Blues, Views and BBQ Festival- I'll be there!

Saturday, September 25th I will be doing a 1 hour demonstration at the Blues, Views and BBQ Festival in Westport, CT at the Levitt Pavillion which is behind the Westport Library. I'll be showing how to prepare an entire meal on the grill in under 1 hour! Here are the recipes I'll be doing. Come by and say hi, and pick up one of my autographed cookbooks while you're there!
Flatbread with smoked mozzarella, caramelized onion, and Asian pear

Olive oil

1 round pizza dough, available at most supermarkets

2 C. shredded smoked mozzarella

1 C. caramelized onions (recipe below)

1 C. thinly sliced Asian pear

1 C. baby arugula

1 C. candied pecans (Trader Joe's carries these)

Kosher salt and pepper

Heat your grill to medium high heat. While the grill heats, gently pull your pizza dough until it is thin, don't worry about making it round, just make sure it's thin-ish... Spray the back of a cookie sheet with Pam, and brush the top of the pizza dough with olive oil.

When the grill is hot, add the pizza dough, olive oil side DOWN to the grill. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the pizza has nice grill marks. Brush the top of the pizza dough with olive oil before turning. Once you've flipped the dough, sprinkle cheese, then caramelized onions. Continue cooking for another minute. Gently slide pizza off the grill and add thin slices of Asian pear, a few candied pecans and a handful of arugula. Slice and serve while hot.

Alder plank grilled Norwegian salmon with grilled fennel and fresh herbs

1 alder plank that has been soaked in water for an hour

1 Norwegian salmon filet, skin removed

olive oil

assorted fresh herbs such as rosemary, oregano, marjoram, and thyme

2 fennel bulbs, quartered, green tops removed

smoked alder salt

ground black pepper

Heat grill to medium high heat. Remove plank from water and place on grill for 3 minutes. While the plank dries, slice fennel bulbs into quarters and drizzle with olive oil, a pinch of alder salt and pepper. Drizzle salmon with olive oil, and add a good pinch of the alder and pepper to both sides of the salmon.

Arrange the assorted herbs on the plank and place salmon atop herbs. Place fennel bulbs along the sides of the grill where there is less heat. Cover and let cook for 12 minutes. Remove plank with salmon, and fennel. Serve salmon with fennel.

Maple grilled pineapple with pound cake and toasted coconut

1 prepared pound cake (store bought)

1 cored pineapple

2 Tbs. maple syrup

1/2 C. shredded toasted coconut

Slice pound cake into 1" slices. Slice pineapple into 1" rings and place on the grill. Gently drizzle maple syrup over pineapple and cook for 1 minute. Turn and drizzle maple syrup on the other side. Cook for 45 more seconds and lay pineapple ring over pound cake. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and serve.

Grilled pizza with proscuitto

The weather has been amazing here and it's time to fire up the grill. Tonight we're going to make grilled pizza, it's easy and a delicious way to enjoy a perennial family favorite.

You can either use store bought pizza dough or make your own.

Pizza ingredients:
pizza dough
olive oil
1 C. smoked mozzarella cheese, grated
3-4 pieces proscuitto
garlic salt
1 c. baby arugula
balsamic vinegar

Here's a good recipe for homemade pizza dough:

1/2 cup warm water (about 110˚)
1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp) instant yeast
1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups (22 oz) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tsp. salt
olive oil or non-stick cooking spray for greasing the bowl
olive oil for brushing crust (optional)
garlic salt for brushing crust (optional)

Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes. Add the room temperature water and oil and stir to combine.

Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Briefly combine the dry ingredients at low speed. Slowly add the liquid ingredients and continue to mix at low speed until a cohesive mass form. Stop the mixer and replace the paddle with the dough hook. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Press the dough to deflate it.

To make the grilled pizza:

Preheat grill to high and close lid. While the grill heats, press dough gently with your hands slowly pulling the dough out. I like to make a rectangular shape as I find it's easier to flip on the grill.

When the grill is hot, brush it with a paper towel that's been rubbed with olive oil.

Carefully place the dough on the grill and cook for 3 minutes or until pizza has a nice golden color, flip, and brush with olive oil. Add a little tomato sauce, about 1 C. of grated smoked mozzarella cheese and a few slices of proscuitto. Add a sprinkling of garlic salt and let cook for another few minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Remove from the grill and slice into pieces. I like to top this pizza with a handful of baby arugula, a little drizzle of olive oil and a dot or two of balsamic vinegar.

Enjoy!