A Note From The Chef

Happy 4th of July!

I will be offering more free outdoor cooking clinics all summer long. Come learn about the differences in charcoal versus gas; indirect versus direct cooking; smoking and outdoor baking. July clinics will be conducted at the Bekins Showroom in July on the following dates:

• Saturday, July 11, between 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM
• Saturday, July 18, between 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM

Last month we made roasted chicken, cinnamon rolls, brats and wood-fired pizza. Feel free to stop by our showroom and sample what’s cooking on the Wolf outdoor grill, BroilMaster gas grill and Big Green Egg charcoal cooker.

Cheers!

Chef Tom Reinhart

Shop Local

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Sunflower Gourmet is a locally owned gourmet eatery and purveyor of international foods and housewares. Their deli features made-to-order sandwiches on fresh local baked bread with gourmet meats. They offer locally grown, fresh organic ingredients showcased in their salads, side offerings and their quick take-away dinners.

Check out their new website and sign up for their newsletter .

US-31 & Jackson St
Grand Haven, MI 49417
Tel: 616-844-7780

Recipe of the Month

Candied Citrus Zest

Many of you have asked about my “Magic Orange Dust” which I used in several grilling classes. It is simply candied orange zest ground into a powder.

The dust is a wonderful combination of sweet and sour. It is especially great on grilled seafood, especially scallops and shrimp. You can sprinkle it on everything from chicken to ice-cream!

• 8 large oranges, lemons, limes or grapefruit, zested
• 2 cups Sugar, plus additional for rolling cooked zest
• ½ cup water

For best results and to make this easier, zest the fruit with a MicroPlane grater. If you don’t have one, use a sharp vegetable peeler to remove zest from fruit in long strips. Scrape and remove the bitter white pith from the back of peel with a small paring knife. Cut peel into very thin julienne strips.

Add citrus zest, water, and sugar to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes until the syrup is thickened and bubbly. Allow to cool for about ½ hour so that the syrup is safe to handle.

Strain (reserving syrup for other uses like baklava) and transfer zest in a single layer to a sheet pan covered with a Silpat silicone baking sheet (or wax paper). After an hour or so as zest begins to dry, roll in additional sugar. Store airtight in freezer for up to a month. Grind it in a food processor or spice grinder to make the “Magic Dust.”

Ingredients

Unfortunately, this month's recipe doesn't have any good substitutions. For those who aren't afraid of experimenting, you may be interested in other types of sugars and sweeteners. Visit The Cook's Thesaurus for a list of possible sweeteners.