Cookbook Review: Texas Eats by Robb Walsh

Texas is big. Some might say it's too big to have a definable cuisine. If you think Texas cooking is all about BBQ, burgers, and beef, you are probably still wondering who shot JR. Robb Walsh claims to have written "the new Lone Star heritage cookbook" and he delivers on that promise. Organized into 6 sections, each corresponds to a region of the state. Lone Star Seafood (coastal plain), East Texas Southern, Vintage Tex-Mex (South Texas), Old World Flavors (hill country), and Country and Western (West Texas).  Within each section, chapters delve into the specifics, everything from German and Czech to Vietnamese and Cajun.

I love cookbooks that tell stories and this one is complete with pictures and personalities. The recipes had better be pretty amazing as well. Good thing Mr. Walsh is no stranger to good food. I consider a cookbook a winner if I love at least 10 recipes and make them more than once. Texas Eats has earned its spot on my shelf.

Pecan Praline Ice Cream
Mama Sugar's Margarita Ribs
Chicken Fried Steak
Rebecca Rather's Ancho Brownies
Basic BBQ Rub
Chipotle BBQ Sauce
Apfelkraut
German Cucumber Salad with Dill
Puffy Tacos

Buttermilk Macaroni and Cheese w/ Homegrown Tomato

1/4 c. butter

16 oz. package elbow macaroni

3 eggs

1 c. buttermilk

1 c. half-n-half

1 tsp. dry mustard

1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper

8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

12 oz. jack cheese, shredded

3/4 c. dried bread crumbs (I used panko)

1 lg. tomato, sliced 1/4" thick

Preheat oven to 350. Using 1 T. of the butter, grease a 3 quart baking dish. Cook the macaroni in boliing water; drain well. In a large bowl whisk eggs, buttermilk, half n half, mustard, salt, and pepper. Add to the drained macaroni along with the cheeses and place in casserole dish. Melt the remaining butter and toast the bread crumbs. Arrange the tomato slices on top of the macaroni then top with the buttered bread crumbs. Bake for 45 minutes and allow to set for 15 minutes before serving. 

It's Never Too Hot to Drink Coffee

And to serve with the coffee? Another special from the archives.

8/8/07  There are not many recipes worth firing up the stove for in this Southern Capital of Heat and Humidity, but this one is guaranteed to make your guests  "stagger with joy." Honest! That is what the book says and I tried it on my guests last night. They positively swooned.

Priceless Pecan Triangles

Crust: 2 c. flour

2/3 c. powdered sugar

1/8 t. salt

2 sticks butter, cut into slices

1 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 10x15" baking sheet with parchment paper (this is important; you'll see why later.)

In a food processor, combine dry ingredients. Add butter and vanilla and pulse until dough starts to hold together.

Space portions of the dough on the baking sheet and start to pat to make the crust. Actually, since you already have the parchment paper out, put a sheet on the top and roll the crust with your rolling pin. It will be thin. Just work with it.  Bake the crust for 15 minutes. When finished, take the crust out and leave the oven on.

Topping

2 sticks (yes, that's right...2 MORE sticks!) of butter

1/2 c. honey

1 1/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. white sugar

1/8 t. salt

1/4 c. cream

3 c. chopped pecans (or  you could use almonds. Those are yummy too!)

1 t. grated orange rind (If you don't own a microplane grater, this is the excuse you have been waiting for!)

In a saucepan, combine butter, honey, and sugars. Heat until dissolved. Raise the heat a tad, bring to a boil, and boil without stirring for 1 minute. Turn off the stove and add the remaining ingredients. Pour over the prepared crust and bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven up to 375 and bake for 15 more minutes. The topping will be amber colored and bubbly.

When the pan has cooled enough to allow this, lift out the entire thing using the parchment paper. This will make cutting them into squares, then triangles, so much easier!

Enjoy!

I Ate a Tomato!

(From 9/7/07)

Worthy of headlines? Only when you consider that in my 44 years of life I haven't willingly prepared and eaten a raw tomato. Until tonight. The tomato is one of those foods that just looks like it should taste good. It's colorful, good for you, versatile - all  those things that should recommend it, yet I've persisted in leaving it at the top of my "One Hated Food That I Refuse To Eat and You Can't Make Me" list. Everyone in our family gets to have one food on this list. It makes for a very peaceful mealtime. I don't have to worry about accommodating 7 different tastes at once and no one is freaked about having to eat their One Hated Food. (If anyone happens to forget what that food is, I simply assure them it is probably Brussels sprouts and they are safe from ever having to encounter it that evening.)

    But back to the killer tomatoes. In an effort to restrain our eating-out budget, which is rising quicker than our grocery budget, I'm trying to plan ahead. Tonight's dinner was quick, simple, and pretty darn yummy! If you'd like to recreate it for yourself (and any tomato haters in your house), here you go!

    (Note the first- this recipe is all about the ingredients. If you want just any old sandwich, throw together a pbj. To make  this one fancy-schmancy - splurge on the good stuff!

Note the second - some of you out there, and you know who you are, wouldn't follow a recipe if your life depended on it. That's cool. This one has no set quantities for you to worry about. It's most forgiving.)

Italian BLTs

1. Slice tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Set aside while you're preparing the rest of the ingredients.

2.Wash and dry some Romaine lettuce leaves.

3. Cook bacon.

4. While bacon is cooking, slice some fresh mozzarella and set aside. If your opinion of mozzarella has been influenced by too many servings of string cheese, you are in for a treat! Splurge, remember?

5. In your food processor squeeze 1/2 lemon, add a generous spoon of mayo (1/3 c. or so), a handful of fresh basil leaves, and a dash of garlic powder. Process until smooth.

6. Prepare the bread. Toast if you like. Use a good quality Italian bread (Central Market pagnotta is great) or get ciabatta, whole grain..whatever you like. No Wonder Bread allowed!

7. Spread bread w/ basil mayo, layer bacon, lettuce, dressed tomatoes, and cheese.

Enjoy!

It's Thanksgiving in July!

(I'm in the process of migrating some blog entries from an old blog into this one. I'd like to have all my recipes in one place. Please excuse the dust while I remodel a little bit. The good news is that I'm adding labels to each post, even the old ones, so we can all find what we are looking for much easier!)

From November of '07

Cajun Cornbread Dressing

3 T. butter

1 c. each chopped onion and celery

1/2 c. each red, yellow, and green bell pepper

2 c. chopped smoked sausage (I used Savoie's brand beef sausage. You could use andouille.)

2 c. chopped raw shrimp

1 stick butter

1 32 oz. box chicken broth

1 16 oz. bag cornbread dressing mix (I used HEB brand)

2 t. Tony Chachere's creole seasoning

In a large pot or skillet melt the 3 T. butter and saute the vegetables until soft. Add the sausage and continue cooking until browned. Add the shrimp and cook through. Add the remaining butter and cook until melted. Add broth and turn off heat. Stir in dressing mix and seasoning. Bake in 9 x 13 casserole dish at 350 for 30 minutes.

Enjoy your leftovers!

Well Hello There 2012!

I haven't posted since last December? Guess it's time for an update.
College Search: Stay tuned for an exciting announcement. Waiting for confirmation on Daughter #2's choice.
Graduation Festivities are in the works! Daughter #3 is in the throes of senioritis and I'm alternately happy/sad at the thought of "She's the last one!"
Barista Boy: Happily pulling shots at Cafe Medici in Austin. Hook 'Em Horns and have an espresso while you're at it!
Grandbaby #4 made his arrival since the last post. I can probably scrounge up a picture or two...hundred.
Oldest daughter is now officially a stay-at-home-mom and is navigating the world of cloth diapers. I can honestly say "I'm glad it's you and not me!"
Recipes: Urban Cowboy and I are trying to cut carbs and sugar. Not much exciting going on in that department.
Me? I'm still teaching writing and English and already planning for the  next school year.

If you haven't forgotten little ol' Add More Chocolate then stick around. I'll bet we can find something to talk about.

Hugs,
Renee

Christmas Dinner–Just in Case

With Jaimee’s due date just days away, I thought an early Christmas dinner might not be a bad idea! This menu gave me a chance to try out several new recipes, all of which I can attest are easy to do after spending the day in line at the post office and grocery store. Enjoy!
Menu: Salmon with Cider Sauce, Butternut Squash Bake, Sauteed Spinach, Grand Marnier Cake with Chocolate Glaze.
(Note – I’m going to make an effort – gulp! – to use this space to keep track of recipes that work. I’m not a food photographer by any means; I’m a teacher. I can’t promise gorgeous pics, but I’ll do my best to explain things clearly. If you have questions just holler.)
Simple Salmon with Cider Sauce
1 salmon filet, fresh, figure about 1/2 lb. per adult serving
Seasoning, your choice. I like Paul Prudhomme’s Magic  Salmon Seasoning (grocery store) or Williams Sonoma Potlatch Seasoning
Olive Oil
Flour
Directions: Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with Pam. Place the salmon, skin side down, and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with seasoning. Dust with flour. Cook under preheated broiler, close to the element, until done on the inside (some like it more rare – your preference) and crusty on top. Should take around 10 minutes or so at the most. Serve with Cider Sauce.
Cider Sauce (can make ahead and warm later)
1 can frozen apple juice concentrate
3 large or 4 small shallots, sliced
2 T. whole black peppercorns
Directions: Boil the ingredients together until sauce is reduced by 1/2. You’ll have about a cup or so of liquid. Drain. Serve warm drizzled on top of salmon.
Butternut Squash Bake
(This is a nice change from the super-sweeet “It’s really a dessert” squash recipes that are common this time of year.)
2 small or 1 large butternut squash. Use a potato peeler to peel the skin off. Cut off the bottom rounded part and cut in half. Use the peeler to scoop out the seeds. Using a large chef’s knife slice the whole thing into 1/4” slices.
4 T. butter for sautéing squash
salt, pepper, freshly grated nutmeg
1 c. heavy cream mixed with 1/3 c. sherry
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. Panko bread crumbs
2 T. butter for sautéing bread crumbs
Directions: In a large skillet melt 4 T. butter and sauté slices until brown, about 7-8 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and a little grated nutmeg. Place half of slices in a buttered casserole dish (I actually used a deep dish pie plate. It was red. I love red.) Top with 1/2 of cream-sherry mixture. Repeat.
In the skillet where you sautéed the squash, melt the remaining butter and toast the pecans for just a minute. Mix in the bread crumbs. Sprinkle topping over squash. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Technorati Tags: Menu,mains,salmon,sides,squash,recipe

Not Just Any Ice Cream Sundae

If you’re going to serve your guests, gasp!, ice cream when the first cold snap hits, it better be worth it! Trust me, this is not a picnic-summertime-all-American frozen treat. Tiramisu Sundaes lift dessert to another level altogether. (Trivia: Did you know that “tiramisu” literally means “lift me up”?)
Did I mention that this dessert requires no advance prep and can be put together while your guests are vegging on the couch watching the last game of the world series? Hey, the name may be Italian, but we do love our Texas baseball over here!
As much as I love cooking and baking, I also realize there are times when time is short and you need to be able to throw something truly scrumptious* together. Last minute should NOT mean second rate. By using the best possible ingredients and having fun with the presentation, you won’t need to apologize for a thing.
These have all the ingredients of traditional tiramisu: coffee, marsala, chocolate, mascarpone, and ladyfingers.
Tiramisu Sundaes
Coffee Ice Cream
Butter Pecan Ice Cream (You could also use an almond brickle flavor.)
1 container mascarpone cheese, mixed with 2 T. powdered sugar and beaten into 1 c. heavy cream, whipped. If mixture seems too thick, add more cream.
1/2 c. caramel sauce (I used Hershey’s) mixed with 2 T. Marsala , brushed onto cut sides of ladyfingers.
Dark chocolate shavings (I buy a block of Callebaut and keep it handy)
To assemble: I used straight sided mason jars, inspired by Jeni’s Ice Cream in Nashville. The sundaes are pretty to look at and the jars keep the layers together beautifully.   Layer 1 ladyfinger (both halves) in the bottom, topped with 1 scoop coffee ice cream, and a layer of whipped cream. Repeat the layers with the other flavor of ice cream and top with chocolate shavings.
Enjoy!
*Points to you if you can figure out which movie this comes from.