Spring into the Season

Michael LaDuke here again, back from a week’s vacation enjoying time with my family and eating some great seafood in Hilton Head SC. OK, I will admit, one night we had steaks cooked over charcoal, but I had BBQ shrimp with them.

As we were driving home, I began thinking about the great season that is upon us: spring. As a chef, I love spring because so many great items are beginning to come into season, and markets flourish with the first crops of beautiful local produce. Dishes become lighter, flavors more vibrant, and everything just starts to taste better as we roll out of the long winter. On a personal note, spring is a great time of year as well with Mother’s Day, school graduations, both my children’s birthdays and plenty of reasons to spend time with loved ones and enjoy special meals together.

This year, as you plan your own spring celebrations, I wanted to share with you a few ideas for ”Culinary Cocktails.” When I have friends and family over, I always love to come up with a new drink that has a chef’s twist -- adding fresh herbs, or replacing a typical ingredient with a not-so- common one. The drinks are always the hit of the party, and are a great way to get everyone gathered around the table. Here are three drink recipes, all of which have nonalcoholic versions the whole family can enjoy.

The first is a Pineapple Basil Margarita that uses a very cool and easy pineapple salt as a garnish, and fresh basil to give the drink a neat sweet twist. The second is a Melon and Fresh Mint Mojito. For this drink I made a juice from fresh Honeydew melon and cucumbers, and infused it with mint, for a crisp, fresh twist on a classic drink. The last drink is my favorite, a Banana Smoothie with Curry and Cinnamon. A blend of curry powder is mixed with cinnamon and sugar to give your drink a smooth, spiced flavor. You will find all of these very easy to make, and the non-alcoholic versions are also fun to make with the whole family.

So enjoy spring with some great ”Culinary Cocktails” and your favorite seafood. Thanks for reading, and please, come see what’s fresh today at Red Lobster.

Michael LaDuke

A Taste of Maine in Hilton Head

Michael LaDuke here again at the Red Lobster Chef’s Blog, coming to you this week from Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Each year my wife Kathleen and my children Alexis (10) and Zachary (9) take the six- hour drive north from Orlando, to spend some time on Hilton Head Island. The trip has the same purpose every year: to re-connect and spend time with my family, and to enjoy a relaxing week on the coast. Every morning I go to the local markets and buy what we need for dinner, and cook it that night. Whether it is firing up the charcoal, or making BLTs with my kids, it is always a great family experience. Yesterday I was at the market and saw a tank of live Maine lobsters. I couldn’t resist. I picked out a couple of lobsters, some clams, shrimp, early season corn from the South and red potatoes, and decided to have a Lobster Boil.

First I made a batch of the Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits -- sorry, knowing the recipe is a perk of my job -- and then I started a pot of water boiling with a generous portion of seafood seasoning (there are plenty on the market; you can use your favorite.) Then I added half a bottle of a New Zealand Marlborough County Sauvignon Blanc to the pot, and saved half for the chef! This region produces a great Sauvignon Blanc that is far less earthy and dry then its California counterpart. I have found them to be great drinking wines and at a great value. Don’t be scared off by the screw top. Some wine makers in this area use screw tops on all their wines now, The tops are less expensive than cork and some say they are actually better for the wine.

OK, back to the food. Once the pot simmered I added the corn and one stick of whole butter (hey it is vacation). After a few minutes, I added the lobsters, clams and shrimp, topped them with the potatoes, and covered the pot. In the meantime I finished the warm biscuits with a little garlic butter. After simmering the seafood for about 15 minutes, I removed everything from the pot and simply served it from platters on the table. Some folks lay the ingredients out on newspaper, but I prefer platters so I can use the liquid for dipping with my seafood and biscuits.

The rest is history. We just rolled up our sleeves, sat at the picnic table and enjoyed the fresh air and the fresh seafood. The flavors and the atmosphere took me back to times I had travelled to Maine and New England, and reminded me just how relaxing the coast and the ocean can be.

So that’s it from my vacation. A couple more dinners to go and I’ll be back to work. Until then, if you really want to relax and re-connect, come see what’s fresh today at Red Lobster, and let us fix you lobster any way you like it.

Michael LaDuke