Have a holiday cook-in

For many of us, Labor Day marks the end of the cookout season. Of course, there are the diehard grillers who don’t mind the chilly weather, or those who don a slicker, open an umbrella and cook outside in the pouring rain.

Since we have had so much rain this summer, I thought I would give you recipes for foods that can either be tossed on the grill or prepared indoors.

More than eight years ago, I lunched at Picholine, a marvelous Upper West Side New York restaurant. Hanger steak was on the menu and our waiter recommended it, especially if my friend and I had never sampled this deliciously tender cut of beef. Hanger steak is also known as skirt steak. It is similar to authentic flank steak, which is not the cheap London broil or round steak.

For the past six months, Whole Foods Market has offered this delicious cut of beef for $6.99 a pound. It may seem pricey, but you have no bone and no waste. I buy about a pound and a half to serve three to four people.

Putting carbs aside, the white corn has been perfect all summer long. I especially like the white corn grown in Lancaster County. Our family has cut back on carbohydrates, but we feast on white corn once a week.

I’m always searching for new cole slaw recipes. I especially enjoy slaws tossed with olive oil instead of mayonnaise. Although I grew up on standard slaw with Hellmann’s mayonnaise, I like to fiddle around with new recipes.

Summer fruits have been glorious all season. The blueberries were juicy, the peaches delightfully sensuous and cantaloupes uncommonly sweet. Last week, I gave you recipes from Coastal Cooking by John Shields. I am cooking from this book and came upon an unusual recipe for cool cantaloupe soup. I like the idea of using fizzy champagne in this recipe.

Here are recipes fit for a feast if Labor Day proves to be a washout.

Pan-Grilled Hanger Steak

Ingredients:

2 pounds hanger steak, cut in half
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bring the steak to room temperature. Dry it well with paper towels and set aside.

Heat the butter and olive oil over high heat in a cast-iron skillet. If you do not own a cast-iron skillet, use a heavy frying pan. Melt the butter and olive oil and add the steak. You will have to do this in two batches. Sear the steak a few minutes on each side for rare beef. Anything else is a crime.

Remove the steak from the pan and slice. Enjoy it. Repeat with the second piece of beef. Add kosher salt and black pepper when you serve it.

Serves four to six.

Note from Phyllis: I recently purchased a heavy cast-iron frying pan, with ridges, at Fante’s. I find it the best utensil to use when grilling steak, whether it is a flank steak, hanger steak, rib-eye or filet mignon. You can add some saut�ed mushrooms or onions. Can’t hurt.

White Corn

Ingredients:

4 ears Lancaster County white corn
Melted butter
Kosher salt

Directions:

Husk each ear of corn. Rinse with cold water. Wrap each in plastic and microwave on high for two minutes. Turn the corn over and microwave for another two minutes. Carefully remove the plastic wrap, brush each ear with melted butter and sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt.

Serves four.

Note from Phyllis: The big crime with making corn is overcooking it. Each microwave oven is different, so it is best to undercook it slightly rather than overcook it.

Cole Slaw

Ingredients:

1 small head green cabbage, cored and shredded
1 small head red cabbage, cored and shredded
2 teaspoons baby capers, rinsed and drained
Handful pitted Kalamata or Gaeta olives
2 large red peppers, julienned
1 cup olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Place all the vegetables in a large bowl and toss well. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice. Pour over the cole slaw. Add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss again. Taste and adjust for seasonings and dressing.

Serves six.

Maggie’s Eastern Shore Cantaloupe Soup
From Coastal Cooking by John Shields

Ingredients:

4 ripe cantaloupes
1 (750-milliliter) bottle dry champagne
1/2 cup freshly chopped mint leaves
Mint sprigs for garnish, optional
Fresh berry sauce, optional, recipe follows

Directions:

Peel and seed three of the cantaloupes and cut into pieces. Pur�e the cantaloupe in a blender in batches, adding champagne to each batch to create a thickish soup consistency. Chill well.

Cut the remaining melon in half, discard the seeds, and scoop out the flesh with a melon baller. Add these melon balls to the chilled pur�ed melon, along with the chopped mint. Serve in chilled bowls with a sprig of fresh mint.

Fresh Berry Sauce

Ingredients:

2 pints fresh strawberries or raspberries
1/2 cup sugar dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

Pur�e berries in a blender. With the blender running, pour in the sugar water and the lemon juice and process until smooth. Put the puree through a sieve, if necessary, to remove the seeds. Refrigerated sauce will keep for several days.

Serves six to eight.

Note from Phyllis: You can make this soup and sauce in a food processor. Blueberries are a fine substitute for the strawberries or raspberries.