July Summer BBQ - Holly & Judith

Summer BBQ

Holly & Judith

July 2008

Drinks

Pina Colada

Sweet & Refreshing Lemonade

Appetizers

Chicken Satay

Beer-Battered String Beans

Main Dish

Schlow Burger

Italian-American Cheeseburger

Lemony Oven Fries

Greek-Style Couscous Salad

Fruit Kabobs with Sweet Balsamic Dressing

Dessert

Watermelon Sorbet Slices with Chocolate Seeds

Dreamy Cream Horns

Pina Colada’s

1 can Cream of Coconut (preferably Coco Lopez brand)

Pineapple Juice

Ice

If you have a large blender, put the whole can of cream of coconut into the blender, then fill the can with pineapple juice and add to blender. Fill the remaining blender with ice and blend until smooth. If you have a small blender then just do half batches at a time. Continue to add ice until the sweetness is just right for your taste. If you don’t add enough ice it is very sweet!

Sweet & Refreshing Lemonade

Serves 8

1 ¾ cups white sugar

8 cups water

1 ½ cups lemon juice

Beer-Battered String Beans

(Sorry Judith's head is cut off! She did such a grea t job, she deserves to be recognized!)

1 pound green beans

1 cup beer (not dark)

1 tsp. salt

Juice of 1 lime

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups vegetable oil

2 limes cut into wedges, for serving

Directions: Clip off and discard the stalk ends of the green beans; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the beer, salt, and lime juice into the flour until smooth. (The mixture will foam slightly.) Dredge the beans in the batter to coat. In a deep skillet, heat the oil to 375 degrees.

Working in batches, gently place and out 10 battered beans into the hot oil and let cook for about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried beans to a paper bag or paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool. Repeat the process until the remaining beans are cooked.

Remoulade Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. Creole or whole-grain mustard

2 Tbsp. ketchup

½ cup finely chopped green onions

2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbsp. finely chopped celery

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. prepared horseradish sauce

Directions: Whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and chill for one hour.

Chicken Satay

Satay

8-10 boneless chicken strips, or 2 chicken breasts cut into strips

1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped

2 tbsp green onion, finely chopped

½ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp white pepper

1 tsp pure sesame oil

1 tsp light cooking oil

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp lime juice

Salt, to taste

Spicy Peanut Sauce

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp Thai red chillies, finely chopped

1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped

½ tsp red chilli powder

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp soy sauce

Directions: Marinate chicken pieces with all the ingredients, for 1-2 hours in the fridge. Grill on skewers till tender and done.

Fruit Kabobs with Sweet Balsamic Dressing

Sweet Balsamic Dressing:

½ cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

¾ cup grapeseed or canola oil

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

In blender or food processor, combine all dressing ingredients except oil and poppy seeds. With machine running, slowly add oil to make a thick dressing. Stir in poppy seeds.

Arrange fruit kabobs with fruit of choice. Top with sweet Balsamic Dressing. You can also serve sliced fruit on top of Bibb lettuce and then top with Balsamic Dressing.

(Main Dish - the burger, salad and fries)

Greek-Style Couscous Salad

1 package Near East Couscous Original Plain

¼ tsp. black pepper

3-4 Tbsp lemon juice

3 Tbsp Olive oil

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 large cucumber chopped

½ cup green pepper chopped

½ cup red onion chopped

2 tsp fresh dill (1 tsp dry)

4 oz feta cheese

1. Prepare couscous according to package directions, except omit butter or olive oil and add black pepper with water.
2. In large boll, combine prepared couscous, lemon juice and olive oil. Add tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, red onion, and dill. Chill 4 hours to overnight.
3. Stir in feta cheese just before serving. Serve over lettuce if desired.

Lemony Oven Fries

1/3 cup olive oil

1 large lemon, thinly sliced

¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 20-oz package frozen French-fried potatoes (about 5 cups)

Coarse Sea Salt

Lemon wedges

1. In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium heat, carefully add lemon slices. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until lemon begins to brown, use tongs to turn lemon slice occasionally. Add parsley to the oil. Cook 20 to 30 seconds more or until parsley is crisp. Remove lemon slices and parsley with slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Reserve the lemon-flavored oil (you should have about 3 tablespoons).
2. In a large bowl toss frozen potatoes with the 3 tablespoons reserved lemon-flavor oil until well coated. Place on a baking sheet. Bake according to package directions or until potatoes are brown and crisp, stirring occasionally.
3. To serve, toss potatoes with lemon and parsley. Sprinkle generously with sea salt. Squeeze lemon wedges over fries: serve immediately.

The Schlow Burger

(makes 4 burgers)

½ c. mayonnaise

4 t. prepared horseradish

Juice of ½ lemon

2 lb. ground beef

¼ c. extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt & pepper

4 slices Cheddar

4 Hamburger buns (onion, butter, poppyseed, etc.)

2 c. Canola oil

2 large onions, sliced into thin rings (about 4 cups)

Bring canola oil and 1 sliced onion (slice the onions as thin as you can because they’ll cook faster) to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to a bubbling simmer, turning onions with a fork every 30 seconds. Cook until they turn golden brown (stovetops vary, but this will take about 30-40 minutes.) They turn brown quickly when they’re done, so make sure to keep an eye on them. If necessary, adjust heat to maintain rolling bubbles. Remove onions from oil and arrange in a single layer on paper towels. Repeat process with the second onion, cooking in the same hot oil.

Preheat one side of grill to high; oil the grill grate. Whisk mayonnaise, horseradish, and lemon juice together for the sauce in a bowl; season with pepper. (you can make this a few days ahead) Combine the ground beef with oil, salt, and plenty of pepper. Divide meat into 4 patties and refrigerate until 5 minutes before grilling. (Don’t prepare the meat more than 1 hour ahead; the salt pulls the juices)

Grill burgers over high heat until done. Transfer burgers to the cool side of the grill (or an upper shelf) and top each with a slice of cheese. Turn the grill off, close the lid, and let rest 4 minutes. Heat the buns briefly, if desired. To assemble, place burger on bun, spread with sauce, top with onions, and season with pepper. Spread more sauce on the top half of the bun and place it on the burger.

Italian-American Cheeseburgers

1 ½ pounds lean ground beef

¾ cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (3 oz)

¼ cup snipped sun dried tomatoes (oil packed)

1 Tbsp. snipped fresh thyme

4 garlic cloves, minced

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

¼ cup crumble Gorgonzola cheese ( 1 oz)

1 Tbsp. snipped sun dried tomatoes (oil packed)

6 sourdough rolls, split and toasted

Sliced red onion

Sliced tomato

Mayo

1. In a large bowl combine beef, the ¾ cub Gorgonzola cheese, the ¼ cup dried tomatoes, the thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper. Shape mixture into six ¼- inch-thick patties.
2. For a charcoal grill, grill patties on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 14 to 18 minutes or until done (160 degrees F)., turning once halfway through grilling. For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place patties on grill rack over heat. Cover: grill as above.
3. Remove burgers from grill. Top with the ¼ cup Gorgonzola cheese and the 1 Tbsp. dried tomatoes. Serve burgers on Sourdough rolls with sliced red onions, tomatoes, and mayo.

Watermelon Sorbet Slices with Chocolate Seeds

(Serves 4)

3 ½ to 4 lb. watermelon (whole or a quarter of a large one)

1 cup sugar

¼ cup fresh lime juice

1 to 2 Tbsp. Sambuca or anisette liqueur (to taste)

1 ½ oz. fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao if marked), chopped

Directions: Cut watermelon into 1-inch thick semi-circular slices. Cut flesh into chunks, reserving rind.

Arrange ring slices on their sides on foil-lined baking sheets, leaving space between them to add sorbet later, and cover tightly. Freeze until frozen hard, at least 2 hours.

Discard seeds from melon, then puree enough melon in a blender to yield 5 cups. Heat 1 cup puree with sugar in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until sugar has dissolved, then stir into remaining puree along with lime juice andSambuca. Chill, covered, at leave 8 hours.

While puree is chilling, line another baking sheet or tray with parchment paper. Melt chocolate, then remove from heat. Transfer chocolate to a small sealable bag and seal, pressing out excess air. Snip off tip of one corner to form a tiny hole. Pipe 1/3 to ½ inch long ovals of chocolate onto sheet, flattening them slightly, to resemble watermelon seeds. Freeze chocolate “seeds” on sheet until very firm, about 30 minutes. Working quickly, loosen “seeds” from parchment with an offset spatula or knife and transfer to a small bowl, then freeze, covered.

Freeze chilled puree in ice cream maker to thick slush, then add ¾ of chocolate “seeds” and continue to freeze until frozen.

Working quickly, fill frozen rinds with sorbet, smoothing with a rubber spatula. Quickly sprinkle remaining chocolate “seeds” realistically on slices and smooth sorbet again. Freeze, covered with plastic wrap, until very firm, about 6 hours.

Dreamy Cream Horns

8 sugar cones

2 sheets frozen puff pastry

1 egg

1 tsp. water

½ cup turbinado sugar (raw sugar)

1 recipe Vanilla Bavarian Cream

Assorted berries (raspberries frozen, thawed)

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Prepare the sugar cones by wrapping each in foil, then coating with nonstick spray. Cut the puff pastry into thin strips, then form horns by wrapping 4 strips of pastry around each mold, overlapping the strips to prevent gaps.

Whisk the egg and water together in small bowl; place the turbinado sugar in a shallow dish. Lightly brush each horn with the egg wash. Roll the horns in sugar, coating well, then transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden, cool on a rack for 2 minutes, then remove molds. Cool pastry completely before filling with Bavarian Cream. Place berries and cream in corn inlayers.

Vanilla Bavarian Cream

2 cups whole milk

½ cup sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

¼ tsp. kosher salt

2 eggs

Hot milk

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions: Heat the milk for the pastry cream in a saucepan over medium until bubbles form around the edge. Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a bowl while milk heats. Add the eggs, whisk until smooth, then whisk in a half of the hot milk. Return the egg-milk mixture to the remaining milk in the pan; continue cooking over medium, whisking often, until thickened. Boil 1 minute to eliminate and starchy taste and thicken further, whisking constantly. Add the butter and ½ tsp. vanilla, stirring until butter is melted. Transfer pastry cream to a bowl, then place the bowl in an ice water bath to cool. Stir until pastry cream reaches room temperature, about 10 minutes. Whip the cream, powdered sugar, and 1 tsp. vanilla for the whipped cream to medium peaks in a large bowl. Fold whipped cream into the cooled pastry cream just until incorporated; cover and chill at least 30 minutes. Transfer cream to a piping bag fitted with a star tip; pipe into horns.

Rolo-Pretzel Turtles

Rolos

Mini Pretzels

Almonds

Preheat oven to 350. Unwrap rolos. Place pretzels on baking sheet. Top with rolo. Bake in oven 3-5 minutes until chocolate begins to melt. Rolo should be soft but not completely melted. Remove from oven. Place on cooling rack. Immediately squish chocolate with nut. Watch caramel ooze out.

(The cute take home gift. Ice cream scoopers with gum balls inside. Darling.)

---