This gives me plenty of time to photograph the food for my cook book.   If anyone has any insight into this, I would appreciate input.  There is no sense, recreating the wheel so to speak.  Blogging!  Isn’t this what it is all about.  Yeah…………….

I sent a thank you e-mail to one of the hosts of the cookbook writing class that provided the groundwork for my cookbook.  I have one  more thank you to send but the Easter cookies were calling.  I believe that people cross the paths of our lives for reasons and I was meant to meet VA.

Cookbook Writing 101

As I stated yesterday, finding a niche audience for a product is key to success.  I did my research on the normal search engines and online book stores.  I was surprised to find only 3 books at the time on my subject.  With this knowledge in mind, I proceeded to write a solid proposal.  One of the benefits on my cookbook class was the generosity of VA who offered to let me view her proposal so I would know what one look like and the process of putting one together.  Her proposal by the way was awesome.

Three months later, I had my proposal ready to go.  I have proof read and could probably recite it by heart if needed.  So off I sent it to the host of the cookbook writing class.

I received the nicest NO I have ever received.  The company liked  my idea but were not taking new clients at the time.  They did recommend resources for finding publishers.  I followed their lead and send off the proposal as an attachment to an e-mail to a new Publisher.  This was on a Wednesday.  Thursday morning, I woke up and remembered that I did not attach a cover letter to the proposal.  Oh my, so I telephoned the publisher, got the contact name and forwarded a cover letter.

Are you ready for this!  On Friday, I got a phone call that they loved my idea, the cookbook proposal showed demonstrated good writing and they wanted to, that right, wanted to publish my BOAT FOOD.  WHOA!  Yes, I have been blessed.

Tomorrow, I will tell you how I am spreading my blessings.

Pasta with Sun Dried Tomato and Broccoli

Yes, another recipe using sun dried tomatoes. The reason is two fold.  One, I sun dried the tomatoes myself and found a large bag on dried tomatoes in my pantry on Saturday.  I thought I had used them all and this was like Christmas in March.  Second, they are delicious!

Your favorite pasta is a good choice here. I use whole wheat as it is good for you and tastes delicious.  This dish is delicious, cold, room temperature or hot.  Your choice…. makes awesome leftovers packed in a thermos for work.

1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil

1 tablespoon ( 15ml) garlic, minced

2 tablespoon (30 ml) pine nuts

1/2 cup (125 ml) sun dried tomatoes, chopped

3 cups ( 675 ml) broccoli

14.5 ounce (400 g) box pasta

1 cup (225 ml) Parmesan cheese, grated

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package and when  you are draining the pasta in a colander, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.  ( I save my pasta water for soups and sauces as it is loaded with  flavor, low fat, low salt and FREE! ) When the pasta is drained, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoon pasta water to prevent sticking.  (This step can be done in advance.)

Trim the broccoli stems of the outer skin and chop the broccoli into small pieces.  Fill a 2 quart (2 liter) saucepan 3/4 full with cold water. Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt and place a lid on the saucepan.  Bring the water to a hard boil and add the broccoli.  After 2 minutes, remove the broccoli and place it in a bowl.  Add 1 tablespoon good olive oil and mix. Set aside.  (This can be done in advance.)

In a small saucepan, over low heat, add the pine nuts.  Toasts until golden brown, 3 minutes, and transfer the browned pine nuts to a plate lined with a paper towel. (This can be done in advance.)

In a large saucepan, over medium low heat, add the olive oil.  Let the oil heat for 2 minutes.  Add the garlic but do not let it brown.  Add the sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts and broccoli.  Add 3 tablespoon of pasta water and stir to combine.    When ready to plate, place the pasta in a bowl and top with the sun dried tomato mix.  This prevents losing sight of the ingredients.  Grate Parmesan cheese on top on the sun dried tomatoes and serve.

Wishing you a happy day!

Margaret

BF

I contacted the sponsor of the cooking class to see what materials if any, I would need for the class.  She made her suggestions and as the day approached, I was getting excited. I had put together some thoughts in a binder and would take this with me.

I arrived at the Academy of Cuisine, the venue, and was happy to see a small group of foodies.  Our speakers were very knowledgeable and insightful in answering our many questions.  I left the class with a new foundation of knowledge on just not writing a cookbook, but the importance of networking, marketing and proposal writing.

My goal was to break down the steps of publishing a cookbook into manageable steps.  The first step was to find an audience that was under represented in the cookbook industry.  Homework time!

Margaret

BF

I was on the phone with my twin sister, Marian last night. She lives in Tucson.    We were talking about our family and she reminded me that April 1 was the anniversary date of when my parents brought our adopted brother, Thomas home from Prince Edward Island, Canada.  Easter fell during the time the time Mom and Dad were away.

We were laughing about how we drove our Aunt Peggy crazy during their absence.  It is interesting what you remember.  It was also the year, I found out there was no Easter Bunny.  Oh youth!

Marian and I recalled that when our Mom place Tom on the her bed, that Tom began to fuss and then cry.  We all looked at our Mom in confusion. What??babies cry?? send him back!   Of course, we did not send him back instead we bonded with Tom, our new little brother.  Tom was spoiled from the get- go because Tom was not only adorable but he was like having a live baby doll.

Boat Food:

I was serious about writing a cookbook but I did not know where to begin.  I have advanced degrees in education so writing comes easy to me.  I also like to talk so that helps as well.  Hey!  Maybe blogs are my calling!

I was reading the Food Section of our local paper and scanned the list of classes offered in the area.  Low and behold, there was a listing for Cookbook Writing 101.  I immediately research the group sponsoring the class and decided to sign up for the class.

I am a strong believer in taking advantage of every opportunity to learn something new everyday.  While the everyday sometimes doesn’t work out, I do relish new knowledge.  My advise is to look for opportunities in events, places and people.  My mantra is to keep our eyes open.  You never know what will present itself.

I have included an easy yet delicious recipe:

Brie with Sun Dried Tomatoes

4 ounce (115 g) Brie cheese round

1/2 cup ( (125 ml) sun dried tomatoes

1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil

1/4 cup (60 ml) Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh basil

2 tablespoon (30 ml) fresh parsley

1 teaspoon (5 ml) garlic, minced

Food processor method:

Combine the sun dried tomato and olive oil.  Pulse the mixture until coarse.  Add the Parmesan cheese, basil, parsley and garlic.  Blend until smooth.

By Hand:

Minced the sun dried tomato to 1/8 inch (.32 cm) diced.  Place in a mixing bowl.  Minced the basil and parsley and add to the sun dried tomato mixture. Combine the olive oil, Parmesan cheese and garlic.  Stir until blended.

Transfer the sun dried tomato mixture to a  jar with a lid and seal.

When ready to serve, place the room temperature Brie cheese on a serving dish.  Spread the sun dried tomato mixture on top of the cheese.  Serve with baguette slices or crackers.

Leftovers can be diced and served with warm pasta.

Serves 4

Enjoy!

Margaret

BF

Now the fun begins…………. getting the word out about BOAT FOOD, The Cookbook for Boaters.  I am a rookie in the .com world so if anyone can offer some advise, I would gladly listen.  The publisher does include e-books in the contract.  Doesn’t that sound cool!

That said, I am very excited about my new audience of Boat Food Cook Book, , my blog.  I will make it fun to follow my growth as a young author and recipes and tips from my first book!  GET EXCITED

Margaret

Stay tuned for more updates!

Drawing has been a big focus already, I’ve produced and finished so many pieces already this year! I mentioned briefly in my post yesterday that I plan on working on more illustrations this year. My intention is to build an illustration portfolio which is separate from my fine art drawing portfolio. My hope with this is to start getting some freelance commercial and editorial work. Towards this goal, I have made a list of about 20 “assignments” for illustrations.

The next goal is regarding recipes and cooking. I really love creating new recipes and pushing myself to come up with inventive dishes. I’ve worked on and off in kitchens but do not feel it is my calling to be a restaurant chef or baker. With that in mind I’ve decided to really pursue cookbook writing this year. The first project is already in the works, a free e-cookbook of 16 recipes not previously published on this blog or anywhere else. I have other cookbook ideas that I am excited to pursue but am hoping this initial endeavor will help me get to the point of publishing the next projects.

And finally, there is my beloved Tumbleweed & Poppleswamp. Now that I have the shopping cart up I’m really excited to promote and grown the on-line dimension of this business. I’m in the process of designing a new line of clothing that will be available ready-to-wear or to measurement through the site. I also foresee a massive development on the brick-and-mortar front but you will have to stay tuned for that announcement.

Thanks for reading, I’ll be posting about these projects over the course of the year and I look forward to your ideas and support!

Charolette Amaile Wahoo -
a Caribbean-influenced gluten free recipe.
Serves: 6
Chef Michael Bennett says this is a simply elegant gluten free dish and its depth in taste equals that of the port for which it is named. The port of Charoltte Amaile (St Thomas U.S.V.I.) is deep enough for the Queen Mary 2 (largest steamliner in the world) to be docked.
The gluten-free recipe calls for Wahoo but, chef Michael Bennett says you can also substitute Mahi Mahi or Cobia. Both are great locally caught fish that is extremely popular in Miami. This sauce is a glaze to be “mopped” over the fillet of Wahoo as it cooks on a wood-fire grill. Chef Michael gives us this recipe to highlight some of the Gluten-free recipes in his new cookbook “In the Land of Misfits, Pirates and Cooks”.

Ingredients:
3 lbs. Wahoo, evenly divided into 6 portions
1/2 cup Caramel mop, see recipe below
As needed Salt and white pepper, 5:1 ratio-mixed
2 tbs. Thai peanut sauce dry mix, found in Asian markets
1 cup Plantain chips, found in Latino grocery markets
As needed Oil
3 cup Yucca pieces, 1/2 inch chopped, blanched in boiling salted water
1 each Red bell pepper, roasted and chopped roughly
1 each Shallot, chopped
2 each Garlic kernels, finely chopped
2 bunch Pencil asparagus, blanched in salted water

Directions:
Dust the wahoo with a little of the salt and pepper mixture. Let rest in the refrigerator, while you are doing the other parts of this recipe. Grind the plantains into a meal with a food processor. Add in the Thai peanut sauce base mixture. Mix well.
Over hot coals, grill the wahoo fillet for 3 minutes per 1 inch of thickness on one side and then flip and cook 3 minutes more on the other side, glazing with the caramel mop as it cooks. Coat with the Thai peanut-plantain mixture on the top of the fillets of wahoo after the second side is cooked. Keep in a warm oven.
Next, saute the shallots and garlic quickly, add the yucca and continue to cook about three minutes. Toss in the peppers and saute (”to jump”) to distribute them in the pan. Press the yucca into a 4 or 5 inch ring mold in the center of the plate. Remove the mold and set the wahoo on top. Encircle this presentation with more of the caramel mop sauce. Arrange the asparagus around the yucca, pointing out to the edges of the plate like the hands of a clock.

Second part of recipe:
Caramel Mop
Serves: 25
One of my favorite “mops” for grilled NY strip steaks and richly flavored fish fillets like mahi mahi, wahoo, escolar and even salmon.

Ingredients
12 oz. Coca-Cola, reduced to a syrup
4 oz. Espresso
4 oz. Garlic, roasted, chopped
6 oz. Shallots, chopped
2 oz. Apple juice concentrate
3 oz. Kahlua liquor
3 oz. GF Soy sauce
2 oz. Balsamic vinegar
1 oz. Frangelico liquor
1 oz. Triple sec
5 oz. Pick a peppa sauce, see weblink QR code
2 tbs. Black pepper
2 tbs. Seasalt
2 tbs. Xanthan Gum

Instructions:
In a small pan, bring 12 oz. of Coca-Cola to a boil and let this volume reduce by 2/3. Add the next 10 items to the pot and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. Place in a food processor and grind well until everything is pulverized into a slurry. Add the thickener slowly to this mix and place in a squirt bottle.

To use:
Drizzle this “mop” (sauce) over top any grilled poultry, pork, beef or baby back rib and brush all around the food as it is cooking atop the grill.

Read more:
http://www.thedailymeal.com/gluten-free-recipe-new-cookbook-land-misfit-pirates-and-cooks#ixzz1br7YOh28

http://www.thedailymeal.com/gluten-free-recipe-new-cookbook-land-misfit-pirates-and-cooks#ixzz1ZHs1Ukva

chef Michael's "deep" flavored GLUTEN FREE Wahoo dish

Char0lette Amalie Wahoo Credit: Chef Michael Bennett
Recently, I had the opportunity to read and review Chef Michael Bennett’s book on gluten free cooking. It’s amazing. So much so, that my daughter was quick to ask for it, since she knew I had just finished the review (still waiting to be published). Chef Bennett’s recipes are amazing, but his cook books are so well laid out, you will love them. Well worth the investment.
Charolette Amaile Wahoo -
a Caribbean-influenced gluten free recipe.
Serves: 6
Chef Michael Bennett says this is a simply elegant gluten free dish and its depth in taste equals that of the port for which it is named. The port of Charoltte Amaile (St Thomas U.S.V.I.) is deep enough for the Queen Mary 2 (largest steamliner in the world) to be docked.
The gluten-free recipe calls for Wahoo but, chef Michael Bennett says you can also substitute Mahi Mahi or Cobia. Both are great locally caught fish that is extremely popular in Miami. This sauce is a glaze to be “mopped” over the fillet of Wahoo as it cooks on a wood-fire grill. Chef Michael gives us this recipe to highlight some of the Gluten-free recipes in his new cookbook “In the Land of Misfits, Pirates and Cooks”.
Ingredients:
3 lbs. Wahoo, evenly divided into 6 portions
1/2 cup Caramel mop, see recipe below
As needed Salt and white pepper, 5:1 ratio-mixed
2 tbs. Thai peanut sauce dry mix, found in Asian markets
1 cup Plantain chips, found in Latino grocery markets
As needed Oil
3 cup Yucca pieces, 1/2 inch chopped, blanched in boiling salted water
1 each Red bell pepper, roasted and chopped roughly
1 each Shallot, chopped
2 each Garlic kernels, finely chopped
2 bunch Pencil asparagus, blanched in salted water
Directions:
Dust the wahoo with a little of the salt and pepper mixture. Let rest in the refrigerator, while you are doing the other parts of this recipe. Grind the plantains into a meal with a food processor. Add in the Thai peanut sauce base mixture. Mix well.
Over hot coals, grill the wahoo fillet for 3 minutes per 1 inch of thickness on one side and then flip and cook 3 minutes more on the other side, glazing with the caramel mop as it cooks. Coat with the Thai peanut-plantain mixture on the top of the fillets of wahoo after the second side is cooked. Keep in a warm oven.
Next, saute the shallots and garlic quickly, add the yucca and continue to cook about three minutes. Toss in the peppers and saute (”to jump”) to distribute them in the pan. Press the yucca into a 4 or 5 inch ring mold in the center of the plate. Remove the mold and set the wahoo on top. Encircle this presentation with more of the caramel mop sauce. Arrange the asparagus around the yucca, pointing out to the edges of the plate like the hands of a clock.

Second part of recipe:

Caramel Mop
Serves: 25
One of my favorite “mops” for grilled NY strip steaks and richly flavored fish fillets like mahi mahi, wahoo, escolar and even salmon.

Ingredients:
12 oz. Coca-Cola, reduced to a syrup
4 oz. Espresso
4 oz. Garlic, roasted, chopped
6 oz. Shallots, chopped
2 oz. Apple juice concentrate
3 oz. Kahlua liquor
3 oz. GF Soy sauce
2 oz. Balsamic vinegar
1 oz. Frangelico liquor
1 oz. Triple sec
5 oz. Pick a peppa sauce, see weblink QR code
2 tbs. Black pepper
2 tbs. Seasalt
2 tbs. Xanthan Gum

Instructions:
In a small pan, bring 12 oz. of Coca-Cola to a boil and let this volume reduce by 2/3. Add the next 10 items to the pot and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. Place in a food processor and grind well until everything is pulverized into a slurry. Add the thickener slowly to this mix and place in a squirt bottle.

To use:
Drizzle this “mop” (sauce) over top any grilled poultry, pork, beef or baby back rib and brush all around the food as it is cooking atop the grill.
Read more: http://www.thedailymeal.com/gluten-free-recipe-new-cookbook-land-misfit-pirates-and-cooks#ixzz1ZHs1Ukva

I hope to be able to share more of Michael’s recipes.

With two Caribbean-influenced cookbooks under his belt, In The Land of Misfits, Pirates and Cooks,

and Underneath a Cloudless Sky,

Chef Michael's second book.

Bennett decided to write a book geared to professional chefs and culinary students.

The 140-page Culture of Cuisine is a cross between a textbook and a series of essays from a chef with three decades in the kitchen.

Chef Michael's third book about South Florida cooking and chefs.

In the book, Bennett gives his thoughts on everything from the changing tides of modern American cuisine to a run-down of chefs who have influenced and changed the dining scene in south Florida.

You’ll find no recipes in Culture. Instead, students of cooking will find insider tips for running a restaurant usually not on a culinary school curriculum like how to design a brand, market yourself, and use social media to spread the word about your restaurant.

QR codes throughout the book unlock chef interviews, websites and blogs for additional insight into the south Florida cooking scene.

Michael Bennett
​Though written with professionals in mind, Culture of Cuisine is a good read for any south Florida food enthusiast. With chapters that include a timeline of Florida cuisine, features on influential south Florida chefs like Allen Susser, Norman Van Aken and Michael Bloise, and an intimate look inside a commercial kitchen, this book gives the reader a portrait of what it takes to be a professional chef.

Bennett told Clean Plate Charlie that Culture of Cuisine is actually the first in a three-part series. This first book focuses on chef ideals. Part two will work on techniques and the third book will tie everything together. The volumes are designed to serve as a non-traditional workbook for up and coming chefs.

Complain as I might, the truth is, I put as much care into writing these books as I would if they were my very own, and the other truth is that I’ve fallen in love with almost every person I’ve written a cookbook for, in part because I’ve been lucky to work with the people I have, and in part because my job is to draw the best out of them, and when it comes right down to it, people, when you’re paying attention, are pretty great. The other thing that makes the labor all worth while is seeing the book in its final, hardcover, copy-edited, graphically-designed, photograph-enhanced, glossy-paged, for sale version. I’ve been through this before, but I’ve never been as excited as when I saw The Mozza Cookbook, which I did for the first time, oddly enough, at the media party that our publisher, Knopf, hosted for the book last Wednesday. (A party hilariously chronicled in this Food Republic story by the intrepid former NY Times Style section reporter, Allen Salkin, whose eye for story never ceases to amaze me.)

The book isn't really this big, but it is big. Not that size matters. (Photo: Tom Caltabiano.)

While I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by such superficial things, what struck me as I held the 350-page testament to two years of my life in my lamb-chop-greasy fingers, was how fat it is. And how heavy. It feels like an important book. Even the paper feels good. Of course how a book feels isn’t really what matters, but since I am intimately acquainted with every last word, and since I tested every last recipe (with help, of course), I feel like I’m allowed to be superficial and say: the book is pretty.

As pretty as it is, my secret favorite thing about it, which is the case with all the books I’ve written for Knopf, is that the book lies flat when you open it.

See?

This has to do with how the book is bound, a process, more expensive I’m sure, that means, for the home cook, that you don’t have to stick a bottle of wine on the book to keep it from bouncing to some random page while you’re checking the olive oil cakes for doneness. This is good news for those who plan to do something other than feel the paper, because this is a book that’s meant to be cooked from. I can tell you that for sure.

A review like the one in today’s LA Weekly Blog almost makes all that labor worth it, but only because it is by now but a vague and delicious memory.

During the time I got the pleasure of knowing Sara, by writing two of her cookbooks, she introduced me to a lot of things, including pimento cheese (“pimenna cheese”), Ole Miss and Oxford, Mississippi, tailgating the way only southerners can, Lake Placid, and a kind of generosity that–other than the Chino family, who are famous for theirs–I have never known before or since. All you can do with people like that is try to give back, but for better or worse, you’re pretty much assigned to a life of generosity debt with them. Still, I try.

“Anything,” I said.

“Can you look at what Sam Sifton wrote about the book and tell me if it’s good or bad.”

Sara was talking about her new book, Sara Foster’s Southern Kitchen, which came out this summer and which I didn’t write. Sam is, or was until something like yesterday, the New York Times restaurant critic, had done a round-up of summer cookbooks for the Times Book Review that week, which I had yet to read. “I can tell you right now that he liked it,” I told her. “Because it’s a round-up of book’s  he’s recommending, not a review.” Nevertheless, I read the write-up and I could see how she could be confused. He seems to like it when he writes that it’s, “Lavishly illustrated and… very likely destined for kitchen shelves in coastal weekend homes and rentals from Montauk to Hilton Head.” But then he goes on to say that the recipes are, “neither surprising nor problematic,” and, “not going to change your life.” So now, thanks to Sam, we know what the cookbook is not, and if Sam were not in the position he is, he would have an editor who insisted on a rewrite stating what the cookbook was. Before getting back to Sara, I emailed a friend who has one of the savviest minds I know in the book biz, and asked her what she thought of Sam’s write-up. She’s also a woman of few words. “Inscrutable.” was the one that came back.

Yesterday, just to add to my debt, Sara sent me a case of Fresh Everyday, which was recently reprinted–with a much livelier cover. Inside the same box was a bottle of Foster’s Market Seven Pepper Jelly, which I always have to have around in case of entertaining emergencies, and then there was a copy of her Sara Foster’s Southern Kitchen.

Even though he gave it a weird review, I can see why Sam chose the book in his round-up: It’s one of the rare cookbooks—among them I would include Judy Rogers’ Zuni Cafe Cookbook, Classic Home Desserts, by the late Richard Sax, and Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen, by Lidia Bastianich—that feels like a life’s work. The life’s work of a cook who is in his or her own way significant in the landscape of American cookery. Plus the food in this book looks and sounds delicious, and I know that Sara’s recipes are tested within an inch of their lives. Whether or not you have a house in Montauk, Hilton, or Lake Havasu, this is definitely a cookbook you want to have on your short shelf. I only wish I could say that I wrote it.

            South Florida, August, 2011 ~ FoodBrats.com – announces that Michael Bennett, Cookbook Author and the Executive chef of Bimini Boatyard in Fort Lauderdale is hosting a Release Party for his Third Book on September 11^th, 2011 in remembrance of 911.

                Chef Michael Bennett remembers the days after 911 as those of worry and sorrow, yet in the aftermath came new found pride in being an America. Ten years later we all have been changed by these events. Michael reminisced about such terrible loss and vowed to make his time a valued commodity. Since 911, Chef Michael Bennett taught himself the skills of writing and computer based book publishing to be able to share his passion for the food business with others.

                Since 911, Chef Michael has written and published three books on food and cooking. His love of South Florida is seen in his first two cookbooks: In the Land of Misfits, Pirates and Cooks and Underneath a Cloudless Sky. His third book delves into what is like being a chef, called Culture of Cuisine, it notes the common ideals culinary ideals amid four generations of chefs boasting a New American Riviera (Miami) cookery heritage. He will have a book signing and half-price book release at Bimini Boatyard of the evening of the 911 anniversary.

                This book’s primary assertion is based upon the ideas and ideals of some of South Florida’s Top-Chefs. Very recognizable top chef names are written about in the latter chapters, while the first three chapters discuss the rudimental ideals of being a chef. Chapter one lays the groundwork for the next two chapters. Summed up in the next few sentences, Chef Michael describes life as a chef with a particular Love-affair slant; and, is a book that can be used and enjoyed by all, no matter their experience level…

AS ANY CHEF WILL TELL YOU, “THIS IS THE HARDEST JOB THAT I EVER LOVED.” FOR MOST CHEFS, THIS IS TRUE.  CULINARIANS ARE A SPECIAL BREED OF PEOPLE. THEY TAKE A RAW FOOD AND TRANSFORM IT INTO ART UNDER SPARTAN CIRCUMSTANCES.

BEING A CHEF IS AT TIMES UNSETTLING, AND SOME PEOPLE WILL NEVER KNOW THAT AS CHEFS….

• IT IS THE TURMOIL – THAT DRIVES US.
• IT IS THE HEAT AND THE FRUSTRATION – THAT RECHARGES US.
• IT IS THE NEVER-ENDING, AND DAUNTING EXPECTATIONS – THAT DRIVE US TO

PERFECTION.

• IT IS THE LACK OF SURROUNDING CULTURE – THAT MAKES US WANT TO SLICE,

WEAVE AND TIE EDIBLE WORKS OF ART INTO A MOZART-LIKE CONCERT.

• IT IS THE LACK OF UNDERSTANDING – THAT MAKES US WANT TO EDUCATE

FURTHER.

• IT IS THE INFINITE – THAT DRIVES US TO CALCULATED SINGULARISM.

INNOVATION ARISES WITH THE PASSAGE OF TIME AND COUNTLESS HOURS OF EXPERIMENTATION.

                Chef Michael has found that the real equalizer among cookbook enthusiast is interest in the culture about cooking. Interestingly enough chapters one through four are segmented into sub chapters of thought. Michael deliberated that these similar culinary culture-based ideals were similar enough to have been categorized concurrently, yet the stand-alone thoughts should have their own sectioning. The first two chapters alone have a consequential tone that screams “this has to be a read daily” by all culinary aficionados.

The Use of Q.R. CODES:

                Quick Response (QR) Codes! An Internet sensation, QR codes are being used by millions of people around the world. Chef Michael’s books are produced with these revolutionary codes inlaid within the text of the pages.

                He first added QR codes to his newly revised first Gluten-free cookbook, In the Land of Misfits, Pirates and Cooks. QR codes quickly establish weblinks to additional information about the topic stemming from the Internet using a smartphone. On this third book, Chef Michael uses them to enhance descriptions and show additional background information on the chefs that are featured in chapter five. Chapter six goes on to describe how the Internet’s Social Media aspects are going to help young chefs in the future.

About the Author…

                Formally trained in the school of hard knocks, Chef Michael has always pursued only one culinary goal, making Miami’s unique culinary ideals visible world-wide. Chef Michael Bennett has done this most convincingly through his two South Florida grounded cookbooks.

                His first two cookbooks are the result of working in numerous noteworthy South Florida and Caribbean restaurants and resorts. Ones that tout a particular South Florida vogue and he has earmarked as “Caribb-ican”.  Obviously this “Caribb-ican” culinary trajectory has hit a cord with local restaurant consumers. This culinary styling has played out well at his current post at Bimini Boatyard. It is where sales and customer counts have gone from sleepy to boisterous as they were recently featured in the New York Times – best places in Fort Lauderdale for its blustery sales increases. See link:  
http://nyti.ms/hSzpNH
. Chef Michael’s Boatyard Caribb-ican menu styling emerged three years ago and has segued into accolades from local magazines as: “Best New Menu” in 2008 and, Chef Michael Bennett named locally as one of South Florida’s: “Top Chef” in 2009, 2010 and 2011. All the while Chef Michael Bennett boldly hones a specific culinary leadership status through print and on-line publications. 

About Chef Michael Bennett’s other books:               

                Chef Bennett’s first book is titled “In the Land of Pirates, Misfits and Cooks”; it is a first-hand taste of living in the Caribbean. That is also the first interactive cookbook in America. Chef Michael has based the recipes in the book upon healthy Gluten-free cooking. And to this end, he has placed QR (Quick Response) codes on the pages so the reader can quickly interact using a smart phone or web-enabled device. Chef Michael has inlaid the QR codes on the page with the recipe, so you can instantly source that hard to find Gluten-free food item used in his recipes.

                His book will energize your palate as you taste the new cookery methods and the innovative ingredients that are deliberately paired with familiar American fare. Chef Bennett takes the reader on playful culinary journeys throughout the many island Nations of the Caribbean, showing you that with a little ingenuity, you can bedazzle your taste buds by applying this tropically-inspired “Caribb-ican” cookery.

                The book’s FULL FOUR color photos highlight Bennett’s signature style of presentation: “food stacking”. Chef Bennett creates towers and food that ascends, as his recipe styling clearly characterizes “playing with food”. You will never just get food on a plate with Michael Bennett; you will get works of art. This may seem daunting to the average home cook but in true culinary tutoring style Chef Bennett explains in detail “how to play with your food”, this alone is worth having the book as you become an honorary Pirate and Cook of the Caribb-ican style of cooking. 

Chef Michael’s second book; “Underneath a Cloudless Sky” features mouth-watering recipes that will incite a pantry-quaking aftermath. South Florida’s five cookery heritages influenced the book’s recipe development. This full FOUR COLOR cookbook serves up an easy to read 180 plus pages of toothsome (110+) recipes and an instructional narrative about what it is like to dwell and work as a chef on the New American Riviera. This cookbook is the result of Michael’s reformulating the last two decades of South Florida’s “Florida’s Five Flags Fusion Foods” cookery components. The Five Flags citation represents his conceptual reformatting of South Florida’s five distinct cookery heritages.

“Underneath a Cloudless Sky” a 180 page, 110 recipes, “Caribb-ican” stylized cookbook that is retail priced $29.95.  The Book can be bought at Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com and foodbrats.com.

“In the Land of Misfits, Pirates and Cooks” is 120 recipes, 180 + pages ($35.95) is available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon discount books seller website, as well at: www.foodbrats.com

“Culture of Cuisine” is 140 pages ($15.95) and is available as a digital download ($2.95) or in print from Amazon.com and www.FoodBrats.com

Author substantive:
Michael Bennett is a well-known award winning (Chef of the Year-1995) South Florida chef whose clients are a Who’s Who of Media and Sports personalities. He earned critical culinary kudos as the Executive chef for the 26 year-local culinary force Left Bank restaurant. Under his auspices he brought “Best of” (Zagat Survey); Four Stars (AAA) and Four Diamonds (Mobil) to the long-time three star rating. He also holds culinary affiliations with several culinary and food-related organizations. He regularly lectures on South Florida’s “Caribb-ican” cuisine. 

For more information, contact us at:

the_professional_image@yahoo.com

***

AUTHOR AND CHEF MICHAEL BENNETT WRITES ABOUT
MIAMI’S CULINARY CULTURE

SOUTH FLORIDA, AUGUST, 2011 ~ FOODBRATS.COM – ANNOUNCES THAT MICHAEL BENNETT, THE EXECUTIVE CHEF OF BIMINI BOATYARD IN FORT LAUDERDALE AND COOKBOOK AUTHOR, IS RELEASING HIS THIRD BOOK ON AMAZON DIGITAL PLATFORM. CHEF MICHAEL HAS BEEN A WELL-SPRING OF CULINARY IDEAS THAT HAS FILLED THE INTERNET AND HE SEEMS TO HAVE MUSTERED SUFFICIENT TIME TO POSITION ANOTHER BOOK FOR YOUR KITCHEN LIBRARY SHELF.
AFTER GOOGLING “CHEF MICHAEL BENNETT”, ONE WILL FIND DOZENS OF PAGES THAT DISPLAY AUTHOR / CHEF MICHAEL BENNETT’S LITERARY CREATIONS. CHEF MICHAEL’S CURRENT ARRANGEMENT OF WRITING FOR MIAMI’S EXAMINER.COM, HAS HELPED THE CHEF CONTEMPLATE MORE INVENTIVE INSPIRATIONS, DIVULGING TO THESE INTERNET READERS WHAT IT IS LIKE BEING A CHEF IN MIAMI. THIS AUTHOR’S ROOTS ARE DEFINITELY SITUATED DEEP INTO SOUTH FLORIDA.
HIS EFFORTS THROUGHOUT THE INTERNET’S SOCIAL MEDIA AVENUES HAVE BROUGHT THE AUTHOR RECOGNITION FROM AS FAR AWAY AS AUSTRALIA. HIS COOKBOOKS ARE SELLING IN DISTANT PLACES BECAUSE OF THE COMMONALITIES IN THE FOODS USED FOR THE RECIPES. COOKING AND THE FOOD USED IS A UNIVERSAL ANALOGUE AND ALL INQUISITIVE COOKS LOVE READING ABOUT THE USE OF TROPICAL AND EXOTIC FOODS. THIS IS PROVEN WITH SALES OF HIS FIRST COOKBOOK; IN THE LAND OF MISFITS, PIRATES AND COOKS SELLING IN INDIA, AUSTRALIA AND ACROSS EUROPE.
MICHAEL HAS FOUND THAT THE REAL EQUALIZER AMONG COOKBOOK READERS IS THE INTEREST IN THE CULTURE OF COOKING. THIS IS HOW HE DEVELOPED HIS LATEST BOOK. “CULTURE OF CUISINE” WHICH DELVES INTO WHAT MIAMI CHEFS THINK ABOUT THE IDEALS OF CUISINE. IN THIS BOOK, MICHAEL RATIONALIZES THE COMMONALITIES OF IDEALS BETWEEN OUR GENERATIONS OF SOUTH FLORIDA CHEFS. THE BOOK SEGMENTS ARE BASED UPON MICHAEL’S INTERVIEWS WITH THESE NOTED SOUTH FLORIDA IDEALISTS.
INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH THE FIRST AND SECOND CHAPTERS OF THE BOOK ARE SEPARATED INTO SUB CHAPTERS OF THOUGHT. MICHAEL THOUGHT THAT THESE CULINARY CULTURE-BASED IDEALS WERE SIMILAR ENOUGH TO HAVE BEEN CATEGORIZED THEM CONCURRENTLY YET, THE STAND-ALONE THOUGHTS SHOULD HAVE THEIR OWN SECTIONING. THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS ALONE HAVE A CONSEQUENTIAL TONE THAT SCREAMS “THIS HAS TO BE A DAILY READ” FOR ALL CULINARY ENTHUSIAST.
• CULTURE A CUISINE
• HOW OUR CUISINE WAS CRAFTED
• UNDERSTANDING FOOD
• DESTINY OF INGREDIENTS
• THE PROCESS OF HOW THINGS HAPPEN
• ONE MOMENT PLEASE; YOUR MEDIA VOICE
• THE FIRST THREE STEPS
• THE INTERNET IS YOUR FUTURE
• QR CODES AND HOW THEY WILL HELP YOU

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
FORMALLY TRAINED IN THE SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS, CHEF MICHAEL HAS ALWAYS PURSUED ONLY ONE CULINARY GOAL, MAKING MIAMI’S UNIQUE CULINARY IDEALS VISIBLE WORLD-WIDE. CHEF MICHAEL BENNETT HAS DONE THIS MOST CONVINCINGLY THROUGH HIS TWO SOUTH FLORIDA GROUNDED COOKBOOKS. HE HAS WORKED IN NUMEROUS NOTEWORTHY SOUTH FLORIDA AND CARIBBEAN RESTAURANTS AND RESORTS HONING A SPECIFIC CULINARY LEADERSHIP STATUS THAT HE HAS EARMARKED “CARIBB-ICAN”. OBVIOUSLY THIS CULINARY TRAJECTORY HAS HIT A CORD WITH LOCAL RESTAURANT CONSUMERS. THIS STYLING HAS PLAYED OUT WELL AT HIS CURRENT POST AS THE EXECUTIVE CHEF FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS. BIMINI BOATYARD WHERE SALES AND CUSTOMER COUNTS HAVE GONE FROM SLEEPY TO BOISTEROUS WAS FEATURED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES – best places in Fort Lauderdale FOR ITS BLUSTERY SALES INCREASES. SEE LINK:
http://nyti.ms/hSzpNH
.

BIMINI BOATYARD’S MENUS EMERGED TWO YEARS AGO AND SEGUED INTO ACCOLADES FROM LOCAL MAGAZINES AS “BEST NEW MENU” IN 2008 AND CHEF MICHAEL BENNETT WAS NAMED ONE OF SOUTH FLORIDA’S “TOP CHEF” IN 2009 AND 2010.
ABOUT CHEF MICHAEL BENNETT’S OTHER BOOKS:
CHEF BENNETT’S FIRST BOOK IS TITLED “IN THE LAND OF PIRATES, MISFITS AND COOKS”, A FIRST-HAND TASTE OF LIVING IN THE CARIBBEAN. HIS BOOK WILL ENERGIZE ONE’S PALATE WHEN YOU PARTAKE IN THE NEW METHODS OF COOKING AND EXPERIENCE BEING EXPOSED TO THE INNOVATIVE INGREDIENTS PAIRED WITH FAMILIAR AMERICAN MENU ITEMS – THE WAY CHEF MICHAEL MAKES OLD STALE DINNER ITEMS NEW AND EXCITING ONCE AGAIN. CHEF BENNETT TAKES THE READER ON PLAYFUL CULINARY JOURNEYS THROUGHOUT THE MANY ISLANDS OF THE CARIBBEAN SHOWING YOU THAT WITH A LITTLE INGENUITY YOU CAN BEDAZZLE YOUR TASTE BUDS BY APPLYING THIS TROPICALLY-INSPIRED COOKERY.
THE FULL 4 COLOR PHOTOS HIGHLIGHT BENNETT’S SIGNATURE STYLE OF PRESENTATION: “FOOD STACKING”. BENNETT CREATES TOWERS AND FOOD ASCENTS; HIS RECIPE STYLING CLEARLY CHARACTERIZES “PLAYING WITH FOOD”. YOU WILL NEVER JUST GET FOOD ON A PLATE WITH MICHAEL BENNETT; YOU WILL GET WORKS OF ART. THIS MAY SEEM DAUNTING TO THE AVERAGE HOME COOK BUT IN TRUE CULINARY TUTORING STYLE CHEF BENNETT EXPLAINS IN DETAIL “HOW TO PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD”, THIS ALONE IS WORTH HAVING THE BOOK AS YOU BECOME AN HONORARY PIRATE, MISFIT AND COOK OF THE CARIBB-ICAN STYLE OF COOKING.
IN THE LAND OF MISFITS, PIRATES AND COOKS IS 120 RECIPES, 180 + PAGES AND IS AVAILABLE FOR $35.95 AVAILABLE AT THE AMAZON DISCOUNT BOOKS SELLER SITE AND AT WWW.FOODBRATS.COM.

CHEF MICHAEL’S SECOND BOOK; UNDERNEATH A CLOUDLESS SKY FEATURES MOUTH-WATERING RECIPES THAT WILL INCITE A PANTRY-QUAKING AFTERMATH. SOUTH FLORIDA’S FIVE COOKERY HERITAGES INFLUENCED THE BOOK’S RECIPE DEVELOPMENT. THIS FULL 4 COLOR BOOK SERVES UP AN EASY TO READ 180 PLUS PAGES OF TOOTHSOME RECIPES (110+) AND AN INSTRUCTIONAL NARRATIVE ABOUT WHAT IT IS LIKE TO DWELL AND WORK AS A CHEF ON THE NEW AMERICAN RIVIERA. THIS COOKBOOK IS THE RESULT OF MICHAEL’S REFORMULATING THE LAST TWO DECADES OF SOUTH FLORIDA’S “FLORIDA’S FIVE FLAGS FUSION FOODS” COOKERY COMPONENTS. THE FIVE FLAGS CITATION REPRESENTS HIS CONCEPTUAL REFORMATTING OF SOUTH FLORIDA’S FIVE DISTINCT COOKERY HERITAGES.

“UNDERNEATH A CLOUDLESS SKY” COOKBOOK IS RETAIL PRICED AT $29.95. THE BOOK CAN BE BOUGHT AT AMAZON.COM AND FOODBRATS.COM.

AUTHOR SUBSTANTIVE:
MICHAEL BENNETT IS A WELL-KNOWN AWARD WINNING (CHEF OF THE YEAR-1995) SOUTH FLORIDA CHEF WHOSE CLIENTS ARE A WHO’S WHO OF MEDIA AND SPORTS PERSONALITIES. HE EARNED CRITICAL CULINARY KUDOS AS THE EXECUTIVE CHEF FOR THE 26 YEAR-LOCAL CULINARY FORCE LEFT BANK RESTAURANT. UNDER HIS AUSPICES HE BROUGHT “BEST OF” (ZAGAT SURVEY); FOUR STARS (AAA) AND FOUR DIAMONDS (MOBIL) TO THE LONG-TIME THREE STAR RATING. HE ALSO HOLDS CULINARY AFFILIATIONS WITH SEVERAL CULINARY AND FOOD-RELATED ORGANIZATIONS. HE REGULARLY LECTURES ON SOUTH FLORIDA’S “CARIBB-ICAN” CUISINE.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT US AT:
mailto:the_professional_image@yahoo.com?subject=Inquiries
***

Cover

Chef Michael Bennett, voted to be the “Chef of the Year” in Miami, has revised his first cookbook to be 100 percent Gluten Free.

This 125 recipe cookbook has a Caribbean slant on Gluten free cooking. His recipes are healthy as they are pretty.

Some of the pictures in the book are amazing.

A beautiful dish of Atlantic Wahoo, setting a top a melange of yucca, plantain and roasted red bell peppers surrounded by a savory sweet “Caramel mop” . Check it out…

Photos: What did you eat this weekend? – latimes.com.

Poblano Corn Chowder

I have read countless articles and books about how to write a cookbook. Writing a cookbook has been a dream of mine for most of my adult life, running a close second to my dream of becoming a rock star like Grace Slick. For those of you who don’t know who she is, let me just say that it’s uncanny how much we look alike. Really.

Since this cookbook will be my first outing as a writer of something more substantial than my blogs and my many Facebook postings, I want to get it right. So here are the four basic rules that I have gleaned from all that research.

Lesson Number One: Write about what you know.

I know food well. As a matter of fact, we are on a first name basis.

Lesson Number Two: Write about what you love.

I love food. And I have the hips to prove it. (Like she said, the hips don’t lie.)

Lesson Number Three: Write passionately about your subject.

I am passionately in love with food; bread, soup, pasta, chocolate…

Lesson Number Four: Know when to end the story.

This love story will go on forever.

______________________________________________________________

Roasted Poblano Corn Chowder

My husband and I love Mexican food, and in pursuit of our favorite dish,Chile Relleno,we visited a new (to us) local “Mexican” restaurant. Chile Relleno was not to be found on their menu, but I was intrigued by their description of a Poblano Corn Chowder. Twenty minutes after ordering, a steaming bowl of watery corn chowder was served and the gauntlet was thrown down at my feet. “I can make it better”, and here it is kids.

My version is a  hearty, but not cloyingly thick chowder, chock full of fresh vegetables and a broth that will keep you coming back for one more ladle. Serve this with a loaf of crusty sourdough and a white wine to round up a delicious meal.

1   large poblano pepper

2   ears fresh corn

1   red pepper

2   jalapeño peppers

1  medium green zucchini

1  medium yellow zucchini

1  large potato, diced

1  tsp.olive oil

2  scallions, diced

1  large tomatillo,chopped

2  shallots,minced

1  TB. olive oil

1  TB sundried tomato (packed in olive oil)

2  cloves garlic,minced

4  TB unsalted butter

2 cups 2% milk

5 cups chicken broth (reserve 1/4 cup for thickening)

1 TB cornstarch

1 TB chopped flat leaf parsley

1 tsp chopped cilantro

2 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

Toss peppers,zucchini and ears of corn with olive oil, roast on grill pan or on outdoor grill until blackened. Take pan/vegetables off heat and cover with foil. Peel skins off peppers and cut into dice. Cut corn off cobs; scrape cobs to release any corn milk and save the liquid for broth.

In 5 quart dutch oven, saute zucchini and tomatillo until tender. Add scallions,shallots, garlic, jalapeno and saute until soft. Add diced potato and roasted vegetables to pot with sundried tomatoes and butter. Stir gently and cook covered for 5 minutes.

Stir in corn milk, chicken broth,milk, salt and pepper, cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Mix cornstarch and remaining chicken stock together and whisk slowly into soup to thicken. Add chopped cilantro and parsley. Simmer uncovered on low for 30 minutes, stirring often.  Serves 8

This Le Creuset Dutch oven is a permanent fixture on my stove from mid-September to the final cool days of April. We love our soups and stews.

]]> http://theartfulgourmet.com/2011/06/14/food-on-fire-iacp-conference-2011-austin-tx/ Tue, 14 Jun 2011 18:25:00 +0000 The Artful Gourmet http://theartfulgourmet.com/2011/06/14/food-on-fire-iacp-conference-2011-austin-tx/ http://foodbrat.wordpress.com/2011/04/28/456/ Thu, 28 Apr 2011 02:40:58 +0000 Foodbrat http://foodbrat.wordpress.com/2011/04/28/456/

Interview by:

Laine Doss

Chef Michael Bennett is a native Floridian and a passionate chef who truly believes in cooking creatively and making a meal memorable for his guests.
Chef Bennett loves his work, and it shows. Since 2008, he’s manned the helm of Bimini Boatyard, one of Fort Lauderdale’s most enduring and iconic restaurants. Bennett has brought the sheer joy of cooking to the restaurant’s menu. We spoke with Bennett about cooking and family.

Clean Plate Charlie: Fort Lauderdale, while having some very good restaurants, seems like a thousand miles away in attitude from Miami restaurants. Why do you think that is?

Chef Michael Bennett: It’s a business and a down-home attitude here in Fort Lauderdale. Here, it’s let’s do business and go home and have a family life. In Miami, it’s kind of like, “I need the P.R.; I need the publicity,” and I’ve never been that way.

Bimini Boatyard is a large restaurant. How many people can you seat?

We have like 460. We added another 80 to 100 seats on the small deck we built last year. You know, they renovated this entire place last year in like 24 hours. I went on vacation for a week, and when I came back, everything was brand new — the dining room, the bathrooms, everything. They worked nonstop.

What is the tourist-to-local ratio?

A lot, but at lunchtime, we get all locals. Everybody is slowing down after season; we’re getting crazed. We broke a record last year. I don’t know what everyone else is doing, but we’re doing very well. We’re doing phenomenal. Business is so busy, I need another kitchen. We’re getting ready to really bust it loose next year. We have the cruise ships and the conventions. The concierges from the hotels or the convention center will send us their big parties of 20-plus. You stay here until about 1:30 and I’ll swap you paychecks if I don’t get a party of at least 20 people here today. We may not have a private room for them, but we’ll accommodate them.

You worked at Solo on the Bay in Miami Beach — that must have been crazy.

I used to do the nightclub after the restaurant from midnight to 5 a.m. It was crazy. There were thousands of people there every weekend. You should have seen the sheer numbers of people we had. We packed them in. Memorial Day 2005, I had 2,500 people walk through that place in one night. That was the night Beyoncé walked in.

Lil Wayne was there one night, and there were 800 people waiting outside to get in.

Where are you from?

I was born at Broward General, and so was my oldest daughter. I was the first child born in Sunrise. My dad was in the marine business. My grandfather owned the marina next door to Bimini Boatyard. My father and uncle used to race boats by the old Marine stadium in Key Biscayne. My father owned a marina in Tampa, but I moved back to Fort Lauderdale because Tampa was too slow for me.

Before I moved back to Fort Lauderdale, I opened up a few restaurants and redid a Radisson in St. Petersburg, right next door to QVC. Susan Lucci and Lauren Hutton used to be my best customers. Lauren Hutton used to come in every day and ask why I can’t make anything healthier.

Jack LaLanne also used to come in all the time.

Please tell me he was a nice guy.

The guy was a pistol. It didn’t matter how old he was. His mind was as sharp as when he was doing acrobatics in Miami. He used to come in for only broccoli and egg whites every day. He did it the right way.

So do you eat healthy?

I’m a starch-aholic. Because I’m so busy, I only eat once a day, but starch gives me energy. I eat potatoes, pasta, and bread. I can’t live without it. I don’t eat meat that much because it isn’t important to me any more. Although I cheat. I eat a hamburger once a week. That’s my guilty pleasure. And it’s not because I’m getting old, although I am, but I’ve been getting heartburn all my life, and now because I don’t eat meat, I don’t.

What do you think about chefs who look down on vegetarians?

Why would they say that to a customer? We’re here to provide a service. If I don’t have it in the kitchen, I can’t give it to you, but if I have it — you got it. This business is hospitality. If you have a problem with that, you should be writing a cookbook or teaching a class. If you’re going to be a chef, you’ve got to be a host.

That’s why this place is so popular. Nobody cooks seafood at home. People rarely even cook. Including my daughters. They don’t cook, but they love to eat at my restaurant because nobody cooks what they like the way Dad does.

Did you cook for your daughters?

When they were young, I worked 70 to 80 hours a week. I wasn’t home a lot, but they called me up every night to bring something home for dinner. And it was never one dish; it was always something different for each girl. And now that they’re out of the house, it’s like, “What am I going to do? I hate everything because Dad’s not making it.”

I spoiled them so much with the food.

Are they in school?

One’s going to University of South Florida, and one’s going to Florida State. They’re great kids.

Do they want to go into the business?

I don’t think so. They’re too smart.
By Laine Doss, M

​Yesterday, we featured part 1 of our interview with Bimini Boatyard’s chef Michael Bennett. If you missed it, you can read it here. In part 2, chef Bennett talks about living in the Caribbean and what it’s like to serve a ton of seafood in one weekend.

Clean Plate Charlie: You’ve written two cookbooks. Have you ever taught cooking?

Chef Michael Bennett: Yeah, I’ve taught. I taught kids at my daughters’ school. It was a healthy-cooking class. I would show them that you can go to the store and buy a bag of chips that are healthy. We did healthy pastas. We did healthy techniques. This is before chefs were all over TV. But you could see that these kids really loved cooking. My class grew from 15 to 30 kids. Kids were sneaking into the class.

When was there a shift that made cooking cool?

I think it’s all Bravo Network’s fault. I hate Top Chef, but my wife loves it. That and that show where the guy yells a lot..

Hell’s Kitchen?

Yes. What an idiot. Nobody in this industry would treat their people that way. Nobody. But these shows did good things, because kids want to be in this industry now.

You lived in Tortola for a while. Tell us about it.

I’ll tell you why I dream about Tortola every night. (shows me a picture.) Look at the water. The water is crystal blue. I had to cross the channel to get to my restaurant every day. You could see sea turtles, whales, dolphins. The blue is an amazing blue.

What was everyday life like there?

It was the British Virgin Islands. I had a work permit, but my daughters had to go to school online through the Miami-Dade Public Schools system. It took three months to get electricity in my house. We take things for granted here — like groceries, internet service. It was eight months before we got telephone service. I had to take my daughters downtown every day to get internet service. It became a real hassle.

When you go to the Caribbean, there’s no Publix, no Kmart, no Burger King. It’s great for a week, but try to do it for a year. When I went to St. Thomas and ate a Big Mac, it was like heaven to me — because I couldn’t get one in Tortola. When you don’t have these little conveniences, you really miss it.

And my kids were so citified, the couldn’t stand it, because we lived next door to Aventura Mall before we moved, and suddenly there wasn’t a mall for hundreds of miles.

It must have been torture for two teenaged girls. Any good stories?

One time at my restaurant, we had a giant setup for the Super Bowl. We had 100 to 150 people at the bar. At 7:30, the game started [there's an hour difference], and the entire island went black because everyone flipped on their TV at the same time. Luckily, someone had a laptop, and 150 people gathered around the laptop to watch the game.

So how did you get from Tortola to Bimini Boatyard?

My family and I decided to move back to Florida. I got back, I’m holed up in my hotel room waiting for my furniture to arrive. It takes about three weeks. I’m bored, so I walk into Bimini Boatyard. I figure Bimini Boatyard — Caribbean. Sounds good. I talk to the general manager, and I’m working there the next week. It was a natural fit.

I thought about doing dishes from the French Caribbean, the Spanish Caribbean. Like the Martinique grouper and the scallops.

You can’t get good scallops retail.

I know. I get them in specially. I have them specially dry-packed.

Bimini Boatyard is a big seafood house, obviously.

We do so much seafood. At the last Boat Show, we sold over a ton of seafood. We sold 2,600 pounds of seafood. Oysters, snapper, yellowtail, dolphin, lobster. I was buying and cooking five cases of Florida lobster tail a day. Over 100 pounds of dolphin a day. It was crazy. I didn’t cut less than 200 pounds of fish a day during that weekend.

What’s next for chef Michael Bennett?

I plan on writing more. I wrote my cookbooks on my deck in Tortola. It was a great experience. I’m also making cooking videos directly from the balcony of my home in Hollywood. It’s an amazing view. It’s a beautiful vista.

Recipe from chef Michael Bennett cookbook:

In the Land of Misfits, Pirates and Cooks.

Caribbean Kimchi:

A Recipe From Bimini Boatyard’s Chef Michael Bennett
By Laine Doss,

Chef Michael Bennett and wife serve up dishes at the Kampong in Coconut Grove
​Bimini Boatyard’s Chef Michael Bennett has a joy for both cooking and life.
In our recent interview with Chef Bennett, we learned about his passion for bringing the flavors of the Caribbean home to south Florida. If you missed the interview, you can read it here and here.
Clean Plate Charlie is happy to share Chef Michael’s Caribbean-inspired take on the classic Korean kimchi.

Caribbean Kimchi

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. Green mango

• 1 head napa cabbage, shredded

• 4 oz. Red onion, julienne

• 2 oz. Red bell pepper, julienne

• 1 oz. Garlic, sliced thinly

• 3 oz. Carrot, julienne

• 2 oz. Pineapple, julienne

• 3 tbs. Cilantro, chopped

• 1 oz. Sriracha sauce, or more if you like

• 1 oz. Sesame oil

• 2 oz. Salt

• 1 oz. Ginger, crushed finely

• 4 oz. Scallions, sliced thinly on a bias

Place all veggies in a large bowl and toss roughly.

Shake in the salt and drizzle with the sriracha sauce and oil.

Toss Roughly again.

Place in the refrigerator for three days, Tossing the ingredients once a day.

Remove the slaw/salad and drain well.

Use on plates as garnish or as a spicy Salad accompaniment.

Michael Bennett, Executive chef and author

What is your definition of creativity – what is it?

Taking the known and producing something totally different or umcommon. Being able to understand similar flavor profiles of different foods mix and match to create unusual or uncommon
new dishes.

But after 5000 years of cooking, it is going to be hard to do this compared to what the Chinese have done.

You need a base of culinary learning to formulate something new. You have to use what is known in techniques or ingredients and use this to go another step beyond the commonplace.

Using culinary ideals to formulate your creativity or style helps. Your ideals help you perform the next steps to innovation.

Is creativity the same as innovation?

Creative innovation is akin to being cutting edge.
Innovation is remolding or restructuring the plate or a recipe (the known) into a perceived (by the customer) better commodity. Creativity is a thought that can be perceived by the consumer or taught by enlightenment of the consumer…..by using a really good P. R. person!!!!!

Do you think it is something that people are born with (innate) or can it be learned?

Which creativity? Or talent of innovation?

Look at chef Chalie Trotter. He is perceived as a talent but if the people evaluating his food didn’t like his wild mushroom study because they don’t like mushrooms, doesn’t mean he isnt a talented cook. But the “study in mushrooms” was still innovative.

Chef Trotter was born this way. I believe creativity is something that you are born into, not with.

I think you can be taught creativity by mimicking. Other people will evaluate you from their own perspectives whether what you can create in food is creative.

Innovation comes from experimentation and having a good enough palate to judge if what you cook is good tasting. It will always be the combined that will judge you to be innovative by what is commonplace at the time.

Look at new world cuisine, circa 1992. Innovative because everyone said so. From reporters to consumers, it was judged to be an innovative. By using tropical fruits paired with common American foodstuffs.

The creativity of new world cuisine came about by finding how to pair the unknown with the known popular foods of the day. Then again if there weren’t so many Caribbean people in Miami, these chefs might not have discovered these foods to begin with. They were taught by the people who worked for them in the kitchen. So their ( perceived) creativity was taught them them by common peoples that knew how to use uncommon ( to American chefs) foods.

How important is creativity to you in your employees? How can they be creative – can you give me an example?

Very important to some of my people. The others just have to minick and produce what is needed for service that day.
My sous chef have to be able to create but they arent creative. Create for me is to do something with leftovers or extras not used from a party the day before or over purchasing.

In my previous position i had to three creativity chefs that knew how to get the most from the food available so you make better profits. Creating profits has been my requirements from my staffs
for the past decade of managing other chefs and f&b managers. Creativity in creating profits keeps all of us employed.

When you hire someone for a job, is creativity an important job requirement?

no
Creativity is honed by me. A new employee just has to have the skills to produce what I teach.

Later when they can prove their techniques – and the demand in creativity I’ll ask them for innovation.

Creativity in cooking meat dishes doesn’t work for me because we are a seafood- centric menu. So creative is cool, but great skills are more necessary.

What other things are important when you consider hiring someone (e.g., reliability, punctuality, teamwork, communication) ?

Yes, I am never late. Nor my staff. We are always under the gun so time is a commodity that can’t be wasted, so yes being on time is very important.

Skills – see above answers.

In your business, do employees work predominantly on their own, or do they work in teams?

On own after trained by co- workers. With a staff of over thrity, no one is trained by me except my second in charge.

After training we reevaluate to see if skills are proper and if any more are needed. They work together in the same areas but as individual fulfilling the needs required. Teamwork to produce plates on the line is necessary. Individual accomplishment and completion of assigned tasks is more individualistic in nature by the back of the house.

Have you ever had college students working for you? What was your experience?

yes.
One good, became my second. One not so good. Let him go because he didnt keep pace in skill development.

It is all up to the person that is hired. If they can keep up with what is demanded by me and improve to the next level they stay with me.

What do you consider important for the school to emphasize in students’ education in general (i.e., English, math, communication skills)?

for leaders very important.
For my hands on people not so much.

How important are your clients? Do they drive what you do creatively?

Of course, see my explaination about creativity and innovation above. If my menus weren’t perceieve as creative, they would not define me as a leader in South Florida cooking. I would be part of the crowd producing great food but never thought of as i creative person by most consumers.

Now if what i create is thought of as innovative then i will be set apart from the other chefs and held in high perceived esteem. So yes, my customers drive my innovation to be thought of as a creative.

How important are principles or process (skills/craft) in your profession – more important than creativity?

Principles are the culinary training or thoughts that puts us all in the same rankings as chefs. I choose to call them ideals. Skills, the amount of skills and how you can apply them to the cooking of food is what will define you as a chef and later separate you from others as those skills lead to innovation of new ideals and creative culinary works.

If you had a choice between hiring a super-talented prima donna, or a humble and reliable, but less creative, person, which one would you give preference to?

Depends on the position I hire for.

If I need an innovator, someone to bring the menu to the next level I’ll choose the primadona. His mindset will force himself to do more and better than everyone else in the kitchen. His need to succeed and be the best in the kitchen will drive him to do what I need from this position as a chef de cuisine or sous.

The lesser skilled dependable person fills almost all my other positions in the kitchen.

How can we specifically better prepare students for the work world, i.e., what would you emphasize for the employee of tomorrow to learn (math? English? Teamwork?)

Read my new book “Culture of Cuisine” (due out Summer 2011) and you will know exactly.

Ideals!

I’ve been meaning to write a post like this for a while, but I wondered if anyone would read it? I mean, I’m no Dianne Jacob.  Then again, I do spend a lot of my time editing recipes, and I see the same mistakes over and over again.  Recipes are kind of my thing. But not everyone wants to be told how to make their recipes better. I’ve met with some prominent bloggers who said to me, “My recipes don’t need editing. They work great just the way they’re written.” And when I spoke on the cookbook writing panel at Blogher Food ’10, in response to my comment about avoiding fancy-shmancy cooking terms like “braise” and “saute,” many people said they refuse to dumb down their recipes for the lowest common denominator. Well, that’s fine if you write cookbooks for professionals, but my advice is always the same for my authors… if your mom followed your recipe, would she understand it? Okay, so maybe your mom is a great cook. Then how about your husband? Or your weird Uncle Ned? What if Ned wanted to make one of your recipes? Would he be able to follow it?

I edit recipes for kitchen newbies, with Uncle Ned in mind. The fact is, these days a lot of people have no idea how to cook. Their parents didn’t teach them, they get married or move into their first home or apartment, and they have no clue how to make dinner. Those are the people we should be writing for, because cooking is important.  So here are five recipe-writing tips based on mistakes I see every day in cookbook manuscripts — and blogs. (P.S. The list was really about 12 items long, but I’m going with the biggies.)

1. List the ingredients in the order they’re used in the directions. I don’t care if it’s a roasted chicken recipe and you want to highlight that ingredient at the top of the list. If you make a spice blend and an herb butter first, then put those ingredients at the top, and add the chicken in the right place on the list. It might be last, and that’s okay. The chicken won’t mind.

2. Be careful about your wording. “2 cups chopped white mushrooms” and “2 cups white mushrooms, chopped” may sound the same, but they are very different. The first tells the reader to chop up mushrooms and then measure 2 cups of them. The second tells the reader to measure 2 cups of whole mushrooms, which isn’t going to be all that much because they can be large, and then to chop those up — I estimate you’d have about 1 cup of chopped mushrooms in the second example. That’s a big difference. Even cookbook-writing veterans don’t get this right.

3. With ingredients, be specific and tell readers what they need to know. You may have used a pricey organic chicken, but does it change the recipe to specify organic, or does it just intimidate some people? Brown sugar — light or dark? Milk — if you don’t specify “whole” milk, then don’t be surprised if someone uses 1% low-fat and emails you to say the recipe sucks. Lemon zest — if you mean “grated zest,” then say so. Speaking of grated, if you want people to use “freshly grated” Parmesan cheese, that’s fine, but you’d better say so, or else they may just shake some of that scary stuff out of a can. On that subject, will grated Asiago work decently too, and save people a lot of money? For herbs, specify fresh or dried, and let us know if you can substitute dried for fresh in something like a sauce with lots of liquid. Uncle Ned isn’t likely to pay $3 for a tiny pack of fresh tarragon at the supermarket, but Aunt Bunny probably has some dried in the cupboard. I could write a book of these things to look out for.

4. Avoid those fancy cooking terms. Here’s where people get mad at me, but please don’t use terms like saute or braise or poach. If you absolutely must use terms like those to show off what you learned in cooking school, then please give the reader as much information as you possibly can (see Step 5).

5. The more information, the better. You could just say “Saute the onions in the oil.” Or you can say “In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the onions in the oil, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.” I don’t know why so many recipe writers hate to give cooking times, or don’t think to tell readers what to look out for, or think we don’t need to be told to stir or toss the ingredients while cooking, but it all helps… a lot. Uncle Ned isn’t psychic. Maybe the reader should look out for a smell, like when the nuts are “toasty.” Should the pan be so hot that the beef will sizzle when you add it?  Can you poke a knife into the cake to see if it’s cooked through? These sensory clues may help make Uncle Ned a better cook. Then, if maybe his oven isn’t calibrated properly, he won’t pull the brownies out of the oven after 20 minutes (because you said so), even though they’re still practically liquid in the middle. (Ooh wait, I love under-done brownies. I’m going to Ned’s house for dessert.)

The plane, the plane!

Became a running joke between myself and the rest of the family. I loved the idea of living high up on a mountain. Living in the Caribbean meant a lot of things, this was one of them. Many Caribbean Islands are actually extinct volcanoes.

It was so strange coming from Miami – with no altitude – to the Caribbean where driving up to your home, ears pop. We never had this problem in Miami, my daughter says. Our first car we rented couldn’t get up the driveway to our home. The driveway was at such a steep incline my little four cylinder rent a car couldn’t get all of us up the hill.

Living above airplanes did have its advantages. Neighbors were scarce. We were one of two homes a top this mountain peak. This of course had its disadvantages, like electricity and phone service. We were six months waiting for a phone line to be run to the top of the mountain. Electricity was almost as rare. Many days electricity was out for six or seven hours at a time. Being on an island meant all electricity for the island was created by diesel generators. If the generators broke down, it took hours for a service man to come and fix it.

Another fun fact about living on top a mountain, no phones. Try that with two teenage daughters. One of the things I had to do is drop off the girls downtown before I went to work everyday, so they could use the local coffee shop internet connection. Connections with the rest of the world were strained. We found that having a home in the clouds was a challenge in many ways. Comfort, locale, being away from others and when you want to go grocery shopping, it was a journey you had to prepared for.

Being on an island in the middle of the ocean, seclusion is an unique experience. For some it is a break from the day to day hectic “real” world, for others places like this are resort locations for beach fun and ocean sailing. For me it was all about the seclusion and isolation – to think about my life how it has proceeded and what I was going to do with the rest of it. Being a man of a certain age, this isolation was the point were I decide to finish an already started project. This is how my two cookbooks came so quickly for me after returning to the mainland of the United States.

Living in the clouds – above where planes travel – literally and in my own inner-self’s thoughts made it easy for me to put words to print quickly.  I rewrote my unfinished cookbook – that was sitting on my shelf for the past ten years and renamed it “In the Land of Misfits, Pirates and Cooks” after the people and things that I found while living in the Caribbean.

The stories in the book are all about living and working as a chef in the Caribbean.  You can see this book at:  Amazon -  
http://www.amazon.com/Land-Misfits-Pirates-Cooks/dp/0615297781/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261277848&sr=1-1

You soon be able to buy it at all Barnes and Nobles stores.

Even though I was raised with a voracious appetite for recipe tomes, I can’t say that I have any talent behind the burners. As an attempting-vegan with a vicious impatient streak and difficulty with the maths, I have more luck following driving directions across the country than the instructions on the back of a spaghetti box.

Publishing a cookbook requires more than the basic level of originality to grab an agent’s attention. Yes, this means you need to do something more than slather your naked body in pudding outside of the offices of Scribner, and don’t even think of sending Alton Brown another bouquet of flowers. I’ve tried, he’s allergic, it doesn’t work out well for anyone involved.

Out of the 1,500 cookbooks that are published every year, how many do you remember? Although the Food Network has helped immeasurably when it comes to increasing the popularity of cuisine-related programming, materials, and books, not everyone can become a celebrity chef. Like I said, I can’t cook. I can write, but I’m too picky to become a food critic:

Um, this restaurant seems to like the color blue a lot. I don’t eat chicken and veal is really gross, but the mushrooms underneath the halibut were good. The garnish tasted like shoes. I’m glad this meal was comped by my editor.

I’m too spastic to get in front of a camera without the originally intended programming winding up on either Comedy Central or some sort of emergency fire rescue show on A&E. But I enjoy writing and researching, so maybe the idea isn’t completely off-kilter. After all, you need a niche in order to secure your place in kitchen-based glory. Guy Fiere markets to the clientele of TGIFridays and late-nineties rockabilly dads who like wings. Rachel Ray is the patron saint of EVOO annoyance to MILFs and Oprah-lovers everywhere. Mario Batali is the more profound, prolific, portly human version of this is why you’re fat. Perhaps I can write for hypoglycemic girls who avoid dairy, deep fryers, fennel, and fast food…with a food allergy to boot.

Nearly all renowned celebrity cookbook authors don’t begin writing as a result of love for the written word. For some, like Anthony Bourdain, being a renegade chef in New York City helped them to shape their career as writers; Bourdain is now known not only for his cuisine hijinks but for hard-boiled fiction, magazine articles, and a horrendously narrated show on the Travel Channel. For others, like Bobby Flay, it was a checkered past combined with a passion for a particular type of cooking, leading to a lauded restaurant that made the ink flow. (Flay is rumored to have dropped out of high-school and worked at both a pizzeria and Baskin Robbins.) My personal favorite, and the cornerstone for my current obsession, is Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa. The woman can write about Corn Flakes on the back of a paper napkin and I’d pay $50 to read it. Hell, if she only published for Amazon’s Kindle I’d buy one of the hideous devices, and if you know me, you know how I feel about the Kindle.

Part of my obsession with Ina stems from the fact that she’s a Long Islander by choice, originally opting to purchase a specialty goods and gourmet shop near Montauk. Other contributing factors to my fascination include her vocal and exuberant adoration of her husband Jeffrey, and her penchant for intuitively organized shows, recipes, and books. She’s also a damn good writer with a story that doesn’t start with food. She used to work for the State Department.

Ina’s ability to wax poetic about floral arrangements, France, and – most importantly – fucking up in the kitchen, is what makes me read and reread her books. Although I can’t figure out the proper way to roast a piece of tofu, Ms. Garten makes me wish I were able to do more than purchase a can of soup and heat it over medium. (Once someone helps me to pop the top.) If you’ve seen her show on the Food Network, you know that her voice, humor, and personality are all sublime. It’s no wonder she can craft domestic goddessery out of everyday items, her television show alone would be the perfect accompaniment to any meal, even the kind you heat on HIGH for five minutes.

As of late, my interest in pots, pans, and procuring produce has come from a different, more desperate location in my body, somewhere slightly above my stomach. My mother, a long-time dieter and skinny-mini, weighing in at a whopping 83 pounds — three of which she gained since the diagnosis — has had to loosen her grip on fat-free food and portion control. She’s had to super-size and snack instead of skipping meals. As a wannabe vegan with a history of eating disorders, among other mental problems, I feel bad for my mom. I know that it must be a struggle to eat three bowls of ice cream a day when really all she “wants” is a salad with a side of tennis. She’s always been active, and the cancer has slowed her down. Now it’s insisting that she fatten herself up, just as the nausea and midsection distention rob her of the appetite she’s been fighting for years. I want to do something. I want to write a recipe for anorexics, cancer patients, vegans, crazy people. I want to study nutrition and figure out what the hell I can feed my maternal unit to make her healthy enough to withstand eight weeks of chemo. I want to cure cancer with a cookbook. Okay, okay, I want to cure cancer and watch Good Eats.

So you want to become a cookbook author? Good luck. Some of the best resources I could find are a website with irritating blinking text, an old article about compiling family recipes, and a semi-convoluted link to some cookbook-writing software. I also found the Institute of Culinary Education’s list of $75 cookbook writing courses, which are probably pretty useful to the fledgling tongue-to-pen sustenance scribe.

And, in case you missed it, here’s Simon’s recipe for Brussels sprouts that I bogarted. Though you’ll have gas for days, trust me, it’s worth it, especially if you hate anything that even remotely resembles cabbage:

From Like It – September 30^th, 2008

The original version of this includes Parmesan cheese and pine nuts, the former we avoided because it comes from cow, and the later we skipped over ‘cause the only ones in the house, alas, did not belong to me. But feel free to add a bit of both or either to your go.

You’ll need: a bag of Brussels sprouts, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, a baking sheet, spatula, oven, large knife.  Be careful.

First, preheat the oven to 450.

Rinse and cut the Brussels sprouts into halves or quarters, depending on how much gas you want to have. (Kidding. You are going to be flatulent regardless. Deal with it.)

Mix the cut up sprouts with 2/3 cup of good olive oil and a 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar. Also, a teaspoon of salt.

[Confession: we didn’t measure. Two splashes from a medium sized bottle of oil, three splashes of balsamic, a hefty shake or two of salt. Baking is a science, cooking is an experiment.]

Put the greased, grapey sprouts on a baking sheet, spread ‘em out evenly, pop the whole thing in the oven for twenty (20) minutes. Mix them once while cooking with a spatula. They’re done either after twenty minutes or when they’re browned.

Take them out, eat them, vacate any unventilated spaces.

But, really, once your done playing the butt-trumpet, you’ll be back for seconds.

Drop me a line: AinsleyDrew at gmail dot com

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Hire us. Though we can’t cure cancer or gas, we can pen mean web copy.