Grilled Delights

We had a good crowd around Saturday night. The weather was gorgeous and we got the grill going for each of the three courses. All are Bobby Flay recipes. All were delicious. I have to say, the steak was the highlight for me. It was perfectly cooked and the beef of high quality. One diner remarked that getting into our house for dinner carries with it some level of exclusivity. He said, "It's like if you don't get in when you're invited, you won't get another reservation here for months." Here's everything we made:

Appetizers:
-Guacamole
-Ancho-Red Pepper Sauce

Starter:
-Grilled Squid and Sweet Onion Salad with Green Chile Vinaigrette
-Red Chile Oil
-Cilantro Oil

Main Course:
-Black Pepper-Ancho-Crusted Strip Steaks with Hot-and-Sweet Mint Glaze
-Maple-Glazed Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Dessert:
-Grilled Pineapple with Butter-Rum Glaze and Vanilla Mascarpone

Guacamole
5 ripe Hass avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced
½ small red onion, finely chopped
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil, such as canola
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. (The guacamole can be made a few hours in advance, covered, and kept refrigerated.)

Ancho-Red Pepper Sauce
5 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup red onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic, coarsely chopped
2 cans plum tomato
3 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
3 ancho chiles, blistered, soaked, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped

First prepare the peppers and the chilies. Preheat the broiler to high and get a small saucepan of water boiling. Do the chilies first, tearing them into flat pieces, discarding the seeds and the membranes inside. In a medium sized skillet over high heat, put the chilies in the skillet (in batches if necessary) and allow the skins to blister and change color. When they are all finished, cover them with the boiling water and put something over the top of them to weight them down. Let them soak for 20-30 minutes.

For the peppers, lay some foil out on a baking tray and drizzle some olive oil on it. I like to slice the peppers into flat pieces first before roasting, so that I can lay them all flat and not have to deal with turning them in the oven. Lay the pepper pieces out on the tray and move them around to coat them in the oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place under the broiler (4-6 inches away from the heat source) and roast until the peppers have a fair amount of blackness on the skins, about 12-16 minutes.

Leaving the broiler on, pull the peppers out and, using a paring knife, work to separate the blackened skins from the peppers. Discard the charred skins and roughly chop the peppers. Strain the ancho chilies (when ready) and roughly chop. Now these are ready for inclusion in the sauce.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, red peppers, and anchos, and cook until the tomatoes break down and liquid thickens, 20 to 30 minutes.

Carefully transfer the mixture to a food processor (or blender) and process until smooth. Add the vinegar, honey and chopped cilantro. Season with salt and pepper and pulse a few times just to combine it all.
Grilled Squid and Sweet Onion Salad with Green Chile Vinaigrette
4 plum tomatoes, halved
¼ cup olive oil, plus 2 T
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 sweet onions, such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 lb. medium squid, including tentacles, cleaned
4 ounces arugula
4 ounces frisee, torn into bite-sized pieces
GREEN CHILE VINAIGRETTE (see below)
chives, chopped, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Rub the tomatoes with the 2 tablespoons olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Roast for 25 to 35 minutes, until soft. Remove from the oven. When cool enough to handle, seed and dice the tomatoes.

Preheat a grill to high or a grill pan over high heat.

Brush the onions and squid with the 1/4 cup olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the onions for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until slightly charred and just cooked through. Remove from the grill and coarsely chop.

Grill the squid on each side for 2 to 3 minutes, until just cooked through. Cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces.

Combine the onions, squid, arugula, and frisee in a large serving bowl. Toss with some of the green chile vinaigrette. Transfer to a platter and top with the roasted tomatoes and chives and drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette.

Green Chile Vinaigrette
2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
4 cloves roasted garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup cilantro, chopped

Combine the poblanos, garlic, vinegar, lime juice, 1/4 cup of water, and honey in a blender, season with salt and pepper, and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil and blend until emulsified. Add the cilantro and blend for 5 seconds more. There should be flecks of the cilantro in the vinaigrette. This can be made up to 8 hours in advance and refrigerated.

Red Chile Oil
5 guajillo chiles, toasted and seeded
1 cup canola oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Combine the guajillos, oil, and salt in a blender and blend for 5 minutes. Strain into a bowl. This can be made up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated.

Cilantro Oil
1 ½ cups canola oil
1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, stems included
10 fresh spinach leaves
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Combine the oil, cilantro, spinach, and salt in a blender and blend for 5 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer (don't press on he solids, or the oil will get cloudy) into a bowl. This can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Black Pepper-Ancho-Crusted Strip Steaks with Hot-and-Sweet Mint Glaze
FOR THE GLAZE:
6 tablespoons Dijon mustard
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained
6 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE FILETS:
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon salt
4x8 ounce strip steaks
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil, such as canola

GLAZE
Whisk together the mustard, honey, horseradish, and mint in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside at room temperature. (The glaze can be made a few days in advance, covered, and kept refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before using.)

FILETS
Heat your grill to high.

Combine the pepper, ancho powder, and salt in a small bowl. Rub each filet on one side with the spice mixture and drizzle with the oil. Set aside a few tablespoons of glaze to brush on the cooked filets.

Grill the filets spiced side down until the bottom is lightly charred and crusty, about 4 minutes. Turn the filets over, reduce the heat to medium or move to a cooler part of the grill, and brush the top with the glaze. Grill, brushing often with the glaze, until medium-rare, about 4 minutes more.

Remove the filets to a cutting board and brush with the reserved glaze. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Maple-Glazed Grilled Sweet Potatoes
4 large sweet potatoes (do not peel)
¾ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
Salt
¼ cup mild vegetable oil, such as canola

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer the potatoes until soft but not mushy (you should still feel resistance when you stick a small knife through the center), 25 to 35 minutes.

Have ready a bowl of cold water. Drain the potatoes, put them in the cold water, and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel the potatoes and quarter each one lengthwise.(The potatoes can be cooked a few hours in advance, covered, and set aside at room temperature. Don't cut them until you're ready to grill.)

Heat your grill to high.

Whisk together the maple syrup, ancho powder, and salt to taste in a small bowl. Brush the potatoes with oil. Grill until golden, about 3 minutes. Brush with the maple glaze and continue grilling, brushing often with the glaze, until the potatoes are glazed, lightly charred, and heated through, about 3 minutes more.
Grilled Pineapple with Butter-Rum Glaze and Vanilla Mascarpone
1 cup dark rum
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 vanilla bean
8 ounces mascazpone
1 ripe pineapple, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
½ cup fresh blueberries

Combine the rum, butter, and sugar in a small saucepan and simmer, whisking often, until the sugar has melted and the mixture is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. (The glaze can be made a few days in advance, cooled, covered, and kept refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before using.)

Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise in half and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a sharp knife. Whisk the mascarpone and vanilla seeds together. (The mascarpone can be made a day in advance, covered, and kept refrigerated.)

Heat your grill to high.

Grill the pineapple slices, brushing frequently with the glaze, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Remove the pineapple to a platter or serving plates and top each slice with a dollop of vanilla mascarpone. Garnish with a few fresh blueberries. Serve immediately.