Wonders of a Charcoal Grill

Everyone in my family has their “thing” that they make. My mom, for example, makes brownies by the dozen. To her, any occasion deserves a pan of her dark, fudgy, heaven. My dad, the exceptionally talented chef in the family, seems to be especially talented with his signature beef bourguignon. My younger sister, the sue chef, could make her own Italian putenesca at the age of ten. But I, on the other hand, never really had my “thing,” until last summer. It wasn’t until I was a nanny, forced to make dinner every night, that I learned the wonders of a charcoal grill.

Trying to watch four kids play outside, while preparing a three part dinner, was never any easy task. After trying to do that for a week, I quickly looked for other options. Luckily, I came across the huge charcoal grill on their deck, overlooking the pool and the yard. I read the manual on the side, and started it up. From then on, I would throw vegetables, meat, fish, and anything else I had, onto the grill.

After weeks of relying on the grill to cook most meals, I became quite interested in the art of grilling. I would read my dad’s Bon Appetits in search of gourmet meals that involved grilling. On the weekends, I would look up recipes, get all the ingredients, and make dinner for my food-snob family. My favorite recipe that I made that summer was the grilled shrimp salad with corn and avocado.

Here's the recipe:

Dressing

• 6 tablespoons orange juice
• 3 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon truffle oil* (optional)

Salad

• 1 10-ounce bag red pearl onions
• 2 pounds uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 3 large ears of corn, husked
• 1 ciabatta bread or pain rustique, cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices
• Olive oil
• 2 teaspoons hot smoked paprika (Pimentn de la Vera)**

• 12 cups mâche (about 7 ounces)
• 2 avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

For dressing:
Whisk first 4 ingredients in small bowl to blend. Whisk in olive oil, then truffle oil, if desired. Season with salt and pepper.

For salad:
Bring small saucepan of water to boil. Add pearl onions and boil 3 minutes. Drain; cool onions slightly. Peel onions, leaving root ends intact.

· Do ahead: Dressing and onions can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover separately and let stand at room temperature.

· Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Thread onions on skewers; thread shrimp on separate skewers. Place onion skewers, shrimp skewers, corn, and bread slices on 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Brush onions, shrimp, corn, and bread with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle shrimp on both sides with smoked paprika. Grill onions and corn until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side; grill bread slices until browned; and grill shrimp until cooked through, about 2 1/2 minutes per side.

· Transfer vegetables, shrimp, and bread to work surface. Cut corn kernels off cobs; place corn kernels in very large bowl. Remove shrimp and onions from skewers and add to bowl. Add mâche and avocados to bowl. Toss salad with enough dressing to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer salad to large rimmed platter and serve with bread.