Culinaria: recipes, memories ...

[Darb]

I'm having a mixed crowd on the forth, plus small children, so I cant do anything too culinarily challenging this weekend ... but I will make it a point to do EVERYTHING on the grill, just to make it fun.

/me brainstorms ...

* Grilled quesedilla bar (I use a bartender's condiment tray for various fillings, and make them to order)
* Grilled pappadams
* Chips with Grilled Dips (Grilled Salsa, Grilled Guac, Curried Grilled Eggplant dip)
* Grilled seafood apps (shrimp, clams in the shell, etc)
* Grilled corn
* Grilled marinated asparagus & carrots
* Grilled marinated pork chops ... and perhaps some grilled peaches
* Grilled dessert (probably something in a foil pouch)

Ok, belated grilling photos (courtesy of Kvetch, who kindly offered to host them). Not all of these photos are from the same BBQ, but they are from the same reel of film. I apologize for the poor image quality ... my scanning skills leave a lot to be desired.

• (1) Balsamic-Marinated Asparagus & Grilled Rosemary-Crust Pizza. {1.4 mb}
  
  (2) Top-Neck Clams, with clarified butter and lemon juice. {549 kb}
  
  (3) Hot-Smoked Cedar-Plank Salmon, with honey-garlic-lime butter and lime slices. {649 kb} *

* Plank Salmon: The photos show before, during, and after cooking. Although no smoke is apparent in the photos, that’s because opening the lid (to take photos) lets all the smoke out. There’s plenty of smoke when the lid is down.

Also, if you look closely in the 2nd salmon photo, you can see the heavy duty cast iron of the grating and the cast iron heat diffuser plates underneath ... it makes for great heat retention and very even heating. Also, in the clam photo, you can also see the bartender's speed rack I jury-rigged onto the front of the grill, to serve as a tool & condiment rack.

[Darb]

Recipe tips, regarding grilled pizza:

Note - you can only do this freehand on a grill with lots of heat retention, and the ability to control the heat, otherwise you'll need to use a pizza stone, to serve as an artifical heat capacitor:

* Make & rise your dough (I like to incorporate freshly ground dried rosemary). The size of the pie you make is limited by the size of your peel and/or the size of your grill ... adjust your recipe accordingly. From memory, I think my peel/grill can comfortably do a 15" pie, or roughly 1 med-sm pie (entree for 3, or appetizer for 8}.
* Preheat a gas grill on high to 350F.
* Roll out dough onto parchment paper & slide peel under it. Bring it outside, along with all your topings, and a small mug of olive oil and a pastry brush.
* Open preheated grill, scrape and clean grating, oil it well (with a rag, not the pastry brush ... the latter would make a real mess).
* Brush top of dough generously with oil.
* With a flick of the wrist, quickly bring the peel up, over, and down ... slapping the dough (not too hard, mind you) onto the grating, and brush the top side generously with oil while the other side par-cooks.
* Wait 30-60 sec, or until dough firms up and releases easily from the grating, then turn the heat to low, and using the peel, flip the dough once more, to cook the other side.
* While the 2nd side cooks, apply toppings. Note that since there's no border on grilled pizza, you need to sauce and top it with restraint. Quickly apply a very thin layer of sauce, sprinkle on your cheese ... then, close the lid for 30-60 sec. Peek occasionally through the side or rear of the grill, to check the progress of the cheese and crust.
* If your grill has some zones that are hotter than others, you'll probably need to spin the crust mid-way though cooking, to avoid scorching. Better still, if you're fortunate to have a grill with 4-5+ front to rear burners, turn off the center burners, and bake the pizza over indirect heat.
* Continue baking in closed grill (keeping lid down as much as possible, to help the cheese melt) until the cheese melts or the crust begins to get overdone on the bottom ... whichever happens first. Transfer to pie pan, allow to cool 5 mins, then cut and serve.

[Darb]

Does anyone want or need me to explain the grilled asparagus and grilled clam dishes pictured above ? I'm happy to oblige.

[StefanY]

With fresh asparagus becoming readily available around here, I wouldn't mind some tips on the asparagus.

Stefan

[Darb]

Nice pun.

Grilled asparagus is pretty fast & easy, as well as a crowd pleaser. They're good as a side dish by themselves, in grilled veggie wraps, diced into stir fry (or fritattas), etc.

Instructions:
* Buy some good quality fresh asparagus, neither too thick (tough stems), nor too thin (tend to burn on the grill), and with tightly closed tips with no hint of darkening, drying, spreading, or mushiness.
* Cut off & discard bottoms of stems, and the point where the stalks begin to get tough. Gentle pressure with one's thumbnail will show you where to cut. If you're feeling culinarily anal, feel free to do the julia child thingee, and peel them. I rarely bother - it's overkill on anything other than tough overgrown asparagus, which you dont want anyway.
* In a coffee mug, mix up some quick balsamic vinegarette: balsamic vinegar (any regular decent grade is fine ... just avoid the stuff that says it's been cooked, or stuff that's aged for multiple years, which is too sweet for this recipe), and your choice of vegetable oil (ex: olive or canola), along with salt and pepper to taste. Figure 2:1, vinegar to oil, for this particular use. Whisk lightly with fork until salt is dissolved. Dont worry if the oil and vinegar separate.
* Place the trimmed asparagus in a rectangular tray (I use a nested pair of aluminum foil hotel "half-pans" for this ... the top one for the uncooked veg, and the bottom one for when it's cooked), all facing one direction, and pour vinegarette over them. Toss with hands until all the spears are covered with the vinegarette, being careful to keep all the asparagus facing one direction.
* Preheat your grill to, say, 350F, clean the grating, and rub the grating with an oiled rag to lubricate.
* Place the asparagus on the grill, arranging them in rows (my grill holds 3 rows), and aligned crosswise to the grating (otherwise they'll fall through). Reduce heat from high to med, or med-low, depending on your grill.
* For the first 2-3 mins, the spears will be stiff and will be reluctant to roll, so you'll have to use a metal spatula to lift and turn them. Every minute or so, rotate the spears near the back of the grill to the front, and move the rest towards the back, so that you're rotating them front to rear. After they begin to cook a bit, you'll be able to roll them, using the edge of your spatula ... just like a short order does large trays of hot dogs at a place like Nathans. It makes for a good grilling show, that lasts about 5-9 mins.
* The asparagus is done when the balsamic begins to caramelize, the color becomes a translucent pale green, and the spears begin to droop slightly when lifted from the stem end ... at which point, scoop them en mass off the grill, and into the waiting clean pan, to cool and rest, before serving.

I can usually do 3 large bunches on my grill at once.

[daetara]

hey, master of all things culinary...

i'm cooking a turkey that's been in a brine all day...and i was wondering if there was any reason i couldn't freeze the brine to use for the next one? not that the brine is hard to make, just that it would be so convienent...

[Darb]

Hey, quit with the bowing thingee ... I have a touch of multiple personalities disorder, and that sorta thing tends to bring out my "Evil Overlord" persona.

Brines should always be made fresh for each use, and discarded afterwards - the act of using them inherently alters the balance of salt and sugar present. Kosher salt is cheap and plentiful, and even though sugar prices are high at the moment, most brines typically require a lot more salt than sugar, so that's no big deal either.

[Darb]

BTW, the easiest and cheapest way to brine a turkey is to skip it altogether and simply buy one that's marked "kosher" ... the koshering process is very similar to brining.

[daetara]

evil overlord?


well, it was worth a shot. i figured the answer was going to be no, although i wasn't thinking about how the balance is changed.

i've never seen a kosher turkey...of course, i've also only bought whole turkey twice in my whole life, and both times i was in a no-so-great grocery store. i'll keep that in mind, though...my mom wants me to brine the turkey for the next thanksgiving, but i can't get to her place early enough to do it and she's afraid to try it on her own. maybe she can find a kosher one up there, where things are more worldly (d.c. area).

[Darb]

evil overlord?

You are right to cringe ... muahahahah !

j/k

[tollbaby]

oh please. Brad's a big pussycat.... well, maybe more of a teddy bear..... Anyway, he's a big soft ball of goo

[Darb]

TB: Hey, pipe down you ... I'm trying to look menacing, and you're spoiling it.

/me pencils reminder to further rewrite Rule 31, with Tollbaby in mind.

[tollbaby]

/me wonders if she's supposed to be one of the naive, busty tavern wenches, or one of the surly waitresses...

[Darb]

[tollbaby]

Brad.... I'm not *that* far from Long Island, you know... and I'm about to have my driver's license...

[Darb]

Does that mean you're offering to try out for the role of "busty tavern wench" ? Cool. I still have all my gear back from when I used to moonlight as a bartender for private parties ... just bring some comfy shoes, and a bustier, and all is golden.

[tollbaby]

Does that mean you're offering to try out for the role of "busty tavern wench" ? Cool. I still have all my gear back from when I used to moonlight as a bartender for private parties ... just bring some comfy shoes, and a bustier, and all is golden.

no dear.... it was a threat

[Darb]

If you can make a Long Island Iced Tea in under 8 seconds, the job's yours.

[daetara]

what have i done...

[Darb]

8 seconds is perfectly doable, with a standard speed rack, a soda gun, and the ability to double-time (wield multiple bottles with both hands simultanously):

If I recall ...

1 sec: pack mixing glass with ice.
2 sec: 1/2 oz each of 3 liquors {left hand = Vodka, right hand = gin & rum}
2 sec: 1/2 oz each of 2 liquors {left hand = Tequila, right hand = Triple sec}
2 sec: 2 oz sour mix {speed gun}, then top with cola {speed gun}
1 sec: slide drink to 2nd clean glass (to mix), and garnish {left hand = straw, right hand = optional lemon wedge}.
-------
8 sec

Minor variations abound: some people do the 'slide' between the sour mix and the coke, and some people omit the sour altogether and just squeeze the lemon wedge when they add it, and some people try to do all 5 liquors at once ... but it only saves 1 sec because it takes longer to get them all back into the speed rack. The motions I gave are (IMO) the optimal ones, and involve the least spillage.

I've seen it done faster, but it usually involves short-pouring, or making a mess.

[violetblue]

I had a great fresh food weekend... went to the Farmers' Market Saturday. Had tres fromage goat cheese (three different flavors in layers, I love the tang of goat cheese) and straight-from-the-farm summer sausage with sesame semolina bread and crackers, mixed green salad, zucchini lightly sauteed... all from the FM. Washed down with 3 mojitos and wine on top of that. I was a bit sloshy, but I DO love mojitos (I hadn't drunk hard liquor in a while and I forgot how sneaky it is). The mint for the mojitos came from the FM, too. Angus burgers from a local farm were on the menu today. Outside soaking up rays with a refreshing drink and great food... it doesn't get much better! I just felt a great sense of community and all that sun and great food just made me feel happy to be alive. A great mood booster after a couple of rough weeks.

Next weekend I'm going to pick up some mushrooms for stirfry among whatever else I get. They looked very good!

[Sean Whitton]

I don't know if it's already been discussed, but perhaps something on fresh food vs frozen/packaged might be in order. From my point of view, the only real difference I see is the price, since I eat to live. Thoughts welcome.

[Darb]

Freezing does indeed make a textural difference in many goods, but it does so to varying degrees, depending on both the item at hand, as well as the speed and temperature to which something is frozen (the colder and faster, the better). Some things freeze well without significant loss of character (ex: filtered clarified juices, stocks, coffee beans, butter), some things are affected only slightly (ex: raw squid, raw shrimp), some moderately (most meats), and some things are affected very noticeably (ex: fresh fruits & berries, fresh basil leaves, etc.)

[daetara]

have you ever tried AB's method for freezing strawberries (or on anything, for that matter)?

[Darb]

I havent seen AB's show on that point.

It's common practice that certain Berries (ex: blueberries) can be frozen for certain uses (ex: frozen smoothie drinks, pies, muffins, jams, etc) ... but if you thaw them as-is, they turn to mush. Blueberries also tend to oxidize rapidly, once their skins burst, and turn brown/grey.

Anyway, what'd AB have to say about strawberries ?