What's the Dish?
What's Up Magazine [05.2004]
By Barbara McGarry
The freedom to change recipes is what Jim Wilder, owner and chef of The Wild Orchid Café, likes best about his profession.
Wilder considers culinary work an art, and, as with other creative endeavors, his art is affected by circumstances and events. What's in season, the availability of products and the special talents of staff are among the factors that influence his ideas.
For a menu choice to be successful, all the foods served in a particular selection must blend well-"Everything needs to come together," he said. The flavors, sauces, vegetables and entrée must correlate with each other.
The current menu for The Wild Orchid reflects spring and Jim's requirement that each selection offer a pleasing combination of foods and flavors. One featured entrée is grilled salmon with a rock shrimp and roasted corn salsa served with relish, Israeli couscous and wilted baby spinach. Another is blackened tuna topped with mango and toasted coconut chutney, accompanied by jasmine rice, ginger soy dipping sauce and wasabi.
Wilder has been applying his creative efforts at The Wild Orchid since he founded the Eastport restaurant eight years ago. He extends his work as a chef by helping his wife, Karen, who oversees Company's Coming, Inc., a catering business that the couple owns together.
Wilder puts his professional abilities into practice at home, too, cooking dinner every night for the couple's four boys, aged l2 to 22. When he's not involved with their schedules for lacrosse, wrestling, football and other activities, he enjoys tennis and gardening.
Wilder has a recipe that's especially fitting for at-home chefs to prepare at this time of year. His "tropical trifle" is a dessert that makes use of May's crop of fresh strawberries, although frozen strawberries, raspberries or blueberries can be used. He said it's great to take to a get-together, and can be presented in a large bowl or individual dishes. Whichever method is used, it can be made the night before serving. He recommends letting it sit overnight in the refrigerator if it is served from a large bowl.
The Wild Orchid's Tropical Trifle
(Serves 8)
Ingredients:
- 6 large eggs
- 6 tbs. sugar
- pinch salt
- ‡ cup passion fruit liqueur
- æ cup heavy cream
- 1 store-bought angel food cake
- strawberry puree (‡ cup sugar and 1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries)
- º cup dark rum (‡ cup if serving from large bowl)
- æ cup pineapple juice (1‡ cups if serving from large bowl)
- æ cup sweetened coconut milk (1‡ cups if serving from large bowl)
- 1 º cups blackberry jam strained and thinned with 2 tbs. water
Preparation: 1. Whisk egg yolks, sugar and pinch of salt until smooth. Add passion fruit liqueur. 2. Put bowl over boiling water and whisk vigorously until thick (about 5 minutes). Refrigerate. 3. Pour cream into a bowl and whip with an electric mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. 4.When egg mixture has cooled, fold in whipped cream and refrigerate. 5. Add ‡ cup sugar to 1 cup frozen or fresh strawberries. Blend until smooth in a blender or food processor.
Assembly: 1. Using champagne or martini glasses, pour a layer of strawberry sauce into the bottom of each glass. 2. Cut angel food cake into one-inch cubes and layer over the top of strawberry sauce. 3. Into each glass, sprinkle 1 tsp. rum, 1 tbs. pineapple juice and 1 tbs. coconut milk over cake cubes. 4. Spread some of the blackberry jam and more of the strawberry sauce over the cubes. 5. Top with some of the passion fruit cream. 6. Repeat the layering process until the glass is full, ending with the passion fruit cream. 7. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. 8.Garnish with fresh mint sprig.
The recipe can also be prepared using a large bowl, about 8 inches in diameter, instead of individual glasses. If a bowl is used, the ingredient amounts in step 3 should be doubled, and preferably the dessert should be refrigerated overnight.