Summer Recipes

A couple of you have asked for some recipes from the BBQ - bon appetit!

Dun Rub

• 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp salt (kosher or sea)
• 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• Dash nutmeg and/or cinnamon
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)

Grind peppercorns, salt and celery seed with mortar and pestle until pepper is well broken, but still with some larger pieces for character. Add all remaining ingredients except for brown sugar and lightly stir with pestle to mix thoroughly. Add brown sugar and mix well, removing any lumps with the pestle.
Sprinkle generous helping of rub on both sides of meat, pressing or rubbing in firmly. Allow to sit 15 to 30 minutes (perfect for bringing your steak to room temperature!). Grill a 1-inch steak on a HOT grill for 4 minutes a side for a perfect medium rare.
Rub can be stored in an airtight container for a few weeks. For a spicier rub, 1/2 tsp paprika (or more), or use hot chili powder, or add a dash of cayenne. For a sweeter rub, add an extra tbsp of brown sugar. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, use ground pepper and just mix ingredients well.

Famous Salad

• Wash, rinse and dry (salad spinner!) mixed greens.
• Add your fresh fruit of choice (whole or cut strawberries, mandarin orange slices, blueberries, raspberries…).
• Add candied walnuts (recipe below).
• Drizzle tableside or toss with sweet vinaigrette (recipe below).

Candied walnuts (almonds work nicely too)

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup walnuts

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over high heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and heat until a syrup is formed.

• For a clear, liquid glaze, remove from heat while syrup is still thin and toss walnuts to cover. Remove nuts from remaining syrup and allow glaze to cool.
• For a frosted look, add walnuts and stir when syrup forms large popping bubbles while boiling. Keep stirring until sugar has frosted on all the nuts.
• For nut brittle, heat syrup until just beginning to darken in color, quickly stir in half the walnuts and pour onto aluminum foil to harden. Break brittle after it has cooled.

Sweet vinaigrette It's not an exact science, but here's what I do:

• About 1/3 cup of olive oil
• About 1/4 cup of your choice of vinegar (I used the red wine kind on the 4th)
• About 1/4 cup of brown sugar (though this is usually less)

Whisk 'em all together and taste it.

• Too oily, add vinegar.
• Too sour, add sugar.
• Too sweet, add oil and vinegar (which is why I start light on the sugar so I don't ever have to do this step).

Kept airtight in the frig, it'll keep a week, maybe two. (I've kept it even longer...)