FINGER FOODS FROM THE GRILL
It’s a perfect vehicle for finger-lickin’ bites.
By now, with countless Memorial Day cookouts under your belt, you’ve probably got your game on when it comes to making hamburgers.
With a super hot grill, lots of salt and the right blend of beef (80-percent lean to 20-percent fat ratio is the gold standard), almost anyone can craft a good burger, so long as the person resists the urge to overwork the meat or press all the juices out with a spatula while it cooks.
Isn’t it about time, then, to expand your repertoire, and use those hot grates to make some equally impressive starters for summer’s kick-off party?
The grill is a perfect vehicle to dish up a variety of finger foods. For starters, it allows you to cook outside with your guests, and be part of the action while showcasing your skills.
Cooking the appetizers outside also means you don’t have to heat up your kitchen or dirty it with extra pans and dishes. Plus no worries about getting the food to the guests ASAP — simply scoop the food directly off the grill and onto a serving platter to be passed around.
If you want to impress with seafood, get things started with spicy grilled shrimp served on a slice of grilled peasant bread slathered with creamy guacamole. If you’d rather go vegetarian, a cremini mushroom cap makes an edible basket for a Caprese-style tomato and cheese salad. “Shot glasses” molded from melted, shredded Parmesan and filled with a simple salsa are another easy-aspie (and impressive) appetizer. The cheese crisps as it cools into a lacy wafer that can quickly be shaped into tiny bowls.
Grilled lamb “hot pops” are simpler still. Think a super-sized Dum Dums sucker, only with juicy, rosemaryscented meat instead of a sugary candy shell. Often made in cast-iron skillets, these lollipop-like chops lend themselves to the grill because they cook so quickly, and only have to be marinated for 20 minutes. Plus, the presentation is kind of fabulous.
If you’re planning a happy hour, cook America’s favorite breakfast meat on the grill. Jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and pepper jelly and then wrapped in bacon make tasty little treats from heaven. You can add pulled pork or sausage to the stuffing mix, or anything else you can think of to create what cookbook author and barbecue champion Bill Gillespie calls “atomic buffalo turds. They’re addictive, and the name will guarantee any kid in the crowd will want to eat them.