This past weekend the most recent Top Chef winner Paul Qui was in town at Market District to do a demo and answer questions. Honestly, I don’t think there has been a nicer, more unassuming winner of that crazy show. He’s just such a humble, talented guy. His dishes were lovely light versions of chicken… Read More Two Light and Easy Nights | Summer Miso Soup
I’d been following the FB posts of Dorothy Lane Market and tracking when the Copper River salmon was coming in. It was the king that was in the store Friday. Its brief season is only May and June. But it is so very, very worth making every effort to find and indulge in it the… Read More Luxury | Copper River Gravlax
Sometimes texture can be just as important to a dish as flavor. It’s harder to enjoy something that’s just a bowl of mush. Ok, aside from perhaps enjoying a whole dinner of say, mashed potatoes with copious amounts of butter or oodles of macaroni and cheese. I have those days, too. But sometimes there are… Read More Unexpected Savory | Cumin Granola
This weekend’s weather made me gear back up in the garden, get back in the kitchen and get my groove back. Warm weather is all about ease: barely putting a pot on the stove, most things cooked over the grill. Who needs a mess when the back garden begs you to come and play? A… Read More Almost Effortless | Summer Picnic Slaw
I returned home after a lengthy trip to Texas to find spring had sprung: the daffodils were spent and the ferns unfurling. Nestled amongst said ferns on the shady side of the porch were dandelions, just emerged, with slender leaves and nary a flower in sight. Which of course meant they are at their peak… Read More Risotto of the Week | Spring Broad Bean and Foraged Dandelion
Even a cocktail can be local and seasonal. Especially if it has lovely ruby red grapefruit juice in it along with a super smooth locally distilled vodka, in this case Savvy, out of Austin. The recipe: grapefruit juice and vodka in a two to one ratio. A splash of grenadine. Stir. Pour over ice. Superb.… Read More Persephone’s Drinks Cabinet | Texas Savvy Firefly
We all get stuck in a weeknight routine, I know. I’ve heard the complaints — “I don’t know what to make and I don’t have the time to make it anyway.” Maybe all you need is to take something familiar and give it a little tweak. Enter pork jowls. In Italian it’s guanciale, and it’s… Read More Weeknight Wow | Pork Jowl Pasta with Monkfish
