< Previous50 COASTMONTHLY.COM | MAY 2025 “I would always hang out in the kitchen with my grandma and help her bake pastries and cookies,” he said. “I still have her rolling pin and also a box of her recipes. They don’t have many measurements, just a pinch of this and a handful of that. If the recipe uses a can of some- thing, it doesn’t say what size can.” Adding to the nostalgia is the fact his grandfather made the wood- en box housing the recipe cards. Holcomb-Chrisinger likes to make cookies at Christmas time and uses his grandmother’s recipes for drop cookies, peanut butter and sugar cookies. He’ll even frost the sugar cookies and jokes it’s easy to tell he frosted them himself. Another precious kitchen heirloom is the cast-iron skillet from his mother’s family. “She is Norwegian and Sioux Indian and the skillet came from the reservation from the early 1900s,” he said. “It’s been seasoned a few times since then.” Holcomb-Chrisinger’s career in oil and gas has led him to travel to 42 of the 50 states and to cities all around the world. Wherever he goes, he likes to try the local delicacies and specialties because he thinks it’s one of the best ways to get to know a place. “In Louisiana I even got a recipe for étouffée from a lady who hadn’t shared it with anyone,” he said. “She couldn’t believe a boy from Wiscon- sin would love étouffée as much as I did so she gave me the recipe.” DOWN HOME APPLE WOOD SMOKED BANANA BREAD 5 ripe bananas 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt ½ cup oil ¾ cup brown sugar 2 eggs, beaten 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg Add apple wood logs or chunks to your smoker and burn until tempera- ture is 225 F. Grease an 8-inch-by- 4-inch loaf tin (disposable aluminum pans work well). Add wet ingredients first – beaten eggs, oil and bananas — but do not over mix, keep bananas chunky. Add sugar, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix until combined. Bake banana bread in the smoker until a toothpick comes up clean, about 2 to 3 hours. Allen Holcomb-Chrisinger helped his grandmother bake when he was younger. His grandmother’s rolling pin and wooden recipe box, made by his grandfather, are two of his prized possessions. 1K 5K 10K COASTMONTHLY.COM | MAY 2025 51 THEROOFTOP NOWOPEN! Sunday-Thursday:12pm-12am Friday&Saturday:12pm-1am ......................................................... MAY 3, 4, 10 & 11, 2025 - TICKETS AND INFO AT GALVESTONHISTORY.ORG! Galveston’s summertime celebration of the island’s vintage past returns! .............................................................................................................................. REVUE PREVUE PARTY AT THE GALVESTON HISTORIC SEAPORT | CLASSIC COCKTAIL COURSES | QUEEN CITY CABARET AT THE 1920 CITY NATIONAL BANK BUILDING JAZZ BRUNCH | HISTORY OF JAZZ LECTURES | CLASSIC CARS | VINTAGE VENDORS BATHING BEAUTIES CONTESTS | AND MORE! GALVESTON ISLAND R EVUE WEEKEND JUNE 6-8, 2025 | BEACHREVUE.COM DETAILS AND TICKETS AT BEACHREVUE.COM! 17th ANNual bathing beauties contest THE TRUBE FOUNDATION COVER HOUSE: 1899 FELIX AND EVA MISTROT HOUSE COMMEMORATING THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREAT STORM OF 1900 (AND GREAT FIRE OF 1885)52 COASTMONTHLY.COM | MAY 2025 TASTE OF TEXAS PULLING IT OFF Try this easy Tex-Mex version of a slow-cooked Southern favorite story and recipe by PHIL NEWTON | photo by JENNIFER REYNOLDS C arnitas is a slow-cooked Tex-Mex version of Southern pulled pork. But while Southern pulled pork gets its flavors from barbecue seasoning such as tomato paste, honey and mustard and then slow cooked on a grill, carnitas has a different flavor profile and texture. Carnitas is sea- soned with taco flavoring and lots of citrus. In a restaurant setting, carnitas might even be cooked confit style in a bath of lard. In home kitchens, it usually isn’t practical to keep that much lard. But it’s possible to cook carnitas in either a slow cooker or Dutch oven and create a close match. The best part is it only needs five minutes of prep. Tortillas dream of being a carnitas taco from the moment they come off the comal. Don’t disappoint them. PORK CARNITAS 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2-3 inch pieces 1 (12-ounce) bottle of Mexican beer 1 large, white onion, quartered 1 cup fresh orange juice ½ cup fresh lime juice 5 garlic cloves, halved 1 tablespoon salt 2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon cumin 2 tablespoons olive oil 1½ cups crumbled queso fresco ½ cup cilantro, coarsely chopped 2 limes, cut into wedges Tortillas Combine first 11 ingredients in a 5-quart pot or slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours until meat is fork-tender. If cooking in the oven, add a cup and half of water and lower the time to about 3 hours again until fork-tender. Remove from the pot and shred with 2 forks. To simulate the crispy exterior of confit-style cooking, cook the shredded pork in batches in hot oil in a large skillet set at medium-high heat, stirring often until edges of pork begin to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Serve pork in warm tortillas with cheese, cilantro and lime wedges. PHIL NEWTON is a Galveston baker/cook. He’s the owner/operator of Stiglich Corner with partner Cindy Roberts. COASTMONTHLY.COM | MAY 2025 53 Imagine your home, totally organized! Custom Closets Garage Cabinets Home Offices Wall Beds Wall Organizers Pantries Laundries Wall Units Hobby Rooms Garage Flooring Media Centers and more... Call for a free in home design consultation and estimate CM Follow us SPECIAL FINANCING FOR 18 MONTHS With approved credit. Call or ask your Designer for details. Not available in all areas. 409-904-0787 www.closetsbydesign.com Locally Owned and Operated! 2024 © All Rights Reserved. Closets by Design, Inc. 40 % O ff Plus Free Installation Terms and Conditions: 40% off any order of $1000 or more, 30% off any order of $700- $1000 on any complete unit of custom Closet, Garage or Home Office, and any other products. Not valid with any other offer. Free installation with any unit order of $850 or more. With incoming order, at time of purchase only. Not valid at all franchise locations. Offer expires in 30 days. Emergencies happen. We’re right here when they do. A health emergency is something most of us would rather prevent than plan for. But when you need medical care fast, the closest emergency room is a smart thing to know. As your community partner, St. Luke's Health is your direct path from feeling scared or uncomfortable to feeling better. Get to know more about our ERs before an emergency strikes. Find your nearest location at StLukesHealth.org/Emergency .54 COASTMONTHLY.COM | MAY 2025 GAME ON CRAZY FOR CRAWFISH? Don’t rush the roux in this tasty étouffée recipe story, recipe and photo by CAPT. NATE SKINNER I f you’re like me, you can’t get enough crawfish. I’m notorious for having eyes that are bigger than my stomach, at least when it comes to crawfish, and I almost always end up cooking up more mudbugs than my party can consume. Some might view this as a problem. But for me, it’s just a great excuse to make crawfish étouffée in the near future. The key to successfully creating a delicious étouffée is the roux. Making the roux is quite simple, you just can’t rush it. Take your time, continuously stir it, and cook it until it turns into a rich, peanut butter color. From there, you’ll sauté onions, celery and a variety of seasonings and spices in the roux. Butter and tomato paste will be in the mix as well, and you’ll add the crawfish tails last. Before you know it, you’ll have a delicious-looking concoction that will have your guests believing you’ve got Cajun roots, even if you really don’t. Serve the étouffée over a bed of long grain, white rice, and get ready to dig in. It’s comfort food at it’s finest, and you won’t be disappointed. CRAWFISH ÉTOUFFÉE 2 pounds crawfish tails 1 cup oil 3 ⁄ 4 cup flour 1 1 ⁄ 2 cups chopped onion 1 ⁄ 4 cup chopped celery 1 ⁄ 3 cup minced garlic 2 ⁄ 3 cup green chopped peppers 1 ⁄ 4 cup butter 1 ⁄ 2 cup tomato paste 1 can chicken broth 3 cups water 2 chicken bouillon cubes 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons black pepper 1 teaspoon hot sauce 1 teaspoon paprika Make the roux in a large skil- let by stirring the flour and oil over low to medium heat. Once the roux reaches a peanut butter color, add chopped onions, celery, garlic and green peppers. Sauté for 5 minutes. In a separate small skillet, melt butter and add tomato paste. Sauté tomato paste in butter for about 5 minutes until it becomes smooth and thick. Then mix it with the roux in the large skillet. Melt the bouillon cubes in 3 cups of water. Pour the broth, water with melted bouillon cubes, and seasonings into the large skillet. Cook for 30 minutes over low to medium heat, stirring often. Add the crawfish tails to the large skillet for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Serve with rice. COASTMONTHLY.COM | MAY 2025 55 ADVERTISING FEATURE: GOOD EATSMARLBOROUGH PIE 1 pie crust, your favorite recipe or frozen 6 tablespoons butter ¾ cup stewed puréed apples (about 4 firm cooking apples) Juice of a lemon ¾ cup sherry ½ cup cream ¾ cup granulated sugar 4 large eggs 2 teaspoons nutmeg Cinnamon, optional Use your favorite pie crust recipe for a single crust or just do a double crust and freeze half. Blind bake at 375 F for 10 minutes or until it begins to color. Melt butter and set aside to cool. Peel and dice apples, transfer to a pot and add just enough water to cover. Simmer until soft, about 30 minutes. Add a few dashes of cinnamon during cooking as an option. Strain and mash the apples. Add lemon juice, sherry, cream and sugar to the stewed apples. Mix until incorporated. Next add the melted butter. Finally beat and fold in the eggs. Add nutmeg to custard filling and spoon into pre-baked crust. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 F, then reduce heat to 350 F and bake for another 45 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Cool before serving. Garnish with apple slices and a dollop of whip cream. – Recipe courtesy of Atlas Obscura 56 COASTMONTHLY.COM | MAY 2025 DESSERT ISLAND MARLBOROUGH MYSTERY Why this apple pie fell out of favor is a conundrum story by PHIL NEWTON | photo by JENNIFER REYNOLDS I s it a pudding or a pie? As a custard-based dessert, Marlborough pie technically would be considered a pudding. But because it has a filling that’s poured into a crust and cooked, it’s also a pie — a single-crust one of stewed apples in a custard fragrant with spices and sherry. Marlborough pie originated in England as a custard pudding. Brought here by early English settlers, it has since empha- sized its American heritage with a unique take on a beloved national dessert — apple pie. The dessert is featured in the writings of Harriet Beecher Stowe, an American author, abolitionist and social activist best known for writing “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” and Edward Everett Hale, an American author, historian and Unitarian minister, known for his writings, including “The Man Without a Country.” The pie was popular in 19th-century New England, as both an indulgent treat and a way of using up apples nearing spoilage. It was considered indulgent because of the cost of ingredients, spices from Indonesia, sherry from Spain and lemons from Sicily. When the apple custard pie got the Marlborough moniker remains a mystery. Its nomenclature may be owed to a town of the same name in England, or Massachusetts, or both, writes Rohini Chaki in a 2020 article for Atlas Obscura. “To make matters more confusing, it is also sometimes known as Deerfield Pie, presumably after another Massachusetts town,” Chaki wrote. “A gloomier conundrum is why there’s sorrowful little Marlborough pie to be found in the Anglo-American culinary lexicon today.” PHIL NEWTON is a Galveston baker/cook. He’s the owner/operator of Stiglich Corner with partner Cindy Roberts. COASTMONTHLY.COM | MAY 2025 57J ust in time for the blackberry season, a Galveston bar and café is serving a high-flying cocktail thought to be named for famed aviator Amelia Earhart. The Amelia is made with vodka, elderflower liquor, blackberry purée and lemon juice. Deep berry red and served with a sprig of mint, it’s an elegant and refreshing summer drink made famous by the team behind Employees Only. This renowned, speak-easy style bar first opened in New York City and now has locations in Los Angeles, Singa- pore and other sophisticated cities around the globe. One of Employees Only’s popular cocktails, The Amelia is considered a new classic and has been described as a more hip alternative to the Cosmopolitan. It has been fea- tured in the book “Speakeasy: The Employees Only Guide to Classic Cocktails Reimagined” by Jason Kos- mas and Dushan Zaric, two of the bar’s founders. Locals can find an authentic variation at Marmo Café & Lounge, 2121 Market St. in down- town Galveston. MarMo owner Yarik Golobokov isn’t a huge fan of vodka cocktails, so including The Amelia on his cocktail list shows his faith in the quality of the drink. “We are all about classic cocktails with quality ingredients,” Golobokov said. “We make ev- erything from scratch, including our syrups and juices. Our Amelia uses St-Germain elderflower liqueur because it is the best. We use a rye vodka because that is the most authentic to the original recipe, and we make our own blackberry purée, which is basically just blackberries and rose water.” Golobokov’s wife, Daria Shved, doesn’t add sugar and sieves the blackberries so the final purée isn’t too sweet and has a light floral flavor to enhance the tart taste of the berries, he said. Originally from Ukraine, Golobokov is a French-trained chef and a graduate of Galveston College’s hospitality pro- gram. He was one of the Five Fabulous Chefs for this year’s annual gala fundraiser for the college. “In French cuisine, there are five mother sauces and there are six base cocktails, so when I first started making cocktails, it made a lot of sense to me,” he said. “It is all about technique and knowing what flavors play well together.” Now in its second year of oper- ation, MarMo has a loyal customer base attracted by Golobokov’s com- mitment to serving classic cocktails in a welcoming environment and serving food and beverages made from scratch. Bartenders at MarMo train for a year under Golobokov’s watchful eye with mixology lessons that include the history of the cocktails they mix. “I’m very nerdy and like to research everything,” he said. “I listen to pod- casts and read books to find out all I can about spirits and liqueurs, how they are made, and the history of rec- ipes. All the bottles on our bar have a purpose and are there for a reason.” He believes customers like bartenders who can make educated recommendations and know all about the drinks they serve. He and his wife have poured their heart and soul into the venue, even hanging the botanical wallpaper and painting the ceiling themselves. “We wanted it to have a homey feel and I think people appreciate that,” he said. 58 COASTMONTHLY.COM | MAY 2025 DOWN THE HATCH UP, UP AND AWAY This blackberry-based cocktail is named for famed aviator Amelia Earhart story by SHANNON CALDWELL | photos by JENNIFER REYNOLDS (Above) Yarik Golobokov strains The Amelia into a coupe cocktail glass at MarMo Cafe & Lounge in Galveston. (Opposite) The cocktail features house-made blackberry puree, rye vodka, elderflower liqueur and lemon juice. COASTMONTHLY.COM | MAY 2025 59 THE AMELIA 1¾ ounces vodka 1 ounce elderflower liqueur ¾ ounce blackberry purée ¾ ounce fresh lemon juice Simple syrup, to taste Garnish: Mint In a shaker with ice, combine all the ingredients. Shake to chill, then strain into a cocktail glass. Place the fresh mint in the palm of your hand and smack it with your oth- er hand to release the aromatic oils. Use the mint to garnish the drink. – Recipe courtesy of Employees OnlyNext >