Archive for August, 2012
GRILLED POUND CAKE WITH PINEAPPLE SALSA AND TEQUILA WHIPPED CREAM
Posted by patandkrislarkin in Cooking and Baking on August 31, 2012
GRILLED POUND CAKE
WITH
PINEAPPLE SALSA AND TEQUILA WHIPPED CREAM
When I was a grilling neophyte I would have never thought about preparing dessert on the grill . . . whodathunkit?!?! Actually, we are toasting the pound cake on the grill and it’s amazing how much smokey flavor just a few moments will add to this! When you add the grilling to this it takes the recipe from great to outstanding!
We have the weekend coming up so let’s not waste time!
PREP: 30 MINUTES
Grill time: 2 minutes
SERVES – 8
Ingredients:
Purchased pound cake sliced into 8 pieces
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup heavy cream
3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespooon Tequila0 (preferably gold)
Pineapple Salsa
2 cups fresh pineapple, cut into small cubes
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed, small dice
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
Mint for garnish
To Grill (toast) Pound Cake
Lightly brush each slice of pound cake with butter on both sides. Cook until lightly toasted.
For the Whipped Cream Topping
Place the cream in a chilled mixer bowl and beat until soft peaks form, starting on the slow speed and gradually increasing the speed to high. When soft peaks form, add the sugar, cinnamon and tequila. Continue beating until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes more. Refrigerate, covered until ready to serve.
For the Salsa
Place all ingredients (except mint garnish) in a nonreactive bowl, but don’t mix until 5 minutes before you are ready to serve.
To serve:
Place a toasted piece of pound cake on plate, spoon on salsa and dollop with whipped cream. Add mint garnish on top.
Wasn’t that easy. Now is when the best part always comes . . . tasting . . . oh heck . . . don’t just taste . . . eat and enjoy!!
As always, thank you for reading!
Kris
Don’t forget, for info about our full schedule of gourmet grilling and cooking classes, please visit our website. Also, the guesthouses are filling up for the Fall. Be sure to book some time for yourself in the gorgeous Flint Hills!
GRILLED PEPPER BACON WRAPPED SHRIMP
Posted by patandkrislarkin in Cooking and Baking on August 30, 2012
Grilled Peppered Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
A great recipe and right in line with my motto . . . keep it simple is our Grilled, Bacon Wrapped Shrimp. We did this at our last grilling class and it was such a hit that we have been preparing for all kinds of large functions and people just love it! This is easy and doesn’t take long to grill . . . which is a nice feature especially when the temperatures are still hot!
Let’s grill our shrimp!
PEPPER BACON WRAPPED SHRIMP
PREP: 10 MINUTES
GRILL TIME: 5 MINUTES
Ingredients:
JUMBO SIZED SHRIMP-PEELED 
PEPPER BACON
SKEWERS
Directions:
SOAK SKEWERS IN WATER FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS – PREFERRABLY OVERNIGHT
PEEL SHRIMP AND RUN SKEWER THROUGH TAIL AND BODY
WRAP WITH SMALL SECTION OF PEPPER BACON
GRILL UNTIL JUST BEYOND PINK ABOUT 5 MINUTES – UNTIL BACON IS COOKED THROUGH
That’s it!! It’s done and ready to delight anyone who tastes them!
Thank you for following!
Kris
Please visit our website for information about our next gourmet grilling class or a fantastic get-a-way in The Flint Hills of Kansas!
ASIAN SCORED FLANK STEAK
Posted by patandkrislarkin in Cooking and Baking on August 17, 2012
Just in time for this weekend’s grilling menu!! Another great dish for grilling is our Asian Scored Flank Steak. You start with a relatively inexpensive cut of beef and marinate it with a marinade that has a hint of Asian flavors. When you combine the beef with the seasoning and the smoke from the grill it is a always winner! We prepared this in our last grilling class . . . IT WAS A HIT!!
Let’s grill some Asian flank steak!
ASIAN SCORED FLANK STEAK
PREP: 30 minutes
INACTIVE PREP TIME: 6 hours or over-night
Grill TIME: 8- 15 MINUTES
SERVES –6
Ingredients:
2 Medium-Sized lemons
1 cup soy sauce
½ cup distilled white vinegar
½ cup vegetable oil
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 bay leaves, crumbled
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 Flank or skirt steak (1.5 to 1 ¾ pounds)
Directions:
- Rinse the lemons well. Cut each in half and squeeze the juice with a citrus press. Place the lemon juice in a large non-reactive mixing bowl. Cut the rind of 1 lemon into ¼ inch dice and add it to the juice. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, oil, onion garlic bay leaves, coriander seed, and pepper and whisk to mix. Set aside half of the lemon juice mixture to use as a sauce.
- Score steak on both sides in a crosshatch pattern, making shallow cuts on the diagonal no deeper than 1/8 inch and about ¼ inch apart. This will keep the flank steak from curling as it cooks (you don’t have to score sirloin).
- Spread half of the remaining lemon juice mixture in the bottom of a non-reactive baking dish just large enough to hold the meat. Place the meat on top and spread the other half of the lemon mixture over it. Let the steak marinate for at least 6 hours preferably overnight.
- When ready to cook, drain the meat, scraping off most of the marinade with a rubber spatula. Preheat the grill to high.
- Oil the grill. Place the flank steak on the grill and cook approximately 4-6 minutes per side for medium-rare. If using sirloin steak, medium rare will take a bit longer, about 5-8 minutes.
Finally, we made to my favorite part of the recipe . . . ENJOY!!
Thank you for following and reading. don’t forget to check our website: www.TheLarkInn.com to learn more about our next cooking/grilling class and to learn about our guesthouses right in the heart of The Flint Hills of Kansas. The weather has turned and it is an awesome time to be here!
Thanks again,
Kris
GRILLED AVOCADO SALAD
Posted by patandkrislarkin in Cooking and Baking on August 16, 2012
GRILLED AVOCADO SALAD
The grilled avocado salad has been one our favorites since the first time we tasted it in a California grilling class. It is amazing that though you only put it on the grill for a few moments, the grilling process seems to really wake up a new “earthy” flavor in the avocado. A gas or charcoal grill will work fine but as you know we are partial to charcoal as it just gives more of a smoky flavor to your food. Let’s get started!
PREP: 25 minutes
GRILL TIME: 1 minute
SERVES – 8
Ingredients:
10 tomatoes, thickly sliced
4 avocados, peeled, haled & pitted
Extra-Virgin olive oil, for drizzling & adding to juice
1 red onion, sliced
Juice from ½ lemon
½ cup pine nuts
Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese, shredded or cut into thin wafers
Freshly grated black pepper, optional
Directions
- Preheat grill over medium heat. Cover a large tray or serving platter with tomatoes and set aside
- In another bowl, cover the red onion slices with the lemon juice that has been mixed with a couple Tablespoons of olive oil.
- Place avocado halves on a platter and drizzle with olive oil. Place each half, cut side down, on a hot open grill for about 1 minute. Remove and place on top of the tomatoes arranged on tray.
- Place onions in the empty avocado pit holes. Drizzle the lemon juice-olive oil mixture over the top. Sprinkle pine nuts and cheese over all and grate pepper over if desired.
Now, the best part as always . . . ENJOY!
Thank you for following!
Kris
We will be having another grilling class (possibly the last for the season) at the Lark Inn in Cottonwood Falls, Kansas on the afternoon of September 9. For more information about our cooking classes and/or a great get-a-way in the Flint Hills of Kansas visit our web site: www.TheLarkInn.com
Kris Larkin 