Roasted Dates

serves four
Ingredients
36 dry dates, pitted
12 slices Bayonne Prosciutto
4 oz Manchego cheese
1/2 tbsp honey
1 c heavy cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
Melt half the Manchego cheese and the heavy cream in a saucepan. Add salt and pepper, and bring the mixture to a boil. Mix it all together in a blender. Set aside this mixture in a cooler. Stuff dates with the remaining Manchego cheese and the mixture. Wrap the dates (3 X 3) in one slice of Bayonne Prosciutto. Bake the dates in an oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for four minutes. Drizzle the dates with honey and bake again for one minute.
To serve: Plate and serve with the dressing on the side.

If you’re in the mood for something strong and fruity, then you need to head to Big Easy Winebar & Grill {701 South Miami Avenue #339, Brickell; 786.814.5955} and order yourself a Piña Smash. The perfect way to beat the Florida heat, this is one scotch sipper you can drink all year round, in any setting. After you try (and love) it, come home and make one yourself! We’ve got the recipe, below.
Follow the steps below to whip up your very own Piña Smash:
Slightly bruise a few mint leaves in the palm of your hand. Add the bruised mint, 1 1/2 ounces Glenlivet Founders Reserve, 3/4 ounces pineapple juice, 1/2 ounce lemon juice, and 1/2 ounce homemade cardamom syrup in a shaker. Shake and strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with pineapple cubes and mint leaves. Enjoy!
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor

Burrata, Nectarine and Arugula Salad from Malibu Farm

serves 6

Ingredients
Sweet pomegranate dressing:
1/8 c balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp pomegranate molasses or maple syrup
1 tsp chopped shallots
1/4 c olive oil
Salt, to taste
Sesame seed candy:
1/3 c sugar
1⁄2 c toasted sesame seeds
Salad:
1 bunch arugula
4 ripe nectarines or peaches, sliced
1 8-oz ball of burrata cheese, shredded
Fresh chopped mint, for garnish
Pomegranate seeds, for garnish (optional)
Method
For the dressing: Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
For the sesame seed candy: For this dressing, you just need more seeds than sugar. In a small, dry skillet, add 1/3 cup sugar and let it melt over medium heat. If it is starting to burn, turn down the heat. Just when the sugar begins to melt, stir in 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds. Once the sugar is fully melted and the sesame seeds have fused into it, pour the mixture onto a lightly-greased sheet pan and set aside to cool. Once cool, break or cut the brittle into little candy pieces.
To serve: Toss the arugula and the nectarines in the sweet pomegranate dressing, then scatter shreds of burrata cheese on top. Garnish with sesame seed candy and mint. Pomegranate seeds also make a great garnish, if they’re in season. 
Note: This versatile salad is served year round, with some changes, depending on what is in season. In lieu of nectarines or peaches, figs and persimmons are used in the fall, and black grapes are used in the winter. The Hawaii outpost of Malibu Farm uses papayas, baby spinach, and candied macadamia nuts.

This sultry cocktail puts a South African spin on the traditional negroni—adding cinnamon-infused South African Starr rum for an extra “kick.” Interestingly enough, it’s actually a nod to the myth surrounding Table Mountain. According to legend, Van Hunks, a Dutch pirate, once competed with the devil to see who could cover the top of Table Mountain with smoking pipes the fastest, hence why it always looks like it’s under a “tablecloth” of smoke today. You’ll find a similar smoky covering on this Van Hunks and The Devil drink from Big Easy Winebar & Grill {701 South Miami Avenue #339, Brickell; 786.814.5955}; which, with the recipe below, you can also make at home.
Fill a decanter with apple wood smoke using a smoking gun and cap decanter. Prepare a rocks glass with a large ice cube, expressed orange peel, and a cinnamon stick. Pour 1 ounce Cinnamon Starr, 1 ounce Campari, and 1 ounce Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth in a mixing glass. Ice, stir, and strain into a decanter. Give it a quick swirl and pour into the prepared glass.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor

Colorado Lamb Chops from Villa Azur

serves four
Ingredients
12 lamb chops
12 baby carrots
400 g French peas
0.5 bunch mint
4 oz dried apricots, sliced
3 oz brown sugar
1 oz honey
2 oz rice wine vinegar
1 oz Ras el hanout spice
10 oz lamb stock demi glacé (or veal stock)
Butter
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
For the vegetables: Dip the baby carrots in boiled and salted water for five minutes, and immediately following, put them in ice water. Dip the French peas in boiled and salted water for two minutes, and immediately following, put them in ice water. Strain the carrots and the French peas on a towel. Blend the French peas with mint, salt, and pepper. Lightly ground the almonds and roast them in the oven six minutes, at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
For the sauce: In a pan, pour the vinegar, two ounces of brown sugar, and the Ras el hanout spice. Cook until caramelized. Deglaze with the lamb stock. Reduce the heat and simmer for ten minutes on low heat. Add half of the dried apricots, and blend. Keep the pan warm and heat the rest of the apricots.
For the lamb and vegetables, combined: Put a frying pan on high heat and add a little bit of olive oil. Mark the lamb chop for 30 seconds, then flip it over. Add butter, reduce the amount of heat, and cook the other side for one minute. Flip the lamb again and cook the original side for 30 more seconds. Put the lamb on a paper towel. Degrease your frying pan, and add brown sugar, honey, and one ounce cold butter. Once the butter melts, roast the baby carrots in this mix until caramelized. While those are roasting, heat the mashed French peas in their own pan.
To serve: Plate a circle of mashed French peas. On top of the circle, arrange the lamb chops and baby carrots nicely. Glaze the chops with the sauce, being careful not to use the whole mixture so that you can also serve some sauce on the side. Garnish with roasted almonds and mint leaves.
Bon appétit!

Power Waffles from Seaspice

Ingredients
409 g buttermilk
84 g butter, melted
2 eggs
216 g All-Purpose flour
27 g sugar
11 g baking powder
6 g baking soda
1 g cinnamon, ground
30 g oats
45 g quinoa, ground
20 g flaxseed, ground
15 g hemp seeds
Method
Whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, and eggs. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Slowly add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, until fully combined. Spray a waffle maker with cooking spray. Pour 0.5 cup of waffle mix into the waffle maker. Let it cook. Garnish with exotic fruits (dragonfruit, kiwi, and blackberries are shown here) and serve with maple syrup.
Enjoy!

Brazilian Grilled Lamb Chops from Fogo de Chão

serves two
Ingredients
Vegetable oil spray
8 rib lamb chops (12-16 oz), with excess fat trimmed
2 c white wine (Chardonnay or Chablis)
2 tbsp lemon pepper
1 lemon, juiced
0.5 c extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp salt, or to taste
1 c mint leaves
Vegetable oil spray
Mint leaves, for garnish
Mint jelly, for garnish
Method

Preheat the grill. In a blender, blend the wine, lemon pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and mint leaves to make a marinade. Marinate the lamb chops for 5 to 10 minutes. If you’d like, you can also cut the lamb into pieces, marinated, and skewered before grilling.

Spray the grill with vegetable oil and place the lamb chops on the grill. Reserve the remaining marinade for basting. Grill the lamb chops on one side, without moving them, for four minutes. Baste the chops with marinade and turn them over to grill the other side for four minutes. The lamb chops should be cooked to a medium-rare temperature. Remove and allow the lamb chops to rest five minutes before serving. Garnish with mint leaves and mint jelly. 
Enjoy!