Luscious Grilled Pears and Havarti

Grilled Pears with Havarti, Almonds, Honey and Heaven

Grilled pears are a great complement to grilled pork, sausages and even some seafood such as sea bass, tuna steak and lobster tails. They're even better when served with ice cream or frozen yogurt for dessert. The smokiness of the grill highlights pears' natural sweetness. In addition to grilled pears as a dessert, this incredible fruit can be served somewhat like a side dish, dare we say, a vegetable, when grilled with melted, creamy Havarti cheese!

Ingredients

• 6 fresh, ripe pears, Bartlett, D’Anjou or Bosc

• 1/3 cup (80 ml) brown sugar

• 1/2 cup (125 ml) coarsely chopped almonds

• 1 tbsp (15 ml) canola oil

• 7 oz (200 g) Canadian Havarti, sliced

• OPTIONAL: honey or maple syrup

Preparation (Instructions):

1.  Preheat grill to medium.
2.  Cut pears in half and remove core.
3.  Brush them with canola oil so they do not stick.
4.  Cook on grill with cut sides face down for 3–4 minutes.
5.  Turn cut sides face up, fill cavity with brown sugar and half the almonds, then garnish with Havarti and the remaining almonds.
6.  Let melt, then serve hot with drizzled honey as a topping.

Note: If you enjoy spices, add a pinch of ground cinnamon or nutmeg along with the brown sugar.

Cheese alternatives: Canadian Swiss, Cheddar, Mozzarella, Gouda.

A BBQ Joke - What Makes a Real Man?

Barbeque–it’s the only type of cooking a “real” man will do. When a man volunteers to do the ‘BBQ’ the following chain of events are usually put into motion.

1. The woman goes to the store.
2. The woman fixes the salad, vegetables, and dessert.
3. The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils, and takes it to the man, who is lounging beside the grill, drink in hand.
4. The man places the meat on the grill.
5. The woman goes inside to set the table and checks the vegetables.
6. The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning.
7. The man takes the meat off the grill and hands it to the woman.
8. The woman prepares the plates and brings them to the table.
9. After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.
10. Everyone praises man and thanks him for his cooking efforts.
11. The man asks the woman how she enjoyed ‘her night off’ and, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there’s just no pleasing some women.

October is National Chili Month - Steak Chili Recipe

Steak Chili Recipe with Coffee and Dark Chocolate

October is one of our favorite month's of the year. It's harvest time and the cooler air makes the GrillJunkie team dream of comfort foods and memorable times with friends and family. As food lovers we are in our glory during October due to the fact that the month is filled with food festivals across the country while also hosting several national food holidays including cookie, apple, dessert, pretzel, and two of our favorites...pizza and chili!

We tackled grilled pizza in a recent blog, now we set our taste buds on chili. There's nothing quite like the aroma, texture and taste of a great bowl of heart and soul warming chili!

A bit of history. Chili is believed to have originated in Mexico and literally translates to “chili pepper” in Spanish. However, it didn't take very long at all long for the U.S. to adapt this versatile and irresistible new dish. American settlers combined dried beef, suet, dried peppers, and salt and then boiled it in pots along the trail.

Chili quickly gained popularity through the U.S and restaurants started branding their unique blends of meat, spices and herbs as their own “secret recipe.” This is what makes chili so unique. Chili's inherent quality of individual customization is what makes it wildly popular for food competitions, festivals and enjoyment at home.

While there are thousands of variations, one of our favorite chili recipes includes hearty steak, spicy jalapeños, chipotle and two extra special ingredients...coffee and dark chocolate. 

Chocolate gives the chili additional depth of flavor while Coffee is the perfect ingredient to round out the dish and add some depth. In fact the bitterness of coffee will help bring out the sweetness of the meat.

Steak Chili Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb. sirloin steak, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
• 2 Tbsp. cooking oil
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1 Vidalia or sweet white onion, diced
• 2 jalapeños minced (or for a smokier flavor, you can substitute with chipotle peppers)
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 cans (15 oz or 200 mg each) crushed or diced tomatoes
• 1 cup of beer, pilsner or lager
• 2 Tbsp. chile powder
• 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder (if available, otherwise use an additional teaspoon red chile powder)
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar or lime juice
• 3 cups of  cooked kidney beans or other beans of your choice (canned beans work just fine)
• 2 oz. (55mg) dark chocolate with chili (we prefer Lindt Excellence Chili Dark Chocolate Bar
• 1/2 cup coffee (traditional dark roast or house blend, avoid flavored coffees)
• Grated cheese of your choice (we prefer sharp cheddar)
• Fresh sour cream (optional)
• Sea salt and freshly ground peppercorns

Directions

1. Salt and pepper the 3/4" cubes of steak. Bring a grill or heavy pan to high heat, oil the pan with cooking oil and then quickly sear the sirloin meat approximately 1-2 minutes, making sure to give it time to get some good caramelized color.
2. Move the steak to one side of the pan and sauté the onions and jalapeños (or chipotle) for 1-2 minutes, followed by garlic. Be sure not to burn the garlic.
3. De-glaze the pan with the wine and let it cook down for about a minute, then mix in your tomatoes, beans and the two chili powders. Sprinkle in the basil, cumin, paprika and brown sugar.
4. Add the beer at this point, enough to make the mix soupy and cover most of the ingredients. Add the cider vinegar or lime juice. If there is not enough liquid covering everything at this point, add some fresh, clean water. Do not add more beer.
5. Simmer for at least two hours. This gives the steak a chance to break down and evolve into scrumptious, melt-in-your-mouth pieces. Sample the meat as you get near the two hour mark to check for tenderness.
6. When the meat is tender, add the coffee, chocolate, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors, then serve.
7. Top individual servings with grated cheddar and sour cream if desired.
8. Now ladle yourself a big bowl, admire the creamy beans, robust chunks of steak and deep red concoction you've just created. Notice the depth of intense and elegant flavors, and lingering tastes that the coffee and dark chili chocolate add to this dish.
9. Last step, enjoy.

Grilling for Halloween? Scary yet Delicious Grilled Excuses to Fire it Up!!

Halloween Grilling? Some Scary Ideas!

This post comes from an article that was written by Derrick Riches from About.com. http://bbq.about.com/ We thought it was worth posting as it fits in with our GrillJunkie theme that the grill is never not fired up. As we approach Winter, we always seem to focus in on the next holiday to make up an excuse to fire up the grill. As summer has ended, Labor Day and Columbus Day are behind us, our thoughts are usually focused on Thanksgiving and possibly grilling, smoking or deep frying the turkey outside. However, don't overlook Halloween as an excuse to fire up the grill and get some real food in them before they fill themselves with candy!

You might think of Halloween as little more than an excuse for the kids to fill themselves up on candy, but it’s a good idea to get some real food in them before the bags of candy start being replaced with bags of empty wrappers. Believe it or not the grill is a great way to put together something hot and satisfying, quick and easily. So consider a fun family meal of grilled foods before or after the kids hit the streets.

Of course hamburgers are a favorite of the grill and children, but think outside the bun and try making up some great Halloween pizzas. If you use cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella you get a pumpkin face for the kinds to decorate with black olives, pepperoni, red, orange and green bell peppers or whatever else you like on a pizza. 

They’ll have a blast topping their own pizzas and since they cook up in a few minutes, they won’t drive you crazy waiting to eat. 

Anything finger food is particularly good for Halloween since the kids will be coming and going during the night. It’s also perfect for the parents out escorting the young ones. Whether you’re having a big Halloween party or not, little grilled treats like buffalo wings or yakitori are perfect little treats to carry around the whole evening. 

To top off your Halloween gathering you must have a Witch's Cauldron of Punch, Chocolate Spiders and Chocolate Covered Mice. So flame on the grill and have a safe and scary Halloween.

Source : http://bbq.about.com/