HURRICANE PARTY!!!

I can not imagine there are many advantages to living in hurricane-prone areas. I mean, I can imagine many advantages to the areas themselves -- living near a beach, gorgeous weather deep into the year, having swimsuits qualify as "casual wear -- but from June to November of each year, I can't think that hurricanes rank too high on everyone's Things I Love About the South list. To further reinforce that assertion, I need only ask Chef Tim Lyons at blu seafood and bar. After all, it was Hurricane Wilma that chased him from his plush digs in the Keys and Louie's Backyard and sent him and his coastal cuisine to Durham. (Thanks, Wilma!) But if one had to look for a silver lining behind that dark funnel cloud, I would imagine that the Southern tradition of the Hurricane Party would have to qualify.

Folks in coastal towns all across the Southeast and the Gulf are familiar with the tradition of the Hurricane Party. These get-togethers need very few requirements in order to manifest. First, you need a safe location, preferably a structure that can stand high winds and high waters. Second, you need a lot of food and some adult drinks. Third, and most important, you need a hurricane.

The Hurricane Party serves many purposes. Since they can sometimes last as long as 3-5 days, they help provide a welcome destraction from the potential destruction that is going on just outside the walls of the "safehouse." Friends and neighbors all gather together to wait out the storm and use all different sorts of diversions, be it board games, drinking games, or anything else that might help pass the time. The sense of community comforts many people and alleviates the stress of a potentially disturbing situation.

Hurricanes typically knock out the power in many of these regions, which illustrates another vital function of the Hurricane Party. Many households, restaurants and other businesses have caches of foodstuffs that could rot or spoil without proper refrigeration and, once the power goes out, this process is expedited. So these huge gatherings help people consume their refrigerated and frozen goods rather than see them wasted. Often times, food that goes bad quicker is consumed at the earlier hours of the hurricane party, which leads to the ice cream going first!

In typical Keys tradition, Chef Tim Lyons and the staff at blu will be hosting our Second Annual Hurricane Party this Thursday, September 2nd. Don't worry about the hurricane; you don't need one at blu to enjoy this party! Instead, we will take a smoker and a grill out back and prepare cuisine inspired by Hurricane-prone regions. Gumbo from New Orleans, Cuban roast pork, Jamaican Smoked Jerk Chicken, to name a few. And what Hurricane Party would be complete without beverages? How about some mojitos, daquiris, Alabama slammers and... er, hurricanes?

$25 is all it will cost for the food. We'll set up serving stations outside, get some cool reggae and zydeco tunes, and have a cool relaxing evening with some good food and friends. Also, be sure to check out our new mural provided by Sneha, Lynette and Amy, three wonderful Jordan High School Art Department alumnus. The weather should be turning cooler and I predict an awesome evening.

Reserve now!

BURNT ENDS -- Because bacon just won't do it for you anymore

At some point over the past several years, bacon has become a trendy ingredient in many foods and menu items. I've even seen people infuse it into alcohol, add it to drink recipes, wear it on their clothes, etc. The hipster community has embraced bacon and this food fad has taken on a life all its own. However, there is a food item out there with enough flavor to punch bacon in the face, and it is the "burnt ends" of the brisket.

Burnt ends get their name from their appearance. After a brisket has been all rubbed up with spices and smoked for hours and hours, a blackened crust forms on the outer edge of the meat. The sugars and spices caramelize, forming what is known as "brisket snot." These unctious, flavor-filled little morsels of food are prized pieces of meat, but were not always considered as such.

The brisket has two main parts, the point and the flat. The flat is usually what is purchased in supermarkets, since it is easily trimmed and has a neat little fat cap on top of beautiful red meat. The point however, is usually trimmed away, as it contains much more fat throughout the meat and is harder to trim. Many pit cooks would keep the brisket intact while smoking it, allowing the fat from the point and on top of the flat to melt into the meat, flavoring it and keeping it moist at the same time. However, since they didn't think they could sell the blackened and seasoned trimmings from this meat, it was usually discarded.

Arthur Bryant's BBQ in Kansas City had another solution. Since long lines usually snaked around the block at their joint on Brooklyn Ave., they kept the trimmings and "burnt ends" in a bucket for customers waiting in line to eat for free. This whetted many appetites while people waited to be served. But Mr. Bryant noticed that the burnt ends were getting more popular than the meat he was selling, and realized that he would have to charge for it. As you can imagine, this upset many people in Kansas City. Now burnt ends are one of the most popular menu item at Arthur Bryant's, and at many other BBQ joints across the country.

This month, blu seafood and bar is featuring burnt ends on it's monthly wine dinner. "The LandLover's Wine Dinner" features four courses of steak-themed dishes. The second of these courses is a "Wedge Salad with brisket "burnt ends" and blu cheese dressing. Imagine that... Brisket burnt ends spread over a wedge of Romaine and drizzled with blu cheese dressing!

The dinner is Wednesday, August 18 at 7pm, and the four courses, each paired with a wine from Hope Valley Bottle Shop, is only $45. And we apologize ahead of time for converting you from bacon.

MOLE POBLANO -- The World's First Barbeque Sauce

Many people familiar with Mexican cuisine have run across the thick and complex sauce known as mole (pronounced moh-LAY), but perhaps not everyone is aware of just how much preparation is involved in creating such a sauce. In fact, Mexican women, each said to have "their own mole," prefer to cook it in large batches so that the excess can be frozen to serve later. Such is the painstaking process of making mole.

There are many different types of mole. Most of them originate from the Mexican villages of Puebla and Oaxaca. Oaxaca (pronounced wha-HAH-ka) is known as the "Land of Seven Moles." Recently we have added Mole Poblano to our menu at blu seafood in order to accompany our pork tenderloin dish.

Mole Poblano is believed to have first been served by Montezuma at a banquet for Cortes and his conquistadors, whom he believed to be gods. However, historians argue that chocolate -- a vital ingredient to Mole Poblano's flavor profile -- would never have been served in an Aztec dish, as they valued it too much. A more passable thoery is that it was enhanced by 16th century nuns at the Convent of Santa Rosa in Puebla de los Angeles. When they heard that an archbishop was unexpectedly planning a visit to the convent, they feared they would not be able to provide a good enough supper for him. So they prayed and prayed, and were visited by an angel, who inspired them to create the complex sauce. Hours of roasting and grinding and cooking paid off as they coated an old turkey with the thick and delicious sauce which was flavored with what they had in their pantry -- including the chocolate -- and the rest is history.

We recommend that you avoid spending the entire day grinding spices and roasting ingredients, and rather you let us do the cooking for you. But if you insist, we've included Chef Tim Lyons' recipe for Mole Poblano, which we serve with our Pork Tenderloin over Mexican slaw and spicy sweet potato fries.

MOLE POBLANO

ingredients

3 pasilla chiles (stemmed and seeded)

3 ancho chiles (stemmed and seeded)

1 chipotle chile (stemmed and seeded)

1 green plantain, cut in half

1 onion

8 cloves garlic

1 t dried oregano

2 T chopped cilantro

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup peanuts

1/4 cup almonds

4 corn tortillas

4 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup canola oil

2 oz bitter chocolate

The key to making this mole is to individually toast each ingredient, then reserve. Once all ingredients have been toasted separately, they will be added together, pureed, then put back on the heat to cook.

In a saucepan, heat the canola oil. Toast the pasillas in oil, then reserve. Toast ancho, then reserve. Toast chipotle and reserve. Brown plantain, then reserve. Sweat onion and garlic with oregano and cilantro, then reserve. Add tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes. Reserve. Toast peanuts and almonds. Reserve.

Add all ingredients and puree. Slowly add tortillas and puree into a paste. Add 1/2 of the chicken stock while pureeing. Add mixture back into the pot with remaining chicken stock. Cook on low heat for additional 30 minutes. Then add chocolate and stir until melted. Salt and pepper to taste.

While traditionally this sauce is served with turkey, it tastes great with pork and chicken as well. One bite and you will have no problem discovering why this is regarded as "The World's First Barbeque Sauce!!"

Mango Mojito!

Summer and Mango Mojitos go together like Texas and chainsaw massacres.

Delicious.

BOUILLABAISSE

Anyone looking to find a worthwhile contribution of the French into the cuisine of the world need to look no further than bouillabaisse. Bouillabaisse is a fish stew with its origins estimated to be from the Provencal port town of Marseille.

It is believed that bouillabaisse began as a "fisherman's stew," in which fishermen collected the bonier fish and small shellfish that usually got caught up in their nets after they'd returned from a day at sea. Knowing that the restaurants preferred more expensive items and that these could not be sold, they threw them all in a pot with herbs and made stew.

Every culture seems to have their own version of bouillabaisse. The Greeks claim to have originated what we now celebrate as a French culinary creation when they settled in Marseille around 600 BC. The Italians also have cioppino, or more comparatively, brodecto de li dicti pisci. The people of Marseille even lay claim that this soup was served to Venus' lover Vulcan so that she could step out with Mars. But what gives bouillabaisse it's French definition is the inclusion of Provencal herbs. While you may find many different variations of bouillabaisse throughout Provence, the most notable herbs used are garlic, basil, bay leaf, orange peel, fennel, and sometimes even Pernod. But almost all versions include saffron.

At blu seafood and bar, Chef Tim Lyons loves bouillabaisse. He was trained by his brother-in-law, Roland Gaujac of Roland's Place and 1796 House in Vermont, who himself is a product of Lyon, France. After a six-year stint in Key West at Louie's Backyard, Tim's love for French cooking methods and Caribbean flavors and ingredients were a natural marriage.

One of the products of that marriage is the Green Curry Bouillabaisse on the menu at blu seafood and bar. Keeping fast to the traditions that created bouillabaisse, Tim introduces some of the ingredients that are abundant in the Caribbean to produce a bowlful of flavor that requires no passport. Those looking for a profound evolution from the stew comprised of lesser cuts and smaller shellfish would be impressed at how far bouillabaisse has come. Chef Lyons combines PEI mussels, fresh-caught shrimp, littleneck clams, and our fresh catch of the day with green curry paste, lemongrass, cilantro, garlic, shallots and oil, then tops the dish with fried Udon noodles. The result speaks for itself.

But don't take my word on it. Come on in tonight and try yourself a bowl. You won't be disappointed.

Gulf Crisis Update

Bummer.

I would like to give a special shout-out to our friends at British Petroleum for crashing our Oyster Tuesday party. For years we have rocked months without "r's" and rolled through over eight hundred thousand oysters from over 13 different "mer-riors," with nary a hitch. The time of year has not mattered, the region has never given us pause. We were here to shuck oysters. We were born for it. We threw festivals to commemorate the bivalve, we threw deals around willy-nilly. Nothing could stop us.

And then along came Jones... Guess who is crashing the party (once again)? We solemnly regret to inform that, in spite of my previous post, we will be forced to increase the price of the Gulf oyster due to the current issue in the Gulf. This will affect our Tuesday special. Please don't start hoarding your canned goods and bottled water just yet -- there is a light at the end of the tunnel. At the moment, we are able to provide Gulf oysters at $1.50 per and at 5.50/9.50 on Oyster Tuesday.

And remember to keep our Gulf fishermen in your hearts and thoughts throughout these trying times. As hard as this experience has been on us, it is nearly insurmountable for many of them. This century has been very unkind to Gulf fishermen, and it is unlikely to get any better.

EFFECTS OF THE OIL SPILL IN THE GULF AND OUR SEAFOOD

Lately, we have been fielding a lot of questions concerning how the tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico affects our seafood supply. We are grateful for everyone's concerns and for the opportunity to address this issue.

First and foremost, it should be noted that blu seafood and bar sources its seafood locally whenever possible. While we like to treat our guests with fresh-caught fish from exotic locations such as the Hawaiian Islands when possible, a great majority of our fish comes from the Eastern seaboard. The North Carolina coast has a wonderful bounty of seafood all year long and we enjoy bringing our guests as much as we can from these waters. At the moment, all of the oil has been contained in the Gulf, and no one is anticipating our waters being affected.

However, one of our most popular menu items is oysters, and we sell hundreds of Gulf oysters per day. The Gulf of Mexico supplies nearly 67% of our nation's oysters, and Louisiana provides a large percentage of them. Our primary seafood distributor -- Inland Seafood -- expertly deals
with oyster farms and, as one is shut down due to this calamity, they are sourced from another one. Every oyster farmer out there knows to pull their beds before there is even the slightest chance of danger, so there really is no chance of shucking a 30 weight oyster... never you fear. However, this eventually should affect the market's supply.

In the meantime, we continue to provide Gulf oysters while we can, but have plenty of oysters from cooler climes. Expect to see lots of Chesapeake and Canadian (and even a few gigas from the West Coast when possible) throughout the summer, and hopefully we will be spared from the effects of this tragedy.

But we should keep in our minds those who are not so lucky. There are many families that are dependent on the bounties of the sea who will be devastated by this. We can only hope that there are people out there who are put into position to make sure this never happens again, and who are able to 'fight the real enemy.'