A Worldly Dinner

This is a meal that gets its inspiration from several places. Tandoori grilled shrimp, served with a warm curry potato salad, obviously gets its key flavors from India. Rice-crusted tuna with crisp noodles and lime salad is full of Japanese flavors. Peach and blueberry cobbler is old-fashioned heartland cooking.

The recipes come from Jody Denton, an accomplished chef who has worked at Wolfgang Puck’s defunct Eureka restaurant in Los Angeles, the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, Mark Miller’s Red Sage in Washington and is currently at the Eccentric in Chicago.

Denton’s shrimp dish is delicious and versatile--perfect for an appetizer (it’s served that way at the Eccentric), as a great light supper with a mixed green salad, or as a colorful buffet dish. Toasting the paprika and cumin brings out their flavor. Place the spices on a baking sheet and toast about 5 minutes at 300 degrees; watch carefully so that they don’t burn.

The rice-crusted tuna is crisp, tasty, quick and easy once you have the toasted rice on hand. And the technique of pan-searing tuna is a great idea for many other fish fillets. It’s another dish that works for dinner or lunch (in smaller portions) or as a buffet offering. Though the fish is best cooked at the last minute (and the salad tossed just before serving), all the components can be prepared ahead.

The cobbler is served at the Eccentric in individual souffle dishes. I’ve adapted the recipe to make one large cobbler, which is more feasible for home cooking. You can use loose frozen peaches and blueberries--it is not necessary to thaw the fruit, though it may take longer for the juices to flow. Don’t worry if the top crust isn’t perfect--the cracks and the uneven juices that flow through make the cobbler very attractive. Serve it warm with ice cream.

JODY DENTON’S TANDOORI GRILLED SHRIMP WITH WARM CURRY POTATO SALAD

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika, toasted

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons ground cumin, toasted

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 medium jalapeno chile, minced

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled with tail on, about 16 shrimp

Warm Curry Potato Salad

Combine yogurt, ginger, paprika, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, cardamom, jalapeno, cilantro and lemon juice in mixing bowl. Add shrimp, coat thoroughly and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours.

To serve, grill shrimp over medium-hot fire, turning once, about 5 minutes total. Divide Warm Curry Potato Salad among 4 warm dinner plates. Garnish each with 4 shrimp. Serve hot or very warm. Makes 4 appetizer servings.

Each serving contains about:

389 calories; 1,400 mg sodium; 174 mg cholesterol; 14 grams fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 30 grams protein; 1.65 grams fiber.

Warm Curry Potato Salad

1 pound new potatoes, cut into lengthwise wedges

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 medium sweet red pepper, julienned

1/2 medium sweet yellow pepper, julienned

1/2 medium onion, julienned

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon curry powder

2 plum tomatoes, cut into lengthwise wedges

2 teaspoons minced ginger

1/2 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Put potatoes on non-stick or vegetable-sprayed baking sheet. Toss with 1 tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown and just tender, about 20 minutes, turning potatoes once midway. Remove from oven. Set aside. Can be done few hours ahead and kept at room temperature.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until smoking hot. Add red and yellow peppers and onion. Cook until tender, about 3 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic, curry powder, tomatoes, ginger, paprika, cayenne, lemon juice and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until hot, about 2 minutes. Can be made ahead to this point and kept at room temperature.

When ready to serve, gently reheat pepper mixture if made ahead. Add roasted potatoes, gently tossing. Makes about 4 servings.

THE ECCENTRIC’S RICE-CRUSTED TUNA WITH CRISP NOODLES AND LIME

3/4 cup rice

1 small carrot, finely julienned

1 sweet red pepper, finely julienned

1 rib celery, thinly sliced

1 rib bok choy, thinly sliced

2 navel oranges, peeled and segments removed

2 cups mixed field greens

2 cups fried chow mein noodles

1/2 cup Lime Dressing

1 tablespoon minced ginger

3/4 cup tamari or soy sauce

4 (6-ounce) fresh tuna fillets

2 tablespoons oil

Spread rice on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until medium brown, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool. Place toasted rice in blender. Blend until mixture is cornmeal consistency with no whole grains left. Can be done 1 week ahead and refrigerated.

Place carrot, red pepper, celery, bok choy, orange segments and greens into bowl. Toss gently. Can be refrigerated few hours, covered airtight.

When ready to serve, toss salad with chow mein noodles. Add Lime Dressing. Toss gently. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Place ground rice in flat dish. Combine ginger and tamari in separate flat dish. Dip both sides of tuna fillets into sauce mixture. Coat fillets with rice mixture.

Heat oil in 12-inch heavy skillet until smoky hot. Lay fillets in pan. Cook on both sides according to taste, about 3 minutes total for rare, depending on thickness of fish. Do not overcook. Tuna dries out when overcooked.

Divide salad among 4 chilled dinner plates. Top salads with tuna fillets. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

569 calories; 2,014 mg sodium; 52 mg cholesterol; 21 grams fat; 56 grams carbohydrates; 39 grams protein; 0.94 gram fiber.

*

Lime Dressing

2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots

1 teaspoon chopped cilantro

1/2 teaspoon chopped mint

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

2 teaspoons chopped basil

Combine fish sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, shallots, cilantro, mint, garlic and basil in stainless-steel bowl and mix well. Leftover dressing can be kept in refrigerator until needed. Makes 1 cup.

DEEP-DISH PEACH AND BLUEBERRY COBBLER

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

7 tablespoons sugar

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup whole almonds, lightly toasted, finely ground in processor or blender

Salt

5 cups peaches, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks

2 cups blueberries

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter

Ice cream, optional

Cream butter and sugar. Fold in 1 cup flour, almonds and dash salt. Mix until well combined. When ready to use, roll dough 1/8-inch thick on well-floured board.

Combine peaches, blueberries and lemon juice in large bowl.

Combine remaining 3 tablespoons flour, brown sugar and dash salt in small dish. Add to fruit. Toss gently until combined.

Place fruit in 6-cup-capacity shallow baking dish, mounding mixture in center. Dot with small bits of butter. Cover with rolled-out dough, tucking in around edges and patching where necessary. Place dish on baking pan.

Bake on center oven rack at 350 degrees until top is golden brown and fruit juices bubble, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream. Can be reheated at 300 degrees about 20 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving, without ice cream, contains about:

415 calories; 103 mg sodium; 46 mg cholesterol; 19 grams fat; 59 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.96 gram fiber.