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a Romantic Spell Copley News Service
Hawaii is the most popular honeymoon destination in the United States, according to travel agents. And, many couples return to the island paradise on anniversaries to rekindle memories and the spark of romance. It's not just the lush tropical landscape, azure ocean, crashing surf, snorkeling, swimming, sunbathing, spectacular sightseeing and irresistible "aloha" atmosphere of Hawaiian culture that beckon lovers and others. Hawaiian food has also become a magnet for gourmets in the last decade, and now Nouvelle Island cuisine has become the latest dining trend on the mainland. If a trip to Hawaii isn't in your budget or your time plan on Valentine's Day, what better way to celebrate the most romantic holiday of the year than by preparing a Hawaiian feast at home that recalls islands of romance? "A Hawaiian feast at home re-creates the magic and romance of being on the islands," said classically trained chef Roy Yamaguchi, author of the "Roy's Feasts from Hawaii" cookbook. The Hawaiian Islands have long been a crossroads where travelers and immigrants from Asia, Europe, mainland America and other parts of Polynesia have brought their cultures and culinary traditions, according to master Hawaiian chef Sam Choy, author of the "Island Flavors" cookbook. Those influences are reflected in today's Hawaiian cuisine. Both Yamaguchi and Choy, who began their careers as restaurant owners and chefs in Hawaii, have opened restaurants. But, they encourage Hawaiian Island lovers to try their hands at making romantic island meals at home. Ingredients are readily available in most supermarkets and preparation is not all that complicated. Yamaguchi says Hawaiian cuisine has become more sophisticated in the last decade. Thanks to the emergence of local farms that grow a wide variety of produce, Hawaiian fare no longer centers on the 3 P's (poi, pig and pineapple - the traditional foods of luaus). "Hawaiian chefs have encouraged local farmers to grow the kind of produce we want to use in gourmet cuisine," Yamaguchi said. The cuisine, as he practices it, harmonizes classic French sauces with fresh Hawaiian Islands produce. His colorful Euro-Asian fusion cuisine features bold flavors and culinary influences from Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and other Pacific Rim regions. He teams spring rolls with mango-chili-pineapple sauce and enhances Thai-stuffed chicken with a macadamia curry sauce and fruit chutney. Yamaguchi, who was raised in Japan and trained at the Culinary Institute of America, likes to use ingredients such as lemongrass and fish sauce that's available in Asian food markets to flavor his signature dishes. Spicy dishes are flavorful, not just hot, thanks to ingredients such as Thai chilies and Indian sambals. "People are looking for different kinds of flavors in food because they are traveling more and are exposed to different kinds of cuisines," Yamaguchi said. "I personally like bold, intense flavors." Choy harkens back to his childhood growing up in a fishing village on the north shore of Oahu for his culinary roots. He remembers his mother, whose roots were in Germany, his grandmother and even his father, whose roots were in China, pitching in to cook holiday dinners for the family. The results of the various culinary backgrounds resulted in eclectic feasts that Choy says he will never forget. He incorporates the multicultural influences he absorbed as a child in the cuisine explained in his cookbook and served in his restaurants. In writing his cookbook, Choy says he wanted to show every home chef, no matter what part of the country they live in, how "easy and fun it is to cook Island flavors." Most of the time, Choy says, you can use ingredients that you have on hand. And, that's why he calls "Island Flavors" a "somma" cookbook. "All you need is somma this and somma that to create island food," said Choy, who learned the basics of cooking while helping his father cater Hawaiian feasts for as many as 800 tourists at a time. He went on to work as executive chef at the Kona Hilton and chef at the Oscar Restaurant at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. Choy opened his first Sam Choy's restaurant in 1991 in Kona, where he still resides. Choy's approach to island cooking features fresh, healthful ingredients and unexpected combinations of spicy and sweet. His cuisine marries a main ingredient, a marinade and a sauce. Marinades infuse the flavor of meat, poultry, fish or shellfish with the essence of marinade ingredients, Choy says. "A marinade bath before cooking locks the juices in and prevents fish and meats from drying during cooking," he said. Sauces crown the entree and Choy suggests using your imagination to modify sauces presented in his cookbook. While main ingredient, marinade and sauce are simple elements in themselves, together they form a rich, complex taste that will delight the taste buds, according to Choy. In "Island Flavors" he explains how to use quick-cooking techniques such as steaming and stir-frying that add plenty of flavor with little fat. He also explains how to use marinades, dry rubs and sauces to create intensely flavorful food. You needn't be an expert in preparing Island cuisine to have fun with it and enjoy it. "Indulge your senses and let your imagination run wild as you cook your way to paradise," he urged. So, throw a garland of fresh or faux flowers around your neck, turn up the volume on that recording of "Tiny Bubbles," drag out the photo album filled with your Hawaiian honeymoon pictures and start stirring up a romantic Island-style Valentine's Day dinner to enjoy with your sweetheart. Roy's Original Blackened Rare Ahi
Yields 4 servings. For Soy-Mustard Sauce: Mix mustard powder and hot water together to form paste. Let sit for a few minutes to allow flavor and heat to develop. Add vinegar and soy sauce, mix together in blender. Strain through fine sieve and chill in refrigerator. For Beurre Blanc: Combine wine, wine vinegar, lemon juice and shallot in saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce liquid until it becomes syrupy. Add cream and cook until reduced by half. Turn heat to low and gradually add butter, stirring slowly. Season with salt and pepper and strain through fine sieve. Transfer to double boiler and keep warm until ready to use. Yields about 1 1/2 cups. For Blackening Spice: Mix all blackening spices together on plate. Dredge ahi in spices on all sides. Heat lightly oiled cast-iron skillet and sear ahi over high heat to desired doneness (about 15 seconds per side for rare, 1 minute per side for medium rare). Cut into 16 thin slices. For each serving, arrange 4 slices of ahi in a pinwheel or cross shape on plate. Ladle a little Soy-Mustard Sauce into 2 opposing quadrants between tuna slices. Ladle beurre blanc into the other 2 quadrants. Garnish with Japanese spice sprouts or sunflower sprouts, diced yellow bell pepper, black sesame seeds, cucumber cut into matchsticks and red pickled ginger (available at Asian markets). Roy's Grilled Lobster
Yields 4 servings. Preheat grill. Brush lobster with peanut oil and grill for about 5 minutes (in the shell) or until done. Remove meat from shell, dice and set aside. Bring saucepan of water to a boil and cook bean thread noodles for about 5 minutes or until tender. Rinse under cold water, drain and reserve. For sauce: Heat sesame oil in saute pan and saute scallions for 10 to 15 seconds over high heat. Quickly add soy sauce, sugar, ginger and garlic; stir together and immediately remove from heat. Set aside. Heat vegetable oil in saute pan and saute bell peppers for 15 seconds over high heat and set aside. Heat bean thread noodles gently in sauce. When sauce has been completely absorbed by noodles, add diced lobster and remove from heat. Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with bell peppers, sesame seeds and macadamia nuts and top with a sprig of cilantro. From Roy's "Tastes From Hawaii". Sam Choy's Hawaiian Barbecued Shrimp Salad
Yields 4 servings. Rinse shrimp. Cut top shell but not all the way through because you're going to leave shell on for a festive look. Peel shells from shrimp like a fan, leaving shell and tail attached at tail end. Devein shrimp. Prepare shrimp barbecue marinade by blending all ingredients in blender or shake well in covered jar. Remove 4 tablespoons of marinade and set aside to mix with noodles. Marinate shrimp in the rest of marinade for 30 minutes. Deep-fry tortillas and drain on paper towels. Set aside. Cook noodles according to package directions; rinse, drain and mix with 4 tablespoons marinade. Place in refrigerator to chill for 20 or 30 minutes. In large bowl, combine lettuce, bean sprouts, carrot, radishes, napa cabbage and green onions and mix well. For marmalade: Cook fruit and sugar in small saucepan over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Set aside. When everything else is ready, place shrimp on barbecue or under broiler and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, turning once. Assemble each salad by placing 1 flour tortilla on plate, then add a couple of handfuls of salad mix, then chilled noodles. Divide shrimp into 4 servings and place on top. Garnish with sprig or 2 of cilantro. Place wedges of fresh fruit around edge of plate with dollops of marmalade between wedges. Ka'u Lime Chicken
Yields 4 servings. In skillet, saute chicken and shallot in butter for 6 to 7 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken to serving plate, set aside and keep warm. Add white wine to skillet and cook until reduced by half. Add lime juice and cook until sauce thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with lime zest. Garnish with lime slices and a sprinkling of macadamia nuts. Serve with rice. From Sam Choy's "Island Flavors." Visit Copley News Service at www.copleynews.com. News Index | Features Index |
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