Check out more of the sweets and treats in our slideshow.
Pastry chef, Top Chef Just Desserts contestant, and hometown girl Rebecca Masson loves dogs. “If I could save them all myself, I would,” she said as she thanked all those who had generously donated time and funds for the Lucky Dog Rescue charity.
This past Sunday, her Sweet and Savory fundraiser at Ralph Smith Studios featured an all-star lineup of local and visiting celebrity chefs, many of whom were fellow cheftestants from her season on Bravo’s reality series, Top Chef Just Desserts.
There was Craig Poirier of the MB Post in Manhattan Beach, who served mini raspberry chocolate push pops and fun cones of chocolate soup topped with sugar-dusted coconut bambolini. Amanda Rockman of the Bristol and Balena in Chicago created a beautiful vanilla basque cake with strawberry, creme fraiche, and champagne sabayon
Megan Ketover of the Hilton Netherland Plaza Hotel in Cincinnati made a delectable brown butter and caramel ice cream sandwich. Katzie Guy-Hamilton from New York Central and the Grand Hyatt New York offered buttermilk waffle balls, poached rhubarb and elderflower ice cream.
Uchi’s Philip Speer created a delicate delice de bourgoyne and liquid brioche, served in a small bamboo boat. Rebecca Masson created melt-in-your-mouth risotto fritters, topped with tangy pickled blueberries and aromatic D’aristi Xtabentun honey liqueur ice cream.
Of the local chefs in the house, Jason Gould of Cyclone Anaya’s made a fantastic smoked lamb shoulder on grilled green onion johnnycake with curried squash, cilantro yogurt and puffed rice; Jason Hill and Matt Opaleski of H-town StrEATS food truck offered up pan-fried crab and shrimp dumplings with yuzu sauce; and Adam Garcia of Revival Market created a savory pastrami melt made with all local products.
Everything was delicious, but it was Pastry Chef Carlos Enriquez‘s nitro bubble gum drops that stole the show. They were handed out on a spoon, and meant to be popped in your mouth, then you could immediately blow cold smoke out of your mouth and nose. Enriquez, who owns Pastry Solutions in Los Angeles, also served passionfruit, coconut and mango parfaits in a test tube, along with liquid s’mores on a stick.
There was plenty to drink as well. Ryan Rouse and Adrienne Byard from Grand Prize Bar created two cocktails, one called the “bottled suffering bastard,” a peachy-colored concoction in a soda pop bottle, and a tangy, refreshing cocktail called “ready steady.” Gerard Bertrand donated wine, Saint Arnold’s donated beer and Katz coffee donated coffee.
A whole slew of local chefs came out in support of the event as well, some as volunteers, others as attendees. Spotted were Pastry Chef Chris Leung of Restaurant Conat, Executive Chef Kevin Bryant of the Capitol at St. Germaine, Chef Kevin Naderi of Roost, Chef Ryan Pera of Revival Market, and Pastry Chef Johnny Wesley of Killen’s Steakhouse.
The all-star fundraiser racked in a record total of $19,100. One-of-a-kind foodie-related silent-auction donations greatly contributed to the final amount raised, as patrons bid from $100 to $875 for items like an overnight stay at the Driskill Hotel with dinner at Uchi Austin, a six-person chef’s tasting with wine from Mockingbird Bistro, a year’s worth of cheesecake from Ooh La La, a chef’s tasting dinner for four with wine pairings from Brasserie 19, a multi-course James Beard dinner for four with pairings from Killen’s Steakhouse, “Dine on the Line” for four from Haven, a chef’s dinner for six with wine pairings from Fleming’s, a chef’s dinner for four with wine pairings at Coppa, dinner for four at La Fisheria, Sunday dinner at the Wilson’s (Masson’s family), gift certificates to Triniti and t’afia, and even a chance to dine with Houston Press food critic Katharine Shilcutt.
All proceeds benefited www.luckyrescue.org. Look out for the next Sweet and Savory, slated for sometime this fall.
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