Barbecued Cream?!
I’m willing to bet that most of you love bbq sauce slathered over your grilled meats, right? Please let me know if I’m wrong. I can’t be the only one who isn’t too thrilled by that sticky, sweet, red covering. I don’t know. Maybe I’ve lived a sheltered life. But, it seems to me that every barbecue sauce I’ve ever had tasted basically the same – you know, tomatoey, sweet, sometimes spicy and … well, that’s pretty much it. Enlighten me – if you’re a bbq sauce lover, what do you love about it?
To make the question even more intriguing, I read recently that three Canadian chefs are calling upon us to add cream to our bbq marinades and sauces. They’re even suggesting adding it to our favourite grilled desserts! E gads! What is the world coming to? I mean, won’t it burn?
Ok, enough of the melodrama. This idea was cooked up by chefs Michael Allemeier of Calgary, Devan Rajkumar of Toronto and Richard Julien of Halifax in conjunction with the Dairy Farmers of Canada. Is the point of this effort to encourage us to buy more cream? Yes. Is it working? Probably. I’m intrigued, at least. The chefs suggest that cream is ideal as a binder and for giving a rich, smooth texture to food. The chefs have developed some recipes, like Herb and Spice marinated BBQ Chicken Drumettes, Smoked Pork Tenderloin, Basil and creamy Fontina Peppery Cheese Sauce, Creamy Tandoori-Style Prawns, Grilled Peach Trifle with Lemon Buttermilk Cake, Pink Peppercorn Crusted BBQ Steak with Creamy Cambozola Cheese Sauce, and the one I’m going to try:
Recipe by chef Devan Rajkumar If you want to give any of the other recipes a try, you can find them at AnyDayMagic
Ingredients
- 1 each, sweet potato, yellow-fleshed and purple or red potato (each about 1/2 lb/250 g)
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil, divided
- Salt & fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) 35% cream
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tbsp (22 mL) chopped fresh dill
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) whole grain mustard
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) grated lemon zest
- 1 tsp (5 mL) brown sugar
- 1 tsp (5 mL) each, chopped fresh
- parsley and thyme leaves
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) cayenne
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 red onion, peeled
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) vegetable oil, approx.
- 1 green onion, chopped
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Place potatoes horizontally on cutting board and slice vertically into 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick slices. Brush with 1 tbsp (15 mL) of olive oil; season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in a single layer on non-stick baking sheet; bake for 20 minutes. Remove sweet potatoes to a plate. Return baking sheet (with remaining potato slices) to oven; continue baking for 5 minutes or until just tender.
- Pre-heat barbecue to medium-high heat. Brush potatoes with remaining olive oil. Grill on greased grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until grill marks appear. Cool.
- Meanwhile, in a large cold bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form; stir in mayonnaise. In a small bowl, combine dill, mustard, lemon zest, sugar, parsley, thyme, cayenne, and garlic; fold into cream mixture. Stir in potatoes; toss gently to coat. Serve room temperature or refrigerate to chill.
- Slice onion in half and cut into fine slices. In a bowl, toss onion with flour; shake off excess. In a large skillet, add enough oil to coat the entire skillet and heat on medium heat. Add onion and cook in batches until golden, adding more oil if necessary. Remove to paper towels.
- On serving plates divide potato salad, top with crispy onions and green onion.