Something Fishy....

GrillWorx tonight featured a little something fishy. But FIRST...

Freebird shows her birthmark as she devours her treat...

Jaz takes a break to grin for the cam.. but seriously...
does she NOT look like a baby seal??
..

Beef Neckbones for the critters.

 

Salmon fillet, grilled on a Cedar Plank... seasoned with a touch of EVOO, S&P, and fresh Dill and Lemon. Mushrooms, with fresh Basil Pesto... sliced GrapeTomatoes, and fresh Mozzarella...


Veggies included Corn on the Cob, cleaned of silk, and soaked...grilled in the husk. Brussels Sprouts, tossed with EVOO and S&P. Mushroom caps...drizzled with fresh Basil pesto, sliced Grape Tomatoes and fresh Mozzarella Cheese.

Dessert? Yeah it was good too. Sliced fresh Pineapple Rings, marinated in Spiced Rum, a touch of Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, a touch of Nutmeg, and a dash of Ginger... Served with Vanilla Ice Cream (yes... Sugar-Free and Low Fat.)




For the teenager... the same veggies... but Fried Catfish.

Yummy.

Holiday Hiatus is OVER!

Apologies to all for the break... holidays... travel... etc. But GrillWorx is BACK! Yay!

So tonight's GrillWorx featured a lovely Ahi Tuna Steak, marinated in fresh Lime, a little EVOO, and of course beautiful, freshly grated Ginger. Seared the Tuna to seal in the juices, then 2 minutes over medium/high heat a quarter turn (a la Alton Brown) for Perfect Grill Marks... another two minutes... then repeat on the other side! :)

For the Teen, Fried Catfish (yes... on the GRILL... lol). Catfish Nuggets, tossed in Corn Meal, Cajun Seasonings, with Extra Fresh Ground Red Pepper.

Veggies... Corn on the Cob... Husks pulled back so that the corn could be cleaned and de-silked... Soaked, then Husks reapplied for grilling! Asparagus... tossed in EVOO... a little S & P!

Dessert was Asian Pears... Poached in Chardonnay... with beautiful freshly ground Cinnamon... a touch of the fresh Ginger... and a tiny dash of Nutmeg. OMG. It smelled heavenly! Served with Sugar-Free/Low Fat Vanilla Ice Cream.

GrillWorx Goes West...

I've said it before... GrillWorx is a state of mind. GrillWorx goes where I go! ;-}
So even when I am not in Hooterville, GrillWorx exists. It's true!

So here I am in West Texas... In Odessa actually. With my little portable gas grill... a glass of wine... and yummies marinating in wine and EVOO!

My tiny little West Texas Gas Grill...

So GrillWorx (West Texas Edition) featured beautiful, lean Sirloin, marinated in Dry Red Wine, EVOO and a secret blend of seasonings (okay, okay...it was Montreal Steak Seasoning, with a little extra garlic... and Worcestershire Sauce). These were grilled to a beautiful medium rare!

Asparagus spears, tossed in EVOO, S&P and some fresh crushed Garlic; the Asparagus was grilled for about 10 minutes right over the flames, evenly on all sides. Fresh Corn On The Cob, cleaned of all silk, but with the husk still on was soaked, then grilled on the top shelf of the grill.

As always in my world, Cheap Red Wine (my personal fave!) rounded out the delicious West Texas meal!

Seed Crusted Salmon, and Puff-Pastry-Cheese Burgers

I admit it. I have been slacking with my GrillWorx posts! But seriously folks... busy time of year means a little more microwaved fare for the household. Sigh. But seeing the light at the end of THIS tunnel... and that means that tonite, GrillWorx is back online! W00T!!

SO tonite's GrillWorx began with my (now) fave Amuse Bouche to prepare... Portabella Mushroom Caps. I love drizzling these with a lovely basil Pesto. Sliced Grape Tomatoes topping the Portabella Caps. This is topped with delicious Fresh Mozarella. I put these lovely tesoros on the top shelf of the grill til the Mozza is all bubbly and melty (yeah... that is a culinary term!)  When it looks right, it's served. Et Voila! Amuse Bouche!

For an entree, I selected a lovely fresh Salmon Filet. Soaked a cedar plank for about an hour before the grilling started. I have found that the cedar planks that are sold for this purpose at Home Depot are kinda expensive... around $8 for two planks. I found them at Whole Foods in Austin for only $1.99 each... and they had various sizes to select from! I usually cook a small amount of salmon, so I like to cut the plank in half. That also facilitates the soaking process -- I soak the plank in a Zip-Loc bag filled with water. Voice of experience: cedar floats. If you try to soak it in a bowl or basin, it floats to the surface and only part of the cedar actually saturates. SO you have to weight it down in the water... OR you can stick it in a water filled Zip-Loc! The Salmon was encrusted with a lovely mix of seeds and spices (Colorado Spice Company, Seed Crusted Salmon!). Smells like a little bit of Heaven! Garnished with thinly sliced lemons to add a lovely bit of brightness....

Asparagus - White and Green were tossed with EVOO (That's Extra Virgin Olive Oil!), and a little S&P (Sea Salt and fresh Ground Pepper).

For the Teen, a twist on Burgers & Fries. I grilled burger patties, seasoned with Montreal Spicy Steak Seasoning.  These were then topped with Slices of Swiss and Cheddar Cheeses.  The burgers were wrapped in Puff Pastry, and "baked" on the top shelf of the grill (on a piece of non-stick foil) til golden brown and flaky. Seasoned Sweet Potato "Fries" served as a slightly more nutritious alternative to fries or onion rings. 

A couple of Roasted Hatch Chiles complemented the meal. And then dessert... Sliced Fresh Pineapple Rings soaked in Spiced Rum and Cinnamon... Pineapple rings were grilled... and the rum, pineapple juice & cinnamon were reduced over the grill. When the Pineapple rings had achieved lovely grill marks, they were tossed back in their inebriated warm bath... this was served with Sugar Free, Low Fat Bluebell Vanilla Ice Cream. DEE-LISH!!      

The Ultimate Indulgence...

I have been on the road so much this summer that I feel I have been neglecting my grill... and of course, GrillWorx. So sorry. Of course, in addition to spending much of the summer in Austin, I have to say that stepping out on my deck at 6:30 pm to find that the temperature is STILL over 105 degrees is just distressing. SO I have encouraged soup or sandwiches... frozen dinners in the microwave... a little more than I typically do. Yeah... go ahead and say it... I am 'Mother Of The Year'...

Yet this weekend, we ventured to Dallas for a day of feasting (India Palace) and shopping (Whole Foods Market... HEB Central Market... and so many other options!)

Came home from Dallas with about a case of Hatch, New Mexico Chiles. NOTHING BETTER. So apologies in advance if it seems like there's a bit of a repetitive theme... but I HIGHLY recommend the Hatch Chiles if you can find 'em!

K'so... (nods to Christopher Moore's character Abby Normal, there!)
Tonite's GrillWorx (Hatch Chile Weekend Edition) started with Mushroom Caps. Half were stuffed with EVOO, Fresh Basil from the garden... the ONE plant that has not dried up from the misery that is Texas Summer 2011. (SO very sad). Actually it was a Pesto made from that Basil, with EVOO, Pine Nuts and Garlic. Just drizzled over the Mushroom Caps. THEN beautiful  fresh Grape Tomatoes... sliced thinly and  stuffed into the Caps. I then covered those with lovely FRESH Mozzarrella. Yeah... I don't like 'shrooms and gag at the smell of prepping this... BUT even the TEENAGER loves this one. SO in addition to my Mushrooms Caprese, I did a Hatch Chile version... Roasted Hatch Chiles, stuffed into the Shroom Caps... a drizzle of EVOO. Smothered with slivers of Hatch/Jalapeno Jack Cheese. O My. SO delicious!

Veal, marinated in a dry Chilean Cab Sauv, EVOO, and secret seasonings (Yeah... I use Montreal Steak Seasoning... well, and a few other things like Garden Fresh Garlic!).
The Teenager benefited from Hatch Chile Weekend in Dallas, too... with a freshly ground chicken sausage, stuffed with roasted Hatch Green Chiles.

Veggies included beautiful fresh Green Asparagus, tossed in EVOO, S&P and cooked right over the grill. Brussels Sprouts, halved, EVOO, Sea Salt, and thinly slivered Hatch Green Chile (veins and seeds removed!)

Dessert... Pirate Pineapples with Ice Cream... That's sliced, Fresh Pineapple... Soaked in Spiced Rum... Grilled... The Rum and natural Pineapple Juice that the Pineapple Rings soaked in were cooked down in a foil packet on the grill, with a bit of Splenda and lots o' Cinnamon! This atop Bluebell Vanilla Sugar Free/Low Fat Ice Cream! Yummy!!

Recipe: Dark Chocolate Seduction Cake

Dark Chocolate Seduction Cake, with Fresh Raspberries...

This recipe was conceptualised by the Teenager when I asked him what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday a few years ago. He told me he wanted his cake to be rich, dark and fudge-y... He requested a round multi-layer (he requested 3 layers). He originally wanted a layer of raspberry puree between each of the tiers of chocolate cake. And he requested that this be covered with a "decadent, dark chocolate ganache..." Ya gotta love a 13 year old that requests a "decadent, dark chocolate ganache". I think I must be doing something right! ;-}   He also requested that the cake be garnished with fresh raspberries dipped in dark chocolate... "so that the chocolate hardens on the fresh raspberries...". Love that kid!

I did not use the raspberry puree for the cake I took to the work luncheon the other day!

The Recipe...
It's SO good... and it is from a mix. Srsly. Sorry...

I use Duncan Hines Super Deluxe Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix to start with. 

I add Ground Cinnamon to the mix first of all... Just cuz I like it. And it makes it taste less like a box-mix...

Add 3 eggs.
I also like to use fresh/frozen fruit in combination with the other liquids in the cake. For now, raspberries... The mix requires 1 1/3 cups of water.... and 1/2 cup of oil. I tossed raspberries in the blender... pureed them. Strained as many of the seeds out as I could! You can then add water/oil as needed... so that your total liquid addition is 1 5/6 cups!!
I recommend reducing the fat when you add blended fruit... Cuts the calories somewhat!
I also add about a bag (12 ounces) of dark chocolate chips. I use Hershey's Special Dark. I say "about a bag" because sometimes I reserve a handful back to melt and drizzle over fresh raspberries that are placed on top of the cake after I have covered it with ganache!

So other than that little deviation, I follow the instrux on the box!

So when it's done, and it's time to cover the cake... 

There's no room for any butter-cream... lard-based topping. Sorry all! It is all about the Ganache. I found Alton Brown's Ganache recipe on Food Network... Equal parts of chocolate chips and scalded heavy cream. I use Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips, but have used milk chocolate for those who don't care so much for dark chocolate. Easiest thing ever... and most delicious!! Sometimes I reduce the cream a bit and add a touch of some delectable liqueur... not today of course, as the cake is for work!! Tee hee! Next time though....

The bag of Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate is 12 ounces... so I start with 12 ounces of heavy cream. I usually scald the heavy cream in the microwave... heat it until it is just about to boil! Pour the chocolate chips into a mixing bowl. Then pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips.  I usually don't pour all of the cream over them... usually leave a couple of ounces just to make sure that it does not remain runny. You can always add more cream if needed. (This is where you would adjust your cream and add liqueur if you like... Imagine Chambord here ... that's a lovely sweet Raspberry Liqueur... Yummy!) Whisk by hand, or you can use a mixer to blend until smooth. It should be smooth and satiny... if it seems too runny and you're wondering how it will EVER stay on your cake, you can chill it a little. That will help to firm it up!

When the cake has cooled, cover it with ganache. You can just pour the ganache on and let it run over the sides, or you can smooth it on, depending on its consistency and your preference. Top with beautiful fresh fruit that you find complementary to the chocolate... I like raspberries with dark chocolate!

I usually do this cake as a 9" x 13" rectangular cake... and usually make it as a take along to a luncheon or party, so it's typically in a disposable cake tin. That way, it's not tempting me for days!

SO what do you do with left-over ganache? Well, if you have a Teenager in the house you won't have left-overs... BUT if you have left-overs, you can store it in the fridge. The ganache becomes more firm as it cools. You can take a melon baller and scoop spheres of the decadent mixture, then dip those in melted chocolate or roll in cocoa powder, cinnamon, powdered sugar, or crushed nuts and make beautiful, decadent, hand-crafted truffles. (Sorry Sweet Shoppe!)

Recipe: Pesto

I got this from Food Network... It is SO yummy...

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 2/3 cup EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (O NO... not that dried canned stuff that you might find on a table at a Pizza restaurant...)

Food Processor... till it is... um ... spreadable! (actually the consistency is kinda vile if you think about it... let's not go there!)!