The tequila marinated Heart of Palm Ceviche, Heart of Palm Crab Cakes, and Maple Roasted Heart of Palm, Sweet Potato Marble with a Pomegranate Vinaigrette pack a lot of flavor into each dish!

The Four Seasons Resort Maui’s Executive Chef Craig Dryhurst.

Tequila Marinated Heart of Palm Ceviche with Avocado Salad
(Serves 4)

INGREDIENTS:
500g of heart of palm, finely diced (tender stalk only)
2 coconut cut in half with meat removed
Meat of one coconut, finely diced
½ cup of fresh squeezed lime
½ cup of fresh squeezed lemon
¼ cup of gold tequila
1 ripe mango, diced
½ red onion, finely diced
½ red bell pepper, finely diced
1 hot chilli, seeded and finely diced
1 tsp of fresh grated ginger
½ cup of fresh chopped coriander

Combine all ingredients together and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve inside the coconut shell and garnish with cilantro

Heart of Palm Crab Cakes

INGREDIENTS
2 heart of palm, steamed and chopped in large pieces
1 pinch cayenne pepper
½ tsp fresh chopped cilantro
Few pinches of salt
½ cup panko crumbs
¼ cup chopped scallions
¼ cup frozen corn kernels
1/8 cup minced prepared roasted red pepper (gently squeeze some of the moisture out after mincing)
½ lemon juiced
¾  cup corn flour
oil, for pan frying

Place the hearts of palm into a food processor and pulse three times. You’ll want the mixture to be broken up, but still a little chunky. (You can also gently mash with a fork.) Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized bowl.

Add the cayenne, cilantro, and salt, and gently stir to coat. Fold in the rest of the crab cake ingredients. Cover and allow to refrigerate for about an hour.

When you are ready to make the crab cakes, place the corn flour into a shallow wide bowl. Place a pan (preferably cast iron) over medium heat for about 3 minutes.

While you are preheating your pan, divide the cake mixture in half, then form 3 equal portions from each half to create 6 equal-sized portions. Roll them into balls, then flatten them out between your palms a bit. Gently place them, one by one, into the corn flour until well coated, tapping off any extra. They will be really fragile, so if they break apart, just gently reshape and redust with the flour as needed.

Coat the bottom of the pan with oil, wait one minute, then gently place the crab cakes into the hot pan. Pan fry for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Transfer to paper towels to slightly drain.

Green Garbanzo Bean Puree
2 cups green garbanzo beans

Puree the cooked beans in a little water in a blender and reserve in the fridge.

As a garnish, Chef Craig Dryhurst suggests this Pineapple Pico de Gallo Recipe

Pineapple Pico de Gallo
10oz diced roma tomatoes
2 oz jalapeño, deseeded and finely chopped
1 oz red onion, finely diced
½ oz cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juiced
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
2 pinch cumin

Combine the vegetables with cilantro and lime juice. Adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and cumin.

Maple Roasted Heart of Palm, Sweet Potato Marble, Pomegranate Vinaigrette
2 heart of palm
1 purple sweet potato
1 yam
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp organic maple syrup
3 oz toasted and chopped walnuts
1 oz chopped chives
2 oz pomegranate seeds
½ oz grapeseed oil

Pomegranate Vinaigrette
16oz pomegranate juice
2.5oz orange juice
2.5oz pink grapefruit juice
½ tbsp cranberry puree
5.3oz glucose

Reduction:
Pass all of the juices through a fine chinois and add the glucose and reduce, skimming all of the brown foam as it comes to the top as this will eventually discolor the final product. When reduced by half, take a little of the reduction and infuse the cranberry puree into it. Then through a very fine strainer pass it back into the reduction. Reduce until desired consistency, then chill and refrigerate.

On pick up, add the walnuts, chives and pomegranate seeds into some of the reduction and top with a little grapeseed oil.

Maple Roasted Heart of Palm:
Steam the heart of palm until tender. Remove the inside of the heart of palm. It should be like a baton.

Heat a heavy bottomed skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add oil until just starting to smoke and add the heart of palm. Roast moving the pan frequently and control at a medium heat. When the heart of palm is starting to brown, add the maple syrup and turn the heat down a touch. Continue to roast until caramelized and heart of palm is hot all the way through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Potato marble
Steam both potatoes in their skins until soft. Remove the flesh from the potatoes and keep separate.

On pick up, steam the potato until hot and mix the two potato purees together. Do not mix too much. Just until you get the marble effect.

Awapuhi Pake Lemonade
4 cups of lemon juice
2 cups of ginger, peeled and grated
3 cups simple syrup
½ gallon water
2 tbsp of mint

Add ice if you prefer, and garnish with edible flowers.