Small Bite Cookout : Grilled Peaches, Sliders & Shrimp Rolls

Grilled Peaches with Honey Vanilla Mascarpone

 

The most difficult part of a cookout is deciding whether to have a hamburger or a hot dog. I want it all. I want appetizers, a hot dog, a hamburger and dessert. Hello, small bites! 

Sliders with caramelized onions

I used my Le Creuset Skinny Grill (they make several grills in different shapes and sizes) and cooked up some sliders and little hot dogs. 

For the sliders, I mixed in about 3 Tablespoons of panko (crushed crackers work, too), a healthy dash of Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper with a pound of 80% lean ground beef. Be sure to put a little 'well' by pushing down with your thumb in the middle of each patty prior to grilling because that keeps it from puffing up. 

Nothing makes a burger better in my opinion than caramelized onions. 

TIP: When you're cooking on an indoor grill, it's important to use an oil with a high smoke point. Use Grapeseed oil or Canola oil. Do not use Olive Oil. You don't need to brush it all over the grill, as that will just cause extra smoke. Instead, lightly brush the food or just the area on the grill where you are about to place to food.  Keeping your grill well oiled helps keep your food from sticking and makes clean up easier.

Caramelized Onions

2 Yellow Onions (not sweet)

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil 

Cut the onions in half or quarters and then slice them thin. Heat the olive oil in a heavy cast iron pot like a  Le Creuset Braiser or Le Creuset Dutch Oven over low/medium heat.

Add the onions and cook until they are a deep brown, stirring often. This will take 30 - 45 minutes. If the onions are cooking too fast and burning, reduce the heat. Caramelized onions are also good on the hot dogs/sausages, on pizza, in pasta, on sandwiches, or on bruschetta.

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The mini hot dogs can simply be a regular hot dog and bun cut in half before grilling. I like to use spicy chicken sausages and I've also used Little Smokies. They're tiny but they work great! Easy peasy.

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Shrimp Rolls

Shrimp rolls are my take on Lobster Rolls. You can either grill the shrimp or poach them. If you're making a large batch and using an entire pound of shrimp, it's probably easier to poach them and if you're just doing a small batch, try grilling. Remember that they will cook quickly, so grilling time is fast!

As for the buns, I use Hawaiian Rolls, either the sweet or savory and you can either split them into top/bottom like a hamburger bun, or you can cut two of the corners off and make a little bun. Split the top to add the shrimp. (see pics below) Brush with a dab of melted butter right before serving.

How to poach perfect shrimp:

Okay yes, since you asked,  I have the perfect Le Creuset Pot with Pasta Insert for poaching shrimp. I love how it works and I love how it looks especially after I learned that the lid hooks into the handle and 'flys' off to the side. But, I digress.

 

Fill a large pot with water. Be sure there is enough water to give those shrimps some space. 

Add:

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Sugar

A cut up Lemon

10 Peppercorns

A handful of fresh herbs- basil, cilantro, parsley work great 

Bring this to a boil and remove from heat. Add the shrimp and cover. After 4-5 minutes remove the shrimp to an ice bath. Let them cool completely and then remove them from the ice bath and they're ready to go.

To make the Shrimp Rolls add the following to taste. I'm not going to give you specific measurements because I don't know how much shrimp you're using and exactly how much onion, garlic etc you like. It's easy. Just add and taste.

Lemon Zest

Fresh Lemon Juice

Chopped Green Onion (only green part)

Finely Chopped Celery (chop up the leaves, too, they taste great and add flavor and color)

Minced Garlic or Garlic Seasoning

Chopped Parsley

Mayo

Dijon (go slowly or you can get pretty spicy)

Salt and Pepper 

For the buns, I used dinner rolls and cut them like this:

 

Cut off the edges (triangles) on opposite sides and cut a little V shape into the top about halfway down into the roll.

 

 

 

 

Remove the cut outs and the buns look like this and you can toast the sides.

 

 

 

 

 Toasty Buns!

Don't forget to toast the buns! It only takes a few seconds per side on a hot stovetop grill and it's a really nice touch. Don't forget to toast the sides of the hot dog buns and the Shrimp Roll buns. 

 

 Toasting the buns on the grill at an in store cooking demo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of each, please!

 

Grilled Peaches with Honey Mascarpone

4 Ripe Peaches, cut in half or quarters

Small container of Mascarpone cheese

Honey ( I used some Blackberry creamed honey that I had)

Vanilla Extract

Grapeseed or Canola Oil

Mint leaves/Strawberries/Raspberries/Granola for Garnish

Brush the peaches lightly with Canola or Grapeseed oil. Grill until there are grill marks on the peach and flip them over, grilling both sides.

Mix some honey and a dash of vanilla extract in to the mascarpone and stir until smooth. I don't add a lot of honey because I don't want it to be overly sweet. 

Plate the peaches and add a dollop of the mascarpone on each slice. Garnish as you wish with berries, a mint leaf and/or a sprinkle of granola for a little texture and then drizzle with a little more honey.