Home > Relish Austin
Rusty Irons: What’s in Your Fridge Friday?
Her quirky video showing how to make a slow-roasted pork butt on the grill caught producers’ attention. They picked her as one of 13 guest chefs for this season, and she flew to New York to shoot the episode earlier this summer.
Check out her episode on August 3 on the Food Network, and see what Mr. Flay had to say about this sassy (and sharp) Austin foodie.
What’s your favorite local item right now? Jeremiah Cunningham eggs. Eggs are the source of life and a complete source of protein. It can be made as savory or sweet. Marooned on an island? Give me egg. It goes great with kelp.
What’s with the artichoke? It’s beautiful! I use fresh fruits and veggies as flower arrangements in my hotel “The Irons Austin”! Guests see their whimsy. They last forever and then you eat them. It’s like an eco thing. I love to steam artichokes, dip them in my famous mustard mayonnaise and watch the Food Network or Anthony Bourdain.
You’re throwing one of your famous dinners. What dish do you feature? Osso buco with veal shank and pappardelle (flat wide ribbon) pasta. Extra sauce. It’s an art.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: What's in Your Fridge Friday
How to make: Key Lime Pie
Grab yourself some key limes and make a sweet treat!
Key Lime Pie
1 9” graham cracker pie shell
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup key lime juice (about 15 limes)
Combine milk, egg yolks and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Pour filling into pie shell and bake at 350F degrees for 15-17 minutes. Let cool and serve.
And here’s a sorbet recipe in case you don’t want to heat up your house…
Key Lime Sorbet
Recipe by Alton Brown
1 cup sugar
1 cup key lime preserves
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 lime, zested and juiced
4 cups lime flavored club soda or seltzer
Kosher salt
Combine sugar, preserves and 1 cup of the soda in a medium saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar and preserves are melted. Add citrus juice and zest. Stir in the remaining soda, move to a clean, lidded container and chill thoroughly, 2 to 3 hours.
Turn mixture in ice cream maker per maker’s instructions or until mixture reaches the consistency of a firm slush. Return mixture to lidded container and harden in freezer 1 hour before serving.
If sorbet is to be held frozen for longer than 2 hours, move from freezer to refrigerator for about half an hour before serving. If you’d like a more assertive sorbet, double the amount of citrus zest.
Yield: 1 1/2 quarts Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment Categories: How to video, Recipes
Keeping it caffeinated (and clean)
With all the bitterness ‘round these parts (yesterday’s iced coffee feature and mini comment firestorm after that food bank post), how great is this story by the Washington Post about a feud in a D.C.-area coffeeshop that erupted after a customer ordered a triple espresso over ice? Barista said no, customer shot back, and an expletive-laden argument ensued, both in the shop and online.
What’s the grind? Coffeeshop says it wants to hold up the integrity of its drinks (the way the espresso is made means it’s bitter over ice, and they don’t want to serve bitter coffee); the customer says he has a right to order the drink however he’d bleepity bleep bleep like it.
After this debacle, I think both sides would say that as humans we need to treat each other with the same dignity and respect we’d like to be treated with. As customers. As businesspeople. As bloggers. As readers. As members of the same community. But it’s amazing how easily the Golden Rule melts into a puddle at your feet when any attack gets heated or personal.
Blogs are so interesting and important because they allow a discussion among readers; it’s not just one person talking in a corner to herself. But we’re seeking a discussion, so let’s keep it civil and productive. Speak your mind! Disagree! Offer counterpoints and suggestions! But if your comment contains personal attacks on me or other commenters, I won’t publish it.
Hey, at least we kept it (relatively) clean. And I do love me some volleyball. :)
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Food in the news
Could you live a month on food stamps?
He lost 18 pounds and had to stop yesterday, just four days shy of his goal, because doctors warned him that he shouldn’t risk his health by losing any more weight.
“I can’t put into words how painfully disappointing it was to have to stop,” he said yesterday on the phone. Because of pre-existing health issues, “I was really restricted on what foods I could eat, and the thing I was really surprised the most at was how difficult it was to eat any kind of a healthy diet at $21 a week.”
“It wasn’t about making it 4 weeks,” he said. “It was about understanding things a little bit better. I understand a lot better that when you’re hungry, you want different things.”
One shopping day, while standing at the check-out line, he realized he didn’t have enough to buy what he needed to make chili, a calorie-rich dish he thought would provide meals for at least a few days. “And I thought I had a great idea, ‘Just don’t buy your medicines this week’.” If it’s not sacrificing medicines, it’s utilities or other bills that have to wait.
He tried to include fruits and vegetables in the budget, but they just didn’t provide enough calories. Ritz crackers and peanut butter were what got him through the experiment.
But for so many people in Central Texas, eating on $21 is a week is no experiment, it’s a grim day-to-day reality that’s only getting worse as food prices increase a few cents each week.
Next time you go to the grocery store, think about how far $21 dollars goes these days and consider giving back to local organizations that try to fill in the gaps that food stamps inevitably leave.
Permalink | Comments (20) | Post your comment Categories: Food in the news
Z’Tejas wants your dessert on the menu
Z’Tejas is looking for a few good recipes.
Dessert recipes to be more specific.
Dessert recipes that use chiles to be exact.
It’s never to early to start looking forward to the chile season, which for the beloved Hatch chile is just around the corner, and Z’Tejas is planning a three-week chile celebration September 2-21.
The restaurant, which has three Central Texas locations, will have a special menu for the three-week Chile Bash, and on that menu could be your very own recipe!
Send your recipes to recipes@ztejas.com and include the following information:
— Number of servings
— List of ingredients and measurements in order of use
— Step-by-step preparation and cooking instructions
— Name, address, phone and e-mail
A portion of the sales from Chile Bash menu will go to the Sustainable Food Center, the nonprofit in charge of the downtown and Triangle farmers’ markets and several programs providing access to food to low-income families.
You have until July 28 to submit a recipe. You’d better get cookin’!
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Cooking, Recipes
Tequila time!
To get yourself ready for National Tequila Day (July 24, a week from Thursday) head over to Ranch 616 on Nueces Street in Austin for Tequila Tuesday tonight, where you can get an appetizer, entree, dessert and a tequila drink for $29.95.
I took some friends last week and had a fabulous time enjoying margaritas and some very delicious food, including a blueberry pudding cake that was to die for.
The items on the Tequila Tuesday menu change each week, but the live music is always the same: Lucas Hudgins and the First Cousins rock the Ranch with some awesome honky tonk. Pretty soon, there will be a big ol’ patio on which you can feast outside and enjoy your tequila under the stars.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Eating out
How much milk can a food writer drink?
Remember that post last week about why some organic milks last so darn long? Well, I ended up doing a little taste test to see if I could tell the difference between one non-organic and three organic milks.
It wasn’t one of those bets to see who can drink a gallon of milk in an hour, but it sure felt like it when I was done…
Now, about those expiration dates:
H-E-B whole milk — July 22 Promised Land organic — July 25 Horizon organic — July 23 The Omega-3 Horizon — August 12
The Omega-3 milk was the sweetest of the bunch, and it will also last the longest on your refrigerator shelf. I’d say the sweetness is likely linked to the ultrahigh temperature pasteurization.
Also, that White Mountain yogurt I showed at the end is a local product! My neighbor friend Gilbert, who happens to be the dairy buyer for Whole Foods downtown, alerted me to this fact and said that it’s a very popular brand.
Remember: You can still e-mail me at abroyles@statesman.com (or send @broylesa a message on Twitter) with yogurt, cheese or butter tips! I’m working on a column for the end of the month.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment Categories: Drinks
Know anybody with salmonella?
So it’s been six weeks since the national Centers for Disease Control and the FDA issued a warning saying Roma and large round tomatoes were possibly linked to people getting sick with salmonella. Texas-grown tomatoes were declared safe, then U.S.-grown tomatoes. The search moved to Mexico, where the government is trying to convince the FDA to declare the tomatoes safe after weeks of testing and no evidence of salmonella.
Now, serrano and jalepeno peppers and maybe even cilantro are suspects in the breakout that has sickened more than 1,000 people, which means that this could be the largest produce-related illness since they started tracking these outbreaks in the 1960s.
According to the CDC, a little less than half the total number of people sickened fell ill in Texas. That’s 448 people as of a few days ago. More than 40 of those cases were in Central Texas.
Do you know anyone who has fallen ill in this outbreak? Please send me an e-mail at abroyles@statesman.com if so.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Food in the news
Make your dinner reservations online
If you go to austin360.com/food and click on the “Make online reservations” link in the center box, you’ll get to a window where you can select one of the 40 restaurants in Central Texas, from Asti to Uchi to Zoot, and make your reservation in seconds.
The only bad thing is now you don’t have an excuse come the next anniversary/birthday/Mother’s Day for not getting a seat at one of Austin’s finest dining establishments.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Eating out
What to do with all these recipes?
I admit it; I’m a pack rat, especially when it comes to magazines. I have magazines piling up on the dining room table, leaving us hardly enough room to have dinner, and my slightly OCD husband is quickly tiring of the ever-growing mess.
I’m a magazine freak, subscribing to many and collecting the local free ones wherever I go. I’m obsessed with what’s inside: the front-of-book tips, the photography, the fashion spreads, the profiles, the design, and, most importantly, the recipes.
I’d like to start going online to fetch the recipes I find in print, but then I’m stuck without a way to collect them all in one place.
So here’s my problem: The recipe clutter online and on my computer is already overwhelming! I have recipes stored on del.icio.us, Google Reader and, of course, my inbox. I’ve tried to stick with Epicurious, AllRecipes or one of the other recipe sites, but that only lasts a day or so. I’ve even started Word files to cut and paste recipes in! (You can guess how long that lasted…)
With so many recipe databases out there, there’s bound to be one that lets me input, import and collect recipes easily.
Maybe I just am out of the loop, but I haven’t found a site that works for me. What do ya’ll use to find recipes online and keep ‘em all straight?
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Cookbooks, Cooking, Recipes
Texas Locavore Beth Goulart: What’s in Your Fridge Friday?
But take heed: Her descriptions and photographs of food will make your mouth water and your tummy cry out, “Yee-haw, let’s eat already!”
What three things are always in your fridge?
—Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese — It adds depth of flavor to dishes made with whatever
veggies and legumes are fresh and local.
—lemons and/or limes — They keep for a long time and their juice brightens flavors
in everything from cocktails to soups made from fresh, local vegetables.
—unsalted European-style butter — Together with olive oil, it’s the start of nearly
every dish. I wish I could find a local purveyor!
What’s your favorite condiment? Texas olive oil. The one they sell at Central Market is so flavorful. It brings greens to life, tastes great sopped up on bread, and turns plain noodles into a suitable side.
If you could eat one local food (or local food-based product/dish) every day for a week straight, what would it be? Texas figs! I’d eat them in gelato, with goat cheese on pizzas, with honey and pine nuts on sweet tarts, and more. I think local figs are one of the very best things about living in Texas.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: What's in Your Fridge Friday
Have you made cheese or yogurt? I need your help!
Calling home cooks! I’ve always wanted to try my hand at making yogurt, and I just got a book the other day called “The Home Creamery” that shows you how not only to make yogurt, but also cheeses, including feta, ricotta, mozzarella and — a personal favorite — cottage cheese.
Does anyone have any tips or tricks for a first-time cheese/yogurt-maker? I see that I’m probably going to need some cultures and rennet. I found out Whole Food sells rennet (ren-NET, the person on the phone harshly corrected me), and I know that I can use regular yogurt to get started. Anybody have any other information on these out-of-the-ordinary ingredients?
Thanks for your help, home dairy-makers!
Permalink | Comments (12) | Post your comment Categories: Cooking
French chickens and fancy hens
I had so much fun working on this week’s stories about French fowl and rabbit farmer and chef Sebastien Bonneu and the Cola Sisters, the hosts of the public access show “Cookin’ Good.” Great subjects with interesting stories to tell. Every food writers’ — well, at least this food writer’s — dream.
They raise some tasty chickens, too! We had a couple of birds a week or so ago — cut into pieces and grilled — that made me remember what chicken is supposed to taste like. Certainly makes chicken sold on Styrofoam and wrapped in plastic a little less appealing.
He’ll be at the Triangle tonight selling his goods if you want to try them yourself.
I got to listen in on some of them during a taping of a show last weekend, and let me tell you, they have some crazy fans, some of whom leave 5-minute messages professing their Cola love. (If you’ve never seen the show, it’s hard to grasp exactly why they have such a following, but you can get a glimpse of their style in this Austin360.com video.)
Someone made a full-color comic book based on them, they sold a guest spot on their show for charity recently for $100 and Arcie even was offered a ride from some fans who recognized her in public last week. All from a cooking show that would make your grandma blush. These are my kind of gals, even though I don’t think I could ever pull off the outfits.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Chewing the fat
Pondering the shelf life of organic milk
Many of you might have noticed that the expiration date on some brands of organic milk is weeks, even months, longer than that of many of the non-organic varieties. Shasta Cola and I were trying to figure out why during a taping last weekend of Cookin’ Good, she and her sister Arcie Cola’s hit public access cooking show. (Look for a Relish Austin column about them in tomorrow’s newspaper and a cooking video here on Austin360.com.) Shasta and I were stumped and I did some research today and figured out why the distant expiration dates.
It turns out that it has nothing to do with the milk being organic. How that type of milk is usually pasteurized is why it stays good for so long. I’ll let an animal nutrition professor, via Scientific American, explain:
The process that gives the milk a longer shelf life is called ultrahigh temperature (UHT) processing or treatment, in which milk is heated to 280 degrees Fahrenheit for two to four seconds, killing any bacteria in it.
Compare that to pasteurization, the standard preservation process. There are two types of pasteurization: “low temperature, long time,” in which milk is heated to 145 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 30 minutes, or the more common “high temperature, short time,” in which milk is heated to roughly 160 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 15 seconds.
Organic milk production is more limited than non-organic, so it usually has to travel farther (so much for trying to eat locally, right?). Ultrahigh temperature pasteurization allows for longer travel time and shelf life, but some say it adversely affects the flavor and there are unverified claims circulating that it lowers the nutritional value.
Also, not all organic milk brands use this kind of pasteurization, so check the expiration dates anyway.
Is anyone else out there buying organic milk because it lasts longer? Anyone notice a taste difference?
Photo courtesy of www.mercola.com.
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment Categories: Drinks
What to do with Fourth of July leftovers
I’ve always treated leftovers like gold. Probably stems from the leftover-only diet I consumed at lunch in high school. My loathe of turkey sandwiches and the availability of a cafeteria microwave meant that I was always concocting various ways to spice up the previous night’s dinner.
After this weekend’s grill binge, I imagine you, too, might have some leftovers just dying to be thrown together with some eggs for a Leftover Tortilla (the Spanish omelette tortilla, not the flat ones made of flour or corn).
Don’t do it for you, do it for the planet.
Why? Because eating leftovers is just way one to cut down on the amount of food we waste each year. Would you believe that, according to the government, we waste 27 percent of the food available for consumption?
Hungry people ‘round the world wouldn’t sniff twice at that pasta dish you made last weekend. Jonathan Bloom wouldn’t either. He’s in the midst of writing a book on wasted food in America, and he keeps a really interesting blog at www.wastedfood.com.
Bloom gives five tips on reducing your food waste:
Plan meals ahead and make a detailed shopping list. If you have a purpose for every item you buy, you’re less likely to waste food.
Stick to your list and avoid impulse buys. The majority of home food waste comes from buying items not on your list and unfamiliar foods. While that chayote is tempting, you may not get around to it before it gets overripe.
Beware bargains that beget waste. Sometimes “buy one, get one free” deals and bulk purchases are like fool’s gold. True Alpha Consumers know that saving a few bucks is useless if you throw away those savings later.
Shop for your real life, not your ideal one. If you find yourself getting takeout and tossing fresh foods, plan fewer home-cooked meals.
Save (and eat) your leftovers. There’s nothing better than leftovers for lunch, or you can set them aside for a smorgasbord dinner. Call it “Loco Leftovers Night” and the kids will love it.
Loco leftover night sounds like a sweet deal to me. Here’s a quick recipe to spruce up this weekend’s leftovers.
Leftover Tortilla Española
The basics:
6 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Pinch salt
1 tsp. butter or oil
The leftovers:
1 cup total chopped leftovers — You can use anything hanging around in a Tupperware or wrapped in aluminum, but I’ve found that sausages, chicken, hamburgers, potatoes, kebabs and especially grilled vegetables work really well.
(If consuming leftovers isn’t appealing to you, try adding a little cheese in the mix. One ounce of anything from Parmesan to Muenster to even Camembert will do wonders to make even the most disgusting combination of leftovers taste pretty darn good.)
In medium size bowl, using a fork, beat the together eggs, cheese, pepper and salt. Heat 12-inch non-stick, saute pan over medium high heat. Add butter to pan and melt. Add leftovers to pan and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour egg mixture into pan and stir with rubber spatula. Cook on low for 4 to 5 minutes or until the egg mixture has set on the bottom and begins to set up on top. Do not stir.
(Now this is when it can get tricky, but once you perfect la vuelta — the flip — you’ll be making these Spanish tortillas every week.)
With the heat on low, the eggs will have been cooking from the bottom up. After 6-8 minutes, when the top of the eggs are still just a little runny, loosen the edges of the tortilla with a knife and place a plate on top of the pan. With your hand firmly on the plate, flip the saute pan over and the tortilla should come out on the plate. Slide the tortilla back in the pan and finish cooking for another few minutes.
(You can watch a video of the basic Spanish Tortilla here, and the flip occurs at 3:20.)
Photos courtesy of adraskoy and Juliet_ via Flickr.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment Categories: Cooking, Recipes
Ranch 616’s Kevin Williamson: What’s in Your Fridge Friday?
Kevin was on vacation this week, celebrating his birthday in Key West, but he still managed to share some fun photos of his fridge and some interesting details about its contents, including what seems to be an undying love for ponzu sauce.
What condiments do you always have around? Honey bear, Boars Head mustard, fig jam, habanero pepper sauce
Long night at the restaurant. Didn’t manage to eat anything. It’s 2 a.m. and you’re starving. What midnight snack do you whip together? The kitchen always grills me a 8 ounce chicken breast. I go home. Cut it super thin slices. Put it on celery with ponzu!! It’s like a salty celery chicken taco.
What are three foods you cannot live without? Ponzu sauce, peanut butter and fresh fruit
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment Categories: What's in Your Fridge Friday
Local veggie chef gives tips on grilling
Local vegetarian chef Cristina Carolan, who owns Chef Veggie personal chef service, grilled some delicious polenta with fennel and radicchio and Texas tempeh this morning, and she was kind enough to share the recipes and some other vegetarian grilling ideas.
Her favorite meatless grilling items:
—Portabella mushrooms marinaded in balsamic vinegar, Braggs, fresh basil
—Figs soaked in balsamic vinegar, vanilla, allspice and cloves
—Zucchini, red bell pepper, eggplant paninis
—Tofu marinated in teriyaki sauce and put on bamboo skewers with scallions (Yaki Tofu)
—Tempeh soaked in your favorite barbecue
She said those figs soaked in balsamic, vanilla, allspice and cloves were to die for. Can’t wait to try them! Here’s the breakdown of the two dishes she grilled for us this morning.
Grilled Herbed Polenta with Fennel and Radicchio
Polenta:
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter or Earth Balance
1 Tbsp. olive oil
5 cups water
1 1/2 cups polenta
1 oz grated Parmesan
1 small handful of fresh dill (chopped) or 3 tsp dill, dried
sea salt ( 2tsp)
freshly ground black pepper
Fennel:
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 bulbs of fennel (rough outer leaves and tops removed, sliced vertically, leaving core intact)
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Radicchio:
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium sized radicchio (cut into 8 wedges, leaving core intact)
sea salt and black pepper
For the polenta, add butter and oil to saucepan and when melted add 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil and slowly add polenta in a small stream while stirring. Reduce to a simmer and continue to stir frequently over 25-30 minutes. When there is no longer a granular texture and the polenta is fully cooked add the remaining ingredients.
Lightly coat a jelly roll pan or baking sheet with olive oil. Pour the mixture and even it out with a spatula so it is about 1/2 inch thick. Let cool. When cool use a circular cutter and cut polenta circles for grilling.
(You can also buy polenta already cooked and slice it into discs, which are ready for grilling. Just don’t forget to brush the sides with olive oil.)
For the vegetables, marinate fennel and radicchio for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat grill to medium. Brush olive oil on both sides of the polenta and lay on grill and cook 5 minutes on each side, or until brown. Add fennel and cook 5-10 minutes until tender. While cooking the fennel add the radicchio and grill on both sides 2-3 minutes or until soft.
To serve, sprinkle with sea salt and marinade. Garnish with fresh dill, fennel fronds, extra Parmesan, and lemon zest.
Texas Tempeh
6 oz bottled light beer (I used O’Douls, but something like Corona or local would be fine)
2 Tbsp. olive or peanut oil
3 Tbsp. Braggs
1 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
1 jalapeno, minced
2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. smoked paprika (not regular paprika)
juice of 1 lime
freshly ground pepper
cilantro and tomatoes for garnish
Cut tempeh through the middle horizontally so you have 2 halves with the interior of the tempeh exposed. Cut those pieces again if you have tempeh that came in a longer package. Mix the marinade in a glass baking pan and lay tempeh in the marinade. Marinade for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
Preheat grill to medium high heat. Lay tempeh slices gently and cook for 7-8 minutes on both sides or until they have nice grill marks. Garnish with cilantro and tomatoes.
The tempeh can be served in tacos if cut into strips, or put into a sandwich, or as is with a side of grilled corn, zucchini etc.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment Categories: Cooking
Get your meatless grilling on
Today’s lead story about grilling on the cheap for the Fourth of July struck me as being quite meat-heavy, so I wanted to get some information out there about vegetarian grilling, for our non-meat-eating friends who also want to grill up something nice for the upcoming holiday.
I’m doing a video with local vegetarian chef Cristina Carolan this morning, which should be up later today, along with several of her fabulous recipes.
Now, a few tips to get you started:
You can grill fake meats (which, even as a meat eater, I find incredibly delicious when well-prepared), but Carolan says you should marinate a few hours or even overnight so they absorb the flavors. As for the marinade, just make sure it has some oil in it so whatever you’re grilling won’t stick. Tofu, tempeh and seitan are some examples of protein-rich foods that Carolan says grill up nicely.
Over at Chowhound, “The New Vegetarian Grill” cookbook author Andrea Chesman says to leave the lid up when grilling veggies in order to keep them from losing their crunch. There’s also a whole thread dedicated to vegetarian grilling ideas in case you get stuck. Someone suggested grilled portabello mushrooms marinated in balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper, topped with a white bean, garlic, sage puree. Mmmm, makes my mouth water just thinking about.
Check back later for more tips, ideas, recipes and a video showing you how to make Grilled Fennel and Radicchio on Grilled Polenta.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment Categories: Cooking, Recipes
Food is for doofs
Are your kids foodies or do you just wish they ate more than pizza and chicken tenders? The people behind Doof, an up-and-coming Internet/TV food show, just want them to know that what they put in their mouths matters. Doof’s name comes from their back-basics teaching philosophy: food backwards. Here’s how they describe it on their glob (blog):
Three years ago, an incredible group of filmmakers, foodies, and health educators joined together to create media that changes the ways kids think about food. We began with children in local schools, bringing food-based video content featuring farmers, market-sellers, restaurateurs, and kids like themselves exploring the wonders of food at its source. Next we created a website, and the prototypes for an exciting new television series.
Slow Food pioneer Alice Waters is on the series’ advisory board, and the Web site says the show is PBS bound. Who knows when or even if it will make it to KLRU, but the videos and podcasts already available online are sure to tickle your kids’ food fancy. Here’s my favorite:
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment Categories: Hot Links
Yummy local eats for $10 or less
I’ve come across three new delicious eats recently, one of which relies on local ingredients and another two that support local, homegrown businesses:
At the Four Seasons, TRIO serves up all-local breakfast
TRIO, the Four Season’s fabulously non-hotel-esque restaurant, has started offering a Farmer’s Market Breakfast for $10 Monday through Friday. All of the main ingredients are sourced from within 20 miles of Austin.
It’s two eggs, any style (from Alexander Family Farms), smoked sausage (Hudson Sausage Company), heirloom tomatoes and corn griddle cakes (Green Gate Farms) and goat cheese (Pure Luck Farms). That’s a smokin’ deal for $10, especially since it includes valet parking.
Whip-in for some Indian food
Whip In, the longtime beer, wine and specialty food store is branching out by offering house-made Indian dishes. You can buy the vegetarian ($5.99) and non-vegetarian ($7.99) items (herb lamb meatballs, Indian-spiced chili and garbanzo bean stew are a few of the highlights) to-go for now, but the store will soon be offering sit-down service and beer and wine by the glass. They’ve remodeled to make room for several booths and a music stage but are still waiting permits to allow in-store drinking.
I know, it sounds crazy that a beer and wine store can’t serve by the glass, but rules are rules, especially when they are TABC rules.
Very vegan and very good
In pursuit of the best iced coffees in Central Texas, I was at Flipnotics the other day and saw Ronnie’s Vegan Cookies, which are made in Austin. I couldn’t help but try the oatmeal raisin cookie, and it was delicious! (They might not technically be “new,” but they’re new to you if you’ve never tried them.) If you have a choice between Uncle Eddie’s and Ronnie’s cookies, go with Ronnie’s — they are local.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Eating locally
Homesick Texan: What’s in Your Fridge Friday
Every Friday, we take a look in someone’s fridge and ask three questions about eating and food. This week, we see what’s in the fridge of Lisa Fain, aka the Homesick Texan.
Fain, who was born in Houston but spent a few years in Austin, started blogging as the Homesick Texan as a way to connect with her Southern roots and share with her New York friends the culinary joys of home, which she left for NYC 12 years ago. Her popular food blog features tons of recipes and stories about truly Texas dishes (migas, chicken-fried steak, king ranch chicken, etc.) that are her link home as she lives and works in the Big Apple.
As you can tell by the photos she took of her fridge, she’s quite the photographer, too.
What’s your favorite condiment? Homemade salsa. My current crush is this avocado, cilantro and tomatillo salsa that’s ending up on almost everything I make, though I also adore that old classic — roasted tomato salsa — as well.
What three things do you always have in your fridge? Besides salsa, I’d have to say that cilantro, mayonnaise and a bottle of vintage Champagne are always in my fridge. The first two are key ingredients in so many things that I make (especially in the summer). And the good Champagne is on hand because New York Magazine a few years ago mentioned that fresh flowers and always having a bottle of Champagne in your fridge would vastly improve the quality of your life in this dirty, crowded and difficult city. I have to agree. Whenever there’s a need for a spontaneous celebration, I’ve got the Champagne covered.
What’s your favorite Texas food to serve to guests who’ve never been here? For a main course, I like to serve people chicken-fried steak with cream gravy or cheese enchiladas made with longhorn cheddar in a proper chile gravy. For an appetizer I’ll serve homemade chips and queso and homemade kolaches for dessert.
Latest comments
Hi Addie, Here were in STL on our deck watching your blog and little boy and then Relish Austin. You are going to be the next Food Network Star!
We will keep reading now that we have the website.
Your mom has spent the weekend with
... read the full comment by Kim&Fer&Sisann | Comment on How much milk can a food writer drink? Read How much milk can a food writer drink?
Good call on the four yolks, Jenny. Depending on the size of the egg, three can leave it a bit soft in the end. And yay for more lime zest!
... read the full comment by staff | Comment on How to make: Key Lime Pie Read How to make: Key Lime Pie
Normal persian limes are tasty too. Our recipe calls for 4 yolks, but we used a cup of egg substitute and it was just fine. Technically if you use the pasteurized substitute you don’t need to bake at all, as the baking is to make the eggs safe for
... read the full comment by Jenny | Comment on How to make: Key Lime Pie Read How to make: Key Lime Pie
If you can make yogurt and ricotta, you can also follow a similar method to make homemade paneer. If you want to eat only organic dairy, this is the only way to go, as I have never seen organic paneer in any store. Cut up 3 lemons and extract their juice.
... read the full comment by Chef Veggie | Comment on Have you made cheese or yogurt? I need your help! Read Have you made cheese or yogurt? I need your help!
See more recent comments