Question: Quite by accident my husband and I discovered Kathleen's Art Bakery on Lovers Lane in Dallas. Our adventuresome taste buds got the best of us, and we ordered the Ancho Fudge Pie for dessert. It was excellent, but we can't figure out how they used an ancho chili in the pie filling. Please help!
- Kate and Bart Williams,Redondo Beach, Calif.
Answer: Kathleen's Art Bakery, a bistro and art gallery, specializes in innovative cuisine. Visitors can enjoy the variety of art and some of the best "sweet and heat" fudge pie served in Texas. The ancho chili, a dried poblano pepper, gives Ancho Fudge Pie a mild, distinctive flavor. This trendy dessert follows in the footsteps of jalapeno brownies!
Question: While spending a weekend in the California wine country some months ago, we stopped at the Oakville Grocery Store in the Napa Valley. Imagine our surprise at finding an array of gourmet picnic items in such a tiny spot. We intended to split a loaf of bread and have cheese, but instead I chose a turkey pesto sandwich and a truffle. Please find out the name of the bread they use to make the sandwich, and the ingredients for the filling.
- Rachel Rothenberg and
Perry Krebs, Los Angeles
Answer: Built in 1854 to serve as a purveyor for the Napa Valley, the Oakville Grocery Store was also a pony express stop for a short time. Located in Oakville near the Robert Mondavi Winery, it is a specialty grocery store today, where you can fill all your picnic needs with foods imported from all over the world.
The bread you enjoyed is focaccia, an Italian flatbread seasoned with olive oil and rosemary. Lappi is a sharp-tasting Finnish cheese; if your grocer doesn't already carry it, ask him to order some. Look for fresh pesto in the refrigerated cases at the supermarket.
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RECIPES
KATHLEEN'S ANCHO FUDGE PIE
1 (9-inch) pie shell
Filling:
3 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup Ancho Chili Paste (recipe follows)
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the ancho paste and set aside. Bake pie shell in oven on top rack 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat eggs with flour, sugar, brown sugar and salt until mixture is thick and smooth. Slowly beat in butter. Mix well. Fold in ancho paste, chocolate, pecans and vanilla. Pour mixture into partially baked pie shell. Return pie to oven and continue baking 30 minutes or until pie is set. Serves 6 to 8.
Ancho Chili Paste: Pour hot water over five dried ancho chili peppers. Soak overnight or until chili peppers are soft. Rinse peppers, removing seeds and discarding stems. Place in a small bowl and grind into a paste. Add a little water if necessary.
TURKEY PESTO SANDWICH
Focaccia bread, soft or toasted
Pesto Spread: 2 teaspoons fresh green pesto sauce (any good store-bought brand) 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Filling: 1/4 pound oven-roasted turkey, Monterrey Jack cheese, 1 small tomato, sliced Lappi, lettuce
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Slice the round focaccia bread horizontally and toast, if desired. Set aside. Combine the pesto sauce and mayonnaise, stirring well to blend. Spread the pesto mixture over the bread. Layer turkey, Monterrey Jack cheese, tomatoes, Lappi cheese and lettuce to form a sandwich. Makes 1 sandwich.