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Beach House Barbecue
Poppy Cheese Diamonds
Linguini with Brie
Spicy Grilled Shrimp with Pineapple Relish
Ribs with Passionate Guava Barbecue Sauce Roasted Peppers and Red Onions
White Chocolate Mousse with Fresh Berries Chocolate Macaroons
This menu is alive with fresh flavors inspired by summer. The uncooked pasta sauce, with fresh tomatoes and basil, is at once creamy, rich, fresh and summery – perfect for hot-weather cooking. Spicy grilled shrimp contrasts with cool pineapple and cucumbers. Roasted red, orange and yellow peppers with purple onions are a colorful foil for the ribs. The white chocolate mousse with berries provides a rich but light finale.
Your table setting for this dinner would be perfect outside, but works inside as well if you’re not sure of the weather. For the inside setting, I covered my table with a sand-colored cloth. I dumped a small bag of sand from the garden store in the middle of the table and arranged sea shells, blue glass marbles and clear votive candles in the sand. White casual dishes layered on bright turquoise plates, white hotel napkins, and a menu at each place completed the look. I used the same setting outside, except I put the sand and shells on a tray so it wouldn’t blow around the table as easily – gritty sand would not be a good addition to the food. You could also dampen the sand a bit to help keep it in place.
1 package frozen puff pastry dough 1 ½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 egg white whisked together with 1 teaspoon water 1 tablespoon poppy seeds 2 teaspoons finely grated grey salt Flour for rolling
Thaw puff pastry dough in refrigerator according to package directions.
Preheat oven to 425º. Roll dough out into a large rectangle (about ¼” thick) on a lightly floured surface. Mix together the Parmesan cheese and cayenne pepper. Spread 1/3 cup cheese over half the rectangle. Fold the other half over the cheese. Roll dough out again into a large rectangle. Repeat three more times, using 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese each time.
After the last addition of Parmesan cheese, roll dough out again into a large rectangle. Brush surface with egg white. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and grey salt. With a pizza cutter, cut into 2” wide strips, then cut crosswise on the diagonal into diamond shapes. Transfer to a baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve at room temperature, or reheat on a baking sheet for 3 minutes or so just before serving.
¾ pound brie, rind removed, cut into chunks 3 tablespoons olive oil 4 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped ½ cup fresh basil, chopped 5 cloves garlic, chopped ½ teaspoon salt Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound linguini ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese Whole basil leaves for garnish
Combine brie, oil, tomatoes, basil, garlic, half of the Parmesan cheese, salt and several grinds of pepper in a bowl. Set aside at room temperature 1-2 hours.
When ready to serve, cook linguini in salted water. Toss linguini with the sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, garnish with a basil leaf or two, and serve.
Spicy Shrimp with Pineapple Relish
Spice mix: 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon pasilla chile powder ½ teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon brown sugar ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger ¼ teaspoon thyme ¼ teaspoon allspice ¼ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon oregano ¼ teaspoon cumin ½ teaspoon paprika ½ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1 stick butter, melted 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 ½ pounds shrimp, shelled and de-veined 12 wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least one hour Cilantro leaves for garnish.
Combine all ingredients for spice mix. Combine melted butter, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon spice mix.
Thread shrimp onto skewers. Brush with butter mixture.
Preheat grill. Grill shrimp until just done. Remove from skewers and serve with Pineapple relish, garnished with cilantro leaves.
2 cups fresh pineapple, cut into small cubes 1 cup peeled, seeded cucumber, cut into small cubes ¼ cup fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons ginger, minced 2 jalapeños, seeded and very finely chopped ¼ cup chopped cilantro 8 drops Thai fish sauce
Stir all ingredients together. Chill at least one hour so that flavors have a chance to meld together. Can be made several hours ahead.
Ribs with Passionate Guava Barbecue Sauce
1 ½ cups passion fruit nectar 1 ½ cups guava nectar 1 cup ketchup 1 cup brown sugar ¼ cup molasses 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1/3 cup dry sherry 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 ½ cups onions, finely chopped 1 ½ tablespoons chopped garlic t teaspoon dry mustard ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper ½ teaspoon kosher salt
2-3 slabs baby back ribs, depending on how many people you are serving Kosher salt
For the sauce, combine all ingredients and simmer 20 minutes. Purée in batches in a blender. Can be made up to several days ahead.
Preheat the grill, using your favorite smoking chips. Season ribs generously with kosher salt. Grill ribs on rack over a pan of water for one hour. Place ribs on a large sheet pan with a lip, or a large roasting pan, so that they don’t overlap too much. Spread with a generous amount of the barbecue sauce. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 300º for one hour, or until meat is very tender. Remove foil. Cool ribs slightly until easy to handle.
Cut between each rib into individual pieces and put back on the sheet pan in a single layer. Spread with more barbecue sauce and slide under the broiler until sauce is bubbling and sticky. (You could also do this step on the grill if desired.) Place a serving of roasted peppers and onions on a plate. Arrange three ribs attractively over the peppers and serve.
1 red bell pepper 1 yellow bell pepper 1 orange bell pepper 1 red onion 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper
Cut peppers into 1”x2” pieces. Cut red onion in half lengthwise (through the root). Slice off the root end and the stem end, peel off the outer skin, and cut each of the halves in half crosswise. Cut each of those pieces into wedges about 1” wide. Separate the layers of each onion wedge.
Place the vegetables in a roasting pan sprayed with cooking spray. Toss with olive oil. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper. Roast at 350º just until tender, about 40-45 minutes.
White Chocolate Mousse with Fresh Berries
12 ounces white chocolate, chopped 4 tablespoons water 2 cups heavy cream 1 pint fresh raspberries 1 pint fresh blackberries 2-4 tablespoons sugar, depending on sweetness of your berries 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier Mint leaves for garnish
Put white chocolate in a heat-proof bowl with 3 tablespoons water. Set over a pan of barely simmering water and stir until melted and smooth. Watch carefully and remove from simmering water for a few seconds if it seems like it is getting too hot. Set aside just until it is room temperature but not starting to set up. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Fold into the white chocolate mixture with a whisk. Divide among six stemmed goblets. Chill until serving time.
Mix berries, ¼ cup sugar, lemon juice and Grand Marnier. Let macerate 30 minutes. Taste after 15 minutes to make sure there is enough sugar. Blackberries, especially, can be very tart sometimes. Add more if necessary.
Just before serving, spoon berries on top of mousse. Garnish with a mint leaf. Place goblet on a plate with two chocolate macaroons and serve.
Adapted from a recipe I found in Bon Appétit magazine several years ago. This makes about 20 cookies, just enough for your dinner party. If you have children like mine who come running when they smell baking cookies, you might want to double the recipe.
4 ounces high quality semisweet
chocolate, chopped Melt chocolate and butter in top of double boiler until smooth. Cool to lukewarm. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Set aside. Beat sugar and eggs with the whisk attachment of an electric mixer until thick and light, about 5 minutes. Whisk in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Stir in flour. Chill for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350º. Drop batter by small teaspoons onto parchment lined baking sheets. Give them plenty of room to spread out. Bake just until tops are dry and cracked, about 9-10 minutes. Watch carefully – they go from done to burned very quickly. Cool on racks.
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Copyright © 2008 by Charlotte Rose. All rights reserved. |
