RED, WHITE, and 'QUE: Farm-Fresh Foods for the American Grill

RED, WHITE, and ‘QUE: Farm-Fresh Foods for the American Grill

Karen Adler, Judith Fertig

Running Press
May 2, 2017
$25/Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-0762461295

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.

For all-American flavors, look no further than your own backyard garden for meals that are grill and barbecue-friendly: all hail the red, white, and ‘que!

The authors of The Gardener and the Grill are back in the backyard with garden-fresh grilling like never before. Each recipe makes the most of seasonal American ingredients and flavors like bourbon, blackberries, country ham, maple syrup, pomegranates, craft beer, and sweet onions. Throw these recipes on the grill:

Ember-Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Barbecuer’s White Bean Cassoulet
Planked Chicken Breasts with Chile Lime Sofrito
Root Beer Ribs
Grilled Banana Splits

Great grilling techniques like ember roasting and flavored wood smoke make each recipe perfect for date nights, family dinners, and tailgate parties.

Celebrate the magic of the grill year round, with vegetables straight from the American garden.

GRILLED POUND CAKE
with BLUEBERRY CARDAMOM COMPOTE

Serves 6

You’ll be amazed how wonderful grilled pound cake tastes. Topped with aromatic blueberry compote, all it needs is a scoop of your favorite ice cream or frozen yogurt.

BLUEBERRY CARDAMOM COMPOTE

1⁄ 4 cup (60 ml) water
12 ounces (340 g) fresh blueberries
1⁄ 3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar
1⁄ 2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Juice of half a lemon

GRILLED POUND CAKE

1 loaf store-bought pound cake, cut into 6 thick slices
Ice cream or frozen yogurt, for serving
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

For the Blueberry Cardamom Compote, place the water, blueberries, sugar, and cardamom in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, stirring occasionally, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the blueberries have plumped up and turned a shiny dark blue. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Set aside.

Prepare a medium-hot fire in your grill.

Grill the pound cake slices for 1 minute on each side, or until each slice has good grill marks.

To serve, arrange a slice of grilled pound cake on each dessert plate. Spoon the Blueberry Cardamom Compote over the slice of grilled cake, add a scoop of ice cream, and garnish with a fresh mint sprig.

ROOT BEER RIBS

Serves 8

The classic flavors in American root beer—anise, vanilla, sugar, spice—just naturally go well with pork. So, it’s not too much of a stretch to use a root beer marinade and a rub with root beer flavors for ribs, and then finish with a root beer glaze. Five-spice powder is available at better grocery stores, Asian markets, or online at Penzeys or other spice emporia. We recommend removing the membrane from the back of the ribs so that the aromatic rub and glaze can penetrate the meat more. Use needle-nose pliers to remove the membrane from the just-out-of-the-refrigerator slab of ribs. If the ribs are room temperature, it is more difficult to remove the membrane because it will break apart. For the wood, choose apple, cherry, pecan, or oak (or a combination).

RIBS

2 (1- to 11⁄2-pound/450 to 675 g) slabs baby back ribs
3 (12-ounce/355 ml) bottles root beer, divided

ROOT BEER RIB RUB

1 tablespoon five-spice powder
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1⁄ 4 cup (55 g) packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons garlic salt
2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

ROOT BEER GLAZE

1⁄ 2 cup (120 ml) clover or other amber honey
4 ounces (113 g) unsalted butter
Favorite barbecue sauce, for serving (optional)

For the ribs, remove the membrane from the back of the chilled ribs using needle-nose pliers. Place the ribs in a large disposable aluminum pan or a large roasting pan and pour in 20 ounces (591 ml) of the root beer. Place 1 bottle of the root beer in a spray bottle; reserve the remaining 1⁄2 cup (120 ml) of root beer for the glaze.

Cover and let the ribs marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight, turning once.

Prepare an indirect fire in your grill or smoker to slow smoke, using apple, cherry, pecan, or oak wood (or a combination).

For the Root Beer Rib Rub, combine all the ingredients in a large glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Secure the lid and shake to blend. This rub will keep in the kitchen cupboard for several months.

Drain the ribs and pat them dry with a paper towel. Transfer the ribs to a large baking sheet. Sprinkle the rub all over the ribs.

For the Root Beer Glaze, combine the remaining 1⁄2 cup (120 ml) of the root beer with the honey and butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to combine, and cook until just bubbling, then transfer to a bowl.

Contact: Seta Zink
Seta.Zink@hbgusa.com
(215) 207-2916