Truffle Class -- Mmmm lots and lots of chocolate

Last night at Central Market Cooking School, I attended a Truffle Making Class. At first I scoffed at the $70 price for the class, but I feel that I got my money's worth from it since the price of 12 truffles can cost about $25 - $60! Luckily, we each got a handsome tin of about 65 truffles made with quality dark chocolate from the grocery store below and ganache for us to make a few more!

The class made the process seem a lot easier because there were no double broilers involved. There are special chemical qualities involved in chocolate that make it difficult to handle at times. First of all, we were told NOT to use chocolate chips. There is a particular chemical in chocolate chips that hold their shape and are difficult to melt because of it. The chips also do not have enough cocoa butter in them. So when they melt, the texture is lumpy. When making truffles, we were told to use baking squares of bittersweet chocolate like El Rey from Venezuela. At Central Market, you can actually state the dollar amount you want to spend and sample the chocolates. Mmmm! Since the heated heavy cream was used to melt the chocolate, it was a much easier process.

Truffles also take time. We were told to keep our ganache chilled for 2-3 hours! Luckily, the chefs made our ganaches ahead of time. Each chocolate and combination of ingredients are different. And, depending on how shallow your pan is or how the more ingredients that have to bond, the longer the substance will take to solidify! Different structures disrupt the crystal lattice structure thus slowing down the bonding process. Man, why wasn't chemistry class this much fun?

The chefs taught us to work with cold ganache. She just grabbed a small spoon, rolled the chocolate into a ball, and covered the ball with either coconuts, peanuts, hazelnuts or cocoa. The use of gloves is recommended since it makes things much easier and having another person with you makes it more fun too! I also enjoyed the combinations that they provided us: plain chocolate, chocolate with hazelnut, chocolate with caramel and salt, white chocolate,lime and coconut, and chocolate and banana. It seems like you can play with a lot of different mixes. So, it will be interesting what I end up with when I make some more!

I really hope that I can get to more cooking classes next year. And, what's great about cooking is that it becomes the gift that will keep on giving- to be shared with the beau, family, friends, and co-workers!

J'adore arborio rice!

My latest foodie project was resurrecting the aparagus risotto recipe I played with last summer. Hannah and I were in charge of Wednesday dinner two weeks ago. We decided to do an Italian theme. She offered to make one meat and one veggie lasagna. Jeff, our friend who just recently returned from South America, made Brazilian Cheese Puffs. And, I brought over a super easy salad and risotto to complement the meal.

The salad is very easy to make. The secret is putting in ingredients that people love. I used green leaf lettuce, yellow sweet cherry tomatoes, parmasean cheese, marinated artichokes, and avocados. The asparagus risotto recipe is based off of the Working Class Foodies segment they released last summer.

We had a bit of a snafu on the evening of our event! Hannah was running late on the lasagnas. So, people were snacking on the cheese puffs and we started a first course of salad, risotto, and these beef tonque tacos from Thuan's. By the time we finished this course, Hannah arrived with the main course. Overall, it was a tasty group dinner.

Taste @ Austin

So, over the last TWO weeks, I've taken a trip up to Austin and have been able to sample some of their tasty fare. I was pretty excited because I was able to try some new places this time instead of going to the old stand-bys like kolaches at the gas station, Kerbey Lane pancakes, or Chuy's.



One of the first places we tried out was Opal Divine's on South Congress. This was a great place congregate for pints, bar food, and football. (So maybe not any Texas football teams, but nonetheless, game-watching can be had there.) The best thing about the place is the location. It is in Penn Field, and it's an interesting re-use of space. It was formerly a pilot school, but is now used for office buildings, a bar, and coffee place.




IM Thai was so delicious! There is something comforting about eating a curry on a cold day. I think it's the warmth of the veggies and tofu along with the heat from the curry. After walking around Pedernales Falls State Park, this was a nice way to end the evening with good food and good company. I tried the masman curry which had a very sweet kick to it. The crab rangoons and the spring rolls were tasty. Both came in presentations that were different from the norm which were refreshing. Since it is a BYOB establishment, a member of our party went to World Market and picked out a lovely red wine to pair with our meal.







So on my second visit back to Austin, I was in the downtown area for a conference and I was hungry for a dinner meal. What is a bit annoying about downtown on a Sunday night is that is can be kinda dead. So, I yelped locations that were within walking distance from the Omni and found Thai Passion. The decor is really nice and fresh, and their food is delish. I tried their spring rolls, sipped their hibiscus mint tea, and had their green curry with chicken. It was so good that I ended up taking a big group of other people back over the next day! I tried out their shrimp eggrolls and had the shrimp Tom Kha. I love coconut milk and curry. So, sweet and spicy... I can't get enough of it. I was so inspired, I've bought the ingredients for Pad Thai and look forward to making it for me and the beau in a few days.



Upon a recommendation from a colleague, I decided to try out Counter Cafe. It has the welcoming smell of meat. I tried the Counter Burger which was made on a grill right behind the counter by two cooks. I like the fast pace behind the counter - almost like watching a bartender make your cocktail. I thought the medium well burger was quite good. It did lack any spicyness that I usually like in a burger though, but their sweet potato fries were awesome!




The taco truck phenomenom is alive and well in Austin. At 6th and Nueces, I went to One Taco for a delicious and welcoming barbacoa taco with cilantro, onions, and green salsa. It was convenient, warm, and oh so good.

That pretty much rounds up all my fave stops in the area. When you're in town, don't be afraid to try new things in the ATX.

99 Ranch Bakery

So, don't let the name fool you. 99 Ranch is not a jumbo dollar store. It is an Asian Grocery store off of the i-10 which helps save my gas so I don't have to drive all the way to Chinatown. I think one of my favorite things about this place is the bakery. You get a tray and your own tongs and you can browse through all the baked goodies. I like the onion rolls with bacon and the yellow custards. One savory treat and one sweet treat - awesome! I have also tried their chocolate bread and hot dog bread. So if you are looking for something delicious, tasty, and affordable, I recommend you taking a visit to the 99 Ranch Bakery.

November Foodie Projects

Whew! There has been a lot of cooking going on these past few weeks. It all started when I decided to make pumpkin cupcakes for our "All Things Pumpkin" contest. I placed 2nd in the workplace competition. Man, I was robbed. Then, there were a couple of potlucks for work and with friends. For work, I made this delicious acorn squash with nuts and berries in a butter and brown sugar sauce. It was divine! For friends, I made some king ranch chicken which is my favorite potluck dish to make.


On the night, we went to the symphony, I made a couple of steaks for me and the beau. They were quite, quite tasty. I just chopped up a little bit of basil and mixed some olive oil, salt and pepper to the leaves. I rubbed the steaks on them, and I put them in my handy, dandy crate and barrel grill pan. While that was cooking, I boiled some red potatoes, then placed them in the oven. Once soft, I grilled them in the tasty meat juice from the steaks. I also cooked some asparagus in a simple pan with olive oil in the oven. The meal was very tasty! And, I had a very happy beau.

What is it about cinnammon rolls that are so lovely and tasty? One morning, Jacob asked me if I needed anything from the store, and I shouted chinnammon rolls please! Awww! So divine. There's just nothing like the quick and simple Pilbury dough can of this stuff.

Finally, my last challenge was helping my father and brother with Thanksgiving dinner. Since my mother had to work all day, we were dad's support staff. My brother cooked potatoes au gratin, asparagus, and a pumpkin cheesecake. All while studying for his CPA exam! Isn't he awesome. I did a repeat of the acorn squash, mini empanadas, and made the famous pecan tarts for the meal. My mother also had me fry some eggrolls! I blame those for ruining my turkey dinner. Those eggrolls are too addictive. :)

Taste @ Thelma's

It was my day off, and I wanted to grab lunch with one of my favorite friends, Albert! At first I wanted to eat a good burger, then we scrambled to find a place that wasn't crowded. Then, we moved on to barbeque. Mmmm... moist, delicious brisket... how joyous!

Albert knew just the place to take me. We drove to Thelma's at 3755 Southmore. So, the building didn't look like much, the ambience isn't hip or happening, but what they lack in both of those areas, they make up in their food. I ordered the brisket with two sides (potato salad and green beans). I had so much beef that I had plenty of leftovers. The meat is moist and you can tell it has been smoked slowly and with lots of love. The sweetness of the sauce pairs well with their sweet iced tea (which has a bit of lemonade in the mix). My friend Albert tried their chicken and brisket with dirty rice. He said that he regretted the chicken choice and will be ordering the ribs and brisket next time. If you want to take some out of town guests to a good bbq place, Thelma's is it.

Indian Delight

So, last weekend, Jacob invited me to have dinner at colleague's house with him. It was a little unexpected and I wasn't sure what I was signing myself up for as we took the drive down there.

We were welcomed by Mr. Gosh, an older Indian man, who was wearing traditional Indian clothes. We sat and talked to him, and he was eager to have a conversation with Jacob about teaching and his life in India. After a while, a man with a shitar came and Mr. Gosh busted out his drums! And, we were treated to an incredible live jam session! It was very relaxing listening to their music (it almost made me fall asleep!). They played music for us for two straight hours! It was incredible.

Afterwards, Mr. Gosh's family invited us in the kitchen to sample some delicious Indian fare - curried goat, curried fish, curried lentils, rice. It was all tasty! What I love about foreign families is that they are always so hospitable, friendly, and welcoming. They are also so willing to get the best foods, plates, and drinks out for you. I think that's the greatest elements of eating. How it brings people together to talk and to share.