Emerald Coast Chefs

A famous name with a Destin connection is the connection for the latest "Emerald Coast Chefs" segment on Beach TV.

Trader Vic's in the Palms of Destin Resort is in the spotlight on the series at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Sundays through July 22. It's one of 29 sites worldwide in the Trader Vic's chain, which started in 1932 in the San Francisco pub famous for tropical cocktails and Americanized adaptations of Polynesian food.

Executive Chef Juan Palerm doesn't overlook those signature drinks in his visit with Margit Bisztray in the Beach TV kitchen. "We have over 80 cocktails," he says, including the Destin Hurricane. "Rum is big at Trader Vic's," he says. "Plus there are hundreds of other different varieties of stuff we can do."

Palerm was born at Eglin Air Force Base and "was raised around the country," he says in a submitted biography. He attended the University of West Florida and received a bachelor's degree in international studies and a master's degree in political science.

He began cooking, Palerm says, to pay for school. He returned to the restaurant business in the Sandestin/Destin area after three years in Japan teaching English as a second language.

He trained at Trader Vic's in San Francisco and spent time in Aspen, Colo., as the interim executive chef at Ruth's Chris Steak House.

Along with Bisztray, Palerm prepares Pan-Fried Pompano with Asian Hollandaise. Though cooks will want to watch the segment for precise techniques, Palerm did provide a summarized recipe:

Asian Hollandaise

3 egg yolks

9 ounces clarified unsalted better

Sesame chili oil

Chili oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sake

Juice of 2 limes

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 tablespooon finely chopped cilantro

Combine all ingredients except cilantro, egg yolks and butter in a small saucepan. Reduce over low heat until nearly dry, remove from heat and moisten with a small amount of water.

Add the reduced sauce to a mixing bowl, then add egg yolks. Cook over a pot of boiling water, constantly stirring but not scrambling the eggs. When the eggs begin to increase in volume, the mixture is ready for the clarified butter.

Remove from heat and whisk in the butter slowly, to prevent breaking the sauce. Add the fresh cilantro.

Once emulsified, the sauce can be used right away or held for two to three hours.

Trader Vic's in the Palms of Destin Resort at 4201 Two Trees Road, off Emerald Coast Parkway/U.S. 98. Phone: (850) 351-0900.