 COOKBOOK
ROUND-UP
Celebrating the Cuisines of
San Antonio and South Texas
By LEIGH BALDWIN
If your family is anything like mine,
planning the Thanksgiving and
other holiday menus begins some time
in September.
My mom and I sit down at the dining
table with towers of cookbooks, slippery
piles of magazines and loose recipe
pages. We review menus of the past —
the non-negotiable classics (turkey on
the grill), the forgotten favorites looking to
be updated (green bean casserole),and
anything new that's caught our eyes
(bourbon-glazed sweet potatoes).
My grandmother and sister-in-law,
both excellent cooks and frequent contributors
to the table, weigh in. Some
times, we might even ask the guys what
they'd prefer. But every menu without fail
reflects our love of the cuisines of San
Antonio and South Texas.
If you happen to be behind schedule
or in need of a fresh start — start dreaming
of those special holiday meals now,
with a little help from our local cookbook
guide.
Celebrate San Antonio, by the San
Antonio Junior Forum, has been on our
shelf at home for over a decade. Recipes
run the cultural gamut from Yorkshire pudding
to paella, but stay consistently easy
and elegant. Contributing restaurants
include El Mirador, Crumpets, Cappy's
and the much-missed Maggie's, but see if
you can beat Mary Alice Cisneros' Chiles
Rellenos — perfect after midnight Mass.
Flavors, by the Junior League of San
Antonio, is another timeless tome handed
down through generations. Charmingly
illustrated and peppered with romantic
quotes from San Antonio historians
including Frederick Law Olmstead and
Louise Lomax, Flavors retains a bygone
sweetness, especially in the dainty appetizer
and salad sections. But don't be
fooled — the Turkey with Tamale Stuffing
and Enchilada Gravy is a powerhouse,
and just the thing to break the
Thanksgiving mold.
 Nancy Wood Moorman is the kind of
cook who states on page 1,"Margarine is
not an option." Two cookbooks by the
veteran caterer, Memorable Meals and
To Many Cooks, include an entertaining
lifesaver — a vast list of full menu suggestions,
many with wine pairings, for every
season and occasion possible. More than
50 total, with names like "So You're Really
Going to Asia,” "Italian Dinner by the Fire"
and, thankfully, a "Fancy Low-Fat After the
Holidays" — including Red Bell Pepper
Soup, Chicken Parmigiana, Rice Pilaf and
Strawberry Sorbet.
The Assistance League has joined the
cookbook game this year with the debut
of Serving San Antonio. A special section
is devoted to local celebrity chefs —
finally, the recipe for Scenic Loop Café's
Roasted Corn Poblano Soup, which will
tide everyone over while the main meal
of the day is cooking. Another recipe not
to be missed: Mayor Phil Hardberger's
Sauerbraten. Really!
Always thought Fiesta was the last full
week of April? Not necessarily — it's
determined by San Jacinto Day, April 21.
This and more Fiesta facts fill the Parade
Thyme Battle of Flowers Association
cookbook. This is the book to reach for if
you like giving away (or putting away)
sweets for the holidays — there are six
recipes for pralines alone, plus divinity,
toffee, brittle, chess squares, heavenly
hash, rum balls and my favorite,
Hummingbird Cake (crushed pineapple
makes it extra moist).
Looking for something fresher, rougher,
or just a bit less old-fashioned? New York
transplant chef and food writer Paula
Disbrowe just published Cowgirl Cuisine:
Rustic Recipes and Cowgirl Adventures
this year.With this "take it to bed with you"
cookbook full of personal anecdotes and
luscious photography, it's easy to get
caught up in the familiar story of falling in
love with the Hill Country (in this case,
Hart and Hind Ranch) and living off the land. Focused on fresh, local and simple, the Creamy Green
Polenta would be a wonderfully rustic first course this winter, with
Smoky Red Hens (Cornish game hens rubbed in ancho chile
and paprika) and finished with Persimmon Pudding with
Bittersweet Ganache.
Disbrowe's predecessor could very well be Mary Sue Koontz
Nelson, author of the classic Stolen Recipes. Nelson's tales of growing
up in Victoria, on the family HK Ranch, are sincere and funny.
There’s comfort food like creamed spinach and tater tot casserole,
or you can knock everyone's Christmas socks off with Sean's
Venison Log, a venison backstrap butterflied and stuffed with
cheese, bacon, onion, chiles and marinated in Italian dressing.
 When the family ranch in question is on the border, however,
be prepared for recipes that redefine (or dispense with entirely)
the phrase "Tex-Mex." Melissa Guerra's lovely Dishes from the
Wild Horse Desert: Norteno Cooking of South Texas is a passionate
testament to the traditional cooking of this area, stretching
from Corpus Christi towards Laredo and south into Mexico, and
a thorough resource for history and execution of favorites
including tamales, fideo soup and cabrito. A marvelous Gulf
Coast seafood chapter offers a Speckled Trout Ceviche, based
on a recipe used by Union soldiers. Consider it for a New Year's
Day hangover cure (if you're not up to Melissa's menudo!)
The last masterpiece of local cuisine is Cooking Texas Style,
by Candy Wagner. First published in 1983 and now in its 10th edition,
Cooking Texas Style is still the trustworthy no-frills handbook
for any Texan dish. For a casual weekend get-together, try the
Brisket in Beer, the Lima Bean Casserole made with pork sausage
and sour cream, and the Three Rivers Gingerbread, named for
the junction of the Frio, Nueces and Atascosa Rivers. It doesn't
get more Texan than that.
Happy holidays!
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