Grilled Avocado with Strawberry-Mango Salsa

Grilled Avocado with Strawberry-Mango Salsa

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

Now let’s go wild and whip up a fancy-dancy dessert from something no one else uses for that purpose. The lowly—but elegant—avocado is actually a fruit, so let’s treat it like one for this refreshing, healthy, and surprising dessert.

Ingredients

4 avocados, just turning soft, not fully ripeGrilled Avocados
1 medium mango, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 pound strawberries, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup honey mixed with 1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

Preheat a well-oiled BBQ grill to medium-high, 300-400 degrees F.  

Slice the avocados in half lengthwise and carefully remove the seed. Brush the exposed flesh with the honey-olive oil mixture, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a cool place (do not refrigerate).

Chop the mangos and strawberries and mix them with the vinegar, orange juice, and lemon juice, let rest at least 20 minutes so the ingredients can blend. Stir occasionally.

Spray your grill very heavily with PAM or another grilling spray.

Grill the avocados skin side down directly on the grill for 2 to 3 minutes, until the skin begins to lightly char and take on grill marks. Re-spray the grill and brush the flesh side of the avocados again with the honey-oil mixture and place the halves flesh side down on the hot grill for another 2-3 minutes.

With a spatula carefully remove the avocados from the grill and place them on a serving plate covered with a bed of lettuce, two halves per person. Fill the seed cavity with the mango-strawberry salsa, generously dribbling some on the top of each half. Serve with a spoon to scoop out the avocado flesh and salsa.

Non (Village Whole Wheat Bread)

Non (Village Whole Wheat Bread)

Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

This is the staff of life for all classes of Afghans, whether city dwellers or nomads. The basic ingredient is wheat—red hard winter wheat is preferred, but any local wheat will do.

Ingredients

7 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tablespoon salt
water as needed to make the dough kneadable, about 3 and 1/2 cups

Instructions

Mix the flour and salt together and add the water to make dough. Knead the dough 300 times, cover it with a wet towel, and let sit in a warm place for 12 to 24 hours. Knead 100 more times, and place it in an oiled baking pan. Cut the top lengthwise and let sit in a warm place for 4 hours.

Bake in a 350 degree F. oven for 30 minutes, then in a 400 degree F. oven for 45 minutes. The crust should be dark brown.

White Chocolate and Orange Soufflé

White Chocolate and Orange Soufflé

Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

The ultimate fancy restaurant dessert is the soufflé. Who does these at home? They’re too hard to make and too fragile, right? Wrong. Remember, your BBQ is nothing more than an oven you’ve taken outdoors, whether you use charcoal, gas, or hardwood logs. If you can do it indoors, you can do it outdoors.

This dish truly amazes people. I even had a 4-star chef once bet me I couldn’t make a soufflé in a BBQ. He ended up eating one, and paying for my dinner that night, which included a soufflé that didn’t rise as high as mine. So there!

Ingredients

Barbecued White Chocolate Souffle1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
6 ounces imported white chocolate (such as Lindt), coarsely chopped
5 large egg yolks, room temperature
3 teaspoons grated orange peel
4 teaspoons Grand Marnier
5 large egg whites, room temperature
Pinch of cream of tartar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 ounces imported white chocolate (such as Lindt), coarsely chopped
Powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat the barbecue to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 6-cup soufflé dish (or small individual soufflé dishes) and sprinkle the dish with sugar; roll the dish around to coat all surfaces, then tap out the excess. Add a buttered and sugared aluminum foil collar that extends 2-3-inches above the rim of the dish and tie in place with butcher’s twine.

On your BBQ grill or on your stove top, heat the cream and 1/4 cup sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add 6 ounces of white chocolate and stir until the chocolate dissolves. Whisk in egg yolks and orange peel, and cook for about five minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly, stirring constantly; do not boil.

Whisk in the Grand Marnier. Transfer the mixture to large bowl and, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl until soft peaks form.  Add 2 tablespoons of sugar and then beat again until stiff peaks form.

Mix 2 ounces of the chopped chocolate into the warm egg yolk mixture, then fold in the egg whites in 2 batches. Transfer the mixture to your prepared soufflé dish. Bake over INDIRECT heat in the BBQ until the soufflé is puffed and the top is golden brown, about 35 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

This moist, orange-flavored soufflé is rich with white chocolate. Offer snifters of orange liqueur, with a mandarin orange segment and cherry on a toothpick floating inside, to sip with the dessert.

Shir Birinj (Rice Pudding)

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This is a favorite desert, using the ever-present rice. The vanilla essence is sometimes omitted in villages where it may not be available.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked rice
1 1/4 cups milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup raisins
chopped pistachios for garnish

Instructions

Combine all ingredients except the pistachios and place in a greased baking dish.

Bake in a 300 degree F. oven for about 45 minutes until done. Garnish with pistachios and serve.

Grilled Banana Splits

Grilled Banana Splits

Dave DeWitt Rapid-Fire: Quick & Easy Grilling, USA Leave a Comment

Speaking of traditional desserts, how about a Barbecued Banana Split? As easy as pie, a delightfully rich treat, and another dish that will cement your reputation as being a master BBQ dessert maker.

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butterGrilled Bananas
1/2 cup brown sugar
8 ripe bananas
Vanilla ice cream
Hot Fudge Sauce (or Caramel, Butterscotch, etc.)
Whipped cream
Chopped nuts

Instructions

Preheat your barbecue grill to 350 to 400 degrees F. and spray the grill heavily with PAM or another grilling spray.

Combine the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until the butter is completely melted and the sugar is dissolved. With a sharp knife, cut each banana in half lengthwise, leaving the peel on the halves.

Brush the cut side of the banana halves with the sugar mixture and place the bananas cut side down on the grill. Grill until golden brown and caramelized, about 2 minutes. Re-spray the grill with PAM and turn the banana halves, peel side down and brush the upper surface of each with more glaze. Grill the bananas 2-3 minutes longer or until tender.

To serve, place two grilled banana halves in a sundae dish or shallow bowl. Top with two scoops of vanilla ice cream, drizzle with your favorite dessert sauce, and top with whipped cream and chopped nuts.