The warm weather and the sun staying out late can only mean one thing. Memorial Day Weekend is right around the corner. And with people starting to gather in groups again, this MDW will be a preview of the summer. Pressure to deliver? Maybe a little, but do not worry. Have we already started menu planning? Well, of course, we have but don’t worry, we’ll share. Here are the tools and tastes of a Made In Memorial Day Grill Out.
First, we cocktail.
No more drinking all of your WFH beverages out of your one favorite cup. We’re serving the good stuff, in the good stuff - that’s our Italian-made glassware. Our drinking glass's sleek, modern design works perfectly with any cocktail, but we’ll be serving a Grapefruit Spritz. Fresh grapefruit juice adds a nice acidity to the Aperol and prosecco. Pro-tip: chill your glass before serving by filling it up with ice. This will keep your drink colder for longer. We also love serving it with a sprig of rosemary, as the green makes the light hue of the grapefruit pop, and the aromas pair beautifully.
Flame-kissed peaches to start.
Our Grill Frying Pan allows your vegetables to be in direct contact with the flame and the carbon steel body gives you the high-heat cooking to get the char on your veggies. The perforations allow for flame-kissed and smokey flavors. We love grilling asparagus, carrots, corn, shallots, and radishes.
But this weekend, we’re taking our peaches from the farmstand and grilling them lightly, and serving with burrata, a few glugs of good olive oil, and a bunch of fresh herbs. Basil, mint, and tarragon are all great ideas. Why peaches? Because, well, it’s peach season in Texas.
Then, we grill.
Scallops on the Griddle.
Your new favorite pan this summer might just be our griddle pan. It creates a hot flat surface perfect for making smash burgers, sautéeing vegetables, or cooking bacon and eggs. Our griddle pan’s flat surface and shallow walls allow for easy flipping, too, giving you more accessibility on a grill than you’ve ever had. For this MDW, we’ll be serving scallops with grilled bread.
Preheat your pan on the grill and add a few tablespoons of high-smoke point oil. While your pan is getting hot, slice some bread, brush it with olive oil and grill it.
Once the oil is hot, season your scallops and pat them dry. Place them in the pan until they develop a golden brown sear and flip them. Add a few chunks of butter (no such thing as measuring when basting) and aromatics. We love thyme, garlic, or even bay leaves. Baste for 1-2 minutes and then remove and serve with a pile of your grilled bread.
Steak in the Fry.
Fire up your carbon steel frying pan and season your room-temperature steak with salt and pepper. You may be itching to throw your steak on the grill grates, but grilling your steak in a pan doesn’t allow you to baste it with butter and herbs.
Once your pan is nice and hot, add some oil, pat your steak dry to get rid of excess moisture, and place it in the pan. Let it develop a beautiful, deep, dark char and then give it a flip. Add a few knobs of butter, some thyme, and rosemary and baste. After allowing your steak to rest (rest it on a wire rack to keep the steak from steaming and ruining your crust! If you don’t have a wire rack, chopsticks laid across a plate also work). If you want to mirror Peter Luger’s, pour the now flavored brown butter on top of the steak on the serving platter, and place something under one of the sides to create a tilt. This allows the butter to pool on one side, making it easy to scoop all of the “vitamins” over your pieces.
Post food coma, you remember your second dessert stomach.
If you’re preparing your food while you have your guests over, adding a dessert to your to-do lists is not ideal, which is why we’re making cheesecake bars. Our French Bakeware is thermal-shock resistant, so you can go straight from the oven to the fridge, allowing your bars to cool completely before serving.
With cheesecake bars, you can accomplish a beautiful dish before your guests even arrive. Feel free to follow any recipe you’d like, but make sure to consider these pro-tips: Include saltines in your graham cracker crust for some saltiness. Shop at a local farmer’s market and buy whatever fruit looks the most delicious for a topping. And lastly, for an airier, fluffier filling, mix in ¼ cup of ricotta to your cream cheese.
There is so much to look forward to this summer. Large gatherings, barbecues, attending sporting events, but for us, the thing we are most looking forward to is cooking with our friends and family. We’ve been cooking up a storm all year long and can’t wait to host our loved ones around the table again!
Looking forward to enjoying a cocktail or glass of wine with you all.
