Elegant Summer Grilling

In the August issue of Fort Worth Texas Magazine my column moves us toward the end of summer with a lovely outdoor meal that brings a touch of elegance to your outdoor table, Grilled Cornish Game Hens, marinated and cooked on a cedar plank, with Crispy Smashed Potatoes cooked in the oven at high heat until golden and crispy, and good 'ole corn-on-the-cob, cooked in the husks on the grill and then slathered with my brother Gregg's famous lime butter. 

This is a meal you're going to love. I served it all family style on one big lovely platter with a bottle of sparkling Rose. The perfect elegant summer meal.

Watch how simple and easy it is to make my Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Here's the full version of the August column. These Cornish hens are amazing, and so easy. If you don't want to cook them on a cedar plank on the grill, just cook them in the oven. 

And as always, many thanks to Central Market Fort Worth for providing the groceries for my column and videos. 

A Trip to the Farmer's Market

My July Chef Impersonator column in Fort Worth Texas Magazine is titled, A Trip to the Farmer's Market. All the ingredients used in this month's recipes were purchased at the Cowtown Farmer's Market in Fort Worth, Texas.

Supporting Farmers. Supporting Freshness. Buying Local. 

Let's all give that a try.

~Watch me make the Crispy Smashed Potatoes from this issue~

 The final plate

The yellow squash and Red Candy Apple onions

The kale and spinach salad

Soft Shell Crab BLT's

Thanks to the Wall St. Journal for the inspiration to buy the soft shell crabs. And thanks to #GailMonaghan for providing the wonderful story in the weekend journal that inspired tonight's dinner. Read it here. online.wsj.com/articles/stress-free-soft-shell-crab-recipes-1401477474 

I used the flour and cornmeal mixture from Gail's recipe in the Wall St. Journal to create my Soft Shell Crab BLT's.

6 soft shell crab

1 cup flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

3 eggs 

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix eggs and buttermilk in separate bowl. Dredge crabs one at a time in flour then buttermilk, then flour again. Fry in 1 inch of canola oil for 3-4 minutes per side. 

Fried soft shell crab, mayo, applewood smoked bacon, butter lettuce and tomato. Yummy. 

Fry for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown. 

Sizzling deliciousness. 

The Soft Shell Crab BLT.

These guys sure liked it. A lot. 

Homemade Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

I got this recipe from Pinterest, where I spend a good bit of time searching for great recipes. First off, anyone who knows me knows I'm not a baker. Something about all that precise measuring makes my baked goods less than perfect. But I decided to give it a try, and with the right equipment, the right ingredients and MUCH attention to detail, I did it!

The recipe says these rolls are just like the King's Hawaiian Rolls you buy at the grocery store. And guess what? They were right!

So this is my first foray into baking homemade rolls. I borrowed my BFF Angela's professional mixer and they turned out amazing.

I loved it so much that I asked my hubby for a mixer for my birthday, and his response was, "No way. I don't want you making great bread. That would be very bad for us." (not really a direct quote, but you get he idea. He doesn't want to eat all those carbs.)

The pineapple juice and yeast will bubble.

You'll know it's mixed when the dough removes itself from the sides of the bowl.

The dough rises twice. Once now in the bowl until it's doubled in size, and again after you form the rolls.

Rolls will smooth out in the oven.

I was so proud! My very first homemade rolls.

Then of course, I had to put them on a pretty plate and eat 2 or 10 of them with a half pound of butter. haha

Don't skimp on the butter. If you're gonna eat hot rolls, EAT HOT ROLLS.

Buttery, sweet deliciousness.

Here's the recipe!

Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

Ingredients

1 ½ c. pineapple juice

4 ½ tsp. active dry yeast

2/3 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. butter, at room temperature, plus extra for brushing rolls

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

5-6 c. bread flour

1 tsp. salt

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, heat pineapple juice over medium-low temperature until juice reaches about 105 F.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, stir together yeast and 2 tablespoons of sugar.
3. Once the pineapple juice is at temperature, add to the bowl. Stir, and let the yeast mixture stand for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy.
4. Once the yeast is foamy, add the remaining sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and eggs; stir to combine.
5. Switch from the paddle attachment to the dough hook, and add 3 cups of flour and salt. Stir on low.
6. Continue adding flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough clears the sides of the bowl. The dough will feel slightly sticky. It takes 5 1/2 cups of flour for my rolls.
7. Once the dough comes together and clears the sides, continue to knead for about 1 minute.
8. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and let it rise until dough has doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
9. Shape dough into rolls. If you would like smaller, dinner-sized rolls, shape into 24 rolls. If you would like larger, bun-sized rolls, shape into 12-18 rolls depending on desired size.
10. Cover rolls with plastic wrap, and let rolls rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
11. Toward the end of the second rise, preheat oven to 350 F.
12. Bake rolls for about 20 minutes (for dinner-sized rolls), or until rolls are golden brown.
13. Immediately brush rolls with butter.
14. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Grilled Shrimp with Watermelon, Basil, Corn and Burrata from Chef Joseph Lenn at The Barn at Blackberry Farm

I read the Wall Street Journal every weekend and there's always an amazing recipe just calling my name. Ed chose this one, and we decided I had to make it today. The perfect Sunday supper. Grilled Shrimp with Watermelon, Basil, Corn and Burrata.

This recipe is from Chef Joseph Lenn at The Barn at Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee.

I made some minor alterations just due to what I had on hand, so I'll share those here. This was amazingly easy and even more amazingly delicious. It actually made Ed do a dance in the kitchen. He won't let me post the video of him doing the "corn salsa dance." Trust me. It was priceless.

This recipe has delicious fresh ingredients - shrimp, olive oil, minced garlic, sliced basil, salt and pepper, kernels of fresh corn, white balsamic (which I didn't have so found the perfect substitute), watermelon, and burrata (which Whole Food was out of, so I substituted small fresh balls of mozzarella.

The mound of mozzarella look like little clouds. They were a perfect substitution for burrata cheese.

When you cut the watermelon, cut it into very small pieces. Small as the corn kernels.

The combination of corn, watermelon and basil is amazing. This would be a great accompaniment to chicken, fish or any number of summer dishes.

I didn't have white balsamic, so I Googled what the substitute might be, and it said that white wine vinegar with a touch of sugar is a good sub, so I used it. It was perfect.

Plate prep was pretty fun. The light was just perfect. These are my favorite "fish plates" that we got at the Kosta Boda factory in Kosta, Sweden when we visited my brother Gregg there a few years back. This is just the mozzarella drizzled with olive oil and a little pinch of salt.

And this is the final dish. Fresh. Light. Flavorful. Healthy. Recipe is right below. You must try this one.

Grilled Shrimp with Watermelon, Basil, Corn and Burrata
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 teaspoons minced garlic
4 tablespoons finely slice basil (I did a chiffonade of basil by rolling up the basil leaves and then cutting the roll with scissors)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Kernels from 4 ears of fresh corn on the cob
1 1/2 tablespoons white balsamic (substitute is white wine vinegar with a touch of sugar)
3 cups cubed watermelon (very small cubes - see the pic)
2 balls burrata, halved, at room temperature

In a small bowl, toss shrimp with 2 tbsp. olive oil, garlic and 1 tbsp. basil. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, toss corn with vinegar and remaining basil and oil. Add watermelon and season with salt.

Recipe calls for grilling the shrimp, but I put them into the wok. Just easier....

Divide burrata, shrimp and corn-watermelon salad among 2 plates. Season burrata with salt and drizzle with olive oil and serve.

This is one we'll serve to company. Enjoy! And thanks Chef Lenn and thanks Wall Street Journal!