Breakfast With Fredericksburg Culinary Arts

When we attended a complementary class sponsored by Fredericksburg Culinary Arts, little did we know that we would simultaneously receive a 'taste' of breakfast from Cottages At Limestone On Main Bed & Breakfast - named among the "Great Stays of Texas." Co-owners of both venues, Carol Seminara and her husband, Joe Houde, enthusiastically presented a demonstration meal that featured Texas Hill Country's best seasonal ingredients and their love of great food.

Carol got things underway as she made peach and pecan scones, which she topped with decorative pearl sugar because it holds its shape when exposed to heat. These gorgeous scones were light and airy, with a nice balance of fruit and nut flavors.

Carol's Cottage Granola arrived next - a healthy and tasty combination of rolled oats, almonds, walnuts, coconut, sesame seeds, wheat germ, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla, dried cranberries and golden raisins paired with fresh blackberries and a dollop of creamy vanilla yogurt.

Joe worked his magic with delicate crepes, which enfolded fresh asparagus and cubed ham. A savory, surprisingly light Swiss cheese sauce smothered the completed crepes.

But for sheer inventiveness, this orange juice truly captivated me; it's one 'recipe' that I raved about several times after I returned home. Carol used a star-shaped mold and pomegranate juice to created delightful ice cubes, which decorate and chill the juice as they add flavor. 

Throughout the class, Carol and Joe provided quick tips for anybody's kitchen including:

        -Cold dough in a hot oven is key to baking

        -Every time you open the oven door you reduce the temperature by 25 degrees

        -Coffee filters polish mirrors and chrome

By the time the juice arrived, our tasting menu had filled us so full that we saw no need for lunch. Then Carol and Joe put everything together on a signature silver tray, just as they might for their B & B guests, and I wished I had time to spend the night at Cottages At Limestone on Main.

Chocolat in Fredericksburg

Visual Traveler returns with the 200th entry, today, and it's good to be back. Sometimes, you just have to leave things alone and let them simmer awhile before you can return for another taste, and that's what I've done with this blog. Recovery from a broken elbow through much of the summer, plus intensive travels through the state of Kansas while doing research for a travel guide have resulted in a new focus. Look for food-related posts on Wednesdays, a Crossing Kansas entry on Fridays, and another travel entry - often related to food - on Mondays. And, most of all, ENJOY!

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Lecia Duke watches intently as we pop liquid center chocolates in our mouths, during a press trip to Fredericksburg, TX. She encourages us to let them sit on our tongues until the chocolate shell warms up and breaks open. A rush of Almendrado (almond) tequila suddenly bathes my tongue, swirling together with the melted dark chocolate shell. I immediately want to try a second. This time there’s an explosion of rich, seductive ruby port as melting chocolate envelopes my tongue.

These are only a few varieties of the liquid center chocolates available at Chocolat/Quintessential Chocolates Co., Inc., a must-visit local destination for chocolate lovers. Duke’s ‘Spirited Selection’ liquid centers include Tennessee Whiskey, Amaretto, French Cognac Champagne, spiced rum and Russian Orange Vodka. Wine lovers can sample chocolates made with blackberry, orange Muscat, Washington raspberry and Muscat Hamburg wines, and non-alcohol selections include mesquite roasted or espresso coffee and black cherry or peach nectar.

Duke created her three- to five-day chocolate molding and filling process following her apprenticeship with a Swiss master chocolatier. By 1984, Chocolat was born. Duke casts all of her molds in the store. She and her staff use Merckens Yucatan chocolate, with 53-70% cacao, and her American roots inspired her to add liquid flavorings that Americans would appreciate. She’s also quick to point out that one of these decadent chocolates, made with at least 50 percent cacao, has only 28 calories and an astounding antioxidant level of 13,000.
But there’s more to Duke’s repertoire than liquid chocolates. Sample her silk fudge – melt-in-your-mouth, creamy and luscious, in German Chocolate, Raspberry and several other decadent flavors. Crafted only with chocolate, heavy whipping cream and flavoring, these chocolate-based confections have no added sugar, taking their sweetness from the chocolate itself. Across the tiny lobby samples of chile-laced dark chocolate are rich and satisfying, while the heat grows with each bite.

I guarantee that you won't want to stop with just one.

Fredericksburg's Cotton Gin Village

Once in awhile, a place where you stay makes such a lasting impression that you remember it many months later. The Cotton Gin Village, in Fredericksburg, Texas, is one of those places for me.

Talk about a step back in time! I entered my two room suite through the front door of an 1800s cabin that had been imported, piece-by-piece, from Kentucky. It was one of several that ringed a small waterfall and garden area and were tucked amidst a blacksmith shop and antique cotton gin.

An old stone fireplace, a copper sink surrounded by a hand-turned coffee grinder and tin cups, a handmade bed quilt , black and white wall portraits in rustic wood frames, and cabinets with distressed paint finishes enhanced the old-fashioned ambience inside. But no detail was left untouched in the area of modern comfort either. I lounged in a jacuzzi tub each evening and enjoyed homemade biscuits and scones, fresh fruit and yogurt each morning. 

Modern satellite television hid inside an antique armoire and a modern coffeemaker provided a nice jolt of caffeine every day. The Cotton Gin Village was a place I really didn't want to leave and vowed to visit again.

Afternoon Tasting at Pedernales Cellars

On a wonderfully warm April afternoon, we arrive for a wine tasting at Pedernales Cellars, one of many wineries that operate in the Texas Hill Country near Fredericksburg. Despite the spelling of its name, locals and savvy visitors know there's another way to say it in these parts. Just like the nearby river of the same name, both are called 'Per-du-nal-is' in Hill Country. The business opened in 1995 amidst the fertile Pedernales River Valley, which offers the perfect climate for growing hot-weather-loving grapes such as tempranillo, cabernet, merlot and viognier varieties.

We're sitting on a spacious deck behind the visitor's center, where white linen, long lines of sparkling goblets and light snacks await us, with skewers of strawberries and blackberries, huge grapes, crusty bread and lahvosh crackers, robust and creamy cheeses, and a plethora of marinated vegetables including fresh asparagus and peppers. There's something about looking out over the quiet sun-drenched countryside while sampling wine and food with friends that makes the afternoon special.

While we sip each of several different whites and reds we learn that Pedernales Cellars crafts 4,000 cases of wine annually, making it the fifth largest volume wine producer in the United States. All of its red wines age in white oak barrels made with wood from America - mostly from Lebanon, Missouri - France, particularly for merlots, or Eastern Europe. The winery stops using each barrel after about four years, because much of the oak-y character of the wood dissipates within three years.

As our tasting draws to a satisfying close, the porch swing attached to a nearby tree beckons. But we have another appointment this afternoon, so swinging will have to wait for a future visit.

Pie Heaven in Fredericksburg

On National Pie Day, each January - and on other special occasions - visitors to Fredericksburg Pie Company may enjoy a sample plate of their favorite made-from-scratch pies while sitting in the tiny dining area up front. It's a tough choice with up to 20 different pies on-hand.

During our visit to the shop owner, Charlotte Freeborn, served five varieties in small cups. There was just enough to get a good taste of each offering. Sweet-tart orange bourbon pecan pie and silky ancho chocolate with whipped cream and a bit of heat were my favorites. We also tried creamy buttermilk pie, key lime coconut atop a dark chocolate crust and tangy key lime pie.

Freeborn and her son begin baking at 6:30 a.m. each day. On Saturdays they close when the last pie is gone. The Freeborns take great pride in their traditional pie crust, which takes two days and includes both butter and shortening to assure great flavor and flakiness. They also make all of their fillings from scratch. And folks who are watching their sugar need not worry; the pair makes apple, blueberry, cherry and peach pies without any of that sweet stuff.

Leave some time to browse after you've indulged your sweet tooth because there's more to Fredericksburg Pie Company than pie. The Freeborns sell finished quilts and all of the tools necessary for this craft, vintage crocks, glassware, furniture, linens and pictures, and a selection of cooking and other books. You'll also want to hurry back for another slice.

Raspberries + Chiles = Genius in Texas

Raspberries and chile peppers. In today's culinary environment, that sounds simple enough. But when Fischer & Wieser Specialty Foods created The Original Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce, they were definitely ahead of the curve. And, when, potential customers tried the new product they raved about the combination of fresh raspberries balanced against smoky, seductive chipotle peppers.

Today, the sauce has put this family-owned Fredericksburg company on the map and become Texas' number one-selling specialty condiment. Decadent when served over cream cheese atop a mild-flavored cracker, and the perfect sweet-hot glaze for pork tenderloin or boneless chicken breast, the sauce actually has limitless possible uses.

But trying this legendary sauce in the original building it came from at 10 o'clock in the morning, and buying a bottle from the company's owner, made this a truly memorable taste experience.

War and Peace in Fredericksburg, Texas

I recently toured the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas. This enormous collection of memorabilia related to Pacific conflict during the second World War includes a pair of automated mannequins talking on a dark battlefield, a miniature Japanese submarine, and a full-size B-25 plane. There are uniforms, medals, weapons, and literally thousands of memorabilia related to the conflict.

But my favorite section was the Japanese Garden of Peace, a gift to the United States from Japanese military leaders in honor of later peace between the two nations, native son, Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, and his long friendship with Japanese Admiral Togo.

Dedicated in 1976, the serene sun-drenched garden features glistening ponds and streams, lush greenery and hand-picked stones. There are soaring bamboo plants, stone pagodas and lanterns, and a long string of origami cranes hangs from a tree - a common Japanese symbol representing peace. This natural oasis also includes a building that replicates Admiral Togo's study in Japan.

No part of the garden drew me in so completely as the circular pattern etched into a large area of meticulously raked gravel, which I wanted to follow with a rake myself. The garden provides a beautiful and peaceful respite from thoughts of war and everyday life.

Texas-Shaped Chocolate

Sometimes food is as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the palate. Such was the case at Westin La Cantera Hotel, in San Antonio. One evening a culinary gift arrived that blew us away with its detail and inventiveness.

A nearly photographic image of the hotel property had been transferred to the removable top of a white chocolate 'box,' which was full of white and dark chocolate truffles, and iced and jellied sugar cookies. Fresh strawberry halves and dark chocolate drizzles decorated the plate, providing visual contrast to the Texas-shaped confection.

The idea that this was too pretty to eat didn't last long - nor did the chocolate.