Garlic Crusted Rib-Eyes

  Down here, amid record highs for May, it's easy to see grill covers being flung aside and grills being fired up.  Rightly so, we followed suit this Memorial Day.  This recipe comes from Jamie Purviance, author of a popular series of grilling books for Weber.  The steaks came out juicy, succulent, and needed no sauce.  The trick to these steaks is not the ingredients, as there are relatively few needed, but the method of how to prepare the garlic.  The stinkin' rose will be used to create a paste that won't burn like traditional minced garlic.  And if you've ever had the misfortune of tasting burnt garlic, you know how bitter it is.  So, let's get to it, shall we?

Garlic Crusted Rib-Eyes

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 large garlic cloves
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 Rib-eyes, about 1 inch thick, and excess fat trimmed away

  Start off by creating the garlic paste.  You will need a cutting board and chef's knife, or a knife with a similar sized blade (a santoku knife comes to mind, and one of my favorite blades).  Peel the garlic cloves and finely chop the garlic.  Sprinkle about a teaspoon of the salt over the chopped garlic.  Carefully, using the side of the knife, keeping pressure near the tip, drag the knife over the garlic until a paste forms.  This will take a few times of smashing and smearing the garlic back and forth on the cutting board.  It'll take on an almost transparent consistency, since it will have been smashed so thin.  Scrap up the garlic and add it to a small bowl.  Mix in the remaining salt, olive oil, parsley, vinegar and pepper.

  Take your garlic mixture and rub it on both sides of the steaks.  Allow the steaks to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.

  Fire up the grill and get it ready to grill on high, direct heat.  Grill the steaks until desired done-ness.  Move the steaks to a plate, loosely cover with aluminum foil and allow them to rest about 5 minutes under the foil tent before serving.

Cheese on a Cob

  I'm stuffed.  Tonight we had a lovely dinner, mainly made on the grill.  Baked sweet potatoes with cinnamon honey butter, grilled NY strips, and cheese on the cob.  Cheese on the Cob - yes, this would be a Paula Deen recipe, although it's roots are Mexican street food.  Don't turn your nose up when you look at the ingredients - the mayo is just glue.  This is one of my hubby's favorite ways to eat corn.  This is not a recipe of exacts, and one of the few you'll see with me not giving quantities; I'm a geek and I like my measurements where they are necessary.

Cheese on the Cob

Yields 4-5 ears of corn

Ingredients

4-5 ears of fresh corn, husked and silks removed
mayonnaise
grated Parmesan cheese*, about 1 cup (see note towards the end of the post)
chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Special equipment: aluminum foil, cooking spray, grill

Start off by preheating your grill and ripping off enough aluminum foil to wrap your ears of corn.  Dump the grated Parmesan on a plate.

Brush the corn with a thin layer of mayo.  Roll the cobs in the Parmesan cheese until you get a nice, thick layer of cheese.  Sprinkle all sides of the corn with chili powder, salt and pepper.

Spray one side of the aluminum foil pieces.  Lay the corn on the sprayed side and wrap up the cobs.  I put my corn in the center of the foil, pull up the sides and roll them down like you do an open chip bag, and then roll in each side so the corn is fully closed, but you aren't going to mess up your cheese coat.

Put the corn on the grill for about 10 minutes, turning them every few minutes, or until the kernels start to show a little brown.

Notes:

* Now, back to the Parmesan - use the green can.  Y'all know what I'm talking about- the can of pre-grated cheese that sits next to the pasta on the store shelf.  This is one of the occasions that it really is the best for the job.  I tried this once with nice, freshly grated Parm, and promptly went back to the green can.  Fresh Parmesan just didn't melt the same and the taste just didn't meld as well with the chili powder.  

**  Come in close - you can totally do this when corn is out of season or you don't have a grill.  Frozen corn - no problem.  Just cook the corn slightly under package directions, and pick up from the beginning once the corn is cool to the touch.  No grill?  Preheat your oven to 400°F and put the foiled corn in for 10 minutes.

Tandoori Spiced Chicken Breast with Tomato Jam

  It's official; summer is on our doorstep.  Sonic is open until midnight.  Memorial Day is rolling in on Monday for you lucky ducks that have a long weekend.  (Just know I'll be giving you the stink eye, because I'm working.)  I figure it's time to share a grilling recipe.  Gas up the grills, if you haven't already.  This one probably has the longest ingredient list out of the recipes I make, but it's not complex, and a great wake-up from the winter doldrums.  Spicy - not for the faint of tastebud.  It's a tweaked version of a Bobby Flay recipe he fired up on a Boy Meets Grill episode.  I don't care much for the herbed yogurt Bobby made to accompany this dish, so I use sour cream to tame the heat.  If you wander by FN's website and see this dish -do not go by the amounts listed there- you will end up wasting lots of spices.

Let's start off by making the Grilled Tomato Jam - it'll need a little cooling time and has the longest cooking time.

Grilled Tomato Jam

Yields about 6 servings

Ingredients

5 Roma tomatoes (also known as plum tomatoes)
1 serrano chile
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, divided
salt and pepper
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 pinch turmeric or saffron (I'm on a budget, so I use the turmeric since I need it for the chicken anyway- original recipe calls for saffron)

  We're going to start by prepping and grilling our tomatoes and chile.  Brush the tomatoes and chile with about 1 TBS of the oil.  Sprinkle them with salt and pepper.  Grill the tomatoes and chile until you get a char on all sides - this won't take long at all, so don't wander off from the grill.  Remove from the grill and to a plate and let cool until you can handle them.  Give them a rough chop.  Optional: I seed my chile at this point, because the spice rub for the chicken is plenty hot.  If you go that route, wear gloves and don't rub your eyes!

  Heat up the remaining 2 TBS of oil in a medium saucepan.  Toss in the chopped onion and cook until the onion becomes soft. Add in the chopped tomatoes, chile, balsamic vinegar and saffron. (Sub a bit of turmeric if you don't have saffron.) Cook the mixture down on medium-low until it gets thick - I usually go 30 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature before you serve.

*  After the mixture cools, I take an immersion blender and blend it just a bit, so it's a bit smoother but still has chunks, as a personal preference.

Tandoori Spiced Chicken Breasts 

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne (can reduce to 1/2 teaspoon if you're worried about the heat)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil (may need a bit more)
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 8 ounces each
4 whole pitas
Sour cream

  Heat up your grill to medium high.

  Pound your chicken breasts until they are even thickness, if needed.

  Make the spice paste - mix all of the spices and oil together in a small bowl. The paste will be thick, and you can add more oil if needed to achieve a paste consistency.

  Spread a thin layer of the spice paste on ONE side of the chicken ONLY.  If you do both sides, the spices will be too overwhelming. Trust me, it'll have plenty of taste.

  Grill your chicken until cooked through - about 3-4 minutes on each side. Pull the chicken off the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes. Slice the grilled breasts, 1/2 inch thick slices.

  While the chicken is resting, warm the pitas on the grill - just until they are pliable. Top with the chicken slices and serve with grilled tomato jam and sour cream.

App Review: Grill Guide

  Gather 'round, kids.  Time to get a bit of a background here.  About a month ago, I put my old 30 gig Ipod photo into semi-retirement.  I have a long drive back and forth to work, and have a hard time picking up radio stations I enjoy listening to.  My Ipod had been my faithful companion, hooked to my car stereo, providing me with music for the ride.  But lately, the charge just wasn't holding very well.  With the stars aligned and tax refund in hand, (plus a really kick butt sale at Best Buy), I came into the modern ages and bought an Ipod Touch.  Don't worry, friends - our old standby is still around.  He keeps my hubby entertained around the house, playing numerous audio podcasts for his delight.  I, on the other hand, am in lurve with all the things you can do on the Touch - especially apps, and there are some nice ones out there for us foodies.

  So, occasionally, I would like to share my thoughts on some apps, and cookbooks (Lord knows, I gots a plenty of them, too.)  Being my first review, I'd like to say, everyone's tastes are going to be different, but I'll try to give my honest thoughts.  I refuse to do stars or number ratings, as that's pretty subjective, as anyone that follows critical reviews for movies and games will tell you.  What I will give you is, if knowing what I know now, would I buy it again if given the chance.  I think that's probably the best assessment I can give.  If I lost you back there on that maze of thought, I apologize, and remember, moss grows on the north side of the tree.

*Claps her hands and signals for a drum roll*  Our first review will be:  Dadoo Grill Guide!

App:  Grill Guide
Publisher:  dadoo http://www.dadooiphone.com/Grill_Guide.html

Compatible with Iphone, Ipod Touch, & Ipad

Price as of posting (5/16/10) 99 cents

  I bought the Grill Guide app as this spring has been unusually hot, bringing to mind the summer state of mind at our house.  Grilling.  Admittedly, I leave most of the grunt work to the hubby when it comes to fire and food in the great outdoors of our cement stoop.  But I usually get the question, "How long should I put this on for?" Being that I know little of grilling, I usually pull up recommended times online.

  Of course, there was the epic app frenzy that overtook me when I got the Touch, and started searching for food apps.  Found it recommended on a tech blog, so I tracked it down on the Itunes store and bought it.  One of the big stand-outs for me is the simple, but very visually appealing interface.  Upon opening the app - you get a picture of a hot grill with different foods cooking away.  Each piece of food represents the 7 grilling groups the app covers: pork, vegetables, red meat, lamb, poultry, fish & seafood, and fruit.  The bottom has the app logo, along with touch access to the ruler feature.  The food icons take you to a menu, where you select your food of choice.  Dadoo tells you recommended cooking times, and direct or indirect heat.  With meat products, you'll be given a choice of thicknesses and the appropriate times for each.  Which brings me to the ruler feature - it can be used in the horizontal or vertical position of the Ipod.

Final thoughts:  Would I buy it again? Yes.  But don't buy it expecting grilling recipes.  There are a few tips and ideas on how to cook a variety of foods, but these are for a basic grill.  But it serves the basic function of listing grilling times for a variety of foods and thicknesses, deciding on the right flame, and the ruler function is a nice and handy feature. For 99 cents, I can't ask for much more than that.