Emeril focuses on the "Farm to Table" movement in Florida. His first stop is at "The Floridian" in downtown St. Augustine. There, the owners are working hard to be as farm-to-table as possible. The chef has a farming background and actually ran a farmers market prior to opening the restaurant and tries to use those experiences to help stay true to the restaurant's philosophy. Next, Emeril travels to Boca Raton to a restaurant big on local sourcing and securing most ingredients from local fisherman and farmers. Then Emeril heads to Miami where he visits an urban farm located right near Miami International Airport. The farm mostly grows herbs and also serves as a place city-based school children can come to learn about where their food comes from. Emeril finishes the episode by preparing a farm to table dish of his own, Lettuce Wraps with Tuna, Ponzu, Jalapeno and Sriracha.
Chef George Stella is right at home as he cooks up a smorgasbord of his favorite Italian dishes. He assembles a beautiful antipasto platter of sliced meats and cheeses topped with fresh basil that takes only a few minutes to prepare. He makes an Anaheim shrimp scampi with spaghetti squash in lieu of pasta; a radicchio salad with a simple and light raspberry vinaigrette; and he finishes the meal off with low carb neopolitan parfaits topped with strawberries and mint for garnish.
Top 5 Tips
1. Don't peel cucumbers -- the skin is full of vitamins and nutrients.
2. Remember to buy unsweetened cocoa powder for the parfaits, not a cocoa drink mix.
3. Radicchio is a great Italian lettuce you can buy in most grocery stores. Cut the core off the bottom, throw it away, and peel off the leaves.
4. If you can't find fresh raspberries for the salad, substitute frozen ones without added sugar.
5. Stock your pantry with a low carb staple: hearts of palm.
No room for a party? No problem! Invite your friends for a giant cookout at your local state park. This party is as easy as it is fun as Michael gives tips for simple cooking in an outdoor fire. Because you eat it all with your hands, you won't even have to wash dishes!
Gameplan
Day Before Party:
Make and refrigerate caponata
Puree Basil Chive butter, refrigerate
Soak and wrap radicchio leaves
2 Hours Before Party:
Clean and cut crabs for cooking
Pack cooler for campground
At the Party:
Fill radicchio lettuce cups and serve
Shuck corn
Heat Olive Oil for crab
Roast corn, coat with butter, serve
Finish cooking crab
Clean up campsite
Roast Marshmallows
Assemble and serve S’mores over fire
Wine Recommendation
Garguilo Vineyard Pinot Grigio; Gargiulo Vineyard Cabernet
George heads to the Far East, and returns with some low-carb inspiration. Teriyaki sesame chicken skewers, Szechuan vegetable stir fry with kim chi, bok choy and sliced bamboo shoots, a simple ginger salad with iceberg lettuce, and a Shrimp Egg Foo Young dish top his menu. Forget ordering in, start cooking!
Top 5 Tips
1. Sesame oil is a heart-healthy alternative when you want to add a nutty flavor to your dishes.
2. Since milk should be avoided on a low carb diet, eat veggies like bok choy and spinach. They’re high in calcium, so your daily intake won't suffer.
3. Sesame seeds have zero carbs and are full of fiber. Use them to coat fish as an alternative to bread crumbs.
4. Vegetable choices don't need to be limited to your everyday staples. When cooking low carb Asian cuisine, bamboo shoots, kimchee, straw mushrooms and bean sprouts are great alternatives.
5. Cook with canola oil when you want the flavor of the food to shine. Canola oil is healthy, like olive and sesame oils, without the strong flavor.