Marcia Marcia Marcia Weidenfeller!

As I sit on my comfy sofa and look out my patio door, out onto my pool and garden, I can appreciate what a beautiful backyard I have.  At the same time, I think about how fortunate most of us are compared to the people who live in the northeast part of the country.  We have shelter, food, jobs, clean water and clean clothes while many of them do not.  I try to imagine how desolate they must feel and how anxious they are to get that all back up and running and to have some normalcy in their lives.  I mean, it was that way in parts of the DFW Metroplex like Arlington and Forney and other places last year, with the bad rash of tornadoes we had one day.  We can manipulate lots of facets in our lives but weather is not (normally) one of them.  When I see the pictures of the damage caused by natural disasters, I am heartbroken at the loss of property these people experience. 

Pair that with the upcoming election and me trying to sell my house and I'm going crazy.  I've been working with this couple that want to buy my house for 4 months and twice it's been the day before and the mortgage company stops it.  I have sold most of my furniture because it's cheaper to buy new furniture than to move it so I'm living in, essentially, an empty house except for beds and a sofa.  Still, I have an intact home that I can afford and it's nice and snug and comfortable.  The election...well, that's another story.

On to other subjects...

Before I was a pastry chef, I worked as a nurse in a general practice doctors' office and on each of our birthdays, we'd have a little party and Marcia would make cake.  Marcia Weidenfeller is the sweetest person you'd ever want to meet and she is a most excellent cake baker, especially when it comes to Italian Cream cake.  I've had a few IC cakes in my life but hers is the best.  So sweet and rich and oh so very, very light and moist.  And, thankfully, it's foolproof - turns out perfect every single time.  It's been years since I had Marcia's IC cake so when I was elected to make dessert for my niece's housewarming party, I made IC cupcakes.  They were stellar.  I found they had something my grandmother called "a more-ish taste" ---- you want more!  So, I'm making one today for my handyman because he's so good to me.  I had a little extra batter so I made myself some cupcakes, Yum!  Brew up some coffee and have a slice of heaven...Here's the recipe for:

Marcia Weidenfeller's Italian Cream Cake

1 C buttermilk                                   5 eggs, separated
1 t baking soda                                  2 C AP flour
2 C sugar                                           1 t vanilla
1/2 C butter                                       1 C pecans, chopped
1/2 C shortening                               1 C coconut
Preheat oven to 325.  Grease and flour three 9" round cake pans.  Combine soda and buttermilk and let stand. Cream butter, shortening and sugar.  Add yolks, one at a time, beating well after each.  Add buttermilk alternately with flour just till combined.  Stir in vanilla.  Add the egg whites, nuts and coconut and fold in by hand.  Divide batter equally into prepared pans and bake till toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, room temp
1 stick butter, softened
1 lb powdered sugar
1 t vanilla

Beat butter and cream cheese till smooth.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix on low speed till combined. If it's too thick, you can add a little milk or add more powdered sugar if too thin.  Spread on cooled cake. Pat chopped nuts and coconut on sides of cake.

Comfort in Troubled Times

Wow ya'll, it's been a long time since I wrote. Almost a year.  I have to be in the mood to write and up until today, I have not been.  What with all the turmoil in the world and family health issues, I've just had other things on my mind. 

I'm amazed at how dirty this presidential campaign has been.  I don't think I've seen as much mud-slinging in any election...ever.  The candidates aren't behaving any better either!  I'm tired of the haranguing and trash-talking and I want it over so maybe we can have some sort of normalcy.  I hear some of my most loved celebrities speaking so hatefully and it not only makes me angry, but just disappointed in them in general.  I remember when I was little and it was an election time and I'd ask my parents who they were voting for and they would always refuse to tell me.  They'd say it was private and you don't ask that nor discuss it.  I don't remember a single time politics were discussed in our house, not even local politics.  It was sacred to them and they held it dear to their hearts, especially my father.  He served in the Navy during the Korean War and there was nothing more important or as grave a matter as performing your civic duty by voting.  It was not just a privilege, it was your duty and he held that close.  I am missing him more than usual lately.  I am scared of what is happening to America and what our future holds, regardless of who is elected.  I can imagine him in the late 1950's to early 1960's being worried and afraid, as I am now, about the Cuban missile crisis and the unrest in the world.  He died in 2000 and I can't help but wonder what he'd think of the world today. Is it scarier today than it was in 1962?  Was he as fed up with JFK as I am BHO?  I overheard him talking in a cafe one day to a man about it and I know he didn't like Kennedy, but then not many in the South did according to their conversation.  The only time I heard him discuss politics would be in Paul Stolle's or Knox's Cafe over a Chicken Fried Steak or a Hamburger.  Food is a natural conversational lubricant, I guess.

We'd go there on Sunday nights after church, man, Paul Stolle made good burgers.  I still remember walking in the door and stepping on the beaded wood floors and smelling the hamburgers.  Seeing the red vinyl tablecloths and hearing Miss Doris say "Hello! Have a seat!"  I loved Miss Doris, she was a little, round, white haired angel that brought me the most delicious food I could ask for - Hamburgers and Hamburger Steak.  She had a voice that sounded like two octaves in one - a little "warbly" I guess.  I thought she was great.  We never had dessert there because, well, no one made dessert better than my grandmother, not even Paul Stolle.  We always had dessert at home and my Daddy's (I'm a  good southern girl - and we call our fathers Daddy) favorite was Egg Custard Pie.  My grandmother made excellent Custard Pie.  Never watery and the crust was never soggy.  She said it got watery because you added too much sugar - I found out later it was because it's baked at too high a temperature - so sugar was measured carefully and never exceeded, although I would have liked it a touch sweeter.  I still only add precisely 3/4 cup because, again, I'm a good southern girl and I can hear my Meme in my ear saying "it'll make it watery!"  As Meme grew older, she didn't cook as much and I missed her desserts so when I was old enough and I got married, I tried my hand at Egg Custard Pie.  I measured carefully, baked it per her instructions and the results were perfect.  No water, no soggy crust.  Perfect.  I packed up a piece of that pie and took it to Daddy.  I handed it to him and watched as he uncovered the plate and smiled "Did you make this?" I told him yes and he took a bite.  "Is it good? It's my first one" I told him.  He smiled again "Sugar, that's delicious.  I think that might be better than Meme's" I know I beamed.  A compliment from my father was a rare treat you had to earn so this one was a prize to me.

 

I miss the security of childhood when my biggest concern was whether I could  have a 2nd piece of pie or not.  Desserts make me feel like the world might be alright again, like it might be salvaged if we can just have a piece of pie. Here's Meme's pie recipe - see if it doesn't make your world a little better too.

Meme's Egg Custard Pie

One 9" unbaked pie crust (recipe follows)
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 C sugar
1/4 t salt
1 t vanilla
2 1/2 C scalded milk

In a pitcher or bowl with spout, combine beaten eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla.  Add a little of the hot milk to the egg mixture and whisk immediately to temper.  Whisk in the remaining milk and pour into pie crust.  Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 375, bake for 35-40 minutes or until knife blade inserted comes out clean.  Cool.

Plain Pastry

1 1/2 C AP flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 C shortening
4T - 5T ice water

Combine flour and salt in large bowl.  Cut in shortening till pea-sized.  Add ice water a tablespoon at a time till dough comes together - mixing quickly to avoid the dough from getting tough.  Roll out on floured board to fit pie plate and place in plate.  Trim overhang to 1/2" excess, fold under and crimp to make it pretty.


Enjoy!

Top Chef Restaurant Review: Marquee Grill, Dallas, Tx

I had lunch with one of my oldest and dearest friends today so I just dragged him along while I reviewed a new (to me) restaurant.  I got an email from a reader the other day and they wanted to know if I'd ever been to Marquee Grill and I hadn't, so I thought today would be a great time to do that since Stephen was with me. 

Have you ever heard of Tre Wilcox? He was on Top Chef: Season 3, he didn't win, but if my meal today was any indication, he should have.

   

He started out at Abacus and now he's the executive chef at Marquee Grill, as well as being nominated for the James Beard Foundation’s Rising Star Chef for two consecutive years.  If you aren't familiar with him, take a few minutes and visit his webpage:  http://cheftre.com and immediately make yourself some reservations and go.  The food was brilliant in every way, from the service to the plating all the way to the dessert.  As I always say, I have 3 favorite restaurants in Dallas, now I guess I need to make that 4 favorite restaurants.  I found it to be very well priced for the quality and creativity, the plates were works of art, the service was impeccable (Thanks Antonio!) and the decor was nice - clean and modern.  We paid about $24 per person for a combo plate that consisted of a starter and an entree, so that's not much more than what you'd pay at Chili's.

MARQUEE GRILL
32 Highland Park Village
Dallas, TX 75205

Starter Courses:

Poached Lobster & English Pea Risotto with Citrus Brown Butter
This was my starter dish.  It was delicious with that nutty brown butter and a hint of coconut milk surrounding an only slightly creamy risotto that was studded with asparagus slices and good-sized chunks of lobster.  The rice was cooked to the perfect bite and the brown butter sauce gave it a taste was reminiscent of a vanilla anglaise sauce.  Odd combination but it totally worked.

Marinated Jumbo Texas Shrimp with Chipolte Cheese Grits and Tequila Lime Sauce
This was Stephen's starter dish.  As much as I enjoyed the Risotto, I thought his dish of Shrimp and Grits was better.  The shrimp were perfect, juicy and tender and fresh, sitting atop creamy grits that were really flavorful, boldly spiced with jalapenos, chipolte and cheese.  They epitomized the new trend of Southwest Cuisine, man, they were good.  The tequila lime sauce was an afterthought, I thought, until I tasted it alone and tasted that cream with a tang of lime.  Yep that was a goooood afterthought.

First Courses:

Lump Crab Cakes & Wood Grilled Iron Steak with Jalapeno Pico
This was my First Course/Entree combo plate.  The first thing I noticed was the unique shape of the Crab Cakes, they were cylindrical!  Topped with watercress and sitting on a sauce I couldn't get a description of.  The crab cakes were very nice meaning they had no filler, only crab and that is good in my books.  The sauce was a bit tangy and maybe had some tomato and cumin in it, but no one was giving any info on that.  The steak was wonderful, too.  It was prepared to a perfect medium well and topped with a reduction sauce and pico.  It was fatty and tender and salty and sweet, just everything good in one bite.

Tomato - Mozzarella Salad  & Marinated Chicken Breast with Grilled Asparagus
This was Stephen's combo plate.  That was the most delicious restaurant chicken I have ever had.  It was so moist and juicy and so flavorful.  All the veggies beneath it were tasty and the sauce was almost identical to my sauce, but a little zestier.  The salad of Mozzarella and Tomatoes was just a regular Caprese Salad.  It was fresh and pretty but not anything you couldn't get at Maggiano's. 

DESSERTS!!

         










Chocolate and Chile:
Bittersweet Chocolate Cake with Guajillo Ganache and Red Corn Tortilla Ice Cream
Now comes the time I have less than stellar things to say about Marquee.  I admit that these desserts were innovative and chef-interpretive, but you don't taste with just your eyes.  The chocolate cake was good, just a dark chocolate cake, sitting on some nondescript mousse-like cream that honestly had next to no flavor.  I couldn't tell exactly what was in it.  The ice cream was the biggest surprise of all.  It honestly tasted like a corn tortilla, weird as all get-outs.  I doubt I'm ever going to want that again.

Caramel Banana Bread Pudding  with Spiced Caramel and Smoked White Chocolate Ice Cream
This was Stephen's dessert.  Dang it, that was good stuff.  I was jealous.  I was openly lusting over his dessert.  The bread pudding tasted they way it said it would - like bananas.  It was light and gooey and sweet and wonderful, like ooey gooey banana bread surrounded by divine caramel sauce.  Just perfect all by itself, then along comes the Smoked White Chocolate Ice Cream.  The best way I can describe it is imagine eating vanilla ice cream with Liquid Smoke in it. Yeah, it was like that. It was something that neither one of us could stomach, even worse than the tortilla ice cream was.  Some coffee ice cream or caramel ice cream would have been a better choice.

With all that said, I highly recommend Marquee Grill.  It was an unexpected delight.

The Most Delicious Cookie EVER!

I get hundreds of cookie recipes a year and most I skip over because they just aren't interesting.  Cookies have to be interesting for me to consider putting forth the effort to make them.  A standard chocolate chip cookie is just boring to me.  Blah blah blah, I know there are purists out there who consider that basic cookie to be the most perfect cookie ever, but really, I can get that anywhere.  Every 7-11 sells chocolate chip cookies so all I see is a saturated market of chocolate chip cookies.  I want inventiveness in everything - including cookies.

If you know me at all, you know I love me some Martha Stewart.  She is my domestic idol, she's beautiful, smart and funny, I love her.  Below, she's autographing her newest Entertaining book for me last November at Williams-Sonoma at NorthPark in Dallas. 

I get daily emails from Martha.com and there's always lots of recipes there and sometimes I look at them, but not often.  I did run across one around Thanksgiving for Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing, I liked the name of the cookies so I decided to make them. I finally got around to it right before Christmas and they were spectacularly delicious.  My picky son who hates anything new or that resembles something other than meat and potatoes, loved them and said they were now his favorite cookie.  They aren't particularly quick to make and they don't travel well, but it doesn't matter, you'll eat them up before you get them all frosted anyway.  Really good with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate.
The first time I made them, I didn't like how they spread on the cookie sheet so I've tweaked Martha's original recipe slightly so I get an equally delicious cookie that stands up better and spreads less, it's also less fragile this way.  This recipe makes about 5 dozen bite-sized cookies.   Enjoy...

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (14 ounces)

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing:

4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) butter

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon evaporated milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cookies:  Whisk dry ingredients together, set aside.  Cream butter and sugar till fluffy, add eggs, mix well, scraping sides of bowl.  Add pumpkin, evaporated milk and vanilla, mix well.  Add dry ingredients and mix till just combined well.  Let rest for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, lightly mist cookie sheets with cooking spray.  In a large piping bag with 1/2" round tip, add 1 - 1 1/2 cups of the cookie batter, pipe 1 1/2" mounds of batter at least 1" apart on sheet.  Bake at 375 for 12 minutes or till tops just spring back when touched, rotating trays halfway through baking time. Place sheet on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes, then remove cookies to wire racks to finish cooling.  Repeat until all batter is used.

Icing:  Measure powdered sugar into medium sized bowl and set aside.  Place butter in skillet or saucepan on medium heat and cook, swirling occasionally until butter turns golden brown.  Immediately pour into powdered sugar and stir till combined.  Add evaporated milk and vanilla.  Let it sit for 3-4 minutes and cool slightly before you start frosting cookies.  Use 1 teaspoon icing on each cookie and spread with spatula.  Spread frosted cookies out on surface and allow to dry at room temp for an hour or two, then you can stack them and not mess up the frosting.

BAM! A review of Emeril's Delmonico, New Orleans, La

Happy New Year everyone!!  It's a bright new year full of endless possibilities for new restaurants, new foods and new experiences.  I'm hoping to be amused and amazed by some new chefs and also by some great new recipes in the coming year! 

I spent a week and a half in New Orleans over New Years and ate at my fair share of NOLA restaurants and not all were good.  I know that the word is NOLA is famous for their food, I agree that's the reputation, but in my opinion that reputation could just as easily be because the food is less than great.  We ate at dozens of restaurants and of those I had maybe 4 that I thought were worthy of recognition. My favorites were:  Oceana, Clover Grill, Coop's and JagerHaus.  My review today is of Emeril's Delmonico and sadly, I can't say it was one of the better restaurants we visited.

The building that houses Emeril's is a basic, nondescript storefront that leaves much to be desired as far as curb appeal goes.

When we walked in, it didn't get any better.  It was glaringly austere and cold, with very little on the white walls and only minimalist chandeliers to look at.  Emeril has such a big, warm personality (on TV anyway) that I was just surprised his restaurant would be so different than he is.  The bar was the nicest area in the place, with a funky '70's vibe to it, complete with big green velvet booths.  Kinda reminded me of Huggy Bear, but I liked the feel of it.  They had a really nice happy hour menu and some great drinks.  Even Martini's were half-price! Strawberry Blonde Martini on the left.



We were seated in the upstairs area, again, white walls and with crisp white tablecloths, near a window so we did have a bit of a view.  We asked the server, Kenneth, if there was a tasting menu we could order and after a few seconds of composing himself (they don't get that request often I guess), he said there was and did we want 3, 4 or 5 course and did we want wine.  We decided on the 5 course with wine pairings.  Here it is:

First course:  

Andouille Sausage Two Ways
 Spreadable Andouille on Mascarpone Crostini and Grilled Sliced Andouille, both served with a Champagne Mustard paired with Moet Reserve Cuvee
The Spreadable Andouille on Crostini was rich and spicy and perfect on the crunchy little toast and the mustard was delicious with it because it cut the fatty richness of the sausage.  The sliced Andouille was less successful for me, it was just okay, kind of like a grocery store smoked sausage.  Both versions of the sausage were house made and that was a nice touch.  This was very tasty, but really heavy as a first course. 

Second Course: 
Arugula Frisee Salad with Lump Crab and Citrus Sections dressed with Citrus    
Viniagrette paired with Morgan 2010 Napa Sauvignon Blanc
This was a small, lovely, little salad.  A little odd for a second course but the contrast between the spicy Andouille first course and this light salad was welcoming.  The crab on the salad consisted of two 1" slivers, that was disappointing, as was the fishiness of it.  I had to question was it fresh or frozen, or just on the verge of going bad. 

Third Course:
 King Seared Scallops with Garlic Escarole, Butternut Squash Puree and Balsamic
 Viniagrette paired with William Fevre 2009 Chablis
This was my favorite dish of the meal.  I found the scallops cooked beautifully - tender and flavorful - surrounded by a Garlic Escarole that was simply delicious.  I like my vegetables cooked a bit more than al dente and the greens were perfect in their garlicky goodness.  They were so good, I skipped over everything else on the plate and just ate the escarole.  So good!

Fourth Course:  

Steak Duo of 21 Day Dry Aged Ribeye, 14 Day Dry Aged New York Strip with Three Sauces:  Chimichurri, Sauce Bernaise and House Made Worcestershire. Served with Sherried Mushrooms, Sauteed Spinach and Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes paired with Justin 2009 Cab.
This was a beautiful way to serve the two cuts of meat.  The steaks came out on a big cutting board with all the sauces and sides on the board as well.  I wish I had just looked at the steaks and not tried to eat them.  If Delmonico's is supposed to be known for their steaks, they need to hide their heads in shame because these were really poor steaks.  The Ribeye was the better of the two, but Saltgrass is better than this was.  The Strip was tough and chewy and had zero flavor.  I was so disappointed!  The sauces were nice.  The chimmichurri was fresh and tasty, the bernaise was good but I detest bernaise on meat so I can't fuss about that sauce, BUT, the worcestershire was another story.  Like I said, it was house made and I wanted to beg for a bowl of to sip.  I can't begin to tell you how delicious that was.  It wasn't like Lea & Perrins at all, it was dark and sweet and sultry.  Seriously, that was the best sauce ever.  The spinach was great too, lemony and tender.  Perfect for lightening up the heavy meats.  The mashed potatoes don't merit a mention, they were just mashed potatoes, nothing more.  Betty Crocker maybe??

Fifth Course: 

Chocolate Caramel Torte Topped with Toffee Pieces and Coffee Ice Cream with Caramel Sauce paired with Delmonico Coffee with Liquors.
DESSERT!!  I LOVE dessert more than anything and this was a great dessert.  Let me describe it from the bottom up:  a round disk of glorious chocolate ganache, next was silky peanut butter ice cream, topped with a chocolate brownie and sprinkled with toffee.  On the side was a scoop of coffee ice cream drizzled with caramel sauce.  Oh, there are no words.  The chocolate ganache bottom was silky and sinful as it melted on your tongue and the peanut butter ice cream mixes in and then the brownie.....Wow.  Just wow.  Then they served their house specialty coffee.  I really think they should say they have a sh*#-pot load of liquors wth a little coffee.  This coffee had all of the following:  Kahlua, Frangelica, Nocello and Bailey's and topped with whipped cream and nutmeg.  That was some serious stuff and should be dispensed with a warning or a taxi ride back home.  It was delicious and everyone should have that if they go to Emeril's Delmonico.

All in all, it was a nice evening.  Food could have been better for the $165.00 per person they charged, minus the tip, but the escarole, dessert and coffee almost was worth the price.  The service was wonderful, absolutely no complaints as far as that goes.