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“Find
Your Park” and Find Your Flavor with These Gourmet Tips
for
Houseboat Grilling from Chef Mark Purdy of Alizé
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With
continued warm temperatures and off-season rates, late summer and
early
fall are great times to #FindYourPark at the Lake Mead National Recreation
Area.
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Every
Forever Resorts houseboat comes with an outdoor grill and fully equipped
kitchen.
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Simple
tricks can turn ordinary ingredients into impressive gourmet feast: think
lobster topped with
truffle-and-yuzu
dressed grilled vegetable salad, potato salad “torchon” and grilled peach
Melba.
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By
preparing special condiments and infused oils at home, a houseboat grill
master
can
offer plenty of “wow” factor without spending too much time in the kitchen.
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Las
Vegas, NV – September 2016 / Newsmaker Alert / With
warm temperatures a given through mid-October and off-season rates in effect
beginning in early September, late summer and early fall represent one
of the best times of the year to try houseboating. Plus, nothing tastes
better than a savory cookout in the great outdoors, and the fully equipped
kitchens and outdoor barbecue grills on all of Forever
Resorts’ houseboats make this prospect hassle-free.
On
a recent episode of Vegas PBS’ “Outdoor Nevada” travel program, Chef
Mark Purdy of Las Vegas’ Alizé at the Top of Palms Casino Resort
showed host John Burke how to incorporate haute cuisine flair into a laid-back
barbecue—all while aboard a houseboat on Lake Mohave in the Lake Mead National
Recreation Area.
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Purdy’s
crowd-pleasing menu includes grilled lobster, accompanied by a grilled
corn-and-asparagus salad, a potato salad torchon, and, for dessert, grilled-peach
Melba. He stresses that the various condiments and seasonings he uses,
often the source of the “fancy” in the otherwise strikingly simple recipes,
can be made at home and brought to the houseboat ready-to-use. His mouthwatering
tips include:
For
the Potato Salad Torchon:
-
Mix together
cooked and cubed potatoes, chopped onions and celery.
-
Add Dijon
mustard—instead of mayo—but elevate it by adding garlic and shallots and
puree the mix. This improved mustard can be prepared at home before the
vacation, saving cooks more time on the water.
-
For a
truly jaw-dropping element—the torchon—cut a cucumber into thin slices
lengthwise; lay approximately 12 of these slices onto plastic wrap, slightly
overlapping each one, to form a sheet.
-
Spoon
the potato salad along the bottom end of the cucumber sheet and then roll
into a cylinder, wrapping snugly in the plastic wrap.
-
Chill
the cylinder for 30 minutes to an hour and then slice into individual portions
to serve.
For
the Lobster:
-
Poach
1.5-pound Maine lobsters (one per person) before preparing for the grill;
do this at home and then pack the lobsters in ice to bring to the houseboat
and keep chilled until ready to grill.
-
Cut each
lobster half lengthwise, keeping the shell intact on each half; it preserves
the lobster’s flavorful juices during grilling.
-
Brush
each lobster with a mixture of extra-virgin olive oil and lemon oil infused
with rosemary, garlic and shallot (this infused oil may be prepared in
advance).
-
Don’t
overcook; note the lobster will continue to cook in its shell after it’s
removed from the grill.
For
the Grilled Vegetable Salad:
-
Brush
peeled asparagus with olive oil and add salt and pepper before placing
on the grill.
-
Wrap corn
in foil so it doesn’t burn; add to the grill.
-
When vegetables
are finished, cut the corn from the cob and dice the asparagus.
-
In a bowl,
combine the grilled vegetables and add Chef Mark’s exquisite truffle and
yuzu dressing to taste: homemade aioli (similar to a garlicky mayonnaise)
mixed with exotic black truffle shavings and yuzu (Asian citrus fruit)
juice.
For
the Grilled Peach Melba:
-
Brush
peaches with powdered sugar so they caramelize on the grill.
-
Spoon
homemade raspberry syrup in the bottom of the bowl, which can be prepared
before your trip by cooking down fresh raspberries with water and sugar;
strain into a jar or covered dish and keep chilled.
-
Add a
scoop of vanilla ice cream and top with a grilled peach.
-
Top with
toasted almonds, if desired.
And the
real secret ingredient that makes this houseboat-friendly cookout memorable?
As Purdy says, “Everything just tastes better outside!”
In
the Lake Mead NRA, Forever Resorts’ houseboats are available for rent at
both Cottonwood Cove Resort
& Marina on Lake Mohave and Callville
Bay Resort & Marina on Lake Mead. In the Glen Canyon National Recreation
Area, houseboats rentals on Lake Powell are available out of Antelope
Point Marina. To book reservations, visit ForeverHouseboats.com
or call 800-255-5561.
About
Chef Mark Purdy
Chef
Mark Purdy began his professional culinary career after graduating
from Skidmore College in upstate New York. In 1996, he landed a job as
an appetizer cook at the famed Aureole under celebrity Chef Charlie Palmer,
where he was exposed to true haute cuisine and world-class service standards.
In 1998, Palmer invited him to be the opening executive sous chef at the
new Aureole at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Chef Purdy worked tirelessly
at the striking $11 million, 375-seat restaurant, which received international
acclaim for its cuisine, wine list and dramatic architectural design. Demonstrating
a commitment and skill level beyond his years, Palmer then hired Chef Purdy
to serve as chef de cuisine at his new Dry Creek Kitchen in the Sonoma
wine country. Dry Creek Kitchen was an instant success and he was named
Rising Star Chef by the San Francisco Chronicle. Anxious to return to Las
Vegas, Chef Purdy was recruited to be chef de cuisine for Alizé
at the Top of the Palms Casino Resort, where he says, “I’ve never been
so happy in my professional life…not even close.”
About
Forever Resorts
Forever
Resorts is an exceptional collection of destinations providing hospitality
services throughout the world. The company focuses on properties with access
to nature and one-of-a-kind surroundings for vacations, including houseboating
adventures. For more information, go to ForeverResorts.com
or Facebook.com/ForeverResorts,
and follow us on Twitter @ForeverResorts.
Media
Contact:
Darla
Cook
Forever
Resorts
Vice
President, Public Relations
480-998-7199
x 7104
602-432-7549
cell
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