Branch Water Tavern

David Grossman and Evan Turner’s new tavern hosts a vibrant dining and bar scene on North Shepherd in Houston.

Artisanal beers, creative cocktails and a vast collection of American whiskeys are specialties at the bar… and decadent duck fat popcorn.

A boutique wine list assembled by sommelier and beverage director Evan Turner includes something for every adventurous Texas palate.

After graduating top of his class at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Grossman gained experience at notable restaurants in San Francisco, New York and Houston.

Next week:  from the menu at Branch Water Tavern.

Torta della Nonna from Villa Ferraia

Everyone’s Nonna in Italy makes the traditional family Torta.  Torta della Nonna, or Grandmother’s Cake, has as many variations as there are grandmothers!   Here’s a tasty version I enjoyed during my assignment at Villa Ferraia in Tuscany.  It consists of a delicate crust and light lemony custard filling.  Pine nuts on top toast during baking and add a nice crunch. 

Torta della Nonna

14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (200g)

1 cup sugar (200g)

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour (200g)

pinch of salt

Custard filling (recipe below)

3 tablespoons pine nuts (20g)

Lightly grease a 9-inch (24cm) tart pan with butter.  Sprinkle with a little flour and set aside.  Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time and beat until blended. Add flour and salt and mix until flour is just incorporated. The mixture will be quite sticky and you will use your fingers to place it in the pan. Sprinkle a little flour on the dough. Dipping your finger in additional flour every now and again, take one half of the dough and pat it on the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch (24cm) tart pan. Pour only the amount of filling in the pastry shell until it is about 1/8” from the top of the pan. Any leftover filling is delicious on its own or with fresh fruit. Take the reserved half of the pastry and using your ‘floury’ hands, mold it into small, thin pieces and carefully place the pieces on top of the filling, overlapping it as you go. Seal the edges together. Sprinkle the top with pine nuts. Bake for about 45 minutes in a 350 – 375F oven, or until the top is nicely browned and the pine nuts are toasted. Cool. It can be served at room temperature but is best the next day after chilling in the refrigerator. Dust with confectioner’s sugar.

Custard filling:

5 egg yolks

5 tablespoons sugar (60g)

grated zest of ½ lemon

1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (15-30ml)

¼ cup all purpose flour (30g)

pinch salt

3¼ cup milk (¾ liter)

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar together until pale and creamy. Add zest and lemon juice and blend. In another small bowl, blend flour with ¼ cup cold milk with a whisk until it’s smooth and there are no lumps. Over medium heat, heat the rest of the milk in a medium saucepan until small bubbles appear on the sides of the pan. Take a ladleful and add it to the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs. Add the egg mixture to the hot milk and whisk to combine. Whisking continuously, add the flour mixture to the milk mixture and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes and then remove from heat. Cool the custard filling by stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. The custard will thicken as it cools.

Houston house & home

February's Houston house & home features a detail of the Smith Photography studio courtyard taken during fair weather.  It looks a little different today...

It has been a tough few weeks for Houston's gardens.  An uncommonly hard freeze that lasted several days has left our yards looking worn and lifeless.  The newest edition of Houston house and home comes to our rescue!  Devoted entirely to landscaping concerns, this issue will help us meet the challenge of rebuilding our beautiful outdoors.

Click here to access the newest issue online.

Haven

Haven restaurant in Houston opened for business in mid-December.   Certified “green” and built from the ground up, Executive Chef Randy Evans (formerly of Brennan’s) and restauranteurs Debbie and Rhea Wheeler have created an understated yet elegant setting in which patrons can dine in a relaxed atmosphere with excellent service.

Coined by Randy as the “New Texas Cuisine”, his menu is inspired by locally grown produce, seafood and meats procured daily from farmers and artisans in the Houston area.  The freshest organic ingredients form the basis for dishes such as Free-range chicken with bacon spaetzle and crispy Brussels sprout leaves, Shrimp corndogs with a Tabasco remoulade and a shot of Meyer lemonade, and a delicious Goat’s buttermilk pecan pie.   

Keeping in mind the minimalist theme, I created several images on canvas for the interior walls, each depicting a relevant seasonal item.   These will be replaced as the seasons change.

Villa Ferraia II

If you have any interest in learning to cook authentic Tuscan cuisine, you must make a trip to Villa Ferraia.   Ferraia’s chefs will share their knowledge of the land, local produce and timeless recipes.   Torta della Nonna (Grandmother’s cake, above) is a classic dessert from the region with a creamy filling and pine nuts on the top.

Stefano heads up the culinary program 

and shows us how to make pizza dough the traditional way.

The pizzas are roasted in a wood-fired oven pictured at the bottom of this page.

Several acres of the property are dedicated to a spectacular organic garden and greenhouse.

Zucchini blossoms and artichokes are abundant during the summer months.

And you will meet interesting people from all over of the world.

I highly recommend a visit!

Villa Ferraia

A little south of Siena and off the beaten path, you will find Villa Ferraia.  Near the village of Tocchi, Ferraia was once a tiny hamlet surrounded by a dense forest.  Wild boar and deer thrive in the area.

Owners Vittorio and Patrizia Cambria bought the abandoned structure and used the surviving brick walls for the foundation for their beautiful new lodge . 

Villa Ferraia is a peaceful retreat with many pleasing features such as an infinity edge pool and spa.

An organic garden provides fresh vegetables

and luscious fruit with every meal.

Dining alfresco on the patio is always a special event.

Led by Vittoria himself, you can ride through quaint surrounding villages

and enjoy a picnic along the way.

Villa Ferraia is this photographer’s dream!

More on Ferraia to come…

On assignment in Tuscany

Rolling hills near Montalcino

One of the many historic piazzas in Siena

 

The Gallo Nero (black rooster) seal of approval at Colle Bereto in the Chianti Classico region

 

Alley in the picturesque hill town of San Gimignano 

 

Hauntingly beautiful San Galgano, below, is an abandoned Cistercian Abbey.   Impressive in its day, the abbey’s roof collapsed because the leading was removed and sold by a local lord.   A beautiful meadow now thrives in the nave.  The walls, true to Gothic design, soar upward to the sky. 

Legend has it that a wayward knight named Galgano Guidotti renounced worldly goods and became a hermit on Monte Siepi.  Spurred on by a vision and determined to prove that renouncing violence and worldly goods would be as difficult as splitting rocks, Galgano impulsively pointed his sword at a stone and miraculously drove it in to it’s hilt!  He never left the hill again and was canonized in 1185.  And there you have the Italian version of the ‘Sword in the Stone’!

 

Corner of a stairwell in Florence

 

Wine bottles in a display case shot during a wine tasting at the Enoteca la Fortezza di Montalcino.  Located inside the main tower of the medieval fortress, the enoteca specializes in wines from the Brunello di Montalcino appellation.

Salute!