pain perdu and an Austin adieu

My Christmas season has been full of busy work days, sparkling ornaments, luscious red wine, homemade stews, white poinsettias as well as planning an intimate, winter dinner party for my Private Chef service: Linguine and Dirty Martinis, Food for the Fabulous Life!

Within the thick of the bustling holidays, my client selected from my winter menu of offerings and settled on a hearty spread full of deep, roasting techniques, local ingredients and seasonal flair. The 5-course winter dinner party for 10 included:

Toasted Hazelnuts with Lemon Rind and Fresh Thyme

This was a Thanksgiving recipe I made a few weeks before- it couldn't be easier. My client isn't an orange fan so I substituted lemon rind for orange from the original recipe.

Curried Roasted Parsnip Carrot Soup with Pepitas

This dish is inspired from a quick soup I made "on the fly" in Culinary School. When given a mystery basket containing parsnips, I made a pureed soup with roasted parsnips, carrots, turmeric and curry. I refined this recipe a bit by adding fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, a cream finish and a pepita garnish. Not only is the soup quite pretty (a gorgeous yellow-orange) but insanely delicious and filling.

Red Cabbage Salad with Bleu Cheese, Pecans, Bosc Pears and an Apple Cider Vinaigrette

This salad sounded great in my head but I was nervous that the execution might lead to a too-bitter salad. I was pleasantly surprised with the combination of bitter, crispy cabbage, pungent Cabrales bleu, oaky, crunchy pecans, sweet pears and the vinegar-ridden presence of the dressing. Fresh ground black pepper was the perfect finish.

Maple Bourbon Marinated Pork Loin with a Cranberry Shallot Compote

To all of you "pork haters"...this is my gift to you. This pork dish was perfection! (if I do say so myself) My sous chef and I marinated the pork, crusted it with fresh woody herbs, coarse salt and pepper then gave the loin a hard sear. Right before serving, we finished it in the oven to a moist, juicy medium-well. While the pork rested, we finished it with a bit of brown sugar melted butter and serve it atop brussel sprouts with the cranberry shallot compote on the side.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon, Parmesan and Black Pepper

If you haven't noticed, I'm a brussel sprout nut- more specifically, a roasted brussel sprout nut. Although I don't personally fiend for bacon, I knew it was a smart choice to go with the brussels. To finish the duo, I sprinkled grated parmesan and fresh-ground cracked pepper atop. Wonderful, wonderful side dish.

Soft Polenta with Balsamic and a Tomato Basil Jam

This is an old-school dish of mine that I served as an hors d'oeuvre for a cocktail party in the past. The original appetizer was a firm polenta cut into triangles with tomato jam and a shaving of fontina. This polenta was served soft with fresh herbs, cream, butter and a dash of balsamic. The tomato jam was a mixture of stewed tomatoes, fresh basil and garlic- very simple, yet comforting and familiar to guests.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Crystallized Ginger and Crispy Sage

The ginger in this dish isn't quite recognizable until you take a bite with the buttery squash. This side is quite easy too- the hardest part is getting your knife through the dense skin of the winter squash. I sliced the squash into wedges with the skin intact and roasted them at a high temperature with whole sage leaves, salt, pepper and crystallized ginger. Remind your guests of the inedible skin before serving.

Red Apple Tart with a Fresh Tarragon Vanilla Chantilly Cream

When I am cooking an entire meal from scratch, I go for simplicity either with appetizers or dessert. In this case, I used a puff pastry shortcut for this festive and elegant dessert. To make, I layered thinly-sliced gala apple slices atop defrosted puff pastry with vanilla sugar. The whipped cream had a subtle-anise additive of fresh tarragon and vanilla bean paste. The guests were crazy about this whipped cream and started adding it to their coffee.

After a tiresome, yet fulfilling evening full of holiday cheer, I met Ms. Fort Worth Foodie and Ms. Eat This Fort Worth for an evening of mussels and pommes frites at Sapristi. The fries and aioli were addicting and perfect to sop in the savory broth from the mussels. Along with dinner, I was completely blindsided when Ms. Fort Worth Foodie brought me a simply-wrapped graduation present- an autographed copy of Ad Hoc at Home by the legendary, Chef Thomas Keller with a personal message from Chef Keller to me! I was ecstatic- what a lovely gift.

On the topic of gifts, especially lovely ones, my Christmas was one to remember full of delicious food, gracious gift-giving and times with family and friends. I celebrated two Christmases and cooked dinner parties for each. The party for Mom's side of the family featured simple, comfort food with a hit of spice. Dad's side boasted an Italian flare with simple, seasonal produce.

Christmas Eve Party Menu (Mom's side):

Cheese Board with Honeycomb and Fresh Berries

Fig Jam with Cream Cheese and Black Pepper Crackers

Boiled Shrimp with Homemade Cocktail Sauce and Spicy Honey Mustard

Orange Guacamole

Caesar Salad with Garlic Oil Croutons, Anchovy and Fresh Parmesan

Roasted Poblano and Jalapeno Grits with Sharp Cheddar

Roasted Tomatoes with Rosemary, Sage and Garlic Cloves

Pork and Sweet Corn Tamales

Christmas #2 Dinner Party Menu (Dad's side):

Cheese Board with Honeycomb and Fresh Berries

Antipasto Platter
Because the main entree was a vegetarian option, I wanted to offer some cured meats alongside cheeses with salty and briny accompaniments.

Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese, Currants, Orange Peel, Pine Nuts and a Honey Vinaigrette

The garnishes in this salad really pop against the emerald spinach. I was careful to lightly dress the salad and let the flavor-ridden garnishes speak for themselves. This is an appropriately light salad to go with the heavy pasta dish.

Roasted Root Vegetables with Crispy Capers and a Lemon Glaze
For this side, I chopped and roasted a variety of vegetables (mainly roots) including: rutabaga, sweet potatoes, celery root, turnips, butternut squash, red potatoes, red onions and brussel sprouts with a bit of salt, pepper and olive oil. While still warm, I glazed the vegetables with a lemon butter mixture and tossed them with crispy, pan-fried capers.

Pappardelle with Wild Mushrooms, Fresh Herbs and Black Truffle Butter

I chose a variety of wild mushrooms to saute and toss in this pasta dish: portabello, cremini, oyster, shiitake and hen of the woods. The mushrooms were a perfect match with the wide, buttered pappardelle, bitter rosemary and finishing black truffle aroma.

Crusty Baguette

For dessert, my cousin Catherine made delicious chocolate pies with a subtly sweet whipping cream - perfect with a coffee ending.

After eating my heart out in Austin, I returned to Fort Worth for a New Year's Eve dinner at Grace complete with tender crab cakes, spicy seared tuna, filet with truffle butter, pain perdu, champagne and cappuccinos- a decadent meal fit for a queen.

The next evening, I made a celebratory New Years Day meal for two: (complete with a good luck charm)

Ground Pork Burgers with Marjoram, Muenster, Arugula and Apple Grapefruit Compote

Black-Eyed Pea Relish with Jalapeno, Garlic and Apple Cider Vinegar

When crafting this burger, I was going for the whole "pork chops and cinnamon apples" thing and decided to make a compote. To freshen the apple flavor, I added grapefruit for sweetness and ginger and fresh nutmeg for spice. This compote is great with pork but would also be a delicious spread on toast with a side of bacon for breakfast or atop a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream for dessert.

Apple Grapefruit Compote with Fresh Ginger

3/4 c dried apple rings, chopped

1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped

juice of 1 lemon

zest of 1 lemon

rind of one grapefruit (peel rind with a peeler and slice into thin strips)

1/2 c sugar

1 tsp salt

1 T fresh ginger, grated

1/4 t fresh nutmeg, grated

1/4 t black pepper

2.5 c water

Combine all ingredients. Simmer in a saucepan on medium-low heat approximately one hour until liquid reduces by half. Serve warm with burgers or jar for later use.

Finally, how does everyone like the new look for the blog? The white background seems like a good start for the new year- please let me know.

plentiful wine and an evening, divine.

Halloween...what a boisterous holiday! Along with a quirky DJ blasting vintage Madonna, a jolly couple dressed as ketchup and mustard and my lovely fellow "Food Fairies" Megan and Annie, my catered occasion for 100 proved delightful!

My approach to creating the menu was to fuse sweet with savory while upholding that inherent spooky playful charm that just "screams" Halloween.

Our "carnival" treat-inspired menu included:

Roasted Poblano Queso

Grilled Tomato Red Pepper Salsa with Tortilla Chips

Puff Pastry-Wrapped Chicken Apple Sausage

Tarragon Honey Mustard

Mango Horseradish Sauce

I found an organic chicken sausage at Costco (yes, Costco) and my mom swears by it! We seared the sausage, sliced it on the bias, and served it with two dipping sauces. Both sauces were inspired by yummy sauces we have made in culinary school.

Spicy Brown Sugar Sirloin Meatballs

Julienned Carrot and Red Onion Slaw

Meatballs are perfect for cocktail parties! I like to glaze them or add a fresh slaw. This slaw was light, refreshing, and matched my clients color theme. Perfect!

Artichoke Yellow Tomato Tart with Kalamata Tapenade and Pine Nut Pesto

I thought these vegetarian tarts would be a stretch but people loved them! The rich crust, salty tapenade and fresh veggies were a nice combination.

Curried Popcorn Balls with Homemade Caramel and Toasted Peanuts

Ok...technically these weren't balls because Ms. Annie and I had an interesting experience trying to make these darn things (with possibly a bit too much champagne involved). The caramel was entirely too hot to roll into balls immediately so we instead turned the mixture into a crumble.

Dark Chocolate Bark with Marshmallows, Dried Apricots and Pumpkin Seeds

This is the easiest dessert to make! Melt chocolate. Spread on parchment. Add toppings. Cool to harden. Break apart. Yummy.

After I recovered from our Halloween shindig, I started my week looking forward to the year anniversary together with my boyfriend! We celebrated with an evening of cocktails at Michael's and a fabulous, fabulous dinner at Lanny's Alta Cocina.

We arrived and were warmly greeted by the maître d’ and presented glasses of bubbles (my favorite!) to celebrate. It was then time for the feast:

Lobster Raviolis with Foie Gras Butter, Brussels and Jalapeños

I'm not a huge lobster fan (weird, huh?) but these were subtle, yet rich and a perfect way to start our meal. The only ingredient I didn't taste was the jalapeno.

Shrimp and Epazote Tamales with a Canela Scented Tomatillo Sauce

Cannelini Bean Soup with Chorizo

This soup was delicious! It tasted like a pureed corn tortilla with a salty chorizo garnish.

Lobster Bisque

I was expecting the traditional creamy, lobster bisque but this was much different. The chile base was rich, spicy and reddish brown in color with tender lobster chunks.

Prime Carne Asada, Gnocchi with Chipotle Brown Butter, Guajillo Demi

Perfectly cooked with incredible flavors. Not "hit you in the face flavors" but thoughtful combinations with a warming hit of spice.

Chocolate Souffle with Peanut Butter Ice Cream

I wanted to order the flan but took one for the team for Mr. Sweet Tooth. It was a nice dessert but would have been too rich without the tart raspberries provided.

A few days later, my work week ended early to catch a flight to Houston for a family wedding. I was SO excited to see my extended family, shop til I dropped and restaurant hop.

I arrived late Thursday evening and met my parents, aunt and uncle at Benjy's. I started with a glass of champagne then quickly ordered an appetizer. For dinner, we split:

Spicy Tuna Tartare on a Crispy Edamame Roll with an Avocado Emulsion

I could have eaten 20 of these...seriously. I was also successful convincing my mother to try raw tuna.

Special of the day: Seared Grouper with Prociutto-wrapped Polenta, Truffle Oil and Sauteed Fennel with Yellow Tomatoes

I enjoyed the sides with this entree but the grouper was somewhat blah to me. It was cooked nicely, but lacked seasonings and a certain crispness associated with searing.

Butterscotch Hazelnut Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce, Vanilla Ice Cream

Perfection.

The following evening, we opted for Italian fare at Prego. My mom and I started with a buratta and watercress salad with pickled yellow beets, hazelnuts, heirloom tomatoes and a citrus vinaigrette.

For my entree, I ordered the special of the evening: shrimp and lump crab scampi with rapini. I enjoyed the acidic aspects of the scampi with the bitterness from the rapini. The lump crab was buttery and was a nice contrast to the shrimp (a bit overcooked).

Finally, Saturday evening arrived and it was wedding time! Decked out in deep purple and burgundy (creepily matching my father), my parents and I set off for the joyous occasion. The ceremony was quaint and boasted gorgeous colors of dark amethyst, antique pinks, winter whites and grey greens. The reception appropriately matched and was complete with a traditional carving station, airy crab fritters and an almond-flavored Brides cake.

Back in Fort Worth, I anxiously awaited the yearly anticipated Wine Pairing class at Culinary School. Chef Jon Bonnell is the usual Chef Instructor for the Sunday class, but a Tuesday class was added due to a large number of soon-to-be culinary graduates. For the Tuesday pairing, our head chef invited the legendary Chef Walter Kaufmann of the The Old Swiss House and Sommelier, Mark Gruntz, of the newly revamped Cafe Aspen on Camp Bowie.

As a group, our class tasted about 10 wines (at 9 a.m., grant you), arranged them from light to heavy and deciphered tasting notes of each. We then were assigned three wines at random and given exact times in which to present for critique. I was assigned a Chardonnay (the heaviest white), a Malbec (a fruity red) and a Cabernet Sauvignon (the heaviest red). My dishes, wine tasting notes and critiques were:

Wine: Sonoma Chardonnay with herbal, vegetal, pear, honey and oaky notes
Dish: Turnip Leek Soup with Brunoise Pears, Marjoram and Pecans

I wanted to create a pureed soup with subtly-flavored vegetables (leek, turnips) and fragrant herbs (marjoram) to pick up the herbal and vegetal notes of the wine. The pears were to add sweetness and the pecans were added to complement the oakiness. I added lemon zest to enhance all aspects.

Critique: Both enjoyed the soup but thought the leek was lost with the tangy turnip and the turnip might have been too strong a choice for the chardonnay. Both also preferred a smoother texture- I went more rustic.

Wine: Argentina Malbec with notes of blueberries, raspberries, cherries, raisins and clove

Dish: Pulled Roast Chicken with Puff Pastry, Wine Raisin Reduction, Fried Tarragon and Clove Chantilly Cream

This was the "fruit loop" wine of the bunch. I wanted to create a play on sweet and savory for my dish. I plumped raisins in a wine reduction, whipped a cream with ground clove and vanilla and fried tarragon for a bite of anise.

Critique: Our guests enjoyed the dish with the wine but opted for less clove.

Wine: Colombia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with notes of vanilla, oak, berries, smoke and licorice
Dish: Salt and Pepper Crusted Filet of Beef with a Beet Blueberry Chutney and Fried Fennel

I also had the "big boy" wine of the group. I grabbed a beautiful filet of beef and simply crusted it with kosher salt and pepper. I wanted to prepare a chutney but I didn't want to kill the wine with sweetness. I roasted beets with olive oil and kosher salt then reduced them down with the wine, orange zest and fresh blueberries to form my chutney and complement the berry notes. After searing my filet and finishing it in the oven to medium rare, I topped it with a fried fennel garnish to add texture and an anise flavor.

Critique: Both thought the dish was executed well and paired nicely with the wine. One believed the salt content to be a bit salty but the other disagreed.

After class, I was so relieved, happy and honored to cook for our esteemed guests. With only three classes left before I graduate from Culinary School, I'm looking forward to finishing strongly!

crab fest and PB&J's

The first of July has been exciting, stressful, busy, crazy, and of course, HOT! This was the first Fourth of July away from my family, the beach or the lake. Fortunately, I was surrounded with good friends from culinary school, a new experience at Rahr Brewery and of course, good food!

Before I start reliving my culinary "adventures", I wanted to give short disclaimer for those who recreate my recipes:

The recipes I provide are approximate guides but are by no means exact. I come up with my menu ideas, prepare them, then sit down to approximate the recipes.

A good rule of thumb when tasting food: If something seems too acidic or bitter, add a sweetener (I swear by honey). If something is too sweet, add fresh herbs, oil or an acid- whatever seems appropriate with what you are preparing. If you taste something that is under seasoned, add salt! Salt is a flavor enhancer and will make flavors more inherent. Finally, be wary with black pepper. When added too liberally, it actually changes the flavor of dishes and can make them bitter.

Now back to the food...

On a beautiful Friday evening, I dined with fellow "Fort Worth Foodies" at Ellerbe's Fine Foods promoting fresh, local and seasonal ingredients. The restaurant was very simple, almost plain, with starkly pressed servers and an anxious dining crowd. We sat outside, started with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc then shared:

Brazos Valley Feta and Moxia Peach Salad with Arugula, Citrus Vinaigrette and Toasted Pecans

Shrimp with Preserved Lemons and Celery Root Slaw

Bacon-wrapped Copper River Salmon with Scott Farms New Potatoes and Tarragon Creme Fraiche

Baseball Steak with Herbed Fries

Bread Pudding

Fruit plate with Amaretti cookies

The next week, I headed with work friends to Yucatan Taco Stand for happy hour followed by Nonna Tata for dinner. I'm going to skip straight to Nonna Tata because my experiences at Yucatan are just not worth mentioning anymore- It's one of those "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all" situations. Thanks, Dad.

Forgive me, I digress. Nonna Tata was delicious as always. Our table of 5 decided on an antipasto to share then split:

Tortolli with Goat Cheese
Veal Osso Bucco with Arborio Rice
Chicken Lasagna with Pesto

All three were delicious, but I couldn't stop eating the chicken lasagna. It was surprisingly light, yet rich at the same time. Our evening ended with a little too much wine and shots of Limoncello- much fun until I awoke the next morning...

Later that weekend, my partner and I had a Private Chef Event: A Summertime party for 45!

On our menu:

Lime and Mint Punch with Club Soda

(mint simple syrup with fresh lime juice, lime rounds and club soda for sparkle)

Roasted Red Salsa with Peppers, Tomatoes, Onions and Jalapenos

Roasted Green Salsa with Tomatillos, Orange and Lime

Traditional Guacamole (with chips galore!)

(Avocado, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, lime juice, lime zest, olive oil, a bit of honey and orange zest)

Pulled Chicken Quesadillas with Queso Fresco, Red Onions and Roasted Tomatoes

Roasted Shrimp Skewers in a Harissa Marinade with a Fennel Orange Slaw

Veggie Spring Rolls with a Wasabi Aioli

(rice paper, asparagus, cabbage, cilantro, red pepper flakes)

Crostini with Walnut Pesto, Roasted Sliced Beets, Summer Squash and Fresh Mozzarella

Meringue Cups with Lime Curd, Blackberries and Lime Zest (shown at right)

This party was fun- complete with a margarita machine, beautiful bright decorations and lovely people. We take pride in making everything homemade (ok, I cheated with the mayo for the aioli) and I think it really shows in our finished product. The salsas were deep roasted and simmered away all day. The veggie spring rolls were wrapped, the lime curd stirred and the meringues piped then baked by yours truly.

My partner really shines at sauce work and flavor building. The seared, then pulled chicken for the quesadillas was extremely moist with an apparent depth of flavor. Same idea with the shrimp- start with a flavorful marinade and finish with a flavorful sauce and/or textural accompaniment (fennel orange slaw) for full flavor to stand up to the spicy salsas.

After a busy weekend and work week, I was finally able to try Fort Worth's Eddie V's on a warm, Thursday evening. I've always dined at my hometown Eddie V's in Austin and Fort Worth didn't fail to impress. Our dinner was lovely but we ordered way too much food- all of it being extremely rich due to my boyfriend's "I hate veggies" syndrome. On the menu:

Calamari with Roasted Cashews, Julienned Veggies and Spicy Ginger Soy Sauce

(Well cooked and spicy but overkill on portion size for two)

Soft Shell Crab with Watermelon Citrus Vinaigrette
(I liked the crab but the vinaigrette tasted like oil to me. I tasted no citrus or watermelon. Maybe we got the wrong vinaigrette?)

Pan-Fried Cod with Dijon and Morels

(earthy complex flavors, perfectly cooked fish, gorgeous plating with deep red micro greens)

Bone-in Filet of Beef

(like butter)

Truffled Macaroni and Cheese

(sinful...complete with truffle oil and shaved truffles)

Lump Crab Fried Rice

(always been a favorite of mine, delicious as always)

Often overlooked, the bread really stood out to me! It tasted sweet but I couldn't put my finger on the sweet flavor. Brown sugar? Honey? Nope... it was cardamom and it gave the bread a subtle sweetness that I loved.

On the eve of fourth of July, I had a girlfriend over for a movie, wine and some (semi) healthy chicken burgers. Although I seldomly grill burgers without some type of cheese, these were perfect without. The avocado added a simple buttery texture, heirloom tomatoes added tang and the tarragon mayo added an anise flavor surprise.

Herbed Chicken Burgers with Heirloom Tomatoes, Avocado, Tarragon Mayo and Micro Greens

For Chicken Burgers:

1/2 lb ground chicken

1 T olive oil
1 T kosher salt
1/2 t pepper
1 T chopped sage
1 T chopped tarragon

1/2 T lemon zest

1 garlic clove, minced

For Tarragon Mayo:

1 c mayo
1/3 c tarragon, minced
1/2 T lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste

For burger building:

2 heirloom tomatoes- yellow and red, sliced thinly with kosher salt

1 avocado, sliced with lime juice and salt

1 package micro greens

2 whole wheat buns, toasted on grill pan with olive oil

Serves 2.

A few evening later, I decided to make a Surf and Turf-style dinner with a fresh-baked sweet for dessert. Although I love shrimp, I chose to work with lump crab for my surf element. For the turf, I chose a gorgeous prime ribeye from Central Market.

Lump Crab Napoleons with Fried Wontons, Braised Granny Smith Apples, Spicy Corn Salad, Pepitas and Cilantro Oil (shown at right)

Braised Apples:

1 granny smith apple, cored then thinly sliced in rounds

2 cups water

1 cup white wine

2 cups sugar

sprinkle of salt
1 large squeeze of lemon juice

Bring water, white wine, salt and sugar to a simmer in a sauce pan. Add apple slices in liquid and cook until tender. Set aside.

Spicy Corn Salad:

2 ears of fresh corn, cut off cob

1/2 jalapeno, minced with ribs and seeds removed

2 T red onion, minced

1 T butter

Olive oil to saute

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Saute corn, jalapeno and red onion in butter and olive oil for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper, keep warm until ready to serve.

Lump Crab:

1/2 lb fresh jumbo lump crab meat, picked over for shell remnants

2 T minced fresh basil

2 T minced fresh cilantro

1 thinly sliced scallion (dark green ends removed)

drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

1 T honey

1/2 T lemon zest

1 squeeze of lemon juice

Combine all ingredients and chill until ready to serve.

For Cilantro Oil:

3/4 cup cilantro

3/4 cup olive oil

1 T honey

1 squeeze of lemon juice

salt to taste

Combine honey, lemon and cilantro in food processor. Slowly stream in olive oil until desired consistency is achieved. Salt to season. Set aside.

For building napoleon:

handful of pepitas to sprinkle on each plate (toasted and salted)

6 wonton squares, fried in vegetable oil until golden brown and crispy

Drizzle a bit of cilantro oil on plate followed by one of the wonton squares. Begin layering the spicy corn salad, lump crab mixture and braised apples with remaining two wonton squares. Top with pepitas, another drizzle of cilantro oil and remaining fresh herbs if desired.

Serves 2.

Seared Prime Ribeye with Sweet and Spicy Glaze

1 ribeye steak (approximately 1 pound)

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to "crust" the steak

30 minutes before cooking, remove steak from refrigerator to bring to room temperature and remove chill. Crust the ribeye liberally with salt and pepper. In a hot grill pan, add olive oil and sear ribeye on both sides until a brown crust develops.

Drizzle glaze on steak and finish it a 350 degrees oven until desired temperature is reached (I cooked mine to medium rare). Drizzle with additional glaze if desired and a sprinkle of kosher salt before serving.

For the glaze:
Combine brown sugar, honey, sriracha, lemon juice, lime juice, lime zest and salt and whisk to get the flavor of your liking.

Serves 2.

Chocolate Chile Brownies with Cinnamon Vanilla Ice Cream

I used an Epicurious recipe for these brownies and although I was happy with the texture of the brownies, there was a bit too much Chile powder that actually overwhelmed the rich chocolate. Despite cutting down the Chile powder from 1/4 of a cup to an 1/8 of a cup, it was still a bit much- I'm thinking a tablespoon or two will be plenty next time.

I served the warm brownies with vanilla ice cream mixed with a drizzle of vanilla bean paste and cinnamon. The ice cream was fantastic with the rich brownies.

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!

the melting pot & my chicken phobia

It's Lent and one of my "resolutions" is to cook more at home.

Beside saving me money, I'm really trying to explore different flavors and techniques. Here are a few meals from this week:

Our "Bachelor finale-watching" meal:

Flank steak tostadas
Grilled corn and radish salad

Avocado crema

Not only is this meal pretty healthy (minus the fried tortillas), but fun to make as well. To begin, I made the corn salsa and avocado crema. For the salsa, I grilled my corn on the grill pan with olive oil and salt then cut it off the cob. Add the warm corn to minced jalapeno, red onion, cilantro, sliced radishes and lime juice. For the crema, I added the fruit of two avocados to the food processor with plain Greek yogurt, lime, honey and salt to get a smooth, thick consistency.

Meanwhile, I fried tortillas (I chose CM whole wheat) in vegetable oil until puffy and crispy then set them aside to drain on paper towels. I also heated vegetarian refried beans with a bit of garlic and oil to later spread on the tortillas.

Now for the steak...first, I made my marinade with chipotles in adobo, salt and pepper and rubbed the flank steak with it. Keep in mind, these chipotles are HOT so use with caution. I actually wiped most of the marinade off right before grilling but the smoky flavor still remained. I then grilled the steak on my grill pan to medium rare, let it rest and sliced it.

To serve, spread the fried tortilla with refried beans and arrange steak slices. Top with cheese (we used fontinella and I highly recommend this), the corn salsa and a dollop of avocado crema...Olé!

Our homemade "BBQ" and Heat-watching meal:

Salad with romaine, candied pecans, feta and homemade balsamic dressing
Smoked brisket
Pork ribs
Scallion cheddar mashed potatoes
Corn on the cob

Although my contribution to this meal was minuscule, it was so dang great I had to mention it! The brisket and ribs were smoked for 24 hours and were to-die-for tender. My contribution was the candied pecans (I was too busy watching DeNiro and drinking beer) and they were super simple. I toasted the pecans with butter, honey, red pepper flakes and salt then let them cool before they went into the salad.

Our "Ode to Morocco" meal:

Moroccan chicken with saffron risotto

Although I can't take credit for this meal either, I can definitely comment on the preparation. The risotto was made with saffron threads, onion, garlic and herbs. For the chicken, sear it first with salt and pepper, then add a wet paste of smoked paprika, curry powder, turmeric, saffron, salt, pepper, cumin, chopped kalamata olives, cilantro, onion and olive oil and return to the pan. Add white wine to cover chicken and reduce until sauce consistency is reached (about 10 minutes). Finish the sauce with a few pats of butter and serve with saffron risotto.

Our current focus in culinary school has been the ever-flowing melting pot of American regional cuisine. For the northern and eastern states (I drew Pennsylvania) we drew dishes out of a basket to recreate and then had to make an individual dish using any type of beans. Yes, beans.

I drew Boston baked beans (ehh..) and Buffalo stew (double ehh...). The beans actually turned out pretty delicious. It was your typical dish with dry mustard, molasses and brown sugar but I added chopped bacon and thyme to it as well.

For my personal bean dish, I grabbed the garbanzo beans and decided to make a salad- Spinach apple salad with spiced fried chickpeas and a lemon ginger vinaigrette.

The next class, we concentrated more on the Southern and Western states (I chose Florida). For my required dishes, I drew Jambalaya (yay!) and Navajo fry bread. For our individual dish, we were required to incorporate any type of corn (fresh, frozen, canned, corn meal, masa harina, etc.)

Beside my torment of cutting up an entire chicken*, the jambalaya was really fun to make.

*Disclaimer: I have a huge chicken phobia. I don't like to order it in restaurants unless I've had it before. The raw skin irks me and I feel like the raw chicken is going to jump up and start dancing before I cut it. I also hate slicing the backbone. Yes, I'm a huge baby and this is ridiculous. Just let it go...

First, I seared my beautifully fabbed chicken with salt and pepper then removed it from the pan. Next, I sauteed onion, garlic, parsley, cubed ham, cubed pork loin and sliced kielbasa in the same pan. I then added the spices (dried basil, thyme, cayenne, paprika, salt, pepper, etc.), homemade chicken stock, long grain rice and my reserved chicken back in the pan. Bake for 45 minutes (stirring occasionally) at 350 degrees and you've got some damn good jambalaya.

For the fry bread, I made a dough of flour, baking powder and salt. After kneading for a few minutes, I set the dough aside to rest for 15 minutes. To prepare the dough for frying, roll out until about 1/4 inch thin into circles 3 inches in diameter. Deep fry the dough circles- it only takes a couple minutes a side.

For my individual dish with corn, I stuffed my fry bread with a fried corn salsa of jalapeno, lime juice, cilantro and salt with a mango vinaigrette. For the vinaigrette, I combined the fruit of one mango, orange juice, lime juice, chopped scallion, salt and olive oil in the food processor. To serve, I stuffed the fry bread with the corn salsa, a bit of mango vinaigrette and slices of orange and salted avocado.

The next few weeks will be crazy- seafood class in culinary school, catering a tea party for 50 then catering an outdoor BBQ for 300! Time to start menu-planning...

antipasto and the crab cake snob

Our "journey around the world" in culinary school came to an end last week with our Mediterranean class. After researching the cuisine of these regions (mine was Egypt) we were assigned two traditional dishes to recreate along with a dish of our choice reflecting our region.

I was assigned chicken saltibocca from Italy and tabbouli from Greece for my traditional dishes to recreate. I've had tabbouli many times and it's a pretty simple process to make. First, I soaked the bulgur wheat in a bowl of boiling water and set it aside to cook and soften. After it softened, (about 45 minutes) I squeezed the residual liquid from the bulgur and added the dried grain to a bowl. To the wheat, I added chopped tomatoes, cucumber, mint, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper as desired....easy, healthy and delicious.

For the saltimbocca, I decided to make a chicken version instead of veal. I started by pounding out my boneless, skinless chicken breasts to about 1/8 of an inch. Next, I lined the breast with fresh sage leaves and a slice of prosciutto on top. I then floured the breast "package"...no pun intended....and pan fried the breast prosciutto side down. Because the chicken was pounded so thin, it took mere minutes to cook. After the breast was brown on both sides, I added sliced fontina on top and let it melt in the oven.

Next, I created a pan jus with the brown bits left in my saute pan. I added red wine and more sage and let the sauce reduce to thicken. To plate, I drizzled the jus on my plate followed by the chicken and topped it all with fried sage leaves.

For my individual dish, I did a dessert reflective of common spices used in Egypt. First, I toasted walnuts with turmeric, cardamon, paprika, cayenne, honey and salt. Then, I added the spiced nuts to the food processor with some Mediterranean apricots to make a thick "paste". I then cut puff pastry into 2 inch squares and baked them in the convection oven. After they were browned, I stuffed the puff pastry with the spiced walnut and apricot paste and finished the dish with a sweet mint and honey yogurt.

The next evening, my girlfriend and I spent a quaint evening at Nonna Tata for dinner. Although we arrived early, we were faced with the inevitable wait. Fortunately, we spent our hour wait blanketed outside and sipping wine.

Once inside, we were greeted with an "amuse bouche" of pureed white beans, olive oil and thyme with crispy pita-type chips. It was light, pleasantly salty and perfect with our bottle of sweet Riesling.

To begin, we ordered the antipasto #2 served on a wood carving board complete with:

bresaola (air-dried, salted beef)

pancetta
salami

grana (hard, mature Italian cheeses similar to a Parmigiano-Reggiano)

riccota salata (similar to a dried, Italian feta)

goat cheese crostini

fritatta with leeks

grissini (crispy bread sticks)

mini puff pastry tarts stuffed with sausage and tomato

foccacia

lemon soaked arugula

The board was delicious with our Italian cab...we were in heaven. Soon after, our salads arrived- lettuce, corn, cabbage and carrots with a raspberry chipotle or balsamic vinaigrette. We tried both dressings and I enjoyed them both.

For our entree, we split a pasta dish with penne, sauteed shrimp and a green olive pesto with cherry tomatoes and leeks. I was literally sopping up the delicious pesto with every instrument I could find. The shrimp was well cooked, the pasta was al dente and the green olive pesto was a perfect balance.

The worst part of the dinner was being too full to order dessert.

Last Saturday, my partner and I had to feed a crowd of 30 for an afternoon party. Our menu was a collaboration of requests from the clients and our own ideas.

The menu was:

Skirt steak atop crostini with mango tomato salsa

Chorizo stuffed sweet peppers

Spiced shrimp in a butter herb sauce
Asian style crab cakes with a roasted red pepper sauce
Skirt steak with pears, onions and herbs de Provence

The crab cakes were my "creation" and I was really happy how they turned out. First, I picked over my fresh lump crab for any shell remnants and gently combined it with thinly sliced scallions, cilantro, an egg to bind, homemade baguette crumbs, ginger, soy, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

On a side note- I'm a HUGE crab cake snob. I can't stand when restaurants serve a deep fried pile of breading instead of letting the crab shine through. As a result, my crab cakes had just enough breading and egg to keep them from falling apart when hitting the deep fryer.

After I formed the mini crab cakes, I gently fried them in the deep fryer for a couple minutes. To plate, I garnished them with cilantro, scallions and the red pepper sauce.

For the sauce, I roasted two red bell peppers and removed the blackened skin and seeds. Combine the roasted peppers in the food processor with olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, honey, red pepper flakes and soy. This is a great fiery combination for the sweet crab.

Two nights later, we had an impromptu "dinner party" courtesy of my significant other. The menu was:

Pork loin stuffed tart apples with rosemary and wine

Roasted red pepper mashed potatoes
Quick sauteed brussel sprouts with a balsamic glaze

Although it was all delicious, the brussel sprouts were my favorite. I drizzled them with this incredible balsamic I bought from a fantastic food boutique in Dallas (Snyder plaza) called Flavors from Afar. Very delicious- and quite healthy- dinner.