I love, love, LOVE scallops but they can go from super tender to rubbery very quickly if they aren't cooked hot and fast so they are nicely seared on the outside and still opaque in the center. To do this, I like to fry them in a pre-heated pan, finishing them by basting with clarified butter (butter which has had the butterfat removed in order to give it a higher smoke point) then serving with a creamy smoked pea puree and crispy strips of country ham.
Read MoreGrilled Cheese Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Burger
I love me some meat, so much so that you might as well add another "carne" to carnivore. That said, I am never one to pass up grilled vegetables so when Chef Eric Crowley of LA's highly popular Chef Eric's Culinary Classroom offered to share his recipe for Cheese-Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Burgers I immediately put the ground beef aside and fired up this flavorful vegetarian burger!
Read MoreSmokey Poached Eggs and Grilled Asparagus
Recently I was asked to make a side dish for a dinner party and I decided to do some perfectly grilled asparagus topped with a poached egg that could be cut open to reveal the runny yolk just before serving.
Being addicted to finding new ways to amp up the flavor of the grill, however, I decided to add smoke directly to the egg, something that was originally inspired by watching Chef David Chang add smoke flavor to cooked eggs by placing them in smoked water during an episode of PBS's "The Mind of a Chef."
Read MoreGrilled Polenta with Mushroom Ragout
Polenta is one of those things that many people enjoy when eating out at Italian restaurants but may not realize how simple it is to create at home. In it's simplest form, polenta is basically fine cornmeal that is simmered in a liquid until smooth and creamy. To that you can add different flavored cooking liquids, fresh herbs, mascarpone cheese, and so on then topped with slow roasted meats, vegetables, a poached egg, or whatever you can dream up.
But one of my favorite things about polenta is that leftovers can be turned into dense polenta cakes then grilled to bring in some subtle smokiness as is the case in this recipe from Grilled Polenta with Mushroom Ragout courtesy of Weber's Big Book of Grilling!
Read MoreTwice Grilled Pulled Pork Potatoes
It is rare that we have leftover pulled pork (you can find a smoked pork butt recipe here) at our house but when we do I love these twice baked pulled pork potatoes. Cooked on the grill until tender then hollowed out and stuffed with mashed potato, cheese, and pulled pork, these beauties are perfect any night of the week!
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