summer

Barley Swine’s Summer Tasting Menu

July 20, 2019 by Alyssa

Barley Swine’s summer tasting menu just might be the best meal I’ve ever had. If you do one thing this summer, experience this seasonal menu.

It’s a tradition for <3M and I to go to Barley Swine on Christmas Eve for their tasting menu. But lately, we’ve both been working a lot — him taking late-night calls with his team oversea, and me, who continues working even when I get home which has limited our quality time together.

So, as a way for us to take a break from the grind, I made a surprise reserdation for us to celebrate Christmas in July at Barley Swine (it was also our engagement anniversary, which is why you see ‘happy anniversary’ on the menu below).

We started the evening with a round of cocktails. A Day at the Races with tequila, rhubarb, jasmine, orange blossom, and lemon for me and Aces are High with bourbon, pasubio vino amaro, rosemary, and peychauds for <3M. If you’re not up for a cocktail, Barley Swine also has a few tempting mocktail options to try on their new summer menu. Let me know how they are!

Going into the meal, I was a bit hesitant looking at our tasting menu. I was nervous more so for <3M because while we are foodies, we have very specific and different tastes. For him: no mushrooms, celery, or ‘animals with fins’ and for me: nothing with four feet. This usually means we end up with slightly different menus but mostly the same.

Here’s a look at our meal highlights, though to be honest, every dish was STELLAR.

To start was this blue crab, marigold, green bean course. This was like a savory panna cotta and the blue grab was light and fresh. The perfect way to kick-off the meal.

Up next was the shishito pepper tamale. This reminded me of an inside out tamale or a chile rellano with the masa on the inside and a perfectly light, crispy crunch on the outside.

The tomato, blueberry, grains green chile mousse dish was our third course at Barley Swine. I loved the hint of green chile in the foam, the crunch of the grain, and the surprise sweetness from the blueberries. It was definitely in the running for my favorite dish.

However, I believe the shrimp dumpling, hot sauce, fried bun, herbs was both mine and <3M’s favorite dish of the evening. The bun was crispy but fluffy in the center. We sandwiched it with succulent shrimp, a house hot sauce, and fresh herbs for a bit of brightness. It was full of flavor. I want to come back to Barley Swine just to eat these from dinner one night.

While my menu says goat above, I asked this dish to be switched out for a vegetarian option. The chef surprised me with this roasted carrot, vegetarian chorizo, house feta, and corn course. This was a vegetarian’s dream. The carrot was smokey, the feta salty, and the crunchy corn added texture. Banger’s should tap Barley Swine for this recipe because it was the perfect ‘mock sausage.’

Summer tasting menu desserts

We wrapped our meal with two desserts. Celery sorbet, peanut, chamomile served as a palate cleanser. At first, I was baffled with this combination but thinking about it now, it’s a modern, refined take on the traditional ants on a log from my childhood. Even <3M, who dispises celery, enjoyed this dish enough to finish it entirely.

Our final dish of the evening was one <3M said he loved the most, corn mochi, coriander, blackberry, cojeta. I was amazed by the subtle sweet corn flavor throughout, the chewiness of the mochi, and the meringue twigs. It was a texture lover’s dream. And, best yet, during Swine Hour (Barley Swine’s happy hour) desserts are half off so if you want to give this dish a taste, hit it up then with a bottle of wine for 25% off!

We left this meal in the happiest of food comas and couldn’t stop raving about the dishes. It was the BEST experience we’ve had in a very long time (even better than past Christmas Eve tastings!).

If you’re interested in the summer tasting menu, you can grab the summer Barley Swine tasting at a steal for $65 if you visit Sunday-Thursday between 5-6pm (normally $95). I highly recommend reservations.

Have you had the Barley Swine summer tasting menu yet? What’s some of your favorite seasonal menus in Austin this year?

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

June 29, 2019 by Alyssa

My baking bucket list challenge continues this month with an upside down cake. Rather than classic pineapple, I had a baking adventure with a rhubarb upside down cake.

Sometimes, even when a recipe looks like a success, it’s still a failure. And, that’s what happened with this month’s baking bucket list challenge when baking this rhubarb upside down cake. Originally, I was going to make a classic pineapple upside down cake but then my mind got stuck on rhubarb…

Let me tell you how this happened…

My grandma used to make rhubarb pie every summer. I remember it being a regular part of Sunday dinner. She served it with a dollop of whipped cream on top and my family loved it. Except me. For some reason, I avoided it and can’t even recall ever tasting her rhubarb pie. I think it was because rhubarb looked like celery and I didn’t see a celery-flavored pie being very appetizing.

So, I waited until this year to finally try rhubarb. My first time using the ingredient was in a strawberry rhubarb crisp and while the recipe called for fresh rhubarb, I was only able to find frozen. I loved the crisp (recipe here!). It was sweet from the strawberry and tart from the rhubarb and that’s when I became stuck on rhubarb, wanting to bake with it more.

I looked everywhere for fresh rhubarb and wasn’t able to find it because it was towards the end of rhubarb season in Texas. Then, one night I walked into Whole Foods and just happened to spot fresh rhubarb. I bought two bunches of rhubarb and was set on baking something with it and that’s when I decided I’d turn my June baking bucket list challenge of upside down cake into a rhubarb upside down cake.

Making my rhubarb upside down cake

I chose this recipe for my rhubarb cake. And to be honest, I chose it not because of the recipe but because of the photo. I loved the criss-cross look of the rhubarb on top and just fell in love. After purchasing all the ingredient to make the cake I dug into the recipe this past Sunday. And as soon as I read step two, I started to have hesitations.

Below I’ve shared the red flags I saw with this rhubarb upside down cake recipe that should have stopped me from baking it. But since I didn’t, I’ve also shared what I’d do next time around (there won’t be a next time around but you can use these tips if you want to make this cake!)

The recipe said to prepare a 9-inch cake pan.

My gut was telling me this pan was way too small to adequately house rhubarb and cake batter while it baked in the oven. I knew it would be too small and bubble over but I used the 9-inch pan anyways.
When I finally got my rhubarb and cake batter into the pan, I had about a half-inch of free space left for the cake to bake into. In order to save my oven, should it bake over the edge, I placed my cake pan on a large baking sheet to catch any overflow (which it did, it formed a bubbly caramel mess on my sheet pan and around the edge of the cake).
If I make this recipe again, I’d use a tall, springform pan, similar to what I’d use for a cheesecake.

The recipe said to mix 4-inch pieces of rhubarb with sugar and corn starch in a bowl and let it sit.

Rhubarb is a dry fruit and typically the purpose of mixing fruit with sugar & corn starch is so the juices mix with the sugar and starch to sweeten the fruit while forming a ‘sauce’ when it bakes to help everything thicken.
Because these were basically dry stalks of wood in sugar, nothing happened. The sugar didn’t stick to the stalks, there wasn’t any sweetening of the rhubarb, and the sugar basically sat at the bottom of the bowl.
My instinct was to cut the rhubarb into the 4-inch pieces as directed but also split the pieces in half so the width of the stalks was exposed to mix with the sugar and cornstarch. Cutting them into less-wide pieces would also help with the above pan issue. I also think cutting the rhubarb up into small pieces like cubes would make this step successful.

The recipe then directed me to place the rhubarb sticks into the bottom of a pan and include the ‘remaining’ sugar they were mixed with.

However, because the sugar never mixed with the rhubarb I was basically dumping a half cup of sugar into the bottom of the pan. A pan that was already covered in a melted brown sugar, butter, and thyme mixture.
My workaround was to place the rhubarb in a single layer and sprinkle some of the remaining sugar on top. I definitely didn’t add the entire half cup.
If you make this recipe, I believe cutting the rhubarb into smaller pieces would eliminate the excess sugar because a syrup would have truly formed.

The recipe didn’t have any reviews.

In fact, it didn’t even have a way to LEAVE reviews which should have been a giant red flag to me.
So, in place of my ability to leave a review or comment on the actual recipe, I’ve dedicated a whole blog post to it providing a very thorough review (haha!).

So how did the cake turn out?

By some miracle, the cake did bake up without being a complete wreck. It came out of the pan and had a similar criss-cross pattern from the rhubarb as the recipe photo. However, the taste was just ‘meh.’

The rhubarb was stringy when cutting into it and the thyme on top included in the brown sugar layer looked like little bugs which made for an unappealing experience. The rhubarb layer also didn’t have a ton of flavor. The cake part itself, though, was quite delicious. It was a dense vanilla cake with a slightly citrus note from the orange zest. If each part were eaten separately, it could have probably been considered good. But consuming both the stringy rhubarb top and dense cake together just left me underwhelmed.

So, in short, I will NOT be making this cake again.

But I am checking this off for my June baking bucket list challenge, though, I may still explore making another upside down cake in July along with the blueberry pie I have planned. Stay tuned and follow me on Instagram for updates if you’re interested in my upside down baking journey.

Check out my other baking bucket list adventures here!

Grilled Shrimp & Peach Panzanella Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

July 10, 2018 by Alyssa

Grilled Shrimp & Peach Panzanella Salad with Basil Vinaigrette uses seasonal ingredients to create a light but fresh summertime salad.

With a burst of fresh basil, sweetness from perfectly ripe peaches, and a hint of spice from grilled shrimp this panzanella salad is perfectly fit for lunch or dinner.

I love fancy salads that are both simple and delicious. I also love using seasonal produce in my salads and was inspired by the summer bounty of peaches and basil to create a fresh salad starring both.

This salad was created as more of an in the moment recipe — working with what I had in the kitchen and pairing flavors as I went along. For my base I started with baby kale, sugar snap peas for crunch, and sliced green onions since their flavor isn’t as potent as red onions (plus, I just really dislike raw red onions).

I personally love fresh fruit in my salads and knew I wanted to incorporate juicy, ripe peaches but had to off-set the sweetness they would add to the dish. In hopes of balancing the naturally sweet peaches, I created a basil vinaigrette that’s heavy on lemon using both real lemon juice and a white lemon balsamic vinegar from Texas Hill Country Olive Oil (my favorite! I also use it in my Cali breakfast toast recipe). If you’ve never had basil and lemon paired together, you’re missing out. This basil vinaigrette would also make a great dipping sauce for fresh, soft bread!

With both the sweet and acidic elements in check, I began looking for a way to incorporate the slightest hint of spice into my Grilled Shrimp & Peach Panzanella Salad so I tossed the shrimp with cumin, smoked paprika, and a bit more lemon before quickly searing both sides on the grill.

For extra crunch and because I love a good crouton, I baked up leftover crusty bread with a drizzle of olive oil and garlic salt until it was golden and crispy. Once tossed with the basil vinaigrette, the croutons became chewy, flavorful bites elevating the Grilled Shrimp & Peach Panzanella Salad to that of restaurant quality!

Fun Fact: <3M and I alway compare fancy at home salads to that of restaurants’, asking one another ‘how much would this salad be at a restaurant?’ This one clocked in at about $14 in our minds!

The end product was a deliciously balanced salad — sweet, acidic, spicy and crunchy from the fresh vegetables and chewy bread. Grilled Shrimp & Peach Panzanella Salad with Basil Vinaigrette is a divine summertime salad perfect for lunch or dinner. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

5.0 from 2 reviews

Grilled Shrimp & Peach Panzanella Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

45 mins

Author: Alyssa

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the panzanella bread

1/2 loaf crusty bread, like ciabatta, cut or torn into 1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon garlic salt
For the shrimp

1 pound shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 tablespoon lemon juice
zest from half a lemon
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon smoked paprkina
salt and pepper to taste
For the basil vinaigrette
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoon while lemon balsamic vinegar
zest from half a lemon
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste
For the salad
8 cups baby kale
2 cups sugar snap peas
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 peaches, pits removed and thinly sliced

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper
Toss the bread cubes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the garlic salt
Spread the bread evenly on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, tossing once halfway until golden brown and crusty. Remove from oven and let cool.
Quickly marinate the shrimp by tossing the shrimp with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, zest, spices, and salt and pepper. Let set 5-10 minutes. When ready to eat, grill the shrimp 2-3 minute per side over a medium flame. Let rest while assembling the salad.
Prepare the basil vinaigrette by placing all vinaigrette ingredients into a food processor and pulsing until the ingredients have emulsified and the basil is finely minced.
To assemble the salad, toss together the kale, sugar snap peas, green onions, peaches, and panzanella croutons. Pour half of the basil vinaigrette over top and toss to coat. Plate the salads and place the cooked shrimp on top. Serve with additional dressing on the side.

Chilled Strawberry Shortbread Pie & Wine Pairing

July 5, 2017 by Alyssa

Treat yourself to something special with this delightfully sweet summer dessert and wine pairing featuring Chilled Strawberry Shortbread Pie and Ste. Genevieve’s Pink Moscato.

I love the early summer season because it’s prime for berries! When I came across the freshest, juiciest strawberries at Austin’s downtown farmer’s market a few weekends ago, I knew they would make the perfect pairing with Ste. Genevieve’s Pink Moscato and highlight the fresh, seasonal fruit in this Chilled Strawberry Shortbread Pie!

Like my local strawberries, Ste. Genevieve is a Texas-based winery established in 1988 on a vineyard in Fort Stockton, Texas.

The winery itself has a tasting room, The Grey Mule Saloon, that’s deep in Texas history where you can taste Ste. Genevieve’s wine, enjoy a few snacks, and learn about their wine making process!

Ste. Genevieve’s Pink Moscato is a sweet wine that’s best served chilled, making it perfect for Texas’ hot summer days and nights! It pairs well with light desserts and fresh fruit which is why it’s the perfect mate to this Chilled Strawberry Shortbread Pie!

Even though I’m typically a red wine drinker, when the temperature hits above 90 degrees a sweet, chilled wine begins calling my name! Ste. Genevieve’s cool, Pink Moscato is definitely a crave-able summer wine offering up just enough sweet without becoming syrupy! I found this Pink Moscato perfect for late-afternoon sipping while also being well-suited for a late night dessert pairing to curb a sweet tooth. <3M, a huge fan of sweet wines, happily enjoyed this Pink Moscato, delighted that I finally opened something of his preference.

Inspired by the sweet, fruity notes of Ste. Genevieve’s Pink Moscato and fresh strawberries, I revamped a pie from my childhood for this pairing. While still staying true to Mom’s original, I made it a tad more modern by pairing it with Ste. Genevieve’s gorgeous, fruity pink wine. I also modified the recipe just a tad by slicing the strawberries so they’re more bite-sized (Mom used to leave them whole!) then added homemade almond whipped cream and toasted almonds for crunch!

When I was little eating this pie, my favorite part was the shortbread cookie crust! Much like my ice cream cake, I’m often tempted to just bake shortbread cookie crumbs and butter to eat straight up! The crust is seriously THAT good. The crust for this Chilled Strawberry Shortbread Pie follows a similar technique to the ice cream cake’s crust and making the whole pie is almost as easy as pouring yourself a glass of wine.

In addition to the shortbread crust, this Chilled Strawberry Shortbread Pie also features fresh berries covered in a strawberry glazed. This pie is perfect for summer as it requires very little bake time, just 10 minutes in the oven to bake the crust and a few more on the stovetop to make the fresh strawberry glaze. After slicing all the berries, you mound them into the baked shortbread pie crust, pour over the strawberry glaze and let it chill for 3 hours. When you’re ready to serve, you whip up your fresh whipped cream, slice, severe and pour (the wine!).

After slicing all the berries, you mound them into the baked shortbread pie crust, pour over the strawberry glaze and let it chill for 2-3 hours. When you’re ready to serve, you whip up your fresh whipped cream, slice, severe and pour (the wine!).

I recommend heading to the porch to enjoy this dessert & Ste. Genevieve wine pairing while you relax and take in the warm summer nights!

In return for a recipe pairing, Ste. Genevieve provided me with complimentary wine but all opinions are my own.

5.0 from 4 reviews

Chilled Strawberry Shortbread Pie Crust

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

Author: Alyssa

Serves: 1

Ingredients

For the Crust:
1½ cups crushed shortbread cookies (~1 package of Lorna Doones)
¼ cup sliced almonds
⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350* degrees
In small bowl, stir together the crushed shortbread cookies and almond slices
Pour the melted butter into the cookie & nuts and mix until everything is combined
Press on the crust mixture into the bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie pan
Bake the crust in the oven for 8-10 minutes
Cool for 10-15 minutes before assembling the pie

5.0 from 4 reviews

Chilled Strawberry Shortbread Pie Filling

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

Author: Alyssa

Serves: 10

Ingredients

For the Filling:
6 cups fresh strawberries, hulled & halved*
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
⅓ cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

Mash enough strawberries to equal 1 cup
In a 2-quart saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch.
Whisk in mashed berries and water
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and comes to a full boil (8 to 10 minutes)
Boil the mixture for one minute then remove from heat
Stir in salt and almond extract and allow to cool 10-15 minutes until slightly thickened
Once mixture is cooled, fill pie crust with the remaining fresh strawberries
Pour the cooked strawberry glaze in a strainer and strain over fresh strawberries**
Refrigerate at least 2 hours
To serve, slice & top with homemade whipped cream

Notes

*If the strawberries are rather large, quarter them so the pieces are smaller.
**You may need to gently shake the glaze so it drips between the spaces of the berries. It's okay if you have some glaze leftover and don't use it all in the pie. Save it & use as jam for breakfast.

5.0 from 4 reviews

Chilled Strawberry Shortbread Pie Whipped Cream

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

10 mins

Author: Alyssa

Serves: 1

Ingredients

For the Whipped Cream:
8 ounces heavy whipping cream*
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

Chill an electric mixing bowl in the freezer for 10-15 minutes
When ready to make whipped cream, pour the heavy whipping cream and sugar into the chilled bowl
Using an electric mixer, whip on medium-high for 3-5 minutes until stiff peaks form
Turn off mixer, add in almond extract and combine on low for 10-15 seconds

Notes

*Half and Half, whole milk, etc. will not work. This must be heavy whipping cream

Budget White Wines for Summer Sipping

June 22, 2016 by Alyssa

To kick off the first week of summer, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite budget white wines that you can enjoy all summer long without breaking the bank!

I’m not sure how the rest of the country’s weather is feelin’ but here in Texas, summer has arrived! We’re talking 100 degree days, thick humidity and sun, sun, sun! When the heat hits hard in Texas, all I want to do is break out the white wines and pour myself a tall glass.

In light of the summer heat, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite bottles that you can enjoy all summer long without breaking the bank! I love crisp white wines that offer up a bit of fruit and acidity. I personally favor sauvignon blancs but below I also share my favorite Chardonnay & Vinho Verde, a white wine you may not be familiar with.

First up is Oya Pointe Sauvignon Blanc from Barlborough, New Zealand. Now, I take no credit in the discovery of this wine. In fact, I happily thank Whole Foods Market’s Bar Lamar for the sampling that led me to purchase a bottle of Oya Pointe and at a steal price of only $12!

This wine pairs well with hearty fish, vegetables or a light pasta. It’s also great to sip on when enjoying a meal that has a bit of spice to it. <3M and I enjoyed this bottle with a lemon ricotta & Italian sausage fusilli dish, I made a few weekends ago!

The light lemon complimented the citrus notes in the wine while its crispness balanced the bites of spice from the sausage. If you can hunt it down, it’s definitely worth the buy! (And I promise, I’ll post the ricotta fusilli recipe in the near future, if you’re interested!)

Next up is Firebrand Chardonnay from California. This bottle is not like your typically Chardonnay. It is is no way buttery nor oaky — two tastes that often come to mind when you thinks of Chardonnay. This wine is crisp & clean! Similar to the above white, this Firebrand Chardonnay also pairs well with fish, veggies and pasta.

<3M and I again went the way of Italiano and paired the Firebrand Chardonnay with my Bucatini Pasta with Rosemary Breadcrumbs. The dish itself was mild and didn’t over power the lightness of the white wine on the warm summer night.

Last up, we hop over to Portugal with Nobilis Vinho Verde. If you aren’t familiar with Vinho Verde, the first thing you should know is that it has a hint of effervescence! It contains just the slightest bit of bubbles — just enough to tickle your tongue!

Vinho Verde is also pretty versatile when it comes to food pairings — like most whites, it goes great with fish, vegetables, and spicy food. But, because of it’s unique bubbly characteristic, it also makes a great dessert pairing! And this bottle is only $7 a pop!

If you’re looking for a pairing recommendation, I would try pairing the Nobilis Vinho Verde with some seafood and chimichurri sauce, I’d suggest something fancy, like grilled scallops! Or, if you want to take this wine into dessert, try it paired with this lemon pound cake. The fruit in the wine will help pick up the citrus in the pound cake!

Do you have any summer wines you’re enjoying right now? Maybe a light white like those above or a special rose? Please share, I’d love to hear about them!

summer

Barley Swine’s summer tasting menu just might be the best meal I’ve ever had. If you do one thing this summer, experience this seasonal menu.

Here’s a look at our meal highlights, though to be honest, every dish was STELLAR.

Summer tasting menu desserts

If you’re interested in the summer tasting menu, you can grab the summer Barley Swine tasting at a steal for $65 if you visit Sunday-Thursday between 5-6pm (normally $95). I highly recommend reservations.

My baking bucket list challenge continues this month with an upside down cake. Rather than classic pineapple, I had a baking adventure with a rhubarb upside down cake.

Let me tell you how this happened…

Making my rhubarb upside down cake

The recipe said to prepare a 9-inch cake pan.

The recipe said to mix 4-inch pieces of rhubarb with sugar and corn starch in a bowl and let it sit.

The recipe then directed me to place the rhubarb sticks into the bottom of a pan and include the ‘remaining’ sugar they were mixed with.

The recipe didn’t have any reviews.

So how did the cake turn out?

Grilled Shrimp & Peach Panzanella Salad with Basil Vinaigrette uses seasonal ingredients to create a light but fresh summertime salad.

Treat yourself to something special with this delightfully sweet summer dessert and wine pairing featuring Chilled Strawberry Shortbread Pie and Ste. Genevieve’s Pink Moscato.

To kick off the first week of summer, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite budget white wines that you can enjoy all summer long without breaking the bank!

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