Make a Labor Day feast! 6 classy grilling recipes

Peel mango or peaches, cut in two and discard pit.

Cut fruit into chunks and place in a blender. Add BBQ sauce, red wine, soy sauce and honey to the fruit in blender and puree together.

Place flank steak into a glass baking dish and pour half Mango BBQ sauce over the steak, allow to marinate, refrigerated, for 1-2 hours. Reserve remaining sauce for a table condiment.

Prepare an outdoor grill. Place marinated flank steak over hot coals and grill about 4 – 5 minutes on each side, remove and rest for 5 minutes before slicing across the grain.

Serve with chopped scallions scattered over the top and the reserved mango bbq sauce.

1. Combine all the chimichurri ingredients in blender and pulse for 1 minute, and set aside. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, and taste. The chimichurri may be prepared three days in advance and refrigerates well. Kept refrigerated it will last for up to a week.

2. Pound the skirt steak flat with a meat tenderizer, marinate with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, some crushed garlic cloves and sprigs of parsley and refrigerate for several hours.

3. Cook the skirt steaks: Preheat a grill pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat for a minute before adding 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season the skirt steak with kosher salt and sear the first side for 2- 3 minutes before turning to cook the second side. Cook to the desired degree of doneness. Remove and allow to rest.

4. Serve by slicing the skirt steaks into thin slices, always cutting the steaks across the grain of the meat for maximum tenderness. Place the sliced steak on a platter and drizzle chimichurri sauce over the top.

5. The sliced skirt steak is perfect when served with sliced tomato, onion and watercress.

Combine the tamari, sake, mirin, sugar and grated ginger in a sauce pan over medium heat, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Cook for 10 minutes, reducing by half before removing from the heat. Cool completely. 

Divide the sauce in two, put half in a dish large enough to hold the chicken and set the second half aside to be used later as the dipping sauce.The chicken should be divided into quarters, splitting the breast into two pieces and separating the leg at the thigh joint, to evenly divide into 8 pieces. This will reduce the cooking time and allow easier grilling. Add half the cool marinade to the chicken and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

When ready to cook, pre-heat an outdoor grill, preparing to grill over indirect heat.  Brush the grill with vegetable oil before placing the chicken pieces—season the chicken with black pepper and place on the grill.

The chicken will cook quickly over a too-hot fire, so carefully tending is necessary. When the chicken has fully cooked, in about 17 minutes, test the meat for doneness, insuring that juices run clear.

Serve with the unused remaining teriyaki sauce, grated ginger and chopped scallions

Peel back the corn husk, remove the silk, enclose the corn once again and grill the corn for 4-6 minutes over a hot flame. While the corn is roasting, add red peppers to the grill and quickly char their exterior.

Remove corn and peppers from the grill and allow to cool.  When the corn has cooled,   peel back the husk, and using a sharp knife, remove the corn kernels from the cob. Discard the cob.

Cut the red pepper into strips  and combine the corn, red pepper, red onion, jalapeno, garlic and cilantro in a bowl. Add the oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper and allow to marinate before serving.

1.      Cut the melon half, using your knife to remove the rind. Cut into 1 inch cubes and place in a bowl.

2.      Peel the onion, cut in two and slice from root end to stem end into a fine julienne. Mix the melon and onion together.

3.      Combine the honey, lime juice, mint and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Pour this vinaigrette over the melon and onion; allow to marinate 20 minutes before serving.

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.  Cool, then puree in a blender or food processor until smooth.  This can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks in a covered container.

Yield:  1-1/2 cups