If you want to jazz up your next party and make your vegetarian friends happy, try grilling some fruits and vegetables. Executive chef Victoria Fond says that she enjoys entertaining outdoors by the grill, where she can enjoy the party while she cooks. She demonstrates how to prepare a tasty grilled-vegetable sandwich and barbequed pineapple that will impress your friends without a whole lot of effort. She prefers to begin with the pineapple to give the grill some of that fruity sweetness. Creme de Cassis Grilled Pineapple Ingredients: 1 ripe pineapple
1/2 cup creme de cassis liqueur Preparation: Peel and cut pineapple into 3/4" round slices. Brush pineapple rounds with liqueur while grilling. Grill until just tender and pineapple is lightly burned on edges, about 1 minute on each side (figure A).
Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches Ingredients: 2 zucchinis
2 crookneck squashes
Seasoning salt
1 large eggplant
1/4 cup vegetable oil for grilling
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
French baguette or crusty Italian rolls
Dijon mustard
Balsamic vinegar
6 slices white Cheddar cheese Preparation: Cut zucchini and squash lengthwise into 1/2" slices and sprinkle with seasoned salt. Slice eggplant into 1/4" rounds and brush generously with vegetable oil. Tip: Score the eggplant lengthwise with a serrated knife before slicing to avoid getting a ring of peel with your first bite of sandwich. Quarter bell peppers, removing seeds and pith. Grill vegetables over high flame, turning frequently until lightly blackened, about 3 minutes each. Put bell peppers in plastic bag to sweat the skin off. In a bowl of water, peel bell peppers with your fingers and pat dry. Slice bread lengthwise and grill until browned; brush with mustard. Assemble vegetables on one side only; sprinkle generously with balsamic vinegar. Top vegetables with cheese slices. Skewer with toothpick and slice diagonally if serving the sandwiches on long bread (figure B). Fond recommends dressing the sandwiches with her own Parmesan mayonnaise recipe. Simply combine the following ingredients and spread onto the grilled bread for a zesty addition of flavor: - 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 tsp. fresh chopped garlic
- 12 drops hot-pepper sauce
Fond says the most important thing to remember is to stay attentive to the grill while cooking. If you want meat on the grill as well, try half-cooking it ahead of time so it doesn't take as long to cook.
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