By SALLY SWARTZ

It is the ultimate in old-money mystique: Jupiter Island, an enclave of privilege, propriety and privacy known to a lucky few.

That exclusivity and low-key civility was the goal of developers Permelia Pryor Reed and her husband, Joseph Verner Reed, who created this genteel world in the 1930s – "no notoriety, no newspaper articles," just close friendships and casual fun. "A quiet life," they said, "totally unlike booming Palm Beach."

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By MIRTA LUACES

I had forgotten all about las torrejas until I walked into Isabela Seafood Market in West Palm Beach. The familiar smell of fried pieces of bread covered with aromatic syrup brought back childhood memories of happy summers at my grandmother’s house in Cuba. I’d watch my mother and grandma dip thick slices of bread in a bath of farm-fresh eggs and milk.

Roberto Machin, the restaurant’s owner, said he decided to add this traditional sweet treat to the menu because it is a favorite of all Cuban generations.

"We thought it was a good idea and we decided to give it a try using our own recipe," Machin says of the French toast-style confection.

This dessert is believed to have originated in the convents of Castilla y Leon in north central Spain, where the nuns turned leftover bread into the sweet dish. Although in Spain the dish is known as torrijas, its variations can be found in different countries with different names.

The preparation methods and types of bread and other ingredients used vary from country to country. But the most common method is simply to bathe the bread in infused milk as it is still done in Castilla y Leon, Spain’s largest region, and traditional Cuban households everywhere.

Luis Gonzalez, the restaurant’s cook, says he adds a little sherry wine to the milk mixture.

"I wait until the torrejas are cold to bath them in hot syrup," he says. "They absorb it better."

Torrejas la Isabela

Makes 16 portions

1 loaf of bread (preferably Cuban bread)

3 egg yolks

1 cup of milk

1 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of sherry

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 whole eggs

1 cup cooking oil

FOR THE SYRUP:

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 lemon peel

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cinnamon stick

Make the syrup: In a saucepan, combine the water and sugar and bring to a low boil, whisking so that the sugar dissolves. Add lemon peel, vanilla and cinnamon stick, stirring to blend the flavors. Allow the liquid to reduce until it thickens into a syrup. Remove the lemon peel and cinnamon stick before pouring over the torrejas.

Make the torrejas: Beat the egg yolks and add the milk, sugar, sherry, vanilla and cinnamon, whisking to blend well.

Slice the bread thickly and place the slices in a pan (for soaking). Pour the egg-milk mixture over the bread slices. While the bread soaks in the infused milk, beat the 4 whole eggs in a large bowl.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.

One by one, remove the bread slices from mixture and dip them into the beaten whole eggs.

Fry the slices in hot oil, about 3 minutes on each side. When they turn golden brown, remove them from oil. Allow them to cool before adding the hot syrup.

Typically, torrejas are served cold.

La Isabela Seafood Market is at 1265 S. Military Trail in West Palm Beach; (561)966-4149 .

By PAM BRANDON

The theme for the 15th annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is Delicious Discoveries, but for 15 years I’ve been celebrating my own discoveries at the fest, never missing a single year of sipping and noshing my way around World Showcase Lagoon. Consider it culinary globe-trotting (just 1.3 miles around the waterfront) without the hassle of airports and a passport, and the beautiful backdrop of the World Showcase countries.

Through the years there have been some memorable moments – like meeting Julia Child in 1996, sipping tea with Stephen Twining in 2007, nibbling cheese with New York City fromager Max McCalman in 2009.

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Dear Liz,

Greetings from Pahokee. I truly enjoy cooking, so I read The Post all the time for its Food sections.

True Lemon can be purchased at Publix and the company's website.

You asked if your readers have discovered a new product and I have. Perhaps you have already found this item, but I will tell you about it anyway. I love citrus flavors and used to eat lemons fresh off the tree in my dad’s back yard as a child.

One of the desserts I am known for is lemon meringue pie. I always make it from scratch .

I found a product called True Lemon. It is cold pressed and crystallized and really captures the best of the lemon. It is also all natural, no calories or sugar.

Its website offers recipes using the product and I scoffed at the pie recipe but tried it anyway. OMG it was amazing.

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Louise Dunn Herman (left and top left in family photo) learned to enjoy the simpler things in life during Sunday night Chinese dinners with her family.

Dear Readers: Welcome to your forum. This is your place for food-related questions and comments.

Send your letters via e-mail to Food Editor Liz Balmaseda at lbalmaseda@pbpost.com or via traditional mail to: Food editor, The Palm Beach Post, P.O. Box 24696, West Palm Beach, FL 33416-4696.

Hello Liz,

I read that you would like writing about "culinary ‘aha’ moments" and thought this would be appropriate. I really enjoy the articles in Food and always look forward to the "human interest" stories that describe people’s personal experiences with food. Here is one of mine.

Best regards,

Louise Dunn Herman

Lake Worth

DINNER FOR TWO FOR FOUR

By Louise Dunn Herman

Walter Chan, the proprietor of The Chow Mein Inn (in Rockville Center, Long Island, N.Y.), always greeted us personally as my family slid into our regular booth for another delicious Sunday night dinner. A round bald man with glasses, he cheerfully summoned the adorable waitress dressed in a silky mandarin sheath who gave us menus. She politely waited for our orders, while innocently bantering with my blushing father. My mom, dad, sister and I studied the menu, but the result was predictable. The only decisions were based on perhaps having two dishes from column A instead of "one from column A and one from Column B."

Extra soup and egg rolls

Crisp noodles were brought to the white linened table along with two small dishes, one holding sweet and sour "duck" sauce, the other spicy yellow mustard.

Out came steamy bowls of wonton soup, which we sprinkled with the noodles from the table. This soup always contained two light dumplings wrapped around some chopped pork. Softened bok choy leaves and slivers of pork completed the delicious potion, and I ate slowly to savor every bit.

That prelude was followed by egg rolls. My father always added extra soup and egg rolls to our "dinner for two," and at the end of the meal, extra dessert. Once we went to a different Chinese restaurant where my father proceeded to order as usual, and the waiter announced in a loud tone: "Dinner for two for FOUR?"

At our regular place, they were accustomed to our way of ordering. The egg rolls came out each split in thirds, crispy on the outside, stuffed with chopped vegetables and baby shrimp. We dipped them in the sweet and sour duck sauce. I ate the ends whole after dipping, and then took out the filling from the middle with my fork, eating the crispy outer crust last.

The main dishes were served in fancy silver covered dishes and brought out one at a time. First was chicken chow mein, a mixture of sliced onions sautéed till very soft, with bits of chicken and celery. The dish was ceremoniously uncovered by the waiter who always asked if we wanted to keep the cover near, presumably to keep the contents warm. One of the less expensive dishes, it is still a reliable standard by which to judge the quality of the food.

Sharing a regal dish

Once in a while dad would order lobster Cantonese, as a treat, for our second dish. Here the glistening white pieces of plump lobster burst out of dark red shells, soaked in a creamy light sauce filled with eggy bits and pieces of pork and scallion. My sister loved this so much she ate it without the lobster, mixed only with white rice.

There was an unspoken way my family divided up the pieces of lobster in the dish. Mom ate the claws requiring work to get the juicy lobster out, either using the little lobster fork that came with the dish, or tediously sucking out bits. We always gave my father the biggest chunks of white lobster meat, the easiest to eat as they slid right out of the shell. I guess we felt he deserved them! And I ate all the other parts that required work, but not much. Even the shells were licked clean for their flavor.

This dish provided a good half hour of fun. In later years my father began to order roast pork with Chinese vegetables for a change. We were not too fond of this dish at first, but eventually we learned to like the large pieces of soft meat ringed with red color and the crispy bok choy and other vegetables that made up the dish.

A dessert of pineapple or ice cream and fortune cookies completed the meal. While we read our tea leaves in the bottom of the shiny blue-and-white china cups, Walter Chan would figure out what we owed for our dinner on the abacus at his desk.

Wherever I have moved or worked, I have searched in town for a cozy Chinese restaurant. Somehow, as a teen, those regular meals I enjoyed with my family fed my hopes and dreams that life would be good. Enjoying a simple Chinese meal today takes me back to that time when I did not question things and dreamed of living happily ever after.

The Fourth of July is the day to declare one’s independence from the kitchen and take in the liberating aromas of outdoor grilling. What to grill, however, is the perennial dilemma. The recipes here detail the vast range of dishes one can create off-range.

BOBBY FLAY’S GRILLING ADVICE MAY BE SURPRISING

It would be unwise for backyard grillers to discount Bobby Flay’s advice.

When it comes to matters of fire and meat, Flay has positioned himself as one of the top experts, courtesy of his Food Network shows and numerous cookbooks on grilling.

But his advice on steak grilling in the June issue of Food Network Magazine will raise a few eyebrows. First, he ixnays the popular bone-in cuts. Secondly, he embraces filet mignon, which for many carnivores is the flavorless baby food of prime meats.

Let’s talk about the bone: "The bone doesn’t impart that much flavor on the grill and it makes steak cook unevenly," he said. "Rib-eye is a good example. It’s always really rare next to the bone. I’d rather eat a rib-eye without a bone that’s cooked evenly on all sides."

Now the filet mignon: "Lots of chefs don’t think it has enough flavor, but I like how tender it is," he said, adding that rubs, sauces and flavored butters can ramp up the cut’s flavor. "A lot of times I’ll use a rub to crust the steak and give it flavor, then add a glaze or butter when it’s coming off the grill."

One more surprising piece of advice when it comes to summer grilling: Flay said he’s not a big proponent of marinades. "They don’t have as much impact," he said. "Rubs, however, get cooked right into the steak."

- Houston Chronicle

Bobby Flay’s Perfectly Grilled Steak

Four 11/4- to 11/2-inch-thick boneless rib-eye or New York strip steaks (about 12 ounces each) or filets mignon (8 to 10 ounces each), trimmed

2 tablespoons canola or extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

About 20 minutes before grilling, remove the steaks from the refrigerator and let sit, covered, at room temperature.

Heat your grill to high. Brush the steaks on both sides with oil and season liberally with salt and pepper.

Place the steaks on the grill and cook until golden brown and slightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes.

Turn the steaks over and continue to grill 3 to 5 minutes for medium-rare (an internal temperatures of 135°), 5 to 7 minutes for medium (140°) or 8 to 10 minutes for medium-well (150°).

Transfer the steaks to a cutting board or platter, tent loosely with foil and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Recipe from "Food Network" magazine, June 2010.

THE GRATE ALTERNATIVE: FIRE-COOKED FISH

Move over, burgers. Step aside, chicken. If you want to grill something that’s truly fast food, consider the fillet over the filet mignon. Grilling fish produces fillets that are so flaky and flavorful, you won’t think twice about missing the beer batter or the deep frying.

Grilled fish is healthy – virtually fat-free save a small brushing of oil or butter to keep it from sticking – and cooking it on wooden planks can add flavor without increasing the calories.

"I think the easiest way to grill fish is to plank it," said Karen Adler, co-author of Techniques for Grilling Fish and Techniques for Planking ($12.95, Harvard Common Press).

Planking, or cooking on a plank of aromatic wood that has been soaked in water, helps to keep fish moist and eliminates the need to turn the fillet over, so sticking isn’t an issue. Fish on a plank cooks via indirect heat and not direct flames. It’s important to soak the plank in cold water for at least an hour before putting it on the grill so the wood doesn’t burn during grilling.

Planking comes in handy for very thin fillets that fall apart when grilling. When it’s done cooking, the fish can be served directly from the plank too. Planks are fairly inexpensive – at major retailers a two-pack of cedar planks typically sells for $5 to $10 – and can be washed and reused several times until they become too charred.

If you don’t have a plank, aluminum foil also works well for lining the grill grates and creating packets for fish. Inside a packet, even the most delicate fillets hold together on the grill, says Adler’s co-author, Judith Fertig.

When it comes to how long to cook fish on the grill, Adler and Fertig advise a simple "10 minutes per inch of thickness" rule, turning over at the halfway point. A salmon fillet that measures three-quarters of an inch thick will need roughly 7 to 8 minutes, or about 4 minutes on each side, over high, direct heat.

- Lisa Abraham, Akron Beacon Journal

Planked Salmon with Mustard-Mayo-Dill Slather

Serves 6

1 salmon fillet, 3/4-inch thick, skin removed (1 to 2 lbs.)

1 15-by-6-by-1/8-inch cedar or alder grilling plank, soaked in water for at least 1 hour

FOR THE SLATHER:

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp. chopped fresh dill

1 clove garlic, minced

Zest and juice of lemon

Prepare an indirect fire in a grill, with a hot fire on one side and no fire on the other. To make the slather, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.

Compare the length of the plank with the length of the salmon fillet and trim the salmon to fit the plank, if necessary. Place the salmon on the prepared plank and spread the mustard slather over the top.

Place the plank on the grill grate on the no-heat side. Cover the grill and cook until the fish begins to flake when tested with a fork in the thickest part, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve the salmon hot, right from the plank

Recipe from ‘Techniques for Grilling Fish,’ by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig.

WITH RIBS, LOW AND SLOW IS NOT THE ONLY WAY TO GO

When it comes to ribs, low and slow may be the mantra of the professional pit master, but it’s not the only option when it comes to the backyard grill.

An easy two-step technique will yield tender and flavorful pork ribs in about half the time it takes to cook them using the traditional slow-cook method.

To jump-start the process, simmer the ribs in a seasoned liquid before being grilled over indirect heat until the meat is falling off the bones. Here, baby back ribs are prepared with a chili-ale barbecue sauce, which can be used for basting and served alongside as well.

- The Associated Press

Barbecued Ribs with Chili-Ale Sauce

Serves 4

FOR THE RIBS:

1 cup cider vinegar

3 tablespoons molasses

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 cups water

2 pounds fresh pork baby back ribs or spareribs

FOR THE SAUCE:

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 cups chopped sweet onions

2 tablespoons minced garlic

12-ounce bottle chili sauce

12-ounce bottle IPA beer or other light ale

2 tablespoons molasses

1/4 cup cider vinegar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, or more to taste

In a large pot over medium-high, combine the vinegar, molasses, salt, pepper and water. Add the ribs and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook, turning occasionally so the ribs cook evenly, until the meat begins to pull away from the bone, 40 to 50 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, to make the sauce, in a large saucepan over medium-high, heat the oil. Add the onions and saute until softened and lightly colored, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 3 minutes more.

Add the chili sauce, beer, molasses, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook the sauce until reduced to about 2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the hot sauce. Measure out 3/4 cup of the sauce for basting.

Heat one side of a covered gas grill to high or prepare a fire in half of a covered charcoal grill. Baste both sides of the ribs with sauce and place, meaty-side up, on the unlit side of the grill. Close the grill cover and cook the ribs for 10 minutes.

Turn and baste the ribs periodically until they are well glazed and the meat is beginning to come loose from the bones, about 50 minutes. Cut the ribs into pieces and serve with sauce on the side.

By Aime Dunstan

I love cable knit as much as the next girl, but seriously, what was with all that winter sweater weather? The Frugalista has never seen so much fur (faux or otherwise) flaunted in Florida! Thankfully, spring has sprung and fabulous prints and lazy-day frocks with it. Here are a few of my favorite wallet-friendly finds:

1. This cotton dress is the trend that never ends. This dress by Cute Options ($15.99 at Ross, 4370 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach) was just one of at least a dozen shouting from the racks: "Wear me with Ray-Bans and adorable espadrilles!"

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By GREG STEPANICH
Special to The Palm Beach Post
The Palm Beach Opera’s production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Don Giovanni, which opens today, is a presentation of one of the seminal operas in history, a work that has held a special fascination for audiences, composers and singers since its first performance in Prague in 1787.
But this Don Giovanni also marks a departure for the West Palm Beach opera company in that it will be the U.S. debut of the Italian director Stefano Poda, whose rethought, boldly imaginative productions of Massenet’s Thaïs (for Turin’s Teatro Regio) and Verdi’s Falstaff (for the Royal Opera of Wallonia in Liège, Belgium) have singled out the 39-year-old as one of the hottest young up-and-coming directors in all of opera.
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What we tested: Estée Lauder Limited Edition Pure Color Nail Lacquer

Cost: $18

Where: Department stores

Product claims: Complete the ultimate holiday look with Pure Color Nail Lacquer in new, limited edition shades of gold and burgundy. Read the full story

BY HAP ERSTEIN

Love is Love, the world premiere musical revue by Martin Charnin and Richard Gray, is smart enough to concede upfront that it has no particular revelations about its title emotion. The problem, which Maltz Jupiter theatergoers should quickly perceive, is that it also doesn’t have anything new to say about the revue format.

What it does have is a terrific cast of five women, both Broadway veterans and Florida mainstays, who do everything they can to elevate the material they have been dealt. While the show is well produced and performed, it is hard to shake the feeling of déjà vu, even if you had never encountered I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change or Menopause: The Musical.

Against projected quotes on love from the likes of Mother Teresa to William Shakespeare to Phyllis Diller, we meet some two dozen characters who express themselves in songs or monologues on such loves as parental, marital, predatory, unrequited, tough and fan worship. Read the full story