tzatziki and chocolate ganache

Greek, Caribbean, Italian...oh my! The last few weeks I've piped, stuffed, blended, boiled, baked, creamed, chopped, fried, braised and oh yeah...eaten out incessantly. Story of my life.

People always ask me how I have enough money to eat out and drink out so much. People, that's all I do! Seldom do I go shopping (fortunately, my mother has impeccable taste), and my only other guilty pleasure is getting a pedicure.

All in all, I'd rather spend $200 on a fabulous dinner than on a fabulous dress. Agree or disagree...I'll be eating some fine foods.

A couple weekends ago, I headed to Austin for a fabulous Couples Shower in honor of my girlfriend from high school. The evening was spent with frozen margaritas, El Arroyo catered in, a mansion too fabulous for words and me trying to fit into a Bridesmaid dress that was too sizes too small...figures.

The next evening, I lounged on the patio drinking wine before I made dinner for the fam. When cooking at home, I always take advantage of the outdoor grill...most importantly, my Dad grilling my protein on the outdoor grill.

The Mediterranean-inspired menu was:

Greek Salad with Spinach, Red Onion, Black Olives, Yellow Cherry Tomatoes, Banana Peppers, Feta, English Cucumbers with a Fresh Oregano Vinaigrette

Red Potatoes with Lemon Butter and Fresh Dill

Grilled Chicken with Herbs de Provence

Grilled Pita

Tzatziki sauce

Espresso frozen yogurt (courtesy of my Aunt Becky)

I knew the meal was a success when my grandmother ate everything on her plate and took leftovers. She claims she "can't stand" fresh herbs so I sneak them in whenever possible.

Back in Fort Worth, I started my week off with Pastry class at school. This week focused on cakes- not necessarily types of cakes but methods of cake mixing to get the optimal texture, mouth feel, crumb structure, etc. Yes, there is more to cakes than just opening the Funfetti box.

In the swift 5 hours, we experimented with a creaming method, 2-step method and a dissolved sugar method on a basic white cake recipe. Although I prefer a moister cake and enjoyed the creaming method, the 2-step method was the most successful. Next, we had our choice between an assortment of cakes to make. I decided on a simple pound cake.

That weekend, culinary school friends and I had a themed dinner focusing on Caribbean food at my girlfriend's lovely house.

My contributions were:

Melon Salsa:

1/2 cantaloupe, seeded and diced finely

1/2 honeydew, seeded and diced finely

1/4 seeded yellow watermelon, diced finely

1/4 red onion, minced finely

1/2 cup cilantro, minced along with additional leaves for garnishing

2 limes, zest and juice

1 T honey

1 shaved garlic clove

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced

salt to taste

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until serving. Serve with plantain or tortilla chips.

Pappardelle pasta with Shrimp and a Serrano Cashew Pesto:

Serrano Cashew Pesto:

2 serrano peppers, stem removed

1.25 cup cashews, roasted

1/3 c cilantro

2 cloves garlic

1/4 shallot

zest of 1 lemon

1 T honey

1/3 c peanut oil

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in food processor. Stream in peanut oil until a pesto-like consistency is reached. Serve combined with pasta ingredients.

For pasta:

1.25 lbs 21/25 shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 lb pappardelle pasta

3/4 stick butter

1/3 c shaved Parmesan

Serrano Cashew pesto

Chopped cilantro and parmesan to garnish

Prepare pasta until al dente. Store in an ice bath to stop cooking and set aside. Meanwhile, saute shrimp seasoned with salt and pepper in olive oil until opaque. Toss in pasta, butter, serrano cashew pesto and parmesan until incorporated. Check for seasonings, garnish with parmesan and chopped cilantro and serve immediately.

Along with my dishes, there was a smorgasbord of delicious food including:

Frozen Cuba Libres, Mango Daquiris, Jamaican Jerk Chicken, Coconut Black-Eyed Peas, Coconut Corn Porridge, Plaintain Dumplings, Sweet Corn Cakes, Pulled Pork Butt, Cole Slaw with Walnuts, Tres Leches Cake with Strawberry Coulis, Coconut Cream Pie and Banana RumCream Pie.

The next few nights were spent restaurant-hopping, bar-hopping and catching up with girlfriends from my TCU days. Below is a run-down of our "feastivities".

Where: Ferre

Ordered: Crab cakes with Fuji Apple Slaw, Basil Vinaigrette, Scallion Puree

Baked Goat Cheese with Walnuts

Pizza with Carmelized Onions and Fennel Sausage

Pasta Campanelle with Tenderloin, Wild Mushrooms and Cognac Cream Sauce

Where: Lamberts

Ordered: Cheese Board with Pork Terrine, Lamb Sausage, Mustards, Gherkins, Brie, Smoked Gouda, Fruit and Walnut bread

Chicken Fried Steak

Where: Taverna

Ordered: Lump Crab Eggs Benedict

Where: Jazz Sunday at Lightcatcher Winery

Ordered: Chardonnay

Tenderloin Panino with Carmelized Onions, Mushrooms, Arugula and Horseradish Mayo

Out of all the meals, I was most impressed with our late Sunday lunch at Lightcatcher Winery. The afternoon was spent with Fort Worth Foodie Magazine's new "Table for 12" event. Although the day was rainy, the afternoon was calming and the food was impressive. The beef in my panino was extremely tender and the horseradish and arugula were perfect to cut through the rich meat and buttery bread.

After eating out to my heart's content, I vowed to cook dinner the next week.

Italian Garden Meal:

Tempura-Fried Squash Blossoms stuffed with Ricotta, Fresh Mozzarella, Fresh Marjoram, Fresh Lavender, Diced Squash, Rosemary and Lemon Zest with a Lemon Aioli

Hand-stuffed Canneloni with Braised Artichokes, Fresh Mozzarella and Lemon Butter Caper Wine Sauce

I was happy with the flavors in the squash blossoms, but a little unhappy with the texture and eye appeal. Although the tempura was a light batter, it was a little too heavy for the delicate flavors in the stuffing. The Canneloni had a complex sauce and the artichokes added an unexpected freshness to a typically heavy dish.

After a delicious dinner, I prepared for pastry class the next morning: Chocolate and Icings. Within our class time, we focused on using proper techniques- mainly tempering chocolate and making the perfect Italian and French butter cream. I made chocolate ganache and Italian butter cream, practiced piping and played with making chocolate filigrees- the gorgeous chocolate designs piped with ganache and used as decorative purposes for pastry.

The next three weeks, our Pastry Class will focus on our "Finished Product" classes using basic components we have learned to create plated dishes showcasing these techniques. Below are my dessert ideas...we will see what I change on the fly once I reach the kitchen.

Components: Laminated Dough, Stirred Custard

Dish: Blitz Puff Pastry Napoleon with Lime Pastry Cream, Fresh Mango, Starfruit and Kiwi with a Passionfruit Coulis

Component: Laminated Dough

Dish: Savory Blitz Puff Pastry Tart with Heirloom Tomatoes, Carmelized Onions, Thyme, Goat Cheese and Balsamic Reduction

Component: Baked Custard

Dish: Banana Creme Brulee with Salted Caramel Sauce

Component: Pie

Dish: Plum Nectarine Crostada

Component: Pate a Choux

Dish: Cocoa Profiteroles with Chocolate Chile Ganache and Cinnamon Espresso Creme Fraiche

Component: Cake

Dish: Layered Pound Cake with Tarragon Whipped Cream, Raspberry Coulis and Sugared Sweet Cherries, Blackberries and Raspberries

panna cotta and potstickers

It's too hot to cook! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. The sweltering past weeks have been my excuse to overindulge myself, grub at new locales and stick to simple cooking and clean flavors while entertaining at home.

Last week, my boyfriend and I dined at the Vault and got a preview at the upcoming menu from Chef Gabe Ochoa who just recently returned to the downtown Mediterranean eatery.

The menu displayed lovely textures (foie gras, chickpea polenta) and abrupt flavors (harissa, habanero) that really opened up my taste buds!

The menu was:

Cocktails: Peach Habanero Martini, Champagne with Hibiscus Flower Syrup

Tomato Consomme, Brie "Grilled Cheese" and Provencal Potato Salad with Kalamata Olives and a Basil Vinaigrette

Seared Foie Gras with Truffled Cream Corn, Demi Glace Reduction and Fried Thyme

Morroccan-Spiced Lamb Loin with Harissa-Spiced Chickpeas and Chickpea "Polenta" with Garlic Sauteed Spinach

Dessert Medley: Baklava with Coconut, Strawberry Sorbet and Tiramisu with Homemade Ladyfingers

Unimpressed with prior Vault visits, this meal really blew me away. The foie gras surprised me- although seemingly rich with the truffled cream corn, the sweet, fresh corn was a beautiful accompaniment. I also was quite impressed with the technical aspects of the meal- the lamb temperature was perfection, the chickpea polenta had a surprising velvety texture and the foie gras was seared impeccably with a perfect crispy crust.

After a hectic work week, my parents came in for Father's Day weekend. On the schedule for the weekend: Food, food and more food!

Saturday evening...we finally were able to try Lambert's: Seafood, Steak and Whiskey. Once at Lambert's, the environment immediately soothed me. The decor was cowboy chic and snappy yet unpretentious. We started with lemon mint martinis (Dad ordered coffee) then scoured the simple menu. Between the table, we shared:

Fried Green Tomatoes with Lump Crab Salad and Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette

(perfectly light fried batter, buttery crab and smoky vinaigrette)

Fried Catfish with a Hushpuppies, Slaw and Garlic Tartar Sauce

(catfish perfectly fried as well, hushpuppies were so-so)

Chicken-Fried Steak with Green Chile Grits and Sauteed Broccolini

(yum....all I can say)

Roasted Chicken with Lemon Herb Pan Jus

(chicken was moist)

Dessert: Lemon Pots de Creme

(presentation was lacking)

Lambert's was fun, the food was tasty and everyone left in a great mood. Next time, I'm skipping dessert and ordering an extra appetizer instead.

The next morning, my parents dined at the Culinary School of Fort Worth for a special Father's Day Brunch. Amongst the spread of soups, salad, desserts, a made-to-order omelette station and entrees- my folks left stuffed. Their picks were:

Spinach Salad with Fennel, Oranges, Toasted Walnuts, Red Onions and Mint Orange Vinaigrette

Celery Root Soup with Granny Smith Apples, Bacon and Chive Oil

Chicken Piccata with Homemade Fettucine and Lemon Buerre Blanc

Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli with a Ham Saute, Garlic Cream Sauce and Poached Egg

Desserts: Lime Mango Curd Tarts with Blueberry and an Ice Cream Sundae Bar

Two nights later, I raided my freezer, pantry and veggie drawers for insiration. While playing in the kitchen, I made a fun dinner-for-one (with leftovers).

The menu was:

Pan-Fried Edamame Mint Potstickers

16 wonton wrappers
1/2 c ricotta
1/3 c julienned arugula
1 T chopped mint
1.5 c cooked edamame, coarsely chopped
1 t lemon zest
1 T honey
salt to taste
1 t red pepper flakes
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced

Saute red onion and garlic in olive oil. Add edamame, red pepper flakes, salt and honey and saute until flavors meld. Remove from heat and fold in mint, arugula and ricotta. After mixture has cooled, add one tablespoon of edamame filling into wonton wrappers. With your fingers, "paint" the edges with water to seal wrappers when folded. Fold over wrapper to form a triangle then attach triangle ends to form the potsticker.

Heat vegetable oil until water sizzles if added to the pan. Pan-fry potstickers a couple minutes per side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

Sriracha Soy Dipping Sauce

1 large squeeze of lemon juice
1 T sriracha
1/4 c Lana's Sweet and Sour sauce
4 T soy sauce

Whisk together all ingredients. Serve with potstickers.

Lemon Ginger Brown Rice

1 T lemon zest
.5 t minced ginger
3 c prepared brown rice (warm)
salt to taste
chopped parsley for color

Add lemon zest, ginger, salt and parsley to warm rice. Serve with potstickers and dipping sauce.

The next day, I spent my morning making custards galore during pastry class at school. We were put in pairs and required to make an array of baked and stirred custards. The custards I made were:

Stirred Creme Brulee with blackberries and blueberries

Creme Anglaise

Panna Cotta

Chocolate Mousse

Flan

I was most anxious to create the panna cotta and the end result was nice- not too sweet, silky and simple. Although the flan was tedious and time consuming (water bath, hot convection, playing the waiting game), I enjoyed tasting the smooth texture and reminiscent flavors I received. Although custards seem daunting, I left relieved with a newfound confidence in pastry.

appetizers-to-go and the curry explosion

I've been the cooking Queen this week!

Yes, I'm a dork but I seriously feel like that's all I've done. I've even started to get the "chefs callous" from my knife...pretty exciting stuff.

On Monday, I spent my day making cold and room temperature appetizers to deliver for an all-women cocktail party. The menu was:

Cubed watermelon skewers with cucumber, mint, plum tomatoes, feta and a lemon mint vinaigrette

1/2 inch cubed watermelon

1/2 inch cubed seedless cucumber

mint leaves cut in half

plum tomatoes cut in half

1/2 inch cubed feta

for dressing:

1 cup mint

zest and juice of one lemon

1 tbl honey

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

Assemble cubed watermelon, cucumber, plum tomatoes and mint leaves on skewers (save feta for the end of the skewer so it doesn't crumble apart).

For dressing, combine first four ingredients in the food processor until smooth. Slowly drizzle in olive oil until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle skewers with vinaigrette and cool.

Roasted chicken salad with a tarragon mayonnaise, toasted pecans, green apples and celery served with toasted baguette

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (seasoned with salt, pepper, olive oil and herbs de provence)

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup minced fresh tarragon

1 cup toasted pecans (coarsely chopped)

1 cup chopped green apple

1 cup chopped celery

3 tbl honey

juice and zest of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste

First, roast your chicken at 350 degrees until just cooked through- do not overcook or your chicken salad will be at the point of no return! Set chicken aside and let cool.

When cooled, cut into bite-sized chunks and combine with mayonnaise, pecans, tarragon, apples, celery, honey and lemon. Taste before seasoning because the chicken will already add saltiness. Serve with toasted baguette.

Asparagus and white bean hummus tarts (courtesy of Vegan YumYum)

I got inspiration for this dish from Vegan Yum Yum on-line.

1 sheet defrosted puff pastry

1 bundle blanched asparagus, ends trimmed

1 can white beans (rinsed and drained)

2 gloves garlic

1/2 cup basil leaves (reserve several for garnish)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbl olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon

Make white bean hummus. Combine white beans, garlic, basil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil in food processor. Combine until smooth. Spread on puff pastry leaving an inch border all around. Arrange asparagus side-by-side on top rotating tops and bottoms. Brush pastry edges with olive oil and sprinkle tart with salt. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes until asparagus is tender and puff pastry is golden brown. Let cool, garnish with basil leaves and slice into squares (my tart is shown at right).

Vegetable spring rolls with a wasabi aioli

I've made these guys more times than I can count. You can find the recipe in older posts.

Later that evening, I had a fabulous dinner at the newly-reopened Piola for some Italian fare. We started with the antipasto platter complete with fried green olives, ricotta-stuffed fried artichokes, capicola, Italian sausage, herbs de provence coated goat cheese, fontina, manchego, red grapes and pears. I piled the pears atop the goat cheese and herbs de provence...great sweet/tangy/salty combination.

Next course was soups- lobster bisque with grilled shrimp and scallop and the leek, beef and potato soup with truffle oil. Although both were well balanced, the lobster bisque was my favorite- smooth, intense and full of cream I'm sure:)

For my entree, I tried the special of the night- grilled sea bass with a putanesca sauce, shrimp and an herbed polenta. I really enjoyed the mild fish, spicy sauce and firm polenta but I could have gone without the shrimp (underseasoned and seemed like an afterthought).

A few nights later, I met some foodie friends at Grace for cocktails. My current favorite is the St. Caroline cocktail made with Prosecco, St. Germain (elderflower liquer) and soda. After finally deciding where to go for dinner, we headed over to Zambrano's Wine Bar for wine and pizza.

We started with a light, white wine variety and the tomato bruschetta with serrano ham, tomato, melted brie and balsamic. I loved the wine but the bruschetta didn't deliver- I didn't get the salty ham flavor and the brie was lacking.

Next, we shared the caprese salad with field greens, mozzarella, basil and a balsamic reduction. The salad was beautifully presented and had nice flavors. Finally, we shared the traditional pizza with serrano, pepperoni, artichoke hearts, peppers, olives, red onions served with fresh parmesean and red pepper flakes. The pizza was delicious- the crust was thin and flavorful with herbs baked right in. I'll definitely be back for the extensive wine selection and flavorful pizza.

The next evening, I used leftover groceries from my catering event and helped make a delicious dinner. The menu was:

Artichoke stuffed chicken with roasted potatoes, sauteed brussel sprouts with lemon and pecans and a roasted yellow pepper sauce (shown at right)

The sauce was my favorite part of the dish- roasted yellow peppers, sauteed onions, garlic, salt, pepper and a bit of honey and butter at the end...well balanced and great to sop the chicken and potatoes in.

Also this week was the end to my second trimester in culinary school :( This was sad for me because I learned so much and felt like my skills grew drastically as well.

Fortunately, I still have two trimesters left and I will start pastry classes in May.

For our final, we had 3.5 hours to create a tasting menu using all components of a mystery basket we recieved minutes before. My mystery basket contained:

Cod filet

Sirloin steak

Bone-in, skin-on chicken breast

Shrimp

Pork tenderloin

Asparagus

Parsnips

Cabbage

Sugar snap peas

Mini purple potatoes

Purple grapes

Quinoa

Sesame oil

After 3.5 hours, a blender of hot soup exploding on me and a few other roadblocks I finished with six solid dishes:

Pureed roasted carrot and parsnip soup with curry, turmeric and saffron garnished with grilled shrimp and mint

This was my favorite dish. Even in my time crunch, I really worked to layer flavors by roasting the carrots and parsnips with curry and turmeric, then added them in with my aromatics, vegetable stock and saffron.

Pan-fried chicken and scallion wontons with a cabbage, sugar snap pea and sliced grape slaw with grapeseed oil and lemon

For the filling, I roasted then pulled my chicken and added a touch of sesame oil, chopped scallions, honey and salt then filled the wonton wrappers and pan-fried them. I liked the savory wontons with the fresh slaw.

"Steak & frites"- an open-faced grilled sirloin sandwich with toasted baquette, smoked gouda, wasabi key lime mustard and mini-fried purple potato chips

Asian "nacho" with sesame-crusted cod, fried wonton, grilled asparagus and a cucumber salad

Braised pork tenderloin with a quinoa, herb and mango salad

Vegetarian taco with fried white beans, thyme and a braised red grape salsa

After the final, the rest of my weekend was spent moving into my new downtown apartment, fufilling my curry craving at Bombay Grill, catching up with friends and having brews at the Ginger Man and most importantly, a delicious and event-filled evening at the Taste of Fort Worth at the Hilton downtown.

Benefiting Big Brothers and Big Sisters, the event celebrated 30 years of "fine wine and culinary excellence" with a plethora of local wineries, restaurants, a silent auction and great company. After tasting wines and falling in love with honey flavored vodka from 42 Below Vodka, we tried to sample as much food as possible.

My favorites were:

Buttons- Seafood gumbo
Eddie V's- Halibut with microgreens and saffron tomatoes
Fort Worth Boat Club- Lamb "lollipops" with a mint jelly and peppercorn gravy
Grace- Corn panna cotta with lump crab
Lambert's- Chili grits with braised lamb shoulder and radish slaw
The Culinary School of Fort Worth- delish chocolate chip cookies

The evening was lovely, the food was incredible and the company kept me smiling all night!