Not all BBQ Begs for Red

By Maureen C. Petrosky

With summer comes the beloved backyard barbeque and inevitably talk of wines to go with. Initially, thoughts of bold char-grilled flavors, beefy burgers, and barbeque sauce bombard my wine savvy conscience but the lingering struggle of taste vs. temperature endures all summer long. It’s not likely you’ll crave a monster Zinfandel on a 90- degree day, but you are likely to be poking the charcoals instead of steaming up your kitchen.

Not everything that hits the bricks of a BBQ is slathered with sauce. In fact, last night our dinner off the grill consisted of dijon-glazed Sockeye salmon, lightly grilled slices of ciabatta, and a side of buttery egg noodles with cracked black pepper sprinkled with dill and marjoram from the garden, simply sliced heirloom tomatoes, and an Arugula salad squirted with fresh lemon juice, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and topped with shaved Parmesan. Not one thing on the list lent itself to red wine, except the charred edges of the Ciabatta. This meal from the Bar-B wasn’t about the sauce, it was about the ease of cooking over coals, the subtle smoky and fresh vibrant flavors of food, all sans BBQ sauce. So when choosing wines for your BBQ first, you must decide whether your “Q is about the sauce or the simplicity of grilling.

If your meal for the BBQ mirrors mine, go for a simple wine and leave the reds behind. This wine lavishes refreshing salads and grilled fish with its light and lively acidity, and it goes great with simple slingbacks and flirty summer frocks.

Les Charmes Chardonnay 2007, $11 This French Chardonnay has a butterscotch finish that pairs perfectly with buttery rich textured fish from the grill. It’s not all butter, though: it’s balanced with vibrant acidity that tingles your tongue and cheeks. From sip to sip this wine changes so don’t always sip the same way. Swish and swirl and you’ll find this to be a most enjoyable summer white.

This 'ol Barbeque

By Judith Garfield

It should come as no surprise that I did not do any barbequing this past Memorial Day.

I hate to cook outside as much as I hate to cook inside.

S. takes over when company comes. He is a barbeque purist. Only wood will do. He loves to grill. Anything, anytime, anywhere. A real grill seeker. He has his secret recipes and does not like sharing them, so don’t bother asking. However, the Loveless Cook has her ways. I have learned that for his chicken breasts on the grill, which always get rave reviews, he likes to brush them with a mixture of Dijon mustard and oil. Then he pounds them with a mallet so they lie flatter and cook more evenly The last five minutes of cooking he sprinkles seasoned bread crumbs on both sides. Crisp and moist, and quite delicious.

We have a very old stone barbeque pit that I believe George Washington and his soldiers might have used for a quick burger stop before they headed to the Delaware. He has written about attending a ‘barbicue’ in Virginia in 1769. Who knew? Father of our country….first in war, first in peace, first in…..barbeque.

My responsibility is to entertain the troops and keep them occupied while the grill sergeant rustles up the grub. I always make sure there is plenty to drink, and lots of chip and dip. The food is never quite ready when it should be, so I always have some activities lined up. The sillier the better. Did I mention there is always plenty to drink?

Last weekend we had fun with this.

Everyone must answer the following questions. What is your….

1. Rock Star Name (first pet and street where you grew up)
Heidi Tulpehocken

2. Gangsta Name (fave ice cream, fave cookie)
Mint Chip Milano

3. Star War Name (first three letters of your last name, first two letters of your first
GarJu

4. Hippie Name (what you ate for breakfast, fave tree)
Waffle Dogwood

5. Detective Name (fave color, fave animal)
Blue Dog

Feel free to share any others you think might entertain the hungry and slightly intoxicated. July is almost here.

May the fourth be with you, GarJu

It’s Memorial Day Weekend: Time To Start Grilling!

By Millicent K. Brody

It’s almost the holiday weekend, and I know many of you are racing around trying to gather all of the ingredients for your Memorial Day backyard barbeque. Lucky for me, my son Michael is the grill master. I truly believe for an at-home burger, his can’t be beat! Taking a tip from his dad, we buy prime Black Angus beef. As we tend to shop at quality butchers like Hind and Fore in Bridgewater, John’s Meat Market in Scotch Plains, or supermarkets like Whole Foods, Kings, A & P, or Fairways, the butchers are really kind and do their best to cut our beef to perfection. Because we enjoy generous-sized burgers, we don’t pat them flat. Just before grilling, we always add a bit of Kosher salt and cracked pepper.

“Make sure your grill is piping hot,” Michael says. “Grill 5 minutes on each side. For a cheeseburger, thinly slice a Wisconsin cheddar and carefully layer it on to the burger. Toast crusty Italian rolls or quality burger rolls and have them ready to receive the beef. Platter your burgers and bring them to the table. Serve with homemade potato salad, cole slaw, baked beans, and pickles. YUM!

My friend, Mr. Tom the Nascar Man, is of a different opinion. He says, “The flavor is in the fat. Buy fatty hamburger meat. “Before grilling your burgers, use your finger, and rake-off a teeny slab of Havarti cheese. Carefully, poke the cheese inside the burger. Add a dash of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce, and place the meat on to the grill. For official burnt grill lines, be sure to turn the burgers every two minutes.”

As an appetizer or official “bar” food, you could go with a classic and serve chicken wings. Lightly toss wings in a bowl filled with Good Seasons Italian Dressing. Turn your oven on to 350 degrees. Toss chicken wings in a brown paper bag filled with Italian breadcrumbs. When fully coated, place the wings on a greased cookie sheet and pop into the oven. Let them bake for at least twenty minutes before turning. When wings turn golden brown and crispy, remove and serve with creamy blue cheese, celery sticks, and carrots. As Mr. Tom hails from Pottsville, Pennsylvania, he always has a refrigerator full of ice-cold Yuengling to share with his good buddies.

Monty the filet mignon man visits his friendly butcher, where he is known to buy prime beef cut 2 inches thick. After sprinkling with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, he fires up the grill to blazing hot. He times his steak and grills 4 minutes on each side. Monty serves his beef with specially baked potatoes, or French fries and a Caesar salad.

The secret?

He says, “There is no secret. I visit my butcher, and watch as he cuts me a slab of meat to suit the occasion.”

So what’s for dessert? Of course I include a fruit platter. But then I add a selection of ice cream in flavors of coffee, chocolate, and Cherry Garcia. Guests help themselves to hot fudge, fresh whipped cream, and jimmies.

Tell me, what could be better? Happy Holiday and Enjoy!