SHOW & RECIPE FOR JULY 28

CARNEROS CRAVINGS
With one foot in Napa and one in Sonoma, the Carneros district of northern California was long been recognized as a remarkable place to produce cool-weather grape varietals. And in popular parlance, that makes it a terrific place for chardonnay and an even better place to battle the “heartbreak grape,” pinot noir. Winemaker Jeff Stewart, who when we first met him was making wonderful pinot noirs at La Crema, joins us for a tasting of his latest handiwork at Buena Vista. Knowing Jeff, Buena Vista and Carneros, we are certainly looking forward to this tasting.

HOUSTON’S FRESH DAIRYMAIDS
Some of you may have seen these hard-working young women already, handing out samples of artisan Texas cheeses at the Midtown Farmers Market every Saturday. Dancing with their market schedules a little, we’ve lured Kendra Scott and Lindsey Schechter (www.houstondairymaids.com) away from their booth to take us through the cheese tasting they do so well. To hear them tell it, Texas is blessed with a host of great cheesemakers – smalltime, small-volume producers who specialize in big flavors instead.

HEALTHFUL TRAILS TO YOU
Doing what we do, we think approximately every 10-12 minutes of going on a diet. Far more effective (and far, far more pleasant) is having fitness chef Marcela Perez on the radio to give us suggestions of making our favorite dishes lower in fat, sodium and other things we have good reason to be wary of. Plus, Marcela is always fun to talk to about her business Marcela’s Meal (www.marcelasmeals.com). She makes healthy meals for Houstonians on a weekly basis and even delivers to their homes. We settle for her delivering to our studio!

This Week’s Delicious Mischief Recipe…
LEMON-ROSEMARY CORNISH HEN

1 ½ cup olive oil
½ cup finely chopped fresh rosemary
¼ cup finely chopped fresh thyme
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
4 Cornish game hens, butterflied and pressed open
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped lemon zest
2 tablespoons Fleur de Sel or coarse-ground sea salt

Prepare a marinade by mixing 1 cup of the oil, rosemary, thyme, garlic and black pepper in a bowl, then spreading this all over the hens. Let the hens marinate for 1 hour. Saute the hens skin side down in ¼ cup olive oil for 5 minutes, then turn them and sauté 3 minutes more. Remove the hens, add the remaining oil and sauté the onion, carrot and celery. Cover the bottom of a roasting pan with the sautéed vegetables, then spread the hens on top. Sprinkle hens with lemon zest and roast for 20 minutes in a preheated 350-degree oven. Transfer the hens to a serving platter and strain the pan drippings over the top, discarding the vegetables. Sprinkle with Fleur de Sel and serve. Serves 4.