Barbara Walch

As a food editor, I try to stay abreast of the latest trends in the culinary world. Bacon, sliders, and cupcakes have been at the top of the list the last couple years. By some accounts, 2010 will be a popular year for meatballs, All-American comfort foods, and any food produced locally. But the one that surprised me the most was the declaration that cooking clubs are suddenly the rage. Oh, really! Well, I guess they haven’t been paying much attention to Plano, Texas.

Cooking clubs abound in this area. In the more than 20 years I’ve covered the local food scene, I’ve profiled many of them. And no two are structured exactly alike. These groups take several forms, from small and intimate, to large and formal. Some select menus that have a specific ethnic theme; others try to pick seasonal dishes; a few look to food and wine pairings; and others, a mix of recipes they feel qualify as “gourmet,” not particularly fitting any other theme. Read More

Additional Recipes
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Caviar Pie
Source: Beth Fogarty, Six Forks Gourmet. We found even those in our group that don’t care for caviar still enjoyed this dish.

1 (8-oz.) carton whipped cream cheese
3 Tbsp. dairy sour cream
2 hard-boiled eggs
1 (2-oz.) jar black caviar
1 (2-oz.) jar red caviar
2 tsp. lemon juice, divided use
fresh parsley, chopped
cocktail size pumpernickel bread or thin pumpernickel bread, crusts trimmed, cut into small square, rounds, or triangles

1. Combine cream cheese and sour cream; set aside. Separate egg yolks from the egg whites of the hard-boiled eggs and chop each finely; set aside.

2. Carefully rinse the black caviar with cold water and drain. Separately rinse the red caviar and drain. (You will need a fine sieve.) Then sprinkle each batch of caviar with 1 tsp. lemon juice.

3. To assemble, spread the cream cheese mixture evenly in the bottom of a 10-inch glass pie plate or quiche dish. Sprinkle chopped parsley in a circle around outer edge of cream cheese. Sprinkle egg white in a circle next to the parsley, then red caviar (using two spoons, one to push off the caviar from the other). Then sprinkle the egg yolk in a circle next to the red caviar. To finish, mound the black caviar in the center. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Uncover and serve with the pumpernickel bread.

Brie & Sun-Dried Tomato Crostini
Source: Sue England, Six Forks Gourmet. Tasty little morsels, full of flavor.

1 baguette, sliced in 1/4-inch slices
2 sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), drained, finely chopped (reserve 1 Tbsp. oil)
2 Tbsp. coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
1 small garlic clove, minced
Salt, pepper, to taste
1/3 cup Alouette Crème-style Brie (or very small slices brie cheese, rind removed)
2 Tbsp. pine nuts, toasted
1 Tbsp. fresh basil chiffonade (basil sliced into ribbons)

Combine the tomatoes, oil, parmesan, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper. Toast the bread slices under the broiler until lightly browned. Spread each with brie, then top with the tomato mixture. Sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts and basil. Serve immediately.

Asparagus Soup with Dill Oil
Source: Beverly Mills, Six Forks Gourmet, from Eating Royally by Darren McGrady, The Royal Chef. This velvety soup has no cream!

SOUP:
1 lb. fresh asparagus
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. flour
1 pint chicken broth
salt, pepper, to taste

DILL OIL:
1/2 cup fresh dill, finely chopped (about 1/2 bunch)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
salt, pepper, to taste

1. Prepare the asparagus by trimming the tips by 1 inch and reserving for garnish. Continue cutting down the stalks in 1/2-inch pieces, stopping 2 inches from the end. Discard the woody stalks.

2. In a large pan, sweat the onions and asparagus in butter until the onions are translucent and the asparagus starts to soften. Add the flour and stir. Then add the chicken broth, stir again and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.

3. While the soup is cooking, blanch the asparagus tips. Purée the soup in a blender and pass through a conical strainer into a clean bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning, as needed; return to a clean pan to reheat or refrigerate until needed.

4. To prepare the dill oil, blend all of the ingredients together until smooth and bright green in color. Taste, adjust the seasonings as needed.

5. Reheat the soup taking care not to boil and pour into soup bowls or a tureen. Add the asparagus tips and drizzle the top of the soup with the dill oil. Makes 4 servings.

Pumpkin Trifle with Walnuts & Butterscotch Sauce
Source: Judy Dawson, Six Forks Gourmet, from Emeril Lagasse. This recipe is too decadent to be believed and is one of our all-time Six Forks favorites.

2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, halved, scraped
1/8 tsp. salt
1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
8 large egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
3 pkgs. lady fingers (3 oz., soft variety, not crisp)
1/2 cup Nocello or other nut-flavored liqueur
8 cups basic whipped cream
1/2 cup walnuts, tasted, chopped

BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE:
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup water
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cups milk

1. To make the sauce, place the brown sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir the pan often using a wooden spoon to ensure sugar dissolves. Cook the syrup until it reaches the caramel stage, about 240° (use a candy thermometer to determine temperature). Once the syrup has reached the caramel stage, reduce the heat to very low to avoid burning the sugar, or allowing it to get too dark. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Add the butter to the syrup and whisk continuously until well incorporated.

2. In a separate pot, beat the heavy cream and bring to a boil. Slowly add the heavy cream a tablespoon at a time to the caramel, stirring to incorporate. Return the caramel to the stove and heat until all the caramel is dissolved and all the cream has been incorporated. Let the sauce cool completely, and add the milk to the sauce to thin it out if necessary.

3. To make the trifle, combine the milk, heavy cream, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla bean with scraped seeds, and salt in a small saucepan. Whisk to combine and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat, discard vanilla bean, then add the pumpkin puree and spice. Whisk to combine.

4. In a separate bowl, combine the egg yolks, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and cornstarch; whisk well. Ladle about 1 cup, one half at a time, of the hot pumpkin mixture into the eggs and mix well. Pour the egg mixture into the remaining hot pumpkin mixture in the saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a heat-proof rubber spatula. Immediately reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, constantly stirring, until the pudding thickens, 3 – 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Cover the pudding with plastic wrap, completely touching the surface so that the top does not develop a skin. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.

5. Place a layer of lady fingers around the sides and bottom of a 4-quart bowl. Using a pastry brush, moisten the lady fingers with some of the Nocello. Add about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of the pumpkin pudding and 2 cups of the whipped cream. Top with another layer of lady fingers and repeat process until bowl is completely filled. Top with walnuts. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for a least 1 hour and up to overnight. Serve trifle in small bowls drizzled with the Butterscotch Sauce. Makes 8 – 10 servings.