Pastry Queen Parties : Entertaining Friends and Family, Texas Style

by Rather, Rebecca

• ISBN13: 9781580089906
• ISBN10: 1580089909
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-10-13
• Publisher: Random House Inc

Summary

No one capturesbig-hearted, big-hatted Texas hospitality like Rebecca Rather. In Pastry Queen Parties, her eagerly awaited third book, Rebecca celebrates her home state's love of good company and great food. Traversing the Lone Star state's rich culinary landscape, Rebecca offers up a bevy of revel-ready menus for: a West Texas ranch-style supper; Tex-Mex hacienda dining in San Antonio; a Gulf Coast summer beach bonanza; a small town homecoming picnic; a big city cocktail party; and a sweet and sunny Hill Country garden party. More than 100 recipes for starters, sides, main dishes, desserts, and drinks showcase Rebecca's bold and bounteous style of cooking. There's mouth-watering inspiration on every page: dig into a West Texas-sized plate of Beer-Braised Short Ribs, Green Tomato Macaroni and Cheese, and Butter Beans and Mixed Greens; or savor soul food San Antonio style with heaping helpings of Rosa's Red Posole and Fiesta Chiles Rellenos. But save room for one of Rebecca's justly famous desserts: maybe a piece of that sky-high Giant Chocolate Cake with Cowboy Coffee Frosting, or a couple of Chubby's White Pralines, or-hey, those S'mores Cupcakes look pretty great . . . . Plentiful stories and useful cooking and entertaining tips from Rebecca and other great Texas hosts and hostesses, a roster of "party express" recipes to pull together quickly, and more than 100 gorgeous scenic and food photos from across the state, make Pastry Queen Parties an irresistible invitation to do it up big, Lone Star style.

Author Biography

IACP award-winning author REBECCA RATHER is the chef-owner of the renowned Rather Sweet Bakery and Café in the Texas Hill Country town of Fredericksburg, where she cultivates the gracious life with plenty of parties. Formerly a caterer, she has planned and cooked for hundreds of events throughout Texas and across the country. Rebecca has been featured in Texas Monthly, Gourmet, Ladies’ Home Journal, Food & Wine, Southern Living, Saveur, and O, the Oprah Magazine. Her previous books include The Pastry Queen and The Pastry Queen Christmas.

ALISON ORESMAN has been a journalist for more than twenty years, writing and editing for newspapers in Wyoming, Florida, and Washington State. Her weekly columns as a restaurant critic have been featured in Miami and Seattle. Alison coauthored the IACP award—winning The Pastry Queen Christmas with Rebecca; this is their third book together.

Excerpts

Chapter one

Hill Country Garden Party

Hill Country folks will seize upon the smallest of excuses to throw a party. Take Wurstfest, a ten-day salute to sausage held every October in the Hill Country town of New Braunfels. It starts when the town's dignitaries stand on stage and simultaneously bite on a long strand of linked sausage.

Or the annual weekend party hosted at the Johnson City ranch of Texas tycoon Red McCombs, who built a fortune investing in oil, automobiles, and airwaves. It starts with a barbecue and ends with a lively auction of Texas longhorns, an impressive-looking but unpractical breed that has become a status symbol for wealthy weekend ranchers.

Then there's Camey Stewart, who lives on a gorgeous spread just outside of Fredericksburg. Her annual Bluebonnet Bash to celebrate the splendid blossoming of the state flower every spring has grown into what must be one of the area's biggest potlucks. She sets up an outdoor table that stretches as far as the eye can see. Camey provides the meat, and guests–almost 200 showed up last year–bring a side dish and a chair.

For many in the Hill Country, parties are an inevitable part of the landscape, much like the swelling hills, breathtaking vistas, and stands of old oaks that define the area. Perhaps our hearty appetite for entertaining grows out of the isolation of spread-out country living, where the closest neighbor often is far from shouting distance away. Maybe it's just that we are a hospitable lot–thriving on connections, a fine story well told, and good food shared. Whatever it is, my Hill Country compatriots party often, and I'm always impressed with the sense of fun and creativity that they bring to the table.

Bobby Watson, who sells commercial kitchen equipment for a living, built his ranch home outside of Fredericksburg with parties in mind. "We wanted a great big kitchen with a bedroom attached," he says. Bobby and his wife, Linda, stage an annual Fourth of July celebration that starts July 3 with a well-stocked bar and a passel of friends to help decorate a float for the annual Fredericksburg Independence Day Parade. The party continues the next day when thirty-five or so of their closest friends squeeze onto the brightly festooned float and parade through the center of town, Bloody Marys and beers in hand. Then it's back to the Watson house for a down-home lunch with barbecue, pork and beans, coleslaw, and potato salad. It doesn't end there. After a nap and a swim, they head out to the fairgrounds for the fireworks display, grills, folding tables and chairs, tablecloths, and candles in tow. There, they enjoy an all-American cookout, with hot dogs, hamburgers, peach cobbler, and chocolate cake.

Local ranchers aren't the only ones drawn into the Hill Country partying spirit. Art teacher Paige Conn, who lives near the center of Fredericksburg, joined a monthly supper club with twelve friends, and the results have been hilarious. Themes have ranged from Barbie and Ken, with Paige and husband, Blaine, showing up as Mermaid Barbie and Captain Ken; Survivor, with outdoor games in the couple's backyard; and a Pure Polyester Party, where guests came in vintage 1970s clothing. "We dress up, we have drinks and appetizers, and the evening takes its course," says Paige. The couples take turns hosting, and the hosts are in charge of the food.

The Hill Country's mild year-round temperatures mean that outdoor parties aren't just for spring and summer. Even in the middle of December, evenings can be warm enough for alfresco entertaining.

Navajo Grill chef-owner Josh Raymer recalls the two-wheeled progressive dinners he organized as a young bachelor. They started with bicycle barhopping and continued as he and his friends pedaled from one house to the next, feasting on a single course at each stop. Unlike much of the surrounding Hill Country, Fredericksburg's flat terrain and relatively s

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Excerpted from Pastry Queen Parties: Entertaining Friends and Family, Texas Style by Rebecca Rather, Alison Oresman
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.