FOOD MATTERS

No need to knead this Artisan bread

By Kitty Crider, Dale Rice
Wednesday, December 05, 2007

If you're looking for a gift for an experienced bread baker or a wannabe bread maker, then you ought to take a look at the new "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois (St Martin's Press, $27.95). The book, emphasizing no-knead techniques, could revolutionize your concept of making bread. It follows a simple routine: Stir up the dough in a couple of minutes, let it rise for a couple of hours and refrigerate it. For the next 14 days, the sticky, relatively wet dough can be formed into loaves and baked on a stone whenever you're ready for another artisan loaf. The book includes dozens of variations, as well as recipes for enriched breads such as brioche and panettone made in the same manner. By your second or third loaf, you should be producing bread as pretty as the picture.

Next week's special in area restaurants: locally grown foods

We're not sure why this event takes place this month rather than May or June, but Edible Austin magazine, the City of Austin, the Greater Austin Area Restaurant Association, farmers and local food producers have designated Dec. 8-15 as Eat Local Week.

Participating businesses will offer locally grown or produced foods with a portion of proceeds going to Urban Roots, a new youth development program where kids will learn the value of growing food and giving back to their community. Among the 40 or more players, Carmelo's will have a special of beef filet with risotto using local beef and mushrooms. Home Slice is doing a fresh pizza with local arugula. Moonshine is stirring up a hot winter wassail of 3 ounces of Sweet Leaf Spiced Tea, 11/4 ounces Tito's Vodka, and 1/2 ounce Paula's Texas Lemon and Orange Liqueur.

Go to edibleaustin.com for a list of places.

The entire dish doesn't have to be locally sourced, just primary ingredients, says Marla Camp, publisher of Edible Austin. "The idea is to raise awareness about local food and food producers as well as to raise money for Urban Roots."

In hdtv, food tastes same, looks different

What does the Food Network in high-def bring you? Ingredients so clear you can spot the fibers in sliced fresh ginger. You can be grossed out when Paula Deen talks with her mouth full. You can see the blisters on roasted peppers or count the diamonds in Giada De Laurentiis' necklace.

If you have digital cable and the right HD hookups, you must check it out. Time Warner carries it on Channel 1612.

Baking contest winners make holidays sweeter

Alison Campbell added chai seasoning to meringue cookies to win the Holiday Magic Baking Contest at Faraday's Kitchen Store in Lakeway last weekend. Her entry captured the "other" category and then ascended to overall winner. (See her recipe on E2.) More than 100 bakers competed; Michael Hegedus won the chocolate category with his Tex-Mex Chocolate Cookies, and Suzanne Zucca took the decorated division with Almond Snowflakes. The mother-daughter team of Talaya and Talaya Ann Frazier took home the people's choice title for their Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Balls made with Rice Krispies and Butterfinger candy bars. Winners received gift certificates to Faraday's as well as prizes donated by Cuisinart, Chicago Metallic, Chef's Planet, Fox Run Craftsmen, Kaiser USA and Nordicware.

Lone star queso fresco, milk at farmers' market

Local farmers' markets have sold Texas cheeses, but not milk. Until now. Butter Cup Farm in Jacksonville is making the trek to the downtown Austin Farmers' Market on Saturdays. It is one of only three farms in the state licensed to sell low-temp pasteurized milk at retail. Among its products are queso fresco and gallons and half-gallons of milk (whole milk, low-pasteurized, non-homogenized, no rBST, no rBGH, no antibiotics or hormones, 6 percent butterfat). Shoppers should bring a cooler and ice or plan to go straight home afterward and refrigerate the dairy products.

Well-seasoned pastry chef now in Wimberley

Snickerdoodles, right, and molasses crinkles, left, are flying out of the door at the Cookie Jar, the new from-scratch bake shop in Wimberley. Judy Marts, former pastry chef at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin for 14 years, is the baker turning out the large, homestyle cookies, as well as mini-loaves of bread. The shop is open seven days a week, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., during December. It is located at 13710 RM 12.