Happy National Donut Day! (Tomorrow, June 1st)

Happy National Donut Day!
Dunkin' Donuts is offering a free donut with any beverage purchase  . . while supplies last!
http://www.dunkindonuts.com/DDBlog/2012/05/save_the_date_natio.html

The Power of the Dryer Sheet (on pans)

The power of the dryer sheet.  Why am I now just learning that placing a dryer sheet in a pan (w/water) helps lift food off the pan to make scrubbing easier?  Knowing this could have saved hours of my life scrubbing pans -- as well as frustration!  I tried this recently on a pan that had mac & cheese stuck to the bottom, and it worked!

Apparently, dryer sheets are helpful in other cases as well:
http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/10-new-uses-for-dryer-sheets-10000001030026/index.html

Guest Post (FoodFiend): Recipe: Grandma's Pork Chops in Mushroom Sauce

OK. So. It's been a while since FoodFiend posted, but reports of my death (and diet, apparently) have been greatly exaggerated.

Seriously, though, I have been trying to eat a bit healthier, which is a bit difficult since I tend to lean toward the home-cooking soul-food side of the food spectrum. But tonight we made a repeat that bears sharing - the recipe from allrecipes.com is called Grandma's Pork Chops in Mushroom Sauce. I don't know whose Grandma she was, but dang, she sure had a better grasp of pork chops than our Shake N Bake grandma ever did.

Here's the recipe:
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, pressed
6 pork chops
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz sliced mushrooms (the original recipe called for canned, but I scoff at the thought of canned mushrooms)
1 cup dry sherry
1 can beef broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 350.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute briefly, enough to make the kitchen smell yummy. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and fry in skillet until browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove the pork chops to a baking pan.

Put the mushrooms into the skillet wih the pork drippings and garlic and saute briefly. Add the beef broth and sherry and bring to a boil, then pour them over the chops in the pan. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil.

Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the lid or foil, and bake fore another 15 minutes. Remove the chops from the pan to a serving platter, and add the cornstarch and water to the baking dish on the stovetop and bring to a boil to thicken the gravy. Spoon sauce over the chops and serve.

OK, I didn't take a picture, but we were too anxious to dive into it, and it's not necessarily such an attractive dish - pork chops topped with mushrooms and gravy - but it sure is yummy!

7 Cheeses to Try

The ultimate cheese plate

If you live in Dallas, love cheese, and haven't been to Molto Formaggio in Dallas . . . you must go.  It's an intimate gourmet wine & cheese store in Highland Park Village (Preston/Mockingbird) and beats out Central Market any day.  The staff is extremely knowledgeable and are more than willing to help you find the right cheese (and wine) to fit your palate or event, AND they encourage tasting!  I've experienced so many new cheeses just from visiting their store.
http://www.moltoformaggio.com/

I took some friends to Molto Formaggio, and we bought 7 outstanding cheeses to nosh on before dinner last night.

(clockwise, starting from the top left)

Caprotto:  Goat's Milk;  Italy.  A partly cooked, pressed goat's milk cheese with a firm to crumbly texture depending on its age.  Caprotto has an aromatic and intensely peppery flavor that is reminiscent of the southern Italian moutain pastures.  It can be both grassy and tangy with notes of hay and hazelnuts.

Challerhocker:  Cow's Milk;  Switzerland.  Made by Walter Rass, this cow's milk cheese means "sitting in the cellar," which it does for 10 months.  Region of Toggenburg.

Roquefort - Carles:  Sheep's Milk;  France.  A full-bodied Roquefort, hand-made from the milk of the Lacaune sheep that graze on the tough grass of the Causses plateau.  It's strong and sublime.

Ascutney Mountain:  Cow's Milk;  United States.  Sweet, nutty cheese similar to European Alpine cheeses like Gruyere, Appenzeller, or Comte.  Firm texture with small holes throughout the interior.  Shares some elements of fine cheddars and well-aged goudas.

Dunbarton Blue:  Earthy cheddared-blue, open air cured, giving it the feel of an English cheddar but spiked with the delicate, subtle flavor of a fine blue.

Red Rock:  Named for the local stone that surrounds the room where it's aged.  It's technically a Cheddar-Blue but differs significantly from Dunbarton Blue.  The Dunbarton was designed to be an elegant table cheese; Red Rock is more of a working man's cheese.  Dunbarton is earthy and crumbly;  Red Rock is creamy and sliceable.  Cheesemaker Chris Roelli calls it "Dunbarton's little cousin."

Delice D'Argental:  Cow's Milk; France.  This decadently rich French cow's milk cheese hails from Burgundy.  This delicate creamy textured triple cream is taken to another level by enriching the milk with creme fraiche.  (Note: We tasted this side-by-side with Delice D'Bourgogne, and this one was so much more flavorful.)

Source:  Cheese descriptions are primarily from Molto Formaggio's site.

Recipe: S'mores Coffee and Fudge Ice Cream Cake

We made the S'mores Coffee and Fudge Ice Cream Cake (Bon Appetit, Jan 2000 issue - 4 forks on epicurious.com) for a Memorial Day Weekend get together.  It turned out great!

I'd highly recommend making this dessert but with the following modifications:

• Almonds are really expensive these days, but hazelnuts were half the price, so I used hazelnuts in the crust instead.  I think the hazelnuts went very well with the coffee ice cream.
• Instead of purchasing fudge sauce, I'm going to try melting my own chocolate or making a ganache for the layers next time.
• The recipe calls for each ice cream and fudge layer to be layered at the same time; however, the hot fudge began to swirl in with the ice cream (melting the ice cream) so there wasn't a nice, distinct layer of chocolate.  So, I'd recommend layering the ice cream -> freezing the cake -> layering the fudge/chocolate -> freezing the cake -> and so on.
• Note:  Because we ate the cake the same day I made it, I didn't freeze it overnight as specified in the recipe.  I was afraid that broiling the marshmallows on the cake would turn the cake into a milkshake so we used a kitchen torch on the marshmallows instead. 

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Smores-Coffee-and-Fudge-Ice-Cream-Cake-102836

Just a reminder that Cupcake Camp is coming up on

June 2nd from 1- 4 PM

at St. Mark's School of Texas

Buy your ticket today for $10 which includes admission and 5 tasting coupons.

Proceeds benefit The Leap Foundation, a nonprofit organization comprised of volunteer plastic surgeons, urologists, eye surgeons, anesthesiologists, orthodontists, nurses and support staff that offers surgical care to children around the world.

http://cupcakecampdallas.com/
http://foodiefriendstk.blogspot.com/2012/03/cupcake-camp-dallas-bake-with-me-for.html

Come and taste cupcakes from amateur bakers (like yours truly) and the following professional bakeries and cupcakeries:

Cake Diva

Dallas Cake Club

Dimples Cupcake Factor

Polk-A-Dot Bakery

Tiered Dreams

Babycakes Cupcakery

Cake Possible

Carol's Cupcakery

Central Market

Corner Bakery Cafe

Crazy Good Cupcakes

CupCake FabuLous

Cuptastic!

Custard Confections

Haute Mama Dessert Company

Hospitality Sweet

Krème de la Cupcake

Society Bakery

Sugar Ray's Bake Shop

Sweet Art Bakery

Sweet Creations, Gifts & More

SweetPea Bakery

Tart Bakery

Trailercakes

Velvet Bake Shop

Willie Mae's Bakery

Iron Chef Foodie Friends Competition 2: Tomatillo

The winner of our first Iron Chef competition picked tomatillo as our ingredient for last night's dinner.  It was definitely an interesting ingredient to work with -- I had to do research on tomatillos and learned that when selecting them, 1) they should be firm, 2) the smaller the better and 3) the husk should be fresh looking (not shriveled and dried).

I thought that we would all be tomatillo'd out after eating 2 apps, 3 entrees, 1 dessert -- oh, and there was a drink too, but everything was so delicious.  It was extremely hard to pick a winner.  The winner was the dessert (major points for creativity and having the hardest course); it was delicious. 

Our next competition's ingredient is sparkling wine!

Appetizers:
Fresh cheese in tomatillo salsa
Guacamole w/tomatillo salsa & orange juice

My dish (appetizer)
Fresh cheese in tomatillo salsa - a Rick Bayless recipe
http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/view?recipeID=141

Drink:
A spicy tomatillo margarita
(w/serranos and jalapenos blended in)
Oops - I drank almost all of it before
remembering to take a photo

Entree:
Brisket soft butter tacos with a cabbage slaw
and a tomatillo cream sauce

Entree:
Chicken soft tacos topped with a
tomatillo salsa, cilantro and queso fresco

Entree:
Fresh mozzarella and monterey jack
cheese enchiladas in a chile corn tortilla and
topped with a tomatillo sauce, queso fresco
and black beans on the side

Dessert:
Chocolate cake with a tomatillo
sauce (made with vanilla, cinnamon) and
topped with orange zest whipped cream

Choco Tacos

I was roaming around the grocery store and down the ice cream aisle and came across Klondike's Choco Tacos.  Ah, memories.  I remember going on a family road trip in high school and stopping at a gas station where my sister and I got one as a snack.  Apparently, this Choco Taco type is new -- having chocolate ice cream on the inside and dipped in a Nestle-bar-crunch-magic-shell-like topping.  )The original has vanilla ice cream and is dipped in a chocolate with peanuts.) 

In any case, it was fun to try it again and was just as I remembered it.  The 'taco' (waffle part) was chewy.  After all these years, I'm surprised they haven't figured out how to keep the shell crispy?!

Recipe: The Ultimate Sticky Buns

Bon Appetit- April 2012 issue

How mine turned out

This weekend, I attempted to make the mouth-watering Ultimate Sticky Buns that are on the cover of Bon Appetit magazine's April 2012 issue.  It was a daunting recipe, requiring many steps and lots of time.  (If you try this recipe, make the dough the night before.  Altogether, including the time needed to allow the dough to rise, requires about 4 hours.) 

They turned out quite lovely and delicious but not as scrumptious as I had hoped.  Here are some tips:

• The milk gets hot FAST, so make sure you don't overheat it.  I overheated mine and should have started over because I think I killed the yeast in the process.  The buns did rise in the oven, though.
• I made a half-batch but used the same sized pan.  However, because there was space in between the buns, they cooked more quickly.  I didn't check on them early enough and slightly overcooked them.  (Note:  People who reviewed the recipe on epicurious.com said that the pan size was too small ~ for a full batch; however, my America's Test Kitchen-watching-husband explained that it's necessary to have the buns touching and as close to each other as possible so that there isn't air between them and they don't cook so fast.)
• The buns need a white icing on them to make them 100% scrumptious.

I'll definitely try making these again -- next time, a full batch!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/The-Ultimate-Sticky-Buns-395092

TX Food Truck Fest - This Weekend!

The TX Food Truck Fest is this weekend in Dallas at Valley View Mall's parking lot.  Food trucks are coming from all over Texas to be at the event.

Fri, May 11: 5 pm - 10 pm
Sat, May 12: 11 am - 10 pm
(There's also a Dash & Dine 5K Run and 1 mile Fun Run on Sat. at 8 am)

$5 Admission
Children under 5 are free
15% of attendance proceeds will go to the North Texas Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. 

http://www.txfoodtruckfest.com/food-trucks/

Belgian Waffle Company - specializing in the Waffle de Liége

Cajun Tailgators - Serving great cajun food...Let the good times roll

Chi'lantro(Austin) - Korean + Mexican Fusion

Coreanos - Mexican Cuisine with Korean in Between

Crazy Fish - Sushi Food Truck

Dough Boy Pizza - Gourmet pizza off a food truck

Eat Jo Dawgs - Custom hotdogs, links, polish sausage & bratwurst

Four Seasons - by vizion catering

enticed - Gourmet shaved ice and more

Gandolfos - Serving great Pastrami and more

Jack's Chowhound - On the scene...mean cuisine

Little Vessel Grill Food Truck - American Fusion Cuisine

Nammi Food Truck - Cruisin' Vietnamese Fusion serving Banh Mi

Rock and Roll Tacos - 100% Authentic Street Tacos

Rockstar Bakeshop - DFW's Gourmet Whoopie Pie Destination

Ssahm BBQ - Gourmet Korean Tacos

The Butchers Son - Famous Johnsonville Sausage - Food with heritage

The Fat Truck - Molecular Gastronomy or as he would call it, MoGa

Three Lions - Fast. Delicious. Englis

Tin Star Taco Taxi - Notoriously Addictive Gourmet Tacos

TX Delizioso - Where Texan meets Italian

Wiener Man - It's not just a hot dog... It's a wiener

Yume Burger - Japanese burgers. Experience the burger, redefined.

Celebrities and Wine

Fergie is going to launch her own wine later this year -- Ferguson Crest.  It'll include a single estate Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Viognier from Santa Barbara County.
http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2012/05/fergie-to-launch-her-own-wine/

Drew Barrymore released her own wines earlier this year -- Barrymore 2011 Pinot Grigio.
http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/food/list_cask_idaNJohwML71vNwv90HKdL

And apparently, Lady Gaga is looking at vineyards. 

Oh, and Brad Pitt is going to be starring in "The Billionaire's Vinegar" (should be released later this year) which is based on a controversial book about Thomas Jefferson's wine bottles which were found in a a walled-up basement in Paris in 1985.  Bottles included a 1787 Lafite (engraved with Th:J), 1784 Chateau d'Yquem, and a half-bottle of 1784 Chateau Margaux.  In a 1985 auction, Malcom Forbes (the late publisher) paid $156,450 for the Lafite which is a single-bottle auction record that hasn't been surpassed.
http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/529950/brad-pitt-to-star-in-the-billionaire-s-vinegar

Wine Perfume: You Can Have Your Wine and Wear It Too

+ 

From Refinery29

Wine Perfume: Now You Can Have Your Vino &...Wear It, Too

By Megan McIntyre

If your first reaction to that headline was "ew," then clearly you need a proper introduction to the wonders of wine perfume. The Kelly & Jones Wine Notes Collection features five perfumes inspired by different varietals of vino: Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Cabernet, Merlot, and Chardonnay. Creator Kelly Jones was inspired to create the scents after attending a wine tasting and noticing how her vanilla perfume intermingled with the notes of the wine she was savoring. Jones headed back to her fragrance studio with bottles of her favorite wines and went about mixing up scents that played off the undertones of each wine.

The end result is a collection of fragrances that features notes like honeydew, rhubarb, and toasted oak. When you stop to think about it, the concept makes sense: Sommeliers often instruct you to sniff the wine before you drink it, so that you can get a better understanding of a wine's complex flavor profile. Fragrance and scent are intertwined, so a wine fragrance is just a natural progression of this link.

When you look at it that way, it doesn't seem so odd after all. It also helps that the scents themselves are stunning — our favorite is the fruity Riesling, which has notes of white peach, anjou pear, bergamot, and raspberry leaf. We have eternal love for our vino, so we fully support anything that helps us celebrate our obsession without feeling like total lushes.

$84 each, available at www.kellyandjones.com

Recipe: Asian Beef with Basil

This evening, we made the recipe that's on the cover of Food & Wine Magazine (April 2012).  It was totally worth the 2.5 hours of cooking required.  I can't wait to eat leftovers tomorrow.

Notes:

• It's an easy recipe but just takes a long time to cook (simmer) the beef chuck.
• This was the first time I'd cooked with lemongrass, and I didn't realize how tough the stalk is.  Cutting it definitely requires a sharp knife.
• Next time, we'll put in the carrots 30 minutes into the cook time since they were softer than we like.
• We didn't reduce the sauce, preferring more of a soup.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/asian-beef-with-basil

Noma is named the World's Best Restaurant again

Rene Redzepi's Noma in Copenhagen was crowned the World's Best Restaurant for the 3rd time in a row by S. Pellegrino and Acqua Panna's World's 50 Best Restaurants.  The restaurants are voted by a panel of more than 800 chefs, restauranteurs, journalists and food experts.

The U.S. had 8 winners:

• #6 - Per Se (New York)
• #7 - Alinea (Chicago)
• #10 - Eleven Madison Park (New York)
• #19 - Le Bernadin (New York)
• #25 - Daniel (New York)
• #37 - Momofuku Ssam Bar (New York)
• #43 - The French Laundry (Yountville, CA)
• #48 - Manresa (Los Gatos, CA)

Also, Thomas Keller received the S. Pellegrino Lifetime Achievement Award

Reuters article
The World's 50 Best Restaurants List

May 8: Haagen-Dazs Free Cone Day

Save the Date!  It's Free Cone Day at Haagen-Dazs from 4-8pm at all their shops!

Haagen-Dazs Shops Locator
Haagen-Dazs Facebook Page

Penfolds Launching Top Wines

Article: Penfolds set to launch top wines

Penfolds is set to launch their 2012 Penfolds Icon and Luxury Collection on Thursday, May 3rd.  There are 8 wines ranging over 4 vintages.

According to the article, "most interest will be directed at the release of the 2007 Penfolds Grange, which chief winemaker, Peter Gago, has unsurprisingly singled out as the standout of the collection." 

• 2007 Penfolds Grange from $625
• 2009 Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay $130
• 2010 Penfolds Reserve Bin A Adelaide Hills Chardonnay $95
• 2008 Penfolds St Henri Shiraz $95
• 2009 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon $250
• 2008 Penfolds Bin 169 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon $250 (inaugural re-release; modeled on the 1973 release of Bin 169)
• 2009 Penfolds RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz $175
• 2009 Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz $130

Restaurant: Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck

Interior of the Restaurant

Appetizer
Crispy Maine Lobster & Shrimp Eggrolls
with Honey Ten Spice Sauce

Dessert
Sour Cream Apple Crumble
with 50 Bean Ice Cream


Ever since I was a kid, I've loved Reunion Tower -- the lollipop looking building that stands out on the Dallas skyline.  Yes, it was maybe "cheesy" and touristy back in the day, and yes, the floor of the restaurant rotates (and still rotates) -- but it is cheesy no more.  I think the restaurant at the top, Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck, is one of the better restaurants in Dallas.  We've been twice, and it's been memorable both times. 

Not only is the place modern/contemporary and hip, the food and service were spot on too.  I love the environment from the sleek bars to the wine wall to the small details like their Chilewich modern placemats and their chopsticks which are tapered at both ends.

Cocktail
The restaurant is revamping their cocktail list, but the server suggested one that I'm actually craving right now.  It was served in a martini glass and was the perfect, not-too-sweet, fresh cocktail for a spring day.  Ingredients:  vodka, elderflower liqueur, lychee juice, lime juice.  I need to get some lychee juice from the Asian grocery store so I can try making it at home -- it was that good.

Wine
Their wine prices are pretty reasonable, and they give a generous pour that looks more than the typical 6 oz you get at most restaurants.

Appetizer
We had the Crispy Maine Lobster & Shrimp Spring Rolls with a Honey Ten-Spice Sauce.  It was a very lovely and pretty (see photo above) dish, but I probably wouldn't order it again because I've had Chinese Dim Sum that tastes just like it but is less than a 1/3 of the cost.  The sauce had a wonderful sweet, salty and spicy balance.

Entree
I was overwhelmed (in a good way) by the service of our entrees.  Three people came to our table to finish off our entrees by pouring sauces on the plates and then they were poof -- gone.  Their service was seamless.

I had the Steamed Wild King Salmon "Hong Kong Style" with Bok Choy, Ginger and Soy, and it's one of the best seafood dishes I've ever eaten.  The salmon was cooked perfectly and practically melted in my mouth -- it tasted like it was cooked sous-vide in fat when, in fact, it was steamed.  I was so enraptured by the dish that I started eating it right away and didn't take a photo of it.  I guess that means I need to go back!  It inspired me to look for fish recipes cooked "Hong Kong Style" so maybe I'll try one of these soon:
http://projects.eveningedge.com/recipes/hong-kong-style-fish/
http://whattocooktoday.com/hong-kong-style-steamed-fish.html

Dessert
I was full but still wanted dessert.  Might as well go all out!  We ordered their Sour Cream Apple Crumble with 50 [Vanilla] Bean Ice Cream.  Imagine the most flavorful and creamy vanilla ice cream you've ever tasted, and the crumble itself had big chunks of Fuji apple in it with a nice sweet crumble that balanced the tartness of the apple and the sour cream.  It was a pretty large portion; we ate every bite.

I think I may be celebrating my next birthday here with friends. . . too bad my birthday is 9 months away.
http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/fine-dining/3917

Taco Bell's Doritos Locos Tacos

Update 4/25/2012

I promised I'd report back on Doritos Locos Tacos after I tried them.  Well, I tried one and it was mediocre.  The taco shell was regular nacho cheese radioactive orange and had the powdered cheese dust taste. . . I mean, it's Doritos!  It didn't, however, add anything to the taco except saltiness.  Even without using the 3 packets of hot sauce that I usually use per taco, I couldn't taste the nacho cheese from the shell.  I just tasted salt.

Apparently, this new innovation has been "enormously successful" according to the company's CFO, and sales rose 6% in the first quarter.

I think I'll stick with my emergency lunch of Taco Bell 150 calorie Fresca Tacos.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

It's the day we've all been waiting for.  Just kidding.

Tomorrow, March 8th, Taco Bell is debuting their Doritos Locos Tacos nationwide.  The company has partnered with Frito-Lay in reinventing the taco (the taco shell is made of Nacho Cheese Doritos) and believe this will boost their "lingering sales."

I'll try it and will report back. . . .

http://www.tacobell.com/doritoslocostacos

Recipe: Triple Smoke Burger

(Pardon the background -- I was too hungry
to move all of the stuff off the kitchen table)

Update 4/23/12
I just have to post this recipe again since we made this burger recipe last night.  It has the best flavor of any burger I've ever eaten.

----------------------------------------

This was the most amazing burger we've ever made at home.  Talk about flavor.   

• Meat seasoned with paprika and chipotle in adobo
• Bacon (everyone loves bacon!)
• Grilled red onion
• Grilled avocado
• Cilantro
• Tomato
• Lettuce
• Mayo, dijon mustard, chipotle in adobo spread

You have to try this or at the very least . . . try seasoning the meat per the recipe.  It's easy, easy, easy.

Here's the recipe: 
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Triple-Smoke-Burger-365889

Chefs Weigh In: The California Foie Gras Ban

See what Christopher Kostow, Cindy Pawlcyn, Dean Fearing, Thomas Keller, Michael Chiarello, Christopher Cosentino and Russell Jackson are saying about the foie gras ban in California starting in July:  Chefs Weigh In:  The California Foie Gras Ban at Eater.com

Here are my favorite quotes from the article:

Dean Fearing:  "I serve a lot of foie gras in Texas. I have a lot of customers that love foie gras. It's been around for you know 1,000 years since the Egyptians. It's amazing we all the sudden are doing this. I understand, I do. Animal rights, all of that. We might as well stop eating meat all together. I tell ya, if anyone's been to a slaughter house they wouldn't like that. I don't know why they're battling foie.  Production of chickens would make you throw up.  Seeing a slaughterhouse with pigs and cattle will make you throw up too. Pork is now bigger than ever, and pork has a brain. Pigs have brains. It's like wow. I think in my later years I'll be a vegetarian."

Michael Chiarello:  "If we're going to do something healthful for American lets do something that's going to change the lives of millions and millions of Americans and our children. Foie gras is a 1000th of 1 percent of consumption of anyone that consumes anything in America. So if you're going to pick something? This is a stupid place to start.  It's a decision based on agronomics not intelligence.  If we took the amount of attention and money put to this, and applied it to something more significant we'd make a gigantic impact to help Americans."

Casey Thompson:  "It sucks. You can quote me. How about this. Here's a $50 salad. Enjoy your foie gras."