Norman Van Aken welcomes you to his Key West kitchen not as the landmark chef that he is, but as a traveler turned conch, a guy who knows the steamy southernmost city and its flavors as well as he knows his own heart.

Van Aken’s newly released cookbook, “My Key West Kitchen” ($29.95 Kyle Books), is less cooking manual than it is a love manifesto to the island that cradled his earliest culinary explorations.

It was in Key West that a 19-year-old Van Aken landed after hitchhiking from Northern Illinois in 1971. It was there that he worked his way through a series of the island’s kitchens, from the humble to the ambitious. It was there that, after a stint at the old Jupiter Beach Hilton, where he mentored a promising new cook named Charlie Trotter in 1984, he returned — to make his home.

It was there that his son, Justin, was born. Justin Van Aken, who co-wrote the newly released cookbook, has carved out his own culinary career and currently lives in Key West. Because Key West isn’t its fullest, flavor-wise, unless there’s a Van Aken in town.

The book is a departure from Norman Van Aken’s four previous cookbooks, which are filled with intricate procedures and more “cheffy” undertakings.

“This is the quickest book we’ve done. It came out of our real-life experiences. This is the way we live when we want to have our most sane selves with us,” Van Aken said by phone last week. He will make two appearances during the Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival early next month. (See box for details.)

At 60, Van Aken is commanding one of Miami’s top fine dining restaurants, Tuyo, as well as Norman’s at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando.

He’s also in writing mode. He’s finished a memoir, to be released next year, and has started working on a series of books exploring the history and cultural fusion of Florida regional foods.

In the newly released cookbook, he offers a local’s view of the island that captured his curiosity at the end of that hitchhiking adventure and drew him back the following two years. In 1973, Van Aken landed a night gig at a rough-hewn joint called The Midget. “It was a 24-hour barbecue place that had a tree growing out of the corrugated metal roof,” he said. “I told the owner, ‘I don’t have experience,’ and he said, ‘Ah, don’t worry – they’re so (drunk) they don’t care.’”

The chef who would come to be known as the founding father of New World Cuisine worked at more than a dozen restaurants before taking his breakout job as chef of Louie’s Backyard, the game-changing restaurant perched at the point where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Gulf of Mexico. It was there that Van Aken, the self-taught chef who immersed himself in culinary tomes detailing formal French technique, had an epiphany.

He blogged about this a couple of years ago: “My day-to-day eating experience was of vibrant New World flavors — West Indian chutneys and Central American plantains, Bahamian conch salad and Cuban steak a la parrilla — in the cafés and open-air market stalls of Old Key West. Slowly but surely the magic of those foods and their special language came to define me as a chef.”

In the new book, Van Aken retraces his steps in the New World’s back alleys. He recalls the great black-eyed pea fritters (bollos) he’d buy at the take-out window at the laundromat, the fish sandwich with restorative powers at the Full Moon Saloon, the cracked conch at the fry shop on Petronia, the plantain soup at El Meson de Pepe on Duval.

“Whatever I’ve accomplished in New World cuisine wouldn’t have happened without Key West. It opened my eyes. It was rustic and vibrant and multinational,” he said last week. “We’re so glad we can show Key West to the world beyond conch fritters and beer and half-naked women.”

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MEET NORMAN VAN AKEN

The chef makes two appearances during the upcoming Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival:

Corks & Champagne with Bites by Norman

• Van Aken joins master sommelier Virginia Philip for an intimate afternoon of creative food bites and wine and Champagne pairings. Tickets are $75 at PBFoodWineFest.com

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  Saturday Dec. 8, 1 to 2:30 p.m., Virginia Philip Wine Shop & Academy, 101 N. Clematis Street, Suite 150, West Palm Beach.

6th Annual Grand Tasting

• Van Aken offers bites from his Tuyo restaurant of Miami as he joins the lineup of distinguished chefs and eateries participating in the festival’s closing event.Tickets are $125 at PBFoodWineFest.com

• Tuesday Dec. 11, 6 to 9 p.m., 150 Worth shopping plaza, Palm Beach

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

“My Key West Kitchen” ($29.95, Kyle Books), by Norman Van Aken and Justin Van Aken, is available at Amazon.com

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ABOUT THE FESTIVAL:

The 2012 Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival, which runs from Dec. 7 through the 11, is set to bring a constellation of culinary stars to Palm Beach and environs.

Headliners include visiting celebrity chefs Robert Irvine, Elizabeth Falkner, Stephanie Izard, David Burke, Chris Hastings, Mike Lata, Jeff Mauro, Jeff McInnis, Marc Murphy, Kevin Sbraga, Stephen Stryjewski, Olivier Reginensi, Jacques Torres, Marc Vetri, Fabio Viviani, and Daniel Boulud, along with local stars such as Clay Conley, Zach Bell and Lindsay Autry.

For tickets: visit PBFoodWineFest.com

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ABOUT THE RECIPES:

The following recipes and passages are adapted from chef Norman Van Aken’s newly released cookbook, “My Key West Kitchen.”

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SUNSHINE’S KEY LIME PIES

“The first time I saw a key lime pie was a few days after I started at the Midget. It was about 8 a.m. and I was having a cold beer, reading a newspaper, and getting ready to go home to bed. I noticed a young lady named Sunshine arriving through the doorless bar on her bicycle, wearing a cotton barely-there dress, a large hibiscus flower behind her left ear and bearing a tray containing two pale yellow pies. She explained that she only prepared two at a time or the taste would “get lost”; besides, she only had room for two pies in her bicycle basket. I drained the beer and saved my pie for later. (By the way, Sunshine went on to manage some business affairs for a guy named Jimmy Buffett, so she probably makes pies only for pleasure now.)”

Makes: 2 pies (of course!)

CRUST:

3/4 cup sliced almonds, lightly pan-toasted

One 4.8-ounce package graham crackers, crushed in the bag

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2⁄3 cup unsalted butter, melted

Two 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk

One 12-ounce bottle key lime juice

10 extra-large egg yolks (reserve the clean whites for the meringue)

SWISS MERINGUE:

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup egg whites

Pinch kosher salt

Place the almonds in a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pulse until well ground, but not quite dust. The mixture can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week if not using right away.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the melted butter to combine. Divide evenly between 2 pie pans. Press the crust firmly onto the bottoms and up the sides of the pans, making a small rim.

Bake the crusts until bubbling and turning from shiny to matte, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool in the pans on a wire rack.

Pour the condensed milk into a large bowl and stir in the key lime juice. In another large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until pale yellow Add the key lime mixture, stir well and pour into the pie crusts. Tap the pans on the countertop to remove any air bubbles and bake for about 15 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. Let the pies cool

to room temperature, then wrap and refrigerate for up to 10 hours.

When you are ready to serve the pies, make the meringue. Set a pan of water large enough to fit the bowl of your mixer to a simmer. Add the sugar, egg whites and salt to the bowl and whisk gently by hand over the simmering water until the mixture is room temperature and you can’t feel any sugar granules when you roll the mixture around in your fingertips. Transfer the bowl to its mixer and whip on high speed until the meringue turns bright white and holds medium peaks. Apply the finished meringue to the chilled pies. Torch at will.

Ingredient Note: “The so-called key lime, a small, round fruit with a thin skin and a mottled yellow-green look, is, according to some, the ‘true’ lime, Citrus aurantifolia. It is more tart than Citrus latifolia, the lime commonly found in the produce section of most grocery stores. Key lime trees were established as early as 1839. Gail Borden invented condensed milk in 1853 to give people in pioneer conditions safe milk that would keep longer than fresh whole milk. Some creative genius in the Keys combined sweetened condensed milk with key lime juice and eggs to make the first key lime pies.’ He (or she) would not be the last!”

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CARAMELIZED PLANTAIN SOUP WITH SMOKED HAM & SOUR CREAM

“We tasted a plantain soup at El Meson de Pepe (which used to be on Duval back then) and, afterward, plantains would never be far from my kitchen—they were the first exotic food I tried in Key West that just nailed me. What was truly remarkable was how they made all the other things on my plate so harmoniously delicious. At first I didn’t understand how to handle plantains when I cooked them for us at home. I had no abuela coaxing me to ‘let them ripen, chico!’ … But you live and learn: I know now that the green ones are good for chips and tostones and the black, or maduros, are good sweetly caramelized.” Norman Van Aken.

Serves 4

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon pure olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 very ripe plantains, skinned and sliced into 1/2-inch-thick pieces

Pinch each salt, sugar and cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 leeks, cleaned and finely diced, white parts only

1 large carrot, trimmed, peeled and finely diced

1 sweet onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 Scotch bonnet chile, stemmed, seeded and minced

1 cup fresh orange juice

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups heavy cream

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

GARNISH

1/2 cup cooked ham, diced or shredded

1/2 cup sour cream

Add the oil and butter to a large saucepan and heat over medium high.

Add the plantains, season with the pinches of salt, sugar and cayenne, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the plantains have browned, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the turmeric, leeks, carrot, onion, garlic and chile pepper and cook until the vegetables are nicely caramelized, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the orange juice and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to a high simmer and cook the soup for about 12 minutes or until the orange juice is reduced by half. Stir in the heavy cream, turn up the heat and reduce the soup for about 5 minutes, until it reaches a creamy consistency. Remove from the heat and, using a hand blender, puree the soup until smooth. I do not strain it but you may if you like. Season to taste. Keep warm. Just before serving, stir the ham into the soup to warm it up. Ladle the soup into cups or bowls and dollop with sour cream.

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CONCH & GRITS WITH SALSA ROSA

“Time and time again, eating in town and strolling the quiet lanes of Key West awakens my imagination. One morning after I’d had my breakfast grits, I couldn’t pass up a fresh batch of cracked conch from the Conch Shop on Petronia, where Shorty has been dipping conch in a fryer for most of his 86 years in Key West. The light crispy batter and fresh, slightly chewy conch meat made me wish I had them with my grits! I’ve enjoyed shrimp and grits throughout the South, especially in Charleston, SC, but I wanted to pay homage to the mollusk that Key Westers are nicknamed for in another way besides chowder and fritters. So, I married a Charlestonian idea to a Key West one and sealed the union with fiery Salsa Rosa.” Norman Van Aken

Serves 4

SALSA ROSA

1/2 cup minced slab bacon, rind trimmed and discarded

1/4 cup pure olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

3 shallots, thinly sliced

1⁄3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

2 cups Chicken Stock (page 161)

6 tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped

(about 3 cups)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1⁄3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

CONCH

11/2 pounds conch meat, cleaned and

pounded very thinly

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 large eggs, beaten

11/2 cups panko breadcrumbs

Canola oil, for frying

1 recipe Cheesy Corn Grits (see recipe below)

Make the salsa rosa: Heat a large heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the bacon and oil and cook until the bacon fat is fully rendered. Transfer the bacon to a plate to crisp up.

Add the butter to the oil and increase the heat to medium. Add the garlic and shallots and sauté, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the sugar and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and vinegar and reduce by half. Add the chicken stock, turn up the heat to high and reduce by half. Add the tomatoes, season with salt pepper and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat. Stir in the basil. Season with salt and pepper. If desired, puree in the blender, as I like to do.

Prepare the conch: Place the conch meat in a medium bowl, season with salt and pepper and marinate in the lemon juice for 30 minutes.

Remove and pat dry. Place the flour, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs in 3 separate shallow bowls. Dredge the conch in the flour, dip in the eggs, and dredge in the breadcrumbs. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, set aside the conch for a few minutes to allow time for the breadcrumbs to adhere.

Over medium heat, heat enough canola oil to coat the bottom of a large nonstick skillet. Fry the conch on each side until golden and cooked through. Transfer the conch to paper towels to drain, then cut into ribbons.

Spoon 3 tablespoons Salsa Rosa in the bottom of a large pasta bowl.

Add grits as desired (and serve the rest on the side for your hungrier guests!). Top with the conch ribbons and serve.

Ingredients note: “Conch must be pounded to render the meat tender. I use a meat pounder, placing the conch between sheets of plastic wrap. If you can’t get conch you can subsitute sautéed shrimp.”

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CHEESY CORN GRITS

“Growing up in the north, I didn’t learn to appreciate grits until Justin ordered them, so matter of factly for breakfast one morning at Blue Heaven in Bahama Village. He has a talent for getting me to try things his way— now I’m a fan, too!” Norman Van Aken.

Serves 4

3 cups whole milk

1 cup water

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup fine grits or polenta flour

1/2 cup grilled or sautéed corn kernels

2 to 3 jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded and minced

1 cup shredded queso blanco

In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the milk with the water, salt, pepper and butter and bring just to a boil. Whisk in the grits and stir constantly. After about 3 minutes, when the grits start to bubble and “splat,” lower the heat to medium-low and mix in the corn and jalapeños. Stir often to prevent sticking.

When the grits are thick and cooked through, about 25 minutes, add the cheese and whisk vigorously for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and continue to whisk for 1 more minute. Season to taste and keep warm until needed.