Jason Pantelis, Executive Chef of Tavernier’s new Crooked Palm Cabana, shares his award-winning family recipe for Surf n’ Turf Mac n’ Cheese. Straight from YaYa’s table to yours! FYI: Pairs perfectly with Crooked Palm Cabana’s signature Cucumber Whitney Cocktail. Both recipes included below!
Ingredients
(Yield 4 Servings)
1 Cup Asiago Cheese, shredded
1 Cup Romano Cheese, shredded
1 Cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded
1 Cup Mozzarella, shredded
1 Cup Aged White Cheddar, shredded
1 Cup Aged Yellow Cheddar, shredded
1 Quart Heavy Cream
1 Lb Medium Shell Pasta, uncooked
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Salt
1 Tsp Black Pepper
4 – 8 Ounce Portions of Flank Steak
4 – 4 Ounce Portions of Argentine Red Shrimp
1 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
¼ Cup Lime Juice
¼ Cup Sea Salt
¼ Cup Cilantro
Preparation:
Combine Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, sea salt and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Whisk and pour over the steak. Refrigerate for 48 hours.
Preparation: Mac n Cheese
In a medium saucepan, bring heavy cream to a boil, whisking constantly for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and whisk in seasonings. Add all cheeses and whisk until completely melted through. In a separate pot, boil pasta to al dente (firm and slightly under cooked — pasta will continue to cook after sauce is added) and strain. Add the cheese sauce to the cooked pasta and gently combine until pasta is completely covered.
To Serve:
Grill marinated steak to desired temperature. Grill Argentine red shrimp to 145 degrees. Plate hot delicious homemade Mac n’ Cheese in bowl. Shingle steak and shrimp on top and Enjoy!
Chef’s Tip: Season Argentine red shrimp with salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic and oregano. You can use the sauce from the Mac n’ Cheese in other dishes like nachos or on top of a burger. Just store in the refrigerator to enjoy for up to one week.
Cucumber Whitney Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients:
2 Ounces Islamorada original Gin
1 Ounce Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Ounce Heavy Simple Syrup
1/2 Ounce Elderflower Liqueur
4 Dashes of Grapefruit Bitters
1 Cucumber Slice (approximately 1/8” thick)
1 Egg White (approx. 2 oz from 1 large egg)
1 Tsp Red Sanding Sugar
1 Tsp Powdered sugar
Cocktail Preparation:
Fill glass with ice cubes and water to chill it. Use a spice grinder to combine red sanding sugar and powdered sugar. Transfer mixture to a spice shaker. Muddle cucumber slice in a shaker cup. Add Islamorada Gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white, and bitters. Cover and shake for 20 seconds without ice. Add ice (do not fill to top), cover, and shake vigorously for 20 more seconds. Empty your chilled glass and strain the cocktail into the glass. Place a cocktail stencil on top and cover with sugar mixture. Carefully remove stencil and serve.
You can enjoy more of Chef Jason’s inventive dishes, along with a great selection of mixologist approved handcrafted signature cocktails at Crooked Palm Cabana, 90184 Overseas Hwy (MM90), in Tavernier. Info: 305-741-7104; crookedpalmdistillery.com/cabana.
