Pho-nomenal Pho Phrom Scratch

This weekend I went to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, to attend the Ag Mechanics show (I went last year and blogged about it), but mainly to introduce the family to Boyfriend.

Me and my Cowboy

It went swimmingly well, given the fact that Boyfriend grew up in the country and can speak countryfolk talk, but while at the rodeo, I picked up some kind of tummy bug and was under the weather for a couple of days.

After wallowing in misery, yesterday I decided that what I really needed was one of my all-time favorite feel better foods: Pho.

Just looking at this bowl warms the cockles of my heart.

Pho, pronounced “fuh,” is a Vietnamese dish typically featuring boiling-hot beef broth, rice noodles, and thinly sliced raw beef. Garnishes include basil, Thai basil, mint, cilantro, bean sprouts, green onions, and a variety of crunchy and salty bits. There are tons of different types of pho, ranging from tripe, chicken, and seafood, to pork and tofu.

Cupcake wine charms!

So … First of all, a few updates:

1. Work is going swimmingly. I flambé items on a regular basis and have yet to light anyone on fire.

2. Cupcake has a boyfriend. More on that one later.

3. Boyfriend comes from a long line of creative types who work with their hands, and guess what? He cooks, y’all. Well.

So, excitement of the week: Boyfriend and I are shopping with his mom for supplies to make wine charms, and Boyfriend found these for me:

Adorable, right?!? They match my cupcake erasers from Friend of the blog Rob, which i received in the mail a few weeks ago. We like Boyfriend. And Boyfriend’s mom, who will be providing the charm tools.

Review of my experience vis à vis David Lebovitz

Well, as you may have surmised, last week I was fortunate enough to be graced with the presence of one of my major cookery idols: David Lebovitz.

The class itself comprised some 45 Fort Worth natives, myself, and friend Jessica. Held at the Fort Worth Central Market, I had initially pictured the class to involve receiving a bit of lecture, while simultaneously actually getting to prepare one or two dishes. Unfortunately for me, this was not the case, with the class maintaining a lecture format and only David doing any of the cooking.

Strike two was our seating conundrum. Heads up, if you are going to attend any sort of Central Market class, be sure to arrive VERY early…AND be sure to immediately go register. Jessica and I arrived about an hour early, but did not immediately go upstairs. Foolishly, we thought we had time to eat dinner in the café before going up ten minutes before the start time, and we literally ended up in the very last row.

Luckily, though, strike three never came, as from the moment I saw David walk out in a black button-down, trendy dark jeans, and a chef’s apron (waist-down), my mind became a single-focus recorder of every movement (“did he just whip the egg whites for that soufflé by HAND?! Yes. He did. ZOMG.”), tip (here’s one: flatter grapefruit, as opposed to spherical ones, taste better), and recipe (“was that pure chocolate? Or did he add cream??”).

Y’all…this man is awesome. He whipped out such nibbles as the floating island (a very traditional French café dessert featuring a wedge of baked yet tender meringue laid in a sumptuous pool of ice cold crème anglaise) topped with a drizzle of blood orange caramel and candied almonds, and a delicately spiced hot chocolate cake that had the consistency of a just-solid lava cake, with a hint of Mexican spice to it (shhh – it’s ancho chile powder, but trust me, it tastes nothing like chile).

He regaled us with stories of his quest for French citizenship (evidently it helps if you’re a good-looking female) which has thus far been denied, and answered questions about the various desserts he prepared. And best of all? I got to talk to him after the class was over! Jessica and I waited in line to get his autograph on our cookbooks, so of course when it was my turn, the conversation went like this:

Lisa (barely waiting for the woman in front of her to shut up and pick up her autographed copy of The Sweet Life in Paris, which you should go buy): [bounces] “Hi!!!!!! I’m Lisa!!! You know, I quit my job after reading your post on why not to be a chef?!?!!! I want to go to pastry school in Paris!!! I’m Lisa!!!”

…[Jessica covers face with hands]…

At which point his eyebrows raised, he looked speechless for a moment, then subtly tried to warn me about my chosen path to insanity…

David: “Um…well…you might be better off going to school here…do you speak French?”

Me: “Oh, yes!!!”

David, unconvinced: “Oh. You know, I once had a friend who worked for a baker in Paris. She quit because he kept making her work really heavy batches of dough, and once he told her her blouse made her look delicious.”

Lisa (with exactly three months of experience AS A WAITER): “Oh yes, I know, working in a kitchen you have to be ready for anything!!!!”

David: “Yeah…well, the chef was also a retired fashion designer who didn’t speak very good English, so I think he was actually trying to be complimentary. Anyway, you should be fine. By the way, the recipe on the cover of this book [Ready for Dessert]? You should leave the frosting at room temperature. They cut that line out, I don’t know why.”

Lisa: “OK!!! I will!!!”

…David signs Lisa’s book and hands it back to her…

…awkward silence…

Lisa (gestures toward Jessica, and her copy of the Perfect Scoop): “Oh, you can keep talking while you sign hers!!! We’re together!!! She’s Jessica!!!!!!!!!!”

End scene.

Awesome, peeps. Awesome. I NEVER get starstruck, y’all. Never.

So, on that note, time to go have dinner with my family and dream of David’s cooking. Had a blast. Thanks again, Jessica* at Fudgebudget, for drawing my attention to the proximity of David Lebovitz to myself. Made my 2011!

Note: There are two Jessicas in this story, one of whom (Jessica at Fudgebudget) does not live in Texas, and was thusly not the Jessica who was humiliated by my gushing at David Lebovitz. Jessica at Fudgebudget would probably be too busy with hero worship of her own to be affected by my ramblings of ridiculous, but who knows.

 

At David Lebovitz…in the back row.

Good thing the iPhone has a decent zoom!

Pain perdu…known in this country as French toast

So this morning I woke up with a massive craving for French toast. Being as I’m me, however, not just any toast would do…I had to use my Epicurious app to locate a fancy French toast full of calories and delicious.

Mission. Accomplished.

This, dear readers, is caramelized French toast. Caramelized, naturally, by way of:

Buttah. Lots. And lots. Of buttah.

(Sorry, y’all, I watched Divine Secrets of the Yaya Sisterhood last night)

This recipe is smashing, folks, with a hint of nutmeg, cinnamon, and as previously mentioned, it is caramelized in oodles of brown sugar butter.

The bread I used wasn’t French, but it was tasty and full of hearty grains and nuts. In any event, the toast came out crispy on the edges, caramelly in flavor, and absolutely delicious.

Recipe: recommended.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Caramelized-French-Toast-with-Cinnamon-and-Berries-359230

Enjoy!

Cooking with iPhone…Crab and Mint Risotto with Peas

So I’ve had the iPhone for a few weeks now (thanks, early Christmas!), and I’ve found several many uses for its ability to tell me any piece of information I want to know at any time of the day, night, or location.

One of the things I find incredibly useful about the iPhone is its ability to look up recipes instantly. I have an app or two downloaded for this purpose, plus the general awesomeness of Safari at viewing mobile versions of my favorite websites (does this sound like a loveletter to Steve Jobs yet?) means I can find macarons at midnight, eggnog on Christmas Eve, and, in this case, Crab and Mint Risotto with Peas while I’m in the process of shopping at Whole Foods with my best friend since childhood, Merideth!

Risotto deliciousness

I found the website through my Epicurious app, and Merideth thought it sounded phenomenal (and so did I), so voilà!

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas, y’all! I’m celebrating with my family -
look what they gave me!!!

A cupcake apron!
And a cupcake ornament and a ceramic cupcake candle and some pinch
bowls and…some gingerbread people made of rice krispies (by my
cousin) and another cupcake ornament and…they love me. Merry
Christmas!!!

Brain malfunction: EXPLOSION OF AWESOME!!! (Updated)

I was going to post today about “Things I’ve Learned from Working in a Restaurant,” but thanks to an incredibly timely comment from my friend Jessica, I have just registered my attendance at…

“The Snap of Citrus in Desserts” – a cooking class taught by DAVID LEBOVITZ in TEXAS!!!

AAaaaaaaAAAAAaaaaaaAAAAAAAaaaaaaagh!

I am SO excited I am literally vibrating in my chair! Wait, wait, wait. Who is David Lebovitz, you ask? [while exposing yourself as NOT an obsessive fan of my blog?]

Well, he’s this ice cream guy, the guy who introduced me to macarons, the brainchild behind my giving post, my source for those maple creams I just could not seem to fix,  and gougères, baby, gougères.

Not to mention he’s actually this super famous pastry chef and author, with such phenomenal recipes as his butterscotch pudding, which I made last week:

Butterscotch pudding

and Chocolate Idiot Cake, and salted butter caramel ice cream, and… oh! and did I mention he lives in Paris??

Ladies and gentlemen, this man has the life I want. He lives in an adorable flat with roof access in Paris, with a hot Frenchman, and he writes about and generates pastries for. a. living.

And now, at long last, I can see him IN ACTION and IN PERSON!!! I’m so excited I’m so excited I’m so excited I’m so excited…

!!!

So, what does this mean for you? HELLO! Pictures! And possibly recipes. And jealousy. Ha!

UPDATED

Here is the menu for the class:

• Meyer Lemon-Buttermilk Ice Cream Sandwiches with Nonfat Gingersnaps;
• Spiced Hot Chocolate Cakes with Caramelized White Chocolate, Candied Tangerines & Dark Chocolate Shards;
• Goat Cheese Soufflés with Mixed Citrus Compote in Sparkling Champagne & Yuzu Jelly;
• and Tangerine Floating Island with Blood Orange Caramel.

Did your head just explode? Cuz mine did.

HECK YES.

 

Have photography, moon and sun now in jeopardy too…

(Patio outside work)

What, then, people?!

I’m awesome.*

*While this statement is objectively true, on this instance, my parents are the awesome ones. But I am too by association. And I’m the one iPhone-posting…so I still win.

Have iPhone…World is mine

Well, peeps…I am currently blogging to you FROM OUTSIDE on my iPhone. That’s right! Parents gave me an early Christmas gift! So look out, now…Lisa’s gone mobile! Now…how on earth can I get some pictures uploaded…

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!

Alright folks. I’m on my way outta town, to Real County, to spend a well-earned few vacation days with my extended relatives. I have been working really hard the past two weeks, so I haven’t had much creative energy left for a fabulous post, and I have literally in the last five minutes completely lost my camera cord, so I can’t even give you a few pictures of the restaurant where I work, which is what I was planning to do!

So dramatic, this girl.

In the meantime, go back and read this post about the ranch, eat some pumpkin ice cream,  and watch as the Aggies BEAT THE HELL OUTTA t.u.!!!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Happy birthday…to me!

(Is it selfish to say that? I mean, I think I sang it to myself when I was 4…but possibly it’s not as cute in your twenties…)

Hey y’all, guess what…It was my birthday this week! And y’all…it was a WEEK of cupcakes!

Cupcakes Number One

First, my friend Michelle’s mother sent her Sprinkles cupcakes for her birthday, which just so happens to be exactly one week before mine. (Nice Toms, Chelle)

The Chocolate Bar – A Houston Treat!

Well hi there!

I’m so glad to see you all. I’ve missed you.

You see, I’ve spent the past week in Blackout Brenham, working my tail off at my new job as a server at the restaurant in a local vineyard and resort (yay!) and not being online (boo). But I have been thinking about you, and I am working on finding a way to get internet out there, it’s just super-expensive and a giant pain in the you-know-what.

SIGH. I know, I know. You don’t care. You’re just here for delicious food pictures and quippy quotes about baking. Well, LUCKILY for YOU, you get some today!

Despite the fact that I haven’t had much time to get online, I did manage to have at least one free day in the past week of whirlwind training (including a double shift, one table who had to send their food back twice and three flambé desserts prepared tableside by yours truly) to go play in Houston with one of my old high school friends, Jenny!

Jenny and I had a delicious meal of lamb hash and lobster roll at a restaurant called Backstreet Café, but afterwards we were hankering for something sweet (read: I was dying for something delicious, and Jenny was kind enough to assist in my quest). At first we tried to go to Sweet Lola, a cute little yogurt bar in Midtown, whose owner is the mother of one of the ushers from a wedding I was in a couple weeks ago. But, unfortunately for us, Sweet Lola’s not open on Mondays, so we’ll have to give it a shot another time.

In lieu of yogurt, Jenny suggested we give The Chocolate Bar in the Rice Village a shot. I’d been to The Chocolate Bar before, but it had been a while, so I figured it would be neat to see their new shop.

Oh my goodness am I glad we did.

Look at those cakes!

Pictureless posts just feel so…naked.

So I don’t have any brilliant photos to share with you, because I haven’t been TAKING any brilliant photos. What have I been doing with all this free time I suddenly have on my hands due to lack of job?

Applying.

For.

Jobs.

Will the madness never end!? I’ve been in Texas almost a MONTH now, and still have no job! Y’all – it’s harsh out here. Money’s short (my own, and the money of the people who should be hiring me), time’s a-wasting, and Paris seems further than ever.

BUT, you ask, am I giving up on my dream?? Am I accepting defeat and resigning myself to a desk job forever?

Well, I appreciate your concern, my doves, and guess what? HECK NO. I’ve got an interview this very afternoon at a well-established vineyard and winery (pleasehireme, pleasehireme, pleasehireme) that I would LOVE to work at, so the plan marches on.

Other things I’m working on: I’m developing a (slightly darker themed) literary blog, something that gives me a chance to be all pretentious-like and talk in big, exaggerated sentences about the meaningfulness of a phrase. I haven’t decided if I will link the two blogs yet, because I want to maintain some element of anonymity, but given my inability to keep a secret, and the fact that I’m already telling you about it, I would imagine I’ll be sharing it with you anyways.

On the Crafty Cupcake front, I’m going to finish those silly napkins, and then I will make myself a dress. Or at least a skirt. Or maybe just hem a skirt. Or just fix the hem on a skirt that broke. Whatever.

And the most IMPORTANT and RELEVANT thing to you people, my dear following? I’m starting an Etsy shop!!! I’ll put the link in a future post, but the idea is that I will be selling my baked goods by mail-order, through the Etsy server. I’m still working out some kinks (e.g. shipping methods that work, decorating the shop website, etc.), but when I’m ready to show it off, you’ll be the first to know.

And that, dear readers, sums up my life over the past few weeks. I’ve applied for more jobs than I can count, had a few interviews, and am still waiting to hear back from everyone. I am learning a lot about myself through this process, how much of my sense of self-worth was tied up in my “status” at work (you want a lesson in humility? Go to an alumni networking event where current students are looking for jobs and say: “Well, I don’t currently have a job…but I just applied at Starbucks…”).

I’m also continuing to realize the value of a good, solid support system. Whether it be my parents who are literally carrying me through this process (free rent, anyone?), my friends in other states who are constantly sending me job ideas and stirring the pot of creativity (Merideth and Victoria!!!), or an old family friend who called me up out of the blue to tell me that he’s impressed with my guts and a little bit jealous, they all help me keep going in an environment that could very easily lead to a serious case of depression.

So keep up the prayers, if you don’t mind, and the positivity – I’m doing my part to make this happen, so at this point I’m opening the rest up to God and whatever he’s got planned for me! (Gosh I hope it’s pie.) Carry on!

 

Learning to Sew. Or, the Virtues of Unemployment.

This post is calorie-free, since we have no money to fund baking adventures at the moment.

I'm learning to sew, y'all!

So a few months ago, I decided that Melissa and I were going to sew me some napkins. I’ve always (well, not always, but ever since I went to France, of course) wanted to have my own cloth napkins, to be used on a daily basis. They add an air of “je ne sais quoi” to every meal (even the ones that go directly from freezer to microwave), and they have the added benefit of helping you avoid the redneck hankie (i.e. snatching a paper towel from the roll by the sink).