Miami Food Blog

Jackie Sayet

Easy elegance at the table with scallops and sweet corn

​A great dinner at Red Light (7700 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-757-7773) the other night of "crushed pepper seared sea scallops, roasted corn spoon bread and spicy orange drip" inspired this home-cooked riff.

Zesty lemon and lime-marinated sea scallops, giant and plump, meet rich, nutty sweet corn. It comes together fast and wows on the plate. A side of sauteed shallots with mixed wild mushrooms, like trumpet with their hearty, meaty stems, is a perfect accompaniment. The only part that can become time-consuming with this meal is sourcing incredibly fresh produce, for which you should go to the farmer's market. It's well worth it though!

​Inspired by the Late Summer Vegetable Salad dish recently devoured at Sra. Martinez, (soon to be named one of Esquire magazine's 20 best restaurants of 2009,) we whipped up this tasty take in about an hour.  Suffice to say that mere minutes after that hour, a crumb and a puddle were about all that remained!
Bon appetit to you, Bonne chance to me!

​Norman Van Aken, Chef/Owner Norman's at the Ritz Carlton, Orlando (and soon to be Norman's 180 in Coral Gables)

It seems everyone has his or her own favorite Julia Child story. That's how well known and firmly entrenched in the American psyche the inimitably voiced gourmet goddess, (of the more Nordic sense) became.

I was fortunate to know her and perform with her and it seems that each time I was in her presence; her unwavering well, "Julia-ness", stunned me! Whether it's a "save the liver!" faux memory or a more personal touch--such as having your cookbook signed in her finely etched, surprisingly small, way.

One of my personal memories took place back in 1990. I had been invited to go to Fetzer Winery up in Mendocino, California for a big weekend event celebrating their spectacular new organic garden. Janet and I left for San Francisco on the 12th of July. We took the chance to dine at Jeremiah Tower's new place, "690" for dinner and Wolfgang Puck's "Postrio" for breakfast the next morning before driving up to Mendocino. It was a blisteringly hot in wine country that July.

The Fetzers had invited quite a lineup of chefs to not only cook but to discuss the craft of cooking. I was immersed in a group of talented chefs that could not only cook brilliant food but were conversant and knowledgeable about its place and value within our culture. Chefs included Stephan Pyles of Dallas, Anne Rosenzweig of New York and John Folse of New Orleans. Julia Child was the big draw and she walked amongst us; a female Buddha of contentment and grace.

The Fetzer family threw a big opening night party for us at their "Big Dog Saloon". The next morning Stephan Pyles and I were scheduled to appear on an early morning radio show hosted by San Franciscan KSAN radio star, Narsai David. Stephan and I joined the other chefs staying up until nearly dawn, sharing the enthusiasm chefs have for the passion of this job. We shared a fair share of wine too! Our heads were splitting as we walked down the soft path to the place in the gardens the radio folks had set up their remote "studio". Though it was not yet 9 a.m. the heat was a force. We had not yet had coffee and the need was growing more fiercely by the moment. When we tiptoed to the table near where Ms. Julia and Mr. David were already on the air. We saw coffee cups. We mimed our needs, holding our hands in mock prayer. Narsai signaled that he was going for a commercial break. When the radio guys cleared us, I asked Julia where we might find some of the coffee. She smiled broadly to all of us, held up her coffee cup with her pinky extended and remarked merrily, "Oh no, darling, Narsai and I are drinking the Gewürztraminer!"

--- Norman Van Aken, 8.4.09

Marsha Talianoff

U.S.S. Julia

​Chef Allen Susser, Chef/Owner Chef Allen's

Talking about Food was one of Julia's favorite subjects. She was always involved. But Julia never saw food as an armchair discussion. She wanted to get right into the middle to experience the foods, the flavors, and the culture. I loved showing her our mangoes, jackfruits and the freshest seafood.

When Julia came to Miami on one of her many visits she insisted that I take her out Stone Crabbing.  She wanted to know first hand all about our delicious Stone Crabs. Julia was funny though; she seemed large for the little boat. She had to personally pull the traps, and break the claws from the crab. Then after our sojourn down to the Keys she became very excited to throw the just caught claws into a pot of boiling seawater to cook them.

We devoured the lush Stone crabmeat. I remember Julia saying, " This is what life is about" while she licked her fingers clean.

The French chef has her own South Florida story.  Growing up I even had the honor to live part of it, attending the tributes that our local chapter of the American Institute of Wine and Food would throw her, since my mother was the co-founder.

So buckle up and come along for the ride this week as we recount this legacy in the pictures and reflections of culinary professionals who knew and loved her.  The occasion is of course the premiere of Writer/Director Nora Ephron's feature film adaptation of two memoirs: "My Life in France," which Child wrote with grandnephew Alex Prud'homme, and "Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously," by blogger Julie Powell.

Up first, we see Julia through the lens of our AIWF South Florida Chapter co-founders who also happen to be members of Les Dames de Escoffier, a French international society of accomplished women in the culinary professions.

Donatella Arpaia, Restaurateur, Eos, and Creator and Owner, Donatella Food Collection

One of my best dining experiences happened during a trip to Rome many years ago. I had heard and read about La Rosetta, one of the first restaurants in Rome to serve fish and seafood only. It is named after the street Via Rosetta and located a short walking distance from the Pantheon, near the Fontana di Trevi. The décor is seafood-themed with huge displays of fish on ice. While at La Rosetta the chef patron, Massimo Riccioli, prepared a Bucatini dish served with raw sea urchin, a favorite of mine. The sea urchin had melted from the heat of the pasta and it was truly transcendental. I was amazed by how creamy the texture was, you would have thought it was filled with butter. We paired our entrees with Fiano d'Avellino, a Neopolitan wine. That evening after dinner, we went for a barefoot walk around the Fontana di Trevi and had zabaglione and marsala flavored homemade gelato from Il Gelato di San Crispino, which is owned by brothers Pasquale and Giusseppe Alongi. They are masters in their craft and even insist you never order gelatos in cones since that will spoil the flavor.