Foie gras with mango and pear

For the longest time, foie gras was a sliver of culinary paradise reserved for high-end restaurant dining. That is, unless you placed an order directly from the likes of Hudson Valley Foie Gras or through Central Market. And then, the cut of liver was large and whole, and you had to cut it yourself before searing it in a pan.

Thanks to the folks at GauchoGourmet, 935 Isom Road, you can now buy this delicious cut into slabs and individually packaged, so you can get two or 10 servings, depending on your hunger or the size of your guest list.

A 2-ounce slab sells for about $$6.35, which is a great price compared with what you pay in restaurants. But the food warehouse recently had a one-day sale that made me want to stock up for the future.

First, I had to get one necessary piece of cooking equipment: a splatter screen.

Searing foie gras produces a lot of fat that will coat the area around your stove. So, be ready to clean up a good-sized area around your pan, even with a splatter guard.

Think you can’t cook foie gras as good as you get at a restaurant? Think again. A 2-ounce slab, cut about 3/4 inch thick will cook quickly, but it’s easy, if you pay attention for a good minute.

Before you start, make sure you know how you want to serve the meat and have everything else ready, because you want to serve your dish immediately after the foie gras is cooked. Remember, this is an ephemeral treat, exceedingly rich and satisfying, yet its magic works only for a short while. You don’t really want leftovers.

Slabs of foie gras

My inspiration was a foie gras club sandwich that chef Andrew Weissman used to serve at Le Rêve. I simplified it greatly, eliminating the buttery brioche and bacon as well as any sort of balsamic reduction. I retained the silky mango and topped both with slivers of pear, instead of the Granny Smith apple that Weissman used. Both the slab of mango and the pear slices were ready to go before I cooked the meat.

What else could you serve with it? Foie gras is great with a glass of Sauternes on the side, so why not a sauce made with a similar wine, such as a German Riesling, that mixes a touch of sweet with a bright acidity to cut through the unctuousness of the liver? Honey and lemon, a drizzle of thick, aged balsamic or sherry vinegar, or a Rossini sauce made with truffles would all go well with it. If you wanted to use a spoonful of jam, think fig, ginger or onion. Nuts and dried fruit, from cherries to figs, would also add to the flavors.

Luciano Ciorciari of GauchoGourmet says he likes his on a piece of toasted baguette with a touch of sweet-tart preserves, such as red currant or lignonberry.

If you wanted to use the foie gras atop a hot steak, just cook the beef first. While it is resting, sear the goose liver.

Handling the liver is easy: Just thaw the slab, score it on both sides (the depth of the criss-crossed cuts will depend on how thick your slab is), and sprinkle it with a little salt and finely ground pepper. Heat a non-stick pan or a regular sauté pan with the tiniest bit of grapeseed or avocado oil until the pan is extremely hot. Place the slabs in the pan and cover instantly. The fat will begin to melt off the slab and splatter. After no more than 30 seconds, flip the foie gras and cook for the same amount of time. Remove and prepare to serve.

That’s it. Then comes the fun part: eating it.

Food lovers watch Zach Lutton (center) and an assistant create a massive paella with plenty of seafood in it.

Making a good paella is all about layering the flavors you have, which could be anything from lobster and clams to chicken and chorizo. Then there’s the sofrito, an aromatic mixture of garlic, tomatoes, peppers and onions cooked in olive oil, as well as saffron and rice.

Zach Lutton of Zedric’s adds a prawn to his paella.

But the key ingredient, in Zach Lutton’s opinion, is the stock.

That’s what the owner of Zedric’s Healthy Gourmet to Go believes, and it’s what he says helped him win second place in last year’s Paella Challenge at the Pearl Brewery. This year’s challenge is Sunday, and Lutton will be back, hoping to move up to first place. To give himself a warmup and promote the event, he offered a demonstration of how to make the Spanish dish during a recent Pearl Farmers Market. If the reaction of the crowd is any indication, his bounteous tray topped with heads-on prawns, mussels, clams, baby octopi, chorizo, peas, red bell peppers and even some lemon halves should keep him in the running.

“The stock is the most important ingredient in the whole dish,” he said, adding that he had made his with both lobster bodies and chicken.  “It is the flavor of the paella.”

But that doesn’t mean you’re home free if you’ve got good stock. Paella takes practice, Lutton said.

“This isn’t a quick thing,” he told the crowded class during his cooking demonstration. “Take your time with it. Practice it a few times.”

To begin, decide the ingredients you are going to use. Start with the rice, which should be short grain, such as Bomba, not arborio, which is the rice used in risotto. If chicken is on the list, brown it in some olive oil at the bottom of the pan, but don’t cook it through. You can remove it and use the oil base to make your sofrito, though Lutton doesn’t. He slow cooks his for two hours and lets it rest over night.

But this the time to add it to the pan. Then the rice goes in and each grain gets coated. This is the point when the chicken returns to the pan as well as the chorizo, followed by the stock. Again, this is not risotto, so you don’t stir and stir until each last drop of stock has been absorbed. In fact, you don’t stir the dish at all as it cooks over the heat. But you do need to watch it. After 15 minutes or so, “when you see the rice coming up and the liquid disappearing, you’re headed in the right direction,” the chef said.

Zach Lutton dishes up paella.

Be careful that too much liquid doesn’t disappear or you could burn your paella. Expert paella makers want a crusty bottom, which is also known as socarrat, but no one wants it burned. And Lutton advised beginners not to worry about that. He admitted that he doesn’t pay attention to that when he’s making paella, though it is one of the categories paellas are judged on in competitions.

He was more concerned about getting the seasoning right. Paella is a subtle dish, so a strong spice such as saffron has to be used judiciously. “Don’t add too much saffron, because it can overpower the dish,” he said. He limits his other seasonings to salt and pepper.

Shortly before the broth had been absorbed, Lutton and his assistants added the seafood to the top, again not stirring the mixture. Instead, they planted the bottom of the shellfish into the rice mixture, so the heat could cook them, allowing the mussels and clams to open. The enormous prawns were set in a ring at the center, while the baby octopi were arranged in a ring around the outside. Peas and red peppers were sprinkled on top, adding color as well as flavor.

The entire pan was then covered in aluminum foil so it could rest before serving. The crowd was getting a little hungry, waiting for a sample. “I promise y’all’ll eat soon,” he said with a chuckle. “Just give me about 10 more minutes.”

Tenting the pan allowed the steam to cook any of the seafood above the rice. It also released an enticing aroma that had people eager to try a dish, which Lutton and one of his assistants spooned up in generous amounts, making sure people could taste whatever they wanted from the array of meats that had been included.

Only Lutton seemed to find fault with the paella, which he said was slightly soupy. “But it’s still good, no matter what,” he added. “That stock is awesome.”

Zach Lutton’s paella

If you want to make your own paella, be aware that proportions vary depending on the size of the pan used. Pans run in size from 7 1/2 inches to those more than several feet wide. Your best bet is to find a recipe, such as Leslie Horne’s for Texas Quail, Chorizo and Mushroom Paella, which was created for a 15-inch paella and serves about six people. You can find paella pans and burners at GauchoGourmet, 935 Isom Road, and Melissa Guerra Tienda de Cocina in the Pearl Brewery, 312 Pearl Parkway.

You can also make paella any way you like. In Spain, you might find some cooks using pasta instead of rice. You could use only vegetables or only seafood, eliminate the seafood entirely or add what you have in the freezer.

I judged a non-traditional paella challenge in Austin last fall alongside James Canter, the chef who won last year’s Paella Challenge. We tasted a Hawaiian paella seasoned with jamaica, or hibiscus flowers, and another topped with fried eggs and avocado in a ranchero style. One team offered a chicken tinga paella with radishes and cotija cheese. There was even a dessert paella, which was actually more like rice pudding. The winner was a soul food paella made with pig’s feet, ham hocks and chicken gizzards among an array of down-home ingredients. The pictures below illustrate that the type of paella you make is bounded only by your own imagination.

For information on the fourth annual Paella Challenge, click here.

Paella Ranchero

Soul Food Paella

A Hawaiian paella with shrimp, pineapple, artichokes and hibiscus rice.

Chicken Tinga Paella

Karl Kessab, tea sommelier at London’s Lanesborough Hotel.

At the Lanesborough hotel in London, Afternoon Tea at Apsleys, a Heinz Beck restaurant, is the domain of Karl Kessab, the world’s first tea sommelier. Every year since 2005, under his guidance, the hotel has won a coveted “Award of Excellence” from the UK Tea Council.

Twice it was crowned The Tea Guild’s Top London Afternoon Tea.

Below are Kessab’s secrets to the perfect cup of tea — just in case you can’t make it over to the Lanesborough in London anytime soon!

1. Use only pure, fresh water
2. Never reboil water for tea
3. Keep tea leaves crisp and fresh as room temperature
4. For black tea, use water that has just boiled, 95°C or 203° Fahrenheit
5. For green or white teas, use water that is 83 -85°C or 181.4 – 185° Fahrenheit
6. Loose leaf tea produces a better tasting drink.
7. Tea tastes better brewed in a teapot than in a mug.
8. Be patient and let the tea brew as long as it needs
9. Do not over-brew tea, more time means more tannin
10. For tea brewed in a teapot, add milk to the cup first; add the milk last if using a tea bag

The Lanesborough: With its enviable location, situated on the borders of Knightsbridge and Belgravia, in the heart of London and with panoramic views of Hyde Park, The Lanesborough has long been considered one of the world’s most luxurious hotels. Its elegant surroundings, exquisite cuisine, unsurpassed attention to detail and world-renowned service are second to none.

Rolling out dough can take practice.

Saturday is Bastille Day, time to give a French basic a try. The following is a shortened recipe for Pâté Brisée, or basic pie dough, from James Peterson’s “Glorious French Food.” Shorter doesn’t mean short, and Peterson takes you through each step of the process, including rolling out the dough, which is good to know, even if you are using a store-bought crust.

Let’s face it. Most of us don’t like to make our own pie crust.

“It’s no wonder pie crust makes people nervous — there is so much controversy about the right way to make it,” Peterson says. “For several reasons, the French have it easier than we Americans. First, they weigh ingredients, and doing so produces more consistent results than using cups and spoons for volume measurements. Second, their flour contains less protein than ours (and hence less of the gluten that makes tart dough tough) and their butter contains less water (water activates the gluten in the flour). Third, they’re not concerned with making the dough ‘flaky,’ but rather want it to crumble in the mouth like sand. … Fourth, they use the metric system, which makes it easy to remember proportions and quickly understand the relationships between ingredients when comparing different recipes.”

There are two ways to make the dough, by hand or by food processor, and Peterson provides both.

So, give pie crust a try. With so much fresh fruit in the market, a peach pie or cherry-cranberry pie using Bing cherries would be welcome by anyone in your family.

Pâté Brisée (Basic Pie and Tart Dough)

1 stick (1/4 pound/115 g) plus 1 tablespoon butter
1 3/4 cups (220 g) flour
1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk right out of the refrigerator beaten with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon water
1-2 tablespoons water, added 1/2 tablespoon at a time

Hand method: French and American cooks go about things differently. I can’t say that one method is better than the other except that the American method involves dirtying an extra bowl, and so I use the French method. Both methods start out by chopping the butter into the flour. In America this is done in a bowl, ideally with a pastry blender, a gadget consisting of a handle to which a half dozen arcing wires are attached at either end — something you’re likely to have seen only at the back of one of your grandmother’s kitchen drawers. First the butter is cut into chunks with a knife, then it is worked into smaller pieces with the flour using the pastry blender. Liquid is added, then chopped into the flour with the pastry blender, and the nascent dough is dumped onto the work surface where it is worked until smooth. In France, the butter is chopped into the flour right on the work surface with a flat metal or plastic pastry scraper sometimes called a bench scraper and then quickly worked into the flour with the tips of the fingers. A well is made in the flour mixture, the liquid ingredients are added to the well, and the mixture is quickly combined with the tips of the finger. If the dough is still crumbly, add water (a half tablespoon at a time) and fraisage again. Repeat until the dough comes together. A rest in the fridge follows.

Food processor method: The cubes of cold butter are pulsed with the flour in the processor until the butter chunks are the size of peas. The liquid is added and the mixture is pulsed again until the dough forms a ball. The ball is then flattened into a disk and chilled.

Rolling out tart dough: Once the dough is chilled and rested, roll it out and put it in the tart pan. Unwrap the dough before placing it on a lightly floured work surface. most cooks put too much flour on the work surface, sprinkling flour directly over the surface and again on top of the dough. This can make the dough dry. French recipes say to faire un nuage (make a cloud) with the flour by taking a large pinch of it and tossing it with a quick snap of the wrist, releasing the flour about 6 inches from the work surface so that it settles in a thin, even coating. This takes a little practice — and while learning you’ll mess up the kitchen. If you can’t get the knack, slowly sprinkle the flour from about 2 feet above the work surface. When the dough comes out of the fridge, it is usually too hard to roll out — give it a couple of good whacks with the rolling pin to soften it slightly. Place it on your lightly floured work surface and move it once in a circle so that it gets floured underneath. Flour it on top — again, lightly. Rub the rolling pin with flour to further prevent sticking and roll the dough out slightly, starting one-third of the way into the disk and rolling out the back two-thirds away from you. Don’t try to roll out too much at one time — this can cause the dough to stick and tear, and don’t roll all the way over the edge away from you — this can cause the dough to stick and tear, and don’t roll all the way over the edge away from you — this will will make the dough too thin at the edges. Between each roll or two, dust with flour and rotate the angle of the dough — not the pin — on the floured work surface so that the bottom of the dough keeps getting floured. At the same time, rotate the disk about a quarter turn,  and roll out — again just the back two-thirds, not rolling over the end. Keep moving, rotating, dusting and rolling until the dough forms a circle about 3 inches wider than your tart pan so that you’ll have extra dough to line the sides of the pan and to form a border. (The circle of dough should be 13 inches in diameter for a 10-inch tart pan.) The dough should be between 1/8-inch and 1/4-inch thick.

Once you’ve rolled out the dough, you’ve got to get it into the pan. Brush any excess flour off the dough — there are special brushes for this, but I just give it a quick swat with a towel. Most of the time you can simply roll the dough up on the rolling pin — again brushing off excess flour — and then unroll it over the pan. but if it’s a hot day or the dough is cracking and being uncooperative, rolling it up on the pin may cause the dough to stick to the pin or to fall apart. In this situation, fold the dough in quarters, place the center corner in the middle of the tart pan, and unfold the dough in the pan.

Once you’ve transferred the dough, you need to fit it snugly into the tart pan and make a border. Lift the dough hanging over the side of the pan straight up and press it into the corners of the pan with your fingers. Don’t stretch the dough, just feed as much as you need from the top as you’re forming the corners. Rotate the tart pan and continue until you’ve formed an edge all around the pan. At this point, use your fingers to push the dough in slightly from the outer edge so that you have about 1/3 inch extra dough all around the tart to reinforce the sides and make them slightly thicker than the rest of the dough. Pinch the overhanging dough about 1/4 inch away from the edge of the tart pan and push inward toward the center of the pan so that you create a little extra lip of dough along the inside rim of the pan. Push down on the top of the rim, using the edge to cut through the dough and leaving the excess dough on the outside of the tart and a little extra dough along the inside of the rim. Rotate the tart pan, pinching and cutting until you’ve pinched all around the outside edge. Roll the rolling pin over the pan, cutting off any dough still clinging around the outside. With your thumb and forefinger, gently pinch and press straight down on the extra dough along the inside of the tart rim, making the sides slightly thicker and forming a smooth border that comes up a little less than 1/4 inch above the rim of the tart pan. Refrigerate the lined tart pan for 1 hour.

The rest depends on the pie you plan to make.

Makes 1 pie crust.

From “Glorious French Food” by James Peterson

Red, White and Blueberries

Recent studies have shown that the excellent nutritional qualities of blueberries, raspberries and strawberries are made even more healthful when you serve them together. So, splurge on the Fourth of July, and get a mix of colorful fruit to play around with.

Red, White and Blueberries

Blueberries, to taste
Whipped cream, to taste
Strawberries, pitted cherries or raspberries, to taste

Layer a few blueberries in the bottom of a parfait glass or serving dish. Cover with whipped cream. Top with red fruit, then whipped cream again and repeat until dish is filled.

Here are 10 more red, white and blue dessert ideas:

• You could use vanilla ice cream, frozen yogurt or Greek yogurt instead of the whipped cream. Sweeten the whipped cream with vanilla, almond extract or rum instead of sugar. Don’t macerate the fruit in sugar; let it speak on its own.
• You could marinate the berries in various liqueurs, such as the blueberries in creme de cassis, the cherries or strawberries in kirsch and the raspberries in Chambord. Add a dash or two of cherry bitters.
• Drizzle Italian syrups or a nut-flavored liqueur, such as Frangelico, over the top  of the parfait.
• Frost cupcakes or a cake with a white buttercream frosting and sprinkle both blue and red fruit on top. On a cape, you could create an American flag with the fruit or trace outlines of fireworks.
• Suspend blueberries in cherry gelatin and top with whipped cream.
• Warm vanilla ice cream slightly; add in fruit and blend. Refreeze.
• Set up an ice cream sundae bar using vanilla or strawberry ice cream or blueberry gelato. Have blueberries, red fruit, red and blue syrups, white chocolate, coconut, macadamia nuts, marshmallow creme and whipped cream to use as toppings.
• Melt white chocolate or almond bark in a double boiler or microwave. Spread out on waxed paper. Top with coconut, dried blueberries and diced dried cherries. Let set before breaking into bars.
• Whip up a batch of your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough. But don’t use dark chocolate chips, use white chocolate chips, dried blueberries and dried cherries instead.
• Make a patriotic poke cake. Take a white cake, poke it with a toothpick, then drizzle liquid blue gelatin and red gelatin over the top. If you do a double-layer cake, you could color one in blue and the other in red.

There is a profusion of premixed herb, spice and seasoning blends out there, and it’s sometimes hard to choose just the blend you want.

We suggest making your own, for several reasons:

Put together your own spice mixes for specific ethnic cuisines, barbecue rubs, salad seasonings and more.

•  The cost will be much less.
•  You can fine-tune the blend to your taste.
•  The blend won’t have any filler in it or a lot of added salt or sugar – which is something you end up paying for with many commercial blends.
•  You can mix in small batches, so that the spices don’t lose flavor by sitting around on your spice shelf for long periods of time.
•  Spice and herb blends are easy to do, and make good gifts. Check out craft stores, art shops, etc., for packaging ideas, or use your imagination and make your own.

With no further ado, here are a few that we like.  Use them as they are, or start customizing!

Lavender, a good addition to a summery herb blend. (Photo courtesy Becker Vineyards)

Herbes de Provence

This is a fine-tuned blend, from the South of France, that alternates stronger herbal flavors with lighter.

It adds a wonderful, summery flavor to casseroles, game or poultry — even steaks. Also, add some fresh parsley to a couple of pinches of this as a dry blend, and whip it into the eggs for an omelet. Fold a little crème fraîche into the omelet just before you serve it.

This blend calls for dried herbs, but not ground (except for bay leaf). If you don’t want to grind the bay leaf, you could put a small, whole leaf into each blend, but not add the whole, dried leaf to food. (The edges are sharp, unless you grind it down some.) You can also make this blend with fresh herbs, if you have the herbs on hand. We don’t suggest mixing fresh and dried, though.

4 teaspoons dried leaf thyme
2 teaspoons dried marjoram
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2/3 teaspoon culinary lavender flowers
½ teaspoon celery seeds
½ teaspoon lightly ground white pepper
1 crushed bay leaf (take leaves off dried stem, and grind in a mortar)

Mix together the herbs. For using, 2-3 teaspoons is sufficient in a recipe for three-to-four people.

Adapted from “The Spice Bible; A Cook’s Guide” by Ian Hemphill

Fines Herbes

This “delicately balanced bouquet of finely flavored herbs … is found in French cuisine,” writes Ian Hemphill in “The Spice and Herb Bible.” This recipe may be made with fresh or dried herbs.

Flat-leaf parsley

Here’s a sidelight I found amusing. In my vintage (1961) edition of the English translation of the French culinary bible, “Larousse Gastronomique”, the entry for fines herbes is typically terse. However, the writer also allows himself (and, surely, it was a “him”) a little crabby comment to chefs of the time.

“Generally speaking, this term is used not of mixed herbs, but simply of chopped parsley. Therefore an Omelette aux Fines Herbes is an omelette containing only parsley, in addition to the usual seasonings.” (Probably a reference to salt and white pepper.)

The writer goes on: “Actually, fines herbes should be a mixture of herbs, such as parsley, chervil, tarragon and even chives. Indeed, this was the original meaning of the term. In earlier times chopped mushroom and even truffles were added to the list of herbs above.”

We give our firm approval to adding truffles to a fines herbes mix!

Hemphill’s recipe follows. In addition to the herbs mentioned above, he adds green dill tips and lovage. While the Hemphill doesn’t add chives, fresh chives would be fine, and it is included in this slight adaptation. Again, if you wish to make this blend with all dried herbs, it’s fine.

Fines Herbes (for fresh or dried herbs)

2 tablespoons parsley
1 tablespoon chervil
1 tablespoon lovage
2 teaspoons green dill tips
2 teaspoons French tarragon
2 teaspoons minced chives

This blend goes well with any egg dish, and is also wonderful in a creamy salad dressing, blended with a half cup each of mayonnaise and heavy cream.

Adapted from “The Spice Bible” by Ian Hemphill.

Texas Herb Rub

Lamb, beef, pork -- all will taste better rubbed with spices!

Here’s an herbal rub with a Texas twist, from Tom Perini. Put it on meat (of course).

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Combine all the ingredients and rub over the surface of the meat.

From “Texas Cowboy Cooking” by Tom Perini

Wild Willy’s Number One-derful Rub

This is a good, all-purpose barbecue rub, from Cheryl and Bill Jamison’s “Smoke & Spice.” Use it on ribs, brisket, chicken and more.

¾ cup paprika
¼ cup freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup coarse kosher or sea salt
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
3 tablespoons cayenne

Mix spices thoroughly in a bowl. Store covered, in a cool, dark place. Makes about 2 cups.

Tunisian Tabil Rub

This is a spice mix that’s become somewhat trendy in the U.S. in the past few years.  The  aromatic, spicy blend known as tabil is generally used with lamb and imparts a pungency that will give your barbecue an exotic flavor. Tone down the hot spice (hot pepper flakes) if you need to do so.

2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
2 tablespoons hot pepper flakes
2 tablespoons coarse (kosher or sea) salt

Combine the coriander, cumin and caraway seeds in a dry skillet and cook over medium heat, shaking the pan to ensure even cooking, until toasted and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.

Place the mixture in a mortar and grind to a fine powder with the pestle, or use a spice mill. Store in an airtight jar away from heat and light for up to 6 months. Makes about ½ cup, or enough for 3-4 pounds of meat, poultry or seafood.

From “The Barbecue Bible” by Steven Raichlen

John Griffin contributed to this article.

An unpeeled celeriac, also known as a celery root.

A recent recipe that called for celeriac, also known as celery root, prompted a question from a reader: What do you do with it?

Start by cutting off the bottom.

It’s very simple, and it’s a tasty alternative to potatoes, especially if you are looking to cut back on carbohydrates in your diet. The root has between 7 and 9 grams of carbs per cup, depending on which nutritional guide you pay attention to.

It’s also low in calories and a good source of both vitamin C and phosphorus, according to nutritiondata.self.com. Magnesium, manganese and potassium are other pluses you get from this root vegetable.

Let’s start at the supermarket, where the roots are usually stores in the produce section near other exotics. At my H-E-B, it can generally be found near the daikon, when it’s available, and the bok choy.

Peel off the sides, as you would a pineapple.

Choose one that is hard. It could be gnarled or knobby. Some stores sell them in various sizes and by the pound; others offer larger versions that given a per-root price.

You don’t need to wash it. Just set it on its side and cut the bottom off of it.

Then set the cut side down on your board and proceed to peel it with a sharp knife the way you would a pineapple until all sides are cleaned.

Then you can cut it into slices and finally into cubes. Or you can cut it into larger chunks in order to grate it. Slice into wedges and prepare it as you would steak fries. Use a mandolin and cut thin slices to be fried up as chips.

That’s about all it takes.

Then, it’s time to start cooking.

You can use celeriac in this parsley soup. Or try this recipe for celeriac gratin from Martha Stewart that bubbles up with flavor from two cheeses, cream, nutmeg and Dijon mustard in addition to the celeriac.

Martha Stewart’s Celeriac Gratin

Unsalted butter, for the dish
4 shallots, thinly sliced
3 medium bulbs celeriac
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3/4 cup freshly grated Gruyere cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

You can cut celeriac in different ways, depending on how you're going to use it.

Butter a 1 1/2-quart gratin dish. Scatter shallots over bottom of dish. Peel celeriac and cut into 1/4-inch slices, and then julienne. Arrange evenly in gratin dish. Sprinkle thyme leaves over celeriac.

In a small bowl, whisk together cream, mustard, nutmeg, and salt and pepper. Pour over celeriac, and sprinkle with cheeses. Cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove foil, and continue baking until top is brown and bubbly and cream is thickened and reduced, about 20 more minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, and serve.

Makes 4-6 servings.

From Martha Stewart/Martha Stewart Living

By Cecil Flentge

So, you have decided to cook a turkey.  It doesn’t matter if this is the  “coming of age”  step where you show your friends you can do things like big kids.  It doesn’t matter if it is just the bait to get your scattered relatives to gather once a year.  You have made the decision, so now it’s time to plan the meal.

There are many ephemeral articles that will give you ideas for decoration, invitation, or theme.  There are many recipes listed to stir your imagination.  But here I am just offering tips you can use to slice your Thanksgiving turkey.

1. Let the big bird rest!  This gives it a chance to let the juices inside settle so they stay in the bird (making it moist) and not pouring out all over the counter.

2. While it is resting, move it into a shallow baking pan.  You know, it has a lip but isn’t more than 1 inch deep.  Then, when you slice, any juices that do drip can be poured over the breast slices or added to the huge cauldron of gravy!

3. Pick up your toaster and cut the turkey.   No!  You wouldn’t use a toaster to cut a turkey.  So don’t use a big chef’s knife; use a thin-long-sharp carving knife!  Yeah, that knife you never use because you can’t chop with it and it is way too long for paring an apple.  Now is the time!  When the blade is sharp and only about an inch wide, you get less “drag” as you slice.  Now is the time to get your knives sharpened before Thanksgiving.

4.  Grasp the end of the drumstick and slice the skin that attaches it to the main body.   Then you can lean the leg and thigh away from the breast.  This will show you where the thigh joins the turkey.  Cut through the joint and remove the hindquarter from the bird. Repeat on the other side of the bird.  Separate the thigh and drumstick at the joint.

5. Then cut along the bones and slide the meat off the leg and thigh, then slice.

6.  Insert a fork in the wing to steady the turkey.  If the wing is too loose, just cut it off at the joint.  Make a long horizontal cut above wing joint through to the body frame.

7. Measure in 1/2 inch and slice down the breast.  Slice straight down with an even stroke. When knife reaches the cut above the wing joint, the slice should fall free on its own.  Continue to slice breast meat easily by starting the cut at a higher point each time.

8. Relax.  If all goes well, great!  If it doesn’t, you have something to talk about!

Peppers and onions grill with skirt steak for fajitas.

Fajitas originated in Texas, and as such we should have the last word on how to make them. For instance, if we were to make the World’s Biggest Fajita Taco, I’d suggest to the Guinness Book people that genuine South Texans be consulted about how fajitas are made (beef fajitas are made with skirt steak) and when they are cut (after the steaks are grilled).

But, as for the marinade, it seems just about any ol’ ingredient will do.  Soy sauce and Worcestershire Sauce seem to crop up in recipes created by real Texans, including respected cooks and restaurateurs. Glancing through several sources recently, I found some recipes called for  herbs, such as basil, or spices, such as cumin. Some have garlic, some don’t.

The first time I made fajitas, according to the recipe I was using, they were doused in a ton of Worcestershire Sauce. I’d had to  special order the skirt steak to be shipped up from Phoenix, as no stores in Prescott, Ariz., as yet, were carrying this inexpensive cut back in the mid-1980s. I had to order a 40-pound box, and they cost, maybe, $1.29 a pound.

Forty pounds of skirt steak serves quite a few people, so it was a big party. My guests seemed to like this dish, unfamiliar to them at the time. But I thought my fajitas tasted awful. The second time I had them was at a restaurant in Flagstaff, Ariz. These, too, were laced with Worcestershire, and I thought, OK, I guess I just don’t like fajitas.

Then, I visited my husband-to-be in San Antonio. He, as part of the his ploy to lure me permanently to the Alamo City, took me directly to the old Rosario’s.  If either Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce was in the marinade, it wasn’t the main ingredient. I was hooked.

The upshot of all this is: San Antonio needs to have a fajita cook-off. I’d be interested to see how many cooks used basil in their marinade.

Recipe for SavorSA Fajitas

We like to keep it simple; plenty of salt and pepper, citrus and garlic.  I have tried the marinade below using tenderizer, sprinkled on before grilling, or not using tenderizer at all. It didn’t seem to make a difference.

Fajitas from La Margarita cooking at Fiesta Arts Fair

SavorSA Beef Fajitas

2 large garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup water
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 medium white onion, peeled, cut into eighths
1 green bell pepper, trimmed and quartered
1 dozen warm flour tortillas

Suggested garnishes: Guacamole (see recipe link below), pico de gallo and/or your favorite salsa

In a long, flat dish or pan with sides, just big enough to lay steaks flat in one layer, mash the garlic cloves with a fork and spread around the surface of the dish. Pour in vegetable oil, lime juice, cayenne pepper and optional orange juice. Add water and mix it all together well. Lay the steaks in the pan to soak up some of the marinade, then turn them over. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate at least an hour, turning once. If you want to marinate them for longer, put the meat in the refrigerator. When you are ready to grill, take the steaks out and keep at room temperature for 15 minutes or so before cooking. Drain the marinade off steaks and discard it.

Prepare medium-hot charcoal or gas grill. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Put them on the grill and cook for 15 minutes or so on each side.  When the steaks are done, take them off the grill and put on a warm platter and cover with foil. Let them rest for 5-10 minutes.

In a pan on the stove, put in two tablespoons of oil and add the sliced onions and peppers. Fry/sauté them until they are just cooked, so the peppers are still a pretty, fresh green color. Or, you can lightly oil them and put them on the grill about 10 minutes before the steaks are done and grill them that way.

When you have the tortillas warm and all the optional sides ready, take the steaks from the platter and slice them with a sharp knife on a cutting board, against the grain. Put them back in the platter so they soak up a little of the juice. They should be not too thin, not too thick: about a quarter- to a half-inch thick. Let people build their own tacos and garnish them with onions, peppers and other options.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

From SavorSA

Bonnie’s Guacamole