EATS

Ted Allen of Top Chef, Iron Chef America and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy will conduct a cooking demo at Taste Addison this Sunday at 2 p.m. with the Robert Mondavi Special Selection Discover Wine exhibit.

Mr. Allen, who is as easy to talk to as he seems on TV, has been working with the Napa Valley winery as an educational spokesman for about four years. "I have no intention of perpetuating wine snobbery," he said. He prefers talking to people who are not experts, people who just want to enjoy wine and be more comfortable buying and serving it.

His advice is to "taste, taste, taste" in wine shops, restaurants and at festivals like Taste Addison and don't be afraid to ask for help at a retail store or restaurant.

Mr. Allen is excited to be working with the Mondavi winery because of Robert Mondavi's history and contribution of wine in America. The Discover Wine exhibit is a way to bring the excitement of harvest time, or the "crush," to people who don't live in wine country. The winery road show has an exhibit showing how wine is made, a tasting bar and a demo kitchen where Mr. Allen will be on Sunday.

Mr. Allen's had a bit of experience with Dallas and Dallasites. He spent nearly a month in Dallas filming three episodes of Queer Eye. He has also judged the work Dallas chefs both on Top Chef and Iron Chef America. He was particularly impressed with the Rathbun brothers, Kent and Kevin, who won against Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America. He noted that it is very hard for a challenger to beat the Iron Chef, but Kent and Kevin had the showmanship for TV and big, bold flavors in their food to impress the judges.

Rebecca Murphy

Starting in May, guests at the Harrah's Casino Tunica in Mississippi will be able to chow down at Paula Deen's Buffet. The room will be divided into stations, including a Hoe Cake & Biscuit station and Little Jack's Corner (desserts, of course).

I was unable to find an online version of the ad from the May/June issue of Cooking With Paula Deen, which reads in part, "Get your eatin' clothes on." You'll have to take my word for it.

Bacon. Shrimp. Grits. Yum.
This month the wine panel paired wines with a doozy of a shrimp and grits dish. Even if you don't drink wine, you will like the food.
The best pairing of the lot was the 2006 Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Pinot Noir, easy to find and priced at about $20.
Get the recipes and other wine suggestions here.

Photo by Evans Caglage

According to a catchphrase adopted by Spiral Diner & Bakery's early devotees: Vegans get plenty.

It's a motto that jabs at vegetarian stereotypes (granola, slightly nerdy) while winking at the pleasure potential of a plant-based diet. We can't vouch for the latter, but there's no denying Spiral's vegan cooking brings a fresh twist to down-home diner fare. And yes, that's vegan, as in "no animal products," owner Sara Tomerlin confirms. "No milk, eggs, cheese or even honey."

Six years after Fort Worth's original Spiral Diner began earning fans (we know Dallas devotees who regularly trekked over to stockpile their freezers), the eatery's second location is now open in Oak Cliff.

Keep reading about Spiral Diner ...

Photo by Carter Rose

Maria Halkias reports that Colorado-based Sunflower Farmers Market is coming to Plano later in the year. The new store will be at Preston and West Parker roads, in part of the old Albertsons space.
Sunflower sells organic and natural foods and touts its low prices.
Read more about Sunflower Farmers Market.

One of the newest vendors in Shed No. 1 at the Dallas Farmers Market is Fred's Alaska Seafood. Fred Sturman is an Oklahoma ex-pat who loves fishing in Alaska so much he moved there and, with his family, runs a small fishing business. The salmon they catch is frozen, then air freighted to DFW, where it finds its way to Fred's stall, manned by local musician Hank Fore.

Over the weekend, I picked up part of a fillet to share with the Significant Other. One thing led to another, and Son of S.O. joined us for dinner. So S.O. rushed to Whole Foods to add more salmon, a fresh piece from the fishmonger there. This gave us a chance to taste Fred's defrosted vs. WFM's never-frozen side by side. Drum roll, please.

I came across this gem in the May 1952 issue of Better Homes & Gardens while researching a story for the May issue of F!D luxe.

The only thing more frightening than the high-fat fried doughnut recipe in this Crisco ad is how the company brags that it's: "Truly digestible!"

As opposed to ...

Tonight, I cooked up some Texas spinach from John Lucido in Shed No. 1 at the Dallas Farmers Market. It was big, meaty, robust spinach, which I sauteed in a little Texas olive oil. Then I sprinkled on a little Spiceburst Gourmet Spices "cracked Malabar saltburst" from Austin, which contain sea sal, Malabar pepper and sumac (which has a lemony quality). What a terrific combination. Tomorrow, I'll use the spinach leftovers in an omelet for breakfast. I know all this sounds really gourmet, but I'm the kind of person who takes home toast points from Charlie Palmer at The Joule. I mean, budget dining is relative.

Scott Farwell reports that rice prices are up because of export restrictions in India and Vietnam. Costco Wholesale and Sam's Club in Dallas have limited the amount of rice you can buy at one time, but customers are circumventing the rules by buying the limit, taking it to the car and going back inside for more.
Read more about the rising price of rice here.

Photo: Sadek Chowdhury, manager of the International Market in Plano sits on small pile of rice that is usually much higher. Photo by Rex C. Curry.

Now I know how Buttercrunch and red romaine lettuce taste. You may think you know what red romaine is - that wimpy romaine in stores with slightly purplish end leaves. Oh, no.

Organic red romaine, grown in Grand Saline, is nearly the color of purple basil. And the head isn't tight the way we think of for romaine. Organic Buttercrunch has sturdy outer leaves that give way to buttery-soft inner leaves like Boston or butter lettuce. I bought them both last Saturday morning at the Dallas Farmers Market in Shed No. 1 from the Farmer Rancher Network Co-op.

These and other early season crops should be available at the Dallas Farmers Market, Coppell Farmers Market and Eden's Organic Garden Center in Balch Springs from the same supplier next Saturday morning.

I tossed the two lettuces together with my signature vinaigrette.

The latest issue of Saveur includes an homage to the "Southern pea" by writer John Grossman. The magazine notes they're also called field peas or cowpeas. The category includes black-eyed peas, purple-hulls and creamers, and they're one of the best things about summer in East Texas.
In researching the article, Mr. Grossman visited the East Texas burg of Edom with Randy Evans, chef at Brennan's Houston. They shopped at Edom Marketplace, a combination produce stand and restaurant.
Edom's about an hour and a half east of Dallas, so it's a nice day trip. It's also in the blueberry belt, with several pick-your-owns operating nearby. It's still a bit early for blueberries; check the Texas Department of Agriculture Pick Texas site to find farms and check opening dates.
Edom has a handful of artist shops, including local favorites Potters Brown. And of course there's The Shed for lunch.
A few minutes past Edom is Blue Moon Gardens, a lovely, rambling garden center loaded with temptation and a friendly staff.
There you have it -- a day in the country. Don't forget the cooler.

If you've always looked at the luscious pictures of cookies in Martha Stewart Living and thought, "Oh, my cookies look better than those!" -- well, here's your chance to prove it.

Because... "Martha's Favorite Cookie Contest" is on. All next week, you can submit a digital photo of your best, most creative cookie on Martha's website: www.marthastewart.com/contest-and-gallery

Entries will be accepted online from Sunday, April 27 through Sunday, May 4. Martha herself will choose the 10 winners, who will each receive an autographed copy of Martha Stewart's Cookies.

Marie Simmons wrote Things Cooks Love (Andrew McMeel), Sur La Table's first cookbook, which is fresh off the press. Not only that, she'll be here May 2 for a book-signing and cooking class.

The class, which starts at 6:30 p.m., is a hands-on risotto workshop, with recipes (gadgets, too, no doubt) that include Roasted Butternut Squash and Dried Currant Risotto and Risotto With Spicy Italian Sausage. It's $69, and you can sign up here.

The book signing is the hour before the class, from 5 to 6 p.m. It's free, of course. If you purchase a book before May 31, it's $24.95. After May 31, it's $35. Check it out here. Sur La Table is at 4527 Travis.

So, if you're like me, you've had your Seder, and you may have even had your second Seder but now it's the third day and you've got to pack Passover lunches for the kids to go to school. What creative things have you come up with? And how will you keep them happy all week long? Today I sent them off with hard-boiled eggs, matzoh, grapes and Passover cake. But I would love suggestions for tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow...

Apparently books entirely devoted to butter and bacon were too specific. Later this year, look for a new one entitled simple Fat, and subtitled "An Appreciation of A Misunderstood Ingredient, With Recipes."
Author Jennifer McLagan promises recipes using specific types of fat, from ghee to leaf lard to schmaltz and duck fat. And still more.
It's all about "high-quality fats," according to the Ten Speed Press catalog.
Ms. McLagan must have the smarts to pull it off; her book Bones won a Beard award in 2006.
Look for Fat in August.

Here's some news that will make Debbie Downer's day: Fresh salmon prices are headed up, with no relief in the foreseeable future.

First, the price of diesel is topping $4, which hurts all wild-fished seafood. But two additional problems are plaguing salmon. For reasons that are unclear, California and Oregon stocks have simply dried up. The other issue is a virus that's hit the Chilean Atlantic salmon farms. It's so bad that Safeway (Tom Thumb locally) announced earlier this week that it has stopped buying from its Chilean supplier.

"Consumers are going to feel it," says Ricardo Martinez, salmon buyer and general manager of Ocean Beauty Seafood's Dallas operation. "White-tablecloth restaurants are going to feel it." King salmon will be especially hard hit.

If you're looking for alternatives, check out farmed steelhead trout, which is really a salmon, and farmed Coho salmon, which Mr. Martinez says will be coming out of British Columbia when the season starts at the first of May. The other alternative? "Eat smaller portions," he says, "and enjoy it."

Yes indeed. That's what happened today at the Pillsbury Bake-Off in Dallas. It's a fairly simple recipe, starting with refrigerated dough dressed up with dry roasted peanuts and cinnamon.
It just goes to show you that sometimes simple is best.
The only local cook to score is Gwen Beauchamp of Lancaster, whose recipe for Toffee-Banana Brownies won $5,000 in online consumer voting before the Bake-Off.
Check out video from the Bake-Off, including reporter Michael Granberry's encounter with Sandra Lee.

The Pillsbury Bake-off is coming to the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas on Monday and workers are setting up 100 makeshift kitchens for the contestants.

Everyone gets a new oven, counter area and more, all wedged into the Regency Ballroom, so set up is pretty amazing. Check out this video to see how the bake-off staging area is built.

Does all this talk of baking make you hungry? Check out our collection of recipes from Texas finalists, plus our favorite Bake-off Recipes of all time.

OK, not quite breakfast. But it was 10 a.m. and there was lobster.
The occasion was a cooking class today at the Austin Central Market, part of the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival. A bit of an early hour for theTop Chef contestant, but he assured us things were much better at 10 a.m. than they had been at 8, when he arrived to start prepping.
None of that easy home cooking business for Tre; the recipes he demonstrated are absolute chef food -- things you would make for a very special occasion. Very special. Hence the Grilled Maine Lobster and Organic Baby Watercress With Champagne Caviar Sauce, and Kobe Two Ways: Braised Short Rib, Gold Beets and Grilled New York Strip Steak and Celery Root Puree.
After two hours of this, all the class really wanted to know was: when will there be a Tre Wilcox restaurant? All in good time; the man is not talking for now.
He did, however, talk about butter. "You want to spend some money on the butter," he advises. His favorites are Plugra and Vermont Butter & Cheese Co. And always unsalted.
There. Now you can cook like Tre, if only a tiny bit.

In the Taste section this week, I wrote about simple, creative ways to use leftovers for enticing encores. Like how to turn leftover pork tenderloin into a pulled pork sandwich or Chinese fried rice. How leftover chicken can become celery-pecan chicken wraps or easy chicken enchiladas.

Then I did the same thing with meatloaf to come up with meatloaf pasta and a meatloaf strada - after cooking the meatloaf in individual portions using a muffin tin.

It's easy to incorporate leftovers into soups, casseroles, tacos, pizza or salad. Meatloaf tacos? Why not? Pork tenderloin in a soup? The cut-up meat would be a tasty addition. OK, meatloaf salad is probably not going to happen. But you get the idea: A little imagination goes a long way in repurposing leftovers rather than discarding them.

I'd be surious to hear how you use leftovers.

I'm not Jewish, but Passover is coming for my friends who are. And I have to think that the service offered at TJ's Market will mean a lot to Jewish cooks in the area.

TJ's will grind fresh fish - snapper, buffalo, whitefish, pike, trout, carp, tilapia, you name it - which is a key ingredient in gefilte fish. The bones, heads, skins and chopped onions are included to make the broth. For those who don't want to make their own, TJ's also sells gefilte fish ready-to-serve.

TJ's has a whole range of Passover specialties you can read about here. Just make sure to get your Passover order no later than April 14.

Reading Meredith Deeds' story this morning in the Taste section on peppercorns reminded me that the best recipe in The Phytopia Cookbook, which I co-wrote with local registerd dietitian Barbara Gollman, uses pink peppercorns.

We called it Raspberry-Walnut Vinaigrette, but in hindsight, it should have been Pink Peppercorm Vinaigrette. Besides being lower in fat than conventional dressings, it has this chameleon-like quality of going perfectly with greens or fruit or a mix of both. Here's the recipe.

Being a responsible foodie gets harder all the time. Consumer Reports ShopSmart tells us we must now look for coffee that is certified Bird Friendly. This means the coffee is grown in "conditions that support healthy bird habitats." It's also organic, so that's good. The Smithsonian's Migratory Bird Center administers the program, and their website doesn't show any local distributors. Austin's got it, and so do Houston and Watauga (huh?).
Let us know if you find Bird Friendly around town.

Laura H. Ehret reports:

If you need something last-minute at Williams-Sonoma for your Easter preparations, you have until 9 p.m. Saturday to pick it up at the Preston Park store, 1900 Preston Road in Plano. After that, the store will be closing until May 24 for remodeling, says manager Kerri Weber.
Williams-Sonoma will be taking over part of the space next door formerly occupied by a Pottery Barn, Ms. Weber said. When it reopens, the gourmet retailer will have a larger selection of its kitchen and food offerings. Look for guest chef demos during the grand reopening.
Store hours after reopening will remain the same as they are now: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Leave it to the folks over at Page Six to pounce on Nigella Lawson's alleged weight gain, which they claim is causing videographers for her TV series to get creati