Tag: recipes

cooking · grilling

RECIPE: Tropical Bananas Foster on the grill

Warners' Stellian Appliance

My brother, Joe Warner (left), and I had so much fun testing grilled desserts this past week.

By FAR the best recipe we had — though not the most colorful — was the Bananas Foster with pineapple we made for the FOX 9 morning crew this Sunday on the Vermont Castings 401 Signature Series gas grill.

Joe’s live TV debut came smack dab in the middle of our BBQ Grill Expo, though you can still cash in on grill discounts through April 17.

So how good is this recipe? Well, I’m lactose intolerant, and I still ate a bowl of it. Yum!

We’ve already gotten requests for the recipe, so here it is:

Grilled Tropical Bananas Foster

3 firm bananas

1 thinly sliced fresh pineapple rings

1 cup butter or margarine

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. rum extract or 2 Tbsp. dark rum

Heat grill to medium high heat. Place butter in a large, grill-safe bowl (we used metal) and heat until melted. Remove.

Meanwhile, grill bananas in their peels about 6 minutes per side, or until brown.

To make glaze, add brown sugar, cinnamon and rum to melted butter.

Peel bananas (careful, they’re steamy!), cut in fourths and add to glaze. Then add pineapples and toss fruit in glaze until coated.

Put bowl back on the grill for about 10 minutes (or so…use your judgment) to warm up again and let all the delicious flavors combine!

Scoop vanilla ice cream into bowls and spoon 1/6 of glazed fruit mixture on top.

cooking · grilling

Grilling doughnuts on ‘Twin Cities Live’

Warners' Stellian Appliance

Carla Warner and I got to spend some time grilling outside with the awesome people at KSTP’s “Twin Cities Live” yesterday.

>> See the video

A rare picture of me, left, posing with TCL's Emily Engberg and Carla Warner in front of the Grilled Doughnuts on the Viking gas grill.

I love to cook, so I volunteered to whip up 3 unconventional recipes on 3 of our favorite grills.

On the Big Green Egg, we made Bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers

Hollow jalapenos and completely fill with cream cheese. Wrap with raw bacon and secure with toothpick. Grill on the Big Green Egg or other grill using indirect heat at 350-375 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

On the Vermont Castings, we made Margherita pizza

Heat grill to medium heat. Sprinkle with cornmeal and roll out fresh, refrigerated pizza dough ball to no more than 1/4-inch thickness. Either oil grill grates or place pizza stone on grill. Grill dough covered for 5 minutes. Top with Kowalski’s Signature Pizza Sauce, slices of Kowalski’s fresh mozzarella and sliced Roma tomato. Grill for another 3-5 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Top with fresh basil and serve.

And on the Viking Grill, we made — you’ll never guess — Grilled doughnuts

Grill Pillsbury Grands refrigerated biscuits on a cookie sheet (or well-oiled grill grate) using indirect heat at about 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, melt a stick of butter in a grill-safe bowl away from direct heat. Dip warm biscuits in the melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar.

cooking · Food · grilling

Barbecue smoker – Beef Brisket recipe

Warners' Stellian Appliance
Barbecue brisket smoked on a Big Green Egg smoker grill

Especially since it’s starting to “heat up” (40 degrees, anyone?) for those who love putting a hunk of meat on the smoker grill and letting it go all day, here’s a recipe to consider for Saturday or Sunday, courtesy of the Big Green Egg website.

In choosing the meat, Big Green Egg suggests ordering (probably in advance) a whole “packer trimmed” brisket from a butcher shop.  An 8- to 14-pound whole “packer trimmed” brisket will cook for approximately 14 to 18 hours.

To prep the meat, trim any fat thicker than 1/8 inch. Because you should always slice brisket against the grain when serving, identify which way the grain in the brisket runs and cut a notch in the end so you will know where to initiate the first cross-grain cut after smoking.

Smoked brisket recipe

From biggreenegg.com

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup coarse kosher or sea salt
  • 1/3 cup black pepper
  • 1/4 cup granulated garlic
  • 1/4 cup ground mild chilies such as ancho or chimayo
  • 2 tbsp celery seed
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • Optional: Wood Chips

 

Place all of the seasonings in food processor or blender and pulse until thoroughly blended. Spread the rub generously over the brisket, wrap in foil or plastic wrap and let rest for one to two hours.

Set the Big Green Egg up for indirect cooking with a plate setter at 250°F. Add in soaked wood chips (oak, hickory, apple or cherry) if you choose.

Cook until the internal temperature of the meat is 150°F, and then reduce the EGG temperature to 225°F. When the meat temperature approaches 185°F, begin checking for tenderness (insert a fork into the brisket and give a slight twist; if the meat gives easily without much resistance, then the meat is done). Wrap tightly in foil with a half-cup of beef broth and place in a warm ice chest for 1 to 3 hours.

Slice brisket against the grain (see note before recipe), reserving the juice to brush on or use as a dip.

About Warners' Stellian · cooking · Events

Pizza waffles?

Warners' Stellian Appliance

Yes, pizza waffles. (No, this isn’t our entry for thisiswhyyourefat.com.)

See it for yourself.

Ross Svebeck demonstrated this delicious hybrid recipe on KARE11’s Showcase Minnesota last week and will be hosting his “Waffles Redefined” cooking classes at our stores this month:

Don't let the topping confuse you. The pizza's in the batter, too.

March 16 – 6-9 p.m.
Warners’ Stellian – Edina
3533 W. 70th St.
Across from the Galleria

March 18 – 6-9 p.m.
Warners’ Stellian – St. Paul
1711 N. Snelling Ave.
Falcon Heights (2 blocks north of the State Fairgrounds)

Cost: $50

RSVP to ross@kon-tent.com

Stop letting your waffle iron collect dust. Come find out inventive new recipes that make waffles something you can eat for lunch, dinner and dessert:
Buttermilk Waffles
Herbed Waffles with Chicken Salad
Huevos Rancheros Waffles
Cinnamon Bun Waffles

And of course, pizza waffles.

If you can’t wait, here’s the recipe:

Pizza WafflesBasic Yeast Batter:
1 ½ cup milk
8 T butter
½ cup warm water
1 pkg dry yeast
2 1/3 cup all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1 T sugar
2 large eggs
¼ tsp baking soda

Place the milk and butter in a small pan over medium heat until the butter has melted. In a liquid measuring cup, place the warm water, sugar and yeast. Stir to combine and let sit for ten (10) minutes. Combine the flour and salt. Add the milk/butter mixture. Stir in the yeast mixture. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 ½ hours. The mixture will bubble. Remove the plastic wrap and stir in eggs and baking soda.

For Pizza Waffles:
1 ½ cup minced pepperoni
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (plus more for garnishing)
2/3 cup fresh diced mozzarella cheese
1 recipe Basic Yeast Batter

For the waffles, stir pepperoni, parmesan and mozzarella cheese into batter. Pour batter into waffle iron and bake until brown. Transfer onto a rack in the oven that has been preheated to 200 degrees to keep them crisp if necessary.  Serve with tomato-basil sauce (recipe below) and Parmesan cheese.

For Tomato-Basil Sauce:
1 – 28 ounce can chopped tomatoes
2 T olive oil
1 T minced garlic
½ bay leaf
1 thyme sprig
1 tsp oregano
8 basil leaves, minced
Salt

Heat oil in a frying pan and add garlic. Heat until it has softened. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme and oregano. Cook slowly for 15 minutes to reduce the juices and infuse the flavors. Remove from heat and stir in basil.

From our cookbook

2 quick & yummy snacks for the Twins game

Warners' Stellian Appliance

Unless you’re my brother, who won tickets to Yankee stadium months ago (jealous? Me too), you’re going to be glued to the TV tonight, watching the Twins duke it out in New York.

I love reading recipes online at sites like Epicurious and Food Network, but when it comes down to quick, crowd-pleasers for game night, I’d rather use recipes from someone I trust that uses normal ingredients I stock in my kitchen.

Enter “Cooking Traditions” — a cookbook of the favorite recipes of our Warners’ Stellian employees and family members. When I needed a breakfast casserole last winter, I used the recipe from our HR rep, Judy Mansun. And it was seriously the best thing my guy friends ever ate (or so they wouldn’t stop telling me).

So, here are two quick dips you can probably make from stuff you have in your fridge, from two lovely women I’d had the pleasure of working for here at Warners’ Stellian:

Tex-Mex dip — Erica McClellan

1 large can refried beans

3 medium avocados, smashed

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tomatoes, chopped

2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayo

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 bunch green onions, chopped

Layer 1: beans. Layer 2: avocados, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Layer 3: sour cream, mayo, taco seasoning. Layer 4: tomatoes, onions and cheese.

Spread on a serving dish (I like to use baking sheets with a lip), one layer at a tie. Serves a crowd!

Artichoke Dip — Peggy Lang

2 (6 oz.) jars marinated artichoke hearts

1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup mayo

10 oz. shredded mozzarella chees

1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 cup parmesan cheese

Chop artichokes and add remaining ingredients in a small casserole dish. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and browned around the edges. Serve with baguettes or crackers (Wheat Thins!).

Go Twins!