Dec 25, 2012
Happy
Holidays, everyone! Here are a couple of my favorite festive season
recipes. Enjoy!
Bacon-Wrapped
Oysters
Makes
4–6 appetizer-sized portions
This
simple, old-fashioned way to grill oysters makes a great party
appetizer.
1 pint
| 500 mL container of large, fresh, shucked oysters
(about
a dozen oysters)
1/4 lb
| 125 g thinly sliced bacon, each slice cut in half
kosher
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Barbecue
sauce or Louisiana-style hot sauce
Fry the
bacon over medium heat in a heavy skillet until it’s cooked but not
quite crispy. Place the cooked bacon strips on a paper towel and
set them aside.
Prepare
your grill for direct high heat. Drain the oysters and pat them dry
with a paper towel. Wrap half a slice of cooked bacon around each
oyster, skewering it with a wooden toothpick. Place the oysters on
the cooking grate and grill them for 2 or
3
minutes per side, or until the bacon crisps and the oysters are
cooked through and just starting to char. Remove them from the
heat, place them on a platter, season them with salt and pepper,
and pass them around with a bottle of hot sauce or some barbecue
sauce in a little bowl for dipping.
Leftover Turkey Quesadillas
This is
a superb, easy way to continue enjoying Christmas flavours and and
excuse to fire up your grill over the holidays.
Ingredients:
Large
wheat flour tortillas
Leftover
turkey, shredded or chopped
Cranberry
sauce
Monterey
jack cheese, grated (mozzarella would also do)
Gouda
cheese, grated (cheddar or any other flavourful, salty cheese would
work great)
Thinly
sliced jalapeño chile (or some of your favorite hot
sauce)
Chopped
parsley (optional)
Anything
else that’s leftover from Christmas dinner, chopped up (Brussels
sprouts, mashed potato, stuffing)
Salt
and freshly ground pepper
Place a
large flour tortilla on a cutting board or cookie sheet and cover
half of it with a 1/4-inch | 5 mm layer of cheese – a mix of the
jack and Gouda.
Layer
on the toppings, taking care to distribute them evenly. Sprinkle
the toppings with salt, pepper, and a little hot sauce or some
slice jalapeños to taste. Coat the toppings with another thin layer
of the grated cheeses. Fold over the tortilla and it’s ready to hit
the grill.
To
cook, preheat your charcoal or gas grill to a medium-high heat.
Place the quesadilla directly on the grill and cook it for 2 or 3
minutes, until the cheese starts to melt and the tortilla is
toasted and slightly charred. Flip it with a big spatula and cook
the other side for another 2 or 3 minutes. Take it off the grill,
place it on a cutting board, and let it rest for a minute or two.
Cut it into pizza-like slices with a big sharp knife.
Accompany
the quesadillas with fresh salsa, guacamole, and sour cream for
dipping. Quesadillas can also easily be made on a stovetop or on
the propane burner on the side of your grill in a large, lightly
oiled skillet over medium-high heat. You can prepare the
quesadillas in advance and keep them covered and refrigerated for
an hour or two before grilling (if you try to keep them overnight,
however, the tortillas will get soggy).