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Grilled BBQ Beer Chicken and Apricot Flatbreads

 

Grilled BBQ Beer Chicken and Apricot Flatbreads

Let’s say you and I get into it over pizza. We hash it out over the best pizza we’ve ever had. We talk about Naples, and LA, and both agree that New York beats Chicago, unless you want a casserole, then Chicago pizza will do.

And then I tell you that the best Ray’s pizza in New York is the one at 4th and Houston, to which (if you’re a New Yorker) you recoiler in horror that I’ve chosen said Ray’s instead of one of the 147 other Ray’s in Manhattan.

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We finally just agree to get a beer and pizza and call it a day. Nowhere in our spirited conversation do we mention Seattle. Because the thing about Seattle is that beer is world class, so is the coffee and the produce can’t be beat, but the pizza…

We’ll just talk about the beer and the coffee and the produce and leave talk of the pizza out of it shall we? Similar to a discussion of the best people in the world named Joe wouldn’t include talk of either Buttafuoco or Francis. Let’s just stick to the good stuff.

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Of course I have a theory about this. The same water that makes the beer fantastic and coffee legendary isn’t so kind with the pizza dough. But here is the thing about baking your pizza dough with beer, wherever you go in the world, your dough will be the same.

Water is for the weak, switch to beer and your pizza dough will become the stuff of folklore.

It might even be brought up in the New York vs Chicago debate.

Grilled BBQ Beer Chicken and Apricot Flatbreads 4

 

Grilled BBQ Beer Chicken and Apricot Flatbreads

Servings 4 (6-inch) flatbreads

Ingredients
  

Crust:

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1 1/8 tsp rapid rise yeast
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½ cup wheat beer or pale ale
  • 2 tbs oil
  • ½ tsp salt

Chicken:

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 cup wheat beer or pale ale
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp chili powder
  • ¼ tsp cumin
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • oil for the grill

Topping:

  • Stout and Sriracha BBQ Sauce
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ¼ tsp cilantro chopped
  • 2 apricots thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup red onion chopped

Instructions
 

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast and sugar. Mix until combined.
  • In a microwave safe bowl add the beer. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperature with a cooking thermometer and repeat until temperature reaches between 120 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Add the beer to the stand mixer and mix on medium speed. Once most of the dough has been moistened, add the oil and salt while the mixer is still running.
  • Turn speed to high and beat until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
  • Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Allow to sit in a warm room until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
  • Remove from bowl and add to a lightly floured surface. Knead several times, cut into 4 equal sized pieces. Form each piece into 6 inch circles.
  • While the dough is rising, make the chicken. Place the chicken in a bowl, cover with 1 cup beer. Chill for 30 to 60 minutes. Remove from beer, rinse and pat dry.
  • Preheat the grill.
  • In a small bowl combine the onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin and salt.
  • Sprinkle chicken on all sides with spice mixture.
  • Grill chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
  • Remove from grill, slice.
  • Oil the grill (alternately, you can oil the flatbreads). Grill one side of the flatbread until grill marks appear, about 2 minutes, flip and very lightly grill the other side, about 30 seconds, remove from grill. Place the flatbreads on a flat surface with the well grilled side facing up. Top with barbeque sauce, cheese, chicken, sliced apricots, cilantro, and onions. Place back on the grill, close over, cook until cheese has melted.

My recipe for Stout & Sriracha BBQ Sauce, you have to make it.

Grilled BBQ Beer Chicken and Apricot Flatbreads 5

Sriracha Beer Butter Grilled Corn

 

Sriracha Beer Butter Grilled Corn-P

I was once invited to leave The Viper Room when the guy I’d been chatting with escalated past douche bag right up into unignorably obnoxious territory and I was swept up in his wake.

I not so subtly parted ways with him to cross the street towards The Roxy when he escalated further,"You’re leaving?! I pulled out my best stuff for you!" I had no idea that he’d been trying to get somewhere with his meaningless rambling.

Oh, you mean the uber-impressive story about having lunch with Alan Thicke last week? Or telling me that your ex-girlfriend was a sexsomniac?

Or bragging about stealing wifi from your neighbor? Because it was all gold, so clearly I have no reason to leave with this depth of conversational wealth that’s being offered to me.

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Sometimes, people just try too hard when what they really want is to impress. We can do the equivalent of Over-Sharing-Drunk-Viper-Room-Guy with food. We can try too hard, do too many things, and make a mess of it all.

Keep it simple this summer, some grilled produce, good ingredients, real butter and great beer.

And save the stories of your ex-girlfriend for your guy friends and only after they’re too drunk to object.

Sriracha Beer Butter Grilled Corn

Sriracha Beer Butter Grilled Corn

Prep Time 7 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup unsalted butter chopped into cubes
  • 3 tbs IPA beer
  • 1 tsp sriracha
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • 6 ears fresh corn shucked
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Instructions
 

  • In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter until light and fluffy.
  • Add the beer, sriracha, garlic and salt. Beat until well combined.
  • Add the butter to a piece of plastic wrap, roll tightly into a log. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.
  • Preheat the grill.
  • Brush the corn with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Grill on all sides until lightly charred and tender, 8-10 minutes.
  • Add the corn to pieces of aluminum foil, top with several slices of butter, sprinkle with cilantro.

 

Hoisin Stout Chicken Legs & What Are Hops?

Craft Beer 101: What are hops? via @TheBeeroness

Chances are, if you’ve spent anytime within stumbling distance of a Craft Beer Lover, you’ve heard the word "hops" thrown around like a rag doll. You may have been leery asking the "What are hops?" question for fear that you’ll be subjected to the mad beer-geek ramblings of your semi-inebriated friend. So, here I am to save you from the possibility of a lecture on beta, delta, and gamma resins whist trying to hide your shell shocked expression, with a quick and dirty introduction to this essential beer ingredient.

Hops are a flower that comes from a plant in the marijuana family. It’s believed that they were originally added as a preservative when trying to make water safe to drink, but due to their uniquely bitter flavor, the use became more about taste than preservation.

Craft Beer 101: What are hops? via @TheBeeroness

Hops have a very specific taste that comes from the oil and gives beer it’s bitterness. These levels of bitterness are measured along a scale called the International Bitterness (or bittering) Units, that we just refer to as a beers "IBU’s." Generally, the higher the IBU’s, the more bitter the beer. That bitterness is used to counter the sweetness in the sugars used to feed the yeast, and it’s that balance that dictates how "hoppy" or bitter a beer tastes, more so than the amount of hops used. For instance, most stouts have a very malty taste (malt, essentially, is the opposite taste of hops), but can have a very high IBU rating. Think of this like weather, the same temperature feels much colder with the wind chill factor. Beer tastes much more bitter without a malty balance. IBU’s are only one indicator of what’s in store for you, bitterness wise, but isn’t always a linear expression of experience.

Hops can be added at various phases of the brewing process and are often added more than once while the beer is being made. If you hear the term "dry hopping" it really has nothing to do with the hops being actually dry, it means that the hops were added at the end of the brewing process and steeped like tea, giving a bright floral taste to the beer, rather than a strictly cooked hop flavor. Most likely, the hops were also added previously in that brewing process and the dry hopping was purely for that bright hop flavor and an extra kick of bitterness.

Hops can be used in the flower state, but are commonly used after being compressed into a pellet that looks like food for a small furry pet. The highest concentration of US hops are grown in the Pacific Northwest. If you’re driving through Oregon and see long green vines strung up on tall wires, you are probably looking at the makings of beer’s most notable ingredient.

Hoisin Stout Chicken Legs via @TheBeeronessOh, and hey, I have some food for you. Thank you for indulging my need to Beer Geek Out for a few paragraphs. Because I’m so nice, I gave you both the oven and grill methods as not to taunt the grill-less causing Sad Face reactions across the world.

This chicken was great from the oven, but I have a huge crush on my grill right now so the win goes to grilled.

Hoisin Stout Chicken Legs

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 12 ounces pale ale
  • 2 tbs salt
  • 3 lbs chicken legs
  • 2 tbs sesame oil
  • 2 cloves garlic grated with a microplane (or minced)
  • 2/3 cup stout beer
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 3 tbs honey
  • 7.4 ounce jar Hoisin sauce about ¾ cup
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp sriracha hot sauce
  • 2 tbs olive oil

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl whisk together the buttermilk, 12 ounces pale ale and salt. Add chicken, cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes (if all ingredients are cold from the fridge, this is not long enough from any foodborne pathogens to form). Alternately, chicken can also be allowed to soak in the fridge for 3 to 6 hours.
  • Rinse chicken well with cold water, pat dry.
  • While the chicken is soaking, make the glaze. Add the sesame oil to a pot over medium high heat, add the garlic, stir. Add the stout, soy sauce, honey, hoisin, smoked paprika and sriracha, bring to a boil, stirring frequently until thickened, about 8 minutes.

Oven method:

  • Preheat oven to 425.
  • Heat olive oil in a skillet over high heat until just starting to smoke. Add the chicken (working in batches if necessary) and sear on all sides until browned, transfer to a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper or aluminum foil. (note: browning the chicken before the oven will help you to avoid rubbery, chewy, skin on your chicken).
  • Brush the chicken on all sides with glaze. Cook for thirty minutes, removing chicken from the oven and re-glazing every ten minutes. Cook until internal temperature reaches 165.

Grill method:

  • Preheat grill to medium high.
  • Brush the grates with olive oil.
  • Brush chicken on all sides with glaze.
  • Place on hot grill, close the lid.
  • Turn and brush with glaze every 2 minutes until cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.

Hoisin Stout Chicken Legs via @TheBeeroness

Grilled Reuben Pizza and How To Make Grilled Pizza

How To: Make Grilled Pizza. And a grilled Reuben Pizza recipe via @DomesticFits Grilled pizza is my favorite way to make homemade pizza right now. On the rare occasion that I think about it a day ahead of time, I like to make this pizza dough, but if I’ve only got an hour, I use this one hour pizza dough recipe. The grill gives the dough a nice lightness with just a bit of crunch from the high heat. There are a few things to keep in mind when grillin' up a pizza, but overall, it’s really quick and simple.

To start, make sure you have all of your topping ingredients, sauce and shredded cheese ready to go and next to the grill before you throw the dough on. The process can move a bit fast and you don’t want to be running back and forth to the kitchen to grab what you forgot.

How To: Make Grilled Pizza. And a grilled Reuben Pizza recipe via @DomesticFits

 

Preheat the grill to medium high.

Roll out your dough on a floured surface.

How To: Make Grilled Pizza. And a grilled Reuben Pizza recipe via @DomesticFits

 

You’ll have to move the dough to something that you can carry to the grill. The best option is a pizza peel, if you have one, they are a great tool when grilling pizza.

How To: Make Grilled Pizza. And a grilled Reuben Pizza recipe via @DomesticFitsIf you don’t have one, a large cutting board will work well.

How To: Make Grilled Pizza. And a grilled Reuben Pizza recipe via @DomesticFits

Next, brush the dough on one side with olive oil.

How To: Make Grilled Pizza. And a grilled Reuben Pizza recipe via @DomesticFits

Transfer the dough to a hot grill, oiled side down (you can also try sliding it onto the grill without oiling it, but there is a chance it will stick). If you’re using a pizza peel, you can flip it like a pancake onto the grill (it’s what I do) or have someone help you transfer it. That’s the hardest part, once you get that down, it’s pretty simple.

How To: Make Grilled Pizza. And a grilled Reuben Pizza recipe via @DomesticFits

 

Next, brush the top side with olive oil.

How To: Make Grilled Pizza. And a grilled Reuben Pizza recipe via @DomesticFitsOnce the underside of the dough has started to form grill marks (about 3 to 5 minutes), flip the dough. The dough will have stiffened by now, making flipping the dough pretty easy. Use the peel if you have it, or a large grill spatula.

How To: Make Grilled Pizza. And a grilled Reuben Pizza recipe via @DomesticFitsHow To: Make Grilled Pizza. And a grilled Reuben Pizza recipe via @DomesticFitsImmediately top with your chosen toppings.

How To: Make Grilled Pizza. And a grilled Reuben Pizza recipe via @DomesticFitsClose the lid and allow to cook until the dough is cooked through and the cheese has melted, about 5-8 minutes. Transfer to a serving tray.

How To: Make Grilled Pizza. And a grilled Reuben Pizza recipe via @DomesticFits

Grilled Reuben Pizza and How To Make Grilled Pizza

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup olive oil (plus additional for the grill)
  • 1 lb pizza dough
  • 2 cups shredded swiss cheese
  • 3/4 lb corned beef, chopped
  • 1 cup sauerkraut

Instructions

  1. Preheat the grill to medium high.
  2. whisk together the olive oil and mustard, set aside.
  3. Roll out your dough on a floured surface.
  4. You’ll have to move the dough to something that you can carry to the grill. The best option is a pizza peel, if you have one, they are a great tool when grilling pizza. If you don’t have one, a large cutting board will work well.
  5. Brush the dough on one side with olive oil.
  6. Transfer the dough to a hot grill, oiled side down.
  7. Brush the top side with olive oil. Once the underside of the dough has started to form grill marks (about 3 to 5 minutes), flip the dough.
  8. Brush with mustard mixture, top with cheese and then corned beef.
  9. Close the lid and allow to cook until the dough is cooked through and the cheese has melted, about 5-8 minutes. Transfer to a serving tray, sprinkle with sauerkraut.

Notes

You can also drizzled the pizza with Thousand Island dressing just prior to serving for a bit more of the Reuben flavor!

How To: Make Grilled Pizza. And a grilled Reuben Pizza recipe via @DomesticFits

Grilled Peach Ice Cream

Grilled Peach Ice Cream

I’m really hard on myself, I’ve told you that before. I’m a nothing-is-ever-good-enough kind of person. Lately, my photos have been in my line of fire when it comes to Stuff I’m Not Good Enough At. I can’t figure it out, why the light is never that beautiful, why the images aren’t compelling enough, why the heck I can NEVER master the over head shot. By the way, this all drives my husband crazy, because in the Grand Tradition of Amazing Husbands, he thinks I’m the most talented person in the world, let’s not disrupt that delusion, I sort of like it.

So, one of my tangible fixation for resolving at least some of the issues I have with my sub par photos was this slightly deranged idea that I NEEDED a reclaimed wood table. I NEEDED it (#firstworldproblems). I priced this absolutely necessary item, and in the Los Angeles area, this need could be fulfilled for the low, low price of about $2000. My aforementioned Amazing Husband disagreed that this was an actual need after seeing the price tag for such items.

I couldn’t stop thinking about such a need, and scoured Craigslist for the possibility that I might be able to pick one up. But as luck might have it, an old house in my neighborhood started to get torn apart. It was a 1920’s California Bungalow and the sight of it being ripped apart made me a little heartsick.

As I drove home one night, I noticed a stack of gorgeous antique wood, full of age and scars that I couldn’t get out of my mind. After dinner I pulled on a pair of old boots, waited for the workmen to leave for the day, and began to dig the gorgeous planks out of the trash piles.

I had two very specific feelings about this slightly insane venture of trespassing to dig through a trash pile, at dusk, in East Los Angeles. First, I felt like a crazy person (and clearly an amateur who didn’t think to bring gloves to dig through construction waste and old wood) as I tried to ignore the freaked out looks from passers by. Second, that I was heroically saving this amazing wood from the fate of a land fill (also slightly insane that I was heroizing myself for something so selfish).

Grilled Peach Ice Cream2

After I got home with Heroically Aquired Gorgeous Wood, I used actual real life and potentially dangerous power tools to nail it together, saw off the excess and I then had myself a Personally Reclaimed Wood (prop) Table. And posted the picture of my slightly insane venture on Instagram.

Although I’m fairly certain that my newly acquired fake table did not improve my photos, I’m still happy to have him in my house instead of a landfill.

Grilled Peach Ice Cream

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 cups cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 4 yellow peaches cut in half, pit removed

Grape seed or canola oil

Instructions

  1. In a sauce pan off heat whisk together the sugar, cream, milk, vanilla, and egg yolks until very well combined.
  2. Place the saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spatula.
  3. Transfer to an airtight container (strain through a fine mesh strainer if any lumps were created), refrigerate until chilled, about 4 hours and up to 24.
  4. Preheat the grill to medium high heat (alternately, a cast iron grill pan can be used).
  5. Brush the cut side of the peaches with oil. Place, cut side down, on a hot grill. Close the lid and allow to grill until deep grill marks appear, about 4 minutes.
  6. Remove from grill and gently peel the skin away (should remove easily).
  7. Chop the peaches.
  8. Add the peaches and the ice cream base to your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Freeze until set, about 2 hours.
  9. Remove from freezer about 5 minutes prior to serving to make scooping easier.

Grilled Peach Ice Cream3

Grilled Watermelon Salad

Grilled Watermelon Salad5

Grilled watermelon salad is the perfect summer side dish. Slice up some watermelon rings, throw them on the grill (literally if you’re brave enough), wait for some gorgeous smokey grill marks to spear and you’re half way there.

Grilled Watermelon Salad

If you don’t have a grill, a grill pan will work fine. You can also skip the egregious use of fire all together and just cut the watermelon into bite sized chunks. The saltiness of the Cotija and the briny quick-pickled red onions set of that great sweetness of in-season watermelons.

Grilled Watermelon Salad2

It’s also a great salad to serve at room temperature, making it the perfect low maintenance side dish to serve on your summer party table. It also has a lovely sweetness that pairs well with a spicy food, I served it with these wings. It does not, however, keep very well. If you plan to make it ahead of time, keep all of the components separate and toss just prior to serving.

If you need a patriotic plan for the rest of the watermelon, check this out.

Grilled Watermelon Salad7
Grilled Watermelon Salad

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar (or rice wine)
  • 1 tbs raw honey
  • ½ red onion, very thinly sliced
  • 2 slices (2 inch thick each) watermelon
  • ½ cup crumbed Cotija cheese (can substitute feta)
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar and honey. Add the red onions, toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
  2. Place the watermelon slices on a hot grill until grill marks appear, about 3 minutes per side.
  3. Remove the watermelon rind and chop the grilled watermelon into bite sized chunks, place in a large serving bowl.
  4. Pour the red onion and the vinegar over the watermelon. Sprinkle with Cotija cheese and cilantro.

Grilled Watermelon Salad6

Grilled Artichokes with Crab Filling

Grilled Artichokes with Crab Filling2

My grill broke last summer. We were in the middle of a move, and I still held onto the hope that we could fix it, so it wasn’t replaced. In Southern California, grillin' isn’t just a summer activity, it’s a year long love affair, making an entire 13 months sans grill a really long time to deprive myself of the chard glory of fire cooked food.

We just replaced it this past weekend and I can’t get enough of it. I had been trying to satisfy my urge to grill via my grill pan. Although it is a pretty fantastic pan, after making this corn on my stove top in a grill pan I couldn’t take it anymore, I had to have the real thing. I think I’ve officially reached Grill Junky status, lets hope I can keep it under control.

Hope you don’t mind too much, but I’ll be posting my grilling adventures over the next few weeks. And probably well into fall.

Grilled Artichokes with Crab Filling

My favorite pinterest board right now is my Grillin' like a Villain. Feel free to post links to grilled food I should be aware of!

Grilled Artichokes with Crab Filling

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 28 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Artichokes:

  • 2 fresh artichoke
  • 4 tbs melted butter
  • 2 tbs lemon juice
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • Vegetable oil for the grill

For the Filling:

  • 4 rings fresh pineapples (cut off rind and remove core)
  • 12 ounces fresh lump crab meat
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp mustard powder
  • ¼ tsp hot pepper sauce
  • 8 large Brussels sprouts
  • 2 ounce crumbled goat cheese

Instructions

  1. Prepare a pot of lightly salted boiling water. Preheat the grill
  2. Slice the artichokes down the center, lengthwise. Using a melon baller and a paring knife remove the hair from the choke as well as the inner purple leaves, leaving a cavity in the center of the each artichoke half.
  3. Boil in the pot of lightly salted boiling water until the outer leaves tear away easily, about 20 minutes.
  4. Grill the pineapple rings until strong grill marks appear on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from grill, allow to cool slightly, chop.
  5. In a small bowl stir together the crab meat, pineapple, sour cream, hot pepper sauce, ½ tsp each of salt, pepper, chili powder, and mustard powder.
  6. Using a cheese crater, grate the Brussels sprouts, this should equal about 2/3 cup. Stir the grated Brussels sprouts into the crab mixture.
  7. Once the artichokes are done cooking, remove from water and allow to drain.
  8. Mix the melted butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Brush artichokes on all sides with melted butter mixture.
  9. Brush the grill with vegetable oil. Grill artichokes, cut side down, until nice grill marks appear, about 5-8 minutes. Baste artichokes with melted butter while grilling.
  10. Remove from grill, fill the cavity of each artichoke with crab mixture and top with crumbled goat cheese. Return to the grill, crab side up, and cook just until the filling is warm and the cheese has started to melt, about 3 minutes.
  11. Serve immediately.

Notes

Starting at the outside and working inward, use the artichoke leaves to scoop out and eat the filling.

Grilled Artichokes with Crab Filling3

Grilled Corn with Sriracha Scallion Butter

Grilled Corn with Sriracha Scallion Butter I’m can’t decide what I’m more excited about, the best grilled vegetable recipes I’ve made in years, or this awesome giveaway.

Lets talk about this corn for a second. Of course the original purpose of the corn itself was merely as a vehicle for the Sriracha butter, which I adapted from The Sriracha Cookbook (you should buy it, and the Veggie Lovers version), but the sweetness of the grilled corn with the spicy butter made me forget that I had acctually made other things for dinner. This is a meal all by itself. I would also recommend serving it American State Fair style in bed of aluminum foil so that you don’t miss all that fabulous butter that will melt away. And don’t be shy about adding it to your other grilled foods, shrimp and zucchini would love to take a dip in this stuff.

Grilled Corn with Sriracha Scallion Butter

Now, we can chat about this little giveaway. I’ve teamed up with some other awesome bloggers to give one lucky reader a shiny new iPad:

Enter to win an iPad!

 

Give them a visit, enter to win and GOOD LUCK! And if you don’t win, you can always console yourself with some tasty, spicy, grilled corn.

Grilled Corn with Sriracha Scallion Butter

Ingredients

  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup scallions, chopped
  • 2 tsp sriracha
  • 6 ears corn
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Place butter in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or a small food processor) along with garlic, scallions and sriracha. Process until all ingredients are well combined.
  2. Scrape onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Roll into a log shape, refridgerate until chilled and firm, about 1 hour. Can be made up to 3 days in advance.
  3. Remove the husks and the silk from the corn, leave stalk on, if still attached. Rub corn with olive oil, salt and pepper all sides.
  4. Cook on a preheated grill for 15-20 minutes, rotating every 3-5 minutes.
  5. Place grilled corn on a sheet of aluminum foil, top with a few slices of sriracha butter, fold foil around corn.

Grilled Corn with Sriracha Scallion Butter3

Salt Roasted Whole Fish with Grilled Artichokes

Salt Roasted Whole Fish with Grilled Artichokes

It’s been a strange few weeks for me, cooking wise. I’ve been getting back to the food I love, remembering why I ever picked up a whisk in the first place, challenging myself as a cook and remembering the food I fell in love with. If you follow my other blog, you are aware of this shift I’ve taken.

I’m happy, and relived in a way, chasing the Traffic Dragon is exhausting and cooking what I love makes me happy, and for the first time in a while I’m excited to share a dish.

Salt Roasted Whole Fish9

The first time I ever had a salt packed roasted anything was while traveling through Italy as a broke college student. I’d worked three jobs and saved for six months to send myself over seas and had ended up in the small city of Trieste. I’d wandered into a restaurant that was far too fancy for my tiny budget. I saw pesci listed on the menu and just pointed to it. There weren’t any prices on the menu and I just hoped that the fish I order wasn’t too expensive.

Grilled Artichokes5

What came to my table was a salt packed whole fish on a cart. I panicked for a second and then decided to order a glass of wine and enjoy it. It ended up costing $60, a small travelers fortune, but it was worth it. I lived off bread and cheese for a week, but I’ll never forget that fish.

Lately I’ve been trying to remember food I’ve fallen in love with and that fish came to mind. It’s a classic, old world, technique that isn’t used much in the US, but it’s brilliant at locking in flavor with zero added cooking fat.

Salt Roasted Whole Fish4

I found a video online by Tom Colicchio about salt roasted fish, just like the one I had in Italy. It paired well with the artichokes, and grilling is my absolute favorite way to make artichokes now, something you need to try this summer if you get a chance.

The fish is simple. Just start with a whole fish that’s been gutted. Most markets sell these cheaper than large fillets because there is less labor involved.

Mix the salt and the egg white, make a bed of salt on an oven safe serving platter (or rimmed baking sheet)

Salt Roasted Whole Fish

 

Put lemon and herbs in the cavity, then pack the remaining salt around the fish before roasting.

Salt Roasted Whole Fish2

 

It comes out of the oven a light golden brown and steamed to perfection. Very impressive, and pretty easy.

Salt Roasted Whole Fish 11

 

For the artichokes, just cut them in half down the center

Grilled Artichokes

 

Grilled Artichokes2

 

Use a melon baller and a sharp paring knife to remove the hair and the purple leaves, then boil for 25 minutes,

Grilled Artichokes3

baste with melted butter and grill until you get those beautiful grill marks.

Grilled Artichokes4

Salt Roasted Whole Fish

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 lb whole fish, gutted and cleaned (sturdy fatty fish like: salmon, arctic char, whitefish, sablefish, bass)
  • 3 thin slices of lemon
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 4 egg whites
  • 2 cups coarse Kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Pre heat oven to 400.
  2. Whip the egg whites with a fork for about 1 minute. Add the salt, mix until it resembles wet sand.
  3. Lay about ¾ cup of salt mixture on an oven safe serving platter (you can also use a baking sheet with sides) add the fish to the top of the salt bed. Stuff the cavity of the fish with lemon slices and rosemary.
  4. Add the remaining salt to the top of the fish. Pack the salt around the fish (it’s fine if the head and tail are sticking out).
  5. Roast at 400 for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 125F and the salt pack is light brown.
  6. Remove from oven, the salt pack should break away cleanly.

Grilled artichokes

Ingredients

  • 2 large globe artichokes
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 4 tbs unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • vegetable oil for grill
  • Dipping sauce, if desired

Instructions

  1. Prepare a pot of lightly salted boiling water.
  2. Slice the artichokes down the center, lengthwise. Using a melon baller and a paring knife remove the hair from the choke as well as the inner purple leaves, leaving a cavity in the center of the each artichoke half.
  3. Boil in the pot of lightly salted boiling water until the outer leaves tear away easily, about 20 minutes.
    Mix the lemon juice, melted butter, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
  4. Brush a preheated grill (or a grill pan) with vegetable oil. Brush artichokes lemon butter mixture, grill cut side down, until nice grill marks appear, about 8 minutes. Baste artichokes with melted butter while grilling.
  5. Serve warm with dipping sauce, if desired (pesto butter, garlic aioli, herbed mayonnaise, lemon butter).

Salt Roasted Whole Fish5

Brown Butter Grilled Beer Cheese Sandwich

There are some great elements in this world we live in that we beg the universe to some how bring together.

Like a Yankees vs. Dodgers World Series

Or an episode of The Office directed by Christopher Guest

Or Trey Parker have complete creative control over The White House Holiday Card

Or a reality show hybrid of The Bachelor and Fear Factor

Even though I have to come to terms with the fact that those things will sadly never exist, I can meld brown butter and beer cheese into the greatest of all grilled cheese sandwiches. It won’t have the cultural repercussions of any of the above unions, but it is the best sandwich I’ve had in a long time. Too bad I didn’t have the forethought, or the consumptive restraint, to create a beer tomato soup to go along for the journey.

Brown Butter Grilled Beer Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients
  

  • 6 oz cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup Pale Ale
  • 4 oz cheddar
  • 8 slices bread
  • 4 tbs butter

Instructions
 

  • In a blender or food processor add the cream cheese, mozzarella, cornstarch and beer. Blend until smooth, about 3 minutes. Spread the beer cheese generously onto 4 slices of bread. Top with about 2 tbs of cheddar and then top with a clean slice of bread.
  • In a skillet with a lid melt the butter over medium heat (don't allow the butter to get too hot or it will burn) until just starting to turn a golden brown. Carefully add the sandwiches, and replace the lid allowing the sandwiches to steam in the pan until the underside is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the sandwiches, replace the lid and allow to cook until the other side is a light golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 3 additional minutes.

 You can also use the pre-oven beer cheese from my Roasted Garlic & Parmesan Beer Cheese Dip.

 

Chipotle Grilled Cheese With Shiitake Mushrooms & A Chipotle Round Up

I don’t buy many things in cans. I DO buy Chipotle peppers, and those come in cans. I’ve had to become inventive with them, as I try to use the food in my fridge rather than let it go to waste. And although the can these gorgeous smoked Jalapenos come in is rather small, a little goes a long way and I end up with a lot left over.

Seeing as how I am asking you to open a can to make this here sandwich, I also wanted to leave you with a few other things you can do with the rest of that can, once you devour that spicy, smokey grilled cheese. 

I rarely do "Internet Round-Ups," But Chipotle peppers and my desire to use the whole can has left me no choice, but has give me quite a few recipes that I can’t wait to try. Check them out:

1. Shrimp & Pasta with Chipotle Cream Sauce, Modern Comfort Food

2. Honey Roasted Chipotle Peanuts, Braised Anatomy

3. Cherry Chipotle Beef Ribs, Pop Artichoke

And some Chipotle Goodness, from my own Kitchen:

4. Chipotle Hummus, Domestic Fits

5. Chipotle Stout Braised Beef Tacos, The Beeroness

Now you are fully equipped to use an entire can of Chipotle In Adobo. 

Shiitake Mushroom & Chipotle Grilled Cheese

1 tbs olive oil

6-8 large shiitake mushrooms, sliced

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped (use gloves)

2 tbs cream cheese, softened

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 tbs chopped cilantro 

4 slices of bread

2 tbs butter, softened

In a pan over medium high heat, add the oil and allow to get hot but not smoking. Add the sliced mushrooms and sautee until dark and cooked through, remove from heat. 

In a bowl, add the softened cream cheese and the chipotle peppers, stir until well combined. Add the cheddar cheese, mushrooms and cilantro and stir until combined. 

Butter one side of each slice of bread. Return the pan used to cook the mushrooms to medium high heat, add one slice of bread, butter side down to the pan. Carefully slather half of the chiptole cheese mixture onto the bread and top with another slice, butter side up. Repeat for the additional slices of bread. Cook on each side until browned, about 4 minutes per side. 

Remove from pan, slice and serve with a cold beer.

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