Sustainable and spiritual cuisine

Photo credit: Sunrise Ranch

Article written by Rhonda Macier Lathen, excerpts from SunriseRanch.org

If you find yourself dining on healthy ingredients that have been plucked from our earth by people who have a commitment to healthy living in mind and spirit, then it’s hard to deny that something bigger than ourselves plays a part in nourishing our bodies.  

Kimberly Foster, Global Community Marketer at Sunrise Ranch, recently moved to Loveland, Colorado after spending most of her life in California. She was kind enough to share a tour of the ranch with Culinary Latitudes Travel, including an unexpected and “beyond-organic” dining experience at their Pavilion. The 5-acre farm goes above and beyond USDA organic regulations. “The ranch is proud of the fact that since 1945 we have never used chemical fertilizers or pesticides.”

Photo credit: Sunrise Ranch, Celia feeding chickens

Ms. Foster introduced us to the Executive Chef Barret W. Barth , and we learned that his wife and 3 daughters live on the premises with him in exchange for his farm-to-table culinary creations. An off the cuff interview with their chef provided us with an inside look at dining experiences offered at Sunrise Ranch. “I don’t like to follow a recipe. I just use what ingredients are at hand and create something new every day” states Chef Barret. From large metal hooks for hanging aged-dried meats to a refrigerator bigger than most homeowner’s bedrooms, he has everything an experienced chef would wish for to run a full kitchen. 

Chef Barret shares a few tips with Culinary Latitudes, llc owner, Rhonda Macier Lathen

As a young boy, Barret would ask to be excused from the table at restaurants so he could spy on the kitchens and watch the chefs work. This fascination was just the beginning as 11-year old Barret requested an omelet pan for his birthday, not Legos or a skate-board as most boys his age would like. His family would awake to the smell of breakfast being prepared every morning. His first paying job in the food industry was bussing tables and doing food prep at age 12 in a Jersey Greek restaurant. At age 15 he and his father moved to the Mountainous region where they purchased and ran a place called the Stew Pot, currently the oldest restaurant in Snow Mass, Colorado. Under their management, this restaurant became the highest-grossing business per square foot in the Roaring Fork Valley.

At age 17 Barth’s he joined the U.S. Navy and was stationed in San Diego, California, aboard the USS Long Beach CGN-9. He cruised the Pacific for almost three years as a cook where he was allowed to pursue his love of the culinary arts. “My time in the Navy was where I got my culinary training” shared Chef Barret.

Back in Colorado he met his wife and they decided to move to Florida where he worked at Ophelia’s on the Bay. Sarasota was good to him and he was quickly noticed as one of the top 200 chefs in Florida while working at this award-winning restaurant. The chef's journey in the culinary world allowed him to consult for restaurants, work in hospitals including Meals on Wheels services, and brought him to his current position at Sunrise Ranch.

With his staff cut in half due to the pandemic, guests still claim one of their favorite parts of staying at the ranch is the food! When asked what the chef would like his guests to know about him he shares “My desire to serve and glorify God."  His experience at the ranch has been nothing but positive.

Travel to distant places is not on Chef Barret’s mind. Today he would just like to travel “anywhere in the U.S. …. maybe Hawaii”. His time in the Navy filled his need to explore further.

You might want to visit Sunrise Ranch or check out the Fort Collins or Loveland farmer’s market to purchase some of the same organic vegetables, grass-fed meats, and other pantry items the chef uses to prepare gourmet meals at Sunrise Ranch.

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If you are thinking about distant places and would like to chat about booking a 2021 experience, contact us with your information and we’d be happy to assist you!

The Original Norwegain Waffle

For best result, use a traditional Norwegian waffle iron.

Ingredients
6 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup melted butter

Instructions
1. In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract until creamy.

2. Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined.

3. Add in sour cream and melted butter and mix until the batter is smooth. Let it rest for 20 minutes before making the waffles.

4. Heat a heart-shaped waffle iron and spray it with nonstick cooking spray or brush with melted butter.

5. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter onto the waffle iron, close, and cook until light brown. Serve with butter and brown cheese, or whipped cream topped with jam.

Now that you’ve satisfied your taste of Norway, why not check into an experience in this magical destination? Contact us for ideas on how to travel to Norway!

Tour of the Azamara Luxury Boutique Ship

Click here to see an in-depth tour of the Azamara ship you can book for a Norway Experience & Perry Golf package … or you can book anywhere in the world for that matter! This small ship cruise line sails to Alaska, Asia, Antarctica, South America, Africa, the Caribbean, and some of your favorites destinations like Greece, Iceland, The United Kingdom, Spain, Croatia, Italy and so many more cool places.

If Norway is on your bucket list you’ll want to check out the available excursions. There will be more added as we get closer to 2021!

While it lasts, you can book a luxury vacation with 50% off the 2nd guest and up to $1,000 on onboard credit. Azamara is offering reduced deposits and other great ways to make your trip worthwhile and keep money in your pockets to spend while abroad. Did you know this cruise line only has 350 cabins? Bookings always include free gratuities, free drinks (yes … wine, beer, an cocktails too), and usually a free excursion with sailing 7 nights or longer.

Please contact us for more information or to learn how you can earn a free trip with a group. Your credit can be shared with all in the group or you, as the ‘pied piper’ and use it yourself! We’ve personally sailed with Azamara to Greece, Croatia, Montenegro, Venice, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, and Singapore and are happy to answer any questions you may have on a 700 passenger vacation as good as any land vacation you can find!

Firecracker Grilled Alaska Salmon

This recipe serves 8 people and is a great way to change up the flavors of your usual grilled salmon dinner. Enjoy!

• 8 (4 ounce) fillets salmon

• 1/2 cup peanut oil

• 4 tablespoons soy sauce

• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 4 tablespoons green onions, chopped

• 3 teaspoons brown sugar

• cloves garlic, minced

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

  1. Place salmon filets in a medium, nonporous glass dish. In a separate medium bowl, combine the peanut oil, soy sauce, vinegar, green onions, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, sesame oil and salt. Whisk together well, and pour over the fish. Cover and marinate the fish in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.

  2. Prepare an outdoor grill with coals about 5 inches from the grate, and lightly oil the grate.

  3. Grill the fillets 5 inches from coals for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at the thickest part, or until fish just flakes with a fork. Turn over halfway through cooking.

Looking to travel to Alaska in the near future? Contact us to chat about your option. We are happy to help!

Tahitian-Style Poisson Cru

For Six People

Ingredients

• 500g of red tuna

• 2 tomato

• 1 small cucumber

• 2 green limes

• 1 onion

• coconut milk

• parsley

• 1 green onion

• salt

• pepper

Cut the fish into small pieces and soak it in seawater or salt water for 5 minutes. In a salad bowl, put diced tomatoes and cucumbers, thinly sliced onion, cut green onion and chopped parsley. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper and let soak for a few minutes. Drain the fish, add to the bowl and mix well with other ingredients. Add the coconut milk at the last minute.

Serve immediately.

Windstar's Maple Siracha Drumsticks

Chef Steven Raichlen shares his masterpieces with Windstar guests.

Photo credit: Matthew Benson, 2018

Only four ingredients, easy to eat drumsticks with a sweet fiery maple-siracha are simple, yet astonishingly tasty. This often overlooked cut delivers a rich meaty flavor with a touch of Scotch whiskey to add to the additional smoke flavor.

Excerpted from Project Fire by Steven Raichlen.

To book a luxury Windstar sailing where they serve recipes like this, contact Culinary Latitudes today!

Click each line below to see more info about a Windstar sailing:

Overview

Accommodations

Amenities

Dining

RECIPE

Chicken Prep

12 large chicken drumsticks

1 Tbsp coarse salt (sea or kosher)

1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbsp hot red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Place drumsticks in mixing bowl, sprinkle with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and olive oil, stirring to coat well. 

Maple-Sriracha Glaze

6 Tbsp unsalted butter

5 Tbsp pure maple syrup

¼ cup sriracha, or more to taste

3 Tbsp Scotch whisky

Melt butter in saucepan over high heat, stir in maple syrup, sriracha and whisky. Boil until mixture is syrupy, 3-to-5 minutes.

Indirect Grilling

On a charcoal grill, rake coals into two mounds at opposite sides of grill and cook chicken in center. On gas grill, light the outside burners and grill in center.

Smoke-Roasting

Add hardwood (two chunks or 1 ½ cups wood chips, soaked in water for 30 minutes, then drained) to charcoal coals. On gas grill, make smoker pouch by folding heavy-duty aluminum foil over wood chips and poking holes in top to release smoke. 

Ready, Set, Grill!

• Set up grill for indirect grilling and heat to medium-high. Before cooking, scrape grill grate clean and brush grill grate with vegetable oil.

• Arrange drumsticks rounded-side up in single layer in center of grill. Add wood to coals or smoker pouch under grill grate and over outside burners.

• Close grill lid. Indirect grill drumsticks until skin is crisp and well browned. Cook 40 to 50 minutes, to internal temperature of 170ºF.

• About 5 minutes before chicken is done, brush all sides with glaze. Repeat just before removing drumsticks from grill. 

• Arrange drumsticks on platter and pour remaining glaze over them. Sprinkle with cilantro, chives or scallion greens and serve.

Excerpted from Project Fire by Steven Raichlen (Workman Publishing). Copyright © 2018. Photographs by Matthew Benson

Learn New Recipes from Cruise Chefs

“To elevate their culinary offerings, our cruise partners enlist high-caliber chefs to launch onboard restaurants and plan sophisticated menus. Here we have gathered several inspiring how-to-videos from inspiring chefs and mixologists across the fleets.”

CLICK HERE to see seven amazing recipes!