Paula Lambert at the Mozzarella Company

Our good friend and Fort Worth native Paula Lambert knows everything about cheese, and she’s generous enough to share her wealth of knowledge with you at her fabulous Dallas Mozzarella Company .

Tomorrow, February 27, from 3 until 5 p.m., Paula offers her Hands-On Cheesemaking Class, teaching you to make fresh mozzarella and ricotta. You’ll get the factory tour then launch into the work, learning how mozzarella varieties are formed. Your class wraps up with a wine-and-cheese tasting you won’t forget. It’s $75 per person and includes plenty of cheeses to take home. Reserve by calling 214-741-4072.

Check out her site for upcoming classes; there’s always an intriguing schedule to consider.

Good times are plentiful at her Beer and Cheese Pairing Class, which begins with an insiders’ tour of the cheese factory, a charming place in historic Deep Ellum. Afterward, you’re seated at a long table with lots of cheeses, which will be paired with at least six artisanal beers. Paula and beer experts will take you through a discussion of the combinations of flavors. It’s $50 per person.

Here’s another way to help those doing good work for Haiti: Blaine Staniford, executive chef at Grace in Fort Worth, and Jon Bonnell, owner-chef at Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine in Fort Worth, are putting together an unprecedented dinner event next Tuesday. They’re celebrating Texas Independence Day (that’s March 2) at Grace with a six-course feast.

The objective is to raise money to buy medical supplies for Jon’s brother, Dr. Ric Bonnell, a physician who is donating his time and work to help people in Haiti. (See more about Dr. Bonnell’s efforts there at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp4hUM99Egg.)

Tuesday’s dinner begins at 6:30 with passed hors d’oeuvres, as well as cocktails crafted from Austin-made spirits – margaritas mixed with Republic tequila and Texas cosmos incorporating Savvy vodka. The seated dinner starts at 7 pm. Each course features good Texas-grown products, including Bandera quail, Texas redfish and Texas lamb. Texas beer and wines will be paired with each course.

The dinner is $125 plus tax and tip, with $25 going from each guest’s tab to purchase medical supplies for Haitian relief work.

And if you’re glad that doing so helps a charitable cause, we’re in business.

But you better hurry, because the Les Dames d’Escoffier Dallas Chapter’s annual Raiser Grazer is this Sunday, February 28.

Hosted at the Fashion Industry Gallery, the Dallas event benefits  deserving Texas women who are pursuing culinary educations.

“Women Stars of Wine & Food” is this year’s Grazer theme, showcasing women who have helped shaped the wine and culinary landscape. Stars will include our own Texas wine luminaries, such as Susan Auler (Fall Creek Vineyards), Gina Puente-Brancato (La Buena Vida Vineyards and La Bodega Wineries), and Caris Turpen (Lightcatcher Winery), along with California’s Joy Sterling (Iron Horse Vineyards), Dolores Cakebread (Cakebread Cellars), Janet Trefethen (Trefethen Family Vineyards), Robin Lail (Lail Vineyards),  Amelia Ceja (Ceja Vineyards) and Kathryn Hall (Hall Wines).

Food will be prepared by more than 20 female chefs and culinary professionals, including Sharon Hage of York Street, Dunia Borga of La Duni, and Paula Lambert of the Mozzarella Company, from the Dallas side of the area. Offering dishes from the western reaches will be Wendy Taggart of Burgundy Pasture Beef in Grandview; Lisa Perini of Perini Ranch Steakhouse in Buffalo Gap; and yours truly.

There’s also an auction during the event (cooking classes, trips, cookbooks, dinners and more are offered), and WFAA-TV news anchor Gloria Campos will emcee the festivities.

It’s a fun evening, which lasts from 6 until 9 p.m., and you can help add to the $1 million the Dames have raised for women’s culinary scholarships over the past quarter-century.

Raiser Grazer tickets are $45 until Friday and $50 thereafter and at the door. Check out details at the Les Dames Dallas website. (Find the FIG on North Akard in downtown Dallas, between Ross and Munger.)

The Window, Big Bend NP, by Cynthia Wahl

Among my favorite things to do, telling people where to find good food on the road ranks up there with breathing. Fortunately, I get paid to share my food and travel discoveries. And in doing it for 20 years and some change, it’s become clear that people rely heavily on such information as they set out on their explorations.

In fact, they often want me to plan their trips for them. Pals have talked me into drawing up itineraries for them, and I’ve taken my share of girlfriends’ trips to New Orleans, Santa Fe and Austin, plotting our adventures around the places we’d be eating.

Finally, somebody asked me why I didn’t turn this pastime into a business. If I’m going to go to such trouble, he reasoned, shouldn’t I be compensated? So with my good friend, Cynthia Wahl, a former Star-Telegram colleague who’s accompanied me on countless gastronomy journeys, I founded Texas Toast Culinary Tours last September.

Cynthia and I have been leading some local food and restaurant tours since then, and now we’re launching our first in our signature Texas Toast Road Trips series. Our debut destination is Marfa, which happens to sit in my favorite place in the world, the Big Bend Region of West Texas.

We’re heading out west on March 24 for five days and four nights, taking eager gourmands to tour the exotics Texas badlands, where we’ve planned a wealth of food and wine adventures. The experience will include a wine-pairing class, cooking class, farmers market tour, fabulous picnicking beside the Rio Grande, and meals at noted Marfa restaurants, along with hiking, touring and – at night – star-gazing and live music.

Our Marfa Road Trip includes transportation via luxury motorcoach, lodging for four nights at the Hotel Paisano, all meals with adult beverages for five days, cooking class, Big Bend National Park admission, sightseeing and most entertainment. Based on double occupancy, it’s $1,395 per person; you’ll add $395 for single supplement.

(If you want to stay instead at the funkalicious El Cosmico, that’s an option. We’ll offer packages that don’t include transportation or lodging for those who want to arrange their own.)

Here’s our itinerary for March 24-28.

Day 1 (Wednesday): Depart Fort Worth in the early morning aboard a luxury motorcoach for the 490-mile drive; watch Giant and classic westerns en route. To break up the long trip, we’ll stop partway for a gourmet picnic box lunch (provided by chef Louis Lambert of Lamberts Downtown Barbecue in Austin and Lambert’s Steak, Seafood, Whiskey in Fort Worth at Big Spring State Park. Arrive in Marfa in time for supper, a barbecue event from Lambert’s, enjoyed at El Cosmico, next to the renowned Chinati Foundation.

Fort Davis by June Naylor

Day 2 (Thursday): We kick-start the day with a West Texas chuckwagon breakfast at El Cosmico, to prepared by cooks from the original Reata, found nearby in Alpine. The rest of the morning is free for touring galleries or shopping. Lunch will be at the Blue Javelina, one of Marfa’s popular, newer restaurants serving an eclectic menu with Spanish and Moroccan influences. After lunch, there’s time for touring the Fort Davis National Historic Site, a beautifully restored cavalry fort. (Options may include staying in Marfa for a spa treatment or heading out for a horseback ride in the Davis Mountains.) Then it’s off to Woodward Ranch for a little rock-hunting before a sunset event Cathedral Mountain, a vineyard belonging to Times Ten Cellars , for a food-and-wine pairing event supper. On the way back into town, there’s a stop to see the mysterious Marfa Lights.

Day 3 (Friday): We’ll take a continental breakfast along for the drive to magnificent Big Bend National Park for a full day tour with optional hiking. Beside the Rio Grande, Louis Lambert will present a grand picnic lunch. We’ll stop briefly in Terlingua for some photographs in the ghost town and a little shopping before heading back to Marfa. In the evening, we’ll enjoy dinner at Maiya’s, one of Marfa’s landmark restaurants, with a style that mixes a little New York with San Francisco sensibilities. Afterward, we’re off to Padre’s Marfa for dancing and live music.

Day 4 (Saturday): Our day begins with breakfast at the Austin Street Café , a hip American dining room inside a restored cottage. Afterward, we’ll wander through the Marfa Farm Stand, picking up some items to use in a cooking class with Louis Lambert, to be held at El Cosmico. Lunch will conclude the class, and we can spend the afternoon shopping and roaming the galleries. At nightfall, we’ll have a cookout, campfire music session and a star party with local astronomers at El Cosmico.

Day 5 (Sunday): Bidding farewell to Big Bend, we return via motorcoach to the DFW area, watching Lonesome Dove along the way. A stop midway home will include a picnic box lunch from Lambert’s.

We’ll offer another road trip to Marfa in May, too. C’mon and join us.

Martin Yan talks a good game

When Martin Yan was last in Fort Worth for a cooking class at Central Market, he made a few minutes to sit and chat with me. We had a good visit about how easy it is to throw a little cocktail party with Asian food as the centerpiece.

And there’s no better time to do that than for the Chinese New Year’s, which is February 14 this year.

If you’re not into celebrating the arrows of Cupid, why not the Year of the Tiger?

The Chinese chef and cookbook author, whose pioneering TV cooking program Yan Can Cook launched him into the Julia Child realm of food celebrities years ago, is quite the entertainer himself. (See how animated he looks in the photo above, taken by my Star-Telegram colleague Steve Wilson? That’s tame. Yan really is a hoot.)

In the companion cookbook ($24.95, Chronicle Books) to his current PBS show, Martin Yan’s China, Yan offers updated ideas for Asian cooking. During our chat, however, he rattled off a number of small-plate ideas that party-goers will enjoy.

Things to serve would include:

Dumplings, spring rolls and wontons with dipping sauces that offer sweet, tangy, spicy and tart flavors

Grilled marinated beef, lamb and chicken on skewers

Stir-fried chicken or duck breast with finely chopped vegetables, served in endive leaves

Easy stir-fry mixtures served atop wedges of pan-fried noodle cake (see below)

A choice of beverages such as iced lemon or passion fruit green tea and a fizzy combination of pomegranate juice, Thai lime juice, green tea and sparkling water

Yan’s pan-fried noodle cake recipe: Boil water in a large pot. Add 8 ounces fresh Chinese egg noodles and cook according to package directions. Turn off heat. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again. Return noodles to the pot and toss with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Place a wide, nonstick pan over medium heat until hot. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, coating the pan; spread noodles evenly in the pan. Add broth and cook until liquid is evaporated and noodles are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip pancake and cook 5 minutes more, until golden brown. Cut into wedges.

Our entertaining friends Sarah, Wes and Michael from Fort Worth joined us, giving the New Jersey folks an ample dose of Texas humor. We began in late morning; at our first stop, the original Zodiac Room at the flagship Neiman Marcus in downtown Dallas,  we gathered around a sunny table and told stories from our earliest memories in that room. While we sipped the signature chicken consomme and noshed on fresh, steaming-hot popovers with strawberry butter (see recipes below), we listened as executive chef Kevin Garvin shared tales about the legendary Zodiac Room and Stanley Marcus. We talked a little about Helen Corbitt, the first food director for NM, who put Dallas on the culinary map more than a half-century ago, before anyone had yet heard of Julia Child.

From Neiman’s, we headed over to the Dallas Farmers Market .Although it’s only January, a few farmers were there with some gorgeous produce. They gave us samples of tomatoes, mangos, tangerines, pineapple and peanuts. From the roasted corn stand, we bought a cup of elotes, a mixture of corn – hot and fresh from the cob – mixed with grated cheese and mayonnaise, with chile powder sprinkled on top. Believe us, it’s really good. Inside the enclosed shed, we perused tables of fresh, locally made pastas, a booth selling locally made candles and a sausage stand.

Next, we headed to Deep Ellum to visit Paula Lambert at the Mozzarella Co. , that famous artisan cheese company. Paula took us on a tour of her business, which makes about 1,000 pounds of cheese daily. We sampled a number of her products, pictured here, made from cow’s or goat’s milk, and wound up leaving with sacks full of cheese and cookbook purchases.

Then we zipped over to Jimmy’s Food Store , a wonderful rarity in Dallas. Our New Jersey friends thought it hilarious that we’d take them to a corner Italian grocery, but we explained what a singularly special jewel it is for us, as there’s no real Italian heritage to speak of around these parts. They were impressed with all the special fresh pastas available, as well as Henry’s Homemade Ice Cream, sold here but made in Plano. Best of all, we happened by just when Michael Weinstein, the Dreadhead Chef , pictured below, was offering samples of his dessert chips (chocolate chip, yum) and sweet salsas (pineapple-banana-macadamia nut, double yum). Jimmy’s never fails to impress me with the racks and racks of Prosecco choices, many for just $9.99.

Finally, we wrapped up our day with a leisurely, late lunch at the Mansion on Turtle Creek. Chef Bruno Davaillon (he arrived at the Mansion recently from Mix in Las Vegas) prepared a lovely menu for us, and here it is:

Grilled Salmon Filet, Celery Root Puree, Blood Orange and Celery Salad, pictured here

Pork Tenderloin, White Cheddar Grits, Wild Mushrooms and Peas

Roasted Eggplant and Goat Cheese Ravioli, Preserved Summer Tomatoes, and Basil Salad

Wines:
V. Laurenz Gruner Veltliner “Singing,” Austria ‘07
Dow’s, Vale do Bomfim, Douro Reserva, Portugal ‘06

Desserts:
Tropical Vacherine, with Citrus and Vanilla Sorbets

Mansion Candy Bar, Brownie, Peanut Croquant, Chocolate Mousse, Lime Coconut Sorbet
Ice Cream Sampler: Chocolate, Vanilla Bean, Fleur de Sel Caramel

During lunch, Chef Bruno stopped by to make sure we were happy with our food. As a bonus, we were regaled with entertaining stories about the Mansion’s early history (the historic home, when it was a residence) by the delightful Duncan Graham, an Englishman who serves as the Mansion’s general manager.

What a great way to spend a Friday in Dallas, with nary a chicken-fried steak. You should join us next time. Until then, here’s how to make the popovers and strawberry butter. Many thanks to the Neiman Marcus Cookbook (2003, Clarkson Potter).

Neiman Marcus Popovers

Makes 12

3 ½ cups milk

4 cups all purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

6 large eggs, room temp

Place milk in bowl and microwave on High (100 percent power) for 2 minutes, or until warm to the touch.

Sift flour, salt and baking powder together in large mixing bowl. Crack eggs into work bowl of electric mixer fitted with whisk, and beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until foamy and pale in color. Turn down mixer to low and add warm milk.

Gradually add flour mixture and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Turn machine off and let batter rest for 1 hour at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Spray popover tin generously with nonstick spray. Fill popover cups almost to the top with batter and place popover tin on cookie sheet. Transfer to oven and bake for 15 minutes. Turn down oven temperature to 375 F and bake for 30 to 35 minutes longer, until popovers are deep golden brown outside and airy inside.

Turn out popovers and serve hot with strawberry butter, recipe below.

Strawberry Butter

Makes 2 ½ cups
1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature
1 cup good-quality strawberry preserves
Place the butter in the work bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high until light and fluffy. Add the preserves and beat until well combined. To serve, spoon or pipe the flavored butter into 2-tablespoon ramekins or onto side plates.

This delicious tour kicks off at 6:30 p.m. with a first course at the H3 Ranch, where Feeding Frenzy folks will sample appetizers paired with Fort Worth’s own Rahr Buffalo Butt Beer.

For the second course, you’ll mosey a few doors down North Main Street for dinner and wine with Tim Love at his Lonesome Dove Western Bistro. For the third course, you’ll walk around the corner to the Love Shack and White Elephant Saloon for an adult ice cream float and some boot-scootin’ music, too. Dessert’s never been like this before!

At each stop, you’ll get to know the creators of all this food and drink and talk about what makes good food and beverage pairings. It’s a lot of food and fun for $75, including tax and tip – and an experience only with Texas Toast!

Sign up at our website, Texas Toast Culinary Tours, or give us a jingle at 817-239-1634 or 817-228-5220. You don’t want to miss a good time like this.

You can find dozens of locally made goodies for the culinarian on your list. Here are a few of my favorite Fort Worth destinations for hometown products:

Pendery’s, on Eighth Avenue, near the medical district, makes and sells every kind of chile powder and spice you can think of, and plenty that have never occurred to you. Lots of sauces, candies and cooking supplies fill the shelves, too.

Vending Nut Company , near the Cultural District, will make you feel like Bubba Blue in Forrest Gump when you start reciting the varieties of almonds, pecans, peanuts and other nuts roasted and packaged on site. The dried fruits and snacks are hard to do without, too.

Among salsas, you’re hard-pressed to do better than those made in Fort Worth by Joe T. Garcia’s and Mrs. Renfro’s. Joe T’s offers mild, medium and hot editions, and Mrs. R makes hers in black bean, chipotle corn, peach, raspberry chipotle, green and many more. Find these at almost any grocery store.

From Artisan Baking Company in Fort Worth, you can find exceptional biscotti, scones, cookies, granola and breads from baking genius Gwin Grimes. Put those with Fort Worth-made Aduro Bean Coffee – also sold at Gwin’s bakery – and breakfast is boffo.

Add beverages to your basket, too. I think your best bets are Ugly Pug, a fabulous black lager from Fort Worth’s Rahr Brewery, and the food-friendly 2006 Sangiovese from Times Ten Cellars, new in Fort Worth in the West Seventh area.

Hey, it’s time for another of our Texas Toast Feeding Frenzy outings! This Saturday afternoon, we’re having a Holiday Wine Down in Fort Worth, visiting three fabulous wine destinations, Put A Cork In It, WineStyles Montgomery Plaza and Times Ten Cellars. We’ll be enjoying prime party noshes from Park Hill Cafe and Lambert’s Restaurant, too.

Join us – you’ll get plenty of food and wine, recipes, entertaining ideas, food and wine pairing inspiration for holiday dinners and cocktail parties, with shopping on the side. Each of our wine hosts will send you home with a little gift, too. We have a few places left, so hope on board. You can register at our website, Texas Toast Culinary Tours.

If the very idea of a great pie makes you swoon, see the current issue of 360 West magazine, and go to page 52! That’s where you’ll see my ode to pie. If you’re a pie person, you’ll totally get it. You cake people, I just don’t know. Sometimes I think we come from different planets – but that’s not to say I don’t love a good, rich chocolate carrot cake. Or the caramel cake I’m making for Thanksgiving next week to go with a buttermilk pie and a fudge pecan pie.

What’s on your pie plate for Thanksgiving?