Movies have etched the legends of the west deep in our minds. One key image is that of a lone cowboy eating from a can of beans. Undoubtedly many an early cowboy had this fine dining experience, but it is one that lives today only in film. In Texas on the Plate author Terry Thomson-Anderson tosses that old tin can into a purple sunset and shows us contemporary upscale Texas.
Texas is a very big state with a widely varied climate and terrain, and it produces an equally wide variety of foodstuffs. The immigrant heritage, though dominated by the Spanish, is drawn from multiple ethnic groups, each of whom influenced the cooking. Mining this rich lode of resources, Thompson-Anderson, herself a chef and teacher as well as cookbook author, offers us 150 recipes that illustrate Texas' variety. There are recipes for the famous Texas foods - barbecue, Tex-Mex and chili. But Texas is also a hunter's state, and Thompson-Anderson is at home with recipes for venison and for game birds, even a rattlesnake chili. Located on the Gulf of Mexico and with abundant rivers and lakes, Texas is a fish-lover's paradise and Anderson has those recipes packed into these pages as well. If that isn't quite enough, there are the sophisticated city recipes using the basic ingredients in innovative ways. Texas started as fusion cooking and it continues that tradition today.
You will find recipes such as Slow Smoked Quail on Savory Bread Pudding with Three-Chili Sauce, Broiled Shrimp with Lemongrass Pesto, Feta Cheese, and Green Onions. Many recipes incorporate the Mexican heritage with Texas sophistication and a zest for discovery and you'll find Crabmeat Tostados, or a Poblano Chile Bisque that would give sweet dreams to a Mexican in the heart of of their own country. Each recipe is paired with a wine for sophisticated dining.
For dessert there are recipes such as a classic Tres Leches Cake along with a Peach Kuchen or a German Chocolate Meringue cake. The variety is dizzying as is Thomson-Anderson generous use of the seemingly-infinite variety offered within the state.
Thompson-Anderson has taught cooking for years and her recipes are written with the clarity and generosity of someone practiced in guiding a student to success. She has included professional cooking tips and a special wine pairing section that features many of the state's award winning wines. Napa Valley move over, Texas knows no limits! There is lush food photography by Ralph Smith and location photography by Bob Parvin that shows the changing face of Texas.
About the author: Terry Thompson-Anderson is a seasoned culinary professional. She has written two previous cookbooks, Cajun-Creole Cooking and Eating Southern Style. She is a popular cooking teacher, having taught over 20,000 students in her career. She is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and Les Dames L'Escoffier International. Her innovative recipes and exciting flavor combinations are testaments to her great and contagious passion for cooking.
Meet the author: terry thompson-anderson
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