Thirty years ago, Texans who equated fine dining with chicken cordon bleu and trout meunière suddenly found themselves eating barbecued Gulf shrimp and goat cheese quesadillas. An oral history of the Southwestern cuisine revolution.
And shares his recipe for Barbecued Bacon-Wrapped Quail with Jalapeño Ranch Dressing.
“Here’s the thing: I was born and raised in eastern Kentucky. I wasn’t born in downtown Paris. What do I love? I love Southern food. I love soul food. I love barbecue. I learned about food in dives. ”
“People are fascinated with intricate, exotic preparations, but they love comfort food. What we’re doing is giving homey, Texas food a kick and serving it in our Mansion style.”My dad was an innkeeper, which is how I got into cooking. He was with the parent company of Holiday Inn, and
Yes, the setting is ritzy and the food remarkable. But what really makes the state’s best new restaurant sizzle is something less tangible: the (Dean) Fearing factor.
Dean Fearing, the guitar- strumming executive chef at Dallas’ swanky Mansion on Turtle Creek, hits all the right notes when he’s in the kitchen. The Eastern Kentucky native and graduate of New York’s Culinary Institute came to Texas in 1979 to explore new frontiers in cooking and ended up pioneering
Tacos go uptown in the hands of Dean Fearing. All it takes is a little lobster, jalapeño-spiked cheese, fresh spinach, and Fearing’s snappy yellow-tomato salsa. This new, beautifully photographed compendium by Arlene Feltman-Sailhac focuses on nine masters of Southwestern cuisine. Other Texas chefs spotlighted are Robert Del Grande of Houston’s
3 tablespoons peanut oil (or other light oil) 4 yellow Noonday onions, peeled and thinly sliced (yellow, red, or 1016 onions may be substituted) 6 Vidalia onions, peeled and thinly sliced 1 cup heavy cream 4 large eggs 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
4 squabs of Cornish hens, wings removed (may also remove wishbone to make slicing easier) Salt to taste Ground black pepper to taste Dash of cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 small head Bibb lettuce 3 bunches other delicate salad greens 1/2 small head baby chicory, yellow and white
If traditional holiday meals leave you hungry for something new, you’ll devour the dishes that Dallas chef Dean Fearing has prepared.
2 cups buttermilk 1 tablespoon melted butter 1 egg 1/3 cup flour 1 cup coarsely ground cornmeal 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons vegetable oilIn medium bowl, combine all ingredients except oil. Mixture should be thickness of pancake batter or heavy cream.Heat small amount of oil in
12 well-cleaned oysters with deep shells Cayenne pepper to taste 2 hard-boiled egg yolks 2 raw egg yolks 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon melted butter Salt to taste 2 tablespoons toasted bread crumbs 12 sprigs fresh thymePreheat oven to 350 degrees. Place one oyster in each shell and
1 cup molasses 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons ground black pepper 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped 1 large shallot, peeled and finely chopped 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste 2 pounds center-cut beef tenderloin, trimmed
3/4 cup flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup corn syrup 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract 1 cup finely chopped dates 1 cup chopped pecans 1/3 cup sifted confectioners’ sugarPreheat over to 375 degrees. Grease bottom of two 8-inch-square baking pans. Sift flour with salt
Crust1 3/4 cup flour 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons sugar 1 cup finely grated cheddar cheese 1 1/2 sticks chilled butter 2 tablespoons chilled shortening 1/4 cup ice waterIn medium bowl, combine dry ingredients and mix in cheese. Cut in butter and shortening with pastry blender until texture resembles coarse
Squab wings and carcasses reserved from previous recipe, chopped (may also add chicken bones) 2 cups veal demiglace (available canned or frozen; reduce by half to concentrate) 1/2 cup dried cherries 1/2 cup brandy 1/2 cup sorghum syrup 2 tablespoons hazelnut oil or other nut oil 2 shallots, peeled and
3 cups fresh or frozen corn 1 cup finely shredded green cabbage 1 cup chopped yellow onion 1/2 cup seeded and diced sweet red pepper 1 teaspoon whole celery seed 1/2 teaspoon whole mustard seed 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup cider vinegarPlace
1/2 cup marinade reserved from previous recipe 1 cup veal demiglace 1 cup smoked slab bacon cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 cups wild mushrooms, such as brown Italian or shiitake, cut to about size of pearl onions 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cup sweet-potato balls (prepare
1/2 cup water 1/2 cup sugar 2 dried red chiles 1 cup pecan halves 1/4 cup molassesPreheat oven to 250 degrees. Combine water, sugar, and chiles in small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add pecans and return to a boil. Lower hear and simmer 10 minutes.Drain pecans,
Jalapeño Jack Spoon Bread2 cups whole milk 1 cup stone-ground cornmeal 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 teaspoons baking powder 4 whole eggs 1 large onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, diced 2 shallots, diced 2 fresh medium-sized jalapeños, diced 4 ounces jalapeño Monterey Jack cheese, shredded 1/4 teaspoon saltPreheat oven to
Most recipes for game birds amount to long, slow overkill. Only quick, hot cooking ensures that red-meat birds retain their rich flavor.
24 large Gulf shrimp 3 fresh jalapeños, finely chopped 1⁄4 cup finely chopped pickled jalapeños 1⁄4 cup juice from pickled jalapeños 3 shallots, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh epazote 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons unrefined
The Mansion chef’s most redolent recipe came from Sunday suppers at his grandmother’s house.
