National S'mores Day

I'm sure so many of you have great memories huddled around the campfire toasting marshmallows and making s'mores! Well, just because we may not be able to roast over an open fire all the time, doesn't mean we can't recreate that same nostalgic flavor we all love and adore! These will become an easy, creamy,and delicious fix when our childhood calls us back!

Ingredients
8 ounces Cream Cheese
7 ounces Marshmallow Cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup raw cane sugar
1/4 cup toasted coconut(optional)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips(plus extra for garnish)
1 lrg egg
2 tablespoons water
2 pie crusts
Directions
Preheat oven to 375
roll out pie crusts and cut out 2-3" circles with biscuit cutters
set aside in a cookie sheet
crush cracker crumbs and mix with cane sugar in a small bowl and set aside
in large bowl, beat cream cheese, marshmallow cream and vanilla until smooth.
pour into a re-sealable freezer storage bag and snip the end.
beat egg and water in a small bowl and set aside
To assemble: sprinkle crumb mixture on bottom of half of the crusts
top with a few chocolate chips
squeeze filling over chips (add coconut if desired)
top with second crust and seal edges with fork.
brush egg wash over each pie and top with additional crumb mixture.
bake 12-13 minutes.
garnish with melted chocolate chips and fresh mint!

Questions of bacon greatness....

I would like to start out by making a disclaimer:  You maybe offended, or even outright appaulled by reading any further.  I stand by my statements, fully and completely.  I will not judge you or your bacon wrapped anything at the next party or function. I am simply asking you to step back and take a look at your consumption and uses for this ever so popluar smoked pig.

 I find myself quite confused and torn from a seemingly very simple ingredient.  BACON.  Most start drooling at the very sight of the word.....yes, it's true and I have witnessed it first hand.(no names mentioned) When I read the words "wrapped in bacon", the first thing that comes to my mind is not the salty crunchiness, yet it's "what are they trying to hide under a layer of thick pork".   In my experiences, things that are wrapped in bacon are virtually tasteless and very apathetic.  I've noticed that whether it's bland peppers with a blend of unsalted cheeses, a sad shrimp that's overcooked, or chicken/meatloaf  all in a casing of thick smoked meat is all of the sudden the most decedent thing some have ever tasted.  This is the issue I'm torn with.  I don't have a personal problem with the meat, but I feel the misuse of it has taken over sad menus and dinner parties with a vengeance.  I am fond of bacon to enhance a dish. It adds just enough of a smokey salted finish to enhance another delicious layer of depth to a dish.  Bacon with a fluffy omelet is the perfect counterpart to an enjoyable brunch. Thick slices on a burger, breaks up the softness of the meat and gives it the BBQ flavor many enjoy daily.  All of these are perfectly acceptable uses, but when the slice takes over the entire flavor and texture of the main idea or theme, this is where you loose me.

With that being said, I would like to introduce you to my succulent Bacon Marmalade.  This sticky, salty, sweet combo offers the perfect balance with acidity and slight crunch.  My favorite way to enjoy it is on a crostini slathered with Brie and topped with toasted walnuts of pecans, or spread thickly on a hot cheddar biscuit.   The uses are endless and flavors are sure to satisfy the most notorious bacon consumers.

Bacon Marmalade:

1 1/2 lb bacon, chopped 
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 Serrano pepper , finely chopped (optional)
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup

 Place the chopped bacon in a medium skillet.Cook bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain.

Remove all but 2 Tablespoons of the bacon grease from the skillet. Add the onions and pepper to the skillet. Cook onions until tender.

Add the brown sugar, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar. Add the bacon back to the skillet simmer over low/med heat until thick.  Place in food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Store in mason jar and keep in fridge.

Toasted Crostini slathered in creamy Brie and slathered in Bacon Marmalade

For the passionate only. What do you do when a chef falls from a car?

I'm a passionate woman, lover, wife, mother, friend, and chef.  I love what I do, and I wouldn't trade any of my experiences for anything this world has to offer.   They have made me who I am today, and the have all helped me to better my perspective on life and more importantly, about LIVING WELL.  I refuse to be anything less than full throttle in my passionate adventures, and I don't intend on backing down.  

    With that being said, when you are a foodie fanatic and everyday, you are looking for or testing new recipes, plating design, or restaurants, one is bound to hit a little diversity.  When I was a teen, a common question while playing "truth and dare', or (let's be real) "Spin the bottle", was, "What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened?"  I never had an answer, and would rack my brain to find something that turned my cheeks red, or had made me want to run for my life.  Nothing ever came to me.  The more I think about it now as an adult, the more I realized I had never done anything I was truly passionate about or that I was willing to put myself on the line for.  

   You see, with every avenue of life whether a construction worker, lawyer, chef, minister, parent, student, or spouse, there is a certain element of risk that must be taken in order to achieve the best outcome.  Sometimes it's addressing a crowd in a controversial speech, or walking the highest scaffle to reassure a job well done, sometimes it's laying your emotions or truth on the table to grow a relationship, and at other times, it's grabbing something you've never worked with before and creating a masterpiece.  

   Being a risk taker doesn’t mean you are always putting your life on the brink of seeing eternity, I simply means that you are just willing.  Sometimes the path of risk is an emotional one, and at others, it's a time to see if you can simply laugh at yourself in times that you may have taken yourself too seriously.  There are all types of growth through risks, and you'll never know what you're truly designed for until you decide to take them.

    Now, as I have walked out my passions in life with my food adventures with all my heart, I have endured quite a number of cheek burning, heart pounding, sweat stained, and proud moments.  But the question still remains: 


What do you do when....

1) You drop an entire of platter of ziti meant for 40 on the floor

2)Walk around Kroger's cheese section with my top COMPLETLY down (due to carrying a baby while shopping).... and no, no one stopped to tell me

3)After placing 100 hand formed mini pies on the dessert bar, at a very elite dinner party, an elderly motorists runs into it crashing it to the floor

4) Catching on fire the head of cardiology @ Baylor’s, oven. (Luckily, they were having such a "good time", no one but my staff noticed

5)During the middle of a demo, realizing my zipper was down

6)Spilling my drink on one of the most highly respected chef in Dallas

7)Falling from my car walking into brunch flat on my face in the street

Well, what I do might surprise you, or shock you.  I don't wither away and hide. I don't cut off my relationships, or make excuses.  No. I own it, I use it, I learn from it, and I enjoy it.  I choose to live out my dream, and love my passion.  It may be risky, and at times it may be rough, and you may even have a couple of skinned knees or a broken heart, but it will make you love more and you will learn not only to just live, but to live well.

    

Summer in the South

Yes, the temperatures reach at least 100 for numerous weeks on end, the pools slowly feel like bath water, and the humidity seems to stick to every inch of your body, but there is something I adore about Texas summers that seem to make the heat vanish from my memory. The gardens are full with the hottest peppers around, the tomato bushes droop from the Big Boy clusters, and my basil gets as big as a Texas Mequite. As wonderful as that all sounds, it's the staring at purple stained fingers, and a bucket full of berries that burst in your mouth that is the simple pleasure of living here that makes my heart jump. I'll be honest, more are eaten when picking than seem to make it to the kitchen, but when I've managed to have some sort of self control, my excitement quickly turns to a delicious  and juicy berry bubbling up from a buttery sweet crust. Cobblers are a staple at my home so much so that many a time they are picked over cakes on birthdays, and the leftovers (if there are any) are always on the breakfast menu when the sun comes up. The smells of fruit saturate the air, and the anticipation of warm fruit bathed in cold cream makes the awaiting audience salivate. Spooned out and dolleped perfectly with a scoop of sweetened cream or fresh home-churnned ice cream is my summer staple.  No one says it better......
 "Simply perfect in every way" - Mary Poppins

Here are two of my favorites:

Black Berry Cobbler:

3c. black berries
2/3c. sugar (divided)
1 1/2c. flour
1/2tsp salt
1TBL baking powder

Berry Pickin' at it's best!

1 1/2 stick butter
1/2c whole milk or cream
3 TBL  raw cane sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350
Butter a 9x13 baking dish.  place berries on bottom and sprinkle  1/3c sugar evenly.  In a food processor, pulse flour,  salt, baking powder, sugar, and 1 stck of butter until "peas" are formed. Add milk and pulse just until it comes together.  Spoon over berries.  Melt remaining butter and pour over the dough.  Sprinkle with cane sugar.
Bake 30-40 minutes or until lightly brown.

I prefer a mix of granny smith and fuji

Apple Cobbler With Honey Crust and Fresh Caramel Drizzle
Filling:
2 1/2 lbs apples, peeled and sliced and tossed with juice from 1/2 lemon
1/2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
2 TBLS Flour
1TBL Vanilla
3TBL butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Dough
1 1/2c. flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 TBL cold butter
1tsp cinnamon
1/4c + 1TBL. Honey

Honey adds just enough sweetness.....try to find your honey as local as possible

1/4 c. Half and Half
2TBLS heavy cream - to brush on top
Preheat oven to 375
Toss all filling ingredients together in a bowl and spread into 9x13 baking dish.  In processor, combine all dough infredients until dough comes together.  Drop by spoonfulls over apple mixture.  Brush cream on dough and bake 35 minutes. Serve with ice cream and Caramel Sauce:

Homemade Caramel Sauce

• 1 1/4c sugar
• 1/3c water
• 3/4c whipping cream 
• 1/3c butter 
• 1/2tsp vanilla 
• Combine sugar and water in a large saucepan; cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high, and boil gently, without stirring, until syrup turns a deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush and swirling pan (about 8 minutes).  Gradually add cream (sauce will bubble). Add butter; stir gently until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.

Start Your Spring Right!

I have a love affair with cookies. No, really…..a true melt my heart love affair. Cookies take my mind and memory to so many people, events, celebrations, and holidays that make my soul giggle and heart smile. Cookies are my childhood indulgence and my adult secret passion. With each tray that is slid into the oven, and each bite that my mouth savors, my taste buds are in a euphoric nirvana that dances on my palate. Maybe it’s the tradition, it could be the memories of sneaking cookie dough behind my mother’s apron, or it may be the simple fact that no matter where a person is in life and where they go in the world, those smiles can be formed out of the smallest morsels. I am the avid baker, and the obsessive seeker of perfection. I am always tweaking, writing, experimenting, and tasting my way s to create and enjoy one of life’s’ most decadent pleasures….The Cookie.


Zesty Lavender Shortbread Cookies

•1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
•1/3 cup sugar
•1 egg
•1 tablespoon lemon juice
•1/4 teaspoon pire lemon extract
•1 1/2 cups flour
•1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest, chopped
•1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers
•1 pinch salt
•Powdered sugar for dipping

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whisk or beat in the egg, lemon juice and almond extract until well blended.

2.In a separate bowl, mix together flour, lemon zest, lavender and salt. Add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture and blend together to form a soft ball. Drop by teaspoon onto a nonstick cookie sheet, then flatten slightly with the back of a spoon.

3.Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. While warm, coat with powdered sugar

Haute Bites: Perfect Indulgence, one bite at a time.

Haute Bites was birthed out of a passion to pass on and let others indulge in their culinary desires by four hands with big hearts and a zeal for the delicious side of life. Simple feature menu offerings packed with the freshest ingredients, and a flare for the extraordinary. We are two passionate cooks with a love and desire to share the small things that make this world even more perfect....food.

Our goal is not just give you what you want, but to indulge you with what you crave.
Too many times we have desires on our palate, that seem to be a simple, yet a longing thought, but they are seldom met. We are here to bring the savory and sweet to satisfy you. Our features are fresh, packed with flavor, and are guaranteed to hit that culinary spot that has been beckoning for quite some time. Haute Bites is about the little things in life that are packed with the explosiveness of perfect flavors.

The Menu:

Our tamales are over sized and over-stuffed with delicious and inventive flavors that will never leave you bored! We start with stone ground corn masa and pure olive oil, and then load them up with fresh fillings made from all natural ingredients, fresh herbs and savory spices. These are no ordinary tamales…….these are what you crave!

The cupcakes are small packages of sweet seductions. A moist cake soaked in glistening accompanied syrups, and topped with a cloud of confection. Always made and topped with all natural ingredients and pure, no nonsense flavors. These bites are not just any cake.......these are what you crave!





Feature Tamale: $9 per 1/2 dozen, $17 for full dozen. Don't forget, these are jumbo and overfilled tamales sure to fill any craving appetite!! Flavors ranging from vegan Black Bean/ Chipotle to Bison / Smokey Cheddar

Feature Cupcake: $28 per dozen. Flavors ranging from Dark Chocolate Raspberry Chunk to White Chocolate Pretzel.

The flavors are endless and are made fresh to order. 48hr minimum order time. Delivery available for charge. Please contact Hollie via email for orders. Watch facebook for featured menu items!!

DON'T FORGET TO LIKE OUR PAGE ON FACEBOOK TO KEEP UP WITH THE FEATURES OF THE WEEK!!!
Just click on the title and it will take to staright there.

In hopes to fulfill your cravings,
Haute Bites

972-989-1385
holliedorethy@yahoo.com

Fresh, local, and new....I'm in!!

Place at Perry’s Gala to Benefit KIPP Dallas-Fort Worth

Premier Dallas restaurant reopens its doors, unveiling Fresh | Local | Flavor


DALLAS, TEXAS – February 16, 2012 – Dallas philanthropists Bill and Heather Esping will host a gala for KIPP Dallas-Fort Worth ahead of the reopening of their restaurant, Place at Perry’s, on February 16. The restaurant will be open to the public starting February 21 at its new location on the corner of Cedar Springs and Carlisle in the Gables Villa Rosa building, 2680 Cedar Springs Road. In addition, Peter & Lael Brodsky and Devin & Melissa Cox will serve as co-hosts for the evening’s festivities.



“We are thrilled to welcome the new Place at Perry’s to our diverse restaurant mix at Gables Villa Rosa. Their stunning architecture including a serpentine crimson bar, inviting outdoor-dining patio, and a signature lighting sculpture, ‘Crimson Cascade’ by David Gappa, is sure to make the restaurant an esteemed Dallas landmark,” said Darin Botelho, Vice President of Gables Urban.



Bill Esping added, “We are thrilled to partner the restaurant’s grand opening with KIPP DFW. An innovative and nationally recognized public school network, KIPP has helped many students get a second chance for a great education that leads to success in college and beyond.”



The Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) is a national network of free, open enrollment, college-preparatory public schools with a proven track record of preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and in life. With its credo “Work Hard. Be Nice.” KIPP holds its teachers, staff and students to the highest academic standards and believes that character development is equally important to a child’s growth. KIPP TRUTH Academy, the first KIPP middle school in North Texas, opened its doors in 2003 in Oak Cliff. KIPP DFW recently announced an aggressive growth plan for the region with 10 more KIPP schools slated to open by 2025, including the first KIPP elementary school in 2013. For more information, visit www.kippdfw.org.


“Bill and Heather Esping and their respective families are loyal supporters of KIPP and share our commitment to providing all of our children – regardless of demographics – with the quality education they deserve,” said April Allen, executive director of KIPP DFW. “That they are using this event to introduce their new restaurant speaks volumes about their kindness and generosity. We are grateful for their support.”



Place at Perry’s believes that a guest experience goes well beyond what they see and hear, and therefore takes great pride to ensure guests are served the highest quality, best tasting food available. Our strategic purchasing policy supports local businesses first in Dallas, then across Texas, the Southwest and the United States where we will bring culinary art to a cutting edge level that will be exciting to our guests. Other local business partners include Grapevine glass blower David Gappa who created the ‘Crimson Cascade’ masterpiece that lights our 35-foot tall rotunda, Dallas Couturier Michael Faircloth designed custom uniforms, Homestead Gristmill, Talenti Gelato, Brazos Valley Cheese, Civello’s Ravioli, Blackbird Studios, Ridgeway Construction, Garrison Art Design, Metzger & Associates and many more.



Adhering to an environmentally friendly principle, our animal policy remains the highest in Dallas with our USDA NeverEver3, which is a USDA Process Verified Program where animals have not ever been exposed to antibiotics, growth hormones or animal by-products. We take this a step further by ensuring the animals have not been exposed to stimulants either.



The animal policy extends to ensure the animals have been humanely raised with a nutritious diet without antibiotics or hormones, raised with sheltered resting areas with sufficient space and the ability to engage in natural behaviors. In addition, we are committed to sustainability, which is a way of raising food that is healthy for consumers and animals, does not harm the environment, is humane for workers, respects animals, provides a fair wage to the farmer and supports and enhances rural communities.



In addition, Place at Perry’s features a state-of-the-art private dining room that will seat up to 70 guests and a centerpiece serpentine crimson bar inside near the windows. Senior Director of Gardens for the Dallas Arboretum Jimmy Turner has installed a fragrant edible garden that will grace the entry and patio and will produce herbs and other vegetables that will be used by the creative bar staff and Chef Jaime Corona’s crew in the kitchen.



Critically acclaimed, Place at Perry’s is one of Dallas’ premier restaurants. Rated a Top 10 Steakhouse by D Magazine in 2011 and awarded four stars by Dallas Morning News restaurant critic Leslie Brenner, Place at Perry’s also serves seafood, poultry and chicken along with unique cocktails created by their team of mixologists. The restaurant is open for business seven days a week serving lunch and dinner Monday through Friday, adding brunch service on Saturdays and Sundays. For more information, visit www.placeatperrys.com, call (214) 871-9991 or send an email to party@placeatperrys.com