Gastronomy in the Garden

When you think of McKee Botanical Garden, you probably think of water lilies, trees, and bamboo. However, you might also think of freshly prepared food and delicious pastries.

For Dan Overstreet, executive chef of McKee’s Garden Café, inspiration comes naturally. “Just to come here and breathe in the environment every day makes this a great opportunity,” he says.

As befits these surroundings, Overstreet favors seasonal menus, with an emphasis on spring and fall. “Being in the garden, I look for spring menu dishes that are like spring incarnate. The fall menu is a little heavier and more rustic.” For each season, freshness is key.

Some items are popular all year long, such as the honey-roasted pear salad. “People love it. It’s the sweetest salad you’ve had in your life, and the honey balsamic vinaigrette is made in-house.” And sweet as the honey and pears are, they are given counterpoint by the balsamic vinegar, making for a complex blend of flavors—and a signature Garden Café dish.

Artisan flatbreads, including one that features a pesto base along with grilled chicken, grape tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and applewood smoked bacon, get their own section of the menu.

Overstreet brings wide experience to the venue, stating dryly, “I’ve been in the restaurant business since age 1.” His grandparents owned a restaurant in a rural North Florida town and passed it on to his mother. “So, basically, I was born and raised in the restaurant.”

He adds that since his father was a commercial fisherman, the family restaurant always had fresh seafood. “It wasn’t necessarily farm to table, but it was sea to table.”

Overstreet eventually decided to embrace his heritage by pursuing culinary arts himself—though he did move on from the “little itty-bitty town in North Florida” where the family restaurant had been located.

Sea Oaks is part of his Vero Beach résumé, and it was at its clubhouse that he learned the art of pastry. “Our pastry chef had quit,” he recalls. Overstreet stepped into the breach—reluctantly at first, but he found he loved it. “I thought I was going to be a pastry chef for the rest of my life.” Even now, as executive chef, he keeps his hand in the pastry game, making croissants and other treats featured at the Garden Café.

When he first arrived at the café, Overstreet says, “I read the room and realized people just want good food done right.” Along with the beautiful environment just outside the café door, that philosophy is the essence of garden cuisine.

Entrée: Citrus Infused Pork Loin

This is used for the Garden Café’s popular Cubano sandwiches, but it’s also great sliced as an entrée.

Serves 4

• 1/2 boneless pork loin (1–2 lbs.)
• 2 tbsp. granulated garlic
• 2 1/2 tbsp. kosher salt
• 2 tbsp. black pepper
• 2 tbsp. cumin
• 2 tbsp. oregano
• 2 tbsp. coriander
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tbsp. smoked paprika
• 1 medium orange, sliced
• 1 medium lime, sliced
• 1 medium lemon, sliced

Place pork loin on a half sheet pan with a resting rack. Clean any excess fat with a sharp knife.

In a bowl, combine garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, coriander, chili powder, and smoked paprika; mix until well combined.

Rub spice mixture all over the pork loin, making sure the entire loin is evenly coated (you may have excess pork rub left).

Using the sliced citrus, evenly place lemon, lime, and orange slices all over the pork loin, covering as much of the top and sides as possible. Carefully wrap pork loin with aluminum foil, while not allowing the citrus to fall off the loin.

Cook at 325 degrees Fahrenheit 40–50 minutes (depending on size of loin) until an internal temperature of 145 degrees is reached. Allow loin to rest at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Side Dish: Honey-Roasted Pear Salad

The distinctive and famously sweet salad is given counterpoint by the goat cheese and balsamic vinegar.

Serves 4

• 4 d’Anjou pears (Bosc pears will do as a substitute)
• 1 cup local honey
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. canola oil
• 16 oz. spring mix
• 6 oz. crumbled goat cheese
• 1 lb. applewood smoked bacon (cooked and chopped)
• 6 oz. pralines (1/4 segments are best)
• Dark balsamic dressing

In a 2-inch half-size hotel pan, add canola oil to coat bottom of pan. Peel and core the pears, cut each pear into 4 large segments, and then slice very thinly (1/4–1/8 inch).

Add pears to pan, then add honey, sugar, and
cinnamon. Stir together until well combined.

Cook in a preheated oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit (low fan for convection ovens) 20–25 minutes. Once finished cooking, use a colander to strain the excess juice, place back in hotel pan, and chill for about an hour.

Using a large salad bowl, drop in the spring mix, making sure to fluff the lettuce. Add chilled honey-roasted pears to the center of the spring mix. At the 12 o’clock position of the bowl, add the crumbled goat cheese. At the 6 o’clock position, add the chopped bacon pieces. Place pralines at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions.

Serve with your choice of dark balsamic dressing.

Dessert: Banana Crunch Muffins

“There you have it!” says Overstreet of this recipe, confident he is sharing the secrets of a prized dessert.

Yields 10 muffins

• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 1/4 cup sour cream
• 4–5 bananas (depending on size), sliced
• 1 1/2 cups granola, chopped
• 1/2 cup baking sugar
• 10 muffin cups (tulip muffin cups preferred)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla; mix well until fully combined.

In a small bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt until fully combined. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture. Using the stand mixer on medium speed, mix until smooth. Fold in sour cream and sliced bananas until fully combined.

Place muffin cups in a large muffin pan. Using an ice cream scoop, carefully distribute banana mixture into each muffin cup, making sure not to fill more than 3/4 of the way. Sprinkle with granola and baking sugar.

Bake at a preheated 325 degrees Fahrenheit (with low fan on for convection ovens) 15 minutes, turn, and bake another 15–17 minutes. Using a toothpick, stab the center of a centrally located muffin, and if it comes out clean the muffins are done. Let cool 10 minutes, then place on resting rack to fully cool.