Hurricane Brew

8 ounces light rum
8 ounces dark rum
½ cup grenadine
½ cup fresh orange juice
½ cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Lime wedges for garnish

Place all of the ingredients in a large pitcher. Stir well to dissolve sugar.

Pour the mixture into 8 tall glasses that have been filled with ice. Garnish each glass with a lime wedge to rub around the rim.

Tropical Trifle

Serves 8 or more

3 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup milk
Juice of 1 medium lime (about 2 tablespoons)
Zest of 1 medium lime (about 2 teaspoons)

4 egg yolks
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup Cointreau (plus extra for brushing on cake)
½ cup heavy cream

1 pint strawberries, sliced about 2 cups
1 mango, peeled, pitted, cut into ½-inch cubes about 2 cups
1 papaya, peeled, seeded, cut into ½-inch pieces about 3 cups
1 medium pineapple, peeled, cored, cut into ½ inch pieces about 3 cups

For cake
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
1. Combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter until fluffy.
3. Add the sugar and mix on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl, for several minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition.
5. Stir in 1/3 of the flour followed by 1/3 of the milk. Repeat until both ingredients are incorporated into the batter.
6. Stir in the key lime juice and zest.
7. Pour the batter into 2 8-inch cake pans that have been with vegetable oil spray and dusted with flour. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops begin to turn golden on the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Cool the cakes on metal racks for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the racks and cook completely. Use a serrated knife to trim the cakes to fit into a 7-inch trifle bowl.
For custard
1. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in the top part of a double boiler over simmering water.
2. Whisk in the wine and orange juice.
3. Continue whisking until the sauce has doubled in volume. It will thicken, become fluffy and turn pale yellow, about 5 to 8 minutes.
4. Remove the top of the double boiler to a large bowl filled with ice. Continue whisking the custard until it cools.
5. Use an electric mixer to beat the cream soft peaks form.
6. Fold the whipped cream into the custard mixture. Chill until ready to serve.
To assemble
1. Spoon 1/3 of the custard into the bottom of a trifle dish.
2. Use a pastry brush to lightly coat the cakes with Cointreau. Place one cake layer on top of the custard.
3. Arrange half of the fruit on top of the cake.
4. Repeat with 1/3 more custard, the remaining cake pieces and a layer of fruit.
5. Top with the remaining custard.

Grilled Rum Marinated Flank Steak Sandwiches with Chipotle Lime Aioli

Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 30 minutes plus marinating the steak

1 (1 ½ pound) flank steak
½ cup dark rum
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup mayonnaise
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, seeded and finely diced (about 1 tablespoon)
Juice of 1 medium lime (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

16 slices Parmesan Thyme Bread (see page 00) or other fresh baked bread
6 ounces mesclun lettuce mix (about 2 cups)
3 large beefsteak tomatoes, sliced into ¼-inch slices
2 large red onions, sliced into ¼-inch slices

Place the flank steak into a shallow dish. Whisk together the rum, sugar and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Pour this mixture over the flank steak, coating both sides.

Marinate the steak in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or as much as overnight.

Whisk together the mayonnaise, chipotle, lime juice and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a grill pan over medium high heat. Remove the steak from the marinade. Reserve some marinade for the onions. Grill the flank steak in the pan until medium rare, about 8 to 10 minutes per side. Remove the steak to a cutting board and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.

Place the red onion slices in the pan. Drizzle with a bit of the reserved marinade. Cook until just beginning to brown, about 4 to 6 minutes. Pour off any extra drippings from the pan. Grill the bread slices in batches until just toasted, about 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Cut the flank steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Spread 1 tablespoon of the chipotle lime aioli onto 8 slices of the toasted bread. Top with slices of flank steak, grilled onions, tomato and lettuce. Top with an extra dollop of aioli and the remaining bread slices.

Barbecued Pork Tenderloin Skewers with Cranberry, Corn and Avocado Relish

Servings: 4 to 6
Preparation Time: 30 minutes plus marinating the pork.

2 (12 to 14-ounce) pork tenderloins, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 bunch (6 to 8) green onions, chopped (about ½ cup)
½ cup ketchup
¼ cup dark molasses
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon chili sauce
4 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 (12-ounce bag) frozen cranberries, thawed, drained (about 3 cups)
Juice of 1 medium orange (about 1/3 cup)
1 large yellow bell pepper, roasted, skin removed, diced
1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (about 2 tablespoons)
Zest of ½ medium orange (about 1 tablespoon)
2 large avocados, peeled, pitted and diced (about 2 cups)
1 (16-ounce can) corn, drained
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Place the pork cubes into a shallow baking dish.

Stir together the green onion, ketchup, molasses, soy sauce, peanut oil, chili sauce, garlic and oregano. Pour this mixture over the pork cubes and toss to coat. Cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Place the cranberries and orange juice into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to coarsely chop. Pour this mixture into a bowl. Stir in the roasted pepper, jalapeno pepper, orange zest, avocados, corn, vinegar, and cilantro.

Toss and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Remove the pork from the marinade. Thread onto long skewers.

Heat a grill pan (or outdoor grill) on high heat. Grill the pork skewers, basting with the reserved marinade, turning once, until browned, about 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter.

Serve with cranberry and avocado salsa.

Fried Calamari with Tuna Caper Dipping Sauce

Servings 4 to 6 Preparation time: 45 minutes

1 cup mayonnaise
1 (6-ounce) can tuna, packed in oil
2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
Juice of 1 medium lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
½ teaspoon hot paprika
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 pound uncooked calamari, cleaned
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt
Canola oil

To make the sauce, place the mayonnaise, tuna, capers, lemon juice, and cilantro into a blender. Pulse to emulsify. Season with paprika, salt and pepper. Cut the bodies of the calamari into thin rings. Season the flour with cayenne pepper and salt.

Heat canola oil in a deep pot to 365 degrees. Dredge the calamari rings in the flour. Shake off excess. Carefully drop the rings into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon (or Chinese wire basket) to remove the calamari from the oil. Drain on paper towels. Continue with the tentacles.

Mustard Coated Chicken Skewers with Grilled Veggie Salsa

Servings: 4 Preparation time: 45 minutes

6 plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise (about 1 pound)
1 small eggplant, cut in half lengthwise
1 medium red onion, peeled and cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium poblano pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1 medium lime (about 1 tablespoon)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

(4 to 5-ounce) skinless boneless chicken breast cutlets, cut into 1-inch wide strips
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup prepared bread crumbs
1 teaspoon dried rosemary

Heat a grill pan on high heat or use an outdoor grill. Brush the cut side of the tomatoes, eggplant, and onion with olive oil. Place the vegetables into the grill. Place the pepper into the grill.

Grill the veggies until they begin to char, but not to the extent they become mushy. Remove the veggies as they cook. (The tomatoes will take the shortest amount of time, followed by the eggplant, onion and finally the pepper. You want the skin of the pepper to be quite charred and blackened.)

Coarsely chop the tomatoes, onion and eggplant. Peel the skin from the pepper and chop. Place the veggies into a bowl and toss with cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Thread the chicken strips, lengthwise onto wooden skewers, which have been soaked in water. Leave a long enough “handle” on the skewers so that they overlap the pan.

Brush both sides of the chicken with mustard.

Combine the breadcrumbs with dried rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken strips into the bread crumb mixture.

Heat a grill pan, which has been coated with vegetable oil spray, over medium high heat. Grill the chicken strips, turning once until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Serve the chicken skewers with the roasted salsa.

ThrowDown with an Extreme Party Planner!

Get A Fresh Take on Fork Tender Ribs and Creamy, Tangy Slaw
Food TV is in its 7th season of vetting contestants in the reality show FOOD NETWORK STAR. What’s interesting this year (and last) are the food bloggers. Last year’s champion Aarti Parti published a blog and this year, two of the contenders write about food for a living. Sunday nights, I enjoy tuning in. In fact the latest installment of FNS inspired me to challenge this week’s winner to a throwdown. Please don’t send me a cease and desist letter, Bobby Flay, but when I saw contestant Susie Jimenez’s recipe for tangy slaw and pork ribs, I had to put my hat into the ring with my own Beer Basted Baby Back Ribs with Jack Daniels Barbecue Sauce. Susie’s BBQ is described as “spicy”, but I wonder if those flavors—which did manage to impress guest star Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive Ins and Dives—can begin to touch the way I do it…or the way WE do it, if you click on my recipe and learn how cider vinegar, dark molasses and good whiskey form a perfect union. Just pick up 6 pounds of baby back ribs to get started. I’m offering you a foolproof way to prepare moist, tender and never over-cooked ribs—which the panel of FNS judges are quick to wag a finger at!

Food TV Execs Have Good Taste! Would They Like My Slaw?
But I have to applaud those judges. Any Extreme Party Planner would…they settle for no less than EXTREME food—popular dishes that transcend the label of “classic” and shoot for something special. Those spicy pork ribs that won the admiration and respect of a large crowd for the 4th of July challenge were accompanied by a slaw…but not just any slaw…a tangy slaw. My dear readers, you can achieve “tangy” and so much more with a unique twist on Classic Cabbage and Carrot Slaw. How do I do it? Well, I start with the intention of making it good enough that it can be used as a condiment on your favorite BBQ sandwich or burger—or just enjoyed straight off the serving spoon after you’ve mixed your first satisfying batch. The real trick to it, I think, is in the tarragon vinegar, which sounds exotic, but is a popular Heinz product.

Finger Lickin’ Shortcuts
Another shortcut from the shelf? For this slaw, I like (ssh!) pre-packaged, pre-shredded veggies. Shredded broccoli and purple cabbage are great additions. Others include shredded bell peppers and a touch of sliced onion. For a Mexican spin (this is what FNS challenge winner Susie did), you can add thin strips of seeded jalapeno pepper, a sprinkle of lime juice and a dash of ground cumin, garnishing with fresh cilantro instead of parsley.

My own substitutions and sidebars on winning FNS dishes could take me into next week…which is good because I’ll be watching! These contestants have already been through so much, cooking for the whole cast and crew of Cougar Town, creating a gourmet dessert from a vending machine and repeatedly using breakfast, lunch and dinner as a canvas to get their culinary points of view across. If you’re a fan of Food Network Star and see something that didn’t quite “speak to you” on that porcelain 8-inch diameter dinner plate of a canvas, write to me! I’ll spin the plate and put an extreme partier’s spin on things—and I think you’ll be surprised at how chic & cheap that plate can be! Write to me for fresh traditions served up daily, or just leave a comment on my wall about who you’re rooting for!