The Sure-Thing Barbecue

It seems that every time I plan a barbecue this spring, El Nino decides he wants to be my guest. Memorial Day, however, should be a sure thing--we can almost always count on clear skies in late spring--though that little boy just might want to stay around for this party too, once he finds out what’s on the menu.

Cedar-planked salmon can be traced to Native American cookery. The fish is placed on top of a piece of cedar and roasted over an open fire or over barbecue coals. This method of cooking gives the salmon a wonderfully rich color and a smoky sweetness. With a bit of honey-mustard sauce on the side, the salmon becomes remarkable.

Knowing that many children are not big fish eaters (some adults, too) it’s wise to add another main course to the menu when throwing a barbecue. Chicken is always popular, and it’s a rare kid who doesn’t enjoy eating a drumstick. I use a marinade of oyster sauce, lemon and garlic to flavor the chicken overnight; it’s also great for a quick marinade on boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Coleslaw is a Memorial Day standard, but I’m not a fan of heavy mayonnaise-based versions. Instead, I like to serve a shredded cabbage salad with a dressing that has its origins in basic Asian dipping sauces of equal parts sugar and rice wine vinegar with added seasonings. I got the idea Robert Danhi, a chef instructor at the Southern California School of Culinary Arts. Every time I serve the salad, I get requests for the recipe. It’s got an extra benefit, too: It’s fat free.

And instead of the potato salad, I serve red, white and blue (OK, they’re really purple) grilled potatoes, which turn out crisp-skinned and creamy on the inside. They are partially cooked before grilling, then tossed in olive oil flavored with garlic and herbs.

Gorgeous tomatoes from the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market inspired me to make a tomato salad with slices arranged over a bed of greens and sprinkled with marinated feta and oil.

Before the main dishes, artichokes filled with dip and a big plate of grilled shrimp make great starters. Grill the shrimp just before guests arrive and you’ll have plenty of room on the grill for the rest of the barbecued items. If you use some of the huge artichokes that have been showing up in the market this spring, you may need to double the dip recipe.

To conclude the meal, a three-berry cobbler served with toasted hazelnut buttermilk ice cream should satisfy everyone at the barbecue. I just hope El Nino doesn’t catch wind of it!

Menu

Artichokes With Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

Grilled Tarragon Shrimp

Cedar-Planked Salmon With Honey-Mustard Sauce

Barbecued Chicken

Grilled Red, White and Blue Potatoes

Asian Coleslaw

Sliced Tomato Salad

Berry Cobbler

Toasted Hazelnut Buttermilk Ice Cream

Drinks: Shandy, Arnold Palmer

Countdown

24 hours before: Soak cedar plank overnight. Make chicken marinade and coat chicken with sauce. Place chicken in refrigerator to marinate overnight.

4 1/2 to 6 hours before (or day before): Make Toasted Hazelnut Buttermilk Ice Cream and place in freezer.

3 hours 45 minutes before: Make lemonade and iced tea; refrigerate. Partially cook baby potatoes and let cool.

3 1/2 hours before: Begin assembling cobbler.

3 hours before: Place cobbler in oven. Make dressing for cole slaw and let cool.

2 hours 45 minutes before: Cut cabbage, carrots and other ingredients for coleslaw. Set aside at room temperature.

2 1/2 hours before: Trim artichokes and begin steaming them.

2 hours 15 minutes before: Remove cobbler from oven and let cool.

2 hours before: Make lemon-garlic marinade for shrimp. Make herb-garlic dressing for potatoes. Make honey-mustard sauce. Toast pine nuts.

1 hour 45 minutes before (or when artichokes are cooked): Remove artichokes from steaming water and plunge into ice water. Open tops, spread leaves and remove chokes with spoon. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

1 1/2 hours before: Make dip for artichokes. Refrigerate.

1 hour 15 minutes before: Peel and devein shrimp; cover with plastic and refrigerate.

1 hour before: Toss coleslaw ingredients and dressing together.

45 minutes before: Place shrimp in lemon-garlic marinade and refrigerate. Make sliced tomato salad.

30 minutes before: Assemble artichokes. Cut lemon wedges.

15 minutes before: Set up table with ice, lemonade, beer and iced tea.

10 minutes before: Grill shrimp.

5 minutes before: Set out artichokes and grilled shrimp as appetizers.

When guests arrive: Begin grilling chicken.

30 minutes after: When chicken is nearly done, put salmon on the grill.

35 to 40 minutes after: Remove chicken to platter when fully cooked and let rest 10 minutes. Place potatoes on grill.

45 to 50 minutes after: Toss potatoes in herb-garlic dressing. Slide salmon onto serving platter when done.

1 hour after: Serve salmon, chicken, coleslaw, tomato salad and potatoes.

INGREDIENTS

Staples

Baking powder

Bay leaves

Butter

Cornstarch

Dried red chile flakes

Flour

Garlic

Honey

Mayonnaise

Dijon mustard

Extra-virgin olive oil

Oyster sauce

Red onion

Oil

Black peppercorns

Salt

Shallots

Sugar

Brown sugar

Vanilla extract

Seasoned rice vinegar

Shopping List

4 large artichokes

1 bunch fresh basil

Beer

2 pints blackberries

1 pint buttermilk

1 head nappa cabbage

4 medium carrots

1 (10 1/2-ounce) jar marinated feta cheese

2 chickens, cut into 8 pieces

1 bunch cilantro

1 quart heavy cream

1 (8-ounce) container creme frai^che

1 bunch dill

1 dozen eggs

1 (2-inch) knob ginger

1 (8-ounce) package chopped hazelnuts

1 to 3 jalapenos, preferably red

6 lemons

1 (12-ounce) container frozen lemonade

1 head butter lettuce

2 oranges

1 bunch oregano

1 bunch parsley

1 (3-ounce) package pine nuts

12 baby red potatoes

12 baby white potatoes

12 baby purple potatoes

2 pints raspberries

1 bunch fresh rosemary

1 whole salmon fillet

36 large shrimp

2 quarts strawberries

1 bunch fresh tarragon

1 botch fresh thyme

6 large tomatoes

1 (1-ounce) package tea

1 (8-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes

1 plank untreated cedar, approximately 2x4 feet

ARTICHOKES WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO DIP (VEGETARIAN)

4 artichokes

Salt

1 (4-inch) sprig rosemary

6 peppercorns

2 bay leaves

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon pine nuts

1 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon minced garlic

3 tablespoons finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil

2 teaspoons oil from sun-dried tomatoes

2 tablespoons sliced basil

Slice off stems and 1 inch from top of each artichoke. Trim tips of leaves with scissors.

Cook artichokes in about 4 inches simmering water seasoned with salt, rosemary sprig, peppercorns, bay leaves and lemon juice until leaf pulls off easily and is tender at bottom, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from pan and plunge into ice water to stop cooking. When cool, open tops, spread leaves and remove choke with spoon.

Toast pine nuts on baking sheet at 400 degrees until lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Let cool.

Mix mayonnaise, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and oil. Spoon dip into center of each artichoke. Garnish with basil and toasted pine nuts.

8 servings. Each serving:

219 calories; 339 mg sodium; 8 mg cholesterol; 15 grams fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.77 gram fiber.

GRILLED TARRAGON SHRIMP (LOW+FAT COOKING)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Zest of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic

3 tablespoons diced red onion

1 tablespoon chopped tarragon

36 large shrimp, peeled, tails on and deveined

1/2 teaspoon salt

Puree lemon juice and zest, oil, garlic and onion in small food processor until smooth, about 15 seconds. Pour into bowl. Add tarragon and shrimp and marinate 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove shrimp from marinade and season with salt to taste. Discard marinade. Grill shrimp over high heat until pink and edges are no longer opaque, about 2 minutes per side.

10 servings. Each serving:

55 calories; 156 mg sodium; 38 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.04 gram fiber.

CEDAR-PLANKED SALMON WITH HONEY-MUSTARD SAUCE

Be sure to use untreated cedar--chemicals used on wood are not only potentially harmful, they don’t taste very good. You can find untreated or rough cedar at any lumberyard.

HONEY-MUSTARD SAUCE

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh fennel leaves or dill

Salt, pepper

SALMON

1 piece untreated cedar, about 2 inches deeper and wider than salmon

1 (3-pound) salmon fillet

Salt, pepper

SAUCE

Whisk together mustard, honey, oil, fennel and salt and pepper to taste in bowl until well combined.

SALMON

Soak cedar in water to cover at least 24 hours, weighing down plank so wood is completely immersed in water.

Wash and dry salmon fillet. Remove skin. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove cedar plank from water. Put salmon on plank and place on grill over high heat. Cover grill and smoke until salmon flakes with fork and is opaque in center, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with Honey-Mustard Sauce.

8 servings. Each serving:

168 calories; 275 mg sodium; 18 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams protein; 0 fiber.

BARBECUED CHICKEN (IT’S A SNAP)

1 1/4 cups oyster sauce

1 1/4 cups lemon juice

1/4 cup minced garlic

2 (3- to 4-pound) chickens, each cut into 8 pieces

Mix oyster sauce, lemon juice and garlic.

Wash and dry chicken pieces. Put in large bowl and add marinade, mixing to coat each piece. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 24 to 36 hours, turning in marinade every 6 to 8 hours.

Place chicken on grill over medium-high heat, turning after 15 minutes. Cook until juices run clear when pieces are pierced with fork, 15 to 20 more minutes. If skin begins to burn, reduce heat to medium or move rack farther from heat source. Rotate chicken pieces around grill to ensure even cooking.

6 to 8 servings. Each of 8 servings:

470 calories; 1,128 mg sodium; 148 mg cholesterol; 32 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 35 grams protein; 0.03 gram fiber.

GRILLED RED, WHITE AND BLUE POTATOES (IT’S A SNAP)

12 baby red potatoes

12 baby white potatoes

12 baby purple potatoes

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped oregano

1 tablespoon chopped thyme

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt, pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil

Bring potatoes to boil over high heat in large saucepan with water to cover. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Drain. Let potatoes cool on baking sheet.

Combine olive oil, parsley, oregano, thyme, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Halve potatoes. Coat lightly with canola oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on grill over high heat. When potatoes have grill mark on bottom, 3 to 5 minutes, make quarter turn with each potato to make cross-hatch grill marks and cook until tender, 3 to 5 more minutes.

Remove potatoes from grill and immediately pour olive oil mixture over. Toss to thoroughly coat potatoes.

10 servings. Each serving:

219 calories; 35 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 17 grams fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.41 gram fiber.

ASIAN COLESLAW

3/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar

3/4 cup sugar

3 shallots, minced

2 tablespoons minced ginger root

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 to 3 red or green jalapenos, seeded and minced

Dried red pepper flakes

1 bunch cilantro, leaves only, chopped

1 head nappa cabbage

4 carrots, grated

Heat rice vinegar and sugar in small saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool 5 to 10 minutes. Add shallots, ginger, garlic, jalapenos, red pepper flakes and cilantro. Set aside.

Cut cabbage in quarters lengthwise. Remove core. Rinse leaves well. Slice into 1/4-inch crosswise slices. Dry well to prevent diluting dressing when tossed. Toss cabbage with carrots. Toss with dressing 1 hour before serving.

8 servings. Each serving:

134 calories; 378 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.74 gram fiber.

SLICED TOMATO SALAD (IT’S A SNAP)

12 leaves butter lettuce

6 large tomatoes or 10 medium

1 (10 1/2-ounce) jar marinated feta cheese

Wash lettuce and arrange on plate. Slice tomatoes 1/3-inch thick and arrange on lettuce. Spoon 1/4 cup feta cheese over tomatoes. Drizzle 2 tablespoons oil from jar over tomatoes.

8 to 10 servings. Each of 10 servings:

95 calories; 339 mg sodium; 26 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.52 gram fiber.

BERRY COBBLER

8 pints strawberries

2 pints blackberries

2 pints raspberries

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/3 cup orange juice

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup creme frai^che

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 egg

3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Zest from 1 lemon

Hull strawberries and cut in half. Place strawberries, blackberries and raspberries in 13x9-inch baking dish.

Mix cornstarch in small amount orange juice, then gradually add remaining orange juice and mix thoroughly. Add brown sugar and creme frai^che and whisk until blended. Set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles very coarse cornmeal. Make well in dry ingredients.

Whisk together egg, 3/4 cup cream and lemon zest. Pour into well in dry ingredients and mix until barely incorporated. Fold dough over itself 3 or 4 times using hands to finish mixing. It needn’t be fully incorporated.

Pour juice-sugar mixture over berries and gently mix. Break off irregular pieces of dough about size of small plum and place on berries, leaving space between each mound for berries and juice to bubble through.

Brush dough with remaining 3 tablespoons cream. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Place dish on baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees until crust is lightly browned and cooked through, about 45 minutes.

10 to 12 servings. Each of 12 servings:

418 calories; 305 mg sodium; 75 mg cholesterol; 19 grams fat; 61 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 4.16 grams fiber.

TOASTED HAZELNUT BUTTERMILK ICE CREAM

6 egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups buttermilk

2/3 cup hazelnuts, skins removed and coarsely chopped

Mix yolks and sugar in bowl, blending well to prevent lumps.

Bring cream and vanilla to boil in saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add small amount hot cream to egg mixture, stirring well to temper. Add little more hot cream to eggs and mix well. Add egg mixture to hot cream, blending well. Cook over medium-low heat until custard thickens and easily coats back of spoon, about 7 minutes. Custard will be quite thick.

Strain into bowl sitting in larger bowl of ice water. Stir custard constantly until cool, about 5 minutes. Gently whisk in buttermilk. Freeze in ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. When ice cream is done, gently fold in toasted hazelnuts.

8 to 10 servings. Each of 10 servings:

322 calories; 75 mg sodium; 231 mg cholesterol; 26 grams fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.29 gram fiber.