Around this time every year, I encounter a lot of people with plastic storage bags full of beautiful
Summer Berry Crumble by Trina Confusione at The Fish House. / Katie King/kking@pnj.com
blackberries, blueberries, huckleberries and strawberries. They are hoping to make someone happy by saying, “We picked too many; do you want some?” Or, “My aunt keeps bringing over more than I can handle; please tell me you can use them before they go bad.” I always take them, because I know I will have the makings for an easy dessert — a crisp.
This recipe can be worked in different ways. You can use almost any fruit or berry combination, including peaches, apricots, nectarines and plums. Be sure they are ripe, and slice them no bigger than 1, 2-inch wedges. I made a vanilla bean mascarpone to accompany the warm crisp, but you can substitute ice cream or whipped cream.
Summer Berry and Peach Crisp
For the filling
11⁄2 pounds peaches, sliced into 1⁄2-inch wedges
1 cup blackberries
1 cup blueberries
1⁄2 cup light brown sugar, packed
For the topping
1 cup rolled oats
1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1⁄3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss the filling ingredients together and pour into a buttered, 2-quart shallow baking dish. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Using your fingers, blend topping ingredients until mix is crumbly. Then pull filling from oven and stir, add topping, return dish to oven and bake until crisp and golden, about 30 minutes. Top with vanilla bean mascarpone, if desired (recipe follows).
Vanilla Bean Mascarpone
1 cup mascarpone cheese
1⁄2 cup heavy cream
1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split in half and seeds scraped out
In a mixing bowl, combine cheese, cream, sugar and vanilla bean seeds. Whisk until stiff and well combined. Store in an airtight baggie in the refrigerator. (This is best done at least a day before to allow the vanilla beans to flavor the mascarpone.) Spoon a dollop over each serving of warm crisp.
Vanilla Bean Mascarpone 1 cup mascarpone cheese 1„2 cup heavy cream 1„4 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split in half and seeds scraped out
In a mixing bowl, combine cheese, cream, sugar and vanilla bean seeds. Whisk until stiff and well combined. Store in an airtight baggie in the refrigerator. (This is best done at least a day before to allow the vanilla beans to flavor the mascarpone.) Spoon a dollop over each serving of warm crisp.
Avocado and crab chilled soup takes the edge off the summer heat. Photo by Shelley Yates
As the weather heats up, we like to cool down. So the Fish House overlooking Pensacola Bay rolls into “chill” season. Refreshing light broth-based soups and chilled vegetable soups are perfect for lunch this time of year. This refreshing chilled soup is a great make-ahead party food for warm summer nights.
1 quart chicken stock
2 elephant garlic cloves minced
3 tablespoons minced Vidalia onion
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 Poblano pepper roasted, peeled and seeded
1 Serrano pepper roasted peeled and seeded
3 avocados peeled and seeded
2 cups regular whipping cream
½ cup yogurt (more…)
NEW YORK — Five Pensacola chefs brought tastes of Grits a Ya Ya, crab cakes and other Southern delights to the Big Apple Tuesday as they entertained a group of gourmets at the James Beard House.
The Pensacola chefs — Dan Dunn of H2O of the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front, Irv Miller of Jackson’s Steakhouse, Jim Shirley of The Fish House, Gus Silivos of Nancy’s Haute Affairs and Frank Taylor of Global Grill — are part of a mission to let the New York food community know that Gulf seafood is back from the effects of last year’s BP oil spill, is safe to eat — and delicious.
“I’m a surfer, and I’ve not seen a tar ball since last October,” Miller said. “We need people to get back on the bandwagon of supporting the Gulf Coast.”
“Morning Joe” host and Pensacola resident Joe Scarborough aired a segment about the visit on his show this morning. Watch it in the player embedded at left.
The chefs prepared a tasting for journalists Tuesday afternoon, followed by a five-course dinner. The dinner sold out at $170 a pop. The chefs donated their time to get the word out about Pensacola and help promote tourism.
“It’s all about promoting our culinary heritage,” said Silivos, who prepared Scamp Cervantes, which gained notoriety when President George H.W. Bush ordered the dish at Silivos’ former restaurant, Skopelos. “We want to showcase to tourists that Pensacola has some of the best seafood in the world.”
The event was sponsored by Visit Pensacola, which received funds from BP following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill last year for marketing efforts. The money has allowed the tourism group to air national television commercials, shown on the Weather Channel and the Travel Channel, as well as participate in events like this dinner to lure in potential visitors.
Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Jim Hizer used the event to host a group of economic development site selectors, while Visit Pensacola officials feted travel writers from publications like Travel and Leisure and the New York Daily News.
Pensacola Chamber Chairman Collier Merrill and his wife, Cate, attended the event, along with Innisfree Hotels CEO Julian MacQueen and his wife, Kim.
MacQueen flew up 770 pounds of wine and ingredients for the dinner on his plane from Pensacola.
“We’ve read about the James Beard House for decades and always wanted to be a part of it,” MacQueen said. “We wanted them to have the best of the best and the freshest of the fresh.”
In addition to Silivos’ dish and The Fish House’s signature Grits a Ya Ya, diners got a taste of asparagus-crusted soft shell crab from H20 and andouille-crusted Apalachicola oysters from Global Grill among other dishes.
“When I saw the menu with all the seafood in all these creative ways, I was drooling,” said Jane Kendall, who divides her time between Greenwich Village in Manhattan and Harding Township in New Jersey.
Kendall was part of a party invited by James Beard Chairman’s Circle member Micky Mayfield. A favorite of the table was an appetizer by Shirley with pickled okra and Alligator Point clams.
“All those flavors together were very interesting,” Kendall said.
Watch Collier and Jim’s appearance on Morning Joe here:
Written by Chef Jim Shirley – Special to the News Journal
West Indies Crab “Martini” by Chef Jim Shirley
In this meltdown weather, it’s always a good thing to serve cold appetizers. This one — a take on our favorite West Indies salad — never gets turned down. I make the marinade separately, and give it enough time to take the edge off the onions, which keeps the crab flavors in the front. A well–iced bottle of Marquis de Gelida (a great version of cava, Spain’s answer to champagne) will pair up well with this little jewel.
The acclaimed James Beard House in New York City has selected the Pensacola Celebrity Chefs to showcase Gulf Coast cuisine.
On Tuesday, chefs Dan Dunn of H2O at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front; Irv Miller of Jackson’s Steakhouse; Jim Shirley of the Fish House; Gus Silivos of Skopelos/Nancy’s Haute Affairs; and Frank Taylor of Global Grill will prepare a regional tasting menu to an intimate foodie audience at the James Beard House in Greenwich Village.
The James Beard Foundation was established in 1986 in honor of Beard, a cookbook author, teacher and father of American gastronomy. Its programs are designed to educate, inspire, entertain and foster a deeper understanding of American cuisine.
Take a glass of Champagne, any Champagne, add 2 ounces of orange juice and garnish with a slice of orange and you have a mimosa. Add 1 1/2 ounces of crème de cassis to a glass of wine and you have a kir. Add the same crème de cassis to a glass of Champagne and you have a kir royale. Pour 1 1/2 ounces of Chambord (a French liqueur) into a glass of Champagne, garnish with raspberries, and you have a great kir royale.
What?
You’ve been there, done that — in the ’80s.
In that case, I’ve got a new twist. An American liqueur called Hum — made from rum infused with hibiscus, fresh ginger, green cardamom and kaffir lime — added to a crackling cold glass of sparkling Rosé is called a hummer, and is the summer kir for the new age. Pop a cork and give it a try.
The Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003, or visit www.goodgrits.com.
Since we last reported, our house has been filled with merriment. We have had many wonderful events on the deck, most notably the welcome-home party of the University of West Florida’s baseball team, where they celebrated their NCAA Division II College World Series victory. And we have become home to the Pensacola Bama Club and their happy-hour meet-ups, which will take place the third Thursday of every month on The Deck Bar. If you are an Alabama fan, come on by and join in the fun. Membership to the club is very affordable and they have lots of fun events. If you don’t like Alabama — well, sorry — start your own team’s happy hour at our house. There are seven days in a week and three bars to choose from. We’d love to have you! Call Shelley Yates for more information: (850) 748-9001.
Our bartender Samantha was selected as a finalist in GoPensacola’s Sexy Server Contest. The results will be posted on GoPensacola.com. Be sure to tell Samantha that you voted for her. Even if you didn’t, she loves to hear that.
