Food & Drink: Food Matters
Bissinger's chocolate-covered blackberries, 'Joy of Cooking,' Miguel Ravago, Dining for Life, Patrick Timpone
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Blackberries in dark chocolate – what a treat!
Bissinger's, which has been handcrafting French candies in St. Louis since 1927, is dunking juicy fat Richter (Washington state) blackberries in dark chocolate. The confection is perishable, sometimes sticky on the bottom, but oh, so delectable. Like a Chinese soup-filled dumpling, it is best eaten by popping the whole bonbon in your mouth at once. This seasonal item is available for a short time at Central Market. A box of six is $9.99.
Ricardo B. Brazziell
AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Dining for Life participant 34th Street Cafe will offer seared Chilean sea bass.
Share your 'Joy of Cooking' with book festival
This fall marks the 75th anniversary of the "Joy of Cooking." And a new edition is coming out around the first of November in celebration. Taking advantage of the national hoopla that will surround this cookbook bible, the Texas Book Festival is sponsoring a recipe contest. The festival is asking entrants to submit original recipes written in the cookbook's trademark practical and instructional style that they think would be great additions to future editions of the book. Recipes need to be submitted by Sept. 22, and from them, five finalists will be chosen to prepare their dishes at the Whole Foods Culinary Center on Oct. 29. The winner will be determined at one of the events of the festival, which is Oct. 27-29. This is all for fun and a $500 grand prize, plus another $250 gift card and $250 in cooking classes, both from Whole Foods. In addition, the winner will receive signed copies of all cookbooks in the festival's cooking tent. Finalists will get perks, too. But there is no promise that these recipes will ever make an edition of "Joy." Helping judge the finals will be Ethan Becker, whose grandmother created the first book, and Beth Wareham, editor of the upcoming anniversary edition. Details are at www.texasbookfestival.org/JoyofCookingContest.htm.
Fonda San Miguel chef plans to retire
It may be a bittersweet autumn and winter for Miguel Ravago, founding chef of Fonda San Miguel. Ravago is retiring in March from the restaurant he co-founded in 1975 with Tom Gilliland and leaving Austin. But he's headed on a new adventure: moving with his companion to Europe, where he will conduct cooking classes under the Fonda San Miguel name, and where they will be closer to family in Spain and France.
Ravago still plans to return to Austin regularly for special events and celebrations at the restaurant. "I could never really leave Fonda San Miguel," he said.
"This is a departure but not a goodbye," Gilliland said. He and Ravago have not yet picked a successor for the executive chef's position.
A charitable reason to have a meal out
More than food will be on diners' plates Monday and Tuesday; there will be a big helping for AIDS Services of Austin at 60 popular restaurants. That's when the 14th annual Dining for Life event takes place, with participating restaurants donating 15 percent of the dinner proceeds to the charity involved in HIV and AIDS prevention, education and support.
At 34th Street Cafe, a longtime participant, chef Justin Raiford's dinner special Monday will be seared Chilean sea bass with vintage cheddar polenta and roasted heirloom tomatoes, served with a warm champagne-tomato vinaigrette (pictured at left).
Other restaurants participating Monday, the night the vast majority are involved, include Asti, Brick Oven, Chuy's, Eastside Cafe, Maudie's, Mirabelle and Taj Palace. For a complete list, go to www.asaustin.org.
Salsa maker dips into market, deli
Patrick Timpone, radio host and former founder/owner of Mom's Spaghetti Sauce, Rose's Salsa and Salsa Muy Rica, says:
"I've never done a restaurant. I've never done retail. But if you are Italian, you have got to do a market one time." So last week construction was booming at Timpones Market in Dripping Springs, half a mile west of RM 12 on U.S. 290. He says the 6,000-square-foot store is going to be a cross between an Italian deli and an upscale grocery. He plans to stock fresh local produce (preferably organic), grass-fed beef, artisan cheeses, bakery items, beer and wine. The market, which he hopes to open Sept. 29, will have a full kitchen preparing salads, soups, sandwiches and smoothies.
And on top of the market he is building a radio studio because he plans to continue the Patrick Timpone show from there, no doubt with a garlic aroma. His show airs 6 to 8 p.m. Saturdays on KLBJ-AM 590.
