This grilled stone fruit dessert is a summertime staple for Bambara executive chef David Bazirgan. His wife first whipped up a version a decade ago, and they’ve returned to the recipe every year since, highlighting peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots that have just come into season. Bazirgan recommends using a hardwood charcoal grill with fig or apple wood for added flavor, and he notes that the fruit should be ripe but still firm enough to hold up to the heat. “The fruit comes off the grill warm and melts the ice cream, which has a nostalgic taste like pie à la mode. The balsamic vinegar adds some sweetness and acidity as well,” he says. “It’s the best of all worlds—sweet, tart and rich, but still very light and summery.”
GRILLED STONE FRUIT
Serves 2-4 people
For the macadamia crumble:
Yields approx. 5 cups
– 3 cups sugar
– 1 cup butter
– 8 tablespoons corn syrup
– 1 cup water
– 4 teaspoons salt
– 2 teaspoons baking soda
– 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
– 4 cups whole macadamia nuts, toasted
1. Combine sugar, butter, corn syrup and water in a rondeau pot and cook over a medium flame. Once the mixture is just about caramelized, add the salt, baking soda and cayenne pepper. Stir until combined and then add macadamia nuts.
3. Cook for a couple of minutes and cool on a baking mat or parchment paper. Break into small pieces and pulse in a food processor. Reserve until ready to serve.
For the vanilla bean ice cream base:
Yields approx. 1.5 quarts
– 11 egg yolks
– 2 cups sugar, divided
– 4 cups heavy cream
– 1 whole vanilla bean
1. Slice the vanilla bean in half the long way and scrape out seeds with a paring knife. Put both seeds and shell in a saucepot along with the heavy cream and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a simmer.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks and 1 cup of sugar until completely mixed. When the cream mixture comes to a simmer, turn off the heat. Temper the cream into the yolks by slowly adding the cream one 2-ounce ladle at a time while continually whisking.
3. Once all the cream has been tempered into the yolks, cool the mixture in the fridge. Add the ice cream base to your preferred ice cream maker.
For the grilled stone fruit dessert:
– 1 lb. stone fruit
– Oil for brushing the grill
– 1 cup balsamic vinegar
– 1/4 cup honey
– 1/2 cup macadamia crumble
– 4 scoops vanilla ice cream, homemade or store bought
– Basil leaves for garnish
1. Place balsamic vinegar and honey in a saucepot and reduce about halfway until you reach a syrupy consistency. Cool to room temperature.
2. Cut stone fruit in half and remove the pit and stem. Lightly brush a hot grill with oil and grill stone fruit cut-side down. After 1-2 minutes, flip to the other side and grill another 1-2 minutes, until the flesh is tender.
3. Place some crumble on a plate and arrange stone fruit cut-side up. While the stone fruit is still warm, scoop vanilla ice cream onto the center of each halved piece of fruit. Drizzle balsamic on the plate, ice cream and stone fruit. Garnish with basil leaves.
License to Grill
Local chefs are as at home behind the grill as they are in the kitchen. We tapped a few for their favorite summertime eats.
By Meghan Kavanaugh | Photo Credit: Heath Robbins; Food Styling: Sheila Jarnes | June 2, 2017
David Bazirgan of Bambara
This grilled stone fruit dessert is a summertime staple for Bambara executive chef David Bazirgan. His wife first whipped up a version a decade ago, and they’ve returned to the recipe every year since, highlighting peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots that have just come into season. Bazirgan recommends using a hardwood charcoal grill with fig or apple wood for added flavor, and he notes that the fruit should be ripe but still firm enough to hold up to the heat. “The fruit comes off the grill warm and melts the ice cream, which has a nostalgic taste like pie à la mode. The balsamic vinegar adds some sweetness and acidity as well,” he says. “It’s the best of all worlds—sweet, tart and rich, but still very light and summery.”
GRILLED STONE FRUIT
Serves 2-4 people
For the macadamia crumble:
Yields approx. 5 cups
– 3 cups sugar
– 1 cup butter
– 8 tablespoons corn syrup
– 1 cup water
– 4 teaspoons salt
– 2 teaspoons baking soda
– 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
– 4 cups whole macadamia nuts, toasted
1. Combine sugar, butter, corn syrup and water in a rondeau pot and cook over a medium flame. Once the mixture is just about caramelized, add the salt, baking soda and cayenne pepper. Stir until combined and then add macadamia nuts.
3. Cook for a couple of minutes and cool on a baking mat or parchment paper. Break into small pieces and pulse in a food processor. Reserve until ready to serve.
For the vanilla bean ice cream base:
Yields approx. 1.5 quarts
– 11 egg yolks
– 2 cups sugar, divided
– 4 cups heavy cream
– 1 whole vanilla bean
1. Slice the vanilla bean in half the long way and scrape out seeds with a paring knife. Put both seeds and shell in a saucepot along with the heavy cream and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a simmer.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks and 1 cup of sugar until completely mixed. When the cream mixture comes to a simmer, turn off the heat. Temper the cream into the yolks by slowly adding the cream one 2-ounce ladle at a time while continually whisking.
3. Once all the cream has been tempered into the yolks, cool the mixture in the fridge. Add the ice cream base to your preferred ice cream maker.
For the grilled stone fruit dessert:
– 1 lb. stone fruit
– Oil for brushing the grill
– 1 cup balsamic vinegar
– 1/4 cup honey
– 1/2 cup macadamia crumble
– 4 scoops vanilla ice cream, homemade or store bought
– Basil leaves for garnish
1. Place balsamic vinegar and honey in a saucepot and reduce about halfway until you reach a syrupy consistency. Cool to room temperature.
2. Cut stone fruit in half and remove the pit and stem. Lightly brush a hot grill with oil and grill stone fruit cut-side down. After 1-2 minutes, flip to the other side and grill another 1-2 minutes, until the flesh is tender.
3. Place some crumble on a plate and arrange stone fruit cut-side up. While the stone fruit is still warm, scoop vanilla ice cream onto the center of each halved piece of fruit. Drizzle balsamic on the plate, ice cream and stone fruit. Garnish with basil leaves.
By Meghan Kavanaugh | Photo Credit: Holly Rike
Douglass Williams of MIDA
MIDA chef/owner Douglass Williams may select flavorful coulotte cuts for his grilled steak recipe, but it’s his take on a traditional chimichurri—a sauce and marinade he puts on red meat, chicken, fish and veggies—that really takes it to the next level. “It helps whatever you’re cooking stay caramelized properly,” he explains. Plan to impress friends or in-laws without much effort. “The ingredients in my version are mostly all things people have in their homes,” Williams says. “It’s almost like a magic button you have just sitting in your cabinet.”
STEAK WITH CHIMICHURRI
Serves 4 people
For the chimichurri sauce:
Yields 1 quart
– 1/2 medium red onion
– 1 cup red wine vinegar
– 1 teaspoon chili flakes
– 5 cloves raw garlic
– 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
– 1 teaspoon cumin seed
– 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek
– 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorn
– 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
– 2 cups grape seed or canola oil
– 4 ounces cilantro
– 4 ounces parsley
– 1 teaspoon salt if using as a side sauce only, 3 tablespoons if using as a marinade
1. Combine all ingredients except for green herbs and oil in a blender, being careful not to over-fill, and blend on high for 30 seconds. Add green herbs and blend on high for 10 seconds.
2. On medium-high speed, add the oil in a drizzle to emulsify the mixture.
For the steaks:
– 4 6-ounce coulotte steaks
1. Pour the marinade over the steak in a plastic bag and refrigerate for one hour or up to three days.
2. Prepare the grill on a high setting and cook the steak for six minutes per side for medium rare to medium.
3. Once caramelized, place the steak on a cookie sheet with a rack to let it rest for 5-8 minutes. Slice against the grain and enjoy. Serve with extra marinade on the side for dipping.
By Meghan Kavanaugh | Photo Credit: Holly Rike
Michael Serpa of Select Oyster Bar
There’s no grill at Select Oyster Bar, so chef/owner Michael Serpa enjoys the chance to break out the Weber at home when he’s off the clock. “A grill to me makes any meal instantly relaxed and casual. Precision is less important,” says Serpa, who taps his own vegetable garden for the tomato salad he pairs with his whole grilled black bass. Cooked on the bone to keep it juicy, the fish ends up with a charred skin and plenty of flavor. “The flavor is a little bolder than sauteing a filet, but never overpowering,” he says. “The fish is the star of the show.”
WHOLE GRILLED BLACK BASS AND TOMATO SALAD
Serves 4 people
For the tomato salad:
– 2 quarts heirloom tomatoes, diced
– 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
– 4 tablespoons sherry vinegar
– 1/8 cup shallot or red onion, finely diced
– 1 pint cucumbers, finely diced
– Salt and pepper to taste
1. Toss the tomatoes with cucumbers, olive oil, sherry vinegar and shallots. Season with salt and pepper. Chill while the grill heats to allow tomatoes to marinate.
For the herb sauce:
– 4 tablespoons parsley, roughly chopped
– 1 tablespoon mint, roughly chopped
– 1 tablespoon oregano, roughly chopped
– 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
– Salt and pepper to taste
– Crushed coriander or fennel seed to taste, if desired
1. Toss herbs in a bowl with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and, if desired, coriander or fennel seed. Serve immediately.
For the fish:
– 4 black bass, scaled and gutted, with gills snipped out
– Canola oil
– A few slices of Kerrygold butter
– A few lemons, sliced
– Salt to taste
1. Make tomato salad.
2. Fire up the grill with charcoal and wood. Clean and oil the grill, making one side high heat and the other medium/medium low.
3. Make the herb sauce.
4. Pat the fish dry and rub it with canola oil. Season with salt.
5. Grill the fish on the hot side of the grill. Once grill marks appear, turn the fish 90 degrees on the same side. Once the fish has both marks on that side, flip and transfer to the medium side. Cover the grill.
6. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the flesh is white and a fork stuck near the fattest part of the head comes out warm.
7. Move the fish to a platter. Top with pats of butter and lightly cover with aluminum foil to melt slightly. When ready to serve, top the fish with herb sauce and sliced lemons. Serve with tomato salad on the side.
By Meghan Kavanaugh | Photo Credit: Holly Rike
Tony Messina of UNI
“Cooking on the grill gives me the nostalgic feeling of being around family during the summer,” says UNI executive chef Tony Messina, who prefers burning Japanese hardwood binchotan charcoal for a clean taste. “From a culinary standpoint, it also gives the food a nuanced flavor that you really can’t achieve with any other cooking method.” Chorizo lends another smoky note to this recipe, balanced out by sweetness from the watermelon, salt from the feta, acid from the lime and a fresh kick from the Thai basil.
GRILLED WATERMELON
Serves 4 people
– 4 slices red watermelon, cut into rectangular blocks about one inch thick
– 1/2 cup lime juice
– 2 ears corn, grilled
– 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
– 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves, torn
– 2 pieces chorizo, crumbled and rendered until crispy (reserve the rendered fat)
– Salt to taste
1. Place the lime juice into a mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the rendered chorizo fat to make a vinaigrette. Season with salt to taste.
2. Cut the corn from the cob. Lightly toss the corn, feta, chorizo and Thai basil with the vinaigrette.
3. Place the slabs of watermelon on a very hot grill. Leave them on the grill until grill marks appear, about 2 minutes. Grill on all sides.
4. Plate with one-fourth of the salad on each slab of watermelon.
By Meghan Kavanaugh | Photo Credit: Holly Rike
Jamie Bissonnette of Coppa, Toro and Little Donkey
Jamie Bissonnette first found inspiration for his sweet/spicy/tangy barbecue sauce while watching Ken Oringer create a pork belly dish on Ming Tsai’s former Food Network show East Meets West. “I loved the cola marinade for its sweetness and acidity,” he says. “The spicy gochujang and the herbs in the curry make it really interesting and fresh.” Throw in smoke from the grill and umami from the fish sauce—or soy sauce substitute—and the glaze is one that can shine on steak, carrots and these grilled chicken thighs. But beware, Bissonnette says: “It’s something you can’t stop eating.”
BBQ CHICKEN THIGHS
Serves 4-6 people
For the barbecue sauce:
– 1/2 cup Chinese fermented black beans, picked for stones and soaked in water
– 1 liter cola or Dr Pepper
– 1/2 cup gochujang
– 1/4 cup Thai green curry
– 1 cup ketchup
– 4 tablespoons fish sauce
– 2 limes, juiced
1. Drain the soaked beans.
2. Add all ingredients and whisk together in a heavy-bottomed pot.
3. Bring to a simmer, reduce to low heat and cook for 25-30 minutes.
4. Cool and refrigerate for up to two weeks.
For the chicken thighs:
– 2 liters cola
– 1 cup gochujang
– 1/2 cup Thai green curry paste
– 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
– 2 cups of the barbecue sauce
– Salt to taste
– Cilantro, mint and Thai basil for garnishing
– Fried garlic and shallots (optional)
1. Whisk cola, gochujang and Thai curry paste together.
2. Pour marinade over chicken in a plastic container. Refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight.
3. Preheat the grill to medium. Season chicken with salt.
4. Grill skin-side down, moving to get some color, then flip. Grill until cooked through. Glaze with the barbecue sauce, cover the grill and cook until it’s poppin’.
5. Serve on a platter with rice and lime wedges, topped with the cilantro, mint and Thai basil and, if you’d like, fried shallots and garlic.
By Meghan Kavanaugh | Photo Credit: Holly Rike
Dolly Bourommavong of Metropolis Cafe
In the summer, expect to find Metropolis Cafe chef de cuisine Dolly Bourommavong behind her charcoal grill at home creating veggie-forward dishes like this grilled zucchini with romesco sauce and salsa verde—two go-tos she keeps on hand for spicing up a number of recipes. As for this one, Bourommavong says she loves the smokiness that the grill provides, enhanced by elements of smoke in both the romesco sauce and the goat cheese. But the dish remains light and refreshing, she says, and celebrates the freshness of the zucchini, radishes and tomatoes: “It tastes like summer.”
GRILLED ZUCCHINI
Serves 6 people
For the salsa verde:
– 2 cloves garlic, smashed
– 2 tablespoons capers
– 2 lemons, zested and juiced
– 3/4 cup flat-leaf parsley
– 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
– Salt and pepper to taste
1. Combine the garlic, capers, lemon zest and parsley in a blender. Pulse until finely chopped. While the blender is running, slowly drizzle in olive oil and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside in a container.
For the romesco sauce:
– 3 large red bell peppers
– 4 plum tomatoes, halved
– 2 cloves garlic, smashed
– 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
– 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
– 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
– 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
– 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
– 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
– Salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat the grill to medium to medium-low heat. Roast peppers on the grill until the skins have charred. Set aside until cool. Remove the charred skins and seeds. Grill tomato halves until the skins blister and soften slightly. Set aside to cool.
2. Combine roasted peppers, tomatoes, garlic, pumpkin seeds, parsley, sherry vinegar, cayenne pepper and smoked paprika in a blender. Blend until finely chopped. While the blender is running, slowly add oil until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
For the zucchini:
– 6 whole zucchini
– 2 tablespoons olive oil, with more if needed for brushing
– 11/2 teaspoons kosher salt
– 1 teaspoon black pepper
– 1 bunch radishes, sliced thin
– 1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes
– 4 ounces Westfield Farm hickory-smoked goat cheese
1. Cut off the tops and bottoms of the zucchini and slice the zucchini into quarters lengthwise. Place them in a large zipper bag. Drizzle in olive oil, 3 tablespoons of salsa verde and the salt and pepper. Seal the bag and toss so that the zucchini is coated.
2. Grill the zucchini on all sides until tender, being careful not to burn them. Place zucchini on a large platter or casserole dish with half the salsa verde. Toss to coat well.
3. To serve, spoon half the romesco sauce on the bottom of the plate. Arrange marinated zucchini on the plate. Top with radishes, cherry tomatoes and crumbled smoked goat cheese. Drizzle the remainder of the romesco sauce and salsa verde over the top.
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