Ideas for a Kosher Cookout on the Fourth of July

Summertime … and the grilling’s easy. It turns out, there is way more to a barbecue than making delicious food on the grill. 

“When I barbecue, it’s always more like jazz than a three-act play for me,” chef Jeff Frymer told the Journal. Frymer, a licensed marriage and family therapist in private practice and Certified Inner Bonding facilitator, spends his off time as guest chef on a catamaran.

For a recent family barbecue, Frymer pre-seasoned tri-tip with salt and pepper. Then, he took it out of the refrigerator 20 minutes before cooking it. He also drizzled salmon with olive oil and then added salt, pepper, paprika, fresh chopped garlic, thinly sliced red onion and fresh thyme. Whereas the meat went directly on the grill, he foil-wrapped the salmon (skin-side down) before putting it on the flame. 

Cooking times, Frymer said, vary, since everyone’s grill is a little different. “I pretty much go by smell and check often for doneness.” 

Frymer also has a “tried and true technique” for cooking corn on the cob. After removing the husks and silks, Frymer butters and seasons the cobs. He then wraps them back in washed husks and covers them in foil. 

“Turn/roll the corn often over well-prepared coals/wood or gas,” he said. “Not too much flame or it will burn, unless that’s the result you want to suit your taste.” 

Be careful when removing the foil so you don’t get scalded by the steam.

“The corn comes out amazing,” Frymer said. “It’s juicy and crisp to the bite with just a hint of smoky charred flavor.” 

Ali Rosen, cookbook author and Emmy and James Beard Award nominated host of “Potluck with Ali Rosen” believes that you don’t have to put cheese on a burger for it to be tasty. 

“For the perfect Jewish BBQ, you really need a sauce that makes you forget any other grilled food exists.” 
– Ali Rosen

“For the perfect Jewish BBQ, you really need a sauce that makes you forget any other grilled food exists.” 

The ginger sauce for Rosen’s grilled beef has only four ingredients, but it gets the job done. This sauce goes on a lot of different proteins, but marries particularly well with steak. After you’re done making your steak, you can pair it with Rosen’s plum and cucumber salad, too.

Grilled Beef with Ginger Sauce

Serves 4-8

Serves 4-8
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh ginger
2 cups finely chopped scallions
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Dash of salt
4 lbs sirloin steak
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

Make the sauce: Combine the ginger, scallions, soy sauce, vinegar and olive oil. Set aside (I think the sauce gets better the longer it sits, but at least let it sit while you cook the steak so it has time to settle together). Then make the steak. Generously salt the steak on both sides.

Start your grill and let it come to temperature. Rub oil on both sides of the steak. Add the steak to the grill and cook for 5-8 minutes, depending on the size of your steaks and the desired level of doneness. You will want to flip the steak every 30 seconds or so to ensure that it cooks evenly – it will cook better this way rather than just leaving it to only flip once. Remove the steak and let it rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice off the fat and then cut the steak into ¼ inch pieces lengthwise. Add the sauce on top and serve.

Plum and Cucumber Salad

Serves: 8-10

This recipe is perfect for a Jewish barbecue because you get all the intense flavor without any limitations on dietary restrictions. And it only takes 10 minutes to make

4-5 large ripe plums, diced
   (approximately 4 cups)

2 large English cucumbers, sliced into  
   1/4 inch discs (approximately 4 cups)

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
   (approximately 2-3 limes)

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro

1/2 tablespoon dried chili flakes

Dash of salt

Combine all ingredients and serve.

Note: This dish is spicy as is, so if you’d like it to be less so then you can easily cut the amount of chili flakes in half. Remember: You can’t take spicy out, so sometimes it is good to start with half and then you can always add more.

Substitutions: This dish is also great with peaches.  That way, you can use the flavor combination year round. Just substitute the same amount of peaches for plums and you’ll be all set to have a summery version of the same dish.

Spicy Grilled Pineapple

Makes 6 pineapple slices

For a great unexpected dessert, try Rosen’s spicy grilled pineapple. 

“It takes a fruit that is often just the filler in a fruit salad and makes it into something exciting and different,” Rosen said. “Grilled pineapple is a delight on its own, but by adding a few spicy flavors, you’ll make it unforgettable.” 

1 whole pineapple
1/8 teaspoon chili powder or cayenne
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Cut up the pineapple: trim the top, bottom, and sides, and then core out the middle (it’s also fine to leave the core). Slice the pineapple into 1-inch-thick rounds. In a bowl, mix the chili powder, sugar and ginger. Sprinkle the chili mixture on top of the pineapple slices.

Turn on your grill and make sure it has completely reached full heat. Turn on your hood or fan before cooking the pineapple slices, because once they hit the pan they will smoke a bit. Cook the pineapple slices on one side for 2 minutes, without moving them, until the slices have browned. Flip to the other side and repeat. Let them cool on a wire rack, allowing the juice to drip out, before serving them.

Delicious Vegan No-Bake Cheesecake

“Sharing food is a wonderful way to spend a holiday,” Michael Tanenbaum of Consciously Kosher said. “It enables us to expand our palette of shapes, textures, flavors, aromas, colors and sounds that our food comes in.”

Tanenbaum founded Consciously Kosher to help busy people in the kosher food community who have a limited time and budget make healthier food-buying decisions.

His raw vegan cheesecake is a wonderfully tasty alternative to real dairy, and the perfect way to cap off any summer meal.

Crust:
3 Medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cup organic pecans and/or walnuts
1/2 cup almond flour (not almond meal)
2 Tbsp of coconut oil
1 Tbsp cinnamon (we use Ceylon
cinnamon)
Pinch of salt

Filling:
2 cups of soaked cashew nuts
1 cup of coconut milk
1/3 cup of maple syrup
1/4 cup of coconut oil
2 Tbsp of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blueberries (plus an extra cup of blueberries for the garnish)

Crust: Throw all ingredients into a food processor and blend on high for about 30 seconds. Pour into a round 8-inch baking pan. Put in the freezer for a few minutes while you prepare the filling.

Filling: Soak cashews (overnight if possible, or for at least 2 hours); drain and rinse. Add all filling ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend on high for 30-45 seconds.

Remove crust from freezer. Pour 2/3 of the filling mixture onto the crust. Put back in the freezer for 30-45 minutes or until hardened.

Add a cup of blueberries to the remaining 1/3 filling mixture and blend on high for 15-20 seconds.

When the first layer hardens, remove from freezer and pour the second layer on top. Put back in the freezer for at least 30-45 minutes. Remove from freezer and garnish with fresh blueberries. Thaw for a few minutes before serving.