And all those Summer bucket list activities! School's out, vacations are booked [or soon will be] and there are tons of BBQ's to attend and host. With June we welcome Summer and all it's seasonal goodies. In this month's post I've put together a Father's Day gift guide as well as June Market finds to add to your grocery list. But first a quick recipe to add to your dinner rotation☝️
Grilled Caesar Salad
There's nothing I love more than a GOOD Caesar salad - especially when it doesn't require a special shopping trip. For this particular recipe I prefer to grill a couple hearts of Romaine before giving them a quick chop [once cooled of course]. Then I toss them together with the inner leaves of Bibb lettuce, shredded radicchio, and what I'm calling my Pantry Caesar Dressing. Below you'll find the ingredients list and my method for this salad. Before scrolling let me get into a few substitutions you may need or want to make.
Why Mayo?
You'll notice I use Dukes mayo but feel free to use your mayo of choice, including vegan. I also prefer mayo over egg yolks mainly because I eat most of them for breakfast and we run out fairly quickly.
Acid
I chose to use rice vinegar due to it's natural sweetness. Plus I always have it on hand. You can easily swap it for white wine vinegar , white vinegar or lemon juice instead.
Fish Sauce
Instead of anchovies I tend to keep fish sauce around. At home it gets used more often in broths, dipping sauces and most of all in this Caesar recipe.
Infused Oil
I absolutely love raw garlic but my family and clients don't share the same enthusiasm. Gently infusing whole garlic into oil transfers a milder flavor that makes this dressing. If you don't have time to infuse your oil and don't mind the sharpness of raw garlic add fresh in addition to the amount of oil the recipe calls for.
Fresh Herbs and Greens
Dill just goes so well in salads so I adding it to this dressing was a no brainer. Now in terms of greens I prefer three; Romaine, Radicchio and Bibb. To me this hits all the textures and flavors I want in my Caesar. Feel free to omit the ones you don't enjoy. Also where bib lettuce is involved the inner green leaves are what I reserve for salads. To me they're too pretty not to show off. Keep the bigger, darker green [but just as tender] leaves for sandwiches and wraps.
Croutons
Recently I've been favoring sunflower seeds in the place of croutons. Add whatever you have on hand just make sure it adds texture.
Ingredients
Two Romaine Hearts - washed and patted dry
1/2 C chiffinade or thinly sliced Radicchio
5-6 Bib Lettuce Leaves - the inner, light green ones
2 Tsp High Temp Cooking Oil like Avocado
1/2 C Grated Parmesan - reserve 2 Tbsp for the dressing
1/4 C Roasted Sunflower Seeds - shelled
Salt & Pepper to taste
Pantry Caesar Dressing
1/4 cup Dukes
1 Tbsp Spicy Mustard
1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
1 Tsp Fish Sauce
2 Heaping Tbsp of Grated Parmesan
3 Tbsp Garlic Infused Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Dill
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Measure out all of the ingredients and mix the mayo, mustard, vinegar, fish sauce and parmesan together. Whisk in your infused oil - be sure to whisk gently or it may break. Add in the fresh dill and take a quick taste before adding any salt and pepper.
My Method
Begin by heating your grill. I use a grill pan when preparing this for lunch. While that heats up halve your washed and dried Romaine lengthwise. Then lightly oil and season them. Once your grill or grill pan is smokey sear off the Romaine for 1-2 minutes or until charred to your liking. Remove from the heat and allow to cool while preparing the remaining ingredients and dressing.
Once you've cleaned and chopped the radicchio, separated the bib lettuce, grated the parm and made the dressing it's time to chop the cooled Romaine and assemble. Remember when dressing a salad you'll want to "dress the bowl". This prevents the lettuce from wilting while the rest of dinner comes together. Use all or as little dressing as you like and toss the listed ingredients together. Top with sunflower seeds, some extra freshly ground pepper and dig in!
Planning on trying this recipe out? Don't forget to come back to leave a comment on this post. I wanna hear from you!
Gifts for the Culinary Inclined Father
I recently saw a snippet of Ali Siddiq's stand up from a few years ago. He jabbed at how Father's Day is the worst celebrated holiday - period! He stated that when tallied up next to Mother's Day, Christmas, and Halloween it's number 20. Even though his standup was performed years ago this recent encounter stuck with me. Personally I tend to gloss over these types of holidays when honestly a pampering day of praise can be revitalizing. So this year, let's raise the bar for our Father's Day celebrations. If the Dad in your life has a passion for Food and Beverage scroll and click your way through a few Chef suggested gifts below.
The Griller
If you haven't already go check out my Sur La Table Affiliate Page. There you'll find links geared toward grilling. If your dad or hubby stokes the fire you'll find several links there that might still be on sale.
The Family Somm
This Rabbit Pura Decanting System is equipped with a micro-filter that removes the sediment in your wine. The aerator/filter device stays in the decanter when serving - no need to remove.
On The Rocks Kind of Guy
These Schott Zwiesel Old Fashioned Rocks glasses will make a great addition to any bar. I've ordered this set for myself so stay tuned for my personal review and all the mocktails, nightcaps, brews and tonics I use them for.
The Home Cook
A customized high quality apron is essential for any serious home cook. With an average rating of 4.9 stars; Hedley & Bennet come highly recommended. Linked below is their own Father's Day Gift Guide.
June Market Finds
Berry Season Continues
Farm production is booming this time of year and the markets are brimming with a diverse bounty. Berry Season has kicked off and I'm ready for hauling buckets of berries home before the birds this year. Strawberry plants are still going and Raspberries along with Blueberries are making their appearance, It doesn't seem to matter how busy the Summer manages to get - Braehead Farms seems to make it on the itinerary every year.
Greens
Mustard, Collards, Amaranth and Watercress are great finds. A slow and savory cook is preferred when it comes to Collards and Amaranth but, depending on their size, Mustard Greens can be added to salads. They bring a peppery sharpness that'll upgrade any generic mix. Cress (aka watercress) can be foraged along creeks but have made it to the market stands by now.
Squash and Zucchini
Summer squash is here and so are their blossoms! There are so many varieties becoming available - Zucchini, Yellow, Zephyr and Patty Pan Squash to name a few. These beauties can be prepared as a casserole, grilled kabobs, garlicky "noodles" or as a thinly sliced salad topping.
Stone Fruits
The cherry trees have blossomed and now they're fruiting. Considered a stone fruit not a berry they are the first to make an appearance this time of year. There's a short three week window for harvest so get out to the local Market's and Orchards if you're a fan of these sweet yet tart fruits. I like to add them to my Iced Hibiscus Tea, grazing trays and are a family favorite snack. Plums, Peaches, Nectarines and Apricots are soon to follow!
That's it...for now!
With Summer fast approaching I hope you can take some inspiration from this month's blog. This year I'll be sharing more recipes adapted from my Supper Club so make sure you're following me [@chefbflint] on Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. Stay tuned for a steady stream of seasonal recipes and tips.
Continue to eat well!
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