Summer signals a feeding freezing fueled by seasonal produce – a bountiful harvest Clarendale Clayton’s director of culinary experience, Chef Adam Shaw, embraces as seen through his cornucopia of elevated plate creations he serves at the luxury high-rise for independent food-savvy senior residents.

“I look forward each year to the summer garden, especially the tomatoes and peaches – two of my favorites used in dishes we serve at our three in-house dining concepts, in addition to our patio option,” Shaw said.

Shaw is a classically trained chef whose culinary resume includes tenure at the Ritz Carlton, River City, and he was the opening chef at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis. This allowed him to hone his skills and expand his repertoire utilizing innovative techniques, such as molecular cooking, which has become popular with creative chefs and relies on chemistry to create unexpected dishes that push the boundaries of traditional food. An excellent example is Shaw’s Lemon Caviar, used to garnish his traditional Shrimp Cocktail – great fun for both the chef and diners.

CLARENDALE SHRIMP COCKTAIL WITH LEMON CAVIAR

Servings: 4

1 pound (16-20 count per pound) peeled and deveined cooked shrimp
4 cups shredded leaf lettuce
1/4 cup Lemon Caviar
1/4 cup Louie or Thousand Island Sauce
1/4 cup cocktail sauce

Chill four salad plates or one large serving platter. Arrange lettuce in middle of plates, arrange shrimp over top. Sprinkle or spoon lemon caviar over shrimp. Serve with Louie, Thousand Island or cocktail sauce on the side.

LEMON CAVIAR

2 cups olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Agar-Agar powder (plant-based gelatin)

Chill oil for 30 minutes in freezer. Bring lemon juice to a boil, add Agar-Agar, and stir to dissolve. Remove from heat. Fill a syringe with lemon mixture. Slowly drip lemon mixture over the oil, which will form balls and drop to the bottom of the bowl. Using a straining spoon, strain caviar balls from the oil. Store in refrigerator until ready to use. Stores well for a few days.

For more of Chef Adam Shaw's recipes, and to read the full article, click here.