Cooking On The Border

Forager Hank Shaw brings new border cookbook to Austin sotol distillery

Borderlands is all about food along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Photo courtesy of Desert Door and Hank Shaw

James Beard Award-winning author, chef, and forager Hank Shaw is visiting a unique Austin-area distillery to promote his new cookbook, Borderlands. Shaw will be at Desert Door Distillery in Driftwood on Friday, November 7.

Borderlands has a strong connection to Desert Door because it explores the U.S.-Mexico border, including the areas where sotol grows — Desert Door's specialty. The event will set guests up with two drink tickets for cocktails inspired by recipes from the book, plus a signed copy to take home. There will also be food for purchase from local trucks.

This is Shaw's sixth cookbook, offering 125 recipes and nearly 300 photographs, according to a press release. It presents recipes from Texas and Northern Mexico, as well as "every area along our shared border." The recipes include range from the "approachable" to the more specialized.

Some recipes readers can expect to see include:

Fish tacos
Chimichangas
Carne asada
Discada — a mixed-meat stir-fry
Mollejas — sweetbread
Empalmes — a lard-dipped tortilla sandwich
Caldo de queso — a Sonoran soup with potatoes
Cactus salad
Nopales navegantes — cactus soup, often with a poached egg
Mushroom Tacos
The Death Bed Taco — a personal birthday treat from a friend

Since Shaw is widely known for foraging, this book features recipes using wild foods like mesquite, wild greens, native pine nuts, Texas ebony, and cholla, says the book's official description. Game and fresh fish are also on the table.

For those who haven't tried Desert Door's cocktails, they can usually expect a twist on a classic featuring sotol, which has a gently smoky taste that lands somewhere between tequila and mezcal. We don't know exactly what Desert Door is planning for the Borderlands event, but the promotional imagery shows what appears to be a Tex-Mex twist on a martini.

Desert Door is located at 211 Darden Hill Rd. in Driftwood. The event runs from 6-7 pm. Tickets ($65.53) are available via Eventbrite.

cookbook books tour desert door sotol driftwood

Holiday shopping

6 lesser-known Austin holiday markets to shop as holiday clock winds down

Photo by Chad Wadsworth

Koko's Beer Hall on South Lamar promises a German-style holiday market with local vendors on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 5-8 p.m.

As Christmas draws closer and casual browsing starts turning into urgent buying this holiday season, Austin shoppers can pick up handcrafted, locally made gifts at multiple holiday markets around the city.

Of course, there's always the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar and Blue Genie Art Bazaar, two very large markets and two of the city's main holiday traditions. But if shoppers want to fill the gaps on their lists or try something new, there are plenty of other options.

Some, like Koko's Beer Hall on South Lamar, come with their own seasonal food and drink menu. Others, such as The Merry Market Austin at the El Presidente at Maufrais on South Congress, will cater to shoppers looking for items made in Austin. And some, such as the Bee Cave Holiday Market at the Hill Country Galleria, incorporate family activities such as ice skating.

Here are six markets to shop this holiday season:

Luck on the Lawn pic at Hotel Magdalena Earlier Luck on the Lawn event this year at the Hotel Magdalena.Photo from Hotel Magdalena

Holiday Luck on the Lawn at Hotel Magdalena
1101 Music Lane. December 13, 10 am-6 pm

Hotel Magdalena's free Holiday Luck on the Lawn is a day of free activities, including local vendors such as apparel brand Frankie Jean, Bad Luck Bandanas, Fraulein Boots, and Breakaway Records. Guests can reserve their spot on Eventbrite. Other events during the day will include a morning Pilates class and kid-friendly craft station.

Hot cacao drinks will be provided by Austin's Hijita Cacao. Angel White and Bovine will be entertaining from 4 to 6 pm.

Press Room at Baker Center Print press production at the Press Room at the Baker Center.Photo courtesy of the Baker Center

Hyde Park Holiday Market & The Press Room
Baker Center, 3908 Avenue B. December 13, 11 am-4 pm

This will be the first Hyde Park Holiday Market for the renovated Baker Center, the former Austin school district junior high that is now owned by Tim and Karrie League, the founders of the Alamo Drafthouse.

The event will also be the official launch of the Press Room, an indoor and outdoor showcase of Texas artists and vintage curators. Expect handcrafted goods, artwork, antiques, prints and specialty items. Attendees will also be able to create prints on the building's working letterpress shop. The Press Room has a broad collection of original cinema advertising printing cuts, Participants at past events have created custom movie posters.

Creation by Colleen Creations by Colleen, one of the vendors at Holiday Artisan Market.Photo courtesy of Creations by Colleen

Real Ale's Holiday Artisan Market
Real Ale Brewing Company, 2250 N. US Hwy 281, Blanco. December 13, noon-6 pm

Real Ale Brewing Company will host its Holiday Artisan Market at its Blanco brewery and beer garden. Visitors can expect jewelry, artwork, artisan soaps, stained glass, pottery and baskets. Participating makers include Floriography, Katie Baker Designs, Pouring Gardens, Shango Mecca, Hodgson Studio, Creations by Colleen, Wild Dill Farms , and others.

On-site bites will include Oh My Pizza Pie as well as Real Ale's various brews, including Firemans #4, which was voted No. 1 blonde ale at the World Beer Cup.

Merry Market Austin 2024 Photos from the Merry Market Austin event in December 2024.Photo by Katlyn Gitzen. Graphics by Kate Donovan

The Merry Market Austin
El Presidente Suite at Maufrais, 1512 S. Congress. December 13 and 14, 10 am-4 pm

If you're looking for that Austin-crafted gift for the holidays, the Merry Market Austin is the place to go. The two-day holiday pop-up on December 13 and 14 is a ticketed event and will feature 25 local makers. Vendors will include Abbey Dyed, Abbey Simpson's plant-based eco-friendly printed garments; The Glowbs, eye-catching disco-inspired decor and props; KWOLA, hand-crafted food carriers inspired by family tradition; Lux+ Luv, distinctive Texas-themed jewelry; and Dumblove, casual streetwear apparel.

Tickets, which can be bought at the Merry Market Austin, will benefit Tankproof. Beverages will include both hot chocolate and cocktails made with Austin-based Carabuena Tequila. The first 20 guests will get a Merry Market tote and goodie bag.

Bee Cave on Ice, sponsored by the City of Bee Caves, at the Hill Country Galleria.Photo courtesy of the City of Bee Cave

Bee Cave Holiday Market and Bee Cave on Ice
Now through December 20, Fridays 4-9 pm and Saturdays noon-7 pm

The Hill Country Galleria will be hosting a pop-up holiday market in the mall's central plaza each weekend between now and Christmas. The holiday market will host a rotating list of vendors with handcrafted goods as well as live music each Friday evening. Guest artists will include Havins, Scott Strickland, George Devore, and Mark Chandler. Admission is free.

The City of Bee Cave also will be back with Bee Cave on Ice through mid-January. Hours of operation will vary by day, with sessions on Saturdays and school holidays open from 10 am to 10 pm. The 50-minute skating sessions, which includes skate rental, are $16. Tuesdays are community nights, with discount pricing of $11 per skating session.

Free photos with Santa Claus at Santa's Workshop also are available during weekend hours. Parents are asked to bring their cameras.

Koko's Beer Hall on South Lamar for the Holidays Koko's Beer Hall will offer holiday-themed drinks this month to celebrate the holiday season.Photo by Chad Wadsworth

Koko's Alpine Lodge & Christmas Market
3003 S Lamar. Through January 3, Tuesday and Thursday nights, 5-8 pm

Koko's Beer Hall, which opened its doors in South Austin in October, promises a real Bavarian Christmas experience through the month of December. Local vendors will be on hand Tuesday and Thursday nights, with holiday movies such as Elf, Home Alone, and The Grinch scheduled for Tuesday evenings.

Doors will be open 11 am to midnight most days. Koko's, the brainchild of Nickel City's Travis Tober, also will be open on Christmas Eve, 11 am to 6 pm, and Christmas Day, 11 am to 5 pm. For updates, visit Koko's Instagram.

markets holidays shopping gifts artisans