Summer in Austin, TX — Beat the Heat, Baby!

I have visions of traveling food friends snug and bundled in warm scarves, coats, turtlenecks and wool pants. It snowed in Montreal, remember? This blog entry is dedicated to all my friends and colleagues coming to Austin, TX for the annual conference of the International Association of Culinary Professionals…in June.

You’re coming to Texas! And when I heard we were having our annual IACP conference here in Austin, I gave a little whoop and holler. Then I saw the June date and said aloud, “Wowza! It’s a bonus!”. Not only are we hosting you in our dear city, we’re treating you to the beginning of a grand old Texas summer.

You lucky devils you! Yesterday, May 23, 2011, I got into my car at 6:45pm. It was 104°.

So, from me to you here are 5 things to keep you comfortable, content and full of vigor. All the while, keeping you alert in your seminars and in the mood to celebrate our fabulous city.

Stay hydrated.
Keep the water flowing. Have a bottle with you as you walk about, take a tour and in your seminars. I would highly recommend keeping a few water bottles in your hotel room. Our tap water is just fine but it’s always great to have a cool bottle of water waiting for you. 
Few ideas:

* Fill you ice bucket with ice in the morning while getting ready. Push your water bottle into the ice and leave for the morning or day. It will be wet and the label will surely come off. However, it will be well worth having that cool, crisp and refreshing liquid flowing down your throat.
* Another is to take a wash cloth, roll it up and stick it in the ice along with the water bottle. When you return to your room, gently pull it out of the “ice-water”, wring out, wipe your face and wrap around your neck. It’s going to feel so good!

Dress comfortably with staying cool in mind.
Think fabrics & footwear that breathe like cotton, linen and open toe shoes. Certainly you want to bring a light jacket and/or sweater to have for your seminars (it might just be cool at the convention center). However, if you are touring or walking about town you definitely want to consider lightweight & light colored clothing. I know black is a favored color for travel (it’s mine for sure) , however, with that sweet Texas sun shining down plus added moisture it makes us hotter and sweat more! Who am I kidding; I’ll definitely being wearing something black-sleeveless and swirly preferably.

Eat & drink moderately and with passion.
How dare I presume to tell a food friend how to eat and drink? I know. But I’m going to do it anyway. 
I recommend you eat and drink what you want but do it in moderation. Austin’s heat and humidity creeps up on you. And there is nothing more miserable than eating too much then getting heat punched in the stomach once you step outside or into a vehicle. And let’s not forget waking up in a hot sweat. :->

Don’t forget sunscreen, sunglasses, hats and umbrellas.
Sunscreen-Super important no matter if you are in a car, bus or walking about town. Wear it to protect your skin. The humidity of course will be your friend helping keep your face dewy! That’s exciting, right?
Sunglasses – glare, wrinkles, hangovers (need I say more and did I just say hangover?!?!)
Hats & Umbrellas – I wanted to include this especially for those of you going to the Capitol and are touring. If it’s your first exposure to the sun this season a good wide brim hat or baseball cap will definitely protect top of the head and face. An umbrella will give you greater protection.

Bring a bathing suit.
The Hilton pool is going to start looking pretty good after a day or two. Or any hotel pool where you might be staying. You might even have an Austin food friend with a pool. Don’t be shy. Hitting that cool water (even though it might be kinda warmish now) after a long day of travel, walking, tours, eating, drinking, and talking is going feel really great-no matter the water temperature.

With all this said, we may have rain or it could be overcast. We might still have a Spring-like “cold” front come through which will lower the temperature to the 80’s. Yes, that’s cool in Austin.

So, with cool visions and a few ideas to implement in reality, I personally welcome you with open sunscreen drenched arms, a healthy dewy face and all the warm wishes a native Texan and Austinite can give. Keep cool, learn lots and enjoy yourself!

Sesame Seeds: A Toasting

Sesame seeds are those little tiny “flat” seeds that stick to the top of your mouth, lodge in-between your teeth and give you that familiar crunch when munching down on them. And you can’t just munch on one seed. No, it’s at least several at a time. If you are a fan, like me, then here is a quick and simple way to toast your most commonly found hulled sesame seeds.

As the seeds touch the heat in a hot pan, the perfume that hits the air is earthy, mellow and heady.

1/2 C of hulled sesame seeds

Place a small sauce pan on the stove. Bring heat up to medium. The inside bottom of the pan should feel hot to the touch. Pour sesame seeds into pan. Distribute the seeds so that they coat the bottom of the pan evenly. Do not walk away! Watch over the seeds lovingly; moving them around gently every minute or two. You will notice that the seeds will begin to have a shine to them. This is the oil coming out of the seed as it heats up. The heat will cook the oil making the seed turn a golden brown.

Once the seed has turned a golden brown take the pan off the heat and gently scatter the seeds on a cool surface. This will rapidly stop the cooking so that the seeds will not overcook or burn.

Store seeds in an airtight container & in a cool place. The seeds will last for up to 2 weeks. I love to eat toasted sesame seeds sprinkled in salads, on cooked fish, in rice and on toasted sweet buttered bagels. Tip: Never leave your seeds alone on the stove.

A Blond Girls' Pink Paloma Martini

When I was a little girl I remember my daddy taking me for a walk around Lake Benbrook in Fort Worth Texas. He said, “Beth, what is it you want?” My mom-enforced Dorothy Hamill hair self said, “Daddy, I want to have my hair done by a designer. Someone who can make me feel and look beautiful; who can design hair around ME!” I didn’t really know what I meant at the time nor did I know that prophecy would somehow come true when I was in my early 30’s. Having returned to my Texas as a wandering chef, I found myself in an old bakery turned hair salon boutique on South Congress in Austin. My hair was in the hands of a woman name Deborah Mastelotto. With her, the two words that have defined the last 10 years of my previous non-disclosed private pampered hair life are BLOND & PINK.

While a lot can be said about a little girl whose goal in life is to have designer hair, this grown up Texas woman loves her fondness for blondness & the knowledge that Pink does make everything better (well, to me at least)!

This recipe is for my friend Deborah as she launches her new blog Pinkchronicity. Now raise your glass and take a sip!

a blond girls’ pink paloma martini

Juice of one Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit
¼-1/2 C of your favorite resposado tequila
Juice of ½ of a small lime Splash of sparkling water
¼ tsp of sugar (optional)
1 sprig of mint or basil for garnish (optional)
Add ice to the top of two martini glasses & set aside.

In a martini shaker, pour grapefruit juice, tequila, lime juice, sparkling water & sugar (optional). Shake vigorously so you get those lovely ice chips on the top of your drink. Shaking vigorously will also dissolve the sugar ; if you choose to use it. Drop ice cubes from martini glasses into the sink. Pour Paloma mixture into glasses. Garnish with mint and/or basil. Drink immediately with thoughtfulness & abandon.
Tip 1: If you are not a “ta-kil-ya” kind of gal replace with citrus vodka. My fav is Grey Goose Lemon.
Tip 2: If you don’t like the pulp, strain fresh grapefruit juice through a strainer.

Yields: 2 4-5 ounce Paloma Martini’s for you (and a friend –maybe) .

Sweet Roasted Peppers

Aren’t these peppers stunningly beautiful?  They’re 2-bites of sweet with a touch of heat.  Bite into one and their juices slide around on your tongue while the colorful flesh melts leaving a longing for more….many more! Here is a quick recipe for this delicious fall treat.

Ingredients

1 bag of sweet baby peppers
1/4 C of extra virgin olive oil
3 tsp of kosher salt
1.5 tsp of fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven 400°
Place the peppers on a half sheet pan.  Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt & pepper all over peppers.  Mix all ingredients so that the oil, salt and pepper surrounds each pepper.  Place in oven until the skins of the peppers begin to get soft and you see their skin charring slightly.  This will take up to 20 minutes.  Check at 10 minute intervals.  Once the peppers are done take out of the oven and cool.  Serve.

Yields 8 to 10 servings.

*these can be served by themselves, with a dipping sauce, sliced on salads – basically sky's the limit!