"Company's Coming!" Grilling Menu

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Taming the Flame: 20 Meals from the Grill by Elizabeth Karmel

In this weekly column, grilling expert Elizabeth Karmel shares menus for full meals cooked on the grill (with occasional allowances for a no-cook or make-ahead dish that's not grilled). In this column, she shares her recipes for Bacon Bruschetta, Grilled Mushroom Salad with "Rocket" and Comte Cheese and Double-Cut Veal Chops with Lemon-Garlic Butter.

About the Grilling Menu for Company

Company's coming and you feel like doing something extra special. Or, you want to show off your culinary chops and know that the grill is your best tool to make a "Top Chef" worthy meal. Whatever the occasion, this week's menu is one that I make over and over again. It's familiar, yet a twist on all the classics.

Bruschetta with Bacon, Tomatoes and Basil

Traditional tomato-topped bruschetta is made better with the addition of grilled bread and bacon -- almost like an open faced BLT. And, since everything tastes better with bacon, Bacon Bruschetta is a real crowd-pleaser! Use vine-ripened cherry tomatoes and the best bacon you can find. I like using Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked Bacon or Nueske's bacon. Here are a couple of tricks for cooking it perfectly. Chop the raw bacon into 1/2 -inch pieces and saute it on a low medium heat to prevent burning. It is easier to cook, takes less time and is already chopped for the recipe. Or, if you have access to a deep-fryer, frying whole slices of bacon renders the fat, and makes it crispy and golden brown in mere minutes; it's foolproof! I sometimes fry the whole pound of bacon, let it cool and store it in the refrigerator until I have a recipe that I want to use it in. Ten seconds in the microwave and it's hot again and ready to top the bruschetta.

The bread can be grilled in advance, but the tomato topping is best thrown together at the last minute and placed on slices of grilled bread as you serve it to your guests. You can also serve the components separately -- a platter of grilled bread and a bowl of the topping -- and let your guests top their own bread at their leisure.

Grilled Mushroom Salad with "Rocket" and Comte Cheese

If you like mushrooms, you will love this salad -- I love all kinds of mushrooms and this is as good with portobello mushrooms as it is with more exotic mushrooms. The magic of this simple salad is that the hot grilled mushrooms wilt the greens and warm the cheese. I had a similar salad while I was visiting Provence during cèpe season. After one bite, I knew that it was going to be one of the culinary souvenirs of the trip. I make this salad all year long with whatever mushrooms are in season and the king oyster mushrooms are the closest that I have found to the French cèpes. The "rocket" greens are simply arugula, a.k.a., "rocket" in Europe -- I'm not sure why arugula is called rocket, but I love the sound -- and taste -- of it!

Since it is important to serve this salad fresh and hot-off-the-grill, I grill the mushrooms a few minutes before the veal chops are ready to come off and assemble the salad as the chops are resting. That way, I can serve the salad and the chops at the same time -- both at their perfect temperature.

Double-Cut Veal Chops with Lemon-Garlic Butter

Double-cut veal chops are pure indulgence. I recently tried Strauss Veal and highly recommend you buy it, if it is available in your area. Strauss is free-raised and the meat is sweet and delicate, while still being meaty!

Besides buying pristine chops, the secret to success with this recipe is in the finish. You grill the chops using the Grilling Trilogy of olive oil, salt and pepper until they are golden brown and well marked on both sides, and a medium-rare temperature inside. I use a combination of direct and indirect heat to make sure that I don't overcook the veal and I generally give the chops crosshatch marks since this is my fancy "company's coming" menu and they never fail to flip those appetites into high gear! (the directions for making crosshatch marks are in the recipe). As soon as the chops come off the grill, they are doused with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and brushed with melted oregano-garlic butter on both sides. As the meat rests, the lemon juice and garlic-butter is absorbed and since it is not cooked, it gives the chops a fresh bright flavor. The chops are brushed with the butter once more before serving and served with a slice of lemon for squirting just before digging in!