This coming Sunday marks our annual opportunity to pay homage to dear old dad, and why not consider a dinner hot off the barbecue grill.
The following menu features big and bold flavours but the preparation is easy and a lot of it can be done ahead of time, so you can enjoy relaxing on the deck with your family instead of hustling around a hot kitchen.
Fill a big tub with ice, pop in some bottles of dad’s favourite brew and savour the day.
Some beautiful fresh berries with brown sugar and sour cream would make a nice finish to the meal, or make it super easy and just serve a scoop of premium ice cream drizzled with coffee liqueur and topped with whipped cream.
Asian Marinated Flank Steak
½ cup soy sauce
1⁄3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
3 Tbsp liquid honey
1 Tbsp Asian sesame oil
2 Tbsp (heaping) minced or grated fresh ginger root
3 to 5 cloves garlic, finely minced (adjust quantity to suit your taste)
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 whole beef flank steak, approximately 1½ lbs
Combine all of the marinade ingredients above in a shallow glass or ceramic baking dish large enough for the steak to lie flat. Place the steak in the dish and turn it several times to coat it with the marinade; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least three hours or as long as overnight, turning steak a few times while it marinates.
Discard marinade; heat barbecue grill to medium and place the steak on the preheated grill at a slight angle (to create nice grill marks) and let it cook untouched for 90 seconds to two minutes. Then rotate the meat (without turning it over) about 45 degrees and cook for another 90 seconds. Flip the steak over and repeat the cooking process on the other side — for medium rare total cooking time should be about six to seven minutes (flank steak gets tough if cooked beyond medium). Remove the meat to a cutting board and let it rest for five to 10 minutes before slicing. After the meat has rested, cut it into thin slices across the grain of the meat (flank steak has long obvious fibres that run in one direction — slice the meat perpendicular to those fibres). Serve immediately; drizzle any juices from the cutting board over the sliced meat. Makes four to six servings.
Onion Steaks for Honey-Mustard Sauce
¼ cup olive oil
2 Tbsp butter, melted
¼ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup liquid honey
1½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 large sweet onions (such as Walla Walla or Maui), peeled, cut horizontally into ½-inch thick slices
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat barbecue to medium. Whisk oil and butter together in a small bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together the mustard, honey and Worcestershire sauce. Run two thin metal or well-soaked bamboo skewers from one side to the other of each onion slice, placing the skewers about an inch and a half apart (this will keep the slices from falling apart). Brush both sides of each slice with the oil mixture; place onions on the grill and cook until they just begin to char and are tender, turning frequently and brushing with the oil mixture. This should take about 10 to 12 minutes. Brush the top of the slices with the mustard mixture and cook until the mixture starts to bubble, about two minutes. Turn slices over and brush tops with the mustard mixture; cook until sauce starts to caramelize, about one minute longer. Transfer onions to a serving plate and brush one more time with mustard mixture; grind black pepper over top. Slide slices off skewers to serve. Makes four to six servings.
Mexican Grilled Corn
6 ears of fresh corn, husks removed
Spread:
1⁄3 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp sour cream
¼ tsp garlic salt
Juice of one lime
Topping:
1⁄3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ tsp chili powder (or paprika if you don’t want any heat)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Finely chopped cilantro and lime wedges to garnish
Combine spread ingredients in a small bowl and stir well. Combine Parmesan cheese, chili powder and black pepper in another small bowl. Set both mixtures aside.
Soak six bamboo skewers in cold water for at least 30 minutes; slide one skewer into the base of each corn cob, inserting about halfway into the ear. Preheat grill to medium; place corn directly on the grill rack, close cover and cook for approximately 10 minutes, turning very frequently, until kernels are spotted with brown. To serve, smear the spread all over each ear of corn, then sprinkle topping evenly over top. Top with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice. Makes six servings.
Angela Shellard is a self-described foodie. She has done informal catering for various functions. Contact: [email protected].
