In the Kitchen
July 3, 2004
During the months of July and August, the Chef's Circle will not feature chefs every week, but it will feature a quick, easy demo at the circle during the months' festivals, including the upcoming July 10th watermelon festival. Look for Paul Hieb to create a wonderful agua fresca from watermelon (at 10:30 am), for watermelon ice-cold slices for sell at the Market watermelon booth (10 - 12:30), and for fun watermelon activities July 10th.posted June 30, 2004 | permanent link to this article
June 26, 2004 - Taste the Place.. with peaches!
From 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., please come by the tasting tent in the driveway of the Classified Parking lot and the 'inner' part of the farmer section to enjoy tastes of all the peach farmers' varieties. It's a "Taste the Place" event because you are able to taste the sample, associate it with the place by the farm name on the sample container (there will be eight), and then go buy the particular 'taste' you like by search for the farmer's booth.
posted June 23, 2004 | permanent link to this article
June 19, 2004 - Shawn Cirkiel, Cirkiel Catering
Shawn Cirkiel
Since Shawn presented a chef's demonstration at the Market last year, he has since become a DAD. So it is nice of him to share his time with us to get dads (and moms) some cooking ideas for this weekend. Meet him at the Chef's Circle at 10:30 a.m. in the southwest corner of the park under the shade of the big oak tree.
Shawn Cirkiel has been a friend from the start to the Austin Farmers' Market. He was the first to develop a fund raising dinner with local and seasonal foods to benefit the market. He also stops by the market to talk with the farmers and ask for specific produce for his catering business.
Cirkiel's philosophy about supporting local food and the people that produce it is to, "try to buy as much as I can locally," Cirkiel explains. "I am a local business owner, and I try to give my dollars to someone here rather than someone in Omaha. I get local people here who support my catering business; I probably will never get anyone from Omaha asking for my services."
Shawn continues, "By including the highest quality local produce that is incorporated in the dishes I make, the farmers will be helping put my kids through college, and likewise, I am helping put their kids through college," he emphasizes. "Getting supplies from multinational growers and creating multinational food businesses only means that the money goes somewhere else."
Raised as a vegetarian until the age of fifteen, Cirkiel received an early appreciation for fresh foods and flavor in his parents' vegetarian restaurant and by growing up in the country. This results today in many of his savory dishes that explore influential culinary traditions from around the world, yet all the while adding a fresh, local and seasonal approach.
Cirkiel earned his culinary degree from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, with honors. His work experience includes time with some of the restaurant industry's finest companies: Domain Chandon in Napa Valley; La Marquesa at the Scottsdale Princess in Arizona; as Chef de cuisine at 22 in Austin, Texas; and a short stay at Restaurant Daniel and Café Boloud in New York. Cirkiel has staged at the French Laundry, Union Pacific, Emilia's and Restaurant Daniel.
Jean Luc's Bistro came under Cirkiel's hand a couple of years ago, but even with top notch ratings among Austin's dining circles, Shawn let the restaurant go because of rising rent and high rennovation costs to make a needed update. Nationally, Cirkiel has been named to serve at the James Beard House, received an award of excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine (2002), and garnered mention in the Bon Appetit Magazine for one of Austin's excellent restaurants.
Be on the lookout for something that is fun, interesting and with farm produce ingredients that one might not normally include in an entrée.
posted June 15, 2004 | permanent link to this article
June 12, 2004
Katherine ClapnerKatherine Clapner, executive pastry chef at the new Austin Hilton, will be the star chef at the Chefs' Circle this Saturday at 10:30 a.m. She'll be featuring another star of the season, peaches. Not only do demonstration attendees get to see how Katherine makes it, they get to taste it and take a recipe home. Take your pick, the peaches could come from any of the eight farmers with peaches at the Market.
Peach Scone Recipe
By Katherine Clapner, Austin Hilton
For 15 scones:
1 1/4 lb. bread flour
1 1/4 lb. cake flour
3/4 lb. granulated sugar
1/4 cup baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 sticks butter, cold and cut in cubes
3 eggs
3 cups cream, (reserving 2 Tbl for final brushing)
1 tsp vanilla
8 peaches, fresh or frozen, diced
In a medium-mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add cold butter and mix with fingertips until mixture resembles pea size granules.
In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, and vanilla. Set aside.
Add all liquid to dry ingredients and fold together from bottom to top, just until combined. Be careful not to over mix. Fold in diced peaches.
Cover and chill for 45 minutes.
On a clean work surface, dust with no more than 1/2 c. of flour to keep dough from sticking to surface, pat out the dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut scones with desired shape cutter. Place scones on parchment lined sheet pan 1/2 inch apart. Brush each scone lightly with cream and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until light golden brown.
Katherine Clapner's expansive background in culinary arts has made her one of the most in-demand pastry chefs in the country. This native Texas has won over the taste buds of dessert connoisseurs worldwide. She has truly mastered the art of gorgeous presentation and outstanding flavor combinations with her creative desserts. Her formal education started at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, where she graduated as a baking and pastry chef. While in school she worked at City Bakery in New York with Maury Ruben. Already having experienced New York, Katherine had a craving for the European lifestyle. Soon she found herself in London on a two-year externship in the Savoy Hotel pastry kitchen. Katherine was flattered to be the only American working at this grand hotel alongside some of the top chefs in Western Europe. The eclectic experience qualified her for a position at the Windsor Hotel in New Orleans, where she was honored to work with Chef Kevin Graham. This job granted her entrance into the distinguished Orient Express Hotel group. After a colorful two and a half years in Louisiana she was back in Europe, this time at the Hotels Splendido and Cipriani in Italy. Katherine's responsibility here included teaching and incorporating American culinary techniques in the Italian kitchen. Then, making another continental jump, she landed in Chicago at the dynamic Charlie Trotter's. Nevertheless, familiar names and places called her back to New Orleans and Kevin Graham's restaurants. Here, Mario Villa designed a satellite bar in the middle of the Sapphire Restaurant for Katherine to create her decadent desserts. The next move was only across town to Mike Fennelly's multi-flavored restaurant, Mike's on the Avenue, where she stayed for another two years. Her fondest endeavor was working for pastry chef Stephen Pyles Restaurants and Carlson Restaurants Worldwide. With this connection she was privileged to work at Star Canyon, Canonita, Samba Room, Mignon, Timpano, Aquaknox, Fishbowl, and Zen Den. Central Market then recruited her talent to open stores in Houston, Fort Worth, Plano, and Dallas, as well as assisting in pastry development. Katherine chaired the first ever all pastry event last year at the Saveur Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival for which she is also a board member.
Chef's Circle volunteers Susan Jackson and Kelly Kelsey prep the tomatoes for last week's Taste the Place.
June 19 there will be a "Taste the Place" for peaches! Come get samples of all 8, 9, 10 peach farmers that will be at the market that day!
posted June 8, 2004 | permanent link to this article
June 5, 2004
It's tomato taste time, so look for the "Taste the Place" table and have a tastebud party with tastes of different tomatoes from the farms. Then you'll be able to match the farm label for each farm to your favorite tomato. Going on all morning in the Market.Here's what's coming up...
June 12th - Kathrine Clapner, some say, the best pastry chef in town, will demonstrate a peach dish. She's the pastry chef at the Austin Hilton and getting raves.
June 19th - Check out this Father's Day special dish with Sean Cirkiel, previous owner of Jean Luc's Bistro. He's a new father and he's very much in the chef side of things with a catering enterprise.
June 26th - Misty Lowe from Crimson Restaurant will feature which dish? The naughty or the nice?
posted June 2, 2004 | permanent link to this article
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