As I hear the fireworks go off around me here in Palos Verdes, I can envision Cabrillo Beach in Pedro with their show, the private fireworks in the Malibu Colony and Broad Beach when I was a butler and private chef. (Life was rough) The grandkids and family have left and I am sitting down to relax and decompress. I have three new clients looking for their new boats so I start the search and send emails. These will take me to San Francisco and Florida. Can’t wait. I might deliver the one from Florida. San Francisco is a no-brainer! But then something was lingering in the background I have not done yet. Swear Word … David (the Catalina Islander Editor) asked if I can get this in today as there is an early deadline. I do not do this for the bum’s rush to just print something. I do this from the heart. Anyway I wanted something nice for you.
The 4th of July …
With my normal Fourth fare of Hebrew National dogs, good burger meat, red onion, mayo, dijon, live butter lettuce, Some cheese Breezy brought back from The Cheesestore of Beverly Hills. OMG, go there and ask for Breezy. Best experience of your life if you are a cheese person.
Everybody does their thing on the Fourth. Hopefully with the upcoming heat that we all dread and we look forward to these very simple two things to make you smile and your life easier for you.
I had the lime-mint sorbet over Oolong Tea, chilled. Try some frozen vodka or tequila over a nice scoop for that perfect beverage to sip for a while. Or just a petite bowl will do. The potato salad is just as elegant and simple. Enjoy
Lime-Mint Sorbet
This will make enough for 8-10 and some for later!
• 20 fresh limes juiced. Try to find softer ones and roll them to get as much juice as you can
• 2 cups of filtered water
• 1 cup of normal granulated sugar. Ivve tried honey, agave this and that, but just normal sugar works!
• Healthy bunch of fresh mint chopped coarsely.
Take the water in a sauce pan with the sugar and heat until dissolved. You do not need to boil it. Remove from the heat. Add your lime juice and stir. Taste to see if it is enough sugar for you. You can add more at this time to dissolve but not too much. Not about the real sweet thing.
Toss in your chopped mint and put in fridge for up to a day before to chill.
If you have an ice cream maker, get her out and cranked up! Put a deep covered dish in the freezer or whatever room you have to transfer the sorbet to. Turn it until it is very light and compact into the dish in the freezer. Serve with fresh mint after dinner or between courses to cleanse the palate or for that favorite beverage.
The Potato Salad
• 8 Russets boiled until a thin bladed steak knife pierces not breaking them. Cubed after peeling.
• 1/4 cups of minced red onion
• 1/2 cup diced tomato. (I used the ends of the burger tomatoes)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Apple cider vinegar
• Cracked black pepper
• Sea salt
• Fresh minced thyme
• Grated sheeps milk cheese. We had Brebisrousse from the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills.
Put your potatoes in a bowl and drizzle olive oil over them until they seem covered and comfortable. Add the vinegar about a quarter cup first and toss lightly. Taste. Maybe a bit more vinegar? Salt, Pepper, tomato, onion and thyme. Toss together and give another taste.
All’s “goed,” as they say in Holland. Finish with the cheese. I hope you are able to toss these together sometime for your family or as part of a gathering you might just be having in the future!
Capt. Vaughn Allen was a private chef and butler for the ultra rich and famous most of his life. Vaughn was recently called out of retirement to cook the intimate celebration dinner for Sir Ringo Starr and his close friends. Vaughn is a businessman, scuba instructor and most recently a yacht broker in Redondo Beach. You can contact him at captainvaughnallen@gmail.com.
