I love attending a great party. Even more, I love hosting a
great party. Besides the main entree, something that makes a party
great and memorable is appetizers. These little morsels use
techniques and ingredients that break the rules. When hosting a
barbecue, you should include a grilled appetizer too. This week, I
feature three completely different appetizers that are made with
the grill.
I love attending a great party. Even more, I love hosting a great party. Besides the main entree, something that makes a party great and memorable is appetizers. These little morsels use techniques and ingredients that break the rules. When hosting a barbecue, you should include a grilled appetizer too. This week, I feature three completely different appetizers that are made with the grill.
When it comes to appetizers, just about anything goes. It’s exciting when appetizers come from the grill.
Take for instance guacamole – mashed avocado mixed with tomato, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and a few other ingredients. That’s the basic method. Not in the case with a Michael Chiarello creation where he grills the avocado prior to mashing. Then, two surprise ingredients are added, fresh basil and Parmesan cheese. Michael Chiarello uses gray salt, but kosher salt is a good substitution.
After I came across the Chiarello recipe on the Food Network Web site, I became lost, clicking around foodnetwork.com. My browsing paid off when I came across this week’s second recipe.
Emeril Lagasse must be one of the most popular of all Food Network personalities. I came across one of his grilled appetizer creations, so I had to check it out. It is for Prosciutto-wrapped Grilled Scallops. Much like bacon wrapped scallops, scallops and prosciutto are also an excellent combination. Instead of grilling the prosciutto with the scallop, Emeril Lagasse grills the scallop, and then wraps it in the prosciutto, which prevents the Italian meat from becoming too tough during grilling. The recipe calls for two tablespoons of one of his essence seasoning mixtures. Instead of mixing up a large batch, I performed a few calculations to reduce the quantity for this recipe.
The final recipe this week is one of my own, Grilled Filet Mignon & Bleu Cheese on Crackers. It may be considered a waste of a great steak, but sometimes you need to use fine ingredients for a unique appetizer. After grilling the filet, it is sliced thin, placed on crackers and topped with bleu cheese. The flavor is only enhanced by the delicate filet, but it holds up to the bold flavor of the bleu cheese.
Next time you host a barbecue, consider one of these appetizers from the grill. Although simple, the tasty results will be quite memorable.
Grilled Avocado Rockamole
(From foodnetwork.com, Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello)
8 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, and halved
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grilling
2 lemons, juiced
Gray salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons finely minced garlic
3/4 cup julienned basil leaves
1/2 cup sour cream or crème fraiche
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
Step 1: Preheat a grill. Place peeled and pitted avocado halves in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice (to prevent oxidation), and sprinkle with a good amount of gray salt and black pepper.
Step 2: Douse a paper towel with olive oil, and then swipe it across the grill so you have just enough olive oil so the avocados won’t stick (they will supply their own fat). Place avocados on the grill, cut side down. Grill for 1 full minute.
Step 3: Meanwhile, preheat a 10-inch saute pan. Add 1/2 cup of olive oil to the pan, add minced garlic and saute until it gets light brown. Add julienned basil and saute until wilted and transfer to a large glass or ceramic bowl.
Step 4: Take the avocados off the grill and add to the bowl. With a fork, mash the avocado/basil mixture well. Add sour cream and stir. Add Parmesan and stir. Serve immediately with corn chips or Crudites.
Prosciutto-wrapped Grilled Scallops
(From foodnetwork.com, The Essence of Emeril; Serves 10 portions)
10 paper-thin slices of prosciutto
10 sea scallops
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Step 1: Preheat the grill. Mix all dry seasonings. Toss each scallop with olive oil and distribute the seasoning mixture evenly among the scallops. Grill each scallop for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill and cool.
Step 2: Wrap the sides of each scallop with the prosciutto. Serve on a heated platter.
Grilled Filet Mignon & Bleu Cheese On Crackers
(From Mitch Mariani; Serves 20 portions)
1 8-ounce filet mignon steak
salt & pepper to taste
20 whole grain crackers
4 ounces crumbled bleu cheese
Step 1: Heat the grill to medium high heat. Salt and pepper the filet mignon steak to taste. Grill the filet mignon steak for about 5-7 minutes on each side, depending upon thickness. Once done to your liking, remove it from the grill.
Step 2: Allow the steak to rest for about 10 minutes. Working across the grain, slice the grilled filet mignon into thin slices.
Step 3: Distribute the sliced filet mignon steak among the crackers. Finish the appetizer by topping with a few crumbles of bleu cheese on each cracker.
