis.com to plan an event with these lush, comforting fall ingredients!