He handed me his baggy pants…you could say that I’ve been in situations like this before, but never did it have these implications..and all I could think of was what could I dish up for him tonight. Never been much of a groupie, not even for the Beatles, but I am in love, with food, and his food sings to me! I stirred up a slurry of mouthwatering ideas before it hit me, Black Cherry, Ginger & Red Wine Sauce married with a gorgeous Leg of Lamb. I will use the red wine from his vineyard in Italy. This would easily be a close runner up to the magnificent roast chicken I had prepared for him the night before. It has been a ritual for me to prepare a crispy candied lemon roast chicken and vegetables, served family style on an oversized white porcelain platter for the first meal of every charter. A welcoming, recognizable, succulent bird with crispy skin and sweet lemon accents was all I needed to put the Batali’s at ease.
Aahh, I imagined him bathing those garlic studded slices of lamb through that rich red sauce, one bite after the other, licking his lips. My dreams came true as I served him up a second portion.
I liked his flirtatious style and how better to seduce him than with my favorite food, prickly yet tantalizing, artichokes. I hand carried them from Florida. As I have always said “if you get me on a deserted island just let there be artichokes.” I’ll serve them my favorite way stuffed with cheese soufflé. It becomes obvious to me that on this charter there is just not enough time dedicated to the pleasure of eating all those recipes that my full refrigerator and the overflowing pantry of my mind has to offer. But today, Red Pepper Bisque, creamy, rich and red is the talk of the day and the promise of this recipe to be sent by e-mail completes another satisfied lunch.
A special request and four little helping hands from Leo and Beno, the Batalis 7 and 10 year old chefs in waiting, brought a magic carpet breakfast of ethereal blueberry pancakes that floated from the cook top to our plates. Slathered high with fresh sliced strawberries and whipped cream the boys made sure to start their day with dessert. After breakfast it was time to check the crab pots. Ten, fat Dungeness crab could not resist the enticing snare of last nights leftover Brugal feast. And Mario, I hoped, could not resist the fresh catch that would bait him into a prominent spot in my kitchen. We planned at day bathing in the warm waters of Baranoff Hot Springs. More days like this and I knew I could have my way with him. I could taste him cooking in my galley! Ahh, the thought of cooking side by side with an iron chef. Slicing, dicing and singing my way in the galley to a new rendition of “Fly me to the moon and let me cook among the stars,” left me starstruck.
After sunset we sat at the dining room table for what seemed like hours surrounded by lemon wedges, cocktail and mustard sauces, crusty Italian bread, cold white wine and an ever shrinking ruby mountain of Dungeness crab bodies and claws. It is our ritual on board the MV Jamal to bless the crab before cooking them. We turn them over to stun them, kaboom!, clean them and then toss them into boiling sea salted water. Cleaning them first insures only edibles in the pot. As we toss our shells thankfully “back to the sea” we loosen our belts and make way for a delicious, ooey, gooey chocolate dessert that will paves our way to sweet dreams.
We woke up feeling full, but as I tell our guests there are no fat, calories or cholesterol on board. A nod, a grin and a “Ya sure” smile came across the breakfast bar with eager looks as to what’s next. I love a captive audience! There was definitely excitement in the air. All of Mario’s plans and inspiration for the trip, was about to unfold. Today we would celebrate Susi, his lovely wife, her birthday and some of her favorite things.
This evening the festivities began with a cocktail designed in Susi’s honor. We coined it the “Tini Susi”. In an iced shaker add 2 parts Peach Vodka, because she is a pearl of a girl, and sweet as a peach, next a generous one part of Grand Marnier because she is, and a splash of Pommegranet Juice because she is good for you too! Add a garnish of Candied Orange peel and we all toasted “To know her is to love her!” To show his affection Mario ordered an all you can eat avalanche of Giant Alaskan King Crab and for dessert, there is only way to satisfy her sweet tooth … Chocolate Baked Alaska.
“Any crab leftover, Mario cried before he went to bed,” will be mine, for tomorrow I will make pasta with spices and olive oil. He smiled, said goodnight and licked his lips.
The day Mario took a turn in the galley took first place on my palates registrar. I took his instruction and mise en place (a French term referring to having all the ingredients necessary for a dish to be prepared) my way through habeneros, tomatoes, garlic and crusty breadcrumbs to the most delicious crab spaghetti dish that I have ever tasted. I have never seen anyone use as much extra virgin olive oil for as he called it “a quick pasta.”. Two ounces, four ounces, eight then twelve, the bottle was gone, in went the peppers, garlic, tomatoes, basil, parsley, the spaghetti, and then the reason for it all, a marriage of King and Dungeness tossed together in the pan and then up in the air. Finished with a handful of crunchy breadcrumbs, it was love at first bite. And for dessert, sweet perfection again danced on our palates, this time we kissed the night with a Nectarine Poached in White Wine, Bay Leaf and Vanilla Bean snuggled in a cloud of Grand Marnier Sabayon.
As is his ritual when he really likes something, Mario began the next day with a breakfast antipasto of cold crab pasta, leftover from the night before. I love a chef that loves his own jokes and his own food, but for the rest of us, Mario’s eldest son Beno scrambled eggs, browned sausage and insisted on warm leftover fruit crumble. Soon after breakfast I heard snorts and grunts coming from the red haired, pony tailed bear laying port side down on the couch. I can only imagine his snoring to be like the Beatles singing off key…only more endearing, and I am sure more snuggly than your typical star of iron chef and food network fame.
Catching a freezer full definitely put an iron clad, clincher as to what would take center stage on tonight’s dinner table. Perfectly grilled, big white flakes of simple sweetness. Fresh caught Halibut by no other name! With so much halibut on board it did not surprise me when Mario claimed his rights to prepare a delicious addition to lunch. Citrus crusted bread crumbs stuffed the halibut in crispy spirals, and then baked in a good bath of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil). This became my second favorite dish of the trip.
On our way to Tracy Arm Glacier, it dawned on me that I’d better hurry and run intereference with anyone eating the leftovers of Mario’s crab pasta. This dish that he so humbly and effortlessly tossed together would be worthy of a luncheon frittata. Coach Goat Cheese, fresh herbs and eggs would marry well with leftover spaghetti, Dungeness and King Crab, and, to think of it, so do I. As a side dish, Artichoke Stuffed with Cheese Souffle makes for a mouthwatering plate. For this noontime extravaganza it’s the Coach Goat Cheese that brings it all together and the Crab, be it Dungeness or King takes a back seat to the creamy richness of that white gold.
Our mantra “When in Alaska eat seafood”, is happily put on the back burner when tonight a slab of pork, roasted for a king, and we all agree he (Mario) is, fits the bill with a big juicy glass of Mario’s vineyards red wine.
Citrus Halibut with lime, orange and lemon was succulent and fragrant baked in foil packets, but the double chocolate brownie sundae slathered with strawberries and laced with orange liquor was gobbled up at record speed. In Alaska there is a certain breathtaking moment of everyday that puts a smile, a wish and a new hope to tuck away and take back to civilization. For everyone on board it was a toss up as to what made time stand still, perhaps it was the calving of the sheets of ice at Glacier Bay or perhaps it was the glacier ice margheritas, whales or bears. We agreed to disagree and made another batch of iced blue Petron’s.
Reluctantly we made our way to terra firma. Taking a deep breath and trying to hold on to those moments when our days were filled with blowing humpback whales, all the crab we could eat, dancing shoreline bears, clouds of orange sabayon, bald eagles sailing in the sky and seemingly miles to go before we were to ever reach our next dessert or destination.
Life is bitter sweet, and we knew no matter how much fun we were having it must come to an end because our eyes are bigger than our stomachs and those baggy pants he handed me, if we kept on this path for much longer, would end up fitting like a glove. So we all say our goodbyes and move on to the next port, the next morsel, just as delicious, just as satisfying, just as sweet.
