Olmos (Almost) A Night In Paris

Unlike most Americans who dine out more than they cook at home, we are the opposite. If I go more than a day without cooking, I feel lost and the urge to cook sets in. In the last 30 years, the number of people who dine out far beats those who cook at home, although there seems to be a resurgence of cooking these days. And I am happy about this trend.

But as much as I love cooking, there's nothing quite like dining out. The thought of not having to go to the grocery store and think about what to cook, not cooking and--the best part--not cleaning up--is an utter delight. And a welcome change. However, I don't want to dine out just to dine out. I want it to be an experience with food that I cannot duplicate in my own home. I want the food to be outstanding with good ingredients and interesting flavors.

Generally, those prerequisites mean we go to one of our favorite ethnic dives, many of which I have told you about including El Bucanero, Phoenix Chinese Cafe and Chela's Tacos. Honestly, we have never been big fans of French food. It's heavy, with lots of sauces and generally the setting is so stuffy that we feel like we can't laugh loudly or have any fun, which are mandatory.

That isn't the case with our newest favorite dining spot. Bistro Bakery, located in Olmos Park, is where local Francophiles and other food cognescenti go to get their fix for croissants, French baguettes, quiche, French macarons and other pastries as well as expertly prepared omelettes. They serve breakfast and lunch and are always busy.

Recently, however, they opened for dinner on Thursday nights and when we went for the first time, we fell in love and swore we were not in San Antonio. Simply prepared dishes with not a lot of fuss, but quality ingredients and acute attention to detail. The setting is casual and the French music playing in the background makes you feel like you could be in Paris.

Lucile, the owner who hails from France, has a thick French accent that only accentuates the Parisian ambiance, while Sylvia, who takes impeccable care of the customers (and has since Bistro Bakery opened in 2008), seamlessly attends to everyone's needs without being either intrusive or neglectful. Chef Carlo mans the open kitchen where he deftly prepares each plate with care, ensuring that every dish is well-seasoned and artfully plated.

The menu features four or five staple entrees while changing specials offer alternatives. The moules and frites are enough of a reason to high tail it to Bistro Bakery on Thursday night, but there are many other reasons as well.

The expertly seared scallops were served on a bed of lightly dressed mixed greens and then topped with julienned pears and caramelized green onions.

Chef Carlo plates three perfectly seared scallops on top
of delicate greens and then tops them with lightly dressed
julienned pears and caramelized green onions.

The lobster bisque is full of flavor, but lacking the usual heavy hand with the cream. There are bits of lobster that give it just the right texture. The Croque Madame, the French version of a grilled ham and cheese topped with a fried egg, is served with a side of mixed greens and frites and was just what one of our companions wanted.

Looking for a plate of protein, why not consider the Nordic plate? A beautifully prepared assortment of a variety of smoked fish as well as a dollop of caviar along with smoked salmon and toast points, this plate wowed one of the food writers in our group.

Each entree comes with a plate of fresh mixed greens that are conservatively dressed with a well-balanced salad dressing. When we finished the salad, there was no pool of dressing on the plate and, to me, that is a sign of an expert  in the kitchen. And on our second weekly visit, rather than use pathetic, pale and tasteless winter tomatoes, Chef Carlo placed a delightful and unexpected watermelon and kalamata olive salad on the side which added the right color and a welcome balance of flavors.

Naturally, dessert at a French bistro is mandatory, especially since Lucile has recently hired a new pastry chef, Jessica, a native San Antonian, who attended Ecole Superieure de Cuisine Francaise Ferrandi, a very prestigious cooking school in Paris where she studied pastries and then completed a year-long internship at the two-Michelin starred restaurant Le Cinq at the Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris.

With such an impressive pastry background, we had to sample what Lucile and Jessica have been concocting in the kitchen. Lucile put an assortment of sweets together for our table and cut them up so we could all have a few bites. A few chocolate and fruit options cleaned our palate and paired beautifully with coffee.

Lucile made our table a plate of assorted pastries and desserts to share.

This is a new dessert made by Jessica
featuring lychee and rose water that is very typical in Paris.

Because Bistro Bakery only serves dinner on Thursday nights, be sure and set aside one Thursday night in the coming weeks to have a leisurely dining experience. Yes, we recommend that you plan to spend some time at dinner as this is not a place where they have everything pre-made and you can "eat and run." This is an authentic French bistro where the food is made to order, so sit back, have a glass of wine, listen to the French music, enjoy conversing with your companion(s) and close your eyes and pretend that you are anywhere but San Antonio.

4300 McCullough
210-824-3884
www.bistrobakery.net

Buen provecho!

Hecho en Casa

Having been born and raised in San Antonio, home to the nation's best Tex-Mex, and having lived in Mexico and spent much time in D.F. (Mexico City) where authentic Mexican food is available at every turn, I am one who prefers to dine out for my occasional "Mexican food fix."

There is simply no easy way to prepare authentic Mexican food--be it Tex-Mex or traditional classics such as moles, sauces and stews. It takes time, proper sourcing of ingredients, methodology and technique and lots of secrets you only learn by watching the experts or from what la abuelita taught you.

So this has been one cuisine that I haven't taken the time to conquer. Yes, for fear of failing, but also because so many others do it so well and at such reasonable prices, why bother?

The August 2011 issue of Saveur magazine featured Mexican comfort food. A habit I have is to keep recipes that I want to make in a file titled "To Make." Naturally, I had pulled the Carne Adobada recipe from this issue and placed it in my go-to file when I am in search of inspiration to make something new.

Lately, I have been trying to work from this file with more regularity (the baked hot chocolate was exquisite) and thought we should give the carne adobada a chance. It sounded easy enough and all I really needed from the store was a high-quality, all-natural pork butt. I had plenty of dried chiles (anchos and guajillos), fresh New Mexican chile powder, ground cumin, ground cloves and a pinch cayenne. Everything else the recipe called for were pantry staples.

Considering this was the first time I had attempted this dish, I was surprised how easy it was to make. There were really just two steps--making the sauce and browning the meat. I don't consider simmering a step. One and a half hours later, we were sinking our teeth into an amazing carne adobada.

Our authentic Mexican plates included a side of Spanish rice, refried beans and homemade corn tortillas from our favorite Mexican restaurant near the house. I wasn't lying when I said why bother making something when other people do it better.

The leftovers accompanied fried eggs along with a leftover corn tortilla for breakfast. The sauce is so good and neither spicy nor bland, but just right. There is a touch of a cayenne kick in the back of your throat, but nothing extreme. The balanced flavors with the tender pork definitely would make anyone's abuelita smile with pride and joy.

Buen provecho!

Carne Adobada (Red Chile and Pork Stew)
The Cowgirl Gourmet slightly adapted this recipe from the August 2011 issue of Saveur magazine

Print recipe

This is definitely something that Diana Kennedy would make or a dish that a Mexican grandmother would proudly serve to family and friends. I was equally proud when I served this and David and I agreed it would be a great dish to make for company. It can be made ahead of time and will dazzle the palates of your guests. Flan would be a terrific way to end the meal.

Serves 6-8

5 oz. dried New Mexico chiles, stems removed (I used 4 Ancho chiles and 4 guajillos)
2 Tablespoons New Mexico chile powder
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Juice of 1 lime (1/2 in the sauce and then half at the end just before serving)
5 Tablespoons olive oil
3 lbs. all-natural bone-in pork shoulder, excess fat removed and cut into 1-1/2" chunks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Warm corn tortillas, for serving

Fill a pot or a tea kettle with water and place over high heat until the water boils.

Cut excess fat off of the all-natural pork shoulder and cut in 1 1/2-inch chunks.

Heat chiles in a 6-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and cook, turning once or twice, until puffy and toasted, about 5 minutes. Do not burn them. Transfer to a large bowl and cover with 8 cups of boiling water. Let sit for 20 minutes.

While the chiles soak, add chile powder, honey, white wine vinegar, cumin, cloves, cayenne pepper and juice of 1/2 a lime to the blender.

Remove chiles from the water, transfer to a blender and add 1 1/2 cups of the colored water that the chiles soaked in. Puree until smooth and set sauce aside.

Return Dutch oven to medium-high heat and add oil. Season pork chunks with salt and pepper and, working in batches, add the pork to the pot and cook until browned on all sides. This will take about 12 minutes.

Once all of the pork has cooked, pour the red chile sauce over the pork and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally until the sauce is thickened and pork is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. (Note: Stay close to the Dutch oven for the first 15 minutes or so of cooking as you don't want it to cook too fast, but rather just barely percolate at a slow simmer...too much heat will create a big mess of splatters all over, and considering this chile sauce is definitely in the familia de manchamantel [stains the tablecloth], I don't recommend this.)

At the end, squeeze the juice of the remaining 1/2 lime in the pot and stir well to combine. Cook another five minutes and then serve.

Serve with rice, beans and warm, homemade corn tortillas.

Before

After

If there are any leftovers, which there may not be, serve for breakfast the next day with scrambled or fried eggs.

Love (and Chocolate) Is All You Need

There is not much that I go weak in the knees for, but when I read about the baked hot chocolate in the Off Duty section of Saturday's Wall Street Journal, I melted. I knew the instant my eyes grazed the page, read the headline and saw the picture that I would have to make this.

Four simple ingredients. Decadent chocolate. Butter. Eggs. And just a touch of sugar. The recipes professes "three layers of differing textures: The top layer is slightly crisp; the middle, a warm, silken pudding; and, at the bottom, you'll find the most unctuous hot chocolate imaginable."

With both the Super Bowl--a national holiday of gluttony--and Valentine's Day fast approaching, these are all the reasons I need to go for it. Couple that with the health benefits of chocolate, and I am done. Off to the kitchen I go...

At first bite, you'd never know how quick and easy this recipe is to put together. If you need to let someone you know just how much you love them or want to impress someone you may want to love, this is all you need to do.

Just make it before Valentine's Day to seal the deal.

Buen provecho!

Baked Hot Chocolate
The Cowgirl Gourmet credits Heidi Friedlander (now she is Heidi Robb) for this recipe. When she was a pastry chef at Cleveland's very popular Moxie restaurant, Heidi contributed this to Scharfenn Berger's Essence of Chocolate cookbook

Print recipe

There are three words to describe this recipe--quick, easy and unbelievable! The chocolate cooks and becomes three distinctive layers--a slightly crisp top, a pudding-like middle and a thick, rich and creamy chocolate on the bottom. You can add a dollop of whipped cream or even a quenelle of vanilla ice cream for an even more decadent dessert. But it's equally fantabulous just as it is.


Makes 4 servings

9 ounces high-quality semisweet chocolate, either chips or finely chopped
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
4 large farm fresh eggs from happy chickens
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange four 1-cup ovenproof coffee cups, 8-ounce ramekins or the like in a baking dish or roasting pan.

Melt chocolate and butter together in a double boiler set over barely simmering water. Whisk occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, fill a soup pot or a tea kettle with water and place over high heat until almost boiling or the tea pot whistles.

Stir eggs and sugar together in a mixing bowl, then set over simmering water. Stir constantly until mixture is warm to the touch--about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Beat egg mixture with an electric beater until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.

Gently fold the egg mixture into with the chocolate mixture until thoroughly combined.

Spoon batter into baking dishes. Add enough very hot water to baking pan so the water comes halfway up the sides of the dishes or cups.

Bake until the tops lose their glossy finish, about 15-20 minutes, or a little more if dishes are larger. Carefully remove cups or dishes from pan.

Serve warm or at room temperature with a generous dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Puddings may be refrigerated for up to a day. To reheat, bring them to room temperature and them set in a 350-degree oven until warm, about 5 minutes.

Marone

When my husband, David, reviewed the blog posts over the last several months, he realized that we haven't made anything substantial. As he said, "This is a bunch of vegetables and girly stuff, Heather. Let's make some real food."

I love it when he steps in and makes something hearty to share on this site. He's done it on several occasions like when he made Global Chicken, an Argentinean Burger and Tuna Burgers along with several other protein posts.

David had a cut-up chicken from Green Hills Poultry in the freezer that he's been wanting to do something with. Last spring, he saw his friend Frankie Pellegrino of Rao's fame (and formerly of Baldoria's) cooking chicken Scarpariello on the Today Show.

David's funny that way--it might have been last March when he saw the show, but when it comes to food and wanting to make certain dishes, he doesn't forget. Eventually, David will get to everything that is logged on his perennially growing "to-do" list.

According to David, there is really no modification to this recipe as it does not need anything. It's a nice, hearty chicken dish that is perfect for a rainy winter day, which it happens to be in San Antonio. So go get yourself a nice pastured bird and get to work. You're gonna love it.

After you eat the chicken Scarpariello, you're going to say marone. In Italian, that means "Holy Crap!" And to that, we say, mangia.

Buen provecho!

Chicken Scarpariello
The Cowgirl Gourmet's cowboy used the recipe in Rao's cookbook and simply adapted it to serve four people as opposed to six

Print recipe

Serves 4

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or more depending on the size of your pan (you want to coat the bottom of  the pan with a thin layer of oil)
2 Italian sausage links--we used 1 hot and 1 sweet or mild Italian sausage--cut into bite-sized pieces (1/4-inch discs)
2 lb. pastured or organic chicken, cut into 8 pieces, bones-in
1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips
1/2 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips
1/2 yellow onion, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth, low sodium and organic
1/2 cup white wine
5 sweet cherry peppers, cut into bite-sized pieces
5 hot cherry peppers, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 Tablespoons vinegar from the hot cherry peppers
2 Tablespoons vinegar from the sweet cherry peppers
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large, deep saute pan over medium high heat. Saute the sausage pieces for about 8 minutes until lightly browned and not quite done.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage from the pan and set aside on a paper towel lined plate to drain. If there is an excessive amount of oil in the pan, drain off some so you are left with a thin layer and reheat the oil. Pat chicken dry and sprinkle salt and pepper over the pieces. Saute for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally, or until they brown but are not cooked through. If your chicken is really fatty, you may need to drain off some of the fat from cooking it.

Stir in bell peppers, onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown. Add sausage to the pan.

Add the wine and chicken stock to the chicken, sausage and vegetables and bring to a boil. Stir in hot and sweet cherry peppers, vinegars, oregano and salt and pepper. Again, bring to a boil.

Lower the heat and simmer slowly for about 15-20 minutes or until the flavors have combined and sauce has reduced. Cut into one of the breasts to make sure it is cooked through. Remove from the heat and serve.

Serve with a side of pasta--spooning the sauce over the pasta--and sauteed spinach, broccoli rabe or salad. A glass of Italian wine is also recommended.

Grapefruit Juicy Fruit

One thing I love about winter is that citrus is in full bloom. Tangerines, mandarin oranges, heirloom navel oranges, Texas ruby red grapefruits, assorted lemons and unusual limes. Bring on the citron.

We were lucky enough to get lots of Texas grapefruits this year from one of our vendors, Green Hills Poultry. Mandy Corso's family has a 60-acre citrus orchard in McAllen and she brought plenty of sweet, tangy and juicy tangerines as well as lots of ruby red grapefruits to sell at the market. It was amazing to see customers buy this citrus by the boxes! While we had hoped they would have enough for the entire month, they sold out last week.

But fear not, it's Citrus Fest at Central Market and there is a sample table where you can taste a dozen different citrus varieties. Literally.

Samples of 12 different kinds of citrus.

Try the Cara Cara oranges and check out the Buddha's Hand for something totally bizarre and beautiful.

Last year, one of my favorite chef bloggers, David Lebovitz, wrote about his experience at Citrus Fest. His images and descriptions of the varieties are fetching and informative, so please take a moment to relish his visual adventure.

Mandy generously gave us plenty of grapefruits last week. Every time I walk by the dining room table, I admire the big bowl of beautiful grapefruits gracing the room and ponder what I should make...

I made a fabulous grapefruit and fennel salad with a grapefruit juice salad dressing the other night, but I really wanted to make a grapefruit dessert of sorts.

It's been unseasonably warm in South Texas for the past few weeks with temperatures in the 70's which inspired me to make a grapefruit sorbet. Why not, right? I did a little searching for recipe ideas, but found that most recipes call for about 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups or more of sugar. For a moment, I thought of making something else, but then I called my friend Chef Lou Lambert and asked how he would make a grapefruit sorbet.

Lou has an amazing palate and can create recipes as easily as I make granola. Seemingly with his eyes closed. I also love how Lou incorporates ginger in a lot of his recipes (like the ginger-squash soup we made from his Big Ranch, Big City cookbook). Fresh ginger gives a dish just a little kick and makes you wonder "what is that ingredient"?

Fresh ginger--peeled and diced

So if you are wondering what to do with all of the colorful, aromatic and juicy grapefruits you have collected this winter, I think a grapefruit sorbet would clean your palate and, trust me, your guests will clean their bowl.

Buen provecho!

Grapefruit Sorbet
The Cowgirl Gourmet wrote this recipe down as Chef Lou Lambert, author of Big Ranch, Big City and owner of numerous restaurants across Texas, talked through what he would do to make a grapefruit sorbet

Print recipe

I always knew the man could cook, but really...to create a recipe off the top of his head and for it to turn out like this? Well, it's a gift. And I am glad he uses it. This recipe was suggested to me by Chef Lou Lambert when I asked him what he would do if he were to make a grapefruit sorbet. Now that it's on paper, I hope you will stock up on Texas grapefruits while they are in season and make this sorbet. It's unusually delicious. Light. Creamy. Not sweet. With a hint of ginger. Simply fabulous! As I was making it, I could see Lou making this sorbet in one of his restaurants. It's a little technical, but worth every last step. I promise.

Makes 1 quart

2 cups milk, whole and organic is preferred
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and diced
1/4 cup local honey
Zest of 2 grapefruits
4 Texas red grapefruits

In a saucepan, add milk, ginger, honey and zest and place over medium heat. Stir well so honey melts and bring to a simmer. Turn off heat and let steep for 30 minutes and cool.

Meanwhile, get a big bowl. Begin cutting the tops and bottoms off of the grapefruits and then cut away the peel, leaving just the fruit.

Over the bowl, gently hold the grapefruit in one hand and, using a small paring knife with your other hand, cut into the sections and remove the segments of grapefruits making sure all of the juice and the segments go into the bowl. When you are done, squeeze the skins well and throw it away. Continue segmenting the grapefruits until all four are done.

Place the grapefruit segments and the juice in a blender and puree well. Using a sieve, pour the juice back into the bowl allowing the sieve to catch any unwanted particles like seeds, etc.

Next pour the milk mixture into the blender, blend well and then pour through the sieve into the big bowl. Now you will want to push the milk mixture through using a spatula. At the end, you will have a half cup of "stuff" that you should toss--leaving this in the sorbet will change the texture of it.

Stir the grapefruit and milk mixtures well to combine and refrigerate for 3-4 hours to cool. Once chilled, pour this into the ice cream machine and freeze according to manufacturers instructions. It took about 15 minutes for the sorbet to freeze into a nice, soft texture.

Now spoon the sorbet in a large plastic container and place in the freezer for 3-4 hours until frozen.

When ready to serve, remove sorbet from the freezer and allow to soften 5-10 minutes before serving. I like it to soften just a bit so all of the flavors are at their peak.