grilling for 'girls'
by janna wardle

My only real memories of my father cooking involve the grill. I remember sitting outside on my family’s patio in Louisiana on warm summer evenings—the smell of gardenias mixing with the smoke of the charcoal. My father would approach the grill holding a big platter of raw, bloody meat, wielding a 3-foot long spatula the way he approached the neighbor’s stalled Chevy with a socket wrench. The gleam of pyromania and charred flesh was in his eyes. This was a man’s domain.

Dad recently invited me over to admire his new Honkytonk Superflame 3000—the Cadillac of backyard grills. We stood around for a good 20 minutes as he explained the space-age knobs, the gas power, and basically reveled in its metallic sleekness. He claimed that the grill possesses an artificial intelligence, and actually does your cooking for you. “I left 2 lbs. of bratwurst on it overnight, and it was still juicy in the morning. We had it for breakfast, “ he said, with a familiar gleam in his eyes.

There’s something about a big grill that screams manliness and bloody meat. But you don’t have to exist solely on large pieces of dead animal in order to enjoy a grill. The smokiness that a grill imparts can add wonderfully nuanced flavors to more artful food.

Here is a menu that I tried out on the Superflame. Although conspicuously lacking in ground meat of any sort (which I avoid on principle), it went over quite well with males and females alike. Focusing on the fruits of late summer, I like to think of it as a feminine twist on backyard grilling. It’s a man’s domain no longer.

Summer Grill Menu
Serves 4

Mayo-less Potato Salad
Shrimp Kebabs with Grilled Peach-Rosemary Salsa
Fresh Blackberry Cobbler

You should be able to get many of these ingredients at local farmer's markets. I have placed a star next to the items that should be available from local growers.

Mayo-less Potato Salad
This salad is even better the next day, so I recommend making it in advance.
1 lb. potatoes (you can use any kind you like, big or small)*
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar½ teaspoon Dijon mustard6 tablespoons olive oil1 tablespoon chopped parsley*4 tablespoons sliced green onions*Salt and pepper to taste

Leaving the skin on, scrub potatoes and chop into bite-size pieces. Boil until tender and drain. Cool. In a medium bowl, combine balsamic, Dijon, parsley, and salt and pepper. Add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking vigorously. Combine with the potatoes. To serve, arrange on a platter and sprinkle with the green onions.

Shrimp Kebabs with Grilled Peach-Rosemary Salsa

Summer peaches are fabulous when grilled.
20 medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined
wooden skewers7 peaches*½ red onion*3 hot peppers, or more if you like things spicy*1 tablespoon chopped rosemary*3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegarsalt and pepper to taste

Slice peaches in half and remove pit. Season with salt and pepper and brush with some of the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Grill, flesh side down, for about 5 minutes. Place immediately in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. After 5 minutes, remove wrap and peel by hand. The peel should slide right off.

Dice peaches, onion, and peppers. Combine with chopped rosemary in a medium bowl. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. This is fabulous when served hot, but is also good room temperature or cold.

Put 5 shrimps on each skewer. Season with salt and pepper, brush with a little olive oil, and grill just until curled and pink. Serve with the peach salsa.

Blackberry Cobbler
Any summer berries will do, but blackberries are my favorite.
1 ¼ cups sugar1 tablespoon cornstarch4 cups blackberries*2 cups all-purpose flour2 teaspoons baking powder¾ teaspoon salt10 tablespoons butter, cut into ½ inch cubes¾ cup whole milk
Whisk sugar and cornstarch together in a large bowl. Toss with blackberries. Bake in a buttered baking dish at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Using your fingers, blend in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Add milk and stir just until a dough forms. Do not overmix.

Drop dough onto fruit in several mounds. If you like, you can sprinkle the dough with additional sugar. Bake until golden and bubbling, about 30 minutes.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. You can also just pour cold, fresh cream on each serving, which is delicious.

 

Janna Wardle is a culinary student at AB-Tech and works at The Market Place, a restaurant in downtown Asheville. [ [email protected] ]