Norman Van Aken's Feast of Sunlight: 200 Inspired Recipes from the Master of New World Cuisine - Softcover

Legendary Chef Norman Van Aken is known internationally as "the founding father of New World Cuisine," a celebration of Latin, Caribbean, Asian, African and American flavors. He is also known for introducing the concept of "fusion" to the culinary world in a symposium on American cooking in Santa Fe in 1988. He is the only Floridian inducted into the prestigious James Beard list of "Who's Who in American Food and Beverage." He is the Chef and Director of Restaurants at The Miami Culinary Institute as well as the Chef-Owner of "NORMAN'S at the Ritz-Carlton, Grande Lake, Orlando." In 2006, he was honored as one of the "Founders of the New American Cuisine," alongside Alice Waters, Paul Prudhomme, and Mark Miller at Spain's International Summit of Gastronomy 'Madrid Fusion' event. The New York Times deemed his fine dining restaurant, "NORMAN'S", "the Best Restaurant in Florida and Norman Van Aken its Best Chef."

Grouper with Asian Vegetables serves 4 This is a dish for its time. It is quite simple to prepare, its spicy and loaded with vegetables, its good for you, and I think its delicious! Freshness is the key to the vegetables, so vary them according to market availability-just be sure theyre Asian-style, in keeping with the dish.

MARINADE 1/2 cup virgin olive oil 1 cup safflower or other salad oil 1/2 cup soy sauce Juice of 1 orange, 1 lemon, and 1 lime 2 bay leaves 6 black peppercorns 1 small bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped 2 large cloves garlic, cut in half

GINGER GARLIC VINAIGRETTE 1 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 cup soy sauce (preferably low sodium soy) 1/2 cup dark-roasted sesame oil 1/2 cup chopped cilantro 1/2 cup chili oil 3 tablespoons chopped peeled ginger 3 tablespoons minced garlic 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Freshly cracked black pepper Four 7- to 8-ounce pieces of fresh filleted grouper, cut on a sever bias About 8 cups assorted fresh vegetables such as cucumbers, purple cabbage, daikon, red and yellow peppers, bok choy, bean sprouts, Napa cabbage, enoki mushrooms, and fresh water chestnuts (2 cups mixed vegetables per serving) Lime wedges for garnish

1. Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a stainless steel bowl at least 1 hour in advance to allow flavors to blend. 2. Combine all vinaigrette ingredients and keep at room temperature. Cut the assorted vegetables in small slices or strips on the bias, as is common with oriental preparations. Keep cool in a bowl. Be sure you have chosen vegetables with a good variety of colors and textures. 4. Prepare a hot, well oiled grill. 5. Marinate grouper 2 to 4 minutes (no longer or the fish will taste overly salty from the soy sauce). Remove from marinade and grill until just done. Remove to a platter. 6. Put vegetables in a large, slightly warm bowl and add just enough of the room-temperature vinaigrette to coat the vegetables lightly-you can reserve any leftover vinaigrette for another use. Mix well and then mound the vegetables over the fish. Garnish with lime and serve.

A Savory Flan serves 12 This is a very adaptable dish. If you think of it as a molded omelet, it will be easier to imagine the different ingredients that you would enjoy with it. The only thing to remember is that if you add a wet ingredient like freshly cooked spinach, be sure to drain it before adding to the eggs or your proportions will be upset. This dish can withstand the serving conditions of a buffet, and it is so much nicer than ordinary scrambled eggs for your guests bruncheon.

12 whole eggs 1 quart heavy cream 1 tablespoon butter Salt and pepper to taste

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS 2 cups blanched chopped spinach, well drained 2 cups cooked acorn squash 2 cups sauted onions 2 cups sauted mushrooms 1 cup chopped roasted garlic or peppers 1 cup grated cheese 1 cup assorted chopped fresh herbs 1 cup diced Westphalian ham

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put a folded towel in the bottom of a roasting pan larger than the flan pan, fill the pan less than half full of water, and put it in the oven to heat. In a stainless steel bowl, beat together eggs and cream. 2. Select a stainless steel pan about 4 inches deep and approximately 7 inches by 10 inches. Butter it lightly. Add your chosen ingredients to eggs. Salt and pepper to taste and stir gently. 3. Pour egg mixture into the prepared pan and cover with foil. Carefully lower flan pan into bain-marie (water should come halfway up the outside of the flan pan). Bake approximately 40 minutes. Remove foil. Brown for a minute and serve.