Monday, April 29, 2013

Austin Bakes for West, Texas.

 A good old-fashioned bake sale for a worthy cause.
What we love about Austin being such a food-centric town is that we're part of a greater community – one of chefs, restaurateurs, food writers, bloggers and food and drink aficionados who not only organize in appreciation of food, but to pool their energy and talents to help others. 

This month I am excited to be baking for the Austin Bakes for West event on Saturday, May 4. This delicious fundraising event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in eight locations around the Austin-metro area and there's a venue near you. 


  • Bee Cave: Whole Foods Market, 12601 Hill Country Blvd, Bee Cave, TX 78738
  • Central: Foreign & Domestic, 306 E. 53rd Street, 78751
  • Central: Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew, 6610 N Lamar Blvd, 78757
  • Downtown: Whole Foods Market, 525 N. Lamar Boulevard, 78703
  • East: Springdale Farm, 755 Springdale Road, 78702
  • North: Whole Foods Market, 9607 Research Boulevard #300, 78759
  • Round Rock: Round Rock Market 221 E. Main Street, Round Rock, 78664
  • South: Crema Bakery, 9001 Brodie Lane, Suite B, 78748


We put a lot of love into our baking at Foie Gras Hot Dog, and we're sharing in hopes that our friends, family and neighbors will come out to support those in West who have been so terribly affected by the explosion that devastated their city.

For more information about this bake sale and supporting Austin Bakes, please visit austinbakes.com.

Monday, April 15, 2013

East Austin salsa shootout.

Margo's salsa. © Ryan Schierling
In Texas, the most important food contests and cook-offs involve barbecue, chili, and salsa or hot sauce.

There are as many opinions on salsa as there are types of salsa, and the stuff is so cheap and plentiful in the Lone Star state you'll never go wanting. Like breakfast tacos, it's just something Julie and I take for granted.

For years, we never entertained the idea or explored the possibilities of making our own. Our "house" salsa was a store-bought, fiery little number made in Telephone, Texas. It just worked for us, and that was that. When a tortilleria down the street opened up last year, we started buying freshly-made tubs of a delicious roasted rojo and a fresh, piquant verde. The flavors were so much more crisp and unadulterated, and a 16-ounce container was under two bucks. Say hello to the new "house" salsa...

A few months ago, Julie's friend Margo brought totopos and fresh salsa for a party. It was a roasty, spicy, smoky kick in the face and everyone loved it. Growing up, Margo's grandmother would make a special pico de gallo every Saturday. "It had loads of lime and tomatillos and an entire bunch of cilantro. A part of me keeps that flavor in the back of my mind every time I hear the word salsa." Her salsa recipe is a heritage-driven nod to her grandmother, with her own twists based on the ways her palate has changed since she was little – and it is some of the best table salsa we've ever eaten.

Last week, we got an email from RL Reeves, Jr. asking if we'd like to participate in a salsa shootout at his next pop-up restaurant event at Tamale House East. We were flattered, and a little baffled. Though we make pico de gallo and salsa verde often, there's not a single salsa recipe on Foie Gras Hot Dog. It was either develop our own version quickly, or make a batch of what was inevitably bound to be our new "house" salsa – salsa de Margo.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Tortas de coliflor tacos.

Our new "house" taco - tortas de coliflor (cauliflower). © Ryan Schierling
It's been some time since a new taco recipe has graced the pages of this humble blog. There are taco joints a-plenty in this town and every home cook has a private claim to fame – such is the nature of good Austin living.

To date we've stayed true to our mission statement, entertaining ourselves here with stupendously highbrow and treacherously lowbrow tacos, plus a couple in between. But these tacos with their little cakes of tender, sweet cauliflower have, in a matter of just a few weeks, become our new "house" taco. As in "just you try and stop me from eating these every day!" 

I wish we could take credit for the concept, but we know a good thing when we taste it and Papalote Taco House on South Lamar in Austin gets our respectful nod. Papalote is a friendly little taco purveyor with an assortment of creative and delicious fare, and some of the more interesting vegetarian options you'll find in town. Unique among these offerings is a taco starring a fried patty made with cauliflower, dressed in guajillo chile sauce and topped with cabbage and queso fresco. Delicious! It's a stroke of genius with a very low guilt quotient. 

How we first made these at home is most certainly not a story of scientific inquiry or deliberate re-creation. We just had a head of cauliflower that needed to be used, a stack of corn tortillas in the fridge, and we were hungry. We were working from vague memory of a previous visit, but with the basic concept and flavor profile in mind, and simply began making them as we saw fit. The cauliflower, we thought, would be most flavorful if roasted, and in order to let it shine we kept the patty seasonings minimal, simply adding an egg and some flour to tighten up the mixture. Loose as it was, we were able to form small patties, coat them in fine breadcrumbs and fry them up moist and delicious. 

Instead of making our own sauce that first time, we tried using the Frontera Guajillo Salsa which is looser, chunkier and milder but makes a bang-up shortcut if you're pressed for time. If you like them this way, you'll eventually want to try our Guajillo Sauce recipe below for the richer depth of chile flavor it imparts.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...