Cold Corn Vichyssoise

Serves 4

1 tbsp sweet butter

1 tbsp corn oil

1 large onion, diced (about 1 3/4 cups)

1 large potato, diced

4 large ears of corn, husked and kernels cut off 1/2 tsp salt (optional)

2 cups cold water

1/2 cup white wine

1 1/2 cups half and half

2 tbsp chopped chives or chopped fresh tarragon (or 1 tbsp of each)

Heat the butter and oil in a sauce pan.

Add the onions and saute for two minutes.

Mix in the potatoes and corn and simmer for another two minutes.

Add the salt (optional) and water and bring to a boil.

Once the mixture begins to boil, lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Using a hand blender, puree the soup in the sauce pan or you can transfer the soup to a food processor and process until pureed.

For a soup with an extra smooth texture, push it through a fine sieve or china cap.

Stir in the half and half, then add the chives or tarragon.

Refrigerate until chilled before service.

Serve in chilled bowls, if you like. You can garnish the top with a spoon of fat free sour cream.

To really lower the saturated fat, replace the half and half with a fat free milk blend. You can also replace the butter with additional corn oil.

Grilled Veal Chop

This is a great summertime recipe, a recipe I slightly altered to include flavorful garden tomatoes. The original recipe is by Jacques Pepin.

4 veal chops, 10-12 oz each

For the Sauce:

2 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp diced red onion

2 tbsp drained capers

1 medium tomato, diced

1 tbsp fresh chopped sage

2 tsp julienned lemon zest

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 tbsp chicken stock

For the Marinade:

1 tbs of olive oil and 1/2 tsp of paprika

Turn your BBQ grill to high.

Mix the oil and paprika and using a pastry brush, brush all sides of the chops.

Place on the grill and cook for about 3-4 minutes.

To have nice grill markings on each chop, envision the letter X. First place the chop on an angle of one side of the X. After 2 minutes, using large grill tongs, turn the chop in the direction of the other side of the X.

After another 2 minutes, turn the chop over and repeat the above process.

After the second side is cooked, turn your grill off.

Place the chops on a sizzle pan* or oven-ready dish and hold in an 150 degree oven for 10 minutes while you finish your side dishes or salad. This will allow the internal juices to rest and not bleed out during service.

You can hold the chops for a maximum of 20 minutes while you finish your side dishes.

To serve, place the chops on a platter or plate and spoon the sauce mixture around each chop.

This dish goes well with a garden salad and a nice freshly baked bread.

*Sizzle pans are very common in the restaurant business. They are indestructible oval metal plates used for grilling and broiling individual portions. I have had mine many years and they still look as though I recently purchased them.

Scampi Sauce form the Legendary Petite Marmite

In memory of “Mr. Gus,” Costanzo Pucillo, Chef/Owner

During 1976-1977 I was one of the lucky few chefs to work at the legendary Petite Marmite restaurant on Worth Avenue, in Palm Beach, Florida.

The first time I prepared this yellow mustard Scampi Sauce I thought to myself, what an unusual Scampi recipe to have so much yellow mustard.

This sauce was so popular we would make ten gallons at a time, some of it for shipping in smaller jars to guests visiting from all over the globe.

Once you try it, you too may become a fan of this sauce.

The recipe to follow is a scaled down version of the original production recipe that would almost fill a ten gallon mixing bowl. This recipe should yield about 12 - four ounce portions.

3 shallots

1 clove garlic

1 oz Worcestershire sauce

7 oz fresh lemon juice

8 oz sherry

16 oz soft butter

12 oz American yellow-mustard

Grate or finely chop the shallots and garlic, add Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and sherry.

Mix the mustard and butter until smooth and well blended, then add to the mixture above.

Place on medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Stirring constantly, simmer for five minutes.

Place in a stainless bowl and hold on the side until you broil or grill your shrimp.

Ladle four ounces of sauce per portion of shrimp.

At Petite the shrimp we grilled to accompany this sauce were Spanish Reds. Also called, (Carbineros “Red Spanish Shrimp” or Crevette Rouge) You will never see a shrimp with such white flesh and a beautiful red outside shell, as Spanish Reds.