Hill Country Cookin At Its Texas Best

Recipes from the viewers of "Texas Country Reporter."

A guide to the best restaurants in the Central Texas region. Includes recipes.

Making its debut in March 2014 is the premier book on Texas Hill Country Cuisine. Cabernet Grill's owner/chef Ross Burtwell's biggest source of pride is in the partnerships the Cabernet Grill has forged with local farmers, vintners and entrepreneurs. This allows the restaurant to offer guests outstanding Texas food and wine. This book is the "take home" version of the restaurant experience and encapsulates everything the Cabernet Grill has come to stand for. Spectacular cuisine. Texas wine. Unforgettable flavors. -- Author's website.

The Best Little From-Scratch Bakery in Texas The pastry case in Rebecca Rather's bakery in Fredericksburg is packed with ultra-buttery scones, luscious cakes, cookies the size of saucers, brownies as big as bricks, and fruit pies that look as though they came straight out of Grandma's oven. Since the day Rebecca and her Rather Sweet Bakery and Café came to town, life in this Hill Country hamlet has been even sweeter and the townsfolk now know why she is the Pastry Queen. Everything she makes is a lot like her: down-home yet grand, and familiar yet one-of-a-kind. A native Texan, Rather makes the most of her Lone Star state's varied traditions, whether looking to the kitchens of Texas's Mexican and German immigrants or to the cowboy culture of her own forebears. Best of all, her recipes aren't fussy—one of her best-selling cakes stirs together in a single saucepan. Add in a cupful of Texas attitude and her made-from-scratch-with-love philosophy, and you've got an irresistible taste of American baking. What's best at Rather Sweet? Rebecca's customers all have their favorites (and she is happy to cater to their cravings), but here's just a taste of the perennial best sellers: • Apple-Smoked Bacon and Cheddar Scones • Texas Big Hairs Lemon-Lime Tarts (the only big hair Rebecca has ever had!) • Fourth of July Fried Pies • Peach Queen Cake with Dulce de Leche Frosting • Turbo-Charged Brownies with Praline Topping • All-Sold-Out Chicken Pot Pies • Kolaches (pillowy yeasted buns with sweet or savory fillings) • PB&J Cookies With over 125 surefire tested recipes and 100 photographs that richly capture small-town life in the Hill Country, The Pastry Queen offers a Texas-size serving of the royal splendor of Rebecca's baked goods—courtesy of the rather sweet gal behind the case.

With a bounty of locally grown meats and produce, artisanal cheeses, and a flourishing wine culture, it's a luscious time to be cooking in Texas. From restaurant chefs to home cooks, Texans are going to local dairies, orchards, farmers' markets, ranches, vineyards, and seafood sellers to buy the very freshest ingredients, whether we're cooking traditional favorites or the latest haute cuisine. We've discovered that Texas terroir—our rich variety of climates and soils, as well as our diverse ethnic cultures—creates a unique "taste of place" that gives Texas food a flavor all its own. Written by one of Texas's leading cookbook authors, Terry Thompson-Anderson, Texas on the Table presents 150 new and classic recipes, along with stories of the people—farmers, ranchers, shrimpers, cheesemakers, winemakers, and chefs—who inspired so many of them and who are changing the taste of Texas food. The recipes span the full range from finger foods and first courses to soups and breads, salads, seafood, chicken, meat (including wild game), sides and vegetarian dishes, and sweets. Some of the recipes come from the state's most renowned chefs, and all are user-friendly for home cooks. Finally, the authors and winemakers tell which recipes they turn to when opening their favorite wines. This delicious compilation of recipes and stories of the people behind them, illustrated with Sandy Wilson's beautiful photographs, makes Texas on the Table the must-have cookbook for everyone who relishes the flavors of the Lone Star State.

Taking full advantage of the local bounty around San Antonio, rising star Scott Cohen, executive chef at the four-diamond Las Canarias at Omni La Mansion del Rio, as well as at Pesca on the River at the Watermark Hotel and Spa, introduces readers to the region and takes them on a culinary tour through more than 100 recipes.

Richly illustrated cookbook transports readers back to 1915 in the Texas Hill Country, before the introduction of packaged foods, refrigeration, and mass-produced goods. Photos by Laurence Parent.

The free-spirited, unpretentious Texas Hill Country is a treasure. Central Texas is an unpretentious, free-spirited region filled with treasured taquerias, hallowed music venues, juicy BBQ, and revered natural wonders. A non-stop schedule of cultural festivals makes for year-round revelry. Explore San Antonio's pedestrian-friendly River Walk, legendary Alamo and historic Mission Trail. Austin's internationally recognized music scene keeps feet tapping and its parks, trails, and swimming holes offer endless recreation. Take a carefree road trip through the Hill Country, past vineyards and wildflowers, to towns brimming with gourmet restaurants and relaxing B&Bs.

From Kiss My Cheese Grits, Smoked Poblano Gouda Bisque, House Carnitas, to Hallelujah Cookies, the mommas bring the heat straight from the heart of Texas. A trio of Southern Spice Queens share their recipes from feeding 13 kids, catering formal parties, food blogging, cooking for love, comfort, health, and friends. "Boots N' Brunch" will wow your guests into the flavors of a Hill Country Bed and Breakfast, while "Texas Tea House" will tantalize the taste buds with smoky Tex-Mex soups. These ladies definitely turn up the spice. The Cowgirl Pots de Crème, or the Coconut Tres Leches Cake will also have you pleading, "Sister Shut Yo' Mouth."