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Go to: Newsletters Home
August 2006 Newsletter
Fire It Up
What's Inside...
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This Month's Table Setting Pick: Noritake Colorwave Green Quad 16-Piece Dinnerware Set Save over 50%! Spring Occasions to Shop For: • Halloween • Thanksgiving • Christmas |
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Shopping
For the Feast
Now that you are inviting your friends over to enjoy good food and
nice weather, you are going to have to go shopping. To be blunt,
throwing a barbecue can be both costly and time consuming. However, having a
clever plan of action often saves you a huge headache. So, here is a
helpful guideline for deciding how much
food to buy for the feast.
feast.
Obviously, your
chosen recipes should correspond with your guest. If you have friends
with restricted diets or preferences, adhere to their needs as much
as possible.
*Remember, you know your friends' appetites
better than we do. If you have friends like mine, then double the meat
portions.
* Also, guests are going to come hungry if
you have a reputation for being a great cook. Increase the amount of
appetizers so that they have food to gnaw on when they arrive. Instant
gratification.
Making Your Shopping List
The following suggestions should help you make your shopping list.
Hors
d'oeuvres
- If serving Hors d'oeuvres that require lots of time to prepare, then plan for 12 items per person. Make about four of the special hors d'oeuvres and eight of the more simple.
- For an easier solution, serve chips with
fresh guacamole and salsa. They are favorite
with folks, and chips and dip aren't
difficult to prepare. Be good to yourself, and make this get
together relaxing.
Meat
-
Fish, poultry, and
meat: 5-6 ounces of protein per person (excluding bones and
excessive fat)
Pasta
- Pasta served in a buffet style: a pound of cooked pasta will serve 8 – 12 people
- Pasta served formally: a pound serves 4 – 6 people
Salad
- One head of lettuce feeds about four people
- The trimmings should fit your taste. For example, I love tomatoes, fresh basil, red onions, almonds, and cucumbers.
- Add a nice touch by making your own dressing
Vegetables and Sides
- 3 side dishes is a good philosophy for entertaining: two savory and one sweet, with different textures and colors
- For an outdoor barbecue, think corn still in the husk. About one cob per guest, but make a couple of extra just in case somebody would like two
- Another delicious suggestion for outdoor barbecues
is making skewers
of vegetables. Estimate about two
skewers per
person. A simple suggestion: mushrooms, bell peppers, red peppers,
and onions.
Dessert
- If serving one dessert, estimate one full portion per person.
- If you are having more than one dessert, people will take smaller portions of multiple items. A good estimate would be a cake that normally serves eight guests will serve around thirteen hungry guests.
Drinks
- ½ Bottle of wine per person and unlimited water.
- If you are having
cocktails, it is a good idea to make each drink as
wanted. Then you don't waste your ingredients
and each drink
is fresh. - Since about 15-25% of your guest won't
drink alcohol, a good guideline is 1 cup of
seltzer, 1 cup of ginger ale, and one soda.
And, all the water they want to drink should be available.
- A natural bristle, long handled basting brush for applying sauces.
- A suction baster
- A large spatula
- Skewers in various lengths. If you use wooden skewers, remember to soak them in water before grilling.
- A stiff brush for cleaning the grill
- Heavy duty, long handled tongs
Tips for Everyday Flavoring
You may use other flavoring agents to spice up your grilled food. Just
marinate the food with olive oil, and choose those spices that are
compatible with the meal. Our suggestions are
- grapevines for the coals
- nutshells for the coals
- branches of herbs
- garlic
- orange or lemon zest
- pumpkin or poppy seeds
- other spices
August's
Recipe
This recipe comes from “The New and Basics Cookbook.” Of
all the lamb recipes I have made, this one is by far the best tasting
and easiest to make. All I can say is Yum! Your guests are going to be
so amazed, you might not have any leftovers for tomorrow.
Let me know if you have any great lamb recipes, tips for grilling, or
how your experience went with the butterflied leg of lamb recipe.
Grilling Lamb .
. .
According to Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins in “The New Basics Cookbook,” the most tender cuts of lamb come from the loin and
rib
sections, usually in the form of a chop. They also suggest the leg,
because they feel it is the most flavorful cut. It also can be grilled,
whole, or boned.
Most cuts of lamb benefit from marinade. Simply trim off the fat and
marinate in oil flavored with herbs, garlic, lemon juice, wine, chilies, soy sauces, ginger, and anything else
that appeals to your taste.
Also, a leg of lamb should be cooked over indirect heat on a covered grill. If the leg is butterflied, it will
cook in about ¼ of the time of a bone-in-leg. When making kabobs
from cubed leg meat, marinate the meat and skewer. Then, alternating
lamb with vegetables, prepare the skewers
and grill them over direct
heat. It is a good idea to let lamb stand for about five minutes before
serving . . . perfect!
Butterflied
Leg of Lamb for Eight
This recipe is great for both beginners and grilling masters.
Because it is from a butterfly cut, the leg of lamb is able to reach perfect pinkness more
easily. Your are going to love how tasty the butterflied leg of lamb
is.
It brief, a
butterfly cut of lamb means that you slit down to the bone
where it
lies closest to the surface, then cut the bone out carefully. It is
best to use a very sharp knife. Don't forget to get the kneecap—it is
not difficult, but it is an aggravation.
When you have finished, you will have exposed a thick vein of fat that
was next to the bone. Trim this vein out as
well. Basically, you unwrap the meat from
around that bone, so the cut lies perfectly on the grill. If there are
any thick parts that won't lie, slit them so that they do.
A smidgen of herb or garlic mayonnaise atop
this recipe is delicious.
Ingredients
1 cup of dry red wine
¾ cup of soy sauce
4 large cloves crushed garlic
½ cup of fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons of slightly bruised fresh rosemary leaves or 1 tablespoon
of dried
1 tablespoon of coarsely ground black pepper
1 butterflied leg of lamb (4 to 5 pounds)
1. Combine the wine, soy sauce, garlic, mint, rosemary, and pepper in a
small bowl and mix well. Place the lamb in a nonreactive baking pan.
Pour the mixture over the lamb frequently.
2. Prepare hot coals for grilling.
3. Drain the meat, reserving the marinade. Grill the lamb 4 inches
above the hot coals, basting frequently with
the marinade, about 20 minutes on each side. Check the lamb for doneness frequently after 30 minutes'
grilling.
4. Cut the lamb into very thin slices, and serve immediately.
Cool
Down with These Summer Cocktails
To cool you and your guests off, here are some
traditional
recipes. Luigi Bormioli has opened up their bar to share with us these
drink concoctions. Each recipe serves one drink, but you can make more
than one by multiplying the ingredients as
needed. This conserves your ingredients
while making each drink as fresh and flavorful as possible.
And, summer is the best season for buying bunches of flowers at bargain
prices. Use a wide mouthed pitcher, vase, or jar to create a casual
arrangement. Be sure and cut the stems at a angle to extend the life of
the bouquet.
Pina Colada
1 oz Rum
1 oz. Coconut Cream
2 oz. Pineapple Juice
Fill a mixing glass with crushed ice, then pour the above ingredients
into it. Blend for 20 – 30 seconds then strain into cocktail
glass with
fresh ice. For a nice touch, garnish your cocktail glass with an orange
and a cherry.
Strawberry Daiquiri
1 oz. Rum
1 oz. Lime Juice
2 oz. Frozen Strawberries
½ oz. Strawberries Schnapps
1 Teaspoon of Sugar
Fill a mixing glass with crushed ice, then pour the above ingredients
into it. Blend for 20 – 30 seconds then pour into cocktail glass. Add a
little flair by garnishing the cocktail glass with an orange and
strawberry.
Long Island Ice Tea
½ oz. Vodka
½ oz. Gin
½ oz. Rum
½ oz. Tequila
½ oz. Triple Sec
Balance with coke or a sour mix
Fill a mixing glass with crushed ice, then pour the above
ingredients into it. Blend for 20 – 30 seconds then strain into
cocktail
glass with fresh ice. For a nice touch, garnish your cocktail glass
with a lemon.
Bahama Mama
½ oz. Rum
3 oz. Pineapple juice
½ oz Jamaican Rum
½ oz. Black Seal Rum?
Fill shaker or mixing glass with ice. Pour the ingredients into it,
shake well, strain the cocktail into appropriate glass.
Float Jamaican and Black Seal Rum, and enjoy!
Since summer is so hot and humid, summer wines shold be
refreshing, light, and cool. Serve Sauvigonon Blanc chilled but not
freezing—you don't want to loose the flavor. For dishes cooked over
fire,
such as a grilled leg of lamb, choose a wine that matches the robust
flavor. For instance, a Shiraz works perfecty to balance the intense
flavors of the lamb. Remember, the Shiraz shoudl be decanted and served
at room temperature. The dark delicious aromas work will with the
smokey flavor fot the grill. Store
left over wine properly. It is best to pour left over wine into another
container, cork it, and store it in a dark place. Be careful of
aeration, which may cause the grapes to rot. If they rot, you will be
able to smell it. Time to pour the bottle down the kitchen sink.
Remember . . . it is important to have drinking water available anytime
you are serving alchohol, but the summer heat makes it even more
critical. Leave a couple of pitchers of iced water on the table and
fill up your guests glasses when needed.
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