Gathering Around The Grill

Sam and Eric coloured Easter eggs for the table.

Easter Weekend means lots of family and friends coming in and out of the house all weekend long giving us many opportunities to gather around our tables with a big group.  This week’s menu showcases the versatility of cooking on the Broil King Keg.  We were able to fire up the Keg for the whole day:  while the duck, pork bellies and crown roast co-mingled throughout the day, we could devote ourselves to prep of the side dishes.  

Smoked Duck with Mango Salsa

2 cups shredded and chopped smoked duck

Tostido Scoops

Mango Salsa

2 ripe mangos, diced

4 scallions, white and green parts chopped finely

1 small hot red pepper

2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Juice of one lime

1 tablespoon honey

Combine all salsa ingredients in a medium sized bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for an hour to combine flavours.

To assemble,  spoon some prepared duck into the corn scoops, then top with mango salsa.

We love having all these young people home!!!

A big gathering always provides us with the opportunity to try something new. When we know that there are going to be lots of willing helpers around, we can create a dish that requires a bit of assembly, knowing that they will make quick work of the job. This is what we came up with when inspired by the beautiful quail eggs and pork belly that we found at the Asian Supermarket last week.  This dish would make an excellent main course, sure to impress your guests!

Deconstructed Caesar Salad

1 pork belly(2 lbs)*(follow link for recipe to grill the pork belly), sliced

1 pack quail eggs (18/container), hard boiled

2 heads of romaine lettuce, cut in 1 1/2-inch thick slices

1 cup Caesar salad dressing *(recipe below)

1 cup homemade croutons

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 lemon

Prepare pork belly as instructed.

To  hard boil quail eggs: Place quail eggs in a large pot of cold water(with 2 tbsp of vinegar) and bring to a boil, reduce and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove eggs from hot water and immerse in a large bowl of cold water . Allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Once the eggs are cooled, they should be peeled, in order to prevent discolouration of the egg whites.

Assemble salad: Arrange lettuce slices on plates. Top with pork belly, 2 quail eggs, grated parmesan cheese and a few crouton. Spoon 2 tbsp salad dressing  over  top. Garnish with a lemon slice.

Kris started the duck and pork bellies in the morning.

Blender Caesar Salad Dressing:

This recipe will make more than you need, but can be stored in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for a week.

4 medium garlic cloves

1 small can anchovy filets

2 large eggs

6 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp worchestershire sauce

2 tsp grainy Dijon mustard

½ cup parmesan cheese, grated

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil

With the metal blade fitted into a food processor, or blender, process garlic cloves until finely chopped. Add the anchovy filets and egg and continue processing for 30 seconds. Add the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, worchestershire sauce, Dijon mustard and parmesan cheese, mixing until well blended. With the machine running, pour the olive oil slowly into the processor in a steady stream. Dressing should become thick and creamy. Season with salt and pepper and add more parmesan cheese, if desired.

 

Crown Roast of Pork on the Smoker

We smoked both a crown roast and a pork rack together because of the numbers around our table.  They were equally delicious, but Ted thought the pork rack stayed moister.

I crown roast of pork (12 ribs)

¼ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon each thyme, sage, tarragon

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Prepare the smoker according to our instructions, and fill the diffuser with water.   Mix together the brown sugar, herbs and spices in a small bowl and rub them all over the roast.  Place the pork on the smoker, and maintain a temperature of 275°F for 5 hours.  During the last hour, we scattered some whisky soaked oak chips over the coals. 

Slice thickly, 1 rib bone per person.  Serve with apple sauce.

Apple Sauce

10 Macintosh apples, peeled and thickly sliced

¾ cup sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

Place the prepared apples, sugar and cinnamon in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Bring to a boil, stirring, then reduce the temperature to medium low.   As the apples soften, crush them with a wooden spoon until the mixture is chunky but cooked and the sugar has dissolved.  Let cool.  May be prepared up to 3 days ahead. 

Two celebrations at once:  Hal's birthday and Easter.  Li-mei and Zoli created this Pavlova for Hal. 

                      

 Pavlova

 4  egg whites , at room temperature

¼  teaspoon  salt

¼ teaspoon  cream of tartar

 1 cup  fine granulated sugar

 4 teaspoons  corn starch

 2 teaspoons  white wine vinegar

 1 teaspoon  vanilla extract

 1 cup  whipping cream,  chilled

 3 cups  strawberries,  hulled and sliced

Preheat oven to 275 F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or butter and lightly flour it.

Beat egg whites, salt and cream of tartar together in a bowl until the whites hold stiff peaks.  Add the sugar a few tablespoons at a time and continue beating until stiff and glossy.  Add the cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla.  Beat again to combine well.

Spread the meringue mixture on the prepared baking sheet, forming an 8" circle, with the edges slightly higher than the middle, forming a depression.

Bake 1-1 ¼ hours, until the meringue is firm and lightly browned.  It will be moist inside.  Cool completely.

Slide the meringue onto a serving plate.  Just before serving, lightly whip the cream and top with strawberries.