Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
A guy blows into town with a dish he calls Shredded and Chopped Duck Bang Bang with Sauces Zip Zap, Jam Jam and Two-Tone Tortas. Get a taste of
New World CuisineBy Betty Shimabukuro
Star-BulletinYou give him points already for creativity and good humor. And when the dish turns out to be incredibly complex, sophisticated and great-tasting -- the guy's an inspiration.
So it was in 1989 when Norman Van Aken flew in from Florida for the first "Cuisines of the Sun" food and wine extravaganza on the Big Island.
Resident chef at the host resort was Alan Wong, in his first year running the Canoe House at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows.
Wong recalls he was just beginning to experiment with such fusion dishes as nori-wrapped ahi and macadamia-crusted lamb when Van Aken showed up with his Zip Zaps and Jam Jams and a revolutionary way of viewing cuisine.
"I never saw dishes like his before," Wong says. He credits much of the playfulness of his menus today to that first meeting more than a decade ago.Source of the inspiration: Van Aken, of Norman's in Coral Gables, Fla., formerly of Louie's Back Yard in Miami and Sinclair's in Chicago, with time spent in Key West and even Hawaii (a semester at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa in 1970).
He was back in school here last week, leading a workshop at Leeward Community College for culinary students from all over the state. He shared with them elements of his bold, rustic style, developed in the mid-'80s as he sought to identify the cuisine of Florida. "I said, 'That's it, we're throwing off the training wheels. Somehow we're going to find out what is Florida about.' "
He searched it out in little cafes, interviewing the people who cooked and ate there, defining a palette of flavors and ingredients that he could marry with the classic French techniques of haute cuisine.
The result he titled New World Cuisine -- "Calling it anything wasn't that important except that it gave people a reference point," Van Aken says. Plus, he hated the idea of anyone calling it "Floribbean."
Van Aken makes his mark through dishes such as the salmon spirals he demonstrated for the culinary students. The fish was stuffed with Chinese smoked tea and topped with a sauce made with citrus, butter and cream. "In effect, it's tea and lemon with fish in the middle," Van Aken says.
When tea is used in cooking, it's usually in an infusion -- the tea liquid -- or in smoking. Van Aken's approach of softening the actual leaves and serving them up for eating -- is a clear departure.
He speaks of noticing the tea's similarity to dried tarragon. "I began to think of this tea as an herb." He also considered tea's value in creating a fish dish that could be served with red wine -- tannins in both tea and red wine making a clean match.
The dish is typically served in his restaurant with Pinot Noir.
In completing the dish, Van Aken impressed on the students his vision of balance in cooking as mirroring a perfect body -- a complete package of fat, muscle and bone.
The muscle comes from protein; the fat from creams, butters and oils; the bones from acids in vinegars and citrus juices. From the muscle comes substance, from the fat comes richness, from the bones come structure and lift. The result is balance, Van Aken says, "not a skinny little thing and not a muscled-out thing."
Van Aken donated the $1,500 honorarium given him by the Hale Aina Ohana Foundation back to Leeward Community College, which will turn the cash into scholarships. Part of the money will be used to send a culinary student to work with Van Aken at his Florida restaurant.
To make filling: Soak tea leaves in vinegar for 30 minutes.Lapsang Souchong Tea and
1 28 to 32 ounce boneless, skinless salmon fillet
Shallot Stuffed Salmon Spirals
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
12 wooden skewers, soaked in water
Filling:
1/3 cup Lapsang Souchong (smoked Chinese tea)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons butter
10 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
Pinch kosher salt
Large pinch pepper
2 tablespoons sugarHeat shallow saucepan. Add butter and allow to foam. Add shallots and stir to coat with butter. Season with salt and pepper. Caramelize shallots, then add sugar and stir. Add tea and vinegar; stir. Allow vinegar to reduce almost completely; re-season.
Remove to a bowl and allow to cool. Tea will hydrate and soften further.
Chop mixture to medium-fine texture, discarding any heavy twigs or small stones you find in the tea. Do not use a food processor. Set aside.
To prepare fish: Slice fillet lengthwise into 6 ribbons about 1/2 inch thick. Season each ribbon lightly with salt and pepper. Take a few pinches of tea and arrange them down the length of the ribbon. Roll salmon up in a spiral. Poke two skewers through each spiral, forming an X through the center of the spiral.
Grill fish until just done, about 5 minutes per side. Serve with Citrus Butter (below). Serves 6.
Bring all ingredients, except cream and butter, to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce until only 3 ounces remain, about 10 minutes. Add cream. Once mixture boils, whisk in butter, a little at a time. Strain sauce and keep warm. Makes 1-1/2 cups.
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
2 shallots, peeled and sliced
1 bay leaf, broken
1 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 pound butter, in small pieces, kept coldNutritional information unavailable.
Click for online
calendars and events.
