Summer is tailor-made for grilling. It’s the time of year when you turn to burgers, slabs of marbled meat and ears of sweet corn. You fire up the grill because it’s easy and convenient – and who wants to heat up a kitchen? Unfortunately sometimes, it can mean you fall into a rut. After all, a nice, simple burger cooked just right is just that: nice and simple.
The iSi Creative Whip can help you shake things up a bit while keeping it easy. You don’t have to invest in fancy artisanal ingredients or stick with the old tried and true: ketchup or bottled barbecue sauce. In the recipe below, we spice up a traditional cream-based sauce with chipotle peppers. It has a kick to it that keeps the flavor interesting with a bit of heat, and adds a creamy texture to boot. The sauce is quite versatile as well, and you can use it as a vegetable dip at parties.
Summer grilling is meant to be fun and easy. Just remember, with a little creativity, your dinner can taste better than just good (and expected)!
WHIPPED CHIPOTLE SAUCE
Ingredients for 1 pint Creative Whip
½ cup of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced
1 cup cream cheese
½ cup heavy cream
Juice of one lime
Procedure:
In a blender or food processor, puree chipotle peppers with cream cheese until smooth. Pass through a fine sieve and stir in heavy cream and lime juice. The mixture should have a creamy consistency. Pour into a 1 pint iSi Creative Whip. Screw on one iSi cream charger and shake vigorously. Chill for at least one 30 minutes before serving.
This sauce will go well with burgers.
Post by Bao Ong. Photo by Gregor Halenda Photography.
A Pesto for Summer
By now, you’ve probably felt slight hints of autumn creeping about. Don’t let those cool nights fool you: summer is still in full swing, and with it, the ever abundant supply of fresh produce and herbs. If you have a garden or belong to a CSA, you’re more than likely giving away your tomatoes and zucchini in gift baskets by now. And at your local green market, vendors are showcasing their best selection of the year.
Vegetables aside, it’s hard to ignore that basil plant that has grown a whole two feet over the summer. And what about all those other herbs? Pesto sauce to the rescue! Pesto is a natural solution. You can use heaps of those fresh herbs, and the sauce keeps for weeks in the fridge. Best of all, pesto isn’t limited to the holy trinity of basil, olive oil and pine nuts. Feel free to innovate with parsley, arugula, rosemary or even thyme. In the recipe below, we’ve combined the traditional method and matched it with the iSi Creative Whip, which adds an unctuous, creamy texture to your sauce. Enjoy!
HERB PESTO CREAM SAUCE
Ingredients for sauce
1 clove of garlic
ÂĽ cup toasted pine nuts
1 cup packed parsley leaves
½ cup packed basil leaves
½ cup thyme leaves
ÂĽ cup olive oil
½ cup whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Procedure:
In a food processor, chop the garlic and pine nuts. Add parsley, basil and thyme and when combined, slowly add the olive oil while the food processor is running. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat milk and cream. Bring mixture to a slight boil, lower the heat and blend in the cheese until well incorporated. Let sauce cool before adding the pesto and combining well. Pour into a 1 pint iSi Creative Whip and screw in a cream charger and shake vigorously. Refrigerate.
Serve with pasta, vegetables or cooked poultry. Note: you can easily switch up the herbs in this recipe.
Post by Bao Ong. Photo by Herb Garden Passion.