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Grilling: It's Even More Of A Breeze In The Fall

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Jaden Hair

Tribune Correspondent

Published: October 5, 2008

All my friends from "not-Florida" are gushing about their cozy fall dishes, how it's time to break out the Dutch oven and that, finally, they can start wearing boots. And I'm just here, lounging in my swimsuit, sipping iced tea, toes dangling a $3 flip-flop and beaming from ear to ear, gently shaking my head.

Don't get me wrong, I love long braises and warming stews, but fall is just starting to breeze in, and it's still too darn hot to turn my kitchen into a sauna.

Fall is finally grilling time. Oh, sure, we grill plenty during the summer, but pity the poor person with grilling duty outside in the middle of the sweltering, suffocating summer heat. Usually, that's my husband. It's worse especially when we have a dinner party and I have to hand him his sunglasses, hat, sunscreen and a mountainous platter of foods to be grilled.

I get the glare. He heads outside.

We air-conditioned folks feel all guilty for leaving the lone man outside (but not guilty enough to join him), so we huddle right in front of the patio sliding glass door and give him the occasional smile-nod and thumbs up to make him feel he's still part of the party.

Fall is the time when that dinner party heads outside, guests hover around the smoking grill, husbands get the congratulatory slaps on the back, beers are passed around and all is well and dandy. That is … until I am forced back inside the very lonely kitchen to finish off a dish on the stove top that couldn't be grilled and to assemble that salad last minute so it can be served chilled.

My husband strolls toward the glass door, raises his drink to me and smiles.

GRILLED FISH TACOS WITH ROASTED CORN AND TOMATOES
1 1/2 pounds firm-fleshed fish fillet, 3/4-inch thick (preferably Florida grouper or mahi-mahi)
3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 ear corn, shucked
8 corn tortillas
1 large tomato, 1/4-inch dice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
1/2 cabbage, shredded
2 limes, cut into wedges
1/4 cup pepitas or roasted pumpkin seeds

For the sauce (stir together)
1 cup light sour cream
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder (substitute with regular chili powder)

Preheat your outdoor grill. Cut the fish into 8 thick strips, about 1-inch-by-4-inches. You'll be using 1 fish fillet per taco, 2 tacos per person. On a plate or bowl, toss the fish with the garlic salt, paprika and olive oil. Brush a bit of the oil onto the corn on the cob. Grill the corn on the grill over direct heat, rotating a few times.

Three minutes after starting the corn, it's time to grill the fish for 2 to 4 minutes each side, depending on thickness of the fish. During the last 2 minutes of grilling, throw the corn tortillas on the grill, flipping halfway. The corn, fish and tortillas should be ready about the same time.

Use a serrated knife to cut the kernels off the cob. Toss with the tomato, salt and cilantro. Assemble tacos with cabbage, a piece of fish, a spoonful of sauce, grilled corn and tomato, a squeeze of lime and a sprinkling of pepitas.
Serves 4.

There is no simpler and more elegant appetizer than these fruit and cheese flatbreads. Both apples and figs are in season right now; I like to use Granny Smith apples and Black Mission figs.

You don't have to grill outdoors; a broiler will work just fine. To get beautiful shavings of Parmegiano-Reggiano cheese, take a vegetable peeler and run it along one side of the cheese wedge.

The flatbreads are generally in the bakery section; you can use nan or even a large flour tortilla, but I've found that the flatbreads yield the best results.

WARM FIG, APPLE AND GORGONZOLA FLATBREADS
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 8-inch round flatbreads
4 ounces crumbled gorgonzola cheese
1 apple, cored and sliced very thinly
8 ripe figs, cut into 6 wedges each
2 ounces Parmegiano-Reggiano, shaved with vegetable peeler
2 tablespoons honey

Preheat your grill, half direct heat. Brush olive oil on top of each flatbread, especially the edges. Assemble flatbreads with gorgonzola, apples and figs.

Grill flatbreads over direct heat for 3 minutes, until the bottoms are toasted and browned. Then move to indirect heat and close cover for 3 minutes to finish melting the cheese and warming the fruit.

If broiling, set your rack to upper 1/3 position. Grill flatbreads without the toppings for 2 minutes to just get them nice and toasty. Then layer on the olive oil, gorgonzola, apples and figs and return to oven for 4 to 6 minutes until cheese has melted and fruit is warmed through.

Sprinkle shaved Parmegiano-Reggiano and drizzle honey on top.
Serves 4 to 6 as appetizer or dessert.

Jaden Hair is the author of the blog www.steamykitchen.com.

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