“If this were 40, 50 years ago, sure. But the way logistics work and how we can get things shipped around, I don’t think it’s strange to have fresh fish in a desert,” says Jimmy Zouras, who along with his wife Deanna, owns and operates Laid Back Poke Shack in Holladay. “We get our fish directly from the Honolulu fish auction and it comes fresh three times a week.”

Zouras’ family opened Gourmandise the Bakery in the early 90s. But for his latest business venture, Zouras switched his focus from French pastries to fresh fish in the form of the Hawaiian delicacy, poke (pronounced poh-keh), and opened up Laid Back Poke Shack in February.

In the Hawaiian language, poke is a verb that means to cut or to slice. A basic poke consists of cubed, raw ahi (yellow fin tuna) marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, seaweed and chili pepper.

But don’t simply call it sushi.

“We’ve had people come in who try to compare it to sushi. Some people come in expecting a sushi-style experience but that’s not it,” Zouras says. “This is poke and poke is something different.”

Poke has appeared on menus of several sushi restaurants in Salt Lake City as an appetizer in recent years. In Hawaii, however, poke is so pervasive that many grocery stores (even chains like Costco) keep several different flavors of it in stock.

With Laid Back Poke Shack, the Zouras’ tried to recreate something they experienced and loved in The Aloha State. Their shop offers a variety of poke, including ahi, salmon and tako (or octopus).

“We put this together so we could come get poke. It started off very selfishly,” Zouras quips.

Their affinity for poke is spreading and Zouras says the reception for Laid Back Poke Shack has been great so far. But some people are still skeptical of seafood in Salt Lake.

“We’ve come across a few challenges as far as perceptions but the only thing we can do is to let them try it,” Zouras says.

Laid Back Poke Shack is in Holladay, at 6213 S Highland Dr. They are open from 11-8 Tuesday-Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday.

From Candymaking by Ruth Kendrick and Pauline H. Atkinson, used with permission

Ingredients:

(12 oz.) can evaporated milk (you could probably use half and half)
1/2 cup butter (if using unsalted, add a pinch of salt)
4 oz. of 70 percent Millcreek or Amana chocolate
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

In a heavy saucepan, combine butter and chocolate and warm over low heat, stirring constantly. When melted, stir in sugar and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring, and cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cook slightly before using over ice cream. Store in refrigerator for several weeks. Can be warmed in microwave or served cold.

-Mary Brown Malouf

Crepes with Mascarpone & Fruit

Roll these the traditional way, as shown, or make them easy finger food by tying into a pick-up “purse,” as described.

Serves 15

1 cup all purpose flour
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Kosher salt
1.5 cups fresh strawberries, finely chopped
1 cup mascarpone cheese
1 bunch mint, leaves only, chiffonade
1 bunch long chives

The crepes: Mix the flour with a pinch of salt in a bowl. Whisk the eggs and milk together, then whisk the egg mixture and flour together. Whisk in the butter. Pass the batter through a fine mesh strainer. Heat a nonstick crepe pan over a medium flame. Spray the hot pan with non-stick spray. Using a 1-ounce ladle, pour the batter into the center of the pan. Roll the batter around in the pan in a circular motion so that it becomes evenly distributed across the entire bottom of the pan. Cook for about 30 seconds, or just until the second side is set. Remove the finished crepe to parchment paper. Repeat, layering parchment paper between each crepe.

The compote: Mix the diced strawberries, mascarpone and mint chiffonade gently in a bowl until incorporated well. This compote must be made just before you intend to fill the crepes, as it will not hold its consistency for very long.

The chives: Blanch chives, and reserve.

To serve: Place crepe with the best side facing down. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the compote into the center of the crepe. Fold all sides of the crepe evenly up to a point above the center of the compote. Carefully tie the crepe “purse” with a blanched chive. Repeat.

Variations: 

1. Chop mushrooms very fine and saute in butter with a little chopped onion and a tablespoon of cream. Cool to room temperature and drain. Fill crepes.

2. Fill crepes with a tablespoon of creme fraiche and a bit of cavier or a sliver of smoked salmon.

3. Blend equal parts cream cheese and goat cheese wth 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 minced garlic clove and a tablespoon of chopped basil, dill or thyme. Fill each crepe with a tablespoonful and tie with a chive.

-Mary Brown Malouf

The story is that Serio Maccione invented this dish for his fabled New York restaurant, Le Cirque, in 1974. True or not, pasta primavera is a New World invention and caught on across the country in the ’70s and ’80s. Most of us have had a dismal version of this dish, made with frozen vegetables and sticky cream sauce. Forget that. Pasta Primavera should taste as light and fresh as the season it’s named for.

The beautiful secret about pasta primavera is that all-season vegetables can be used for a taste of spring, even before the season’s produce hits the market.

Pasta Primavera

serves 4

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 med. onion, minced or sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, minced
A total of about 6 cups of the following
vegetables, your choice: thin asparagus, cut into 3-inch pieces, sliced, mushrooms, cauliflower florets, broccoli florets, sliced zucchini, thinly sliced carrot, sliced yellow squash, grape tomatoes, julienned red and yellow bell peppers, sugar snap peas, English peas
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped basil
3 Tbsp. sliced scallions
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb. pasta, cooked, drained

Heat butter and oil, cook onion and garlic until onion is soft. (Be careful not to burn garlic.) Add vegetables and stir-fry for a few minutes. Add half-and-half and stock, lower heat and simmer until vegetables are barely tender and liquid coats a spoon. Season to taste. Toss vegetables with pasta, cheese and scallions and sprinkle with basil.

-Mary Brown Malouf

Prosciutto and pear waffle.

BASIC WAFFLE RECIPE

Makes about 8, 7-inch light, crispy waffles

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup dried buttermilk powder (available in most grocery stores)
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 cups unflavored
• soda water

Whisk together the dry ingredients, including buttermilk powder. Combine sour cream, eggs, vanilla and oil in a separate bowl and mix well. Gently stir soda water into wet mixture. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in wet mix. Fold together with rubber spatula until barely combined. Do not over-mix. Cook waffles according to waffle iron manufacturer’s directions, using about 1/3 cup batter per waffle.

Freeze any leftover waffles.

PROSCIUTTO AND PEAR

For each waffle:

• 3–4 thin slices of prosciutto or speck
• about 1/4 a pear, thinly slice
• sprig of thyme
• 1 tsp. apricot jam

Arrange the ham on the waffle; top with a fan of pear slices. Drizzle the pear lightly with apricot jam (thinned with a bit of hot water if necessary) and garnish with a sprig of thyme.

Bon Appetit!

-Mary Brown Malouf