Hot Dog - It's Summertime Grilling Season!

My blogging buddy, Debbie, at Mountain Breaths is hosting a barbecue/grilling event this weekend to kick off the summer season. Please visit Debbie's blog to join in with your favorite summer grilling recipes and to see the rest of the great grilling posts!


In our family, and among our friends, there's a lot of grilling going on in the summer months. Debbie's event gave me the right opportunity to do a little research. It was also a great time to inaugurate our new grill!


Given the German heritage of Milwaukee, the sausage is is very much a part of our city's culture. Have you ever watched a Brewers game to see the sausages (people dressed in various sausage costumes) race around the bases? Only in Milwaukee! We have several wonderful sausage manufacturers in or near Milwaukee Usingers, Klements and Johnsonville (best known for their brats). Here is a little hot dog history if you are interested.

When I saw this recipe for Crosshatch Hot dogs at Food & Wine, I almost couldn't believe my eyes! A hot dog recipe with complex flavors and topped with a tangy, spicy slaw and served on a toasted croissant with Dijon butter? Oh my! This is not your father's hot dog!

The original recipe calls for cabbage with red chili peppers tossed with in a tangy vinaigrette to be served with the hot dogs.


My personal twist on the recipe was to grill the cabbage and peppers and throw in some grilled vidalia onions!


The cabbage and peppers are then thinly sliced and the onions diced and mixed with the vinaigrette.


The croissants are spread with a butter and Dijon mustard mixture and then grilled:


The sausages (in my case, Usingers all beef franks) are then thread onto skewers, crosshatch marks made around each hot dog, and then they are brushed with a soy, ketchup and minced garlic sauce...


...and grilled:


The grilled frank and slaw are then placed on the grilled croissant for one of the best hot dogs you will ever taste - I promise you!


My husband declared this recipe "Fantastic"! You may want to treat your father to this flavorful recipe on Father's Day.

Given the simple hot dog main course, dessert had to be simple but stepped up a notch - and grilled, as well. Having just purchased Bobby Flay's 'Grill it' cookbook recently, I decided to adapt a recipe for Peaches Foster from his book.

Sliced Southern Peaches are rubbed with canola oil and grilled:


A mixture of brown sugar and butter is thickened on the stove and Cognac is added and flambéed:


The mixture of grilled peaches, pecan/cognac sauce and our own, locally made vanilla ice cream custard make a perfect grilled summertime dessert!


Crosshatch Hot Dogs on Grilled Croissants
Adapted from Food & Wine with my variation on the slaw
Printable Recipe
Serves 4

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
6 cups finely grilled and sliced green cabbage (I used Savoy)
1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, sliced into thick rounds
3 fresh red chiles, seeded and thinly sliced
Salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 croissants, split
4 large hot dogs
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 large garlic clove, minced

Rinse cabbage and cut in half. Peel and cut onion into thick slices. Cut red chilies in half and remove the seeds. Brush the cabbage, onion and chili peppers with canola oil and grill over high heat until slightly charred on both sides - about 6 minutes on each side. Allow to cool slightly and then slice cabbage and chili peppers and dice onions.

In a large bowl, stir the honey with the sherry vinegar until the honey is dissolved. Add the grilled, shredded cabbage, red chilies and onions, season with salt and toss. This can be prepared in advance.

In a small bowl, blend the butter and the mustard and then spread thinly on the cut sides of the croissants.

Thread each hot dog lengthwise onto a skewer. Using a sharp knife, make shallow cuts at 1/2 inch intervals down the length of each hot dog, three times around. The cuts will look like crescents. Run the knife down the center of the cuts to 'crosshatch' the crescents.

Mix the ketchup with the soy sauce, oil and garlic. Brush each hot dog with he mixture. Any remaining ketchup mixture can be brushed on during grilling.

Grill the cut side of the croissants over high heat until toasted, approximately 30 seconds. Then turn and grill the other side for about 10 seconds.

Grill the hot dogs until charred and the cuts open, for approximately 2-4 minutes, turning frequently. Place the cabbage salad on one half of each croissant, top with a hot dog and serve.

Advance preparation: The cabbage salad and hot dogs, brushed with soy sauce mixture, can be kept, covered overnight, in the refrigerator.

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Grilled Peaches Foster with Ice Cream
Adapted from Grill it! By Bobby Flay
Printable Recipe

Serves 4

9 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
6 peaches, slightly under-ripe, halved and pitted
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup Cognac
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
2 cups vanilla ice cream

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the butter and brown sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar is melted and the mixture bubbles and thickens, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Brush the peaches with oil and grill, cut side down, about 3 minutes. Turn and grill for 3-4 minutes more. Remove from grill and allow to cool slightly. Cut into slices or dice.

Remove the pan with the brown sugar/butter sauce from heat and add the Cognac. Using a long match or fire-starter, ignite the liquor and let the flames subside. Stir in the cinnamon, salt, and toasted pecans.

Scoop about ½ cup of vanilla ice cream into a serving dish. Add the grilled, sliced peaches and spoon some of the pecan sauce over the top.

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