These J.W. Marriott Hill Country San Antonio resort restaurant recipes, including a cocktail, will give you a taste of Texas.
I am a fan of the J.W. Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, having stayed there will on assignment for the October 2014 profile of Steven McHugh and his restaurant Cured at the Pearl Brewery mixed-use development. The property offers primo amenities and activities, including a nine-acre San Antonio water park, a couple of PGA-Certified, TPC golf courses, and a spa par excellance. There’s also quick access to local attractions like Six Flags Fiesta Texas. But, as you might imagine, I dig the culinary options the most.
Cibolo Moon is Award T Recognition certified from the Tequila Regulatory Council of Mexico for its remarkable agave spirits collection and the staff’s masterful knowledge of the elixir. It’s the J.W. Marriott Hill Country San Antonio’s flagship restaurant and offers guests a taste of regional Texan fare in a rustic and refined space. Image: chile-seared shrimp with green chile-cheddar grits, a chicken and jalapeño-cheddar waffle with Rebecca Creek Whiskey maple syrup, Shiner beer borracho beans, a lullaby of a cowboy rib-eye, and buttermilk biscuits.
Cibolo Buttermilk Biscuits With Jalapeño-Strawberry Jam
(Yields about 12 biscuits depending on cutter size)
2 cups flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons shortening
1 cup buttermilk, chilled
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using your fingertips, rub butter and shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (Chef’s note: The faster the better, you don’t want the fats to melt.) Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.
Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour, and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, making sure to push straight down through the dough. Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible, and continue cutting.
(Chef’s note: Biscuits from the second pass will not be quite as light as those from the first, but hey, that’s life.)
Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 – 20 minutes.
Jalapeño-Strawberry Jam
1 cup orange juice
1 jalapeño
1 teaspoon habenero chile powder
1 quart strawberry preserves
Place jalapeño, orange juice, and habenero powder in blender and blend until completely puréed. Then fold jalapeño orange juice mixture into the strawberry preserve.
Lemon Berry-Infused Margarita
1½ ounce Patrón Citrónge
1 ounce lime juice
1 ounce agave nectar
Lime wedge, for garnish
2 blueberries, for garnish
1 blackberry, for garnish
2 raspberries, for garnish
In cocktail shaker, combine tequila, Citrónge, lime juice, and agave nectar. Rim margarita glass with salt and fill with ice. Pour mixture over ice with strainer. Garnish with a lime wedge and then float 2 blueberries, 1 blackberry, and 2 raspberries on top.
For more information on the J.W. Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa and/or Cibolo Moon, visit the resort’s website. Images courtesy J.W. Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa.
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