Recipe for Success foundation and 1-2-3 Salad

Ever the diligent volunteers, my friend Chantal and I arrived at Sylvan Rodriguez Elementary School to support our new pet project, Recipe for Success.  Founded by philanthropist Gracie Cavnar, Recipe for Success is a non-profit charity that has been active in five fortunate Houston I.S.D. schools for the last four years. 

The primary goal of RFS is to combat childhood obesity.  Students are taught that nutritious food comes from the ground and not at a drive-thru window or in a sealed plastic bag or box.  The Foundation hopes to increase the students’ awareness and appreciation for fresh fruits and vegetables by teaching them how to garden and harvest their crops.  They then use the produce in simple recipes using basic cooking techniques.

To help inspire the kids, well-known local chefs volunteer their time in the classrooms.  With the help of Houston’s own Monica Pope of t’afia, chef participation has grown to include the likes of chefs Randy Evans, Robert Del Grande, David Luna, Randy Rucker, Bryan Caswell, Chris Shepherd, Ryan Pera and many, many more.

Rodriguez Elementary is lucky to have chef Mark Wilson as its full-time instructor.  Here he assists students with the dressing for 1-2-3 Salad.

A former Broadway actor, musician and playwright, chef Wilson does an excellent job of capturing the students’ attention!

Students took turns at whisking the vinaigrette to the count of 10.  As an added bonus, the ever enthusiastic Chantal, a Belgian Francophile, broke out into her native French and taught the kids to count from 1 – 10!  They also learned a new word – emulsion.  They’re not just making any old salad – this is a gourmet salad with balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, feta cheese and walnuts.  Love it!

At each participating campus, the Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Education™ program uses an organic garden as an outdoor classroom.  This expansive garden at Rodriguez Elementary has about 18 raised beds.  Each grade level is responsible for three of them.  I came away with a bunch of the most beautiful flat-leaf parsley that you will see in my next post.

Let’s see how big this pumpkin can grow!

These basil plants are setting their seeds.  Here the students learn about perennials and planting from seed. 

Newly harvested sweet potatoes and delicate lettuce leaves.  Look at the size of those tubers!

Eggplants!

Believe it or not, after the dressing was made, there was a mad dash to do the dishes, which I’m sure rarely happens at home!  Chef Dwain, an intern with RFS, prepares sweet, salty, bitter and sour ingredients for a tasting of flavors – and a fancy new word entered their culinary vocabulary:  UMAMI

The view from the dishwashing stand is to this pretty atrium: bird feeders, a small pond, fruit trees, potted herbs, raised beds, a compost barrel and a busy teacher named Mrs. Silverstone!

Decorated pots in the atrium.

This cutie enjoyed sweeping the floor. 

All in all, the students are exposed to healthy cooking ingredients which have sadly become foreign to many households.   Most students loved the salad and also the feta cheese and asked for more - a sure sign that young palates are much more receptive to delicious and healthy fare than we give them credit for. 

Our beautiful Houston fall weather prompted a fun picnic between the vegetable beds.  Students lined up for a ‘wrap’ of salad greens served with their own home-made salad dressing served by Mrs. Silverstone and Chantal.  Many came back for more…and more.  It was an encouraging sight!

This 1-2-3 Salad includes fresh mixed salad greens and is supplemented with nuts, grains, cheese and just a little bit of sugar (in the form of honey in this recipe).  It provides more precious nutrients than the oppressively sweet cereals and processed foods targeted at our school-aged children.

  1-2-3 Salad, adapted from the original recipe by chef Monica Pope

4 servings

2 - 3 large handfuls of mixed lettuce (choose a mixture for color, texture and flavor), washed and patted dry on a towel

¼ cup nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans)

½ cup fruit (dried or fresh)

¼ cup cooked grains or pasta (quinoa, orzo, couscous)

¼ cup cheese (feta, parmesan, blue cheese)

For the dressing: (use about half of this recipe for 4 people)

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Make the dressing by putting balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk quickly to combine. Add olive oil, drop by drop, as you whisk the dressing quickly. The dressing will thicken and emulsify and resemble a deep caramel color. Set aside.

To assemble the salad place in a bowl the lettuce mix, nuts, fruit, grains and cheese.  Check the dressing: if it is very thick, add a little lemon juice or water to it.  Add 1/4 cup of dressing and toss to combine all ingredients. Add more dressing, if desired. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, if necessary.

Prijatno!

Randy Rucker and a wine tasting dinner

How does he do it, this chef Randy Rucker guy?

He arrives at our host’s studio at 3:30 in the afternoon to start prepping our wine dinner for that very evening!   All by himself…eight courses…and after fishing with his family off Bolivar all morning! 

Randy’s motto reads “Mother nature gave us perfect food, my job is not to mess it up”.   To begin with, he acquires the freshest local ingredients.  Heavy on seafood courses (no complaints from me here!) his light-handed touch in preparing seafood harkens back to days in Peru learning tiradito.  East meets west in tiradito:  Japanese immigrants introduced Peruvians to sashimi – sliced raw fish, not cubed; in a light dressing and not acid-cooked (as in ceviche).

The first course (pictured above) was bay scallops, sashimi style, with orange zest and serrano chile, served with a Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose Champagne.  Divine!

Black Drum dressed in miso, shiro dashi and herbs was served with wakame and green apple - to bring out the fruit in the wine - a Chateau Ste. Michelle Horse Heaven Sauvignon Blanc.  The leche de chile (juices) on the bottom tasted like nectar!

 

Golden Croaker, caught that morning by Randy himself, was marinated in lime, cream sake, basil, and dashi (made with the Croaker heads and bones and mushroom stems);  finished with purple basil and thinly sliced serrano peppers.  The accompanying wine was perfect with this dish:  K Vintners 2008 Columbia Valley Viogner.

Randy was lucky Helen didn’t inhale the bok choy sautéed in duck fat, as Jeff listens.

Pork Belly - fatty and luscious with a thick and crispy crust, ciccarones (niblets of pork skin), trumpet royale mushrooms and baby bok choy.  I’ve never eaten so much pork fat in one sitting and enjoyed it so much!  To cut the fat:  K Vintners 2006 Morrison Lane Syrah.  A theme begins to emerge – complex and flavorful wines of Washington State.

Doris and Bode chat while Nina watches Randy pour.

Kabocha squash soup - creamy but cream less, with cinnamon butter, zests of lemon, lime and orange.  Finished with fresh basil and oregano, and served with a white wine - K Vintners Columbia Valley 2008 Viogner, just to keep our taste buds hopping!  The tartness of the wine was offset by the sweetness of the soup.

 

Nope.  Doris and Nina didn’t like it very much!

It was a blind tasting…each bottle was wrapped twice so that Tim couldn’t cheat!  Mwahahaha!

Duck confit, roasted duck and cedar infused parsnip puree – another perfect match with Quilceda Creek’s 2003 Merlot. 

Randy plates the beef ribs braised in kabajaki sauce, served with Yukon gold potatoes and maitaki mushrooms.  Served with K Vintners 2006 Walla Walla Valley Grenache (with 6% Syrah).

Not your ordinary chocolate mousse – here’s it’s made with goat’s milk and spiced with lots of cayenne pepper.  Acutely spicy and strong enough to put hair on one’s chest, I was the last one standing and begging for more!   Lionetti 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon and a 100 points Quilceda Creek 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

And to top it all off, a Humboldt Fog with whole grain crackers…oozing, rich and a magnificent way to end the dinner.

Thanks Ralph for hosting another memorable wine tasting!  You have raised the bar once again!

Read about Randy’s Tenacity dinner (held at the studio) by clicking on the link.

Prijatno!

Zora Kolači and images of the back yard

Thank goodness David was the only one to witness my embarrassing moment in the back yard the other day.  I was enjoying the cooler temperatures and the crystal clear skies, and I was taking pictures with our brand new Cannon zoom lens. 

Here’s Esperanza (Yellow Bells)…

and a White-winged Dove - one of three species who come to visit the bird bath and feeders:

My 17-year-mistake, aka Cowgirl Joycie, was sniffing for coyotes and snakes…ok, no coyotes but snakes – it’s always a possibility when you live near a bayou.

Favorite dog Chula, also known as Shederella, was chillin’ quietly in the bushes.

Rocky LuLu’s head was buried in the Katy Ruellia – no doubt also looking for small, unsuspecting creatures.

Even the garden art was minding its own business!

The monarchs are migrating south and our yard is a reliable stop-over:  favorite Husbie plants native bushes that naturally attract butterflies…a gardening wizard is my man!  

I was lying in the hammock and I had just photographed this slim beauty feasting on the nectar of a Mexican milkweed plant when suddenly…

Snap! snap!…quickly followed by a few more snaps and lo and behold within a couple of seconds, I was very rudely deposited on the metal support beam on the ground.  OUCH!  My back, my buttocks, my elbow…the camera…

was safe!   And sweet, considerate David had turned his head! 

Just so that we are on the same page:  I AM NOT AS BIG AS THAT ENORMOUS HOLE!  

Favorite daughter’s hammock was left out all summer during the heat and drought, followed by several weeks of downpours, and then back with the stifling heat.  Those ravaging most destructive forces must have aged and weakened the ropes substantially… or was it bad construction - made in China, no doubt…?

OR…

Do you think it’s because I’ve been eating too many of these sweet, delicious and addicting Zora Kolači? 

Zora Kolači have always been a favorite treat in my family.  In my native Serbia, Kolač (pronounced Kolach) is a pastry or cake, and Kolači are cookies or small cakes.  With no similarities to the filled yeast dough known in Texas as Kolaches, these bars have three layers: a sweet short crust base, jam in the middle and a moist and crispy meringue on the top.  These are easy to make and very popular with locals alike.

You start with a meaty nut, like walnuts 

Grind them as finely as you can.  I used my awesome Serbian grinder, but a food processor will do.

Pat the short crust pastry in the baking pan and spread it with a thick layer of raspberry (or apricot) jam.  Yu-um!

Whip up the egg whites and sugar, then gently…oh so gently…blend them with the ground walnuts to make a meringue for the top.

With a crispy, cracked top and a gooey middle, chocolate brownies will have stiff competition!

Zora Kolači

Translated from Veliki Narodni Kuvar (People’s ‘Big’ Cookbook)

 

For the short crust base and filling:

1¾ cups (210 grams) flour

½ teaspoon (2 grams) salt

1/3 cup (70 grams) sugar

10 tablespoons (140 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 egg yolk

½ cup raspberry or apricot jam

For the meringue topping:

5 egg whites

¼ teaspoon (1 gram) cream of tartar

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (210 grams) granulated sugar

1 cup (140 grams) walnuts – measure and then grind as finely as possible, without becoming pasty

about 1 heaping teaspoon confectioner’s sugar, for dusting the top

Prepare a 8 x 8inch (20cm x 20cm) or a 7 x 11inch (18cm x 26cm) baking pan by buttering the bottom and sides and dusting with a little flour.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC)

Make the base:

Place flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a mixer (or you can use a regular bowl and hand-held mixer). Blend together. Add butter and egg yolk and combine until starting to form a ball. Don’t overbeat. Gently pat dough into the prepared baking pan. I does not have to be smooth. Spread jam over dough to about ½ inch (12cm) from the sides of the pan. Refrigerate while you make the meringue topping.

Make the meringue topping:

Combine egg whites and cream of tartar in a clean and dry bowl of a mixer (or you can use a regular bowl and hand-held mixer). With the whisk attachment, beat the whites until foamy and white. With the mixer on medium speed, slowly pour in the sugar. Beat until the mixture is stiff and shiny. Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the ground walnuts. Using a spatula, slowly and very gently mix in the walnuts by lifting the meringue from the bottom upward. You don’t want to deflate the meringue by stirring or using a mixer at this point. Spread meringue on top of jam without ‘working’ it too much.

Bake in a preheated oven for 25 to 35 minutes (depending on the size of the pan). The meringue should be light brown and start to crack at the edges when done. Cool on a wire rack. When cool, cut longwise with a sharp, thin knife, into about ¾ inch sections and crosswise into about 1½ inch sections. The meringue will crack as you go, but that’s ok. Rinsing and drying the knife after every cut will help achieve ‘cleaner’ edges. Using a sieve and about a heaping teaspoon of confectioner’s sugar, dust the tops and serve.

Prijatno!

Phở - nomenal, phở sho!

I don’t know about your neck of the woods, but here in northwest Houston, phở restaurants have popped up on every corner and in every retail centre.  Google “pho restaurants in Houston” and you will find a list of no fewer than 380 phở restaurants (and counting…).   With interesting names like  Phở Vang,  Phở-Nag (that would be mine, according to my family!),  Phở Danh,  Phở Bong Seng,  Phở Dung and  Phở Pasteur, it’s a Vietnamese phở-nomenon!  

The basis of phở is a deliciously spiced, clear broth with rice noodles.  A variety of meats, fresh herbs, sprouts and peppers allow the soup to be personalized.   Phở Gà  -  phở with chicken, is a favorite of mine -  you will find the easy recipe below as part of this month’s Daring Cooks’ challenge.   The correct pronunciation of Phở  is “fuh?”  You say the word like it’s a question!!!  Try saying it in a sentence without asking a question!

The second part of the challenge is to make a dessert using wonton wrappers.  You will find my Spicy Chocolate Wonton Pillows in the second half of this post. 

Blog checking:   The October 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen.  The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

For my phở to be as authentic as possible, I made the stock from scratch.  I followed the instructions on lovely Jaden’s awesome website for homemade chicken stock.   Click on the link to see her tips on how to get a clear and tasty broth. 

Charred onions and ginger (not shown) add depth to the soup

The chicken bones are split to expose the flavorful marrow for maximum flavor

Toasting the spices makes them very fragrant and intense:  star anise, whole coriander seed and whole cloves

Colorful accompaniments

Phở  Gà  - phở with chicken from Jaden’s The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

Makes 4 servings

2 tbsp. whole coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
2 whole star anise
2 quarts (2 liters/8 cups/64 fluid ounces) store-bought or Jaden’s homemade chicken stock
1 whole chicken breast (bone in or boneless)
½ onion
1 3-inch (7.5 cm) chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
1 to 2 tbsps. sugar
1 to 2 tbsps. fish sauce (available in the Asian section of most grocery stores).  Fish sauce is an essential component of Phở.  Soy sauce is not a good substitute.  I added about 1/2 cup extra fish sauce to my phở.

1 lb. (500 grams/16 ounces) dried rice noodles (about ¼ inch/6 mm wide)

Accompaniments:

2 cups (200 grams/7 ounces) bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off
Fresh cilantro tops (leaves and tender stems)
½ cup (50 grams/approx. 2 ounces) shaved red onions
½ lime, cut into 4 wedges
Sriracha chili sauce
Hoisin sauce
Sliced fresh chili peppers of your choice (I used red jalapenos)

Heat a frying pan over medium heat.  Add the coriander seeds, cloves and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.  Immediately spoon out the spices to avoid burning.

In a large pot, add all the ingredients (including the toasted spices) and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently.  Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat with your fingers, discarding the bone if you have used bone-in breasts.  Taste the broth and add more fish sauce or sugar, if needed. Strain the broth and discard the solids.

Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package.  Ladle the broth into bowls. Then divide the shredded chicken breast and the soft noodles evenly into each bowl.  Have the accompaniments spread out on the table. Each person can customize their own bowl with these ingredients. 

The second part of the challenge was to produce a chocolate dessert using wontons.  My creation, using Vietnamese spices in the chocolate filling, is light and flavorful and delicious with coconut ice cream. 

Spicy Chocolate Wonton Pillows
Servings:  Makes 12 wontons.
1 large egg
1 tbsp. water
1 cup heavy cream
1 star anise
2 cloves
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup sugar (optional)
1 cup plus 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided use (I like Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips)
24 wonton wrappers, defrosted (keep wrappers covered with damp towel) high-heat oil for frying (i.e., vegetable oil, corn oil) confectioners’ sugar (icing sugar) for sprinkling
coconut ice cream

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water to make an egg wash.  Set aside.

On medium heat, bring cream to a boil in a small pot.  Remove from heat and add star anise, cloves and red pepper flakes.  Set aside for at least 30 minutes.  Sieve cream into another pot and discard spices.  Add sugar if you want a sweeter filling.  Reheat mixture until hot.  Remove from heat and add 1 cup chocolate chips.  Allow chocolate chips to melt and then stir until mixture is smooth.  Cool completely.   Add 1/2 cup chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Lay a wonton wrapper on a clean, dry surface.   Using a pastry brush, brush egg wash on the edge of all four sides.  Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons of chocolate mixture in the middle of the wonton.  Carefully cover with another wrapper and press the edges firmly to adhere, allowing the excess air inside to escape. Make sure the wrapper is sealed completely.  Repeat with the remaining wrappers and chocolate.  Keep the folded chocolate wontons covered under plastic wrap or a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying.

In a wok or medium pot, pour in 2 inches (5 cm.) of high-heat oil.  Heat the oil to 350º F (180º C) and gently slide a few of the chocolate wontons into the hot oil. Make sure you don’t crowd the chocolate wontons.  Fry the wontons for 1 ½ minutes, then flip over and fry another minute until both sides are golden brown and crisp.

Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel.  Dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve with a scoop of coconut ice cream.

 Prijatno!

Mastering puff pastry and vols-au-vent

Kitchens should be getting cooler in the northern hemisphere…says Steph innocently from her home in Sydney.  No such cooling took place in good old Texas in September, where temperatures were still reaching the 90’s and when I was supposed to post this Daring Bakers challenge.

I’ve baked with lots of purchased puff pastry in the past (“Mom, can you make pastries for breakfast today?”) but I have never taken the time to make it from scratch.  Now I remember why!  If you live in Texas, my friends, it’s an all-day process during the month of September!  We’re still struggling to keep our homes cool, so the conditions are not exactly conducive to a process that requires keeping the butter solid cold while you perform a series of turns which creates the flakiness of the dough.  Roll, fold, turn, chill and wait; roll, fold, turn, chill and wait again; roll… and so it went all day long.  The key to successful puff pastry is to keep the butter from playing hookie on your counter instead of being obediently enveloped in the dough while you’re rolling it.  A cool marble countertop cool to look at and cool to the touch would be sooo perfect for this project…note to self –  make sure you get at least one marble countertop for making pastries when you redo the kitchen!   

I’m not a master yet when it comes to making puff pastry, but it was good enough to produce the vols-au-vent (literally “windblown” for its airiness), pictured above.  Vols-au-vent are typically served hot and are filled with a creamy savory filling.  I filled them with a chilled fresh Crab Salad –  who wants to heat up the stove in 90 degree weather?  

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.  Thanks Steph for organizing the challenge and thanks to Lis and Ivonne for rocking the Daring Bakers every month with their cool challenges!

…

Vols Au Vent:
Michel Richard’s Puff Pastry Dough
From: Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan
Yield: 2-1/2 pounds dough.  If you are interested in making your own puff pastry and/or vols-au-vent, please click here to see the recipe and a detailed explanation.  Also included are helpful instructional videos.  The selected instructions below describe my pictures only.

Place the block of cold butter (the beurrage) in the middle of the dough (the détrempe) and fold the ears over the butter, stretching them as needed so that they overlap slightly and encase the butter completely.  This dough/butter packet is called a paton and is rolled and folded repeatedly (turning).

Then, keeping the work surface and the top of the dough well floured to prevent sticking, roll the dough into a rectangle that is three times as long as the square you started with, about 24" …With this first roll, it is particularly important that the butter be rolled evenly along the length and width of the rectangle; check when you start rolling that the butter is moving along well, and roll a bit harder or more evenly, if necessary, to get a smooth, even dough-butter sandwich (use your arm-strength!).

The total number of turns needed is six…However, no matter how you arrange your schedule, you should plan to chill the dough for at least an hour before cutting or shaping it.   
Bake the shells until they have risen and begin to brown, about 10-15 minutes depending on their size.  
Crab Salad  enough to fill about 12 vols-au-vent, but also good on a bed of lettuce!

1 pound fresh lump crabmeat (none of that rubbery imitation stuff, ok?)

¾ cup red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 shallots or ½ red onion, finely diced

2 jalapenos, finely diced

zest of 1 lime

juice of 2 limes

leaves of about 10 stems of cilantro, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 scallions, sliced thinly on the diagonal

Pick through the crabmeat to remove any scales.

Place red bell pepper, shallots or red onion, jalapenos, lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, vinegar and olive oil in a bowl. Whisk to blend. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add crabmeat and gently mix it in. Top with scallions and serve with salad greens or in vols-au-vents.

Prijatno!

Animal Farm, chef Randy Evans and an Outstanding in the Field dinner

One long table winding through the trees on Gita and Cas van Woerden’s Animal Farm was the setting for last Saturday’s Outstanding in the Field dinner.  Founded by Jim Denevan, OITF’s mission is “to re-connect diners to the land and the origins of their food, and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it.”  With that in mind, and anticipating another sizzling afternoon in Texas, we donned our casual shoes, linens and hats and headed west to Cat Spring, Texas.

With the help of a creative chef like Randy Evans (the executive chef of Brennan’s before Ike) and several other remarkable artisans who are mentioned below, close to 200 eager participants feasted on delicious local, organic and seasonal produce from Animal Farm and the surrounding area.  A flight of tasty wines from Flat Creek Estate near Marble Falls accompanied every course.  With a glass of their 2008 Pinot Grigio in hand and being surrounded by calming woods, it was easy to forget the bustling city only sixty miles away. 

This friendly fellow walked in on the party.  He came to check on his old barn nearby.

Here are chef Randy and sous chef Kevin finishing the wild boar terrine and free-range deviled eggs, and answering our many questions at the same time.   They were charming and highly personable throughout the evening, even when the power went out and the water pump took a while to replenish the supply.  When you’re trying to feed 200 people, that’s stressful!  Look for the opening of Randy’s restaurant Haven, which will feature its own raised-bed and sustainable vegetable garden behind the restaurant, green building solutions and a specially designed water filtration system.  There has never been a restaurant opening so highly anticipated in Houston in many years.

Gita van Woerden has a soft spot in my heart.  Aside from being a very gracious hostess, she also lived and studied art in South Africa, where I spent 16 years of my youth.  She explained permaculture and it’s importance to our land, resources and general well-being of all that occupy it.   Read about the history of the farm and her family’s quest to live in harmony with nature.  It’s fascinating.  As it turns out, you will have the opportunity to experience the farm during an Open House (click for more info) this coming Saturday, October 3. 

Gita is a pioneer in many ways.  The farm is “off the grid” and gets all of its electric energy from solar power.   Designing their home without air-conditioning and central heating was the main challenge for their architect.  I wonder if the parameters were met considering our temperatures during August?  Transportation on the 78-acre farm takes the form of golf carts which are battery operated.  The batteries are re-charged every evening.  Independent of outside water supplies, the farm relies on an 180’ deep well which supplies the intricate water system.

Of several varieties of eggplant harvested on the farm, Gita’s favorite is the Cambodian Green Giant.  It is green when ripe.  With a sandy soil rich in minerals (composting puts nutrients back into the soil), it’s not surprising that the gardens produce superior tasting and nutritionally balanced vegetables.  The vegetables are sold to several restaurants in Houston and Austin and at many markets, including the Bayou City Farmer’s Market.

The Yoga Retreat below is elegant and functional.  Open on one end (remember, no air-conditioning) and with large windows and pleasing stained-glass and furniture, who wouldn’t be ready to don yoga pants and begin the ‘Salute to the Sun’?

Here’s the outstanding top half of the menu.  All delicious; thank goodness I didn’t have to pick a favorite!  Purple hull peas were transformed into a hummus and then spread on flatbread that was baked in Gita’s wood-burning oven.  The wild boar terrine was hearty with an additional flavor punch from the mustard and relish.  And the free-range devilled eggs from Gita’s roaming chickens –  heavenly!      

At the table, we were served squash vichyssoise with a roasted corn salsa on the bottom:

Here’s Lisa Seger, a goat cheese making wonder.  You know she must turn heads everywhere she goes with her fiery mane, especially in rural Waller, Texas!  She and husband Christian, tend to many amusing Nubian goats on their Blue Heron Farm.  Chosen for their high protein, high fat and mild flavored milk, Nubian goats’ cheese is not gamey or dry.  Don’t walk… run to the Bayou City Farmer’s Market to try her chèvre.   

We enjoyed Lisa’s mild and creamy goat feta on the spicy arugula photographed below.  She also provided a phenomenal cajeta we drizzled on the pound cake biscotti.  Yes, I brought some cajeta home and have been snacking on it since……what diet?    Swede Farm (also in Waller) provided the goat buttermilk for the lovely pecan pie I slathered with cajeta…

Shaded by the trees, we enjoyed the company of new friends during the family-style dinner.  Find my Honey – he’s looking at me and has a silver mane.

The bottom half of the menu featured tender grilled shrimp with Animal Farm’s grilled baby vegetables.  Head-on Gulf shrimp were provided by Texas Wild, owned by Jennifer and Dimitri Georgantas (Greek accent included!)  This charming couple moved from table to table, explaining their ‘shrimping’ techniques and journeys deep into the Gulf. 

Now ‘heads-off’ Gulf shrimp…

Animal Farm’s squash and eggplant:

Unfortunately darkness set in and the rest of my pictures are not acceptable.   Chef Randy’s fried chicken balantine (purse) included a delicious crust that surrounded the rolled chicken.  It was paired with a respectable Flat Creek Estate 2008 Super Texan.  The 2007 Muscato Blanco was perfect with the various dessert elements in that it was not overly sweet.  And did I mention the cajeta…?

And you never know who you will bump into!  From a city with over 4 million people, I reconnected with a friend I had met in the early 80’s, when I first moved to Houston.  This is Diane in her cool  I.M.Pei glasses. 

Reluctantly, we walked to the car down the sandy path following the softly lit paper lanterns;  the cool light of the half moon peeking through the trees.  My friend, Barbara and I, joked about what we would do if we got lost.  We decided that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to just bed down on the thick, lush pad of leaves and enjoy Mother Nature’s generosity!  The pioneers did it, so why shouldn’t we?

Prijatno!

Pluott, Ploo-ot – no, Pluot cake!

Friendship is a wonderful thing, especially if one of your friends is the finest food photographer in the world.  Ok, so I’m a little biased, but you have to check Ralph Smith Photography sometime.   He rocks the industry and has photographed several beautiful cookbooks including this award-winning beauty for the Junior League of Houston.   Seriously, the cookbook has won so many awards for design and content, I’ve lost count…it’s brilliant!

Occasionally we are gifted with delicious and unusual food products that come through the studio to be shot (by the camera, people!) for cookbooks, vendors or events.  I will never forget when Ralph showed up at our doorstep with a cooler full of exotic mushrooms --  amazing varieties and some I had never seen before:  ‘hen of the woods’, chanterelles, oyster, enoki and more.  See -- I told you it’s a wonderful thing to have a food photographer as a friend!

But the best prize of all that was brought to my kitchen from Ralph’s studio was an enormous, solid, 11 pound (5kg!!!) slab of dark Callebaut baker’s chocolate.  Holy Moly!  I could have died and gone to chocolate heaven right then and there!  I did share some of it…

Last week, I attended a culinary affaire at Ralph’s studio and came home with a bag full of juicy and perfectly ripened pluots.  Pluots are new enough on the stone-fruit scene that my spellchecker doesn’t even recognize the word yet!  Same with the plumcot, a similar variety.

Intensely sweet, pluots are a cross between a plum and an apricot – but much more plummy than apricoty.  Rich in vitamins C and A and fiber, they range in color from light green to shades of yellow and through the color wheel to deep purple.  They are best eaten fresh (as with most fruits), but also lend themselves well to the sweet and moist Pluot Cake here.

Pluot Cake  adapted from The New Elegant But Easy Cookbook, by Marian Burros and Lois Levine.

Staying true to the title of the book, this recipe is VERY EASY to make. 

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon sugar for the top (optional)2 eggs1 cup all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking powderpinch of salt4 pluots or plums, pitted and quarteredwalnut halves, optional1 teaspoon cinnamonArrange a rack in the middle of the oven.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Prepare a 9-inch springform pan by greasing it with butter and dusting with flour.  As you can see from the top picture, I used a 5-inch and a 7-inch pan for one recipe.

Cream the butter and 3/4 cup of sugar in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer or use a stand mixer.  Add eggs, one at a time, until mixture is light and fluffy.  Add flour, baking powder and salt and blend on slow speed until just combined.  Spoon the batter into the prepared pan/s.  Place the pluots or plums, skin side down, around the edge of the pan, with the plums pointing inward.  Mix the cinnamon with 1 tablespoon of sugar (optional) and sprinkle over the top.  Place a few walnut halves between the pluots, if desired.Bake for 40-50 minutes (or less if you are using smaller pans) until the top is golden and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Remove from oven and let cool.Using a small sieve, dust the top of the cake with 1 teaspoon of confectioner’s sugar, if desired.  Serve plain, with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.  Serves 8.

Prijatno!