Foreign & Domestic Kolaches 1

Kolaches: A Love Letter to Texas Breakfast

Foreign & Domestic Kolaches 2

Back in Feburary 2013 I wrote about Texas’ obsession with kolaches and breakfast hot dogs. The novelty of the kolache has worn off at this point, not in a bad way, but I definitely wouldn’t say I’m surprised by them anymore. Sausage in a sweet bun? Been there, done (eaten) that. (And don’t read too much double entendre into that, please.) I guess after almost three years in this state, nothing surprises me anymore, especially where meat is involved.

Well, I guess almost nothing. I heard that one of my favorite restaurants in Austin, Foreign & Domestic, was hosting a kolache pop-up a couple Sundays ago. I’ve been to their previous bake sales and knew firsthand how legit delicious they are, so obviously I couldn’t pass up this one. While F&D was hosting the event, the kolaches themselves were from Rebecca Masson of Houston’s Fluff Bake Bar (but made fresh that morning in the F&D kitchen).

Foreign & Domestic Kolaches 1

These were no run-of-the-mill kolaches. We sampled sweet: peach & bourbon caramel, apple & miso butterscotch, coconut lemongrass; and savory: local sausage, Cubano (ham, swiss cheese, and pickle – crazy good) and everything bagel. Weirdly, that last everything bagel flavor turned out to be my favorite, full of cream cheese, onion, and poppyseed flavor.

Foreign & Domestic Kolache Everything Bagel

I guess all I’m saying is, don’t take your city’s local favorites for granted, because the best chefs and restaurants will always find ways to surprise and delight you. Also, next time you’re in Texas, hit up Foreign & Domestic or Fluff Bake Bar.

Artsy Photo of the Day

This is not your high school’s prom fundraiser bake sale…

Caramel Apple Croissants

This is Austin hotpost Foreign & Domestic‘s Saturday morning bake sale, boasting humungous, house-made pastries from chef Jodi Elliot, who just won Food & Wine’s People’s Best New Pastry Chef. You might not be able to tell from the photo, but those buttery caramel apple croissants are about the size of my head. Okay, that’s a slight exaggeration, but they’re definitely bigger than my hand. Oh… and it should go without saying that any baked good you pick up here is absolutely heavenly.