June 25, 2014 | Food & Drink The Latest
A summer barbecue is the quintessential way to enjoy a warm day with friends and family. While dinner is usually what’s being charred to perfection, who says you can’t start your day with a breakfast barbecue? Check out these recipes that give you an excuse to fire up the grill in the morning.
Grilled Breakfast Pizza
Makes 1 pizza (adapted from the Big Sur Bakery Cookbook)
There's no need to eat pizza that's been sitting in the fridge for breakfast when you can grill one.
Ingredients:
12 ounces pizza dough
1 cup mozzarella cheese (grated)
1/4 cup paremesan cheese (grated)
4 strips cooked bacon (roughly chopped)
3 eggs
1 whole scallion (trimmed and thinly sliced)
1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley (chopped)
1 tablespoon chives (chopped)
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Black Pepper
Directions:
Preheat your grill to the highest setting. Next, liberally dust your kitchen counter with flour and roll out your pizza dough to ¼-inch thickness. Drizzle both sides of the dough with olive oil and brush around. Place your dough on the hottest part of the grill and cook until char marks appear (about 30 seconds). Flip the dough over and place it on a side of the grill without direct heat.
Crack your eggs into a bowl and then drop onto the dough. Cover the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. (If you prefer your eggs less runny, cook for a little longer.)
Once the eggs are almost set, cover the pizza with both cheeses, salt, pepper, and your bacon. Close the lid for another 2 to 3 minutes or until your cheese is completely melted. Gently lift the dough off the grill and move to a plate. Top it with the scallions, parsley, and chives.
Grilled French Toast Kebabs
SERVES 8
Grilled French toast kebabs. PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF FOODNETWORK.COM
Ingredients:
Half of a 12-inch brioche loaf (ends discarded, cut into 48 1-inch cubes)
8 slices thick-cut bacon
1 ½ cups buttermilk (well-shaken)
4 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Kosher salt
Cooking spray
Pure maple syrup (warm)
8 12-inch skewers
Directions:
The day before, thread 6 bread cubes onto each skewer, leaving at least ¼ inch of space between cubes. Leave the skewers out overnight, uncovered, to dry out.
The next morning, prepare an outdoor grill for medium heat. Grill the bacon, flipping as needed to ensure even cooking, until most of the fat has rendered and the bacon is charred in spots on both sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any excess fat. (Note: If you are using a charcoal grill, cook bacon on a grill pan to prevent flare-ups)
Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, butter, sugar, cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl until combined; pour into a rimmed baking sheet. Put the skewers of bread in the buttermilk mixture to soak, turning as needed, until the bread has absorbed some of the liquid, but is not falling apart, no more than 5 minutes.
Spray a large piece of aluminum foil all over with cooking spray and place it on half the grill. Transfer the skewers to the foil in 1 layer, at least ½ inch of space between them. Grill, covered, turning the skewers a few times as needed, until the cubes of bread are golden in most places and no longer wet, 5 to 8 minutes.
Remove the skewers and foil from the grill, and return the bacon to the grill just until warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve the French toast kebabs and bacon with warm maple syrup.
Grilled Fruit Packets
SERVES 8
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MYRECIPES.COM
Ingredients:
3 bananas (sliced ¾-inch thick)
1 pound strawberries (stemmed and halved)
3 oranges (peeled, cut into segments)
½ pineapple (peeled, cored, cut into 1-inch chunks)
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
16 whole cloves
4 tablespoon (unsalted butter)
¼ cup rum (optional)
Directions:
Lay out 8 12-by-12-inch pieces of heavy-duty foil on a countertop. Divide fruit evenly among foil pieces, placing it on bottom half of oil pieces. Mix sugar and cinnamon together. Put 2 cloves on each square and sprinkle with sugar mixture. Dot each with ½ tablespoon of butter and ½ teaspoon of rum, if desired. Fold top half of foil over fruit and roll edges to seal.
Preheat grill to low. Place packages on grill and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Carefully open packages, pour into bowls and serve with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
Shrimp and Grits on the Barbie
SERVES 6
Grilling shrimp gives it a nice smokiness counterpoint to the silky grits. PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ALLRECIPES.COM
Ingredients:
8 slices of thick-cut bacon
1 ¼ pounds uncooked medium shrimp (peeled and deveined)
¾ cup chopped green onion
3 large garlic cloves (crushed)
6 cups water
¼ cup unsalted butter
2 cups quick-cooking grits
1 ½ cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon barbecue sauce
Directions:
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned (about 10 minutes). Drain and cool bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate; crumble. Reserve bacon drippings in skillet.
Heat your grill to medium heat and cook shrimp until pink and no longer translucent in the center (8 to 10 minutes). Place uncooked shrimp, green onion, garlic, and crumbled bacon in the bacon drippings left in the skillet. Turn heat to low and keep shrimp mixture warm.
Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan, melt butter in the water, stir in grits, and cook covered for 5 minutes. Turn heat to low. Stir shrimp mixture with bacon drippings into the grits; stir in cheddar cheese until thoroughly melted and combined. Serve topped with barbecue sauce.
Grilled Breakfast Tacos
SERVES 4
Tacos can just as easily be eaten during breakfast. PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF FOODNETWORK.COM
Ingredients:
8 ounces fresh chorizo (about 2 links)
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup cherry tomatoes
2 ears yellow corn (husks removed)
1 bunch scallions
1 jalapeno (halved)
2 limes (halved)
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves and soft stems (roughly chopped)
8 large eggs
2 tablespoons heavy cream
8 6-inch corn tortillas
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese (finely grated)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
10-inch skewer
Cast-iron skillet
Directions:
Prepare a grill for medium heat. Prick the chorizo links 3 or 4 times with a fork. Brush them all over with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Grill, turning as needed, until charred all over and cooked through (12 to 15 minutes). Cool slightly, then slice in ¼ inch-thick rounds; set aside.
Thread the tomatoes onto a 10-inch skewer. (If using a wooden skewer, leave just ½ inch sticking out on each end so you do not have to soak it.) Put the skewered tomatoes, corn, scallions, jalapeno, and limes on a rimmed backing sheet or large platter, brush the vegetables and limes liberally with 2 tablespoons of the oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
Place the vegetables and limes (flesh-side down) on the grill. Grill the corn, using tongs to rotate the ears occasionally so they cook evenly, until lightly charred in spots (7 to 9 minutes). Grill the tomatoes, scallions, jalapenos, and limes, rotating as needed, until deeply charred (4 to 6 minutes). Return the vegetables and limes to the baking sheet when done cooking. Transfer the cooked chorizo to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, halve the tomatoes, cut the corn off the cobs, and thinly slice the scallions and jalapenos (seed the jalapeno, if desired). Put the cut vegetables, the juice of 2 of the lime halves, and the cilantro in a large bowl; stir to combine, and season with salt and pepper. Cut the remaining 2 grilled lime halves into wedges; set aside.
Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, cream, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Place a large cast-iron pan on 1 side of the grill, and pour in the remaining oil (it might seem like a lot, but you do not want the eggs to stick). Heat the oil for 1 minute, then, add the egg mixture. Use a heat-resistant spatula to stir the eggs until soft curds form (6 to 8 minutes). Gently stir in the chorizo.
While the eggs are cooking, grill the tortillas on the other side of the grill until lightly charred on both sides and warmed through (1 to 2 minutes total).
To assemble the tacos, divide the egg mixture among the warm tortillas, sprinkle each with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the Monterey Jack cheese and top each with a spoonful of the grilled salsa. Serve immediately with the grilled lime wedges and any remaining grilled salsa on the side.
For more great recipes by the Food Network, visit FN.com
