Recipe from the Austin Farmer's Market dinner special

We shopped this morning at the Downtown Austin Farmer's Market and brought back a selection of fresh organic arugula (Animal Farm Permaculture Center), garden tomatoes (P/2 Organics)and fresh basil.

Here is the recipe for the salad on tonight's dinner menu:

Arugula and Parmesan Salad
Make a paste out of 1 garlic clove and 1/4 t. salt by mashing them together.

Add: (another) 1/4 t. salt, 4 T. balsamic vinegar, 3 T. minced fresh basil, 1/4 c. finely grated fresh parmesan, 1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper.

Continue whisking and slowly adding oil until well blended: 1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil.

We added quartered ripe garden tomatoes and homemade croutons.

Enjoy!

From the Farm to Magnolia Cafe

We periodically shop for fresh ingredients at one of the local farms or farmers markets. Recently we've joined forces with local farmers by advertising Magnolia Cafe in a wonderful new magazine that just hit the stands: Edible Austin.

With its beautiful photography and interesting articles -- well -- it just whetted our appetite for farm-fresh goodies.

So look here in coming weeks as we explore recipes for using local foods for our Saturday dinner blackboard specials.

Meanwhile, you can be inspired in a number of ways:

Read the Austin Fresh Food Newsletter with a map and hours of Austin farmer's markets.

Visit the Edible Austin website and pick up a copy at your favorite restaurants and stores.

Saturday, you're invited to a giant party celebrating the Sunset Valley Farmer's Market 10th Anniversary.

Sunday June 10th, meet and eat with the celebrated people behind lots of good local food: Edible Austin Farmers Fair fundraiser ($10 suggested donation).

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Knocked out at the Magnolia!

Found in our in-box:
Subject: Maddie Sue - Another Satisfied Magnolia Customer!

Thought y'all would like this! My daughter, Maddie Stratton, has NEVER fallen asleep in a restaurant before. But obviously, she LOVED her Magnolia experience. Please feel free to use this, and thanks again for a GREAT meal, especially since it was my Yankee in-laws first time here. Keep it weird, y'all! :-)

Regards,
E.S.

Roses for Mom at our Mother's Day Brunch

We'll be offering an amazing brunch for Mother's Day complete with complimentary roses for the mom in your family.

Serving Sunday brunch featuring eggs benedict, eggs florentine, bagels with lox, fruit parfaits with yogurt and granola, french toast, migas, breakfast tacos, and a world of omelette selections from the traditional (ham and cheese or spinach and bacon) to the eclectic (marinated portabella or smoked turkey and pico de gallo). Homemade pancakes include buttermilk, whole wheat, cornmeal and gingerbread.

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Hungry in Manhattan

It was just another busy day at the Magnolia Cafe office. Noses to the grindstone, except when someone would walk in with a plate of fragrant hot food from the cafe next door. Ahhh! THEN, suddenly the phone rang:

ATTENTION: "Customer of ours now lives in Manhattan. Is pregnant. Must have Cream Cheese Artichoke Enchiladas. Could we freeze-dry them and send them on up?"

No joke. This dame was for real -- and serious!

We don't know much about freeze drying and don't have a 'to go' menu for NASA. So we'll send you a recipe. We've given it our best effort, so here it goes:

Dear Melanie in Manhattan,
We’re happy to help you with your Cream Cheese Artichoke Enchiladas dilemna. The solution is a bit complex but you seem motivated!

The filling:
Artichoke hearts and cream cheese (softened)

The Lemon Sour Cream Sauce: this is easy, ratio-wise

In a double boiler so it won’t burn, heat ½ water and ½ sour cream. While it’s heating, make a roux (Heat butter til it’s nutty brown and quickly stir in white flour and cook and stir until it’s pasty) and slowly stir the roux into the hot water/sour cream mixture until it thickens up a little. If the mixture is not as hot as the double boiler allows, it might not thicken the roux.

The Verde Sauce: this is harder on ratios because we make big batches of the sauces and I’m not sure of the portions for a home size but you can divide it up. Maybe you would prefer to buy off the shelf verde sauce at the store. If so, just heat it up.

In food processor:
5 bunches cilantro, washed and stemmed
20 serranos, stemmed
1 and ½ cup garlic cloves
8 medium onions

Puree til smooth. Pour into bowl.

In food processor, puree 3 #10 cans tomatillos. Pour into the bowl.

Add spices:
1/3 cup cumin
¼ cup oregano
¼ Tablespoon honey
a little salt

Whisk thoroughly.

Wet both sides of the corn tortillas and heat them in a very hot fry pan. Remove and roll the filling into them . Top with the two sauces and serve with Spanish rice and black beans. Top the black beans with shredded cheddar and/or white jack cheese and one ring of onion.

Hope this helps and good luck with your Manhattan phase.

Yours,
Kent
P.S.-- It takes a LOT of people and heavy equipment to cook like we do. It's ALWAYS EASIER to come join us to eat at the Magnolia Cafe. We're professionals. We can handle it.
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Bluebonnets are looking good...

The bluebonnets are having a wonderful spring this year. We saw them popping out on our recent drive between Houston and Austin on US HWY71.

The Texas Department of Transportation has this interesting map that shows you reported locations of native vegetation, including our beloved bluebonnets. See Texas Wildflowers and Fall Foliage to learn where the best spots are.

Visiting Austin from out-of-town? We'd love to feed you at the Magnolia Cafe. out-of-town

Gingerbread pancakes for the masses...

The Magnolia Cafe was recently invited to deliver breakfast and lunch to the crew from Good Morning America. They were following their weatherman to north Austin.

The human-interest story was about a teacher who was trying to lose weight. So they plunked down a stack of a dozen thick, fluffy, steaming Magnolia Cafe gingerbread pancakes in front of her. >Cut< to NYC where the entire celebrity crew was digging into the Magnolia's famous cakes.

Was I the only one who noticed that they were tormenting that innocent school teacher?

I just want to say that the Magnolia Cafe is a perfect place to eat when you're on a special diet. We make custom orders all-the-time. Just tell us what you have in mind, and we will most likely find an accomodation that works for you.

But if you just have to have those gingerbread pancakes, come visit us, or take a look at this very cool blog from a sentimental Texan. She's got our gingerbread pancake recipe posted, with a lot of other great Texas food recipes. (Free recipes.) homesicktexan

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