Parties That Cook Goes to Austin for the IACP Conference

Yee-haw!

The International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) is a worldwide forum for the development and exchange of information, knowledge, and inspiration within the professional food and beverage community. We were lucky enough to send our very own Director of Marketing, Crissy Gershey, to the heart of the Lone Star State — Austin, Texas.  She braved the 110-degree heat and took on the city known for its musical and culinary history. Let’s take this opportunity for a virtual vacation in Texas…

The Live Music Capital of the World!

But first… It wouldn’t be Texas without the customary longhorn photo:

Did you know that their horns can extend up to 7 feet from tip to tip?

While in Austin, Crissy made sure to hit up all the hot spots. One such locale is the vibrant, creative and hip neighborhood known as SoCo. There, she checked out the famous Tesoros Trading Co., a store featuring a wide selection of Mexican and Latin American folk art, Moroccan mirrors, jewelry from all over the world, and more! There were SO many cool nick nacks! Crissy considered buying a pair of stylish boots from the well-known Allen’s Boots, but instead, opted for ice cream at Amy’s, which has been serving scoops of deliciousness for over 25 years. (A much better way to cool off in the sweltering heat!) Crissy then snapped a photo of The Driskill Hotel, where she sipped a Sazerac and enjoyed some local live music.

The Driskill Hotel — built in 1886 as the showplace of cattle baron Jesse Driskill.

The Texas Capitol Building.

Speaking of Capitols: In celebration of the 1st anniversary of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Chef’s Move to Schools Initiative, the IACP invited White House Senior Food Policy Advisor Sam Kass as a guess speaker. Nice!

The Congress Avenue Bridge: famous for its resident bats!

Let’s talk food for a bit — well, mobile food. Trailer, cart, truck, silver bullet, wagon, Austin has ’em all! Crissy found food carts set up in parking lots, on sidewalks, in groups or standing by themselves, “They were everywhere!” Some of the freshest and most crave-worthy food in Austin is served from these carts. You can get delicious hot dogs, tacos, pho, crepes and a multitude of other ethnic foods.  It’s no wonder why Austin loves its food carts!

So you wanna start a food cart?

As far as restaurants go, Austin brings home the gold in culinary expertise — and there’s no shortage of options! Crissy ate one of the top 10 meals of her life at Uchiko, a restaurant featuring contemporary Japanese food and sushi. She and our friends from Simple Gourmet in Los Angeles also hit up El Arbol, where they got a taste of South American cuisine.

Taji, Crissy, and Melanie

What’s a trip to Texas without a stop at The Salt Lick BBQ? It doesn’t get any more authentic than this…

Crissy opted for a BBQ brisket sandwich. Yum!

But wait! We can’t forget about the IACP Conference! After attending a session on community gardens and urban farms, Crissy was inspired to check out Boggy Creek Farm. She couldn’t believe its location— right smack in the middle of East Austin! Chicken coop and all…

Sad to say, it doesn’t look like these chickens have a cool enough coop for The Funky Chicken Coop Tour.

We love urban farming!

Texas: Go Big or Go Home!

Last up was a trip to the Central Market, one of the freshest market chains in the country! The great thing about these markets is that they’re not only a place to exchange goods and services, but also ideas. Central Markets offer community gathering spaces, cooking classes, and live music at every location.

Crissy snapped this photo of fresh and dried chilies — Keepin’ it hot in Texas!

With new found knowledge about video blogging, plenty of DIY marketing tips, and lots of fun memories, Crissy boarded the plane back to San Francisco. What do you think, is Austin Parties That Cook’s next stop for corporate team building?

Parties That Cook Summer Sun Recipe: Seasonal Fruit Potpies

With the weather heating up across the nation (even if only for the weekend), what better way to celebrate summer than with a delicious seasonal fruit potpie? Among other great fruits, this recipe uses the season’s finest berries: blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and snozzberries! Go the extra mile and top with whipped cream; Run an extra mile and top with ice cream – YUM. Our friends over at CUESA love berries just as much as we do. Check out this article for the low down on their berry adventures for this month!

Seasonal Fruit Potpies
This recipe can also be found in our Dessert Recipes Section

Ingredients
Cream Cheese Pastry Dough:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, un-sifted
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, chilled
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, chilled

Fruit:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 cups fresh fruit, cut into 1/2 inch pieces if necessary: blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, peaches, mango, apples and plums
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 Tablespoons butter

1/4 cup cream (for brushing dough right before baking)
2 Tablespoons coarse sugar, sprinkling over the pastry
Plastic wrap

Methods/Steps
Make Pastry Dough: Pulse the flour, sugar, lemon zest and salt in a food processor for a few seconds to mix ingredients. Scatter butter cubes over the flour mixture, and pulse until the mixture has the consistency of cornmeal. Scatter the cream cheese cubes over the mixture and process until ingredients just come together in a ball. Shape dough into 2 discs, about 3/4-inch thick. Wrap in plastic and freeze for 15 minutes in the freezer.

Make Fruit: Preheat oven to 375°F. Adjust rack to lower third of the oven. Place 12 ramekins on a sheet pan. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add fruit, lemon juice and vanilla; gently toss to combine. Spoon about 1 cup of the fruit mixture into each ramekin; dot with a small pat of butter.

Roll Pastry Dough: Roll out one disc of pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Using a 4 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out dough circles that are just a bit larger than the ramekins. Set a pastry circle on top of each fruit-filled ramekin and gently press the pastry down into the ramekin around the edge. Repeat with second dough circle and remaining potpies.

Bake Potpies: Using a pastry brush, apply a light coating of cream over the dough, and sprinkle coarse sugar over the top. Using a small pairing knife, make a couple of slits in the center of the pastry to allow steam to escape. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the fruit is bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves/Makes
Serves 12