a yellowtail praise & carrots 3 ways

One disadvantage of living solo is the perpetual problem of rotting produce that wastes away.

A few ways I stretch my dollar and elongate produce life spans:

I buy berries on sale,

bag and freeze them

to quickly add to muffins, desserts and make milk icy cold in a bowl of cereal.

I keep ginger in

a jar of inexpensive vodka
in my refrigerator (culinary school trick that preserves ginger).

Before garlic goes bad,

I roast and jar caramelized cloves

for a handy flavor enhancer to add pastas and hors d'oeuvres.

I "arrange" fresh herbs in water
like a bouquet of flowers
and chill them to keep herbs lively and green.

I will also take advantage of my very last carrot and have three diverse recipes to prove it!

Carrots Three Ways:

salad,

cake

& slaw

to appeal to one and all!

1. Shaved Carrot & Blood Orange Salad with Marcona Almonds, Almond-Scented Vinaigrette & Bite-Sized Rosemary Biscuits
d

Salads with lettuce bore me. I was never one of those,

"Oh, I'll have a salad with grilled chicken and dressing on the side" gals.

d

In fact, I envied those self controlled waifs. Much animosity, no?
d

In an effort to trick myself, I integrate as many unexpected flavors, textures and colors as I possibly can when crafting salads. I received crazy looks when adding almond extract to this vinaigrette.

Odd? Yes.
Delicious? Oh, hell yes.

Yields 4 appetizer salad portions.

Bite-Sized Rosemary Buttermilk Biscuits:

1.5 c AP flour

1 T sugar

1.5 t baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

1 t salt

1 t fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3/4 buttermilk plus additional to brush atop biscuits

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and rosemary. Blend in butter with hands until butter is combined and pea-shaped. Slowly add buttermilk in portions until a sticky dough is formed.

Flour hands, surface and rolling pin. Transfer dough ball to surface and form into a uniform disk with hands. Roll into a circle, approximately 1/2 inch thick. With a small circle cutter (about 1 inch in diameter), cut out biscuits and place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Brush tops with buttermilk and top with a sprinkle of fresh-cracked pepper. Bake approximately 6-8 minutes then transfer to cool on a rack. Serve warm or room temperature with salad.

Carrot Orange Salad:

2 carrots, shaved with a peeler

2 blood oranges, segmented

1/2 c marcona almonds

Combine carrots, blood oranges and almonds. Toss with almond vinaigrette and serve with buttermilk biscuits.

Almond Vinaigrette:

2 t pure almond extract
juice of 1 lime
1 t lime zest
1/2 t fresh rosemary, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste

Combine almond extract, lime juice, lime zest, rosemary and red pepper flakes. Slowly whisk in olive oil until an emulsification develops. Season with desired salt. Toss with carrot orange salad to lightly coat.

2. Curried Banana Carrot Bread

Curry in banana bread?!

Oh yes I did.

The pumpkin-hued spice isn't completely obvious,
(back off, curry haters)

and the ending taste is subtle and soft.

Carrots are the moisture-carrier in this low-fat bread. Although I like my mashed bananas to be chunky, I didn't want to bite into coarse carrot grates.

Instead, I grated my carrot on the microplane in an attempt to "melt" the valiant vegetable into the delicate bread.

Yields 1 large loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans.

2 eggs

3/4 c sugar

3 ripe bananas, coarsely smashed

1/4 c shredded carrots

1/3 c buttermilk

1 T vegetable oil

1 T vanilla bean paste

1 and 3/4 c AP flour

2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 t curry powder

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a flour a loaf pan or mini loaf pans. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and curry powder. Set aside. Combine carrots, bananas, vegetable oil, buttermilk and vanilla bean paste. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a stand mixer, beat together eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy- about 5 minutes. To bowl, mix in wet banana mixture then slowly fold in dry mixture until just combined.

Fill loaf pan(s) about 3/4 full and bake approximately 1 hour for a full loaf pan or 35-40 minutes for mini loaves. Cool on rack and invert to serve.

3. Radicchio, Edamame and Carrot Slaw

Talk about a 3 minute recipe! While your edamame is defrosting for several minutes, you will have plenty of time to peel carrots, slice radicchio and measure soy sauce. This slaw would be fabulous served atop fish tacos!

Serves 2.

1/2 c radicchio, julienned
1/2 c frozen shelled edamame, prepared
1/2 c carrots, shaved with a peeler
1 T soy sauce
splash of rice wine vinegar
1/8 t red pepper flakes

Combine ingredients and refrigerate to slightly break down vegetables and meld flavors. Serve cool, warm or room temperature. Let the laziness ensue!

I'm sure you've heard...

I'm a sushi snob.

I'm from Austin, ok? Home of some of the best sushi in the country and this:

creamcheesekrabjalapeno

tempurashrimpavocadomayonnaise roll

ain't gonna cut it.

Alas, my sushi experiences have been very limited the past few years here in good ole' Fort Worth.

Recently, I was left delightfully content with my sushi craving satisfied after lunch at Tokyo Cafe. I dined with my meat and 'taters lovin' boyfriend who was equally impressed.

Our late afternoon dine included:

seaweed salad
pork gyoza with warm, ginger broth
spicy beef bowl with white rice and scallions
yuzu yellowtail roll

Fresh, simple and delicious-- all I could ask for. I still miss you, Uchi. See you in my dreams...

This past whirlwind Sunday was spent in Dallas celebrating a birthday and engagement fiesta with dear friends from TCU. In a swift 12 hours, we enjoyed:

breakfast quesadillas with pepperjack, black beans and guacamole

& bottomless mimosas

at Nick and Sam's Grill

bloody mary's and white sangria

at Blackfriar Pub

sombreros, frozen margarita machine

quesadillas, queso, guacamole and flautas

at a quaint, outdoor engagement party

and finally,

a juicy relished hot dog,

sweet potato fries and pop

back in Fort Worth at Billy Miner's Saloon.

After a gluttonous, yet pleasant day,

it was off-to-bed immediately with
sweet dreams & old friends

dancing in my head.

a partridge in a pear tree

This Christmas was a special one with my family in Austin. It has been a stressful past month but cooking and food are constants in my life that keep me motivated, engaged and creative.

Christmas Eve I raced from work in Fort Worth to my parents house in Austin for our annual family Christmas Eve party. Unable to help with dinner, my mom took a simple approach and served rustic food; buffet style.

In her cherry red boullibase pot, she served velvety corn chowder with white cheddar and cilantro. Homemade tamales were served with salsa verde and a moist, succulent and smoky roast turkey was served with fresh rolls and fig chutney. The dessert table and decor was gorgeous- homemade sugar cookies, rich coconut cake and a vanilla spice cake were all nestled together resembling a whimsical, winter wonderland.

Not to brag (ok, a little), but I was spoiled silly Christmas day. For my culinary-related goodies, I was given:

Blue Le Crueset Dutch oven, teal square baking dishes and a white skillet
Basil-infused extra virgin olive oil
The most delicious balsamic I've ever tasted
Fleur de sel with rosemary and lavender
Funky multi-colored salad utensils
Stainless appetizer flatware
White, square serving dishes
Keurig one-cup coffee maker (ingenious! makes teas and cocoa as well)
Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics Cookbook
A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes by David Tanis
The Food of Thailand cookbook (gorgeous photographs)
Wine glasses (stemless for red, with stems for white)

Christmas Day, after opening gifts with Mom and Dad, we headed out to my grandmothers house for a huge breakfast of scrambled eggs, pigs in a blanket, egg casserole, sausage, bacon, grits, cinnamon rolls, orange banana punch and coffee...I look forward to this breakfast every year.

The next day, I was cooking for my Dad's side of the family Christmas dinner. My morning started with breakfast tacos from the infamous Taco Shack and scouring the aisles at Central Market. Happy with my purchases, I headed back to start cooking.

The menu for 18 was:

Spiced glazed cashews, walnuts and pumpkin seeds
I started off by melting 1/2 stick butter in a large skillet. Toss nuts to combine (any assortment would be great, we already had this combo). I then added 1/2 cup honey, several shakes of cayenne, 4 tsp of minced rosemary and salt to taste. Saute until nuts are toasted and all ingredients are combined.

Cheese platter with Brie, Gouda, Stilton, honeycomb with rosemary lavender fleur de sel, berries, apples, pears and assorted crackers

Grapefruit and blood orange salad with a star anise syrup (December Gourmet)
I supremed an equal number of grapefruits and blood oranges and squeezed the juice from the leftover pulp. Meanwhile, I made a simple syrup with equal parts water, granulated sugar and 6 star anise cloves. Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer to thicken. Set aside to cool then drizzle over citrus segments.

Fennel and avocado salad with a citrus lime vinaigrette
First I made the vinaigrette with the juice of two limes, one lemon and one orange. Add the zest of 1 lime, one lemon and 1/2 orange. Pulse in the blender with two garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, honey, salt and pepper. When combined, slowly add olive oil to emulsify and finish vinaigrette. Serve with shaved fennel, sliced avocado and endive spears.

Fresh corn succotash with a jalapeno butter
Saute fresh corn, chopped onions, minced garlic, chopped bell peppers (I used orange, yellow and red), and minced jalapeno with butter, olive oil, salt and pepper. Finish with chopped parsley and/or cilantro.

Next, make the compound butter. Take two sticks of room temperature, unsalted butter and combine with a touch of olive oil, minced jalapeno, chopped scallions, chopped cilantro, salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture into plastic wrap and form into a cylinder shape. Freeze to harden then slice into individual pats. Serve over succotash.

Grilled surf and turf with a chimichurri
We chose New York strips and 21-25 shrimp. I marinated the steak with a dry rub of paprika, cayenne, cumin, salt and pepper. The shrimp was marinated with olive oil, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Grill steak, shrimp, lime halves brushed with olive oil and red onions brushed with olive oil until desired doneness is achieved.

I also made a recent trip to Dallas for a friends birthday. The occasion called for rooming at Zaza and sushi and cocktails at Nobu. Amongst the table of girls (already full of sake) we split the spicy rock shrimp, yellowtail and jalapeno sashimi, spicy pequillo peppers, spicy tuna rolls, miso marinated cod and enoki mushroom, Japanese pumpkin and avocado tempura.

Our (hungover) breakfast the next morning was popovers with strawberry butter and the Austin tacos with a chipotle cream sauce at Dream Cafe.

Once back in Fort Worth, I had dinner at Winslow's Wine Cafe. To begin, my mom and I shared the dungeness crab cakes with a garlic aioli and a blueberry and blackberry salsa similar to a pico de gallo. I liked the crab cakes and the salsa was great...you could tell the crab cakes weren't pre-frozen and the crab wasn't fishy tasting.

Next, we split the spinach salad with apples, pecans, goat cheese and an apple cider vinaigrette- it was perfect. The dressing wasn't overwhelming nor was the salad overdressed. Finally, we split the Jim Bowie pizza with chicken, barbecue sauce and fresh jalapenos. The crust was nice and the flavors were good but there was entirely too much barbecue sauce.

The next day we headed to Northpark and lunched at the Mermaid Bar in Neimans. I ordered the soup of the day (chicken and white bean) which was nice and surprisingly light. Next, I ordered the Love salad with chicken, avocado, artichoke and tomatoes with a lemon oregano vinaigrette. The boiled chicken completely lacked flavor- not worth $11 . My mom ordered a slice of the coconut cake and I had to sneak a bite (even though I'm not a huge coconut fan). Good idea on my part...it was heavenly.

That evening, we dined at Brix Wine Bar for a late dinner. Accustomed to the Brix menu, I hadn't returned because the food was simply mediocre. My visit back changed my mind. The wine list was more extensive and the menu was revised.

My mom and roommate Megan ordered a "make your own" pizza and chose eggplant, onions, jalapenos and roasted red peppers. A seemingly bizarre combination, it was perfect. The vegetables were cooked perfectly and you could taste all elements of the pizza in a delicious cohesion while the jalapenos added a mellow heat.

I ordered the vegetable plate and added grilled chicken. The plate came with grilled eggplant, romaine hearts, zucchini, tomato and chicken all beneath a drizzle of sweet balsamic and crumbles of salty feta. Despite the eggplant being a bit overcooked, the dish was so incredibly simple and flavorful...I'm back to being a Brix believer.

Last night, friends and I cooked dinner. After discovering we were stripped dry of salt (how does that happen?!), dinner was still delicious.

Spinach salad with orange, toasted hazelnuts, Camembert and a simple lemon juice and olive oil vinaigrette with red pepper flakes

(The salad turned out fine, but the Camembert was a bit rich with the buttery hazelnuts)

Pan seared halibut with lemon, pepper and white wine
Rosemary tomato polenta

Sauteed artichoke hearts and onions

Great, light dinner for all those trying to lose the LBS for the new year!

cocktail parties and an evening at craft

December- time for the cooking extravaganza. I've cooked more the past week and a half than I've ever done in one sweep. Please join me in my recent journey of culinary hits (and misses).

The journey started on a recipe-testing kick I went on. I tested personal recipes and tried some holiday delicacies from Food and Wine, Gourmet and Bon Appetit. Here were some of my favorites:

Meyer lemon and shrimp fritto misto with a blackberry horseradish

First, I made a tempura batter for the lemon and shrimp. I mixed equal parts of sparkling water and flour then added more water until I had a good consistency (less than a pancake batter).

For the lemons, I chose Meyer lemons (sweeter than regular) and sliced them as thin as possible. Then, I made the blackberry horseradish. Puree a pint of blackberries with a touch of sugar. Strain to remove seeds. Mix with horseradish and a touch of plain mayonnaise or yogurt. Season with salt and a touch of lemon juice.

Next, heat your frying oil to about 150 degrees. Dredge the shrimp and lemon slices in flour then add to tempura batter. Fry for a couple minutes until shrimp is pink then drain. Garnish with blackberry horseradish and cilantro.

Skirt steak salad with orange and fennel (December Food and Wine)

This recipe was shown as a uniform salad, I used the same ingredientss and preparation, just served it as a deconstructed salad with oranges, radishes, fennel, Israeli couscous (they used Fregola, a Sardinian pasta), an olive oil and Meyer lemon vinaigrette, grilled red onions, grilled skirt steak and a prepared olive tapenade.

Strawberry pistachio "Bon Bons" with a strawberry coulis

I saw a similar recipe for this in Rachael Ray's magazine a while ago and tried to re-create it. First, arrange Nilla wafers upside down on a plate. Top with a small scoop of strawberry ice cream on each wafer. Freeze to harden. Meanwhile, I melted dark chocolate and milk in a double boiler to make a chocolate sauce. Dunk each ice cream wafer into the chocolate then cover with chopped pistachios. Freeze again to harden.

These little desserts are festive and easy to prepare- there are also countless combinations. I'm going to make them with coffee ice cream and chopped hazelnuts for our Christmas Eve Party.

For breakfast the next morning, I tested my crepe-making skills and cleaned the fridge all in one sweep. I made crepes stuffed with pepper turkey and Swiss and topped it with the strawberry balsamic coulis I served with the bon bons.

This past week we had our "Mystery Basket " class at culinary school. In our groups of three, we were given a basket of goodies and required to make 5+ dishes.

Our basket contained:

Bone-in, skin-on chicken breast
Pork tenderloin
Cod
Zucchini
Asparagus
Plantains
Eggs

Purple potatoes
Wild rice

Bok choy
Red pears

Our dishes were:

Pan-fried cod with a romesco sauce
Zucchini ribbons sauteed with lemon and garlic

Spiced pork tenderloin atop fried plantain chips with a pear and currant chutney

Deconstructed Asian shrimp salad with bok choy

Baked chicken with a wild rice stuffing

Eggs Benedict trio with a traditional hollandaise and asparagus

Radish salad with cilantro, scallions, queso fresco and a spicy lime vinaigrette

I crafted the cod dish with romesco and zucchini ribbons, pork and chutney with the plantain chips, the Asian shrimp salad and the radish salad. The class was really fun for me because I would rather be given a blank palette to work with than a recipe any day.

Two nights later, my chef business partner and I had two personal cheffing events- two cocktail parties back to back (one for 100, one for 45).

The menu for the first event for 100 was:

Salmon mousse on crostini with chive

Skirt steak quesadillas with red onions, brie and a chimichurri

Spiced chicken kabobs with a romesco sauce

Assorted melons wrapped in prosciutto with a balsamic glaze

Vegetable spring rolls with a peanut siracha sauce and a wasabi aioli

Polenta with a tomato jam and fontina

The menu was delicious and so much fun to make. The spring rolls, in particular, were my favorite and are great vegetarian hors d'eouvres. For spring-roll-making first timers, the first few are the worst. Once you get a rhythm going, they are actually quite easy to make. Below is the recipes for my spring rolls.

Before beginning, have an assembly line ready with paper towels, veggies and spices to stuff the rice paper with. I chose julienned carrots, red cabbage, zucchini, blanched asparagus spears, a healthy dose of chopped cilantro, salt and red pepper flakes- that's it.

To get the hard rice paper pliable, soak it in hot water for a couple minutes then delicately dry between paper towels and lay flat. Arrange veggies, cilantro, salt and pepper flakes on the side closest to you. Then, carefully roll the end over the veggies, tuck the edges in like a burrito, then keep rolling to get the spring roll shape. The rice paper will seal itself.

Now, for the sauces...wasabi aioli and peanut siracha- so simple and flavorful. For the wasabi mayonnaise I mixed half a tube of wasabi paste (I like it hot), mayonnaise, a bit of olive oil, salt and chopped cilantro. For the peanut sauce....peanut butter, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, siracha, olive oil and soy sauce.

For our second cocktail party, we kept a few ideas from the night before, but most of our dishes were different. The menu was:

Salmon mousse atop cucumber rounds with chive

Roasted pork tenderloin with a pear mango chutney

Turkey croquettes with a cranberry jalapeno salsa

Pulled chicken and brie phyllo with a balsamic glaze

Vegetable spring rolls with a wasabi aioli

Prosciutto wrapped asparagus with a lemon mint vinaigrette

Profiteroles with a strawberry coulis

Chocolate fondue with cayenne and cinnamon

Both parties were so much fun and all guests were pleased- another Christmas party this Saturday!

Last week I also spent a night in Dallas dining at Craft in the W and staying the night with a group at Hotel Zaza. Craft was overall pretty delicious and the service was impeccable.

I started off with a dirty Belvedere martini and the braised octopus with a Meyer lemon vinaigrette and white beans. The octopus was so tender- it cut like butter and the vinaigrette was a perfect accompaniment with the creamy white beans.

Next, we ordered the shaved fennel and blood orange salad with a chive vinaigrette. For me, there was too much fennel, not enough blood oranges and the vinaigrette lacked salt. I love fennel though so I didn't really care.

For the proteins, we went with the roasted rack of lamb and braised lamb shoulder and the Wagyu skirt steak. The braised shoulder was perfection and definitely trumped the roasted rack (too fatty) and Wagyu steak (flavorful, but not medium-rare as we requested).

For our sides, we leaned toward the starches and carbs but it was well worth it. We shared the handmade gnocchi, chestnut ravioli with orange zest and the spaghetti squash gratin.

The gnocchi was so light an airy, it melted in my mouth and the cream sauce was perfectly seasoned. The chestnut ravioli wasn't very warm but had a light and citrusy aftertaste that I loved. The spaghetti squash gratin needed salt but had simple flavors and the squash really shined through.

We finished with some vintage port, hot chocolate with homemade spiced marshmallows and some gingerbread muffins to go- a perfect ending.

partial highlights and a weekend Uptown

The grueling day began as a result of my indulgent night...dirty martinis paired with meticulously sliced pineapple wedges soaking in grey goose...crusty bread was pushed aside and replaced with airy gnocchi and creamy king crab. A tart, balsamic syrup coated the crunchy emerald broccoli and the filet of beef was seared impreccably on a dish of its own. A cloud of Meyer lemon chiffon grew more delicious bite by bite. The mood of the evening moved from tense and lavish to sloppy and sexy. Dirty grey goose was replaced by chilled, Texas ale and bar stools...a modest sommelier with a flirtatious bartender.

We entered as celebrities..both donning midnight blue and tanned gams. The sparkling water overflowed from the mosaic-esque, ocean blue glasses. The poison of the night- Grey Goose soda with a splash of pineapple...the fruit does have it's naughty benefits. The greens were simple-who could go wrong with fragrant basil, bursting, plum tomatoes, fresh mozzerella dotted with coarse salt and spicy pepper finished with sweet roasted peppers? The pasta? Homemade. The turkey meatballs? Organic and tender. The diver scallops? Plump, fresh and crusted with a light crisp and basil oil. The conversation matched the cocktail- naughty. Drinks were sent to the handsome businessmen...now we have company. The espresso panna cotta never had a chance...

The dining area was lively- merengue music perfectly complemented the never-ending, family size tables. We were all dressed to the T...tailored, low rise jeans, plunging necklines, vintage jewelry, glossy champagne tresses, embellished heels and cranberry lips. Mojitos and patron rocks were the evening staple with smoky salsa and top-shelf guacamole made tableside. The heat from the peppers allowed the minty concoction to slide down with ease. Plates were refreshed with sizzling chicken breast, charred shrimp and sweet onions and peppers. The setting dripped with debauchery as our spicy perfume trailed us out of the revolving doors.