In this recipe from McCormick, naan flatbread, an Indian staple, serves as the base for fresh fruit.

Both the bread and the fruit are grilled separately, then assembled with a yogurt sauce, chopped pistachios and a garam masala-spiced honey drizzle that continue the theme.

Grill your favorite fruit: apricot, mango, nectarine, peach, pineapple, plum or strawberry work well.

If you’re concerned about buying a bottle of spice for just one recipe, fear not:

Garam masala, which adds warm, sweet flavor, is an all-purpose seasoning for chicken, fish, lamb, potatoes, rice pilaf, even breads. Read more about it below. You may even already have the spices to blend your own (see the end of this article).

Prep time is 20 minutes, cook time is 10 minutes.

RECIPE: GRILLED FRUIT FLATBREAD WITH INDIAN ACCENTS

Ingredients For 4 Servings

A peach tart made on the grill. Photo courtesy McCormick.

 
Preparation

1. MIX the butter, 2 teaspoons of the garam masala and 1 teaspoon of the honey in small bowl. Brush the naan and peaches with honey mixture.

2. GRILL the naan over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes per side or until toasted. Grill the peaches 2 to 3 minutes or until grill marks appear. Slice the peaches into 1/4-inch thick slices.

3. MIX the yogurt and coconut; spread atop each naan. Top with the sliced peaches and sprinkle with the pistachios. Mix the remaining 1 tablespoon honey and 1/4 teaspoon garam masala and drizzle over the top of the peaches. Serve warm or at room temperature.

WHAT IS GARAM MASALA

Garam masala is an aromatic spice blend originating in northern India, but used in both northern and southern cuisines. It is like other spice blends in that the ingredients and proportions will vary somewhat by cook or manufacturer.

Garam means hot in Hindi, and masala is a mixture of spices. The ingredients generally include black, brown and green cardamom pods; black and white peppercorns; cinnamon; clove; coriander; cumin; nutmeg and/or mace*; and turmeric.

Other ingredients can include bay leaf, fennel seeds, fenugreek, garlic, ginger, mace, malabar leaf, mustard seed, saffron, star anise and tamarind.

In Northern Indian cuisine, garam masala is typically used in powder form, while in Southern India it is often made into a paste with coconut milk, vinegar or water.

In fine cooking, the spices are toasted and ground before use, to maintain the intensity of the flavor. But you can buy preground blends, like McCormick’s garam masala.
 
RECIPE: GARAM MASALA

If you want to blend your own, here’s a very simple recipe. Start with these proportions and then adjust to your particular preferences:

 
Store unused spices in an airtight container away from heat and light.
 
*Nutmeg is the seed of the nutmeg tree, while the more mild mace is the dried reddish covering of the seed.

Food fun doesn’t get easier than this:

 
All of the ingredients are on the “better for you” list, so enjoy!

P.S. It’s not just for kids! Who wouldn’t love a piece of bear toast?

Are you making barbecue sauce for the holiday weekend? Consider adding some bourbon, which is trending with chefs.

According to Datassential MenuTrends, bourbon barbecue sauce, which first became popular in the South and Midwest, appears on 32% more restaurant menus than it did four years ago. The trend is spreading nationwide.

Bourbon adds notes of smokiness and wood (like oak does for wine). Other ingredients to add to your sauce include brown sugar, garlic, liquid smoke, maple syrup, molasses, onion, sriracha sauce (or fresh chiles) and tamarind.

In addition to burgers, chicken, pulled pork, ribs and wings, bourbon barbecue sauce is also ending up in “Texas Eggs Benedict,” inspired by the classic with pulled pork instead of Canadian bacon and bourbon barbecue sauce instead of the hollandaise (or along with it).

For starters, try the recipe below. It’s extremely easy to make—just combine the ingredients and heat!

If you’ve already purchased a bottle of barbecue sauce, you can use it as a base. Place it in a saucepan with the bourbon and any of the other ingredients below, to taste.

This recipe was adapted from Epicurious.com. It can be made up to two weeks in advance.

Ingredients For 2 Cups

Preparation

1. BRING all ingredients to boil in saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
 

3. REMOVE from the heat; cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.
  

[1] Go gourmet with apple ginger coleslaw. Photo courtesy EatWisconsin Cheese.com.

[2] Use a crisp eating apple for the salad, like Gala apples, the #1-selling apple in the U.S. (photo © Good Eggs).

When we attend summer cookouts, we always offer to bring the coleslaw. That way, we know it will be a great recipe.

With respect to the simple prepared slaws of shredded cabbage and a bit of carrot doused with sweetened mayonnaise—we’ve eaten our share—coleslaw deserves as much attention and finesse as any other recipe.

For Memorial Day, we’re whipping up this Apple Coleslaw with Lemon Ginger Yogurt Dressing. The recipe, from Eat Wisconsin Cheese, uses queso blanco; but you can substitute Monterrey Jack or even mozzarella.

RECIPE: APPLE COLESLAW

Ingredients For 8 Servings (About 12 Cups)

 
JULY 4TH INGREDIENTS

Use all red cabbage, plus:

1. TOSS the apple, lemon juice and zest in medium bowl; set aside.

2. WHISK together in a large bowl the yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper. Stir in the green and purple cabbages, carrots, cheese and lemon-apple mixture.

3. SEASON to taste with additional salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

 
ANOTHER COLESLAW RECIPE

For July 4th, try this BLT Cole Slaw recipe. Garnished with cherry tomatoes, it’s red, white (the cabbage) and blue (blue cheese).

 
WHAT’S A SLAW? WHY IS IT COLE?

Long part of the culinary repertoire, “koolsla” or “koolsalade” in Dutch means cabbage salad. Cabbage, the “kool” is pronounced “cole.” “Sla” is short for “salade.”

Instead of being pulled into bite-size pieces like lettuce, the cabbage was sliced.

The term got anglicized in the 18th century as cole slaw (and sometimes, cold slaw). In English, “slaw” came to specify a salad of shredded vegetables.

Over time, shredded cabbage slaw was joined by carrot slaws and more recently, broccoli slaw.
 
____________________
*Approximately 4 tablespoons juice and 1 teaspoon zest.

TRIFLE HISTORY

A trifle is a classic English dessert, called by a variety of names including Tipsy Cake, Tipsy Parson, Tipsy Squire and Tipsy Hedgehog. “Tipsy” indicates the addition of spirits, typically sherry.

Trifle was an evolution of the fool, a simpler dessert of puréed fruit and whipped cream. The trifle emerged as a way to use stale cake.

Today, a classic English trifle layers fruit, whipped cream, egg custard and sponge cake that’s been soaked in sherry. Zuppa inglese is the Italian version.

According to What’s Cooking America, the recipe was brought to America in the mid-1700s by Brits settling in the coastal South. The combination of cake or biscuits with custard and alcohol became a popular dessert, served in an elegant cut-glass trifle bowl.

The recipe below is an evolution still, using modern America’s outdoor grills to add another note of flavor to the fruit. Of course, you can make the recipe without cooking the fruit. The recipe is from QVC’s chef David Venable.

Chocolate trifle with grilled strawberries. Photo courtesy QVC.

RECIPE: CHOCOLATE BERRY TRIFLE

Strawberries are usually the most economical berry, but you can substitute other berries (and matching preserves). While this recipe uses whipped topping, we vastly prefer whipped cream.

Use a large glass trifle bowl or salad bowl to assemble the trifle. If you don’t have one or can’t borrow one, a glass mixing bowl works, too; the idea is to show the visual appeal of the layers. But you can default to a lovely [opaque] porcelain bowl or soufflé dish.

There’s no sherry in this recipe, but if you want it, sprinkle it over the cake.

Ingredients For 14-16 Servings

For The Grilled Strawberries

 
For The Trifle

 
*We typically buy an uniced loaf cake or bake a bundt—it’s easier to cut into cubes than an iced cake.

Preparation

1. PREPARE the grilled strawberries: Preheat an outdoor grill over high heat. Place the halved strawberries, lemon juice and sugar in a medium-size bowl. Toss until the strawberries are fully coated and place them in a nonstick grill pan. Cook for 5–6 minutes, tossing constantly.

2. PLACE the berries back into the bowl and add the strawberry preserves. Mix until evenly combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until completely cold.

3. PREPARE the pudding: Whisk together the milk, coffee and instant pudding in a large bowl until the mixture is thick. Fold in half of the whipped topping until fully incorporated. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until completely cold.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the gelatin and cold water in a small pan; let stand until the mixture is thick. Then place the pan over low heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatin dissolves. Remove from the heat. Let it cool, but do not allow it to set.

2. WHIP the cream with the sugar until slightly thick. While slowly beating, add the gelatin to whipping cream. Whip at high speed until stiff.