SHOW & RECIPE FOR SEPT. 1

PICO’S TOURS MEXICO
Everybody talks about “regional Mexican cuisine” – or perhaps the plural “cuisines” is more appropriate – but generally speaking, no one does anything about it. Or them. Until now. Chef-owner Arnaldo Richards of Pico’s Mex-Mex (the name itself is a hoot, here in Tex-Mexville) has a special dinner coming up in which each course will hail from a different region of Mexico. Arnaldo will join us in the studio with a tasting of some of those dishes, plus talk about the perfect wine, or more likely margarita, to accompany them.

NEW COCKTAIL CONCEPT
These days, making a cocktail has become de rigeur again for millions of Americans – after a lot of years in which wine and beer pretty much ruled the roost. Thanks to boosts from a lot of directions, including the revival of the martini and a host of other great American classics, the cocktail as once enjoyed on movie screens by Nick and Nora Charles is stylish once again. And speaking of stylish… we welcome our suave French old friend Jean-Francois Bonnette back into our studio to talk about some fresh ideas in cocktails he is working with these days.

THE ECONOMIST OF FOOD
Tyler Cowen is an author and a professor of economics at George Mason University. Which means he’s hardly the most likely guest on Delicious Mischief. But we couldn’t help noticing a host of fascinating topics in his new book called “Discover Your Inner Economist.” Among the notions we’ll discuss with our new favorite prof are: How to choose the right restaurant in a foreign city, how to get the best dish at a fancy restaurant, why appetizers are better than main courses (we have some thoughts on that one!), and why you should ask yourself “What sounds the least appetizing?”

This Week’s Delicious Mischief Recipe…
SALMON TARTARE WITH MEXICAN AVOCADOS
Chef Jason Gould, Gravitas

1 pound fresh salmon, finely minced
1 red onion, peeled and finely diced
3 ounces finely cut chives
Juice of 3 lemons
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 avocados
½ cup of buttermilk
Salt and white pepper
4 large shallots
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ cup rice wine vinegar
1 English cucumber, thinly shaved
1 head frisse lettuce

Mix salmon, onions and chive together in a bowl and keep refrigerated. Mix 1/2 lemon juice and olive oil together and season with salt and pepper to make a dressing. Puree avocados with butter milk, remainder of lemon juice and salt and pepper. Slice shallots into rings. Mix sugar and vinegar together and bring to boil. Add sliced shallot and let cool.Combine the salmon mixture with the dressing. Place a large spoonful of avocado mix on plate. Carefully place salmon mix in the center of avocado mix. In a separate bowl, mix frisee with cucumbers and pickled shallots. Garnish salmon with salad. Serves 4.