color menu no.1 - yellow

i have been wanting to do desserts based on color for some time now. i think this idea started after seeing will goldfarbs desserts (based on color) on art culinaire.

this week at textile i am featuring one of seven color desserts, yellow.

banana, caramel, corn fritter, mustard pudding.
[picture to come soon]

v-day at textile

i've been so inundated with work at gravitas that i completely forgot about a v-day menu at textile. so here its kiddos.

gravita's valentine's day desserts:
lavender creme brulee, citrus madeleines
or
white chocolate bavarian, strawberry sorbet, almond twists

textile's menu is a bit different. since its the day for love, i tried to cater to aphrodisiacs. chocolate obvious. and i remember a few years back reading or hearing about sweet potato/pumpkins and men. it turns out that is a scent women find arousing in men. soon after that i was first in line at bath and body works with my pumpkin body soap and shampoo and conditioner.

textile's valentine's day desserts:
for him: sweet potato beignets, cinnamon pudding, honey, bacon ice cream
for her: bittersweet chocolate terrine, lavender anglaise, compressed strawberries, almonds

happy valentine's day!

intermezzo

quince intermezzo
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt

quince juice (encapsulated in bittersweet chocolate), honey and milk.

apples and potatoes

apples and potatoes
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt

one night (after reading ideas in food blog about potato and apple terrine) i decided to try what apples and potatoes taste like together. we had mashed potatoes available and i had apple jam. mixed them together and then took a small bite.

inspired by the complex, yet simple, flavors, a new dessert is available as part of the seven course tasting menu at textile.

apple bavarois, apple jam, apple chips, apple sorbet, potato puree, potato chips, caramel.

this week is over and the dessert has gotten great response. though, i dont think the potato flavor is very apparent. theres alot of apple elements and not enough potato.

a few changes i will make the following week. change the apple bavarois to a potato bavarois. use less sugar in the potato puree. change the potato chips to crispy potato skins. garnish with fleur de sel and fresh cracked black peppercorn. change nasturtium leaves to micro cilantro. add a few drops of lime juice.

inca kola and saltenas

for the most part, i was raised in houston. my parents moved here when i was 3 and my sister 1. we didnt join our parents for another 5 or 6 years. so doing the math, ive been here for almost 20 years.

and even to this day, if i dont know something that is popular in american culture, i use the excuse that i am a foreigner.

that being said, i also take foods that i grew up with for granted.

have you ever drank an inca kola?
have you ever ate a saltena?

no?!!!!

well then, you my friend have not lived.

i was surprised to find inca cola at hubbel and hudson (in the woodlands). and as for saltenas ... a saltena is a spiced beef or chicken stew encased in a pastry made from lard and annatto. my grandma makes them on the weekends by orders from other bolivians in the city. want an order?

chocolate and peanut butter

this one is for ruthie!

ruthie has compiled a new year's wish list, in which she mentions banana pudding.

as it turns out, i have a dessert at textile and gravitas with banana pudding.

textile: chocolate and peanut butter terrine, banana pudding, peanuts, salted vanilla wafer [pictured]

gravitas: soft ganache, banana pudding, spiced peanuts, cranberry jam

textile - hot new restaurant

read it

alison cook has composed a list of ten great restaurants of 2008. textile made the list.