As the host and co-judge of the Travel Channel's "American Grilled," David Guas knows a thing or two about making the most of your grill. Now he's showing TODAY how you can bring his sizzling skills to lettuce, peaches and more.
Roasted coal garlic compound butter
- 2 bulbs garlic, whole
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
- Coarse sea salt (to taste)
- Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Cut the top off of each whole garlic bulb. Tear off a 12-inch piece of aluminum foil and place both bulbs in the center of the foil, pulling up the edges of the foil to create a bowl.
Drizzle olive oil over the tops of the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Add about 1/4 cup of water directly into the foil bowl. Fold up the edges to create a pouch, and seal well.
Take one side of the grates off the prepared grill. Place foil pouch next to the coals (make sure the coals are right along the edges, but not directly on top of the pouch). Leave for about 1 hour while proceeding with the recipes below.
When ready, remove foil pouch using tongs. Open slowly with caution because of hot steam. Let the bulbs rest for about 15 minutes, or refrigerate for a few minutes until ready to handle.
Place softened butter in a small mixing bowl, and squeeze each garlic bulb directly on the butter (discarding the garlic skin). Season with an additional 1/2 tsp. of sea salt, and, using a spoon, mash until combined. Reserve at room temperature until steak is ready to be served.
Chef's Tip: Roll butter into parchment paper or plastic wrap, creating a tube-like cylinder. Freeze. When ready, slice into coins and place on top of the meat. For a larger batch, freeze for up to 3 months. This works for all grilled meats from beef, to chicken and fish.
Coffee-rubbed rib-eye
For the steak:
- 4 (16 oz.) boneless rib-eye steaks
- Coarse sea salt (to taste)
- Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
For the coffee rub:
- 3 tbsp. fresh coffee beans, finely ground
- 1 tbsp. light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. paprika
- 1 tbsp. coarse sea salt
- 1 tsp. granulated onion
- 1 tsp. granulated garlic
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Combine all the ingredients for the rub in a bowl. Lather the rub on the raw steaks, and place the steaks in the fridge for 1 1/2 hours to let the flavors of the spices absorb in the meat.
Prepare grill as mentioned above. Do not cut the meat. Season each steak with salt and pepper on both sides, then place on the grill over direct heat. Depending on the thickness of the steak, grill 6 to 7 minutes on each side (or to an internal temperature of 125 to 130 degrees) for medium-rare, or 8 to 9 minutes (or to an internal temperature of 140 to 145 degrees) for a full medium.
If you want to keep the meat grilling a little longer, remove from the direct heat of the coals and put on a cooler side of the grill. Then close the top for additional smoking and cooking (about 1 to 2 minutes longer is suggested).
Once cooked, remove the steaks from the grill and place on a cutting board. Allow the meat to rest for about 8 to 10 minutes before slicing or serving. Divide the (room temperature) garlic butter among the 4 steaks, and place a dollop on each before serving.
Grilled baby romaine salad, charred lemon vinaigrette, crusty grilled croutons
For the lettuce:
- 6 heads baby romaine lettuce, halved
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
For the vinaigrette:
- 2 lemons, grilled (the juice of both)
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp. shallots, minced
- 2 tsp. honey
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- Salt (to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)
For the croutons:
- 1 baguette (crusty French bread), sliced lengthwise
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- Kosher salt (to taste)
For garnish:
- 3 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano
Prepare lettuce by pulling off old leaves and trimming top and bottom, leaving the bottom root to keep the head intact. Halve the heads of lettuce, and coat with oil to prevent them from burning.
Prepare grill. Grill on direct heat until you get a nice char. Let cool for about 5 minutes before assembling the salad.
To make the vinaigrette:
Cut lemons lengthwise and grill slice-side down for 2 to 5 minutes, or until grill marks are achieved. Remove the lemons and allow them to rest for 5 minutes before squeezing their juice into a mixing bowl, and catching and discarding the seeds. Discard the lemon after juice is extracted.
Whisk in the mustard, honey, shallots, salt and pepper. Whisk vigorously, while slowly adding the oil. Once whisked, set vinaigrette aside until ready to toss.
To make the croutons:
Slice baguette lengthwise, and brush with oil and salt. Grill the bread directly over heat until grill marks are achieved and bread is toasted. Remove and allow to cool. Cut in half, creating 4 pieces.
To assemble:
In a salad bowl, place bread down first. Place grilled romaine on top of the bread and drizzle liberally with vinaigrette. Using a vegetable peeler, shave 8 to 10 slices of Parmigiano-Reggiano directly over each salad. Serve immediately.
Grilled peaches and mascarpone cream
For the peaches:
- 6 peaches, halved
For the cream:
- 4oz. mascarpone cheese
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
- 2 tbsp. powdered sugar
For garnish:
- 2 tsp. (or a drizzle) of honey
- 2 oz. pecans, toasted and crumbled
Make sure the surface of your grill is clean. Place the halved slices of peaches on the grill over direct heat, skin-side down first to give them a quick browning.
Then turn them over to the open face-side of the peaches, and grill until browning and caramelization occurs from the natural sugars. Remove from grill and reserve at room temperature.
Using a hand mixer or stand-up mixer with the whisk attachment, blend together the mascarpone cheese and 1 tbsp. of powdered sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Spoon into a separate bowl and set aside.
Pour the cream and the remaining powdered sugar into the original mixing bowl and blend on high speed just until stiff peaks form (about 1 or 2 minutes). Turn the mixer off and carefully fold the whipped cream mixture into the mascarpone mixture.
To assemble:
Place 2 to 3 peach halves on a plate with a tablespoon-sized dollop of the mascarpone cream on top. Garnish it with a drizzle of honey (about 2 tsp. per dish) and crumbled, toasted pecans. (To prepare the pecans: Toast the nuts whole at 375 degrees for roughly 5 minutes and allow to cool before crumbling).