Andouille & Mesa Grits

Taken from Bobby Flay’s television show, Grill It! This is Andouille Sausage, Mesa Grits and Scrambled Eggs - a terrific brunch from off the grill! Andouille (pronounced Ann Do Wee) Sausage is Cajun. It is made from smoked pork, pepper, onion, wine and spices that make it flavorful with a kick. I scrambled the eggs with cream, Monterey Jack cheese, kosher salt and ground black pepper in the big cast iron skillet on the grill. Next to the skillet I had the Andouilles grilling and sizzling. Meanwhile, Dorothy prepared the Mesa Grill Grits from the Bobby Flay Mesa Grill Cookbook (page 265). Dorothy is from Brooklyn, but she does love the southern delicacy of grits, especially cheese grits. Bobby’s version adds cream, garlic, and fresh chopped cilantro. I must admit that those grits were the best thing on the plate. The hot-spice of the Andouilles was perfectly tamed by the smooth creamy grits.   

Go Team USA! It won't be like 1980, but it will be cool to see the USA Hockey Team take the gold on Canadian ice. In 1980, professionals could not play and no Soviet Union players played in the NHL. So really the USSR team in 1980 was the best pro team in the world while the USA team was a bunch of college kids. When they beat the Soviet team, it was as if the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints  lost to the University of Northern Iowa - it was that big. And that doesn't even factor in all the cold war tensions. We are not at the brink of war with Canada, and most of the Team Canada players play here in the USA on NHL teams - so it is no where near the same - but still it would be cool. 

http://hockey.teamusa.org/

Paul

Grilled BLT

Classic BLT from the Grill! This was a great, fast, light Friday night dinner. The recipe is from Boy Gets Grill by Bobby Flay, page 238 - Grilled Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato and Cheese Sandwich. I grilled the bacon across the grill grates and did not loose a single strip. I used a little butter spray on the Whole Wheat bread and toasted the slices on an upper grate. The sandwich came together with a big slice of tomato, romaine lettuce and that is real Buffalo Mozzarella piled on. We cut the sandwiches in half for easy griping, added a big Kosher Dill pickle on the side and we were good. There is hardly anything better than a really good sandwich when you have fresh ingredients - especially the bread. This bread was soft and fresh from the store's bakery.


I remember sandwich building and eating contests on Saturdays in my house growing up. My mother would put out a bunch of sandwich fixin's like bread (I think it was always white bread), "package meat" (which was thin slices of ham or turkey that came in a plastic pouch), and then anything else that could be pulled from the fridge. It was probably a really creative way to get rid of leftovers. The trick was to build the tallest sandwich - but that was not enough - to win, you had to eat the whole thing. Potato chips in the sandwich was standard, because they added height. It wasn't until years later that I discovered that Bobby Flay's signature burger has potato chips on it and at Bobby's Burger Palace he will add chips on any burger for free. See my previous blog on the Signature Burger for more on that. I once won the contest with an Apple Sandwich. It had all the regular ingredients, but I added apple slices because they were thick, not necessarily because apples on a deli sandwich would taste good or makes good sense - but I ate it and I won. I bet my parents didn't think they were creating a life-long memory with a sandwich game. Funny that the little things make such a big difference in the long run. But back to the Grilled BLT...


This proves that even standard favorites like a Classic BLT can be better from the grill. So, it is true that everything is better with bacon and everything is better from the grill. These are eternal truths. These are known facts. 


More theories proven, more truths confirmed and more grilling to come!
Paul 

Throw a Brick

Here is Bricked Rosemary Chicken with Lemon - from Bobby Flay's Grilling for Life, page 136. Under the brick the chicken got a little blackened, but it was still tender and juicy on the inside. The marinade for the chicken was olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and fresh rosemary. I bought a whole frier chicken and had the store butcher butterfly cut it by taking out the back bone and laying it open. When you buy chicken by the piece, like thighs, legs, wings, breasts, you pay more to have the cutting done. But if you buy the whole chicken, the butcher will cut it up for free - so you get what you want for about half price! After marinating the butterfly chicken, it went onto the grill and under the brick. 

What to Drink? White Truck. From the same folks that bring us Red Truck wine, White Truck is a blend of California whites. One of the characteristics of many white wines is their citrus flavors. We thought that would pair well with the chicken that also had lemon in the marinade. It worked. Red and/or White Truck will work for you as well, so give them a try sometime. http://www.redtruckwine.com/redtruck/index.jsp

Sometimes when a flight student unexpectedly does poorly on a flight test, we call that "throwing a brick." It happens. A really good student, does something really dumb on the flight test, right in front of the pilot examiner. They had never made that mistake before and it is a safe bet that they will never make that same mistake again. The mistake came out of no where. We didn't see it coming - they just Threw a Brick. In flight training, throwing a brick is a bad thing - in grilling it can be a good thing - as long as the brick is wrapped in foil and on top of a chicken!

More brick throwing (the good kind) and more grilling to come!

Paul

Steak Sandwich

From Bobby Flay Cooks American page 37, this is a Steak Sandwich on Toasted Garlic Bread with Cheddar, Tomato-Olive relish and Skillet fries. This all started with a stop at Tag'z Five Star Meats for a couple of New York Strips. Mike's steaks are always the best in town. Look at the blog titled Tag'z from back in January to learn more and see the photos. The relish was quick and easy to fix. I chopped tomatoes, and mixed them with black olives, basil leaves, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, kosher salt and ground pepper. I put the relish aside so all those flavors could work their way into each other. Then I prepared the Skillet Fries. I first partially cooked some sliced potatos. When they were cool enough to handle, I cut them into smaller cubes. I slices a red and yellow bell pepper and chopped a red onion. I placed the big cast iron skillet on the grill after brushing a light coating of olive oil and let it heat up. I tossed in the onion first to get it started, then all the other ingredients - plus more olive oil with salt and pepper.

The potatos ended up with a hash brown-type texture. The peppers blended well and it smelled wonderful sizzling all together next to the steaks. When the steaks were done, I let them rest before slicing them into strips. In the meantime, I toasted a hoagie roll with garlic butter on an upper grate of the grill. Next, I put slices of the steak under sharp cheddar cheese and put it all back on the grill to melt. Finally, I topped the steak and cheese with the relish, put the Skillet Fries/Peppers on the side and it was dinner time!

Weather Report: It is still cold and windy. I have a fellow blogger and follower in
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. He is grilling tonight in much better weather! His blog is My Year on the Grill. Check it out http://yearonthegrill.blogspot.com/

No matter your Latitude - when you grill - its a good day.
Paul

Santa Fe Burger

Santa Fe Burger from Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries & Shakes book - page 63. This turned out to be an excellent cold night burger. I grilled the burgers the Bobby Flay way to begin with. Check out the video of me demonstrating the Bobby Flay burger grilling technique, including the use of a basting pan at http://www.youtube.com/user/dvcraig1101#p/a/u/2/UBPkkIKK99k


I began by roasting a Poblano Chili. Poblanos have a great taste when they are roasted - not over poweringly spicy - just great flavor. You roast a Poblano just like any other pepper. You place the pepper right in the flames. Turn it over and get both sides completely charred. Then you grab the pepper with tongs and place it in a plastic zip-lock type bag. While in the bag the pepper will sweat and cool. In about 15 minutes open the bag and the outer charred skin will just fall off, leaving you with a great roasted pepper. When the burgers were about done, I covered them in Pepper-Jack cheese and covered them with the basting pan so that the cheese would completely melt. Coming off the grill, I poured on some Queso Sauce, crumbled blue corn tortillas and, as you can see, two strips of roasted Poblanos. Those are Grilled Steak Fries in the background of the photo - also from the same book, page 91. The smooth Queso counteracted the spicy Pepper-Jack and all went together great with that perfectly grilled burger and those Poblanos. You need to try this recipe out for certain!


I have spent some time in Santa Fe, New Mexico. When I was there, I had wonderful Mexican food. I guess with all that great Mexican, I never tried a regular burger while I was there. I don't think this burger would stack up against the best Mexican food around - but it was still very good. The burger will do until you are in Santa Fe again.


Paul

Pounded Sage-Orange Chicken

From Bobby Flay's Grilling for Life (page 122), this is Grilled Chicken Breasts with Fontina and Prosciutto with Sage-Orange Vinaigrette.  I put together the Sage-Orange sauce first with white wine vinegar, garlic, orange zest, sage leaves and olive oil in a processor. For the chicken I took two sheets of wax paper and put the chicken between the sheets. Then I pounded the chicken with a mallet until it was about 1/4 inch flat. Making it flat made it possible to layer on Prosciutto, the shredded Fontina, two sage leaves and roll it all up. I held it together with wooden toothpicks that I soaked in water beforehand. Once on the grill, I cooked the chicken on three sides, so that it was done all the way through but also so the heat would be even to melt the Fontina inside. When the chicken came off the grill, I spooned on the Sage-Orange sauce and it all came together. 

Weather Report. Cold Again. Over the weekend the Sun came out and the temperature rose to above 60 for the first time this year. We actually were able to put some wind in some sails on Sunday. But now its back to below freezing and windy - it is less than a month until the start of Spring - bring it on!

Sorry, but we had a temporary interruption in our internet service. That is why this blog entry is late getting up on Bobby Flay Everyday.

The internet may have stopped, but the grill keeps going!

Paul

Filet Mignon!

Check this out! Grilled Beef Filet with Arugula and Parmesan from Bobby Flay's Grilling for Life book page 160. I started by making the dressing for the salad. It was chopped red onion, lemon juice, olive oil with salt and pepper. Then came the steaks - but not just any steak - this was Filet Mignon. I couldn't afford to grill this for a large group, but for two it was not that much more. Brush canola oil on both sides of the meat and then be generous with the kosher salt and ground black peppercorns. I first seared the filets in a cast iron skillet that had been lightly brushed with oil and allowed to heat up on the grill. Just about two minutes of searing per side, then on to the regular grill grates. I was shooting to grill the filets to medium (about 140 degrees) but remember that steaks continue to cook even after they come off the grill, so factor that in. If you wait until your thermometer reads 140, its too late. I left the filets "rest" under foil for about five minutes and then cut them into slices. You can see from the photo that the filets are juicy with a hint of pink running through the middle. The thing about Filet Mignon is the tenderness of the meat. These required only a fork to cut and they simply melt in your mouth. I also chopped up the Arugula, together with sliced tomato and shaved Parmesan and drizzled on the dressing. One of the very best meals yet on Bobby Flay Everyday!

What to Drink? A gift bottle from my father of Colores del Sol Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina. How did he know this was the perfect wine for Filet Mignon? It was. It had a deep flavor of fruit and spice that was complementary to the pepper spiced filets. Check them out at: www.ColoresdelSolwines.com

My sister sent me a message on Facebook that the Bobby Flay recipes here on Bobby Flay Everyday looked great but were no good to her - because she still would have to cook them. I invited her over and said that I would grill for her, but that would miss the point. We grill not just for the food, but for the experience of grilling. Remember Steve Martin said "You just can play a sad song on the banjo." Well, you just can be in a bad mood while you are grilling. So when you have had a stressful day, a hectic day, a frustrating day - grill that day. Grilling is relaxing and stress free. Grilling is cheaper than therapy.

More Grilling and more therapy to come!

Paul

Huevos Rancheros

From Bobby Flay Cooks American (page 30) this is Ranch-Style Eggs with Chorizo and Tomato-Red Chili Sauce. This would be a great start to any day. I began by searing chopped red onions and garlic in olive oil and red wine in a pan on the grill. Then I added tomatoes, ancho chili powder and honey and let the sauce simmer for about 15 minutes. Once the sauce had reduced down I put the pan on an upper grate and went to work on the eggs. I used a big cast iron skillet. The eggs and sausage went in together with some cream and Monterey Jack cheese. The eggs cook up quickly in the hot skillet so it does require constant stirring with a wooden spoon. When the eggs were ready I stacked everything together on a wheat tortilla. Eggs & Sausage first, then the sauce poured over the top with more cheese. After the photo I rolled up the tortilla into a breakfast burrito. That Tomato-Chili sauce was perfect!

But I did run into a problem however. The market did not have Chorizo, which really surprised me. So I had to improvise. I had to use some sausage from a previous dish – yesterday’s flatbread dish. I know this sounds crazy, but taking toppings off of last night’s pizza and putting them in this morning’s eggs is not a new idea. In fact it has an official name: Eggs a la Williams. Like most guys my age, we have known our oldest friends for about 25+ years. I met Mike Williams on my very first day of college and that has been more than 35 years ago. Living and cooking in the dorm was an eye opening experience. Mike had his own take. He really would scavenge ingredients from off of a pizza that had been delivered the night before and toss them in scrambled eggs the next day. He called it Eggs a la Williams. Now before you think this is gross, think again. What normally goes into an omelet? Green peppers, diced ham, onions, cheese, mushrooms – these are also pizza toppings! The idea is not so far fetched after all. It is also economical, non-wasteful and very innovative. Living in the dorm is the same thing as saying you are poor, so we had to be very resourceful. I had a meal ticket for the cafeteria, but that was not open in the middle of the night or on weekends. There should be a dormroom cooking blog. But probably today’s college kids would not be as innovative as we were. Another friend, "The Clooose," would turn a twin-burner hot plate upside down. He would hang one burner over the edge of his desk and place books on the other end so the unit would not fall off the desk.  Then he would turn on the burner that was suspended upside down and let it get hot. He then would hold whatever was for dinner up under the burner and let it heat up like it was a broiler. This method worked great until the day in which he turned on the wrong burner – the one sitting directly on the desk! Never disrespect dorm cooking because it was creative thinking in action. Long live Eggs a la Williams!

Paul 

Epic Flatbread

One of the American Snowboarders won the Silver Medal and said her experience was "Epic." This is Grilled Flatbread from Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill (page 36). It was probably worthy of the Gold Medal and therefore is also "Epic." I started by pushing the pizza dough across the pan and into the edges. I spooned on some tomato gravy (not called sauce) and layered on Mozzarella cheese. Next came fresh sliced tomatoes and basil leaves. We added one more ingredient, that is not actually part of Bobby's original recipe - grilled Sweet Italian Sausage. This all went on the grill and the dough baked over medium heat in about ten minutes. We sliced the flatbread into squares added a salad and we had an epic meal. 


What to Drink? Maquis-Philips Grenache which is the wine of the week from Tim's Premium Wine. Here is what Tim had to say about it in his blog this week. 

WOW these are AWSOME. Another fantastic import from the Grateful Palate. These babies are dense with a heavy mouthfeel of longlasting fruit. We only have one case of each Merlot and Grenache. The grapes are all sourced from McLaren Vale in Australia. They are pretty high in alchohol around 16%, but they are oh so yummy…The Grenache received 89 points from Parker and is medium ruby colored with cedar and earth notes, with ripe cherry notes. Both of these fantastic wines are only $14.99 each… Come and get them. Until next time, drink more wine.

Tim was right. This wine was great and it was great with the flatbread. Some wines are just great pizza wines. Pizza wines are always red and often are red blends. I have nothing against beer and pizza, but if you are a beer and pizza person, try a pizza wine next time!

Recycling Day. We try to recycle everything that is used for Bobby Flay Everyday. Glass, plastic bags, plastic bottles, cardboard, newspapers and cans. Here is my local recycling center - I encourage you to find your local drop off, or sign up for curbside pickup, and recycle all you can. 

Dorothy purchased a mixed-media art sculpture last year from a collection called Use and Refuse - so recycling can also be art. Keep as much potential art out of the landfill as possible. 


Happy 50th! This is the 50th blog entry of Bobby Flay Everyday! 50 days of grilling...and counting.
Paul

Signature Burger

Crunchburger (aka the signature burger) from Burgers, Fries and Shakes page 40. This is the house burger at Bobby Burger Palace, also known as BBP. Now take a moment and go see Bobby talking about burgers on the BBP website http://www.bobbysburgerpalace.com/

This burger was terrific. I started with high quality ground beef, cooked the Bobby Flay way - with a crater in the middle to prevent "flying saucer" patties and with only canola oil, salt and pepper as the seasoning. The American cheese was melted using the Basting Pan method. You can see me using the basting pan method on my Super Bowl grilling video: http://www.youtube.com/user/dvcraig1101#p/a/u/1/UBPkkIKK99k

After the burger was done, I added a think tomato and a grilled red onion slice. Now what makes this burger the BBP Signature Burger is the potato chips - that's right, potato chips go right on the burger. You get a mouthful of juicy burger and salty chips in every bite. The reason that this is the Signature Burger is because it comes with potato chips standard. But every other burger at BBP can also be "crunchified." Bobby will add potato chips to any burger for no extra charge and there is even a "Get Crunchified" t-shirt.

Other websites and YouTube. Check out Tim's website at http://www.chillwineandliquor.blogspot.com

and also, if you haven't already seen it, check out three Bobby Flay recipes on the grill at once at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW9f1oW5uuE

Chips on a Burger from the grill - hardly anything is better!

Paul

Mango Chicken

Check it out - Jerked Chicken with Mango-Cilantro relish and barbequed red onion, from Boy Meets Grill, Page 59. This was a mid-week treat. I found some Mangos from Equador at the grocery so I picked them up and figured I could use them sometime. Sure enough Bobby Flay had a recipe to go with them. I first peeled and chopped up the Mangoes then added cilantro, lime juice, orange juice, olive oil, and red onions. I grilled the chicken as usual with olive oil, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. After the chicken was grilled to perfection – approaching 160 degrees interior temperature – the rest was easy. I just scooped the Mango mixture onto the chicken, added some rice and we were ready to eat. It was very tangy and sweet, but that was offset to some degree by the pepper on the chicken. It was a tasty combination – great in the winter, but probably even better in the summer.

The View. I got the chance to fly through and above the clouds today. It has been a while since I looked down on the clouds - lately the clouds have been filled with ice and therefore off limits. In time we flew out past the clouds and could see a snowscape as far as the visibility and the curvature of the Earth would allow. Looking down on the Earth is a great treat and privilege. Man’s ability to get this view is only a little over 100 years old. It is true, from above, there are no human boundaries - only God-made ones like mountain ridges and river valleys. Looking down resets your perspective. Everything that seems so important on the ground is so small when seen from up here. Everyday stress, cares, and concerns are put in their place when you are flying above them. Eventually I had to come down. Landing again surrounds you again with the cares again. After returning from the sky you truly understand the saying: Don’t sweat the small stuff because its all small stuff.

Don’t forget to check out the third episode of Bobby Flay Everyday on YouTube. The latest installment is from Valentine’s Day so I won’t blame you if you missed it! Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW9f1oW5uuE

Back on the ground, maybe the grill is the next best stress reducer to flying. More grilling and stress relief to come.
Paul

Chimichurri Streak

From Bobby Flay’s book Boy Gets Grill (page 204) this is Black Pepper-Crusted Strip Steak with Chimichurri. This really turned out great and you should try it sometime! I made the chimmichurri by combining parsley leaves, cilantro, garlic, chopped serrano chilies, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper and olive oil in a food processor. You can see that it made a great, green colored sauce due to the parsley, cilantro and Serrano chilies. I grilled the strip steaks as usual with a brushing of canola oil, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. I pre-baked some potatoes and then put them on the grill as well with salt and pepper. When the steaks were about done – about 140 degrees interior temperature – I brushed on some chimichurri. When the steaks came off the grill, I topped them with more of the sauce as you can see in the photo. The chimichurri was not too spicy but had great complementary flavor to the steak.

What was on? Olympic Alpine Skiing. My favorite event of the Winter Olympics is the Downhill. I have been watching it since Jean Claude Killy. In 1968 Killy won the triple crown of skiing – The Downhill, the Giant Slalom and the Slalom – in Grenoble, France. Except for Killy, Peggy Fleming and Apollo 8, 1968 was a terrible year. But I remember Killy and Fleming and later Franz Klammer in 1976 at Innsbruck. Klammer won the Downhill when I was in college and I remember going over to the Learning Resource Center on campus so my friends and I could watch it on a color TV using headsets for the sound. It was sort of like a library and we got in trouble when we cheered Klammer’s victory in the otherwise quite room.  The reason that the Downhill is the best Winter Olympic event is because there are no judges. The fastest person down the hill wins – no subjective opinions, no Russian judges, just speed. This is the way God intended sport to be – one person against one mountain with no other human interaction. The Downhill is the best event until the next 100-meter sprint in the next Summer Olympics. And again at the next 100-meter race, the fastest man alive will be crowded with no judges to interfere. Just the fastest guy across the line. Period.   

Grilling on the other hand is not fast. In fact, it is supposed to be slow and relaxing. Count on more  speed down the mountains of Canada to come, but also count on more slow grilling to come.

Paul

Muffuletta

This sandwich recipe originated in New Orleans in 1906 - Bobby Flay updated it and put it in Grill It! page 66. This is Grilled Chicken "Muffuletta" Sandwich with Spicy Olive Relish. I started with chicken breasts from Tag'z Five Star Meats. As usual the chicken from Tag'z is the largest and best quality anywhere. The olive relish was quick and easy. I chopped up red peppers, yellow peppers, serrano chilies and a red onion and put them on a pan to cook on the grill. Meanwhile, I cut up green olives, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper and mixed all that together with red wine vinegar and olive oil. So I had a hot portion on the grill and a cool portion in a separate pan. I grilled the chicken as usual with olive oil, kosher salt and ground pepper.  When the chicken was almost done, I toasted a hero roll on an upper grate of the grill and put provolone cheese on the chicken and another slice on the roll. When the chicken came off the grill, the cheese has melted so I put both the hot and cool parts of the relish together and spooned it all over the chicken. It was messy, but really good. I grilled a "stop light" of peppers (red, yellow and green) as a side dish and we were ready to go!

Weather Report. Blowing snow flurries continue to fall, but no more accumulation is expected. Instead it just got colder. I wonder sometimes how it will be to grill in the summer again. I have a friend named Don Culp. He is known as Captain Culp because he was once an airline captain for Transcontinental and Western Airlines (TWA before it was known as Trans World Airlines). Captain Culp is in his 90s now and does not fly anymore, but when he was in his 70s he flew rings around 20-year-old flight instructors. He would not allow any complaints about the weather, especially hot weather. As he walked out to the airplane, in 90+ degree heat, to give another flight test he would say "Its better than blowing snow!" Which meant you could fly in the heat, but you probably couldn't fly in blowing snow, so stop complaining and start flying. Today we had blowing snow - which reminded me of Captain Culp which reminded me of the heat of the summer which reminded me that I won't always be grilling in the snow!

But until the 90+ degree heat is back - we keep grilling - even in blowing snow.

Paul 

Valentine's Flay Triple Play

Bobby Flay Triple Play for Valentine's Day. This is Grilled Thick-Cut Ribeye from Boy Gets Grill page 218. Cabernet-Shallot Reduction sauce to go on the steak from Grill It! page 33. And from the Mesa Grill Cookbook, page 193, Twice-Baked Potatoes. Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW9f1oW5uuE to see the video of this menu! I started off with the Cabernet-Shallot sauce by chopping the shallots and grilling them in my big iron skillet with olive oil. Once they started getting brown, I poured in about 2/3 bottle of Black Opel Cabernet. Remember Bobby's rule is that you can't cook with wine that is not good enough to drink. The Black Opel is not expensive, but it came at #2 in a taste test last year held by The Tennessean newspaper - so I used it for the reduction sauce and by the glass. I let the red wine sauce simmer down while I put on the Ribeyes. The steak was brushed with canola oil and seasons with just kosher salt and ground pepper. The potatoes were baked ahead of time, bit the all the potato inside was scooped out. I mixed the potato with milk, butter, sour cream and chopped chives until it was like mashed potatoes - then I spooned it all back into the potato skins with cheese and baked them again on the grill. When the sauce had reduced down to a thick consistency, I poured it from the skillet into a small pan, but I left some of the sauce in the skillet. The final trick was that I took the steaks off the grill grates and put them in the skillet with the remaining sauce. I turned up the heat and allowed the Cabernet-Shallot sauce top sear into the meat. Watch the video and you will see the whole process!

Dessert? Dorothy's made-from-scratch Classic Genoise with Chocolate Ganache! In other words a great chocolate cake. 

With dinner and with the cake we had a wine from Tim Miles' Valentine's Day recommendation list: Layer Cake Shiraz. Tim said it was "100% Australian Shiraz brimming with Raspberry fruit and a long layered finish. It's a great choice with dark chocolate or fondue." He was right - Genoise with Chocolate Ganache and a wine called Layer Cake! Perfect!


Watch the video @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW9f1oW5uuE 
Paul

Chicken under a Brick

A brick for grilling? From Bobby Flay's television show, Grill It! this is Butterflied Chicken with a Basil, Oregano and Red Wine glaze. On the show, Bobby has a guest griller and one ingredient is grilled two different ways. Bobby's guest on this show made a version of Beer Can Chicken - Bobby made this Italian spiced version. When I got to the store I found a small whole chicken, but I had the butcher "butterfly" cut it. That means the backbone is cut along the chicken so that it can open out as you can see in the photo. The butterfly cut makes it possible for you to grill the entire chicken right on the grates. Turning the bird over is also no problem - just flip the whole thing. I added the brick. It is just a brick left over from when the house was built that I wrapped in foil. Placing the brick right on the chicken flattens it out even more than the butterfly cut alone, and insures even heat and even cooking throughout. After turning the chicken for the last time, I brushed on the mixture of fresh basil, oregano, olive oil and red wine that I had chopped up in the processor. 


Buying a whole chicken is much cheaper than buying it in pieces. The butcher won't charge any extra for making the butterfly cut, so it is also a way to save a little money. I grilled this chicken for about four bucks and we will have leftovers. Legs and wings for the game later!


What to Drink? Since we were grilling up Italian spiced chicken, I wanted an Italian wine. Italy has hundreds of different grape variates, but for this meal I wanted a Sangiovese. This is the grape that makes Chianti and comes from Tuscany. At Tim's Premium Wine store I found a Sangiovese from Ecco Domani (which translates to "Here's Tomorrow"). Sangiovese is not overpowering or spicy. It is dry (which means "not sweet") so it goes well with food that is also not too spicy. This was a great match. 


Did you see Booby Flay this morning on the CBS Sunday Morning show? Here is the clip you should see for Valentine's Day:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6207446n&tag=related;photovideo


Valentine's Day is all about great matches. More about matches between people and between grilled food and wine to come.
Paul 

Grilled Appetizer before the Peas

From Bobby Flay's book Boy Gets Grill (page 63) this is Grilled Bread Panzanella. I grilled this appetizer because we were away from home at normal grilling time - it ended up being most of a meal. I chopped up tomatoes, red onion, and garlic. Then mixed in red wine vinegar, kosher salt and ground pepper and let all the ingredients set together in a covered container. I grilled the "crusty" bread after brushing both sides with olive oil. After they came off the grill, I wrapped them in foil and the whole dish became portable. When we served it up we added shredded Mozzarella. We put it together more like a brushetta than Bobby's original recipe. Bobby's version called for the grilled bread to be cut into cubes and mixed in with all the other ingredients makes it more like a salad or side dish. We left the bread cut in slices off the grill, so we could take it with us easier. 

Where were we going? The Black Eyed Peas concert! 

Over Christmas break, our son Ziggy was in Nashville. I told him that I had gotten tickets to the Black Eyed Peas. He said "What the heck!" and he texted his girlfriend that his old parents were going to this concert. So I was ready to not like it. I already know their music - how could you miss it these days, but I was ready to quickly dismiss them. I was ready to say that they were not as good as some of my favorites from 20 (and 30) years ago. But as Dorothy put it, "They were freaky good." I was a terrific show. Will.i.am is part concert emcee, part impromptu songwriter, part rapper, but all showman. He is the real deal as an entertainer. And Fergie - I'm sorry to my generation, but she is better than Linda Ronstadt and Pat Benatar combined. 

The show started with a computer generated face on huge screens telling is that the show was being downloaded. The face looked like a circuit board, spoke like Max Headroom, but gave off the essence of the Wizard of Oz. In fact there were Wizard of Oz throwbacks all night. Will.i.am wore a series of  metallic masks that looked like his actual face and hair - was he the 2010 Tin Man? The concert was three guys and a girl taking us on a journey. The was no yellow brick road, but there was a stage that cut out into the crowd. When Fergie went down that runway, the security guards - dressed in yellow - stood shoulder to shoulder against the mosh pit. The show actually was downloaded and all computer generated except for the voices. At times you couldn't tell who on stage was real and who was a life size video projected on the screen. Everyone dressed and danced like robots all night. The Black Eyed Peas are made up one African American (will.i.am), one Mexican American (Taboo), one Filipino (Apl de ap), and Fergie (the chick pea) - the crowd was very eclectic as well. Three generations of a Filipino family sat right behind us and they went crazy when Apl de ap came out in what looked like a South Pacific war headdress. There were parents with their kids (not real young kids - the warm up act was Ludacris). And, Ziggy we were not the oldest folks there! I may have been to a better concert - but I can't remember when. Check them out at http://www.blackeyedpeas.com/

The Peas move on through there world tour and the grilling moves on as well.

Paul

Bacon Burger Dog

 

Gabe Haro, a reader of Bobby Flay Everyday, put in a quest recipe request for the the Bacon Burger Dog. The Urban Dictionary defines the Bacon Burger Dog as "A delicious snack/meal based from The Cosby Show. Consists of bacon, hamburger, and hotdog. 'Dad...I want a Bacon Burger Dog!' - Theo Huckstable." Bobby Flay does not have a Bacon Burger Dog, by that name - but he does have a delicious snack/meal Blue Burger (page 70 of Burgers, Fries and Shakes). The Blue Burger is a bacon burger with Blue Cheese and Blue Cheese sauce. To make it closer to the Bacon Burger Dog, I also grilled a hotdog, but when I went to take the photo, I was so happy with that Blue Cheese sauce that I didn't put the dog on the plate - but trust me this was Bobby's version of the classic Cosby Show Bacon Burger Dog. Thanks for the quest request Gabe!

Wisdom of the Grill. The burger was first grilled the Booby Flay way. Excellent ground beef, formed into a patty, a crater pushed into the middle of the patty, brushed with canola oil and seasoned with kosher salt and ground black pepper. After the burgers were turned, I topped them with thick sliced bacon and crumbled Blue Cheese. I used Bobby's basting pan method to melt the cheese and smoke the bacon. You can see the "crater" and basting pan method on YouTube. I used both those techniques on Super Bowl Sunday. Its only a few minutes long, so take a look at the video and you will never grill hamburgers the same way again. Watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/user/dvcraig1101#p/a/u/1/UBPkkIKK99k

The Blue Cheese sauce that I poured over the Blue Burgers just as they were served was a twist. I have a small sauce pan I use on the grill. I poured about two cups of milk into the pan and set it on the grill to heat up and simmer. When it was really steaming, I added butter, some onion, all purpose flour, chopped chives and a dash of cayenne pepper. The sauce thickened up pretty quick, but then I stated adding crumbled Blue Cheese. You can see that it made a great thick sauce that was packed with that bitter/sweet Blue Cheese flavor. The Blue Cheese sauce recipe is on page 110 of Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries and Shakes book. The grilled potatoes were also from that book - Bistro French Fries, page 88. 

Weather Report. No snow, but instead wind - and cold. Depending on the angle of wind to runway it is a good night to fly. There are clouds, but they are so high that no small airplane could catch them. "I know nothing, nothing in the world, equal to the wonder of nightfall in the air." That is what Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote in his book Wind, Sand and Stars. You may also know him as the author of The Little Prince. But to pilots he is revered because he was able to capture on the page the feelings, the emotions and the sensations of flight better than anyone ever did before or since. He flew for the French Air Squadron in World War II and was a commercial aviation pioneer. My phrase "Wisdom of the Grill" was subconsciously stolen from the title of another Saint-Ex book, The Wisdom of the Sands. I think Wind, Sand and Stars is the best of his books, but its like trying to pick a favorite between grilled Rib Eye and New York Strip. It is a MUST read for pilots, its a great read for everyone else. It was written in 1939, but has been reprinted and translated for decades. It was named to the National Geographic list of the Top Ten Adventure Books of all Time.

More grilling in the wind and under the stars to come!

Paul

Grilled Crust on Steak

Just look at the crust on that steak! This is Spice-Rubbed Rib Eye with Bar Americain Steak Sauce. You can find the recipe for the steak and the sauce on page 30 of Bobby Flay's book titled Grill It! I made the spice rub first. It is ancho chili powder, sweet paprika, dried oregano, ground coriander, dry mustard, ground cumin, kosher salt and fresh ground black peppercorn. That is a lot of different spices, but it was not spicy hot. I am beginning to like ancho chili powder - I had never used it before about six weeks ago. Bobby says that its taste can be compared to a "spicy raisin." I brushed canola oil on both sides of the steak and then with a spoon I rubbed in the spices. When the fire was hot, I put the steaks on the grill, rub-side down and let the flame bake those spices right into the meat. About four minutes later I turned the steaks, closed the grill cover and let the grill do the rest of the work. The steak sauce was made with two kinds of mustard, Dijon and Whole-Grain, molasses, ketchup, honey, a dash of horseradish, salt and pepper. We are usually very skeptical of any kind of sauce or topping on our steaks. The steak and the steak rub grilled in should be more than enough - but this sauce is signature sauce of Bobby Flay's restaurant, Bar Americain so we went with it. As you can see, I used it as a dipping sauce and I ended up dipping every bite - it was that good. 

Bar Americain is located in Midtown Manhattan on 52nd street. Check out the location where this recipe and steak sauce originated: http://www.baramericain.com/

What to Drink? We went back to Argentina for a Puerto Viejo Malbec. It was very concentrated with great flavor. It was not to spicy which went great with the tame spices of the steak and the sauce. This Malbec came from Tim's Premium Wines and Spirits. His blog is http://www.chillwineandliquor.blogspot.com/

Today he sent out some Valentine's Day wine recommendations. Here is an excerpt-

Valentines Day- A day for wine and love.

 I have a few wine suggestions for this wonderful day. (or for any other time of the year)

 As a husband I always like to make sure my lady is happy. I have a sure wine choice for most women. Late Harvest Riesling, Riesling is a sweeter white that is sure to satisfy most ladies (or men).

 If your date is a more seasoned wine drinker I have a few seductive selections for a big Valentines Day.

 Chocolate Box Shiraz-$18.99ea. This is a big bold Barossa Valley Shiraz from Australia. It has hints of coffee, chocolate, blackberries and spice, with a bold finish. This is a great one for grilled meat and dark chocolate.

 Layer Cake Shiraz-$17.99ea. Again this is a 100% Australian Shiraz brimming with Raspberry fruit and a long layered finish. It's a great choice with dark chocolate or fondue.

 Menage A Trois Red- $12.99ea. If you are feeling a little daring, spring this little jewel on your loved one. It may be your lucky day. This is a blend of Cabernet, Merlot, and Zinfandel. This wine is fruit forward with fresh ripe jammy fruit and silky soft on the finish. It is an easy drinker. I love this little wine, it is sure to peak whatever you desire.

 I hope these suggestions will make your Valentines Day a special day.

 Thank you for your business.

Until next time, drink more wine.

Tim Miles - Premium Wines & Spirits

"Explaining the Miles of Wine"

These are terrific recommendations. We love Late Harvest Riesling (especially when it is warmer) and we have a bottle of Layer Cake ready for Valentine's Day already to go.

If you can't get to Bar Americain tonight - light your grill. I will!

Paul
PS - The Super Bowl Burger Grilling is on YouTude:
http://www.youtube.com/user/dvcraig1101#p/a/u/1/UBPkkIKK99k

Adobo!

From Bobby Flay's book Boy Meets Grill (page 180), this is Grilled Chicken in Adobo with Garlic Butter. In Spanish thats Pollo adobado. Adobo is oregano, garlic, chilies, and honey. Adobo is to Latin cultures what brown gravy over mashed potatoes was for me growing up. I marinated the chicken in the adobo sauce for about two hours - that may have been too long because this was very spicy. I grilled red, orange, yellow and green peppers to go with the chicken and it was the peppers that turned out to have less heat! You should still give this a try, because it was very good and very flavorful - but if you don't like it really spicy-hot then marinade for less time.

What to Drink? We pulled out a Blackstone Syrah. We knew we would need a big spicy wine to hold up against this dish and the wine met that requirement - but I still had a glass of ice water near by. For more on our Blackstone Winery experience check out the blog entry from back on New Year's Day!

What was on? Carly Simon. Sometimes you hear people say that a certain song or album is part of the "Soundtrack of their life." I gave this some thought. The Soundtrack of an entire life (at least of a life lived so far) should be a big deal. Here are the three requirements that I came up with for a song or album to qualify as a lifetime soundtrack. Number 1- When you first hear the music, you know every word, even though it may have been 10 years since you heard it last. Number 2- When you first hear the music again, a particular person, place or thing must instantly pop into your head. The music must carry you back to that moment when you first heard it. Number 3- The music must be from your past, but more so the music must qualify as being from "back in the day." I first heard the phrase, back in the day, from my adult son. I remember thinking that he hadn't lived long enough to know anything from back in the day. Then I over heard one of my college students use the phrase. He was reminiscing with nostalgia about something back in the day. This kid was only about 21 years old. He was not even alive back in the day! I eventually have concluded that back in the day really means back in your day. I have further concluded that back in your day took place when you were 19 years old. If you hear music that meets the criteria of Number 1 and Number 2, plus you first heard it when you were 19 or yonger then, and only then, does it meet Number 3's requirement and therefore qualifies as a "Soundtrack of your Life."

Carly Simon is definately a Soundtrack of my Life.

More helpful music definitions and grilling to come.

Paul

Chili-Plum Chicken

This is Grilled Chicken with Fresno Chili-Plum Sauce (page 138 of Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook). Plums on Chicken? Yes, it was a great taste with the grilled chicken although I don't think I ever had that combination before. I ran into a problem at the supermarket however. They didn't have Fresno Chilies. I used a substitute, but it was not a very good substitute becauce Fresnos are red and I used Pablonos which are green. In addition to the color being off, the taste was probably a little off as well. Pablonos are also a little less spicy that Fresnos. But the plums seem to make up all the differences. I first chopped up the plums and tossed them in a pan with white wine vinegar, chicken broth, olive oil, and some brown sugar. I put that pan on the grill first and let it heat up to a simmer. The plums got tender and the whole thing boiled down to a chunky sweet syrup. I grilled the chicken as usual with olive oil, kosher salt and ground black pepper and when they were done (just prior to 160 degrees) I poured on the Chili-Plum Sauce.  

The plums were at the supermarket. They came from Chili where it is summer now. The fact that we can have summer produce in the winter all comes down to 23 degrees. That is the amount of tilt the Earth has as it turns on its axis. If it were not for that seemingly insignificant 23 degree tilt we would have no seasons at all. It would be perpetually summer at the Equator and perpetually winter at the Poles. It would be perpetually a Spring-Fall combination in Tennessee. There would be no planting, growing or harvesting season - because the climate would never change. That 23 degree tilt makes everything work down here on Earth.

In February the Earth looks like the planet on the left. The Sun's rays hit the Southern Hemisphere straight on so the heat is concentrated and creates Summer. At the same time, the Sun's rays hit the Northern Hemisphere with a glancing blow, just skimming past and spreading out its heat creating Winter. We, in the USA, are actually closer, in miles to the Sun in Winter, but how close we are is not as important as how direct the Sun's rays hit us. Next July the Earth will be like the planet on the right. The Northern Hemisphere will get a straight shot of sunlight while the Southern Hemisphere will get just grazed by the rays and turn cold. The 23 degree tilt makes all that possible. It makes life on Earth what it is. "To everything there is a Season and a time for every purpose under heaven" Ecclesiastes 3:1. There is a time for winter and summer. There is football season that is different than baseball season. There is a time when the Sun says plant and a time when the Sun says harvest. There is a time to harvest plums south of the Equator and to grill those plums north of the Equator in the snow.  

Weather Report.

My Dad gave me this "Grill Sergeant" hat long before I started grilling and bloging Bobby Flay. I took it off and laid it on the pre-table and forgot about it when I went in to get the chicken. This is what I saw when I got back.

What was on? We are still in the glow of the Saints Super Bowl win so Dorothy downloaded Harry Connick Jr.'s Oh My, NOLA (NOLA=New Orleans, Louisiana). It is music straight from Burbon Street where there will be two Marti Gras this year!


YouTube. Watch "Grilling in the Snow"at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4DNoHGEafw
and "Super Bowl Grilling" at http://www.youtube.com/user/dvcraig1101

As the Sun's rays go down, the grill fires will come up - in every season.
Paul

Super Bowl Super Burger

Since the Super Bowl was played in Miami, we celebrated the Saints win with Miami Burgers. This recipe is from Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Fries & Shakes book page 51. I started with excellent ground beef formed into patties, brushed with canola oil and seasoned generously with kosher salt and ground black pepper. After the burgers grilled on one side for about 4 minutes, I turned the burgers and topped them with slices of smoked Virginia ham and Swiss cheese. We always want the cheese to be completely melted, so I used Bobby’s Basting Cover method. I covered the burgers with a metal pan turned upside down right on the grill. The pan was deep enough so that the cheese did not touch the inside of the pan, but captured all the grill heat. This surrounded the burger with heat and smoke and melted the cheese thoroughly. I toasted some buns on the grill and served the burgers with mayo and dill pickles. Dorothy also prepared homemade coleslaw using Bobby’s recipe from Grill It! and her new processor.

YouTube. You can watch me grill the Miami Burgers on YouTube today!


http://www.youtube.com/user/dvcraig1101#p/u/7/UBPkkIKK99k


What was on? Before the Super Bowl we listened to an “LP Field Stadium Mix.” At the last Titans home game, Dorothy noted all the songs that were played at the game, and then downloaded them from itunes. It sounded like we were back at the game awaiting the kickoff. But here is the funny thing. I had never heard these songs in their entirety. At the game they play only a short portion of the song and only certain sections of the song. NFL rules prohibit music to be played over the PA system when the ball is in play. The big build-up music reaches its loudest at the kickoff, but as soon as the kicker’s foot touches the ball, the music fades out. After timeouts, the music must stop when a team breaks the huddle. All this is stuff you don’t know if you just watch on TV. So the mix we listened to before the game was only partially recognized music and less recognized titles but included:


All Star by Smash Mouth
Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne
We Will Rock You by Queen
Hey Ya! by OutKast
Whoomp! (There it is) by Tag Team
And of course…
Tubthumping by Chumbawamba


Super Bowl. Congratulations to the Saints! It was great that they won, but the victory was even sweeter since it was Payton’s fault that the Colts lost. Did you see the TV cut away shot of Manning after he threw the Pick6 – he was trying to blame it on his receiver. Although in truth Reggie Wayne gave up on the play too.


Followers Wanted. I know that many of you are reading Bobby Flay Everyday because I have been getting a lot of emails and guest recipe requests – so please consider becoming a Follower by using the Follower link. You will have to set up a Google account to become a Follower if you do not already have one.


The NFL season is over – but the grilling has just begun. Let me know what you think of the video at http://www.youtube.com/user/dvcraig1101#p/u/7/UBPkkIKK99k
Paul