On May 9, Central Market will kick off their two week celebration of all things French. Their Passport to France events will include lots of delicious sampling opportunities in the store (especially the evening of May 9 and on the weekends), daily live music and entertainment, cooking classes, additional products imported from France, including over forty new cheeses, and more.

Highlights include:

• Creperie open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Westgate store
• Tribute to Edit Piaf concert on May 10 at the N. Lamar store and May 17 at the Westgate store
• Crepes class on May 12
• Souffles 101 class on May 14
• Macaron class on May 15
• Sauteing and French pan sauces class on May 16
• Introduction to French Cheeses class on May 20
• A Night in Provence class on May 22

On May 10, the Sustainable Food Center will hold their annual Farm to Plate event at the Barr Mansion.

The Austin Chronicle has compiled a list of Mother’s Day brunch options for May 13.

On May 17, Slow Food Austin will hold their May Happy Hour at Boggy Creek Farm.

On May 20, Slow Food Austin offers a tour of Countryside Family Farm.

What other food events are you looking forward to enjoying this May?

Grills set up for Tim Love

When I saw that Ft. Worth based Tim Love was leading interactive grilling demos at the Austin Food & Wine Festival, I saw the perfect opportunity to conquer my fear. Media badge slung around my neck, I arrive at the gates of the Festival this morning at 9:30 a.m. I was the 26th person in line, and by the time we were allowed in, there were hundreds of people behind me. Knowing that those with VIP badges would be allowed in first, I sprinted with my fellow early birds to get a good spot in line at the appropriately named, “Hands On Grilling Area.”

Charcoal Chimney Starters

After the people in front of me let their friends join them in line, I was 10th in the General Admission line and was placed at a grill four rows from the stage. There were a total of 201 participants — each with their own prep station and grill — making today’s class the “largest outdoor cooking demo ever,” according to Chef Tim Love, who added an additional grill to top yesterday’s 200.

Within five minutes of Chef Love’s energetic arrival on stage, participants were clapping, cheering, and laughing along with him. He reminded me of a baptist preacher, and we were his adoring congregation. Instead of preaching about the bible, he was preaching the Word of meat, charcoal, and cold white wine.

Love asks the crowd, "Who's here to cook the perfect steak?"

Love told us not to use olive oil on the grill — it has too low of a smoking point and will burn. He suggests peanut oil instead. He says all you need to make perfect steak on the cheapest, easiest grill on the planet is natural wood and good (not necessarily the most expensive) cuts of meat.

Other ingredients needed to cook the perfect steak include:

• Charcoal grill – $100
• Charcoal chimney starter – $10
• Mesquite wood chips – $8 for a 2 lb. bag
• Chef knife – starts at $12
• Basting brush – $4
• Cutting board – $10
• Peanut oil
• Big flake salt (kosher salt)
• Cracked black pepper
• Tongs
• Kitchen towels

Note: You’ll notice that a meat thermometer was part of the mise en place, but we never did use it. However, Tim did recommend using a meat thermometer at home.

Mise en place

Next to our grill was a cooler filled with ice, a bottle of white wine, two NY Strip Steaks, two Skirt (or Flank) steaks, two bags of broccolini and two lemons. Tim told us that he chose Skirt as one of our cuts of meat, since it tends to be a more inexpensive cut, and he wanted to show us “how to take alternative cuts of meat and make it badass.”

Fully stocked cooler

We prepped our meat by brushing each side with peanut oil, and sprinkling liberally with salt. Love suggested more restraint with the black pepper, but I really like a peppery steak so I put a little on mine. We pushed the pepper into the steak to help encourage a crust to form when it started to cook.

NY Strip Steak and Skirt Steak

Love told us to put our steak on the hottest part of the grill and put the lid on it, which keeps the grill at a constant hot temperature and ensures that the steak will taste and smell like the natural wood we’ve used.

“If you lift the lid, it gets cold, and the only thing you want cold when you’re grilling is your white wine.”

Grill Marks Are Key

After we took the NY Strip off the grill to rest, we pulled off the grate, and in the process, I got my first battle scar of the day — a small burn on my right hand. Love is a big fan of getting dirty while grilling, and although burning yourself is likely not part of the plan, I was a quarter of the way into our bottle of wine at this point. Love says, “if you walk out of my class with clean hands, you’re an asshole.”

My grill Burn

Next up was the skirt steak, which we had also brushed with peanut oil, and then sprinkled with Love’s Wild Game Rub, a mix of salt, ground pepper, chile powder, cumin, thyme, and rosemary. Love instructed us to place the steaks directly on the hot coals. He joked that some of the audience members were like, “shit, ok, he said to do it.”

Love’s all about making grilling fun, and during his demo, he was joined on stage by some of the other chefs at the Austin Food & Wine Festival — Morimoto, Marcus Samuelsson, and Andrew Zimmern, who he made fun of while they ribbed him back.

Skirt Steak on the Coals

Placing the skirt steak on the coals made them smoke like crazy, and this is what it looks like when 201 grills are smoking all at the same time. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one thankful for the recent rains and end of the burn ban that we experienced last summer and fall.

Smoky Auditorium Shores

We took off the skirt steak to rest with the NY Strip, but the grate back on the grill, and basted the broccolini with peanut oil. We chopped a couple garlic cloves, mixed it with the broccolini, and sprinkled it with salt and pepper. On the grill, we squeezed a 1/2 lemon over the vegetables.

Broccolini and garlic

The final stage. I was drooling by now.

Everyone on the grill

The final step to grilling the perfect meat, is to cut it against the grain. Jon demonstrates the proper way to hold a knife below. I didn’t demonstrate, because I had already cut myself (left hand this time) — proving that drinking copious amounts of wine while grilling might not be the best idea for some of us.

knife skills

On our way out of the class, Jon and I shared our perfectly prepared medium rare meat with friends and strangers alike, and went on to enjoy the final class and tastings of the festival weekend.

Giving away the meat

For more grilling tips from Chef Love, check out this Q&A in Food & Wine magazine.

Family Picture

After taking a month or so off after “Wedding A,” we have spent the past few months making plans and tough decisions for Wedding B — making a guest list, organizing hotel accommodations, finding a rehearsal dinner space,  talking to potential officiants, budgeting, etc. There is still so much to do to pull it together, but we are so excited about the venue we have chosen for both our ceremony and reception.

It’s officially called Ceres Park, but it’s better known as the location of Jester King Brewery. Right now, there’s one bathroom in the brewery, where we will host the cocktail hour, and no bathrooms at the pavilion, where the reception will be held. However, they are in the process of building a pizza restaurant right next to the pavilion, and turning an old Airstream trailer into bathrooms for both the restaurant and the pavilion.

View from potential ceremony site to brewery

Brewery porch

Jester King Brewery

The Pavilion

The Future Bathroom

Inside the pavilion

I can’t wait to see how it all looks when it’s set up for a party.

Related:

• Our Shotgun Wedding
• Tasty Tuesdays: Best Wedding Venues in Central Texas

Funky Chicken Coop Tour
Saturday, April 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The purpose of this tour is to encourage city residents to raise chickens at home by demonstrating the many ways that chicken (and other poultry) housing can be incorporated into urban residence without violating city ordinances or creating a nuisance.  Buy your “ticket(s)” in advance online for pick up the morning of the tour from the Information Center at Buck Moore Feed.
Cost: $10 for a guide, which can be shared with a group

Fridge Pickles Photo by Kate of HipGirlsHome.com

Slow Food Austin’s Slow Session on Refrigerator Pickling
Wednesday, April 11 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Kate Payne, author of The Hip Girls’ Guide to Homemaking
In this Slow Session, you’ll learn the basics of refrigerator pickling, a quicker, convenient, less labor intensive way to store your fresh veggies and create delicious snacks, meal accompaniments, and gifts! This method applies to cucumbers of course, but much more including zucchini, artichokes, eggplant, and peppers.
Cost: FREE

East Austin Urban Farm Tour
Sunday, April 15 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Spend a Sunday afternoon strolling amongst the crops, visiting the chickens, donkeys and goats on four urban farms mere blocks apart. At each farm, chefs will offer tastes of their art, using farm ingredients. Local mixologists, brewers, and wine merchants will share sips. In the fields, farmers will introduce their crops, share their experiences as farmers and answer gardening questions.
Cost: $35

SFC Chef Series: Spring Bounty
Sunday, April 15 from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
La Condesa: 400 W. 2nd Street
Cocktail Party: 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Rene Ortiz – executive chef at La Condesa
Nate Wells – mixologist at La Condesa
Six Course Dinner with drinks pairing: 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Jesse Griffiths – executive chef at Dai Due
Andrew Wiseheart – executive chef at Contigo
Shawn Cirkiel – executive chef at Olive & June
John Bates – executive chef at Noble Pig
James Holmes – executive chef at Lucy’s
Jessica Maher – pastry chef at Lenoir
Cost: $125

Moontower Comedy Festival
Wednesday, April 23 to Sunday, April 28
Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival presented by the Paramount Theatre brings to Austin, TX some of the funniest, wittiest and oddest world-class comics from around the globe. This marathon of side-splitting nights throughout the city is slated to bring over 60 comedians doing everything from stand-up and sketch to improv and musical comedy. National headliners, up-and-comer and local Austin-based comedians ensure that there are options for every type of comedy fan; die-hards to those just looking for a fun night.
Cost: Shows Vary in Cost Starting at $10

Live Fire!
Thursday, April 26 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Salt Lick BBQ Pavilion
In the pristine Texas Hill Country setting along the banks of Onion Creek, Live Fire! attendees will enjoy live music and a dazzling menu of innovative hot-fire cooked beef dishes prepared by more than a dozen chefs from Austin, San Antonio and Portland, OR. Participating chefs include visiting chefs Naomi Pomeroy of Beast in Portland, Adam Sappington of the Country Cat in Portland, Jason Dady of Jason Dady Restaurants in San Antonio. Austin chefs include John Bullington of Alamo Drafthouse, Josh Watkins of The Carillon, Andrew Wiseheart of Contigo, Jesse Griffiths of Dai Due, Jonathan Gelman of the Driskill Hotel, Ned Elliott of Foreign & Domestic, Aaron Franklin of Franklin BBQ, Damian Mandola of Mandola’s, Scott Roberts, of the Salt Lick BBQ, Reece Lagunas of Whole Foods Market.
Cost: $75 (link to purchase tickets)

Austin FOOD & WINE Festival
Friday, April 27 to Sunday, April 29
Pamper your palate in one of the hippest cities in the country at the first-ever Austin FOOD & WINE Festival, presented by FOOD & WINE Magazine. Join top chef talent, sommeliers and winemakers from across the nation and Austin’s own acclaimed gourmet scene for an indulgent, two-day epicurean adventure unlike any other, topped off with live performances by Lucinda Williams and Mayer Hawthorne & The County.

Throughout the weekend, you’ll experience up-close and personal access to culinary, wine and spirit talent at over 35 cooking demos, wine and cocktail seminars. Between sessions, drop by the VIP or Weekender Lounge for complimentary beer, wine and cocktails. Then sip and nibble your way through The H-E-B Grand Tasting Pavilion showcasing over 80 wine, spirit and artisanal food exhibitors, along with celebrated local and regional restaurants. Plus, pick-up copies of inspiring cookbooks and get them signed by your favorite chefs in the BookPeople autograph tent. From tacos and tequila to grilling and grapes, spoil yourself with the sights, sounds and laid-back flavor only the Live Music Capital of the World can offer.
Cost: Starts at $250 for a 3-day pass

Which of these events do you plan to attend? I’m hoping to check out the Moontower Comedy Festival and the Austin FOOD & WINE Festival — I have a press pass to the latter and may volunteer at the former. What about you?

Q: Did you go the full ten days?

A: I drank only juice for nine days and decided I’d had enough. My first non-juice meal was a glass of red wine and veggie sushi with some friends. I tried to be careful about what I ate for the first 24-hours just in case my stomach was more sensitive than usual, but didn’t have any issues.

Q: Did you lose weight? Did you keep it off?

A: I lost 7 pounds in the 9 days and gained three back almost immediately. I haven’t weighed myself recently, but wouldn’t be surprised if I’ve gained it all back because I haven’t been eating very healthy since I stopped juicing.

Q: What kind of juice did you drink?

A: I most frequently drank the Love Cleanse which is made with cucumber, kale, spinach, parsley and celery. Here is a picture I snapped of all the vegetables that goes into the large size. I drank 5-6 large juices each day.

Large Love Cleanse Ingredients

Q: How much would this kind of program cost?

A: I was lucky enough to do a complimentary juice program through the Juicebox and the amount I drank would cost between $40-$50 a day if purchased there or at Juice Land. A good juicer will run you around $150, with the cost of fruit and vegetables costing $20-$40 a day if you buy them at the grocery store.

Q: Why should I juice?

A: Juicing, like any decision you make about your diet and health, is a personal decision. I do recommend anyone interested in juicing watch Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, an inspirational documentary about juicing (slash infomercial for a particular brand of juicer). Many people go on a juice cleanse every few months, or once a year, and many say they do it to jump-start healthier eating, lose weight, and refocus.

Q: What didn’t I like?

A: The second and third days were really hard. I was hungry, miserable, and couldn’t imagine lasting the full ten days. I felt really good days four, five, and six, then days seven through nine were more difficult; my mouth felt fuzzy and my taste buds were numb. Every juice, even the ones with all vegetables, started tasting too sweet to me. By the last third of the juice fast, I was really sick of the juices, but I wasn’t really craving any other foods — except maybe a crunchy salad and a bowl of warm chicken broth.

Q: What did I like about the juice cleanse?

What I loved about it was knowing that I was putting so many wonderful vitamins and minerals in my body, and giving my body a chance to rest. The cleanse also made me realize that humans are supposed to go through times of hunger and times of eating to excess, and that it’s not necessarily natural to eat every two hours, and never really feel hungry.

My cleansing parter-in-crime was David Ansel, of The Soup Peddler. He wrote a great blog post about our experience juicing.

Many folks are probably thinking about doing a juice cleanse now that SXSW/Spring Break is over, and summer is around the corner. For those folks, there is a challenge called CleanseATX that starts this Monday, March 20 and goes through Saturday, March 31. I’m not sure that anyone needs to buy the “Cleanse Kits” or other services offered on the website, but it looks like there are discounts on juice packages from some local businesses that you can take advantage of if you’re interested in participating.

Related:

• My 10-Day Juice Fast
• The Many Metaphors of Juicing (by David Ansel)