Grillin', Chillin', and Swillin'

Appetizers Ahhh… appetizers. Call them what you will – starters, entradas, tapas, antipasti – appetizers are often the best part of the meal. When you think about it, the entire “small plate” craze is based on the appetizer-sized portion. Just enough to whet the appetite and leave it begging for more. Marcie and I have found that, in many places, the starters have been our favorite part of dining out. Because of this, we frequently forego main courses in favor of sharing 4 or 5 starters. Another reason that we’re appetizer whores is because we love to entertain. This is not to say that we only serve apps at dinner parties. Quite the contrary; but for smaller gatherings, good appetizers can distinguish you as a host who puts more thought and effort into his or her party menu. Better yet, most apps are relatively easy to make and don’t have to be cost prohibitive to serve. One idea that we like to employ when we cook for parties is to deconstruct a main course dish into an appetizer and adjust the portion size accordingly. It’s also a cost-effective way for an unemployed techno-geek to be able to eat on a regular basis. A number of the recipes that I include in this chapter are simply scaled down versions of an entrée. This is the approach that I took when Marcie threw down the gauntlet on the “Small Plate Challenge.” The Small Plate Challenge came about one evening when we were sitting at home, watching cooking shows, and unable to decide what we would make for dinner. Since deciding where to go or what to make for dinner can be one of the greatest sources of stress in our relationship, we’ve turned evenings like this into a game. The conversation usually goes something like this…. “So what would you like for me to make you for dinner,” I ask. “Oh, Honey, I don’t know,” Marcie replies. “Well, it’s 5:30pm, so we should probably decide soon so that I can thaw something out or go to the store if I need to,” I’ll say. “’The Biggest Loser’ comes on at 8:00 and you know how we like to eat dinner while we watch it!” “I’d be happy to just have popcorn,” she says. “I know, but we should probably cook something else just in case the popcorn isn’t enough,” I’ll continue. “I don’t know, why don’t you decide,” she’ll say. “Okay, how about tacos?” I’ll ask. “Uh, no, I don’t want tacos,” she’ll answer. “Then, what about fish?” “We’ve already had fish three times this week. I need a day off from fish.” Invariably, the I/T project management guy in me will start coming out at this point in the conversation. Since we don’t have time to create a Microsoft Project plan to enter and track everything that we’ve eaten in the last two weeks and still have time to have dinner before midnight, I’ll say something like, “Okay, this is becoming too complicated. How about we narrow dinner down to a particular continent, then to a specific country within the continent, then to a particular type of food.” “Fine. Which continent gets credit for popcorn,” Marcie asks. “How about we eliminate continents, then countries until we have one country left?” I say. “Okay,” she replies. “I eliminate South America.” “I’ll eliminate Africa, then,” I reply. “Antarctica” “Australia.” “North America.” “Asia.” “Well, it looks like we’re left with Europe,” Marcie says. “Okay, I’ll get rid of the Ukraine,” I say. “Is Uzbekistan in Europe?” she asks. “I think it’s in Asia,” I respond. “Could we just agree to have tapas?” “Do I have to do everything Spanish-style?” I ask. “No, just small portions,” she says. “How about this?” I ask. “What if I take a fixed amount of money, go to the store, and come back and make several different tapas?” “Here’s forty dollars,” Marcie says. “You have to stay under budget and be back here thirty minutes from…ready…. OKAY, NOW!” Fortunately, there is a grocery store about a mile away from our home. I was gone and back in twenty-eight minutes and still had $4.67 in change. Over the next two hours, I prepared and we shared five courses of tapas and two bottles of wine. We started with Tequila Lime Chicken Livers, moved on to “Ocean 3 Ways”, then tried bacon wrapped scallops seared in a tiny bit of port next, progressed to lamb with miniature roasted potatoes, and finished with beef with a black peppercorn and red zinfandel reduction. “What about dessert?” Marcie asked. “Wine seems like a good dessert to me,” I replied, exhausted. Butter and Parmesan Grilled Oysters Get out your oyster knife and fire up the grill. For a way-cool seductive appetizer, this combination has very few equals. Paired with Champagne, I can think of no better starter for a romantic evening. I’ve proportioned this recipe to serve two people. (You wouldn’t want to start getting too romantic with other people around!) For Turnin’ and Burnin’ Your best friend, Mr. Grill Oyster Knife Measuring Cup Measuring Spoons Champagne Flutes Ingredients 1 dozen oysters, thoroughly washed and brushed; shucked 4 tbsp. butter Juice of 1 lemon 1 cup Parmesan cheese To Swill while you Grill Champagne or sparkling wine is my choice for before, during, and after the oysters. Preparation • Pour two glasses of champagne sparking wine and enjoy them with someone you love (or really like) while you preheat the grill to a high heat. If you’re alone, drink both glasses. It’s okay, you’re worth it! • Place the oysters on a hot grill, shell side down, and top each oyster with 1 tsp of butter and a bit of the lemon juice. • Cook for 1 minute; sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over each oyster, then cook for 1 minute more or until the edges of the oyster begin to curl. • Remove promptly from grill and serve immediately. Pouring additional glasses of champagne is completely appropriate while enjoying the oysters.