Aug 8, 2014
Grilled Mushrooms with Tarragon Vinaigrette
Makes 24 individual portions or 4 to 6 skewers
This is great as a hot starter, or cooled and served as part of an
appetizer platter. If you want to get fancy, alternate the
mushrooms with chunks of veggies on skewers for a nice side
dish.
1/2 cup | 125 mL extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp | 45 mL white wine vinegar or tarragon vinegar
1 Tbsp | 15 mL Dijon mustard
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, smashed or finely minced
1 tsp | 5 mL dried crumbled tarragon leaves
1 Tbsp | 15 mL fresh lemon juice
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
24 medium-sized white or brown button mushrooms
Optional for skewers:
chunks of mixed vegetables, including red onion, zucchini,
Japanese eggplant, red, green or yellow bell peppers,
cherry tomatoes, etc.)
Preheat the grill on medium-high for 5 or 10 minutes, or until the
chamber temperature rises above 500°F | 260°C. Whisk together the
olive oil, vinegar, mustard, shallot, garlic, tarragon, and lemon
juice. Season the vinaigrette to taste with salt and
pepper.
Toss the mushrooms or veggies in the vinaigrette. If you’re making
kebabs, place the veggies on the skewers. Place them on the grill
and leave the heat on medium-high. Cook the vegetables for
6–8 minutes, turning
them once or twice, or until they are heated through and starting
to brown around the edges.
Remove them from the heat and transfer them to a serving dish.
Squeeze more lemon over the mushrooms or veggie kebabs and season
them with more salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil, if you
like.
The Deviled Eggs Went Down to Georgia
Makes 2 dozen deviled eggs
You don’t see much of this old-school appetizer, but smoking the
eggs makes it modern again.
12 eggs
1/2 cup | 50 mL Chipotle and Roasted Garlic Aïoli (see recipe
below)
1 Tbsp | 15 mL Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp | 25 mL finely chopped cilantro
1 lemon
1 tsp | 5 mL paprika
sprigs cilantro, for garnish
Choose eggs that are at least a few days old (fresh eggs are harder
to peel). Put them in a pot of lukewarm water with a bit of vinegar
added.
Bring the water to a boil and at the moment the water starts
boiling, remove the pot from the heat. Cover the post, and leave
the eggs in the water for 15 minutes. Cool the eggs under cold
running water and peel them. Prepare your smoker for barbecuing,
bringing the temperature up to 200–220˚F | 95–100˚C.
Place the peeled eggs on the cooking grate and smoke them for about
half an hour using hickory, maple, or oak as the flavoring agent.
Sprinkle them lightly with dry rub if you want a little more
flavor. The eggs will turn an amber color. Let them
cool.
Slice them in half lengthwise and remove the yolks, setting the
whites aside. In a nonreactive bowl, mash the yolks with a fork and
add the aïoli, mustard, and cilantro, along with the juice of half
the lemon. Mix these ingredients together thoroughly and spoon or
pipe the mixture back into the egg whites. Sprinkle the deviled
eggs with paprika and garnish them with cilantro sprigs and lemon
slices.
Margie’s Chipotle and Roasted Garlic
Mayo
This invention of Calgary caterer Margie Gibb is particularly good
as a dip for pieces of smoked or grilled sausage, but it’s also
great on just about anything.
11/2 cups | 375 mL mayonnaise
1 whole head roasted garlic, cloves squeezed
out of their skins
1 tsp | 5 mL finely ground cumin (preferably made
from toasted cumin seeds)
1 Tbsp | 15 mL chopped chipotles in adobo sauce
(add more chipotle if you like it hot)