On My Wish List: A $450 Cookbook

"A $450 Cookbook" is a little misleading.  It's actually a five volume book set (plus a spiral-bound kitchen manual) that contains 2,438 pages and weighs almost 39 pounds.

It's called Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking by Nathan Myhrvold, written by a former Microsoft Chief Technology Officer.  We were talking with some friends about this recently, and I wanted to find out more.  The "book" is an encylopedia and guide to the science of contemporary cooking. 

According to Wikipedia:  At the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2010 the book was named "the most important cookbook of the first ten years of the 21st century" and was introduced in the hall of fame. The book has been described as the “The cookbook to end all cookbooks.”

Check it out here on Amazon and Barnes & Noble's sites.

People Who Eat Chocolate Are Thinner Than Those Who Do Not

Finally!  The research I've been waiting for my whole life.

Individuals who eat chocolate regularly are thinner than those who do not, according to a study published in Archives of Internal Medicine.  Note: The chocolate eaters consumed more calories and did not exercise more. (Wow - not that I'm going to stop exercising.)

“Our findings appear to add to a body of information suggesting that the composition of calories, not just the number of them, matters for determining their ultimate impact on weight,” Beatrice Golomb, associate professor in the university’s Department of Medicine, said in a news release.

“In the case of chocolate, this is good news – both for those who have a regular chocolate habit, and those who may wish to start one."

 Read this short article if you're a true chocolate lover.

http://www.mlive.com/health/index.ssf/2012/03/hot_fudge_chocolate_eaters_are.html

The Confessions of Chef Thomas Keller

This 5 minute video has a short interview with Thomas Keller.  He primarily talks about how his famous restaurants, The French Laundry and Per Se, have survived the recessions (a meal for 2 at Per Se runs approximately $1000), but you'll also learn what his favorite junk food is.
http://www.bloomberg.com/video/88876872/

This 2 minute video is a look into NYC's "Most Coveted Kitchen:"
http://www.bloomberg.com/video/88855244/

New Product: Starbucks Debuts Refreshers Energy Drink

Starbucks is debuting a new energy drink called Refreshers that will be available in April.  It's a caffeinated fruit drink; flavors include Raspberry Pomegranate, Orange Melon and Strawberry Lemonade.  Here's how the company describes it on their website where by the way, you can print off a coupon for a $1 off. 

http://www.starbucks.com/promo/refreshers

A natural boost of energy you can feel good about.

Meet our newest innovation in coffee. It’s a thirst-quenching pick-me-up that packs a boost of natural energy from green coffee extract but looks and tastes nothing like coffee. Combined with real fruit juice, B and C vitamins and ginseng, it’s a sparkling low-calorie boost of natural energy in three delicious flavors. So open a can of thirst-quenching invigoration and rethink how you energize.

Let me know if you try it . . .

Recipe: Thai Roasted Green Fish

Not the best plating -- I was too hungry to re-plate for the photo 

A friend from work told me about this fish recipe, and I made it last night for dinner.  This is a fast, healthy and flavorful meal that I'll definitely be making again.  (We had rice and edamame on the side.)

The rub/paste for the fish is composed of lime juice, cilantro, mint, fish sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, black pepper and canola oil -- all blended in a food processor.  Per my friend's suggestion, we added ginger, a clove of garlic and salt which were spot on. Also, instead of cooking a whole fish, I cut the recipe in half and used tilapia fillets which also cut the cooking time in half. 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/thai-roasted-green-fish-recipe/index.html

Metro Wine Map of France

I was just going through the Dec 2011 issue of Food and Wine Magazine and saw this neat gift for wine lovers.  It's a wine map of France by architectural historian, David Gissen, that lays out the appellations like a metro/subway map.  I found it on amazon.com for $24.95.  Supposedly, it's pretty accurate!

http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Wine-France-David-Gissen/dp/1936880040

Cupcake Camp Dallas: BAKE with Me for a Great Cause!

Cupcake Camp Dallas 2012

St. Mark's School of Texas

June 2, 2012 from 1-4 PM

Last year, I attended Cupcake Camp Dallas. I think it's a misnomer because it's not really a camp. It was more of a fun cupcake festival where you could buy tickets and trade them in for any cupcakes you wanted at the table upon table of amateur and professionally made cupcakes. It was so much fun just seeing all of the various flavors of cupcakes and getting to taste them. 

All cupcakes are donated by bakers (amateur & professional), and the proceeds from people purchasing tickets for the cupcakes benefits The Leap Foundation which is a a non-profit organization that is comprised of volunteer plastic surgeons, urologists, eye surgeons, anesthesiologists, orthodontists, nurses and support staff that offers surgical care to children around the world. 

So, come and either BAKE or EAT some cupcakes with me! I just registered (it's free) to bake 72 cupcakes (60 is the minimum to get a table) and will be entering the amateur competition. It would be such a fun afternoon especially if we can get a few people together to participate (we could have tables next to each other). For those of you have kids, they would absolutely love attending this event.

See their website for more photos, info and to register: http://cupcakecampdallas.com/

Last year's Cupcake Camp at Royal Oaks Country Club

Some of the cupcakes my friend and I bought -
there were crazy ones like margarita, green tea,
Dr Pepper and Pop Tart flavors

The 2012 Michelin Guide for the Main Cities in Europe Is Out

. . .  and Chef Rene Redzepi's Noma in Copenhagen (on my list of restaurants I really want to visit) failed to win a third Michelin star this year.  For the past 2 years, the restaurant has been named World's Best Restaurant -- and it still has a shot since the award will be announced on April 30th.

Bloomberg article by Richard Vines 3/14/12:  Michelin Snubs Noma as Other Nordic Restaurants Get Stars

 

Recipe: Linguine with Crab, Lemon, Chile and Mint

This evening, we made the Linguine with Crab, Lemon, Chile and Mint recipe (p.77 in the Jan 2012 issue of Bon Appetit) minus the mint.  It was good but wasn't amazing; it needed a bigger punch of flavor.  We'll definitely try the recipe again but will be making the following adjustments:

• Adding the mint (I think that was a key ingredient we were missing)
• At least double or even triple the amount of garlic
• Measure the amount of shallot (I think I was short by a little bit)
• Add another chile to ensure the spice comes through
• Not add the extra tbsp of olive oil at the end

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Linguine-with-Crab-Lemon-Chile-and-Mint-380610

A Deal: Buy Veuve Cliquot Champagne Now at Central Market!

If you live in Dallas and love Veuve Cliquot, go to Central Market and buy it now.  It's at the lowest price we've ever seen it -- at $35.97 per bottle, and if you buy 6 bottles (of any wine), it comes out to about $32 per bottle which is a DEAL.  I couldn't believe it when I saw the price.  I called Spec's, and it's $42 there at their cash price; it was about $40 at Sam's and even higher than that at every other place I've seen it.

By the way, if you've always wondered how to pronounce Veuve Cliquot, a rep for them once told me that "Veuve" rhymes with "love" (it's not "voov" which is how many people pronounce it), and "Cliquot" is "klee-koe."

Eat Me: Appetite for Design

This looks like a fun coffee table book that includes fun food, interesting packaging ideas, restaurant interiors & exteriors, food-based art projects, tabletop wares, and more.  The book itself looks like a wafer biscuit with a bite taken out of the corner.  I've seen a couple of good reviews for this new book since it was released in January.
http://trendland.net/eat-me-appetite-for-design/#

Here is how the publisher, Victionary, so eloquently describes the book:

"Eating is no longer a pure experience of smell and taste but rather an effective agency to communicate and engage, an indication of cultural values, lifestyle, artisanship, criticism, aspirations and imagination this present day.

While no single aspect of food and the associated can epitomise the new food culture, EAT ME takes out a slice of modern life where food has been taken as the medium to promote social interactions and ginger up our every day. In addition to the highly competitive realm of food packaging design, the book also features a symphony of recent art creations, social events, identity projects, restaurant designs, culinary implements and products inspired by food. The substantial showcase is complemented by fascinating insights in their forewords and case studies given by experts, entrepreneurs and practitioners, each distinct with regards to their experience in product, packaging, image-making, branding and spatial design."

And, it's only $26.37 on amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Me-Viction-Workshop-Ltd/dp/988194385X

A Margarita Alternative



I'm actually not a huge margarita fan -- I'll drink them, but they're often too sweet for me.  A friend of mine who is in the beverage industry suggested this alternative which is great (and has less calories!).

Tequila
Club soda
A splash of Sprite (or any other lemon-lime soda)
A squeeze of fresh lime

Light, refreshing, balanced and a nice alternative to the typical margarita.

Recipe: Chocolate-Stout Brownies

Guinness + Brownies = Chocolate-Stout Brownies

This past weekend, I made the Chocolate-Stout Brownies recipe in the February 2012 issue of Bon Appetit (p.45).  I think 'brownie' is a misnomer;  it should be called 'fudge.'  If you love chocolate, and I mean, LOVE chocolate, this recipe is for you.  Friends of ours warned us how dense, rich and thick the brownies were, and they were right.

Tips:

• It took me less than half the time to reduce the stout from 1 cup to 1/2 cup
• I would suggest lifting the brownie out of the pan (using the foil) and then pouring & spreading the glaze on top.
• If you decide to refrigerate these, they will harden and be very difficult to cut (note: a whole cup of butter is used in this recipe).

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Stout-Brownies-388657

I can't reiterate enough how rich and chocolatey these are.  I love chocolate but can only eat a little square at a time -- and have to drink a glass of milk with this to tone it down for me.  My husband, on the other hand, thinks this is the best brownie ever.  (He is one that can eat a whole slice of Breadwinners' Chocolate Ecstasy Torte in one sitting.)

I think I may try to make this Chocolate Stout Cake recipe soon because I'd prefer something a tad bit lighter:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Stout-Cake-107105

Restaurant: Samar (a Stephan Pyles concept)

We've been eating out a lot, well, every day this week so I haven't posted any recipes (thus, more restaurant reviews than usual).  We'll be cooking up some new dishes this week so stay tuned!

About Samar. . .

Samar opened up a few years ago in downtown Dallas, and I'd been wanting to try it since I love Mediterranean, Spanish and Indian food.  I was thoroughly and completely disappointed.

While I understand that a restaurant can have an "off" night, when I told a friend of mine about my experience, she said that 2 of her friends (separately) told her that they had awful experiences as well.  While the restaurant is very intimate and beautiful, the food and service were the worst I've experienced at any restaurant.

The restaurant only holds maybe 75 people and wasn't busy, yet:

• It took over 15 minutes to get our drinks.
• Their 'Specialty Cocktail' menu only has 11 cocktails listed, and yet their bartender didn't know how to make one that our friend ordered.  It wasn't like he ordered an off-the-menu cocktail -- it was one that was listed ON the menu.  Their excuse was that another bartender had created the cocktail and didn't teach the other bartender how to make it.
• I wanted to order the Sherry Cobbler cocktail, but they were out of an ingredient.
• When the server brought the drinks out, he brought out the wrong ones or maybe he got confused.  There were 7 of us, and he set down 3 drinks and then took the other 4 back to who knows where.
• Our friends ordered a dish which they were out of.  Note: We went on a Thursday at 7pm when a restaurant should have a delivery, be prepared, and not be out of anything yet.
• The falafel, naan, hummus and chutney were all fine but nothing to write home about.
• We love foie gras and ordered the 'Potatoes and Chorizo' that has a fried organic egg on top and Hudson Valley foie gras.  It was by far the WORST foie gras in appearance and taste I have ever had.  If you didn't know what it was, you would've thought it was mistakenly placed on the plate ~ just a piece of fat thrown on the side. 
• I was really looking forward to the 'Seared Bay Scallops' -- and now that I'm looking at their menu again online and realize it was listed under their 'Small Plates,' I guess I can understand why the scallops were just 1/2 an inch in diameter.  I was expecting larger ones and at first thought (with excitement) that the olive oil poached potatoes were the scallops.  To my dismay, they weren't.
• Finally, dessert.  It's really hard to mess up dessert, but they managed to do so.  I ordered the 'Chocolate Samosa with Candied Rose Petal Sauce.'  The rose petal sauce was amazing in flavor and interesting in texture, but the samosa was hard as a rock.  It had the texture and consistency of something that has been baked or fried before and then was microwaved again.  The 'Dark Chocolate and Spiced Pecan Baklava' was hard to cut into and not flaky at all. 

All in all, it was the worst restaurant experience I've ever had.  While I usually try a restaurant 3 times before I give up on it, I won't be going back since others seem to have had similar experiences.

Translating Menu Descriptions

This New York Post article (2/21/12) by Carla Spartos has the following glossary for the "hungry, tired and befuddled."
http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/food/it_menu_mania_AbxhKJZXXpFFi1s88or8fO/1

• artisanal: “Not made by a big corporation, often refers to foods and beverages made in smaller quantities,” explain authors Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. Frequently connotes something of Brooklyn or Portland, Ore., origin, though some experts argue the term has been rendered meaningless.
• bespoke: “A hoity-toity term for handmade,” says ICC’s Candy Argondizza. Often refers to cocktails specifically tailored to a customer’s tastes. But as Time’s Josh Ozersky points out: “Just because extra care is taken doesn’t necessarily make it better. Unless the guy who’s making it is a great bartender, it could be the mixology equivalent of getting your hair cut at barber college.”
• black label: “Refers to a special blend of beef used when making hamburgers, which was popularized by Minetta Tavern’s black-label burger made with Pat LaFrieda meats — but Wendy’s has since jumped on the black-label bandwagon,” say Dornenburg and Page.
• biodynamic wine: “A step beyond organic [with] very specific guidelines,” note Dornenburg and Page. The winemaking process may involve lunar cycles and burying cow horns packed with dung. We’re actually not kidding.
• degustation menu: Synonymous with a tasting menu. “You’re putting yourself into the chef’s — and, if you desire, the sommelier’s — hands to determine the menu, with a possible choice of a certain number of courses,” explain Dornenburg and Page.
• foraging: “It conveys the idea of this noble savage wandering in the forest,” Ozersky says of the movement pioneered by chef René Redzepi of Copenhagen’s Noma restaurant. “It does have legitimacy in high-level restaurants. But if you’re eating in Brooklyn, the last thing you may want is something growing in the backyard.”
• grass-fed: “Refers to cattle fed only grass and not corn, which is not part of its natural diet — the beef tends to be leaner and more flavorful,” say Dornenburg and Page. But Ozersky, who finds totally grass-fed beef “leathery,” argues that “all cows eat some grass. It’s a question of whether it’s finished with corn and grain.”
• heirloom: No, not your grandmother’s pearls, but veggies bred for flavor, not appearance. “Their beauty is their imperfection,” notes Argondizza. “Heirloom and [in the case of animals] heritage practices preserve agricultural variety and protect biodiversity,” add Dornenburg and Page.
• house-made: “The new homemade,” say Dornenburg and Page. Ubiquitous, yes, but a meaningful, verifiable term. “It says there are craftsmen in the kitchen — that there’s a lot of care taken,” says Argondizza. The term often modifies nouns such as “charcuterie” and “burrata.”
• line-caught: “Suggests it’s caught by a fisherman, not dredged up by evil, unsustainable methods,” explains Ozersky.
• locally sourced: “Cooking with ingredients available locally — whether within 100 miles or another limited radius,” say Dornenburg and Page. But not everyone is completely sold: “I’d rather have fresh cauliflower from a good produce store like Dean & Deluca then cauliflower from some farm that’s a week old,” says Ozersky.
• market table: “This is the same as ‘farm-to-table.’ It means you’re buying directly from the farm and cutting out the middle man,” says Argondizza. “That’s a big statement.”
• wood-roasted: “It lets the public know, ‘We have a wood-burning oven. Our food is going to have a rustic, roasted flavor,’ ” says Argondizza. A more precise term than the more meaningless and marketing-driven “fire-roasted.”

Restaurant: Panda Express (yes, the fast food place)

I never thought I'd say this, but this article makes me want to try Panda Express.  I'm not an orange chicken fan but would be willing to try theirs. 


http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/02/22/147256897/panda-express-takes-sweet-and-sour-beyond-the-food-court

Restaurant: Marquee Grill in Dallas

My new favorite bar in Dallas is Marquee Grill at Highland Park Village.  Note: It's a restaurant, but I LOVE the bar area.  The menu features new American cuisine from Executive Chef Tre Wilcox.  If his name sounds familiar to you, he was on Season 3 of Top Chef and has appeared on Iron Chef America.

About Marquee Grill and why it's fabulous:

• The food is friendly and complex (and I think it's so much better than the food at Fearing's and Stephan Pyles).
• The cocktail list is one of the best I've seen if you like complex classic cocktails.  My favorite is called 'Autumn Sonata' which has gin, poached pear puree, lemon juice and port wine.  I've ordered it there every time.
• I could eat dessert there every day.  The 'Marquee Chocolate Tart' in the photo above has caramel popcorn and salted butter ice cream that will change your life forever.  The chocolate has different 3 different textures ~ denser cake, a lighter cake, and a hard chocolate ganache shell on top that you have to break like with creme brulee.  We did try the 'Chocolate and Chile' dessert which is bittersweet chocolate cake, guajillo ganache and red corn tortilla ice cream.  My favorite part was the ice cream which was, well, interesting;  the cake wasn't anything to write home about and was a little too light and bland for me.
• The environment is cool and trendy but not overly pretentious -- and there's great people watching.  The patio upstairs overlooks Highland Park Village that still has lights in the trees, so it's lovely. 
• There is plenty of parking, and you can go shopping before or after stopping by the restaurant.

If you ever want to go, let me know and I'll meet you there!  I want to go there for brunch one day and get their bacon & waffles.
http://marqueegrill.com/

For all you Scrabble players out there. . .

For all you Scrabble players out there who love the game and love to cook, I highly recommend you get the Cooking Edition.  I guarantee that you will have a blast.  It's the same Scrabble game that we know and love, but there are bonus points for making cooking-related words and 'Recipe Cards' that put a twist to the game. 

For instance, one of the cards is called 'Microwave Oven' which says:  Play a word in 15 seconds and get a double word score. 

Another is called 'Ketchup' which says:  If you are in last place, add 20 points to your score.

Now, if only there was a Words with Friends Cooking Edition version. . .

Crepes A La Cart in Breckenridge

My Blue Lagoon Crepe
(Nutella, blueberries, brown sugar, Bailey's Irish Cream)

You can watch your crepe being made



Le Menu

Just got back from Breckenridge, and I must say that besides skiing, one of my favorite things of the trip was the crepes from a little cart (it was like a stationary food truck) called Crepes A La Cart.  I love crepes, and while they're easy to make, there's something special about them.  Maybe it's because there aren't many places around town in Dallas that serve them or that they can be intimidating and time consuming to make.  I made them once last year -- they turned out nicely but weren't as thin and beautiful as the ones from the cart which had a perfect texture and were crispy on the edges.

When I heard that there was a crepe cart in Breckenridge, I made sure to seek it out.  It was just a few blocks from where we stayed and became our afternoon snack after skiing.  I tried 'The Parisian' (melted brie with honey ham and Dijon mustard) which was savory and delicious and ordered 'Blue Lagoon' twice (blueberries with Nutella, brown sugar, and Bailey's Irish Cream).  There were so many I wanted to try, but I guess I'll have to make them myself.  Perhaps we'll throw a crepe party this spring and try out some of the other combinations. . .

Murray's Cheese Shop (at Kroger)

Dallasites, we are so very lucky to have a Murray's Cheese Shop at our Kroger (on Mockingbird & Greenville). 

Did you know that Murray's started in Greenwich Village and has been a NYC landmark since 1940?  Their mission is to offer the world's tastiest cheeses and specialty foods.  The company has a partnership with Kroger, so select Krogers have a Murray's Cheese Shop in their stores.  The people at the counter are so incredibly nice and will let you taste any cheese and will cut any amount you want.  In addition, their prices are good, so I prefer to shop there instead of Central Market. 

Check them out on the weekend because oftentimes, they'll have wine & cheese or beer & cheese pairings. 

http://www.murrayscheese.com/