Do not go to the section of the market where they sell a little tub of compound butter for $5.99 +.  Homemade is easier, less expensive and tastier.  Compound butters are one of those simple but flavorful ways to make a mound of pipping hot cornbread just a little more impressive or taking a grilled piece of fish or meat to another level.  What I love most about compound butters is how creative you can get, from using fresh herbs to dark bourbons.  Go crazy.  Have fun.

The key to a great compound butter is definitely in the butter.  Don’t waste your time with those “fake no-name butters”;  you want to impress, so splurge a little and use a really good unsalted butter.  If I am making a savory butter, I season with salt, at the very end.  If it is a sweet butter, I just use a little more flavoring to make it a bit more intense.

I recently wrote a recipe for an event that Jacqueline Church is hosting this summer – BBQ Bonanza 2011.  We had to write about a topic that is true to her heart;  sustainability.  That is sustainability at the grill.  For this recipe I used a gorgeous piece of salmon that was just waiting to be grilled.  The quality was very good, and I wanted to keep it simple but refreshing.  I took one of my favorite ways of grilling salmon, simply stuffing a whole one with fresh herbs, butter and white wine, and turned it into a compound butter.

For this particular compound butter recipe I used fresh Italian basil, a little shallot, and a lot of lemon zest.  The salmon was simply seasoned with a little pepper and then grilled on a salt slab.  Right before serving, I topped the salmon with slices of this very refreshing compound butter.  The slow heat that was left in the grill as well as the smoke wrapped around the salmon and butter, creating a very moist and flavorful piece of fish.

Do you use compound butters?  If so, what is your favorite flavor combination?

Recipe:  Grilled Salmon with Basil Butter

Recipe:  Savory Compound Butter

* this recipe is for Basil Butter, if you want to use another herb, omit the basil and substitute with 3 tablespoons of your favorite “fresh” herb.  As well you can opt to leave in the lemon and wine.

• 1 stick high quality unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, minced
• 1 lemon, zest only
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon white wine, optional
• kosher salt, to taste

© Denise for Chez Us, 2011. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Back to the Basics, Basil, Butter, Compound Butter, Grilling, Herbs, Homemade, Lemon

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We were contacted by the fine folks over at the Copper River Salmon Board last month about becoming partners during the summer months, when Copper River Salmon is abundant. We were intrigued, but at first felt we should decline. Why you are probably asking? Mainly because we had given up buying salmon at our local market, because of the quality that was being sold as well we were comfortable about our fish industry being on the up-and -up. We have missed eating salmon, so the timing was right. After a couple emails back-and-forth, and some research on the Copper River, we said yes. After all, deep down in our bellies, we were more than honored to be one of the five that was chosen as part of the Copper River Fresh Catch Crew.

Let me tell you a bit about Copper River Salmon before sharing with you about what you can expect from us over the next few months. Copper River Salmon is wild and sustainably harvested, like all Alaska salmon, but the season is short, and the availability depends on Mother Nature. What makes this salmon so special? Well, mainly the Copper River.  Nestled in a rugged, and wild eco-system in Alaska lies the Copper River.  It is icy cold, pristine, and as pure as they come.  These elements make the perfect recipe for producing amazing salmon. For hundreds of years, the river has produced an array of salmon, from King to Pink. Copper River salmon travel up to 300 miles from the ocean to their spawning ground the Copper River, a journey that is rugged and requires energy in the form of fat. Fat, in the form of high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, not only produces the amazing flavor of the Copper River salmon but also the great texture.

May brought us fresh Copper River King Salmon. We were so excited when a package arrived on our doorstop; so fresh, that we could still smell the cool, crisp waters glistening over the silvery skin. King is the largest of the salmon from the Copper River. They can weigh up to 50 pounds; can you imagine how exciting it would be to catch one of these beauties. We received a gorgeous fillet. It was a deep red color, had very firm flesh, and silvery skin. We had a feeling it was going to be special, so we keep it simple. We grilled the fish on cedar planks. We were taking a chance by using the cedar planks as we had never used them; but, once we got the grill going, and laid the planks that had been soaked in a mixture of white wine and water, on top of the hot grill, we knew we were in for a treat. A gentle smoke wrapped around the fish; it smelled of green grass and hot cedar. It was perfectly cooked, and the flesh peeled off of the skin in large pieces of fleshly fish. Along side the grilled fillet we served a dill pesto, which really complimented the slightly smoky salmon. The King salmon had an amazing buttery flavor, and a firm texture, that flaked with every touch of the fork. We both loved that the salmon was not “fishy”, instead it had a really clean taste, and melted on our tongues with every bite.

What can you expect from us? Well, the Copper River summer salmon season runs May through September. The salmon that is available will be different throughout the season: End of May/beginning of June brought us King Salmon, Sockeye in June/July and Coho in August. Come September it is time for smoked salmon. Throughout the Copper River Salmon, season we will be sharing delicious recipes that we have developed using seasonal Copper River Salmon.  As well we will be sharing with you where you can find this amazing fish in our area.  WE have dedicated a page on Chez Us, where we will update it as we see the Copper River Salmon available in our area.  If you run across some, give us a shout-out, and we will add it to the page.

If you live outside of the Bay Area you will want to follow one of the four writers who is closest to you to see where you can find the freshest Copper River Salmon.

Boston Area: Tiny Urban Kitchen

New York: The Manhattan [Food] Project

Dallas: Joylicious

Chicago: What’s Cookin’ Chicago and City Girl Chicago

Do you have a favorite way to prepare fresh salmon?  Please share with us, and we may feature your recipe on a future Copper Rive Salmon post.

Recipe: Dill Pesto

• 1 cup fresh dill
• 3/4 cup italian parsley
• 1/4 cup toasted pinenuts
• 1 small shallot
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon dijon
• 1/2 lemon juice and zest
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt to taste

In a food processor add everything except the olive oil; process until a smooth paste is formed. With the food processor running, add the olive oil. Keep running until mixed well; about 2 minutes. Serve alongside your favorite fish.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2011. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alaska, Cedar Planks, Copper River, Copper River Salmon, Dill, Fish, Fresh Salmon, Grilling, Italian Parsley, King Salmon, Pesto, Salmon

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Short ribs are available year round so why do I only make them in the summer months?  I love them, I should be making them year round.  Now I cannot blame it on the balmy sunny summer weather for peaking this interest in me as we live in San Francisco.  I really should be making these more often as they are amazingly delicious.  Slightly spicy.  Slightly sweet.  And a little bit zippy thanks to the addition of fresh ginger.

I am going to apologize immediately for the recipe as it is made by taste.  I don’t measure anything, I just pour, mix and pour a little bit more.  We prefer them a little spicier so I add a lot of sriracha as well we love ginger so I go a little heavy on that.  I feel the longer you marinate them the better, so allow at least 3 hours if not overnight.  Then fire up the grill and cook them to perfection.  These ribs are perfect served with grilled white corn or a hearty green salad.  No matter what you serve with them you are going to love sinking your teeth into their meaty and juicy goodness.

Enjoy!  Have a safe and memorable long weekend!

What will you be grilling this Memorial Day Weekend?

ps… recipes are below.  Having problems with google docs & PDFs … no pretty pictures but the recipes are there.  Will try to fixed next week!

Recipe:  Sriracha Marinade

Recipe:  Grilled Corn

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: BBQ, Beef Short Ribs, Corn, Dinner, Ginger, Grilling, Recipe, Sriacha Marinade, Sriracha, White Corn

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I have said it over and over again, we are big Donna Hay fans.  Her recipes are fresh, seasonal and very simple.   For the current (and the relaunch) round of HHDD, we picked this fresh beef skewer recipe.

This is a great recipe to have on hand for those evenings when you want a good meal but don’t want to spend a lot of time making it.  I had dinner on the table within 60 minutes.  The combination of cool rice noodles and slightly spicy beef is fantastic.  The beef is marinated in half of the dressing which was made with fresh lime juice, a little peanut oil and fresh red chilies.  Making rice noodles is one of the easiest things …. put them in a bowl, pour over boiling water and let sit for 8 minutes.  After they were cooked and drained well (I even patted them dry, just a little), I tossed them with kaffir leaves, cilantro, basil, snowpeas and the left over dressing.  This would have been great even on it’s own;  but, the caramelized grilled beef skewers were a perfect partner for the cool crisp salad.  We loved this recipe!

Now, get out there, pick up the ingredients and join us in this round of HHDD (Hay Hay it’s Donna Day).  Get your entries to me by midnight on the 30th of April 2010.  All the delicious details can be found here.

Recipe:  Chili and Kaffir Lime Beef Skewers

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Asian Inspired, Beef, Chili, Donna Hay, Food Blog Event, Grilling, HHDD, Kaffir, Lime, Recipe, Skewers

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Charcoal. How much thought have you put into charcoal?  Or better yet, the charcoal you use?  If you are anything like us,  none!  In fact, this is how it usually is at our house:  1) I buy a bag of unnamed lump charcoal and bring it home;   2) Lenny is standing at the grill, with the charcoal, newspaper, a chimney and is cursing me;  3) I start to rant about  how I want to use charcoal that is good for the environment, blah blah blah;  4) Lenny starts saying how he &^%* sure this charcoal is not any good, and he is now ready to switch to gas;  5) I take over and start the grill and vow next time to pick up a bag of Kingsford.  Let me say this, I normally do not buy Kingsford as I was under the assumption, they use chemicals in their processing, and I want our grilling experience to be as pure as possible; hence, why we don’t use gas.

Last week Current Lifestyles, and Clorox invited us to be part of a press trip at Kingsford University. We were very intrigued about Kingford University. As well it was thrilling to be included with an outstanding group of writers, publishers and food bloggers who all shared a common interest, the love of great barbecue and wine. We hope you will enjoy the following write up which includes videos, to give you that “feel like you are there” experience as well as lots of great grilling tips from World BBQ Champion, Chris Lilly.

The event kicked off with a meet and greet dinner at Pican, in Oakland, CA, where Chef Dean Dupuis wowed us with his southern cooking.  It was the perfect way to begin our university training,  mingling with our fellow students, who where some amazing writers, chefs, bloggers, and BBQ enthusiasts.  One of the highlights for us that evening was Chef Dupuis’ amazing fried chicken with truffle honey; we have never thought to drizzle the sweet, earthy honey over chicken, what an outstanding combination.

The following morning was spent at Kingsford University learning everything there is to know about charcoal.  We started with a history lesson on Kingsford.  Did you know Henry Ford started making charcoal in the 1920′s?  Mr. Ford learned the process of turning scraps that were left over from making the Model T, into charcoal briquettes.  Kingsford was built when a relative of Fords, E.G Kingsford started the site for making Mr. Ford’s charcoal – the rest is history.  After our history lesson, the staff at Kingsford University gave us an in-depth discussion of how charcoal is produced as well as a sneak peek at their new product that will launch in 2010.  Kingsford charcoal is produced by using more than 1 million tons of wood scraps.  That is right, no trees are cut down for the production, and the only chemicals used are natural.  Using the waste wood a char is produced in a controlled environment and then mixed with coal and small amounts of borax, sodium nitrate, cornstarch and limestone.  After an educational morning, we moved out to the patio to fire up some grills, where we were wowed by Chris Lilly.

After lunch, we headed up to Healdsburg for the next part of our Kingsford University education.  Healdsburg in our opinion is what the wine country is really all about, and there is no better time to be there then in the fall.  Warm days, crispy evenings and beautiful fall colors add to the intoxicating smell of wine being made all around you.  After checking into the lovely Healdsburg Hotel, we headed to Seghesio Vineyard for dinner.  Our hosts Peter and Cathy Seghesio made us feel like we were finally home.  They completely opened up their lives by sharing their passion of wine with us.  Seghesio has been in the Healdsburg area since the beginning.  Edoardo Seghesio planted his first zinfandel vineyard in 1895 and since then four generations of the family have been making Zinfandels and Italian varietal wines.

(this is part one of the series of videos on how to make Chris Lilly’s famed 12 hours pork butt – check out Chez Us Eats for the rest of the series)

After a wonderful meal that was served in the winery’s Redwood Room and was prepared by Chef Jon Helquis, formerly of Chez Panisse, we were formally introduced to BBQ Master, Chris Lilly. Chris is a legend among BBQ fans and has won numerous awards.  Chris is Vice President of the acclaimed Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q and is the head of their competition team. Chris took the stage and gave us an in-depth demonstration on how to make his famed 12 hour pulled pork, which he injects with water and apple cider.  I had a blast being able to get in there and do some actual hands on injecting; great way to get rid of some frustration!  And yes, these pork butts cooked for 12 hours; Chris was a champ and woke up at 3 am to man the grill!

The next day Chris continued to WOW us on the fine art of grilling.  We learned about grilling, making BBQ rubs, and finally the moment we had all been waiting for the unveiling of the 12 hour pork butt.  This our friend was well worth the wait, by far the best pulled pork we have ever had, and we are not just saying that.   After a filling lunch, we spent the afternoon with the  stellar team at Seghesio who gave us a brief course on wine blending, and everyone was able to blend their own bottle of wine.

With a free afternoon to ourselves, there was only one thing to do, and that was to take advantage of the fruits of the Healdsburg bounty and head out to do some wine tasting.  We decided to head to Michel-Schlumberger, they are considered the Healdsburg’s  Bordeaux house in a valley of zin.  Not only are they making Bordeaux style wines, but they are also doing so organically.  Now when one sees a bunch of hungry thirsty food bloggers coming through their door, one probably wants to run; instead we were greeted by staff with open arms.  Not only were they eager to have us taste their wines, which were really luscious and sexy;  but, they took us on a mini tour of the vineyard.  November at the Michel-Schlumberger is the perfect time – the colors of the vines, the coolness of the earth under your feet and the warm sun on your back – the perfect way to spend the afternoon.

After a few hours of down time at the hotel, we returned to Seghesio for our fare well dinner.  Chris continued to educate us on grilling with Kingsford, with a hands on demo on how to make perfect grilled pizzas.  These were not your ordinary pepperoni pizzas.  These pizzas were gourmet, such as Asian-influenced spicy shrimp pizzza;  yum.  Chris got everyone to don an apron, and to get there to create their own pizzas.  The group really enjoyed being hands-on.  The evening was not only fun but also very informative.  Come along by checking out these informative videos.

(this is part one of the series of videos on how to grill pizza – check out Chez Us Eats for the rest of the series)

We spent the rest of the evening eating, listening to music, talking to new friends and old, and cherishing the past three days that were not only educational but very fun.

We would like to give a special thanks to Chris Lilly, Kingsford Charcoal and Current Lifestyles.  We had no idea that learning about charcoal would be so delicious.  As well a big thank you to the Seghesio family for opening their home to us!

The big question asked of us after the event:  Would we make the switch from Brand X lump charcoal over to Kingsford?   We already have!!

Following you will find one of Chris Lilly’s recipes from his new cookbook, Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book.  It is for a beef tenderloin, which would be the perfect for your next dinner party.

Please sure to check out more photos over here and rest of the educational videos from the Kingsford University Event over at Chez Us Eats.

Recipe:  Mushroom Crusted Beef Tenderloin

*printed with permission from Chris Lilly – from Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book

Cooking Method: Indirect Heat

Suggested Wood: hickory, oak, pecan

Cook Time: 1 hour

Serves: 10 to 12

Mushroom Crust

5 tablespoons butter

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

3 ½ cups minced mushrooms such as baby bella or shitake

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

¾ teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 whole beef tenderloin (approximately 6 pounds)

1 ½ tablespoon kosher salt

Melt the butter and oil together in a large skillet over medium heat.  When the butter melts, add the minced mushrooms, garlic, balsamic vinegar, oregano, and salt.  Simmer for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms start to soften.  Remove from the heat and let cool.

Remove any silver membrane from the tenderloin with a sharp knife.  Fold the tail of the tenderloin back onto itself and tie it with cooking twine (this creates a roast with a uniform thickness to ensure even doneness).  Season the tenderloin with kosher salt.  Drain any excess liquid from the mushrooms.  Pat the mushroom mixture evenly over all sides of the entire beef tenderloin, making a thin crust.

Build a fire (wood or combination of charcoal and wood) for indirect cooking by situating the coals on only one side of the grill, leaving the other side void.  When the cooker reaches 225˚F, place the tenderloin on the void side of the grill and close the lid.  Cook for 1 hour or until the internal temperature of the tenderloin reaches 120-125˚F for rare, 130-135˚F for medium rare, or 140-145˚F for medium.  Let the tenderloin rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2009. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: BBQ, Beef, Charcoal, Chris Lilly, Food Blog Event, Grilling, Kingsford, Kingsford University, Mushroom, Recipe, Seghesio Vineyard

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This is an easy dinner for a hot summer night or for when you are counting (cutting) calories.  Marinated pork is pan grilled and then gently rolled in a bed of fresh herbs and assorted veggies to make these tasty spring rolls.

Last night was perfect for dining al fresco, which meant we wanted something simple and light for dinner.  Yes, we are actually starting to have some warm *summer* weather out in San Francisco.  I decided spring rolls would be a good dish to have as I wanted to use up some veggies we had before they went bad.  I marinated some thinly cut pork cutlets with some garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil.  We then pan grilled the meat and sliced thinly.   Now, one is suppose to use lettuce in their spring rolls but we did not have any, so we were heavy on the herbs.  We used fresh purple basil, cilantro and mint and we used a lot of it.  As well we rolled the meat and herbs with thinly sliced red pepper, cucumber and carrots.  The combination of the herbs with the slightly spicy and sweet pork came …. very flavorful!!  We served this spring rolls with Nuoc Cham.

Recipe: Nuoc Cham

1/4 cup fish sauce

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 tablespoon water

1/8 cup lime juice

1 clove garlic minced

2 small red chillies, sliced thinly

Place the fish sauce, sugar, water, lime juice, garlic and chili in a non-metallic bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2009. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Appetizers, Asian, Asian Inspired, Dinner, Easy Dinner, Grilling, Pork, Recipe, Spring Rolls, Vietnamese

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Camping does not mean you have to have food that you need to hydrate, nor food that comes from a can and you heat  up.  One can eat well while camping by being a little prepared and ingenious!

The beginning of Sunset while we cooked & sipped on wine.

We had such a great time camping in the Sierras a couple weeks ago, that we have decided to head up for a couple nights.  We have some fun things planned like, sunning, reading, biking and of course eating – wait until you see this!  In the mean time we wanted to share some highlights from the last trip and when we get back this weekend we will let you know how you can eat well, while getting away from it all!

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© laudalino for Chez Us, 2009. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: BBQ, Camping, Chickpea, Chorizo, Grilling, Padrons, Sonora Pass, Steak, Traveling

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We are huge taco fans ever since we had the “real” tacos of Sayulita.  When ever I have a little extra fish or veggies and tortillas  laying around, I opt for the simplicity of delicious tacos.  This week has been all about cleaning out the fridge and freezer so this is exactly what I decided to do, when I found tortillas, snapper and some chipotle in the freezer.  With the addition of one small cabbage, a little red onion and sour cream in the fridge, I knew we had something good brewing.

I seasoned the snapper with some cumin seeds (loving cumin these days), sea salt and black pepper, very simple and very flavorful.  Then we quickly grilled them until charred and crispy on the outside but still moist inside.  When the fish was marinating and grilling, I created a chiptole creme sauce and a slaw out of cabbage, red onion and a little rice vinegar.  I find rice vinegar so clean and not complex, it really complimented the other flavors.  Last minute I wanted some black beans but could not find any, so I substituted chick peas and made a re-fried mash with them.  I used my basic re-fried bean recipe but with chick peas – equally delicious.  The flavors of the snapper, chick peas, cabbage and chipotle all came together really well – slightly spicy but cooling with the cabbage.  A great little taco!

Recipe:  Snapper Tacos with Refried Chick Peas

1/2 lb snapper, cleaned and patted dry

3 teaspoons cumin seeds

sea salt, to taste

fresh cracked pepper, to taste

1 can chick peas

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 red chili, minced

1 glove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon butter

1 small cabbage, thinly sliced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

sprinkle of rice vinegar

sprinkle of canola oil

sea salt to taste

1/2 cup sour cream

1 chipotle pepper, minced

tortillas

Heat the grill.  While the grill is heating, season the fish with cumin, salt and pepper, set aside until ready to grill.  Heat olive oil in a frying pan, add the chick peas with liquid, chili and garlic, bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer.  Stirring occasionally and gently mashing when doing so.  Once the chick peas are soft and liquid is almost gone, about 15 minutes, turn off the heat and mash to the consistency that you prefer.  I like to have a few whole beans just left, on the rather rough side.  Then add the butter and bring up the heat to medium and heat through while stirring.  While the beans are cooking you can make chipotle cream by combining the sour cream with chipotles, set aside.  To make the slaw combine the cabbage, red onion, rice vinegar, canola oil and salt, set aside.   After you have grilled the fish, you are ready to put together your taco. Warm a tortilla on the stove top, lay on a plate, put a small layer of the chick peas, top with the fish, the slaw and then the chipotle creme.  Serve.  Eat.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2009. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Dinner, Easy Dinner, Fish and Seafood, Fish Tacos, Grilling, Mexican Food, Recipe, Tacos

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The first time we made grilled pizzas, Lenny thought I lost my mind.  The next time we decided to make them, I also decided our guests would make their own individual ones, he really thought I lost my mind.  Both times, he was wrong.  Grilling pizza is easy and having your guests make their own is a huge hit!

Recently, when we had a warm pre-summer evening, we invited a couple friends over for pizza and wine.   The only thing was, they would be cooking their own pizzas.  These friends were newbies to our pizza dinner party concept and they loved it!   As this was completely last minute (say 6pm) we were not prepared, so we had to use what we had in the house.  The toppings we came up with was:  black truffles, white corn, cilantro, prosciutto, caramelized fennel with red peppers, blue cheese, Parmesan cheese, and eggs.

We have been meaning to give Celine a new recipe using her wonderful truffles and used this opportunity to exactly that.  We made a luscious prosciutto and black truffle pizza with egg – it was amazing!!!  Slightly salty and earthy with the creamiest of the just cooked egg!  If you love pizza, prosciutto and truffles, this is your pizza!

Recipe:  Grilled Prosciutto & Black Truffle Pizza

pizza dough, see recipe above

parmesan cheese

good quality prosciutto

good quality black truffles

organic eggs

black truffle oil

sea salt

fresh cracked black pepper

Basically, we used our basic pizza dough recipe, topped it with Parmesan cheese, prosciutto and black truffles;  grilling it just until the dough was set and then topping it with an egg and cooking for another 3 – 5 minutes, depending on how you like your egg.  Before serving drizzling with a little black truffle oil, a sprinkle of sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper …. amazing!

© Denise for Chez Us, 2009. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: BBQ, Black Truffle Pizza, Black Truffles, Blue Cheese, Grilled Pizza, Grilling, Parmesan Cheese, Pizza, Pizza Dough, Prosciutto, Recipe

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Chez Us (particularly Lenny) is hungry for a burger and not an ordinary burger such as this Chipotle  Buffalo Burger with Feta Cheese, he needs something more. The search is on for the Ultimate Burger.

Lenny is on a quest and he NEEDS your help!

Do you have the Ultimate Burger? We challenge you to make us drool and want more! Get out there create that burger, snap a photo, write a post about it (be sure to include a link to the ULTIMATE BURGER CONTEST) and send an email with all the mentioned goodies over to the head burger master:   hamburger@chezus.com.

We are giving a prize for the Ultimate Burger, it is this great cookbook. “Build a Better Burger“.

If you don’t have a food site or blog, then you can still email us everything minus a link to a site.

We will update this post with the burgers as they come in!

© laudalino for Chez Us, 2009. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: BBQ, Burger, Challenge, Food Blog Event, Food Video, Grilling, Ultimate Burger, Ultimate Burger Contest, Video

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Hungry?  No food in the house?  Don’t want to do a big grocery shop?  Not take out again!  This is an easy dinner to make in a snap.  Hot Italian Sausage grilled to perfection and served on warm toasty ciabatta bread with caramelized onions, red peppers and fennel pollen.

We are not quit settled into our new place.  Boxes are everywhere.  The fridge is bare.  The pantry is smaller, so there is not much there.  And we are tried of take out.  On our way home from work we stopped by our favorite little neighborhood market, BiRite, with all intentions of picking up stuff for spring pea soup – they were out of peas.  Time to switch gears.  After wandering around, I found some of their housemade sausage and decided to make sandwiches.

A couple Superbowls back we made a warm red pepper slaw and served it with sausage, this is where I got the inspiration for this dish.  I was going to toss in thin slices of fennel but then remembered the lovely addition to the package, David of Earthy Delights sent us, Fennel Pollen;  this would be perfect, I was sure!   I slowly caramelized yellow onions with red peppers and seasoned with black Hawaiian Lava salt flakes and before serving, sprinkled the fennel pollen over it – WOW!  Not only does the pollen smell fantastic but it tastes amazing.

Before reading the recipes don’t forget to FLIP OUT & enter our gift away!

Recipe:  Caramelized Onions and Red Peppers

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons olive oil

black hawaiian salt flakes, to taste

fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

3 teaspoons fennel pollen

2 of your favorite sausage, grilled;  we used hot italian sausage

2 ciabatta, split in half and warmed

Heat olive oil in large skillet.  Add onions and peppers, lower heat, and slowly cook, stirring often until caramelized, about 15 – 20 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Turn off heat and sprinkle fennel pollen over the top.

To serve:  split ciabatta in half, layer with caramelized mixture and top with grilled sausage.  Serve.  Eat.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2009. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Caramelized Onions, Fennel Pollen, Grilling, Italian Sausage, Red Peppers

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In Greece they make Souvlaki by marinating chunks of meat, usually pork or lamb, in olive oil, lemon juice and oregano, then they grill it over an open fire.  This dish is easy to make at home and we show you how you can make it with a grill pan if you do not have access to a BBQ or open fire.

We love Greek Food but never seem to eat it that often.  Over dinner tonight we reminisced about how much we really enjoy it and that we only seem to eat it when we are in Hawaii or Paris – some of favorite Greek restaurants are there.

This recipe is fantastic as it brings Greece into your dining room, in under an hour.   I used fresh Meyer Lemons and oregano for the marinade;  it was incredibly aromatic while sitting out on the counter as well as when cooking.  It filled our tiny kitchen with fresh scents of citrus and grilled meat just as it is on the streets of Greece … okay, we have not been to Greece, but we have a feeling this is what it would smell like, as it does in one of our favorite neighborhoods in Paris.

Pork Souvlaki is about to become our favorite summertime grilled meals, I cannot wait to try it with lamb.  You will love it was well!

Recipe: Pork Souvlaki with Tzatziki

* adapted from Food & Wine

1 1/4 pounds trimmed pork shoulder, cut into 3-by- 1/2-inch strips or you can use lamb

1 large onion, cut through the root end into 1/2-inch wedges

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 meyer lemons squezzed, reserve the juice

1/8 cup chopped fresh oregano

2 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

7 oz Greek-style whole-milk yogurt

1/2 European cucumber, seeded and finely diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Warm pita, for serving

n a medium bowl, toss the pork strips and onion wedges with the olive oil, lemon juice, chopped oregano and garlic paste. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and let stand for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the yogurt, cucumber,  and the mint.  Season the tzatziki with salt and pepper.

Heat a large cast-iron griddle or grill pan until very hot. Add the pork and onion wedges along with any marinade and cook over high heat, turning once or twice, until the pork and onion are tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer the pork and onion to plates and serve with the tzatziki, and pita.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2009. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: BBQ, Greek, Greek Style Yogurt, Grilling, Lamb, Meyer Lemon, Mint, Oregano, Pork, Souvlaki, Tzatziki

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