Christy Morgan, a DFW resident and former meat-and-potatoes gal, has written Blissful Bites, a vegan cookbook. Morgan will be signing copies be signing copies of Blissful Bites at the Southlake Town Square Barnes & Noble in Southlake on Saturday, November 5 at 2 PM.

D Magazine intern, Jessica Melton, loves Aarón Sánchez. We asked her to drop by Central Market in Dallas where the chef was promoting his new cookbook

Meeting Aarón Sánchez is a dream come true for an avid Food Network fan like myself; so when I heard he was in Dallas for a book signing I jumped on the opportunity.

There’s always a bit of apprehension when I know I’m about to meet someone I’ve seen on TV. I feel like I know Sánchez after I’ve watched him as an honest judge on Chopped, seen him stress in Chef vs. City and looked on in awe of his taste buds in I Like it Spicy. But even though I’ve seen him a million times, I’ve never actually met him.

I’m thrilled to say the manners he has on Chopped were preserved in real life. He showed up to his book signing on time with a smile on his face to meet his fans. He not only took the time to sign every copy of his book Simple Food, Big Flavor, he also took pictures and had a small conversation with every fan in line. I’ve been to a few book signings before and this kind of behavior isn’t the norm for busy authors.

While he was at Central Market I also learned I’m hardly the only person who was enthusiastic to see him. A line of around 20 people formed waiting for him to arrive, and just about as quickly as he finished talking to one person another would come into the line. His Dallas fans came in all shapes and sizes from those who excitedly looked through their cookbook and readied their cameras in silence to those who screamed when it was their turn to meet Sánchez. One fan even jumped into a hug with him saying how happy she was to meet him.

Sánchez was at Central Market promoting, Simple Food, Big Flavor, his second book that was published, which he says is the first that reflects his own cooking style. He noted that his first book was more of a reflection of cooking styles he admires, while this book is more personal to him.

And don’t worry if you’re not comfortable in the kitchen; he says it’s ok.

“When you say ‘simple food,’ you make a promise,” Sánchez said, commenting on the fact that anyone can cook his recipes.

Most of the recipes in his book are base recipes, he added, meaning that once someone has the concept down they can make 3 to 4 things from the same skill set.

While Sánchez is in Dallas he’ll also be working on I like it Spicy. He doesn’t know where he’ll be sent to test his tongue of steel because he has better reactions if everything is a surprise.

All in all, meeting Sánchez was everything I could have hoped for. And in case you didn’t get a chance to make it over, his book carries over some of his personality and even gives the details of why he got certain tattoos and what his Grandmother’s cooking was like.

Rockin'new menu at Crossroads at House of Blues in Dallas.

We sent D Magazine intern Suzanne Asfar to check out Chef Aarón Sanchez’ new menu for the Crossroads dining experience at House of Blues.

Chef Aarón Sanchez – Food Network star and restaurateur – is all over the culinary map these days, but this week you can find him in Dallas. He’s in town shooting a new season of Heat Seekers for FN and will be at Central Market on Lovers Wednesday from 11AM-2PM signing copies of his new cookbook, Simple Food, Big Flavor. Yesterday afternoon he was at House of Blues introducing his menu for their new Crossroads dining experience.

Jump for more.

It was a fancy event complete with complimentary valet parking and a blue carpet entrance – perfect for a gloomy Monday and pre-Rangers game party, as marketing manager Chris Spinks pointed out. But that was just the bow on the package of taste bud delight offered at the sparkling buffet inside. Give me any event where the photographers are doing close-ups of the buffet table. Uber-attentive waitstaff kept plates filled with Chef Sanchez’ “bold and classic, yet contemporary” dishes while DJ Joe Vega kept the beat pumping.

It’s not just bar food and it’s not strictly Southern. They’ve kept some of the old favorites like the jambalaya, which actually had the least flavor and spice to me, and brought in food that Aarón says he likes to eat when he goes out. He’s proud of his short rib meatball sliders that are surprisingly good with Sanchez’ signature spicy kick. My favorite was the creamy shrimp and grits with a citrus spice: fancy in a martini glass, but still down-to-earth with tale-on shrimp that became finger-food. Other dishes like tuna tartare, lobster mac n’ cheese, and flatbreads make up the menu of filling, comfort foods.

I got to sit down with Aarón for a short chat, and although I recognized him from FN’s Chopped, in person he not the prim suit-and-tie persona I’d seen on the show. Wearing an HOB “rockaholic” pearl-snap, beer in hand, he looked like he was just hanging out and enjoying the party (I caught sight of him dancing solo at the bar while waiting for a beer). He’s also extremely friendly shaking hands and offering “free hugs” to all.

Aarón said he is happy about his collaboration with House of Blues which has a great reputation and also similar values in “music, art, and spirituality.” He told me he has worked hard to be where he is and finds inspiration for projects like this in his practice of Buddhism as well as in his new son, Yuma. A New York-Texan, he is enjoying “feeling small” in Dallas’ high-ceiling spaces and ready to check out restaurants like The Commissary and Smoke.

After Dallas, he continues his tour to implement the new Crossroads menu. Also, his new show, Aaron Loves New York, airs on Fox’s Utilisima channel in November. Later this month he will open Mestizoin Kansas City. It will be his first restaurant outside New York. This guy has his finger in a lot of pots, and when you get food like I did yesterday, you should be glad one of those pots is located at Crossroads at Dallas’ HOB.

Book Signing

Dallas Central Market

5750 E Lovers Ln.

Wednesday the 12th, 11 am-2 pm

D Magazine intern Jessica Melton attended a cooking class by Lou Lambert at Central Market last night. She files this report.

Down-home cooking with a twist is what led a full audience of weekday workers to attend Central Market’s cooking school session on Tuesday, featuring Lou Lambert, owner and chef of Lambert’s Downtown Barbecue, Jo’s, Lambert’s Steaks, Seafood, and Whiskey, and Dutch’s Burgers & Beer.

The experienced Fort Worth chef and author of the newly released Big Ranch, Big City cookbook is on a promotional tour of Central Markets in Texas. Not limited to recipes alone, Lambert’s book shares why he got into cooking on top of the stories behind the recipes.

“I never wanted to throw a bunch of recipes together to say I did a cookbook,” Lambert says. Even the photography in the book shows more than food alone—which let me say, is more than enough to hold the attention of most. It shows Lambert at home in classic, ranch-style Texas scenery where he found his love of cooking.

The end result is more than a compilation of ingredients and instructions, but an explanation of what food means to this local chef. Even the title tells readers where Lambert got his starts—“Big Ranch” from his childhood growing up in West Texas and “Big City” from his time at the Culinary Institute of America and other various cooking experiences including time working with Wolfgang Puck.

Jump for more.This seventh-generation Texan walked into the classroom like a true ranch chef dressed in scuffed work boots, jeans rolled up at the cuff, and an apron to a room full of adults torn between watching Lambert enter the room and flipping through their new copy of Big Ranch, Big City.

His class lasted two and a half hours, but it felt like no time at all as he guided the more than 40 audience members in how to make grilled chicken sausage with Parmesan and sun-dried tomatoes, seafood posole verde with gulf shrimp and crab, salt- and pepper-crusted prime rib of beef with roasted garlic horseradish cream with a wild mushroom ragout, ricotta spinach gratin, and finally griddled lemon pound cake with brandied peaches.

This was an instructional class only, which I was glad for when he started making sausage. He actually started with solid chunks of meat, ground them, then fed them through sausage casing. If you’ve never seen it done before, let me tell you, it isn’t for the faint of heart or easy of stomach.

Despite some scrunched faces through sausage making, the audience stayed attentive through the entire instruction with what I can only assume were involuntary “ooohhsss” and “aahhhhsss.” I can only imagine what despair people outside the classroom were going through smelling the food but not being able to eat it.

Hopefully they weren’t too distraught because the sights and smells of the class can be recreated. The intent of the book, like Lambert’s class, is not only about how to cook food, but where he learned the recipe and an explanation of why it works the way it does.

The pictures alone were more than enough to make my mouth water, but smelling the food was an unearthly experience. To top it all off, Lambert broke down recipes of things I never thought I’d be able to cook—see: anything more complex than toast—and gave me inspiration to try to make sausage from scratch and prime rib at home.

Lambert’s philosophy is simple. “If you can understand how it works then you don’t need a recipe, instead you can use it as more of a guideline.”

Big Ranch, Big City is the first book from Lambert, but this chef has so many dessert recipes that he says a second book—on desserts only—is already in the works.

Delores grabed this piece of land early on when Cakebrea winery was being developed to make sure she was always able to feed her family and friends local produce farmed right in their back yard.  This idea really defines what Cakebread winery is, and the idea behind starting the workshop.  The family run, almost 40 year old Cakebread winery maintains the commitment to founders Jack and Dolores’ belief  ”that wine and food elevate each other and in turn, make any meal or occasion even better.”   And with that the American Harvest Workshop was created to celebrate local products to make great food to pair with their award winning wine.

And the list of chefs who have participated over the years is impressive, all chosen by the Cakebreads and Culinary Director Brian Streeter, who constantly travel around the country, eating at up and coming restaurants and meeting the best chefs in any given city to find their yearly group.   The inaugural year included Chefs Bradley Ogden, Robert Del Grande, Mark Miller, and our own Dean Fearing, with Chefs Hubert Keller, Alan Wong, Charlie Trotter, and so many more attending.  Other Dallas chefs have included Chefs Marc Cassel, Daniel Custer, Jim Miles, Joanne Bondy, George Brown and Scott Gottlich.  Chefs Gottlich, Brown and Bondy return this year for the 25th Anniversary.

I sat down with Chef Scott Gottlich, owner of Bijoux and Second Floor Bistro, recently to talk about the experience and what to expect this week.  Chef Gottlich was a part of the 2009 group to attend and when I asked how he was invited, with a laugh, he said he didn’t really know but was glad he was.  When I asked what the real take away was, he said it was special to be a true part of the wine process, and see how wine is made and then relate that to food.  It gave him an appreciation for the work that goes into making a bottle of wine.  If a chef messes up a sauce, or a dish doesn’t come out just right they know within an hour (or a minute) and can easily change it; for a vintner and winemaker, they spend years growing grapes, harvest, fermenting, aging and bottling so years have gone by before the final product is done, and there are so many opportunities for failure along the way, especially with Mother Nature that you really can not control.  He loved the hands on experience and working with other chefs to create lavish meals, to pair with Cakebread wine, using products they had just found that day.  He has always followed the belief in using local products, but stands beside the idea that you should use the best product, and if it is local, that is even better.

When I spoke with Bruce Cakebread, former winemaker and now President and COO, he said they tell chefs to be ready to work; bring only their knives and great creativity. This year will be a bit different from the past with a series of seminars on local products, then a lot of fun with Bruce and his brother Dennis, Director of Sales, taking chefs and media golfing or kayaking, and the anniversary group of 50+ chefs creating lunches, hors de vours for a walk around tasting and dinners for guests.  I am attending this year so more on the events to come.

If you would like to experience a little of the workshop but are unable to make it out to Napa, check out their new cookbook celebrating their 25th anniversary.  August 16th the American Harvest Cookbook with be released celebrating food, wine and friends in Napa Valley with much of the content coming from recipes created by the guest chefs during the previous 25 years of workshops.  The book is beautiful, divided into seasons, in true farm to table spirit, with approachable recipes even though many were created by James Beard Award nominated and winning chefs, using seasonal produce, and highlighted by stunning photography with a touching forward by Jack and Delores on why the winery, their family, the workshop and the legacy of Cakebread is so important to them.  For wine lovers, cookbook enthusiasts and foodies this is a must have.

The Gluten & Allergen Free Expo (www.gfafexpo.com), October 1 – 2, 2011, is bringing the nation’s leading chefs, best-selling cookbook authors, and highly regarded nutrition and health experts to the Dallas/Fort Worth area to help people learn how to prepare healthy, tasty meals and baked goods without gluten and some of the most common allergens.

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“Living on a restricted diet doesn’t have to mean living without the joy of cooking, baking and eating foods that look and taste great,” said Jen Cafferty, mother of two and founder of the Gluten Free Expo, now the Gluten & Allergen Free Expo. “There is nothing like this in the area – a place where individuals, parents, and others can spend from a few hours to a full day sampling hundreds of products, and discovering that special dietary needs and cookies that taste like cardboard are not synonymous.”

Open to the general public, the event features themed cooking sessions that will enlighten both beginners and more experienced amateur chefs, as well as a vendor fair, where attendees will meet and sample among more than 70 gluten-free companies, under one roof. A portion of the event proceeds will benefit the Gluten Intolerance Group Lone Star Celiac Support Group (DFW.celiac.org). All of the vendors are 100 percent gluten free; many also will showcase products free of the top eight allergens: milk, egg, peanut, tree nut, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat. The Expo will include a dedicated area up front featuring nut-free products.

About 1 in every 133 people has celiac disease, a condition in which the body cannot tolerate gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and commercially available oats. More than 300 symptoms ranging from digestive issues to depression are linked to celiac disease, and more than 95 percent of people who have it are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, according to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. A gluten-free diet is essential for those with celiac disease, which many sufferers erroneously believe or have been told by medical professionals is irritable bowel syndrome or lactose intolerance. In addition, many families with autistic children are reporting a reduction in their children’s symptoms with a gluten-free diet. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that an average of 1 in 110 U.S. children has an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The Gluten & Allergen Free Expo Vendor Fair will be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, October 1 – 2, at The Westin Park Central, 12720 Merit Drive, Dallas, Texas. The cost to attend the Vendor Fair is $20 for adults; children 3-12 are $5. Tickets will be available at the door. The ticket price also includes an allergen-free arts and crafts area for kids as well as staged presentations by top chefs and bloggers. Seating is limited. Visit the website for additional information and to view the complete list of vendors.

Gluten & Allergen Free Expo cooking classes for the general public also will be held at The Westin Park Central in Dallas on Saturday October 1 from 8am to 5pm and on Sunday, October 2, from 9 am to 5 pm. Participants have the option to purchase sessions for part of the day or the whole day. All cooking sessions now have special themes from that focus in on one topic. From holiday cooking to bread baking, all levels of gluten and allergen free cooks will learn something new. All recipes taught in class will be entirely gluten-free, and most will be dairy-free. While eggs and sugar will be used, replacement information will be provided. Some, but not many, demonstrations will include nuts, soy and other allergens. The regular cost per session is $80, $100 for the “Bread & Beyond” session (Register online at www.gfafexpo.com). This cost not only includes the full day of classes but it also includes printed recipes, and access to the vendor fair. A gluten and dairy free lunch is available for purchase for an additional fee. Registrants can elect to purchase this lunch when they register for their cooking session(s).

Details below. Bourdain has been dubbed “the bad boy of cuisine” for his rock star look and blunt observations about the world of restaurants, chefs and cooking.  Bourdain, the Chef-at-large at New York’s famed bistro Les Halles, is the author of the bestselling Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, an upfront, hysterical, and sometimes shocking portrait of life in restaurant kitchens that has been translated into over 28 languages.  His book, A Cook’s Tour, published in conjunction with his series on the Food Network, was also a bestseller in the U.S. and the U.K.  His newest best-seller, Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook, is a delectable journey that explores the changes in the subculture of chefs, cooks, the restaurant business and for Anthony himself since Kitchen Confidential.

A contributing authority for Food Arts Magazine, his work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times and Gourmet.  He has also been profiled by CBS Sunday Morning and Nightline including an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman.  No Reservations, nominated for an Emmy and widely popular all over the world, is starting its ninth season July 11th.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, July 15th at 10am. Ticket prices range from $30- $165 for VIP packages.  Tickets will be available through Ticketmaster by phone at 800-745-3000 or online at Ticketmaster.com.

A limited number of VIP tickets will be available, this includes: premiere seating, an exclusive meet and greet session with Bourdain featuring hors d’oeuvres, a photo opportunity, a limited edition Anthony Bourdain tour poster and a limited edition tour VIP laminate.

Copies of Bourdain’s new book, Medium Raw:  A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook, along with other titles from his back catalog, will be available for purchase on site.

jump for his tips…

1. Coat grill rack with non-stick spray or vegetable oil before preheating to prevent food from sticking.

2. When grilling fish, grill with the skin side down or on aluminum foil (coat with non-stick spray).

3. Red snapper is quick and easy to grill. But, make sure the grill and fish are well oiled, and handle carefully.

4. Salmon is a favorite for grilling, because it doesn’t dry out. Rich in natural omega oils, you can pop it on the grill without oiling. Start by grilling the salmon skin side up. This allows the natural fat under the skin to be drawn into the filet, keeping it rich and moist.

5. If you’re grilling scallops, use fresh ocean scallops. These should be a pinkish tan or ivory color, not unnaturally white.

6. Freshwater trout is great on the grill. The skin becomes thin and crispy and the meat is full of flavor.

7. To keep tuna burgers moist, choose the freshest tuna steaks you can find and serve them medium-rare to medium – don’t overcook.

8. When grilling BBQ ribs, pork butt, or tenderloin, cook unwrapped for 50 to 75% of the cooking time to infuse smoke and flavor. The remaining time wrap with heavy aluminum foil to retain moisture and tenderness

9. When grilling burgers and steaks, allow grill to get to a high temperature before placing food on grill. Let steaks or burgers grill several minutes prior to turning, which will sear in the juices.

10. When choosing an inexpensive steak, opt for flank steak rather than skirt steak, which can be tougher. Flank steak is thin and cooks quickly. They’re usually marinated before being grilled. Wrap the steak in foil as it comes off the grill and let it stand for 10 minutes. Slice it thinly on a diagonal across the grain to sever the tough fibers and make the flavorful steak more tender.

11. When is cheaper better? Chicken thighs may be one of the cheaper cuts, but they do great on the grill! Thighs are more flavorful and the extra fat in the skin makes them better suited to grilling.

12. For the juiciest chicken and chops, you want to sear them on both sides on high heat for several minutes and then bring the grill temperature down to complete the cooking process.

13. Grilling vegetables in aluminum foil, with oil, prevents them from falling through the grill gates.

14. Just a few minutes on the grill gives bell peppers a sweet smoky flavor. Don’t over roast them: As soon as the skin puffs up and turns black, they’re ready.

15. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, coat with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; grill for 15 minutes.

16. You can leave the husk on the corn while grilling. Once you see the shape of the kernels burning through the husk, your corn is ready. (If you grill with indirect heat, you’ll need to grill the corn for about an hour, so put your corn on the grill first.)

17. Grilled Caesar Salad – ? Sure – the Romaine lettuce ends will char, but it stays remarkably crisp and sweet, with a char-grilled flavor.

18. Always allow grill to cool prior to cleaning, but I recommend cleaning after each use.

19. To extend the life of your grill (and smoker), store in a dry place or keep covered after each use.

20. Do not grill alone; spend the time with family and friends. (It’s more DADGUM fun!)

Do you know of any bakeries in Dallas that sell yummy French macarons, besides Tart Bakery?

A dude who loves food wonders:

Do you know any bakeries that regularly have slider rolls? I’m particularly interested in ciabatta since they are typically prettier and slimmer than a small, hamburger type bun. I see them at catered events and I can’t imagine that the caterers are baking them.

Buns and macarons are the order of the day. Fill it!

Visiting chef and cookbook author Jennifer Chandler digs Dallas' comfort food.

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of hanging out with my old friend, chef/cookbook author/radio & TV host Jennifer Chandler (in town from Memphis to sign copies of her latest book, Simply Suppers).

I don’t deny that I sweated the restaurant choices a little; after all we only had one day and Jennifer did earn her stripes at Cordon Bleu Paris—but in the end, Jennifer’s predilection for of down-home, comfort food made my job easy.

I thought it would be fun to take her to a couple Dallas favorites and see what someone with no local prejudices or loyalties had to say about them. The following is a edited conversation from our lunch and Meddlesome Moth and dinner at the original Neighborhood Services on Lovers Ln.

jump to read what she had to say…

At 12:30 we arrived at Meddlesome Moth in the Design District for lunch.

What we ordered: Deep-fried hominy appetizer, grilled cheese/tomato soup combo, mussels diablo with fries, and unsolicited samples of the New Belgium/Allagash “Lips of Faith” Vrienden Ale.

JC: Talk about friendly service! Love the atmosphere, the décor. Is this really deep-fried hominy? Outstanding. Who’d have thought; it’s like popcorn meets polenta with just the right kick of cayenne. Can you say addictive?

me: Yes, I can.

JC: But you won the ordering contest. I love a good grilled cheese, and that one goes above and beyond. Three cheeses, tomato, and amazing jalapeno bread—the Moth nailed it. Worth every calorie; grilled cheese and tomato soup is a marriage made in heaven.

me: What about your mussels? Was the waiter’s suggestion on the money?

JC: They were good, but the sauce didn’t have the kick I was expecting. A little more heat and it’d be a different story. But they were great with that beer. Was it really bittered with endive? Bonus points for having people on hand who can explain how the beer’s made. That really helps make the experience. We’re totally coming back next time I visit.

Read about dinner after the pictures…

Clockwise from top left: Meddlesome Moth's fried hominy; Neighborhood Services' calamari with mango and peanuts; Neighborhood Services' fish & chips with malted coleslaw; Meddlesome Moth's cleaver & block burger.

Flash forward to dinnertime…

At 10 am that morning I had called Neighborhood Services and got our name on the list for a party of three at 7pm. I invited a date who is hopelessly crushing on Jennifer solely from having cooked his way through Simply Suppers. He brought her a present: a pound of jalapeño bacon.

The three of us crossed the threshold at 6:45. We were seated at 8:20.

What we ordered: Crispy calamari & rock shrimp with mango, peanuts, and greens; salmon with smoky Brussels sprouts and pancetta; cleaver & block burger, fish & chips.

JC: Love the appetizer. Crispy calamari & rock shrimp with mango, peanuts, and greens. I never would have put all those flavors together; this one shows real creativity in the kitchen. Delicious and perfect for sharing.

me: Fish and chips are good, too. Just greasy enough without spilling over that line.

(At this point, Jennifer and I are distracted by my date who is plotting a strategy to help him actually take a bite of his monstrously big burger—an effort he soon abandons in despair in favor of fork and knife.)

me: A burger too big to bite into? Bummer.

date: Isn’t there a term for that—for having a beautiful thing in front of you but not being able to take advantage of it?

me: It’s like not being able to consummate your marriage.

date: Now I’m just sad.

me: How’s your salmon?

JC: Perfectly cooked. Love the smoky Brussels sprouts and the pancetta. And the small frissee salad on top of the salmon was the perfect foil to the richness of the other components. Thumbs up.

me: So, what’s the verdict?

JC: Well, the food was good, but given the 90 minute wait, it feels like too much hype for the end result. I’d have to see what it’s like on a weeknight.

(At this point we are again distracted by my date who is staring down at his decimated burger.)

me: Looks like you consummated.

date: I had my way with it, just not in the way I’d hoped.

me: I can’t think of a more fitting way to end this than with a bad allegory between food and sex. Well played, date.

Chef Chad Martin's Oysters Rockefeller from Chefs at Home cookbook. (Image courtesy of Robert Marston & Assoc. PR.)

In response to yesterday’s post about Chef Chad Martin’s (of Hotel St. Germain) contribution to the Chefs at Home cookbook, one commenter suggested we provide the recipe. Great idea!

Luckily, Chad’s PR people were more than happy to oblige. Let me know how it goes.

Jump for the recipe…

Chef Chad Martin's Oysters Rockefeller recipe from Chefs at Home cookbook. (Image courtesy of Robert Marston & Assoc. PR.)

Cheesy ice cream…mmmmmmm.

85 Inspirational Chefs is a first-time collaboration among all of Relais & Châteaux North American chefs. Hotel St. Germain joined the Relais & Châteaux family of hotels in 2010.