SHOW & RECIPE FOR JULY 5

MORTON’S BURGER WITH A CAUSE
We always love it, quite self-servingly, when a high-end steakhouse decides to make hamburgers and French fries. For one thing, the quality of the beef used to make that burger is likely to be off the charts. And that’s pretty much what we’ve heard about the brand-new summertime burger and fries being offered Sundays only by the two Houston locations of Morton’s. GM John Recio tells us how the idea came about, and how Morton’s decided to make the whole special promotion a benefit for the Make a Wish organization.

HARVEST TIME FOR TEXAS WINES
The grapes aren’t ready yet in cooler California or Oregon, and they certainly aren’t ready in the even cooler sections of France. But here in Texas, where summer’s heat makes the biological clock turn faster, it’s time to start picking and crushing. Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo of Messina Hof join us to talk about their annual harvest festival. Guests not only learn a few things about winemaking but get to taste a good bit of wine when they’re not picking grapes and crushing them in a vat with their very own feet. Yep, justa lika in da olda country!

TRADITION AT INDIAN BRASSERIE
Recently, we spent a good deal of time (with a good deal of pleasure) exploring the creative new dishes being created by the chef at Bombay Brasserie’s new location across the 610 Loop from the Galleria. At the end of the day, this experience only reminded us how much we love the traditional Indian dishes served every day at the older Bombay Brasserie in Rice Village. The restaurant’s general manager stops by the studio (bearing samples, we hope) to tell us why the classics of India’s rich and colorful cuisine will always be that way.

HEALTHY CHEF MICHAEL KRAMER
We enjoy getting together with each of the Houston chefs showcased in the Healthy Chef column in each month’s Health and Fitness magazine. We’ve actually picked up quite a few great tips for maximizing flavor while minimizing fat and calories. So yes, Paula Deen notwithstanding, it can be done. This month’s Healthy Chef is Michael Kramer, who came from one fat-infatuated place (Charleston, South Carolina) to another (Houston, Texas) to run the new Voice in the Hotel Icon. You’ll be amazed at how little can please you so much.

FOURTH OF JULY
GRILLED SHRIMP TACOS

Peach Salsa:
2 cups chopped peeled peaches
1 cup chopped tomato
1 cup diced red onion
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice, divided
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons minced green onions
1 teaspoon chopped seeded Serrano pepper
3 tablespoons muscat canelli wine
1 teaspoon honey
¼ teaspoon salt

1 pound small to medium Gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon chopped seeded serrano pepper
Salt and black pepper
8 corn or flour tortillas, warmed
2 cups shredded green cabbage
Additional minced cilantro for garnish

In a glass bowl or plastic bag, combine shrimp with lime juice, cilantro, garlic, serrano, salt and pepper. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours. To prepare the peach salsa, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Toss gently so peaches and tomatoes are not damaged. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes, so flavors can combine. Preheat grill and grill shrimp 3-4 minutes, turning once or twice. Serve shrimp wrapped in warm tortillas, garnished with peach salsa, shredded cabbage and a little more cilantro. Serves 4.

SHOW & RECIPE FOR JUNE 28

AT TABLE WITH CHEF JAMIE
In some restaurants around town, things kinda slow down in the summertime – a statement that either “the livin’ is easy” or that it’s too hot to live. Not so at Bistro Lancaster in the downtown landmark hotel. Chef Jamie Zelko is marshalling her energies (and her hyper-fresh local ingredients) with more focus than usual, putting out some special tasting menus that just won’t quit. We drag her into the studio in hopes she’ll bring us some samples.

A GLASS OF MACROSTIE
Since the release of its first highly praised 1987 Carneros chardonnay, MacRostie Winery and Vineyards has strived to create balanced and lush wines that reflect their cool-climate origins. This commitment has grown from an early emphasis on selecting grapes from top growers in the acclaimed Carneros region to include the development of MacRostie’s own Wildcat Mountain Vineyard, as Patrick Muleady explains.

UNARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
Armando Florido could have gone through the rest of his life as a Houston cop – he certainly enjoys the work and understands its importance. But somewhere along the way, between stints on patrol and at his desk, Armando decided what he really loved was cooking. He joins us to talk about the comfortable yet classy Italian restaurant that grew out of this passion, Forno’s in northwest Houston.

This Week’s Delicious Mischief Recipe…
GRILLED CARIBBEAN GROUPER

3 pounds grouper fillets, or red snapper (skin on)
4 ripe mangos, peeled and cut into strips
6 ripe pears, unpeeled, cored, and cut into 1/8
3 ripe avocados, peeled cut into quarters
½ pound cleaned baby spinach
½ cup walnut oil
¼ cup Italian salad dressing
1 cup orange juice
½ cup lime juice

Caribbean seasoning:
(can be prepared in advance)

Mix well and place in a lid tight container
1 teaspoon sea salt
6 teaspoon minced garlic
6 teaspoon dried onions
3 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoon chopped chipolte
2 teaspoon Spanish paprika
3 teaspoon brown sugar
3 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 lemon zest

Prepare a wood or charcoal grill and let it burn to ember. Rub the fish fillets generously with the Caribbean seasoning on both sides, place in a dish and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Spray the fish with walnut oil and grill over low heat for about 8 minutes on one side and 6 minutes on the other side (depending on the thickness of the fish). Remove from grill and keep hot. Lightly oil the pears and mangos and grill for about 3 minutes until light brown. Place in a stainless steel bowl, and toss with the Italian dressing, orange juice and limejuice. Place the baby spinach on individual plates, garnish with the avocado, and spoon the fruit dressing over the spinach. Serves 6.

SHOW & RECIPE FOR JUNE 21

BECKS IN ITS PRIME
These days, most of us Houstonians know a great deal about Becks Prime – where else, after all, can you grab a filet and a baked potato through the drive-thru window, race home and pretend to be the ultimate grillmeister? But a couple decades ago, when the founders of the Houston hamburger-happy restaurant started talking up the idea, true believers in American fast-food said the thing would never fly. We’ll chat with the “Founding Fathers” about how and why they’re still here and thriving, plus look ahead to their patriotic (and delicious!) July 4th specials.

SURF’S UP AT BRIDLEWOOD
Happily for all concerned, David Hopkins looks a lot like the surfer he is, from his suntan to his flowing blond locks, from his cutoffs down to his floppy sandals. But when David is not out riding the Pacific curls, he is making some mighty cool wines for the winery called Bridlewood. To David, growing grapes and making wine on California’s Central Coast near Santa Barbara is a voyage of discovery – one that starts anew each year. As a hint, he lets on that Rhone Valley varietals like syrah and viognier are among the favorites he labors to catch – in between catching waves, of course.

GET YOUR ROUGE ON
Rouge has been a popular restaurant on Westheimer in Montrose for several years now, moving at times through a few different personalities. In the beginning, it was all chef-driven New American Cuisine, and it has served up bits of that off and on ever since. Now, though, with new ownership, all bets are off. The new folks – a West Coast family that moved here after many years in the business – want to keep Rouge serving fine food and exquisite wines but weave in an entertainment element. We’ll talk about all this, and the Las Vegas-style showroom they’ve installed upstairs. And we do plan on talking with our mouths full.

This Week’s Delicious Mischief Recipe…
INDEPENDENCE DAY MACARONI SALAD

2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup tarragon vinegar
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
1 cup mayonnaise
3 eggs
2 cups macaroni
1/2 cucumber, sliced
1 large tomato, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 teaspoon salt

In a saucepan over medium heat, mix together butter, tarragon vinegar, flour and egg. Stirring continuously, heat 10 minutes, or until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool 10 minutes. In a large bowl, prepare the sauce by combining the tarragon vinegar mixture with mayonnaise. Place eggs in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and cook for about 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the macaroni 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and pour into the bowl with the sauce. Stir until the macaroni is well coated. Mix the coated macaroni with the eggs, cucumber, tomato, green bell pepper and salt. Serve lightly chilled or room temperature. Serves 8-10.

SHOW & RECIPE FOR JUNE 14

WINE BAR ON THE STRAND
For today’s show, we travel south to Galveston – as so many Houstonians do this time of year – to check out a food and wine scene that, by all accounts, is going and growing in directions unforeseen only a decade ago. As symbol of this evolution verging on a revolution, we start the program at a classy, brand-new wine bar called Bacchus, right on the Strand amid the longtime T-shirt shops and souvenirs. Owner Ric Legge explains what he saw in Galveston’s changing demographics that made him think a place serving boutique wines would be just the thing.

POOL BAR SUSHI AT THE SAN LUIS
The San Luis Resort has certainly become a place to see and be seen in recent years, especially since it was purchased and glamorized by Tilman Fertita. In years past, for instance, the swimming pool here was a closed-off, functional, guests-only kind of affair. Recently, Fertita and Co. opened the pool view to the Gulf on the other side of the famous Seawall, introduced some super martinis, mojitos and other cocktails and even, in this land of fried seafood, some incredible sushi. Executive chef Sean Moore tells us all about it.

TRADITION LIVES AT MOODY GARDENS
Sometimes, even on a beach vacation, you just want to dress up – well, at least a little. And folks with a love of the culinary classics are increasingly putting their Galveston dining in the hands of European chef Urs Schmid, who holds court daily at Shearn’s Restaurant at Moody Gardens Hotel. The hotel itself is pretty interesting, connecting as it does to its own convention center and all the family attractions the Moody family has installed over the years. But when it comes to Shrimp DeJonge and Lobster Bique, Chef Urs is your man.

HIP SPOT ON THE ISLAND
Finally, you can’t really be a dining destination without one or more stylish places to eat stylish food – uh, stylishly. And if you ask around the island, a lot of people who would be hanging out at Gravitas, Voice or Ra Sushi in Houston are gravitating toward M&M Palms in Houston. It’s a bit more casual than its big-city counterparts, of course, in atmosphere, attire and cuisine. But with a boost from Chef Chris Lopez, the Tex-Mex-influenced but creative food being served has definitely put M&M on the map.

This Week’s Delicious Mischief Recipe…
TRADITIONAL LOBSTER BISQUE

2 whole lobsters, 1 ½ pound each
1 medium onion, diced
1 celery rib, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
1 teaspoon thyme
5 cups fish stock or canned chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup dry sherry
1 bay leaf
8 black pepper corns, crushed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon Spanish paprika
2 tablespoons flour
¼ stick butter

Fill 6-quart kettle three fourths full with salt water and bring to a boil. Plunge in the lobsters, head first. Cover the kettle and boil over high heat for 8 minutes. (The lobsters do not have to be cooked fully). Transfer the lobsters with tongs onto a cutting board, and reserve 4 cups of the lobster stock. Let the lobsters cool enough to handle, twist off the claws, and cut the carcass length wise in half. Remove the meat from the body and claws, reserving the shells. Cut the meat into small chunks and refrigerate.

Heat the oil in a 6 quart casserole over high heat, add the lobster shells, onions, celery, garlic peppercorns, tarragon, thyme, and roast for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, paprika, bay leaf, and combine well. Pour the 5 cups fish stock over the mixture, and simmer for 1 hour uncovered, or until most of the liquid has evaporated to about 1 cup. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a 1-quart saucepan, and keep the reduced stock hot. In a separate casserole, melt the butter, mix in the flour to make a roux, and cook over low heat for 3 minutes, but do not brown. Whisk in the 4 cups lobster stock, and reduced stock, a little at a time and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes until smooth, add the sherry, heavy cream, lobster meat, Tabasco sauce and heat, but do not boil. Taste to your liking and serve in hot bowls with oyster crackers. Serves 6.