Hot Plate

Guests at Sabine (1915 Westheimer, 529-7190) are greeted with a lovely plate of fresh baked-in-house breads with an intriguing trio of dip, jelly and butter. Use this inside info from executive chef Aaron Guest to win bets with your fellow diners: The black-eyed pea hummus substitutes black-eyed peas, of course, for the traditional chickpeas; but the mystery ingredient is all-American peanut butter instead of tahini paste. The deep red cranberry-style jelly is made from boiled corncobs(!), and the fluffy, pink butter reminiscent of strawberries actually uses roasted beets. The breads are marvelous: cornbread muffins with chopped pecans and nutmeg; cumin-scented corn flatbread; and a textured white bread brushed with maple syrup, black pepper and herbs. Mmm, such a lagniappe

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