Happy new year everyone! Thanks for reading this past year & for all the nice comments & emails. It really makes me so happy to know that people like the site. We’re talking about a little reorganization in 2010 & new ways to search the site & whatnot, so stay tuned. Rang in the new year in Missouri, where it’s snowy & so freaking cold.
Rain, sleet, wintery mix—whatever you call it, leave me out of it. It reminded me of some winter cupcakes I made for some friends & family last week so I thought I’d post the picture. They’re vanilla on vanilla. I thought about making them white chocolate & peppermint, but after having a peppermint martini that was like sipping Scope, I thought better. Individual cupcake boxes from Amazon are a cute way to present them, but prepare for some serious folding. Those little boxes are harder to put together than you’d think!
If you want to dine at The Zodiac downtown, you’ll to have to wait until January rolls around to get a reservation. However, that doesn’t mean you have to rule out a lovely lunch at Neiman Marcus. Across the street there’s the NM Fashion Cafe, which definitely deserves your consideration next time you’re downtown.
I lunched there today with some friends before checking out the store’s windows as a sort of kickoff to the Christmas weekend. While my entree was tasty but unremarkable (Southwest Caesar Salad), what came before & after made lunch really delightful.
To start, the Queso Tortilla Soup is a must. Non-negotiable. If you like traditional tortilla soup, you’ll love this updated version. Instead of the classic red broth with chunks of chicken & veggies, this soup is a cheesy, velvety, yellow cream. Next time, skip the cup; I’m getting a bowl.
After the meal, my friend Eric & I split a slice of the Strawberry Dream Cake, which was so cute it inspired the picture above. Strawberry cake with fluffy white frosting… it was delicious. Half is all you need, because it’s really sweet.
Stop by the Fashion Cafe if you’re downtown for lunch or shopping at Neiman’s or just looking for some cake.
Word to the wise: Get there early. We lunched a little later in the afternoon & by that time they were out of the daily special, as well as the angus burger. How exclusive.
1525 Commerce St. | Dallas, TX 75201
214.573.8250
So last week I sent out a call for your baking suggestions & was delighted at the response. Thank you so much, guys! Really, you sent some great ideas for holiday baking. I will definitely be making some Chocolate Peppermint Patty Cookies this week (via The Los & Lauren). Sam’s Genoise Cake sounds like a delicious thing to try for an upcoming party.
I could go on, but those ideas will have to wait a little… When I was thinking about what to bake this weekend, I forgot about one minor thing. Well, actually it’s a big thing. This weekend had already been devoted to some VIB: very important baking. (I know, lame.)
Here’s the backstory: When I was a little girl, my grandma would bake all of us gingerbread houses to decorate for Christmas. She’d cook the individual pieces in cast iron pans & construct them into bare houses with royal icing caulking. When it came time to decorate, she’d whip up batches of royal icing to use as “glue” & lay out dishes of every kind of edible supply we thought would look pretty (with a heavy emphasis on red & green candies, of course).
The tradition has continued & we’ve done it without fail every year. On years we weren’t able to fly to our grandparent’s house for Christmas, she would actually mail everything to us. All of her eight grandkids (in three different cities from Palo Alto to Washington D.C.) would get a homemade house to decorate, frosting to use, and a kit of the harder-to-find candies she’d sought out. (Those chocolates that look like tumbled rocks were a huge deal, especially in the years before Central Market made them easy to access. Seriously the big time.) The dates are kinda fuzzy, but I’m pretty sure she did it for over 20 years because it started when I was young. That’s a lot of baking.
She passed away two years ago, leaving an empty space in our family that no one can fill. She was that kind of grandma, you know what I mean? So of all of the things about her we’re missing, I thought there was at least one thing I could do to keep our traditions the same. Before she died, I took the gingerbread pans & told her that I’d be happy to make them that year… & I guess the years after that too. Indefinitely I think, because everything about Christmas seems to remind me of her.
This year it hasn’t been going so well. The dough has been turning out strange, the side-panels of the house are bubbling & the corners are burning. I don’t remember so many mishaps last year—perhaps beginner’s luck? But I’m working on it & hope to have the ones I need to ship in the mail by Thursday. Wish me luck… I’ve got 2 down (poorly crafted ones I’ll probably try to pawn off on my brothers or sister) & 7 to go.
(If you’re interested in starting a tradition of your own, you can buy these pans that come with the recipe.)
So it’s been strangely quiet here on the little dish, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense considering the holidays are like the playoffs for those who love to cook and bake (and eat, for that matter!)
I have to take full responsibility for that. I’m a writer in an industry that’s really impacted by the holidays. It’s a crazy, crazy time of year for me and I sort of shifted into “survival mode.” It’s been quite some time since I’ve had a relaxing meal out or investigated a new restaurant to try… Très sad!
But it hasn’t been all doom and gloom in my culinary world. For Thanksgiving, I baked a pumpkin cheesecake based on a recipe “stolen” from The Cheesecake Factory. It was a huge success. Assembling it was incredibly simple, almost therapeutic. Measuring out spices by the precise teaspoon, beating the cream cheese until it was soft and smooth, pressing the graham cracker crust into the pan… Simple and tangible and focused — everything my holiday season hasn’t been.
It reminded me of what I love most about baking and why it’s important, even at times when you think you’re too busy for it. Which is why I’m reaching out to you. I want to bake — no, need to bake — something fun & lovely this weekend. Any suggestions? Holiday sweets? A favorite comfort dessert? I’m open to something new to try, so please send suggestions!
Now as for that marvelous cheesecake… Not only was it simple to make, it was delicious. I used a Barefoot Contessa tip on cooling the cheesecake slowly to prevent cracking and it worked perfectly. You just turn off the oven a couple of minutes prematurely, but keep it in the hot oven so it continues to cook. After 10 minutes or so, open the door so that the heat slowly dissipates. Once it’s completely cooled, put it in the fridge to chill. I think the slow temperature change is what kept it from cracking. I’ve had trouble with that in the past and after following those steps, didn’t have even a tiny one!
The Cheesecake Factory’s Pumpkin Cheesecake
(I couldn’t find the copy cat site I found the recipe originally, but you can find it here)
Crust:
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
5 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tbsp. sugar
Filling:
(3) 8oz packages of cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
Whipped Cream
Mix the crust ingredients together in a medium bowl, just till coated and crumbly. Wrap the bottom (outside) of an 8″ springform pan with foil to prevent leaks. Press the crumbs onto the bottom and about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the springform pan. Bake the crust for 5 minutes, then set aside until you are ready to fill it.
In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and continue beating until smooth and creamy. Pour the filling into the pan.
Bake for 60-70 minutes. (The top will turn a bit darker at this point.) Remove from the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool. When the cheesecake has come to room temperature, put it into the refrigerator. When the cheesecake has chilled, remove the pan sides and cut. Serve with a generous portion of whipped cream on top.
It’s RA, part two! After a really excellent dinner, we finished the night at RA with a light dessert. It’s always sad to finish a refreshing meal with a really thick, heavy dessert… like rice pudding… or chocolate lava cake. For something like sushi, a dessert “sushi” is a truly fitting option. RA’s Banana Maki Roll is a crispy-wrapped banana roll with chocolate in the middle topped with fresh fruit, whip cream, and chocolate sauce. It was really as pretty as it looks & gives the fishy version a good fight for winning “Most Tasty.”
Now the rice pudding doesn’t sound like such a bad idea as a midnight snack…
7501 Lone Star Dr. | Plano, TX 75024
469.467.7400
Other locations nationwide.
I really love honey. In fact, it’s one of my favorite flavors. I like it even more when it comes out of a bear-shaped bottle, but I feel torn about the fact. You have to be discerning about quality & unfortunately the best kinds don’t usually come in that cute little guy. The most flavorful honeys are usually local, organic, darker in color, and probably in a plain glass jar.
One taste of white gold honey changes all those preconceptions. Made from red clover honey in Canada, it’s the most interesting honey I’ve ever tried and though it’s very mild, it’s one of the most delicious. It has a beautiful ivory color and the lovely, thick consistency of whipped frosting. Surprisingly, both of those qualities occur naturally. The raw honey comes from a white nectar and solidifies because of its low moisture content.
As I mentioned, it does have a very mild flavor, which is why I suppose Teavana chose to carry it. It won’t overpower the other flavors in their tea. However, it tastes just wonderful by itself upon a piece of toast. This honey is so special, it makes up for the fact that it doesn’t come in a bear.
Shopping Note: While I couldn’t find this particular honey on Teavana’s website, I found an organic white volcano honey. The sales associate at the location I visited was absolutely raving about it and said that when I finished this jar, that was the next one I needed to try next.
Teavana
NorthPark Center
8687 N. Central Expressway | Dallas, Texas 75225
Other locations nationwide.
Every year Dallas’ premier restaurants take part in Dining Out In Dallas, an annual fundraiser benefiting The Texas Neurofibromatosis Foundation. DFW chefs each donate a table for 10 to be bid on & the proceeds go to this excellent cause. This year, we had the pleasure of getting a table at Local with family & good friends. In one word, it was delightful. In a lot more words, here’s the rundown of the full menu & how it went down…
Warmed nuts were a salty prelude to the meal & a gentle reminder to never underestimate the goodness of a homemade snack mix. Fried green beans were the first starter & paired nicely with a Chardonnay Terrazas Reserva ‘07 from Spain. The green beans were dipped in a flavorful batter & served with a ranch sauce for dipping. Delicious & unexpected—they’re as salty & addictive as their potato counterparts.
Amuse-Bouche: A cream soup (broccoli?) with crispy fried leeks. Comforting & nice, even though I can’t remember exactly what flavor the soup was. Cream of…cream.
Short Order First Course: Eden Creek baby arugula salad, with brown sugar sauteed asian pears, crumbled Pure Luck dairy blue cheese, toasted pistachios, and a honey-balsamic vinaigrette.
Wine: Riesling Thomas Schmitt ‘04 – Germany
From the description, you can tell this salad was very sweet. It might have been too much so, but the bites of blue cheese & salted pistachios—as well as the wine—added balance. The pears were perfection & everyone at our table was impressed with the honey vinaigrette.
Short Order Second Course: Seared Hudson Valley foie gras, house-made Texas toast, fresh fig and madeira compote
Wine: Rioja Luis Canas Crianza ‘04 – Spain
The surprise of the night. I’ve had foie gras once, possibly twice before this point. I couldn’t remember the difference between pate & foie gras because the two had sort of combined in my mind in the “not great, but you can bear it” category. This foie gras came like a ray of light—a major epiphany. I loved it. With the figs, it was perfectly perched between sweet and salty…incredibly soft and tender…rich and luxurious in texture. Liver? Really? Yeah, you heard me. It’s awesome.
Tall Order: Grilled grass-fed beef tenderloin filet, creamy Anson Mills grits, flash-fried spinach, roasted garlic-butter balsamic finish
Wine: Bordeaux Chateau Mouton Jean Philippe ‘03 – France
Everything in this dish was excellent. My filet was served rare; Brian’s was more medium-rare, so there was a little variance in the cooking. No matter because both filets were supernaturally tender. The grits were creamy & the spinach was a perfect compliment. This dish was the highlight of Local’s skill in the arena of New American cuisine.
Baby Desert Tasting: Warm mini chocolate souffle, brownie cookies, Ovaltine-spiked chocolate malt, spiced cake donut holes
Wine: Moscato d’asti Marenco Scrapona
Whimsical and delicious, it’s one of the best mini-dessert plates I’ve ever had. Usually there’s at least one dessert that falls short, but that wasn’t the case here. The chocolate souffle was rich, indulgent, and actually just the right size. The shake was lovely, the brownie cookies were far beyond what I was expecting, and the donut holes were a playful take on an American classic. I loved the sparkling moscato. So sweet & refreshing, it could stand on its own if served as dessert.
At the end of our meal, just when we thought it was over, a final parting bite arrived at the table: homemade thumbprint cookies with a cranberry-chutney center. One little bite…tart & sweet…it was like a farewell wave & a reminder to come back again for more.
2936 Elm Street | Dallas, TX 75074
214.752.7500
Once upon a time there was a Celebrity Café in Las Colinas. It was pretty much ignored by me because on the three occasions I visited there, I was underwhelmed with a too-sweet cake, a dry cookie, and a sandwich that was just ok. Nothing there was bad per se, but nothing was worth coming back for.
Fast forward to a week ago when a friend at work, Matt, surprised us with cupcakes from a bakery called Outta the Oven. The cupcakes were delicious and Matt had really nice things to say about the ladies working there (and a certain panini he had for lunch).
The cupcake I had that day was delicious: banana (if you can believe that) with a cream cheese frosting. When I went to look up Outta the Oven, I found that the Celebrity Café I had forgotten about is now under a new name. The scoop is that this Celebrity Café franchise (along with another in Addison) has gone rogue, renamed itself, and is now working independently. I’m not sure exactly how different their menu is from what it used to be or if the recipes vary that much from what they were before. What I do know is that the almost magical banana cupcake made me give them another look. Yesterday on the last day of National Cupcake Week, I went back to try a German chocolate cupcake that was equally lovely. Nice cupcakes minutes away from my office and they’re only $2.25 a piece, which is a steal compared to Sprinkles. This could be a very bad thing…
7979 N. MacArthur Blvd., Ste. 130,
Las Colinas, 75063
972.869.0015
It’s Saturday and you know what that means? It means I get to do as I please! And when I said on Thursday that I was going to go to The Cupcakery on Saturday, I meant it! So I headed over there today after my bang trim with my guy Taury @ Pompeo. (He’s great if you’re looking for somebody.) What initially struck me was how fantastic The Cupcakery’s cupcakes look; they’re as pretty in person as they are online. I was disappointed to have only my iPhone for the visit because it really doesn’t do them justice. They also make some really cute custom cupcakes–today they had some examples of football ones they made for the Texas games, but you can get almost anything done. I picked a few of the most promising sounding flavors and headed home to share them for a taste test…
Tickle Me Pink – The Cupcakery’s signature flavor. It’s pink for cuteness, not because it’s strawberry, so don’t be misled. Vanilla buttercream frosting on either chocolate or vanilla cake. (I went chocolate.) It’s a straightforward cupcake, so I thought it’d be one of the best to really judge their merit. Delicious! Creamy frosting, moist cake, rich chocolate. It’s a killer cupcake.
Boston Dream – Take an awesome vanilla cupcake, fill it with a light Bavarian cream, and top it with ganache. Go straight to cupcake heaven. This one was my favorite.
Southern Belle – A classic red velvet. Nothing innovative about it, but that’s ok. I like the original version and this was a good execution of it.
Kir Royal – Sad times. This was the only unfortunate one in the group. Raspberry cupcake with champagne frosting. Sounds like a clever idea. Tastes like old alcohol and perfume. Couldn’t finish even my small tasting slice.
Damn I Forgot the Name – I wish I could remember the name of the cupcake. It was vanilla cake with tons of chocolate frosting and coconut on top. Amazing.
It might be a little too early to just let them runaway with the crown, but I have to say that The Cupcakery is my favorite cupcake in Dallas. Their frosting isn’t as sugary-gritty as Sprinkles and their cake isn’t as dry. They’re actually better priced ($3.00 a cupcake) and their flavors are really fun. If the little dish gave grades, they would get an A+, but since we don’t I’ll just say 5 stars.
2222 McKinney Ave. Suite 230
Dallas 75201
214.855.0003
Now I don’t want to drive anyone away, but if you want cupcakes 24/7, you should really know about Only Cupcakes. That site can really satisfy your cupcake needs like no other. Lots and lots of eye candy (and fondant). The only thing that makes me sad is that sometimes there’s the most amazing cupcakes and I want to know how to make them! Recipes, please 
