BBQ BISTRO: Simple, Sophisticated French Recipes for Your Grill
Karen Adler, Judith Fertig Steve Legato
Running Press
April 2015
$20.00/trade paperback
ISBN: 978-0-7624-5454-9
Karen Adler and Judith Fertig are the BBQ Queens. Experts on grilling and barbecuing, they’ve written many barbecue books, including The Gardener and the Grill and Patio Pizzeria. The fabulous duo have appeared on Food Network and the DIY Network. With tongs in hand, they sizzle and smoke in Kansas City, Missouri.
BBQ BISTRO will take your barbecue from yum to ooh-la-la, bringing the charm and flavor of the French bistro to your own backyard. Authors Karen Adler and Judith Fertig share their favorite quick and casual bistro recipes for a hot grill. With recipes like Grilled Salmon Benedict, French Feta and Charentais Melon, Grilled Rib-Eye Steak with Onion Straws, and more!
BBQ BISTRO will expand your barbecue repertoire and encourage you to play with different flavors and techniques, from adding a hint of smoke to cheese, to turning an eggplant into easily grillable paillards, or getting the perfect char on a steak. It also offers classic French sauces, sides, and small plates you can pair with any meal anytime of the year. With tips on grilling and preserving, BBQ BISTRO is a must-have for any griller and will satisfy all of your barbecue desires, mais oui!
Planked Scallops with Pistachio Butter
Serves 6 to 8
Show your grilling savoir faire with this easy recipe that looks and tastes like you worked all day. Nap these scallops with the wonderful pistachio butter that has all the flavor of a fancy sauce, but it’s no-cook! Just stir the ingredients together for a colorful and delicious compound butter that you dot over the scallops. Bread is a must for sopping everything up. Shrimp or prawns are easy to substitute for the scallops if you prefer. Other compound butters can be used instead of the pistachio butter.
Baking planks are thicker than grilling planks and have a hollow groove carved out of the wood. This groove is perfect for holding butter or sauces on the plank versus the saucy concoctions spilling off the flat grill planks.
1 cedar or oak baking plank, soaked in water for at least 1 hour
1 pound (450 g) large sea scallops, about 16
1 loaf crusty French or Italian bread
Pistachio Butter (Makes about 2⁄3 cup (150 ml))
1⁄2 cup (125 ml) roasted, shelled pistachios
1⁄2 cup (125 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Kosher salt
For the Pistachio Butter, finely grind the pistachios in a food processor or by hand. Mix with the softened butter in a medium-size bowl and season with salt.
Prepare an indirect hot fire in your grill, with the fire on one side and no fire on the other.
Place the scallops on the baking plank. Dollop 1 rounded teaspoon of the Pistachio Butter onto each scallop.
Place the planked scallops on the indirect side or no-heat side of the grill. Close the lid and plank-cook until the scallops are firm and just opaque, about 20 minutes, turning the plank 180 degrees halfway through the cooking time.
Serve immediately on the planks with the remaining butter and crusty bread.
VARIATION:
Plank-Roasting in the Oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place the planked scallops in the middle of the oven and close the door. Reduce the heat to 350°F (180°C) and roast for 15 to 20 minutes until the scallops are firm and just opaque.
Venison Tenderloin with Blackberry Brandy Beurre Blanc
Serves 4
Venison tenderloin, chops, and steaks are coveted cuts from deer and elk. If you don’t have time to make the sauce, simply grill them with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. But once you taste the sauce you’ll find time to make it. This sauce is wonderful paired with grilled duck breast, also.
Blackberry Brandy Beurre Blanc
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup (250 ml) blackberry brandy
1⁄4 cup (50 ml) fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 cup (250 ml) heavy whipping cream
1⁄4 cup (56 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup (125 g) fresh or frozen blackberries, thawed
2 pounds (1 kg) deer or elk tenderloin or 8 chops (each about 4 ounces/125 g and 1⁄2 inch/1 cm thick)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse kosher salt and freshly cracked black peppercorns
For the Blackberry Brandy Beurre Blanc, combine the garlic, brandy, lemon juice, and shallots in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to boil, stirring often, until it is reduced to about 1⁄4 cup (50 ml), about 5 minutes. Add the cream and return to a boil. Boil until the sauce is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, one piece at a time, whisking until the sauce glistens and thickens. Stir in the blackberries and keep warm.
Prepare a hot fire in your grill.
Lightly brush the venison tenderloin or chops with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Grill the tenderloin for 5 minutes per side, turning once, or until medium-rare, or until desired doneness. Grill the chops for about 2 minutes per side, turning once, until medium-rare, or until desired doneness. Remove the tenderloin or chops from the heat and tent with foil for about 10 minutes to let the meat rest. To serve, slice the tenderloin at a 45-degree angle. Spoon the Blackberry Brandy Beurre Blanc over the sliced tenderloin or the chops and serve.
These recipes may be reproduced with the following credit:
Recipes from BBQ BISTRO by Judith Fertig and Karen Adler. (Running Press; April 2015; $20.00/trade paperback; ISBN; 978-0-7624-5454-9). www.runningpress.com
Contact: Seta Zink
215-567-5371
seta.zink@perseusbooks.com