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As heard on Linda’s WLRN 91.3 FM Food News and Views, Thursdays, 1:30 – 2:00 pm ET

Michelle Bernstein’s (Michy’s Miami Restaurant)

White Gazpacho with Almonds, Grapes and Cucumbers

From Cuisin a Latina (Houghton Mifflin, $30.00)

2 cups chopped peeled English cucumber

2 cups seedless green grapes

1 1/2-cups salted Marcona almonds Or other salted almonds

1 small garlic clove, peeled

1/2 shallot

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1 1/2-cups cold Vegetable Stock or low-sodium store-bought vegetable broth

1/2 cup good extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

2 tablespoons sherry

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Optional Garnishes

1/4 cup sliced seedless green grapes

2 tablespoons crushed salted Marcona almonds or other salted almonds

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Put the cucumber, grapes, almonds, garlic, shallot, dill, and broth in a blender and puree until very smooth.  With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil in a thin stream until the mixture emulsifies.  Stop the motor and taste the gazpacho; it should be smooth and creamy (if slightly grainy).  It it’s still a bit chunky, more like salsa than soup, puree it for another minute.

Add the vinegar and sherry and puree on high for 1 more minute.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve at room temperature or refrigerate until cold.  (The gazpacho can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days.)

Ladle the gazpacho into bowls and garnish with sliced grapes, crushed almonds, and/or dill, if desired.  

SEE GIADA DE LAURENTIIS LIVE AT THE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Tickets available at www.arshtcenter.org

Beginning October 24 with one of Food Network’s most recognizable faces, Giada De Laurentiis, Miami audiences will have the opportunity to spend one evening each month with their favorite gastronomic gurus in the Arsht Center’s magnificent Knight Concert Hall. Each engagement includes an intimate interview about the celebrity chef’s personal culinary journey hosted by one of Miami’s own top chefs, a mouth-watering live cooking demonstration, and a question-and-answer session with the audience. VIP ticket holders will mingle with the Chef and sample food prepared during the demonstration at the VIP party after the show. Giada De Laurentiis is the star of the hit shows Everyday Italian, and Giada’s Weekend Getaway’s on The Food Network. She is a frequent guest on “The Today Show,” and the author of the best-selling cookbooks Everyday Italian, Everyday Pasta and The New York-Times # 1 bestseller, Giada’s Family Dinners. Her millions of devoted fans treasure her family-favorite pasta recipes as well as her quick, healthy and satisfying dishes created with traditional Italian ingredients and techniques.

OKTOBERFEST AT PRIME BLUE GRILLE

Prime Blue Grille, 315 Biscayne Boulevard, 305-358-5900.

www.primebluegrille.com.

Prime Blue Grille, the contemporary steakhouse that has been making waves on Miami’s culinary scene since July 2007, is celebrating Oktoberfest – in true Prime Blue Grille fashion – with the return of their popular program Endless Pours, every Saturday and Sunday in October.  Originally introduced in July as their first anniversary celebration, the promotion, featuring endless pours of wine tastings for diners, was a favorite with guests and staff.  Offered as a complimentary addition with the purchase of dinner on Saturdays and Sundays in October, the wine stewards at Prime Blue Grille will pour a selection of 10-12 top wines, including sparkling, white, red, dessert and port, that will feature German wines and change each week.

THE REGENT BAL HARBOUR ANNOUNCES JAZZ BRUNCH SERIES

10295 Collins Avenue, Bal Harbour , $67.00 per person, 305-455-5460

A fabulous new Sunday tradition is being established in South Florida – The Regent Bal Harbour’s sumptuous jazz brunch. The ongoing event will take place Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the stunning luxury resort’s gorgeous ocean front restaurant, 1 Bleu. Each week, one of South Florida’s most talented jazz artists or ensembles will perform the perfect accompaniment to breathtaking views and a lavish brunch buffet.  The delectable repast overflows with options including breakfast entrees ranging from omelet and waffle stations with all the fixings to an assortment of delectable salads; charcuterie and carving stations.  A spectacular raw bar featuring a stunning display of fresh seafood including shrimp, oysters, mussels, langoustine, clams and stone crab claws in season. Brunch is made even more enjoyable by the knowledge that a portion of the proceeds will go to a worthy cause.  Through October 19, The Regent Bal Harbour is joining forces with Food & Wine magazine to take part in “Grow for Good.”

NEW COCKTAIL FOOD MENU AT BOURBON STEAK

Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club; 19999 West Country Club Drive; Aventura 33180
(786) 279-6600, visit www.bourbonsteakmiami.com.

A new cocktail food menu will be available at the chic bar on October 1. While sipping on signature drinks like the Bramble and Key Lime Pie Martini,  guests can enjoy a number of tasty treats from an “Ice-Cold Shellfish” selection that includes daily oysters, middle-neck clams and spiced-poached prawns ($3-4) to  “Small Bites” like the crab ‘Louie’ lettuce cups, ahi tartare with Asian pear and ancho chile, cumin-dusted tempura gulf shrimp, American kobe beef sliders and mini-BBQ pulled-pork sandwich ($4-7 per piece); a couple “Shared Bites” – Serrano ham or foie gras mousse ($12-13); and the world’s most prized “Caviar by the Ounce” Iranian golden osetra and Russian osetra ($250-395).  Open daily for dinner Monday-Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m. and Friday – Saturday from 6 to 11 p.m., closed Sunday.

MIAMI SPICE EXTENDED

www.ilovemiamispice.com

Many restaurants have extended Miami Spice through September. Log onto ilovemiamispice.com to learn about participating restaurants.

Years ago, kosher wine meant sweet, viscous wine made of the concord grape in upstate New York. To many traditionalists, it still does.

But these days a younger generation is demanding top-quality, dry kosher wines, and started producing them from Israel to France to California. The range is amazing – you can get a kosher version of just about any kind of wine you can name – from albarino to zinfandel.

             To be kosher, a wine must be made according to Jewish dietary laws. Often, the word kosher does not appear on the bottle. Instead, it may be identified by the symbol of a U in a circle, meaning it has been approved by the Orthodox Union.

              The letter P following the circled U means the wine is made to even stricter standards and is kosher to Passover. The word “mevushel” on the label means the wine has been “flash pasteurized” and may be poured for observant Jews by non-Jewish servers, as at a Seder held in a hotel.

            Here are some good kosher wines:

                        *           From France, there’s the Barons Edmond & Benjamin de Rothschild Bordeaux,  from the famous Rothschild wine family, which is Jewish.

                        *           From New Zealand, there’s Goose Bay Sauvignon Blanc – one of the hot, new New Zealand wines in a screwtop bottle – very trendy.

                        *           From California, there’s the Hagafen Lake County White Riesling, from a longtime Jewish family winery.

                        *           And from Israel, there’s the Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon. Its appellation is Galilee, Israel. Pretty good stuff.

                        So even at Passover, the only reason you might need to pour wine from a square bottle is what they say in Fiddler on the Roof. TRADITION!!

MIAMI SPICE EXTENDED

www.ilovemiamispice.com

Many restaurants have extended Miami Spice through September. Log onto ilovemiamispice.com to learn about participating restaurants.

ISHQ INDIAN RESTAURANT CELEBRATES ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

ISHQ, 530 OCEAN DRIVE, (305)-532-4747,

Celebrate their one year anniversary on September 10 from 6-8pm. For more information visit www.ishqsouthbeach.com.

“A TRIBUTE TO SOUTH FLORIDA CHEFS,” SEPTEMBER 24

http://www.americasfoodandbeverage.com/tribute_to_south_florida_chefs.cfm

“A Tribute to South Florida Chefs”, on Wednesday, September 24 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., an event presented by World Trade Center Miami (www.americasfoodandbeverage.com) and The South Florida Gourmet (www.southfloridagourmet.com) – will kick-off this year’s Americas Food and Beverage Show, running September 24 – 26, 2008. It is a chefs’ event during which chefs will be honored as culinary contributors to South Florida‘s Gastronomic scene. There will be a panel of discussion on Restaurants Today: Strategies for Improving your Bottom Line and Reducing Costs, chaired by this year’s James Beard Award Winner for Best Chef of the South: Chef Michelle Bernstein, chef/owner – Michy’s, with chefs: Jonathan Eismann, chef/owner – Pacific Time; Giancarla Bodoni, chef/owner – Escopazzo Organic Italian Restaurant; and Dewey Losasso, chef/owner – North 110.

CASA CASUARINA OFFERS GUIDED TOURS FROM 8/18 TO 9/30

Casa Casuarina, 1116 Ocean Drive, South Beach. 305-672-6604

From Monday August 18 to Tuesday September 30, the famous mansion designed by the famous Gianni Versace, and where he was murdered, will open its doors to the public for guided tours. The Casa Experience will be given three times a day – at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. – limited to 20 people at $50 per person, on a first come/first served basis. Cocktails at the Tiffany Bar and breakfast and lunch at the al fresco restaurant, Casa Cucina, are offered at an additional fee.

THORSTEN LEIGHTY NEW EXECUTIVE CHEF AT EDEN ROC MIAMI BEACH

www.edenrocresort.com.

The Eden Roc Renaissance Beach Resort & Spa, currently undergoing a $180 million transformation has appointed Thorsten Leighty as Executive Chef. Thorsten, formerly Executive Chef with 16 years of experience in the Marriott brand, most recently at the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa in Kapolei, Hawaii, will be responsible for overseeing all food preparations.