let them eat cake

lately i've been noticing (after a few cocktails) alot of crazy ideas are born at anvil. for example, riding the MS150 next year. and now this: a 10 course all cake dessert tasting!! very excited about this one.

heres the preliminary menu:

carrot cake souffle (charlie palmer) w/ spiced ginger ice cream
red velvet cake w/ cream cheese ice cream
german chocolate cake w/ coconut ice cream
warm pumpkin cake w/ brown butter ice cream
devils and angels food cake w/ apricot sorbet
cheesecake
"breakfast" donuts, bacon, jelly, egg
sweet potato beignet w/ bacon ice cream
funnel cake w/ spam ice cream
brown butter pound cake w/ goat cheese ice cream

also, after a few cocktails i too said that i would pair each course with an ice cream.

oh! and if you would like to do this tasting, email me. lets set a date psandalio@yahoo.com

before/after dessert tasting

a few days back i posted on twitter about doing a before and after dessert tasting. this was in response to my own fear that people think i can't make classic desserts. in order to prove to them (and myself), i will be doing very classic desserts as part of this tasting. the tasting will consist of a very classic preparation on a dessert followed by a modern preparation.

this is the tentative menu

1. classic: creme brulee / modern: vanilla custard in textures

2. classic: lava cake / modern: toasted chocolate sponge, warm chocolate spheres

3. classic: cheesecake / modern: graham cracker cheesecake, crispy cream cheese crust

4. classic: souffle / modern: 10 second microwave souffle

5. classic: lemon meringue pie / modern: lemon frozen custard, hot meringue, liquid sable

still have no date for this tasting, but if you interested email me. also, if you have any dessert requests you'd like to see on the before/after tasting, email me.

houston press interview

plinio by fabio
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt

a few days back i was interviewed by david buehrer for the houston press' eating our words blog.

read the interview herehere

tenacity

ceviche
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt

randy has brought back his tenacity dinners.

jj, justin basye, joseph gentempo, rainbow lodge crew and myself were fortunate to be at the tenacity rebirth.

press, reviews and links

just a word or two about textile

texas monthly: textile

gourmet: first taste of textile

houston chronicle: hot, new restaurants grace the houston landscape

houston chronicle: textile

houston press review: the tastes of textile

food in houston blog: houston's top 10 restaurants

food in houston blog: halcyon days: a dinner at textile

great food houston blog: textile

great food houston blog: textile revisited

tasty bits blog: first taste of textile

eat me houston blog: textile


just a word or two about desserts at textile

dirty kitchen adventures: dessert tasting

houston chronicle: houston's best dessert spots

houston press: best of houston: best desserts

i'm never full blog: how to spoil a girl like me

great food houston blog: crazylicious dessert tasting

from the gutt blog: textile

barley vine blog: textile

pondering fall

photo credit lancastrian @ flickr


some ideas for fall menu at textile

nutella bread pudding, roasted foie gras ice cream, butterscotch

gouda cannolie, pumpkin mousse, salted caramel ice cream

figs, brown butter pound cake, goat cheese ice cream

pear tart, mushroom iced tea

apple - lucuma terrine, apple sorbet, sweet potato chips

molecular gastronomy or not?

a few days ago i was watching a midsummer night's dream on TCM, the 1935 version. it got me thinking about my favorite shakespeare quote (from romeo and juliet).

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

so i started thinking in food terms. what's in a name? that which we call food by any other name would still be delicious.

molecular gastronomy is the study of food. molecular gastronomy explore textures, scents, temperatures and flavors in food. it's a progression of food. so why all the hate? because we dont really understand it? sometimes it's better to vent and hate than to do any research. no?

so i pose a quiz. you tell me: is it molecular gastronomy or not?

frozen aerated butter foam

encapsulated beef and mushrooms

dehydrated meat

encapsulated jalapeno and cheese

encapsulated ganache

sous vide cheese emulsion

explosion of corn

compressed and puffed grains

compressed liver

molded fat and air molecules

aerated sugar cookie

potato paper

slow oil poached flour

hot foam

dehydrated fruit puree

dehydrated ocean water

carbonized sugar crystals

extract of bones

suspended vinegar and oil emulsion


what do you think?

[photo from howstuffworks.com]
[oh, for the record, i hate the term 'molecular gastronomy']