Three Recipes to Make for July 4th

There’s something thrilling about opening up your fridge or pantry and firing off a quick meal based on what inspires you. However, when you’re hosting people, like for a July 4th barbecue, it’s best to have a plan going into your night. That is why we reached out to some of our favorite chefs and asked them what they plan on making. With recipes like grilled skirt steak with a marinade you’ll want to use every time to a cornmeal pound cake topped with the freshest and most beautiful fruit you can find, we hope you make or find inspiration from these recipes!

Ty Kotz - Private Chef

Marinated Skirt Steak

Notes: There are two types of skirt steak, inside skirt and outside skirt.  I prefer the outside skirt steak over the inside skirt. To me, it is more flavorful, has incredible texture, and cooks super fast and evenly.  However, the inside skirt is more common and easier to get and works just fine too.  This recipe also works well for hanger steak. Serve with grilled vegetables, corn on the cob, or pair it with lobster for the perfect surf and turf. You can even grill it on your carbon steel pans. Give it at least 6 hours of marinating time before grilling, but overnight is best!

Ingredients:

2-3 lbs skirt steak

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 cups canola oil

1 red onion, sliced thin

4-6 cloves garlic, chopped or sliced thin

2 Tbsp dried oregano

2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup kosher salt

2 tsp cayenne powder or chili flakes (omit if you don’t prefer it spicy)

Instructions:

1.  Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.

2.  Trim and cut skirt steak into sections suited for the gill. About 5-inch pieces work great

3.  Pour marinade over the meat and place in a ziplock bag or another container with a lid that doesn't leak.

4.  Marinate overnight. (Every couple of hours, agitate the bag or shake the container to distribute the marinade evenly.)

5.  When ready to grill, remove the meat from the marinade and grill steaks on high heat for about 5 minutes on each side, then remove and let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.  Cut the meat across the grain for a more tender bite.

Tip:

The marinade makes a great side dipping sauce. Once you remove the meat from the marinade, pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring it to a simmer. Let it simmer for about 30 minutes or while the meat is grilling and resting. Serve on the side in little dipping bowls.

Natasha Gaskill - Pastry Chef at Ardsley Station

Cornmeal Pound Cake

Ingredients:

½ cup cornmeal

1 ½ cup flour

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

3 Tbsp Madeira

2 Tbsp orange flower water

3 Tbsp buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 sticks butter

¾ cup sugar

4 eggs

Fresh fruit, for serving.

Ice cream, for serving.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325
2. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan
3. Combine cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl
4. Combine Madeira, orange flower water, buttermilk, and vanilla extract in another bowl.
5. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, around 3 minutes.
6. Scrape down the bowl and add eggs one at a time, beating between additions
7. Alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients to the butter, egg, and sugar mixture. Start and end with the dry ingredients. Be sure not to overmix.
8. Pour your batter into the loaf pan and bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
9. Allow the cake to cool, and then slice it and top with your favorite fresh fruit and a scoop of ice cream.

Tahiz González - Executive Chef at Nonna Carola

King Crab Taco

Ingredients:

1 ear of corn, kernels cut off

1 red pepper, diced

1 leg King Crab, pre-cooked

1 bunch chives

2 guajillo chilies

18 oz frying oil

1 egg yolk

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

9 oz canola oil

6 corn tortillas

1 lime for garnish

For the Filling

1. Heat a pan with a little bit of oil, turn the heat on, and when the pan just starts to smoke, put the kernels and pepper in so it gets a really nice char. Remove when the red pepper and corn have taken on a good amount of color. Set aside.
2. Shred the king crab meat.
3. Thinly slice your chives for garnish.

For the Guajillo Mayo

1. Clean the guajillo chiles by removing the seeds.
2. Add your frying oil to a heavy-bottomed pan and deep fry the chiles in canola oil for less than 1 minute.
3. Blend guajillo with a little bit of oil and strain. You now have chili oil.
4. In a blender or using a hand mixer, beat the mustard, guajillo oil, and egg yolk
5. Slowly stream in the canola oil.

Assemble

1. Mix mayo with crab meat, then add the peppers and corn.
2. Heat up your tortillas in a pan.
3. Place your crab mixture in the tortilla and garnish with chives
4. Squeeze some lime and enjoy