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OxfordPress.com

Fireplace cooking doesn't mean a return to great-grandma's menu

In my house cooking was done in the fireplace in the 1800s. The food would have been long on stews and bread baked in pans on the hearth.

Fireplace cooking today doesn't mean returning to Great-Grandma's dinner table.

With Steven Raichlen (or his book) at hand, dinner can be a feast.

When we cooked in my fireplace, Raichlen's recipes worked well (though, the onions needed a bit more time). But cooks who want to stay in the kitchen can prepare these recipes on a contact grill, built-in grill, freestanding grill or grill pan (and an outdoor grill as well, I might add).

His book Raichlen's Indoor Grilling includes instructions for each appliance with every recipe. All the options were tested in a marathon recipe-testing session at the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia, where Raichlen operates his Barbecue University.

Here's how he fixed them on the fireplace grill in Dayton. He used a Tuscan Grill being sold under his brand name.

My favorite dishes from the fireplace grill were the spice-rubbed shrimp and the wonderful plums skewered on a cinnamon stick, brushed with port sauce and served over ice cream. If you like, grill a steak and corn on the cob on the fireside hearth as well.

These skewered shrimp cook quickly on the fireplace hearth. Raichlen suggested serving the shrimp and avocado corn cocktail in a martini glass for stunning effect.

Chili-rubbed shrimp with avocado corn cocktail

Makes 4 servings
16 jumbo (16-20 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
11/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Avocado and Corn Salsa below

Rinse the shrimp under cold running water, then blot them dry with paper towels.

Place the chile powder, garlic salt, coriander, oregano, cumin and pepper in a mixing bowl and whisk to mix. Add the shrimp and toss to coat, then stir in the olive oil. Use your hands to toss the shrimp to coat. (Don't oil the shrimp before adding the spice, or it will clump, Raichlen advises.)

For fireplace grilling, skewer the shrimp. Rake or shovel red-hot embers under the elevated grill and preheat it for 3 to 5 minutes for a hot "2 to 3 Mississippi" fire (see story on E1). When ready to cook, brush and oil the gridiron. Place shrimp on the hot grate and cook 1 to 3 minutes per side.

For the best texture, cut the avocado and tomato into a dice the same size as a kernel of corn.

Avocado and corn salsa

Makes 2 to 3 cups
1 ripe but firm avocado, cut into
1/4-inch dice
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 ripe tomato, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 ear sweet corn, shucked
1 green onion, both white and green parts, trimmed and finely chopped
1 to 2 jalapeno or serrano chiles, seeded and minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the diced avocado in the bottom of a nonreactive mixing bowl and gently toss with 2 tablespoons of the lime juice. Spoon the diced tomato on top.

Cut the kernels off the corn. Add corn kernels and onion to the bowl. The salsa can be prepared to this stage up to 2 hours ahead. Refrigerate it, covered. Just before serving, add the jalapeno and cilantro to the bowl and toss to mix. Taste for seasoning, adding more lime juice if necessary, and season liberally with salt and pepper. The salsa should be highly seasoned.

People who like corn grilled outside will enjoy it just as much grilled on the fireside hearth. Raichlen likes to baste his with a soy butter favored by Japanese chefs, but any flavored butter will work. He also sprinkles the cooked corn with sesame seeds, but that is optional.

Grilled corn with soy butter

Makes 4 servings
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 green onion, both white and green parts, finely chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 ears sweet corn, shucked and broken in half crosswise

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the scallion and cook about 1 minute, but do not brown. Stir in the soy sauce and remove the pan from the heat.

Rake red-hot embers under the fireplace gridiron and preheat for 3 to 5 minutes. You want a hot, 2 to 3 Mississippi fire. When ready to cook, oil the gridiron. Arrange the ears of corn on the hot grate so that they are parallel to the ridges. Cook the corn, basting with a little of the soy butter. The corn will be done after cooking, turning, 8 to 12 minutes in all.

Remove the corn to a platter and brush with remaining soy butter.

While plums from far away are at the supermarket now, be sure to save this recipe for summer when local plums are available at farmers markets.

Grilled cinnamon plums with port sauce

Port Sauce:
1 cup port *
2 whole cloves
2 strips lemon zest, about 1?2 by 1 1?2 inches
1 3-inch cinnamon stick
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Plums:
4 large, ripe plums
8 3-inch cinnamon sticks
8 strips lemon zest, about 1/2 by 1 1/2 inches
vanilla ice cream
4 fresh mint sprigs for garnish

To make the port sauce place the port in a heavy nonreactive saucepan. Stick the cloves into the strips of lemon zest and add them to the port along with the cinnamon stick and sugar. Gradually bring to a boil over high heat, then let boil until slightly reduced and just beginning to become syrupy, 3 to 5 minutes. Dissolve the cornstarch in the lemon juice and gradually stir it into the port mixture. Reduce the heat to medium and let the sauce simmer until it thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Strain the sauce into a heatproof bowl and let cool to room temperature. The sauce can be refrigerated, covered, for several days.

To prepare the plums, cut each in half along the crease. Twist the plum halves in opposite directions to separate them. Remove and discard the pits. Cut each plum half in half. Using a metal skewer, make a hole in the center of each plum quarter. Using the holes, use the cinnamon stick to skewer two of the plum quarters, with a strip of lemon zest between them. The plums can be prepared to this point and set aside for several hours.

* An inexpensive ruby port is fine for this dish.