Benjamin Henion

As the garden matures, delicate squash blossoms have appeared. I used them on tonight's dinner special. I made ginger marinated ahi medallions , with mushroom and roasted hearts of palm stuffed squash blossoms that I partially tempura fried. The sauces consist of truffle oil, tomato oil, Asian oil, and the highlight was a opal basil gastrique . The dish was served with steamed brown rice and garnished with Thai basil. This is a very simple dish that has very fresh flavors that compliment each other well.

As a start to a very beautiful garden, here are some photos of the young vegetation being utilized in our restaurants. I know I have spent much time away from Blogspot , but it has been productive time. In addition to the photos below, we have many other items planted. Some of them include: pomegranite trees, lime trees, tangerine trees, orange trees, bronze fennel, green fennel, grapefruit mint, chocolate mint, mojito mint, Vietnamese coriander, tomatoes, bay tree (bay leaves), apple banana trees and papaya trees to name a few. Much, Much more is to come. We will begin garden tours soon as well, and each week we hope to have noticeable improvements and additions. Apple Mint Asparagus Asparagus Basil Green Head Cabbage Cuban Oregano Dasheen Eggplant Ginger Root Bell Pepper Green Onions Holy Basil Jalapeno Peppers Lavender Leeks Lemongrass Lime Basil Opal Basil Opal Basil Oregano Portuguese Oregano Pumpkin Purple Sweet Potatoes Red Okra Round Chives Serrano Peppers Soy Beans Thai Bas...

We have an upcoming event, scheduled for one long weekend in September that will give guests a great sense of Hawaiian influenced cuisine. With several Maui's top chefs providing daily demonstrations along with many wine, beer and cordial pairings, its sure to be a hit. For more information, visit the following link: http://www.tastehawaiionline.com/invitation-to-foodies

This is the entree sampler platter that we ran as a special recently. It sold very well, and gave our guests a taste of not one, but 3 of our entrees. First, there is our South Maui ribs, which are a St. Louis cut with Maui onion BBQ. On the right we have roasted Australian rack of lamb with Pohaberry demi . Last is our signature Mahi Mahi entree. It is a macadamia nut and cilantro crusted Mahi , with red quinoa risotto and lemongrass butter sauce. This sampler entree is a well rounded and well portioned dish that left several happy, and full guests.

With 1800 acres of land, our property has many fun surprises . Today I stumbled on to a whole crop of Hawaiian Currant Tomatoes. These tomatoes are sweet, and incredibly fresh tasting. They are pictured here with an already small Kamuela tomato. The Hawaiian Currant Tomatoes we have are only the size of peas, or slightly larger. They make a delicate addition to many dishes. Again, since they are grown on property , naturally, there is no cost for me, but they enhance plates appearance and flavors tremendously .

This flatbread pizza appetizer is made with grilled caramelized Maui onion flatbread , chicken and mango sausage, duck confit , midnight moon cheese, molasses onion BBQ , tropical salsa fresca and micro chervil.

Last nights fish special was a seared Opakapaka , with red curry cous cous croquette, Maui onion and mango chutney and steamed baby bok choy . The idea came when a guest had inquired on how to make a mango chutney. I decided to put one on the dinner special and add the recipe to my blog. The red curry cous cous croquette, turned out pretty nice. I breaded it in a mixture of panko bread crumbs and fresh cilantro. The breading complimented the red curry really well and gave the dish nice eye appeal. I topped the dish off with a hearts of palm micro green salad which I tossed in shallot vinaigrette. The dish was finished with an Asian herb oil and mango gastrique . The flavors were really bold and complimented each other well. Opakapaka is such a nice fish anyways, its hard to go wrong. Check back soon for the link to my Maui Onion and Mango Chutney recipe, as it will be added in the next couple days.