Ever since Sydney’s Blues and Jazz Restaurant changed hands, locals and tourists alike have realized a loss of something once taken for granted….steady access to live music. Applause to the Cultured Pearl and Susan Wood for supporting and promoting live music and working to create an “event” on Sundays. On the entertainment list, The Eddie Sherman Show, the Pam Miller Band, Jay Hoad and Justine Miller and Bay Jazz. Now we have to return the effort and show our support. Go, eat, drink, enjoy live music and bring the whole family.

The Pearl offers a kid’s package during brunch that includes a “little pearl activity meal” and a Japanese activity session. So, while the grown-ups dine, the little ones can learn origami or Japanese fan painting in their own supervised activity room.

Food abounds. There is a full sushi menu and, in addition, you will find traditional brunch/egg fare…try the seafood scramble… and a lunch menu with the likes of Kobe beef grinders, vegetable tempura and cream of crab soup. Don’t forget the libations….enjoy a twist on the classic mimosa, the sakeosa or a great bloody mary.

Our server, Bridgette, was exceptional. It was not just great service that made her stand out, it was a tremendous amount of ownership and enthusiasm she had for the food and the concept of the jazz brunch and the Pearl organization. This was another testament to Susan Wood, her business savvy and leadership.

Susan discussed her own take on an economic relief package for Pearl Club members on Monday nights….a complete sushi dinner for $10. The Pearl employs approximately 100 people in full-season and off-season, Susan is on a mission to retain her valued employees. So, this night is designed simply to break-even and keep staff on a full schedule. In these tough economic times, it was refreshing to hear about the hard work and dedication to generate business and retain employees vs. the next measure to simply cut costs.

This is a long post, but hey, there is a lot going on at the Cultured Pearl. I would be remiss if I did not mention the fabulous shops below the restaurant. A wine shop, jewelry, shoes, and the Pearl’s own gifts shop are some of the offerings. Do yourself a favor before the holidays and make this a destination. You will not be disappointed.

And, to all the staff at the Cultured Pearl and to the musicians making it happen…….thank you.

The exhibit opened on November 1st. My great fortune had just landed me in New Orleans for Halloween and a wedding….getting the time to experience a handful of sites in this feat was more than the proverbial icing on the king cake of my vacation. Sorry, I just had to type that.

When you go to the website, read the WHY tab. Learn why New Orleans was chosen for this history-making event.

www.prospectneworleans.org

I always have too much fun in New Orleans. That’s what New Orleans is,…one word, “too”. Since Hurricane Katrina, my visits are always impactful in ways I never anticipate. Prospect .1 will make you think and appreciate and question and smile. It will make your eyes widen and your heart swell. Go. Go to New Orleans. Go see something you have never seen in this country before…..Go. Fly. Book a hotel. Support ART. Support New Orleans.

Start with a big firm head of red cabbage. One large head will serve 6 people comfortably. I like to chop the cabbage in 1/2 inch strips about 3 inches long.

1 med. onion - diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, fine chop

kosher salt
white pepper
black pepper
white wine and red wine
apple cider vinegar
touch of sugar and or honey as needed
butter and oil

Heat a 4 or 6 quart pot and add equal parts butter and oil - start with 2 T of each. Add chopped garlic and onion and saute on med-high heat until carmelizing starts. Splash in a good 1/2 a cup each of red and white wine. Reduce a few minutes and add the cabbage. Stir to work oils thru the cabbage and reduce heat to medium-low. Season with salt and pepepr to taste. After about 30 minutes or so, splash in some cider vinegar.

The rest is up to you….if you want a bit of a sweet and sour, add a touch of honey and sugar(I think this works best with the cutlets and pasta). Work it to taste adding a touch of wine, vinegar, a touch more butter……whatever your palate or the dish needs!

The scene was set at the new Rehoboth Theatre of the Arts. Downstairs, the evening began with bartendress Mimi in the lounge, Ovations. Thanks Mimi. There were a lot of new faces that joined a lot of familiar faces from the days of Sydney’s Blues and Jazz Restaurant. A thank you goes out to Sydney Arzt who produced the evening along with the team at RTA and Ovations.

These venues are new in Rehoboth and both have great potential. The rooms have great sound. I hope people continue to support the stage productions and live music! The word is that live music and all that jazz will continue to be booked on Thursday nights, 7pm - 10pm thru December. To keep it going there has to be an audience…….soooooo….I’ll see you there!

Last summer, managing a fresh produce market, I often found myself racing to shuck and prep corn so it would not go to waste. We made corn salad, shrimp and corn chowder, succotash and pineapple jalapeno corn bread. This year, I had fun re-working a classic, creamed corn. The result was delicious….a velvety concoction with the right crunch of fresh summer corn and a hint of vanilla in the sweet and savory finish.

This is a dish to do to your taste and there are plenty of ways to alter the recipe for your nutritional preferences, without sacrificing quality. It takes a little extra prep time, but you are sure to taste the love.

Corn and Sweet Cream

12 ears of corn, shucked and corn cut off the cob
2 carrots, small dice
2 ribs of celery, small dice
1 large shallot or small onion, small dice

4 T butter
1-2 T canola or safflower oil
2 cups of heavy cream
3-4 dashes of pure vanilla extract
1 T honey
2 T sugar

To Taste:
cayenne pepper
white pepper
kosher salt

As needed: 1-2 T of corn starch, mixed with water for thickening at the end.

Heat 1 T of butter and 1 T of oil on med-high heat and saute carrot, celery and onion for 2-3 minutes to sweat the veggies. Add the corn and the rest of the butter with a few pinches of kosher salt. Saute on medium heat until all veggies are al dente, stirring frequently, about 10-12 minutes. Pour in the heavy cream, sugar and honey. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat, simmer for at least 45 minutes. Cream will reduce and thicken. Add vanilla, cayenne pepper, white pepper and more salt, if needed. Allow to simmer for 10 more minutes to meld flavors. Thicken with a bit of corn starch if needed.

I prefer corn starch in this recipe to achieve that velvety texture. You can back off the cream and replace it with a bit of chicken stock and skim milk. If you do that, you will definitely need the corn starch. You could also use a bit of splenda in place of white sugar, but don’t skip the honey.

If you are inviting true Southerners to dinner, the above options are not recommended!

Happy Summer and get a shuckin’.

In the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic it is not available in many stores, so you have to order on-line and it is well worth the time and money! This is also a great site to do some shopping on for the person in your life that appreciates a little extra heat and to grab a new recipe. www.tabasco.com

The Porch has the best lunch and brunch in town, hands down. I was craving one of my favorites….the Grilled Turkey Burger, served with orzo salad, salsa, avacado and a delicious roasted red pepper coulis. I was also fortunate to try the Potato, Bacon, Leek and Gruyere Omelette….perfect and fluffy. Looking at the dinner menu which changes frequently and as each new seasonal ingredient is ready for the picking, I could see the efforts made for the Porch to continue to evolve and I would look forward to future samplings!

The Back Porch Cafe is authentic. You will receive the best service in town. It has always been true to itself as it has become its own entity, its own brand which still seems to be one of the towns best kept secrets. Do yourself a favor, eat there……….then let the secret out.

2 Granny Smith Apples
1 48oz. jar of homestyle applesauce, your pick
1 bag of dried cherries and golden raisins
3T of Brandy
1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
pinch of kosher salt
2 T honey
1 T butter
2 t. vanilla
cinnamon to taste

Peel and chop apple into small cubes. Melt butter in saute pan on med-high heat….saute apples for about a minute and slpash in brandy…watch for flame, simmer for another minute. Add the rest of ingredients except cinnamon and simmer another minute. Check apple, once fork tender, shut down heat. The whole process should be done in 3-4 minutes. Let the mixture cool, add the cinnamon to taste. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

I delete more email than I read. I am so happy I did not delete this one from my friend Pam. We do not know where it came from and I hereby declare we don’t know if it is ALL true, but we don’t care because it is really cool stuff to think about. And, thank you Pam, for now I know how to visually remember why some SuperFoods are so damn super.

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye…and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don’t have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Eggplant, Avocadoes and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today’s research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? …. It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

Grapefruits, Oranges, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like body cells. Today’s research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes

Initially, I bought them to make a lasagna which worked out really well. The NaSoya products are all natural and a fresh pasta. When cooking Italian food, they are an awesome time-saver. The wrappers deliver a great finished texture and are nice and light.

I had some wrappers leftover, as well as some shrimp and cabbage in the fridge, so I decided to make some eggrolls. First of all, you make eggrolls at home for a real treat and to have fun, not to quickly satisfy a craving. There is nothing quick about making eggrolls at home, but the labor can really pay off when you get to eat such fresh flavors.