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!!