Midnight Buffet

Who wouldn't enjoy a tropical style midnight buffet? Here's a shrimp recipe that will make you want to hula - which I prepared on Live with Regis and Kelly. To get you in a tropical mood, watch my TV segment on the Caribbean Princess. We're somewhere in the tropics.

Sipping a Mai Tai, strongly suggested.

Watch George Hirsch TV Segment: Princess Cruises

Grilled Shrimp Salad Papaya Dressing 
Recipe Chef George Hirsch | Makes four servings 

Green papaya has a very mild, bland, taste. The green papaya soaks up the hot, sour, sweet and salty flavors, giving them a unique texture unlike any vegetable. Unripe papayas are readily available at many Asian markets. Select one that is very firm with shiny green peel. 

2 Medium green or half-ripe papayas 
12 large shrimp, peeled and devein 
1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, split 
8 Lettuce leaves 
1/4 cup unsalted roasted cashews 

For Papayas Dressing
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil 
Juice of 2 limes 
1 teaspoon lite-soy sauce 
1 Tablespoon honey 
1 Maui or sweet onion, grilled & chopped 
1 clove garlic, chopped 
1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped 
1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes 

Peel skin off green papayas. Shred the green papayas into long strips using a grater or food processor. 

Mix all ingredients for papaya dressing. Add dressing to shredded papayas. Arrange four plates with lettuce leaves, top with marinated shredded papaya, tomatoes and cashews. 

For Shrimp Marinade
2 tablespoons Olive oil 
Juice from one lime 
2 teaspoons lite-soy sauce 
1 Tablespoon honey 
3 cloves garlic, chopped 
1 Tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

Pre heat grill to a very high heat. 

Mix all ingredients for shrimp marinade and pour over shrimp. 

Cook shrimp on hot grill and cook two minutes on each side, turning once. Baste the shrimp with any remaining marinade. Do not over cook. Remove shrimp from grill and serve with the papaya salad. 

Mai Tai 
Recipe Chef George Hirsch | as seen on Live w Regis & Kelly

Makes one drink
3/4 oz. Light Rum 
3/4 oz. Dark Rum 
1/2 oz. Amaretto 
1/2 oz. Roses lime juice 
1 oz. Triple Sec 
1/2 Orange Juice and 1/2 Pineapple Juice 

Float 1/2 oz. of Grenadine on top 

Fill a tall hi-ball glass with ice. Add the ingredients. Garnish with mint sprig, pineapple wedge and serve with a straw.

S'mores Please

August Good Stuff Pick.

The traditional s'more was born out of a Girl Scout campfire in the late 1920's. To create a s'more the process consisted of toasting a marshmallow on a whittled down long stick over an open fire and while it's still hot, removing the warm-n-oozing marshmallow by sandwiching between two graham crackers with a couple pieces of chocolate. Then pressed like a sandwich. Voilà!, that's a dessert treat that can be made by kids of all ages.

However, today I'm sharing a different kind of S'mores - without the fire - a gelato that is clearly not made by kids, but by serious chefs. Ciao Bella is billed as America's best gelato, born in NYC's Little Italy.

Guild the lilly and try a scoop of Ciao Bella on top of your campfire S'more. No wonder kids have shortened the phrase "some-more" with the excitement of wanting S'more, please!

Available nationwide. 

Vanishing Roadside Icon

"M-m-m-m 28 flavors of ice cream" - was the HoJo 1950's Life Magazine advert. which presented the fun, popular destination for families while traveling on vacation. It was easy to recognize those bright orange roofs from most highways, and stood for a comforting venue to stop and take a wholesome bite for the entire family.

in 1925, with an ice cream crank, Howard Johnson of Wollaston, Mass. built a billion dollar empire from ice cream cones to over 230 roadside restaurants. With such signature menu items as fried chicken, sea scallops and the ever popular "Tendersweet" clam strips, a person could enjoy a dinner for about a dollar + a slice of pie that would cost a mere 20 cents. "Do you want a cup of coffee with that pie, that'll be 10 cents please."

Where have all the orange roofs gone? Road trips will never be the same. 

Click to enlarge

Buzz on London Broil

It's a valued added steak—costing less, but delivering all the steak jazz on your dinner table. Don't be confused, it’s not a cut of beef, but rather a method of cooking which became popular from restaurant menus. Originally, the cut of meat was flank steak, but it’s common to find London Broil applied to almost any cut of beef that is very lean and less tender, often found in the market as labeled Top Round. The top secret to making a tasty London Broil is a great marinade or rub, grilled on high heat, allow it to rest a few minutes before slicing thin pieces of meat across the grain.

To make a tasty London Broil Steak this weekend get my recipe now, so you can marinate the steak for at least 24 hours!

George's London Broil

Makes 6-8 servings | From George Hirsch Living it UP! TV series

2 pounds hanger steak, sirloin, flank, or top round  

1 cup orange juice

8 cloves garlic, chopped 

1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon cilantro, or other aromatic herb like rosemary

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons hot sauce

Fresh ground black pepper

Place orange juice, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, cilantro, soy and hot sauce in bowl and blend well.

Pour blended marinade over beef and marinate 24-48 hours in refrigerator.

Preheat a cast iron pan grill pan or outdoor grill to high heat.  Remove meat from marinade, dry off with paper towels and grill on high heat for two minutes on each side, brushing with marinade while cooking.  Lower heat and allow to cook slowly to desired doneness. Remove from grill and allow meat to rest 3-4 minutes before slicing. Slice meat thinly against the grain. 

Serve London Broil sliced steak with optional toppings:

sour cream

sliced avocados

roasted peppers 

chopped plum tomatoes

grilled onions

chefgeorgehirsch.com