Tuesday, October 25, 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., Twelve Good Grits Girls, employees of the Great Southern Restaurant Group (The Fish House, Atlas Oyster House and Jackson’s Steakhouse), will join together on the Fish House Deck to submit over 1000 cupcakes to the public for judging. The winner will be crowned the Great Southern Cupcake Queen. Judges are our own Great Southern pastry chefs Trina Confusione (Fish House) and Miko Franklin (Jackson’s Steakhouse), and Partners/Owners Mrs. Collier (Cate) Merrill and Pensacola Celebrity Chef Jim Shirley.

People’s Choice: The public will pay 5 dollars for a chance to taste all of the cupcakes. Cupcake tasters will receive two voting tickets. After tasting cupcakes at each station, the guests will leave their tickets with their favorite baker. The baker who has the most cards will win people’s choice. Prizes for the winner will be donated by the restaurant.

100% of the tasting fees will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

Judges will announce their choice along with the crowd’s favorite at 6:30 p.m.

Door Prizes: Provided for attending guests by area boutiques and salons such as Style Downtown and Escape Wellness Spa.

Drink Specials: Pomegranate and ginger martinis and pink sparkling wine.

Entertainment: Provided by Lucas Crutchfield.

We are all very competitive when it comes to our baking skills. We frequently bring in a new baking recipe for each other to try. We thought that making it a fun event and tying it to such a cause as breast cancer, particularly during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, would be an ideal way to have fun doing what we love for a cause we believe in. We hope that people will come and enjoy the evening with us. “It’s just a few days before the breast cancer walk on Saturday, so in a way it’s our own little pep rally,” says Lindsey Voorhees, a Fish House manager.

Congratulations to the six Pensacola-area restaurants that appeared on “The List.”

Atlas Oyster House, The Fish House, The Grand Marlin, Jackson’s Steakhouse, McGuire’s Irish Pub and the Melting Pot appear in the cover feature on the Aug. 31 issue of Wine Spectator magazine — “The List” — as winners of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for their wine programs in 2011.

Restaurants that win this award, per Wine Spectator, “offer a well-chosen selection of quality producers, along with a thematic match to the menu in both price and style. Typically, these lists offer at least 100 selections.”

To view the wine list for The Fish House – click here

To view the wine list for The Atlas Oyster House – click here

To view the wine list for Jackson’s Steakhouse – click here

Congratulations to our other restaurant friends for making ‘The List.’  To learn more about our restaurants click here!

Chef Billy Ballou of The Fish House will be preparing East Bay oysters on the half shell for “Connecting the Pieces” Gala. / Katie King/kking@pnj.com

Area chefs help battle autism at ‘Connecting the Pieces’ Gala

Written by

Rebecca Ross

On April 20, the oysters will undoubtedly be a hit with fundraising foodies.

Ballou, along with several other area chefs, will tempt appetites for a good cause at Autism Pensacola’s eighth annual “Connecting the Pieces” Gala. The event, at the Sanders Beach Corinne Jones Community Center, will raise money for Kids for Camp, a summer learning program for children with autism.

The menu is delicious from start to finish.

East Bay oysters from The Fish House, 150 pounds or so, will be the star of the oyster bar. The Great Southern Restaurant Group’s other restaurants, Jackson’s Steakhouse and the Atlas Oyster House, will kick off the evening with passed appetizers: shrimp and chicken satay glazed with Moroccan spiced apricot jam and rim tuna tacos.

Ballou, who created a grilled watermelon salad for last year’s gala, is happy to be back.

“It’s a really good cause,” he said. “And I enjoy seeing what the other chefs are doing.”

This year, the main course is a Gulf Coast take on the classic surf-and-turf.

McGuire’s Irish Pub and Flounder’s Chowder House will present a “Town and Beach” entree consisting of chargrilled tri-tip sirloin steak with an apple brandy-scented demi glace, miso barbecue-glazed triggerfish, rosemary-roasted fingerling potatoes and lemon honey snip-top carrots.

Chef Mark Murphy of Flounder’s Chowder House will prepare about 400 entrees for fundraiser attendees.

“There’s always a good crowd,” he said. “We’ll make a few extra, just in case.”

Like Ballou, Murphy is happy to donate his time and skills to Autism Pensacola. The cause, he revealed, hits close to home.

“I have two family members who have children with autism,” he said. “I always wear my autism pin on my hat to show my support.”

The gala is a chance for area chefs to not only help raise money, but mix and mingle.

“It’s nice to spend time with everyone,” Murphy said. “We’re all friends. If someone needs something, we’ll help each other out.”

Susan Byram is the executive director of Autism Pensacola, which serves Santa Rosa and Escambia counties. She described the gala — and all those helping hands — as vital to the success of their summer camp program.

“Because we offer high quality teaching, our staffing costs are quite high,” she said. “Plus, parents have a significant financial burden. More than 50 percent of our families qualify for some support from us.”

This year, Autism Pensacola hopes to raise $150,000 at the gala.

Byram said she is ever grateful for the support shown by area restaurants and the community.

“Everyone has been incredibly generous,” she said. “Each year, we all look forward to the gala. The food is amazing and so are the participants.”

And the gala chefs are eager to sate all those healthy appetites.

“I’ll be there with my oyster knife,” Ballou promised. “I’m ready.”

Other chefs scheduled to participate in the event include Blake Rushing of Elise Coastal Dining, Dan Dunn of H2O Cajun Asian Grill, Irv Miller of Jackson’s and Jim Shirley of The Fish House.

Clockwise from lower left, Chefs Irv Miller, Frank Taylor, Gus Silivos, Dan Dunn and Jim Shirley work together to put the finishing touches on their dessert, goat cheese and ricotta-filled crepes with caramelized peaches and spiced candied pecans. / Bruce Graner/bgraner@pnj.com

Written by • Julio Diaz • jdiaz@pnj.com

Sunday night, about 100 foodies packed the Global Grill, 27 Palafox Place, for a special dinner by the Pensacola Celebrity Chefs.

The five chefs — Frank Taylor of the Global Grill, Irv Miller of Jackson’s Steakhouse, Dan Dunn of H2O, Jim Shirley of The Fish House and Gus Silivos of Nancy’s Haute Affairs — presented the dinner as a dress rehearsal for their June 28 dinner at New York City’s prestigious James Beard House. Dedicated to celebrating America’s diverse culinary heritage and future, the Beard House is considered the stage for America’s finest chefs.

The honor comes at a price: The chefs must cover all of the expenses, including travel and all the food that will be served, including shipping costs for local ingredients.

“You have to check the Grits a Ya Ya,” Shirley joked.

The five chefs felt the trip was worthwhile to promote Pensacola tourism and cuisine. Proceeds from Sunday’s dinner will help defray the expenses.

Local foodies found it worthwhile, too. The chefs received a standing ovation at the end of the meal.

For more on the Pensacola Celebrity Chefs, visit www.pensacola celebritychefs.com.

Menu

– Hors d’oeuvres: Irv’s crab cakes with roasted Renfroe pecans and caramelized onion aioli by Irv Miller; fried green tomatoes with seared tuna and uni finished with a Cambodian vinaigrette and daikon sprouts by Dan Dunn; Brochette of Alligator Point clams wrapped in house-grown mustard greens and house-cured hog maws, pickled mirliton and okra by Jim Shirley; andouille-crusted oysters by Frank Taylor; and seared scallops with Captain Morgan sauce by Gus Silivos, all served with a 2006 Spanish Marquis de Gelinda Cava.

– Dan Dunn’s asparagus-crusted soft-shell crab over polenta and reggiano cake finished with a smoked ham and spring pea butter, served with a 2009 Italian Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio.

– Jim Shirley’s Grits a Ya Ya — local grits, Sweet Home Farm smoked Gouda, Ocheesee dairy cream, house-smoked bacon, house-farmed spinach and Milton mushrooms, spiced Gulf shrimp and sweet potato hay, served with a 2009 New Zealand Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc.

– Gus Silivos’ Scamp Cervantes — fresh, sauteed scamp filet topped with jumbo lump crabmeat, served with a 2008 Sonoma Kistler “Les Noiceteir” Chardonnay.

– Frank Taylor’s crispy pork belly, beet risotto, black trumpet and golden chanterelle mushrooms with ham hock and truffle butter sauce, served with a 2008 Williamette Valley Adelsheim Pinot Noir.

– Irv Miller’s pan-seared prime filet of rib eye, Cabernet and fresh herb pan sauce, sweet corn bread pudding and steakhouse succotash, served with a 2006 Napa Bommarito Cabernet Sauvignon.

– A dessert created by all five chefs working in collaboration, Alabama goat cheese and housemade ricotta-filled crepes with carmelized Southern peaches and spiced candied pecans, served with a 2008 Spanish Pedro Ximenez de Anada Alvear.

Recipe

When you’re cooking at the James Beard House, the James Beard Foundation has the final say over your menu. When the Pensacola Celebrity Chefs submitted their menu for review, their original dessert was rejected, as a similar dish had recently been presented at the Beard House. The chefs had an hour to put together a new dessert, so they met and worked together to create this recipe.

Goat cheese and ricotta-filled crepes with caramelized peaches and spiced candied pecans

For the peaches

2.5 pounds peaches

1/2 pint Bacardi Peach Red Rum

1/4 pound butter

1/2 cup sugar

Cut peaches and pour rum over the peaches, set aside and allow to macerate.

Melt butter in large pan; slowly add sugar and dissolve. Add peaches and carmelize.

For the pecans

2 egg whites separated from 2 eggs

2 tablespoons Sriracha (red chili puree)

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 pound pecan halves

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place egg whites and Sriracha in a medium-size mixing bowl, add brown sugar and whisk with a balloon whisk about 20 times. Add the pecans to the whisked egg whites and coat evenly. Pour the coated pecans onto a nonstick baking tray or cookie sheet. Lightly season the pecan mixture with salt and pepper. Do not spray with pan spray. Spread the coated pecans evenly on the baking tray. Bake 5 minutes in a 350 degree oven, then remove the tray from the oven and loosen the pecans with a spatula, place back in oven and repeat in another 5 minutes. Remove after 10 minutes.

For the filling

Mix 1 cup ricotta cheese with 1 cup goat cheese.

For the crepes

2 cups all purpose flour

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup water

Pinch salt

4 tablespoons melted butter

Mix ingredients in a large bowl until smooth. Pour over a hot griddle until done, then flip. Stuff with cheese mixture and roll. Top with peaches and pecans. Add mint as a garnish, if desired.

Alligator Point Clams by Fish House chef Jim Shirley. (Bruce Graner/bgraner@pnj.com)

Pensacola is oyster country, by far the number-one bivalve requested in this neck of the woods. And for good reason, too; they are all around us. Pasco Gibson of Milton’s Nichols Seafood has great East Bay oysters, and Apalachicola — just down the coast — is world-famous for theirs.

But if you travel a few miles east, you roll into Alligator Point, where aqua farmers produce some of the tastiest clams you’ve ever had! Florida is not yet known for clams, but the littlenecks from Alligator Point are spot on, which may change that perspective. It’s worth a trip to Joe Patti or Maria’s to grab a bag for a quick sauté. Better pop a bottle of Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc to clear the palate.

Alligator Point clams
4 ounces extra virgin olive oil from Shoreline Deli
1 shallot, minced
1 small turnip, diced very small
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 pinches white pepper, divided
1 clove elephant garlic, thin-sliced
3 pounds Alligator Point littleneck clams
1 cup sauvignon blanc

Have a swig of Allan Scott to maintain perspective. Pour olive oil into a large sauté pan over medium heat and pitch in the shallot and turnip. Let roll for three minutes. Shake in the red pepper flakes and add a pinch of white pepper and the garlic slices. Heat them a minute or two, then fill pan with clams. Heat one minute, then pour in a cup of wine, add a pinch of white pepper and cover for about seven minutes.
Take a peek under the lid and start pulling out the clams as they open fully. When they all are popped open, they will fill a large bowl. Maybe it would be best to taste for seasoning on the first six or seven. The Alligator Point clams naturally are very salty, and I have not added any salt to a single dish I have made with them (it also makes me eat them like popcorn). I just pour the cooking liquid over the top and serve with crusty bread for sopping. Sling it out, pour up the wine and fall to!

The Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003, or visit www.goodgrits.com.

The recipe is simple.

Katie King / kking@pnj.com The Fish House Sushi Chef Hiromi Miles demonstrates how to make nigiri sushi, sashimi sushi, miso soup, and various sushi sauces on Tuesday night during the Sweet Tea Southern Cooking series at The Fish House.

Take a lively crowd and a chef, mix well. Add a sprinkle of questions, a pinch of laughter and a dash of romance.

Serve with a refreshing beverage and voila! You’ve got yourself a cooking class.

Culinary education on the Gulf Coast has never been so edu-taining. From French cuisine to cupcakes, locals are eating up instruction from professional chefs.

Ben and Wendy Boyer, of Pensacola, certainly enjoyed their Feb. 1 cooking class at Jasmine Fusion on Nine Mile Road. Along with other attendees, the couple fired up a cook top and learned to prepare chili paste from chef Praijira Chan.

Wendy Boyer, 34, said the hands-on evening class was a Christmas gift from her husband.

“It was exactly the kind of thing the two of us enjoy,” said the mom of three boys. “It was a very different but fun date night.”

And it’s an experience the Boyers are sure to repeat.

“Oh, I’d definitely take another class with Ben,” Wendy Boyer said, chuckling. “Maybe he’ll learn to cook some other meals.”

But Jasmine Fusion isn’t the only restaurant fun-seeking foodies are flocking to.

On the second Tuesday of January, the Deck Bar behind The Fish House was packed to the gills for the latest Sweet Tea cooking class. Couples, families, gal pals and singletons perched on bar stools, chatting and enjoying a drink while waiting for their teacher, Hiromi Miles.

When the diminutive head sushi chef appeared on stage, it took a few shushes to get the giggly class quiet. Their lesson? How to prepare miso soup and sushi rolls — perfect for a date or a cozy evening at home.

Tami Toney, 46, and Alicia Baker, 39, both Sweet Tea first-timers, observed Miles while mocking their own sushi skills.

“I’ve tried the stuffy classroom thing, and it wasn’t for me,” Toney admitted, getting up to order another glass of Fish House punch. “This is way more laid-back.”

Sitting nearby, Bethany Hill, a 29-year-old office manager and sushi enthusiast, watched the demonstration with her friend, Joy Linker, 36. The women agreed that the informal class was a great place to pick up cooking tips and socialize.

“When you’re young and single, things like this are great,” Hill, a Pensacola resident, said. “It’s free, and it’s fun.

“The social aspect is an important ingredient, said Shelley Yates, marketing and public relations director for The Fish House. The free, monthly Sweet Tea cooking series, held October through February, draws a wide demographic.

“We get all ages and types,” she said. “The cooking series is popular because the classes are entertaining instead of intimidating.”

Jackson’s Steakhouse on Palafox street also is drawing in participants for its cooking class.

The restaurant’s six-month cooking series with Chef Irv Miller, which started Jan. 19, is always a full house at $40 per class.

Maria Goldberg, who handles marketing, special events and public relations for Jackson’s, said the lively demonstrations, limited to 30 attendees, encourage connections.

“You meet people here that you’d never meet anywhere else,” she said. “Many of our regulars have become good friends. They start talking during the class, and before you know it, they’ve hit it off.”

Focused on Northern Italian cuisine and a variety of wines, the kick-off class drew several couples and a party of girlfriends.

Marither Won, 41, is a Jackson’s class regular who practices what Miller teaches. She brought her husband, Johnny Won, to the Jan. 19 class for a special date night.

“The classes are fun because they’re informal,” she said. “Anyone can ask Chef Irv questions.”

Sampling steaming polenta and chicken sausage, Penelope Elebash and five of her friends were enjoying a girls’ night out at Jackson’s.

“We got here early to enjoy a glass of wine and appetizers before the class,” the 28-year-old Pensacola resident said. “We’ve got some new moms in the group, so we’re making the most of the evening.”

Kristie Greenhut thought the cooking class would be a fun and informative outing for her friends.

“It’s definitely different,” the 30-year-old Pensacola resident said, over the hum of happy conversation. “It’s a good crowd and the food is amazing.”

While attendance is high at cooking classes offered by area establishments including The Fish House, Jackson’s Distinctive Kitchens and Ever’man Natural Foods, home-based courses are just as popular.

Celia Casey, owner/instructor of Cuisine Francaise, has had sell-out cooking classes in her Gulf Breeze home since July. For $75, attendees prepare — and devour — a French meal.

“The Pensacola food scene keeps growing, and more people are interested in learning how to cook,” Casey said. “And it’s a very social experience. I get mothers and daughters, businessmen and their associates, married couples, you name it. They all want to learn, but they want to enjoy the process.”