My Recipes

Preparation

1. Melt butter.

2. Stir in sugar, off heat.

3. Place in water bath, stir until cool.

4. Stir in nutmeg to taste.

5. Add rum.

6. Pour into dishes and refrigerate.

Preparation

1. Dissolve ingredients in water.

2. Stir occasionally.

3. Boil until the “hard crack” stage.

4. Pour into 8×11 inch greased baking pan.

5. Mark into squares when firm.

6. Crack when cold.

Preparation

1. Cream butter.

2. Gradually add sugar; should be light and fluffy.

3. Gradually add flour, ½ cup at a time.

4. Divide into fourths.

5. Roll on floured bread board.

6. Press thumbs on edge.

7. Score into eight parts with a toothpick.

8. Prick squares with fork.

9. Bake at 325°F until done (about 25 minutes).

10. Let them cool a few minutes.

11. Cut them into squares and finish cooling on a rack.

Rosemary and lemon juice work together here to cut through the rich taste of the bluefish. The result is a striking combination of moist flesh and pleasantly acidic flavor.

Preparation

Cut the fillets in half; combine all the remaining ingredients except for the extra rosemary. Pour this mixture over the fillets and marinate for 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

Preheat a gas grill or start a charcoal fire; the heat should be medium-high. Place the fillets in a fish basket (alternatively, brush both sides of the fish with additional olive oil). Toss a branch of fresh or a small handful of dried rosemary directly onto the coals and grill the fish, skin side up, for 4 to 5 minutes (if you’re not using a fish basket, slide a spatula under the fish every minute or two to prevent sticking). Baste with the remaining marinade and turn, then grill until the skin is nicely browned, another 4 or 5 minutes. Bluefish becomes white when it is done; use a thin-bladed knife to peek at the interior of the fillet at its thickest part.

Preparation

Heat oil in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Cook zucchini, bell pepper, onion and garlic in oil 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomato, oregano and basil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Beat eggs, salt and pepper until blended. Stir in Fontina cheese. Pour over vegetable mixture. Cover and cook 9 to 11 minutes or until eggs are set around edge and light brown on bottom. Sprinkle with Romano cheese.

Set oven control to broil. Broil frittata with top about 5 inches from heat about 3 minutes or until golden brown.

The ubiquitous companion to South-western and Southern dishes, from Chili Auténtico con Mucha Cerveza to Barbecued Ribs, Missouri Style to Boiled Collard Greens with Salt Pork. This slightly sweet version is perfect for mpooing up pot likker or cooling off your palat after hot dishes. If you have any left over, use it in the Corn Bread Salsa with Lime Juice and Cilantro, or cut it into small cubmes and bake them in a 350°F oven for 30 to 45 minutes, until brown and toasty, and you have marvevlous croutons for your green salads.

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Lightly oil a 2"×12"×8" pan.

3. Sift together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, mil, and vegetable oil.

5. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, then add the melted butter. Stir until just mixed.

6. Bake for approximately 1 hour, or until a cake tester comes out clean. The corn bread should be brown on top when done.

The flank is not the tenderest cut of beef, but it may be the most flavorful. To make it tenderer, I marinate it and slice it against the grain very thin on the bias after cooking it. So what you start with is very thin steak, and what you end up with is large thin slices of char-flavored meat that resembles roast beef. The acid in the lime marinade is very complementary to the char flavor of the meet. Marinated it anywhere from 4 to 6 hours: Any longer than that, and the lime juice will actually cook the steak, leaving you with gray meat.

Make sure your grill is really hot. Because this think cut of meat takes very little time to cook, you need that intense heat to give it the color you want.

The sauce is a sweet/hot combination that features chipotles, which are dried smoked jalapeño chile peppers with a very distinctive flavor. Adjust the heat to the level you want, using the chipotle as your fuel.

Preparation

1. Place the steak in a large dish or baking pan. Mix all the marinade ingredients together, then pour the marinade over the steak. Cover the steak and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours, turning occasionally.

2. Make the sauce: Combine the honey, peanut oil, chipotles, vinegar, mustard, lime juice, garlic, and cumin, and purée in a blender or food processor. Stir in the chopped cilantro and add the salt and pepper to taste.

3. Salt and pepper the steak to taste. Over very high heat, grill the steak for 5 to 7 minutes on each side (for medium rare).

4. Remove the steak from the grill and let it rest for 3 to 5 minutes so the juices that were drawn to the center by cooking redistribute for even color. Then, using a very sharp knife, slice the steak as thin as you can, against the grain and on a very sharp angle.

5. Serve the steak, which should be very juicy, either plain or on top of sliced French bread, and accompany each serving with several tablespoons of the sauce.

Preparation

Rub the rim of a margarita glass with the rind of a lime and dip rim in salt. Shake ingredients with ice and strain into glass.

Preparation

Add grenadine to tall glass filled with ice; top with ginger ale, decorate with an orange slice and cherry.

Preparation

Combine ingredients and pour over ice in a tall glass. Add a dash of cola for color. Garnish with slice of lemon.

Constantly challenged by my fire-eating customers to create hotter and hotter food, I decided to put a stop to it once and for all by developing a dish that would satisfy their desires and quiet their demands. A dish so hot that there was no hotter; so hot that never again would I have to take a ribbing from the heat freaks.

This is it. Your heat source here is the Scotch Bonnet chile pepper, widely accepted as the hottest commercially cultivated chile pepper in the world. Many of my customers think this dish is just a bit too much, Kitchen Out of Control. But a handful of others, with sweat coming off the tops of their heads, eyes as big as saucers, bathed in satanic ecstasy, tell me that it’s the best thing I’ve ever created. The truth lies somewhere in the middle, and in fact the heat in this dish can be controlled by using far fewer peppers without impairing the flavor of the dish. But…every once in a while, when the really hard case sits down and insists on something that has a “real kick” to it, whip the full-bore Pasta from Hell on him. We’re talking culinary respect here.

Preparation

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil and sauté the onion and red pepper in it over medium heat for about 4 minutes.

2. Add the bananas and pineapple and orange juice. Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the bananas are soft.

3. Remove from the heat, add the lime juice, cilantro, chile peppers, and three tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese, and mix well.

4. In 4 quarts of boiling salted water, cook the fettuccine until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes for dried pasta, 3 to 4 for fresh. Drain and put it into a stainless steel bowl.

5. Add the spicy mixture, butter, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with the remaining Parmesan.

One day the word came down from the top that the East Coast Grill needed to create a drink; everyone seemed to be doing it, and the Blue Margarita had run its course, calling for a successor. Answering the call of duty, we all got together one night after work for an R&D session at the bar. This is the result of that long, arduous night. This drink is something like a frozen Planter’s Punch or Mai Tai, is as refreshing as a trade wind, and the addition of a tropical fruit garnish like mango or papaya completes the scene.

Preparation

1. Combine all the ingredients except the rums in a large container and mix well.

2. Fill a 16oz glass with ice, and add one shot (2oz) of golden rum such as Mount Gay or Ron del Barralito.

3. Fill the glass to the top of the ice level with the Last Resort mixture and pour the contents of the glass into a blender.

4. Blend until combined (about 1 minute), pour into a fancy glass, and garnish with a slice of papaya or mango.

5. Float a splash of dark rum such as Myers’ or Gosling’s on top.

Here you’re talking strength against strength. A very strong, distinct-tasting, oily fish versus a hot, smoky, highly acidic vinaigrette. A great combination, as both flavors will definitely be heard from. I like to use chipotles a lot with grilled food because the tastes complement each other very well, and because it is always available canned.

This dish can be served warm or cold and is a good item for buffets because the cooling-down process doesn’t affect the flavors. If you want to make a more colorful presentation, throw a couple of lime halves on the platter and sprnkle chopped cilantro and red onion on top.

Preparation

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, puréed pepper, cilantro, lime juice, and sugar. Add the olive oil, still whisking, until the mixture is well mixed. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Season the fillets with salt and pepper to taste and rub them with the vegetable oil.

3. Over medium-low heat, place the fillets skin-side up on the grill, and cover them with a pie pan. Cook 10 to 12 minutes, remove the pie pan, and flip the fillets with a spatula. Cook them an additional 5 minutes. Check to see if they’re completely done by probing the flesh, looking for consistent opacity.

4. Remove the fillets from the grill, place them on a platter, and pour the vinaigrette over them. Garnish with the lime halves, chopped cilantro, and red onion.