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4th of July Buffet at the White Dog Cafe

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~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

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Recipe Source

The White Dog Cafe Cookbook:
Recipes and Tales of Adventure from
Philadelphia's Revolutionary Restaurant
by Judy Wicks and Kevin von Klause, 1998, Running Press

4^th of July Buffet at the White Dog Café

 Sweet & Spicy Barbecued Chicken
Watermelon and Shrimp Salad with
Jalapeño-Lime Dressing
Grilled Corn with Cumin Butter
Betty’s Beef Kabobs
Summer Garden Vegetable Potato Salad  
Tangy Six-Vegetable Slaw
Nana’s Strawberry Pie

 “Every third of July, I begin to get labor pains in the morning. By evening,
I’ll be giving birth to the nation in the street on a bed draped in red, white
and blue at our annual Liberty and Justice for All Ball. Now in our twelfth
year, the “All Ball” is held under tent top in the street in front of the Café.
It begins with a buffet of all-American favorites, including some of my own
family’s summertime traditions, such as Mom’s (Betty’s) Kabobs that Dad
used to grill out on the patio, and Nana’s Strawberry Pie that she used to
bring to our house in an old- fashioned wicker pie basket.”

Sweet & Spicy Barbecued Chicken
(Serves 4 to 6)

“There are scores of recipes for barbecue sauce – each one different,
but essentially the same. The basic formula incorporates three taste
sensations: sweet, tart, and spicy. In our version, honey and orange
supply the sweet, mustard and vinegar add the tang, and the smoky
chipotle peppers lend the fire.
These ingredients not only fulfill the basic requirements for great
barbecue, they also combine so well you’ll hear involuntary lip
smacking around the table.”

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cups minced yellow onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced chipotle
pepper in adobo
1 cup ketchup
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 whole chickens, cut
into serving pieces

1. In a nonreactive saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Add
the onions and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook 4 minutes.
Stir in the chipotle, ketchup, orange juice, honey, mustard, vinegar,
Worcestershire, thyme, allspice, and salt. Simmer until thick, about
10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
2. Place the chicken pieces in a shallow dish. Pour half of the barbecue
sauce on top; cover and reserve the remaining sauce. Turn to coat
the pieces thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or
up to overnight.
3. Prepare a charcoal grill.
4. Lightly oil the grill rack. Grill the chicken over hot coals, turning occasionally and basting with the marinade, until cooked through,
about 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, warm the reserved barbecue sauce in a pan.  Serve
on the side with the hot grilled chicken. Also, use this
sauce to barbecue ribs, pork chops, lamb or duck.

Watermelon and Shrimp Salad with
Jalapeño-Lime Dressing 
(serves 4)

“This is a light and spicy salad that makes a terrific first course...
Unless you’ve put Tabasco on your watermelon wedges, you
probably won’t believe how incredible watermelon and hot
chiles are together – this salad is proof positive.”

1 cup Avocado Mousse (recipe follows)

Jalapeño-Lime Dressing
Juices and minced zest of 3 limes
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1 jalapeño pepper, sliced
into thin rings
1 teaspoon salt or nam pla
1 tablespoon chopped fresh
cilantro leaves & stems
1 tablespoon chopped
fresh mint leaves

Salad
8 ounces cooked shrimp, peeled,
deveined, and chilled
4 cups seeded watermelon cubes
1 small red onion, sliced into thin rings
1 head Romaine lettuce

1. Prepare the Avocado Mousse.
2. Prepare the dressing:  Whisk together the lime juice
and zest, the cider vinegar, and honey in a small bowl.
Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Stir in the jalapeño, salt
(or nam pla), cilantro, and mint. Reserve.
3. Prepare the salad:  In a large bowl, combine the
shrimp, watermelon, and red onion rings. Add the
dressing and toss to combine well. Arrange a few
leaves of Romaine on 4 chilled plates. Spoon the
salad onto the lettuce and top with a dollop of the
Avocado Mousse.

 Avocado Mousse
2 ripe Haas avocados, peeled and pitted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 cup cold water

Combine the avocado flesh, lemon juice, crème fraîche,
salt, Tabasco and water in a food processor or blender.
Process until smooth, about 1 minute. Serve immediately,
or tightly cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Grilled Corn with Cumin Butter
(Makes about 1/2 pound)

“This cumin butter is terrific on grilled chicken, fish or
steak, but we like it best on grilled sweet corn. Some
folks soak their corn in water before grilling, but wee
place it straight on the grill. The smoldering outer
husks give the sweet corn a smoky quality that is
enhanced by the spicy lime-spiked cumin butter.”

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter,
room temperature
1/4 cup minced red onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/3 whole lime, seeded and minced
(about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon minced fresh
cilantro leaves
3/4 teaspoon salt

1. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small sauté pan
set over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until
translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and
jalapeño and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the cumin
and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
2. Combine the cumin mixture, the remaining butter,
lime, cilantro and salt in a bowl and mix well with
a fork until the butter is smooth and all of the
ingredients are incorporated. There should be no
lumps of butter in the mixture.
3. Spoon the butter onto a piece of waxed paper or
plastic wrap. Shape into a log 2 inches in diameter.
Roll up tightly and refrigerate until firm. The butter
will keep, refrigerated, for up to 1 week, or frozen,
for up to 2 months.

Betty’s Beef Kabobs
(serves 4)

“When Judy first started the White Dog Café, she wanted to
serve the foods she relished as a child. Her mother, Betty
Wicks, a great cook and renowned hostess, gave her this
old family recipe for beef kabobs when the only kitchen at
the Café was a charcoal grill in the backyard. Customers
loved it then and they still ask for it today. Betty’s Kabobs
remain a summer barbecue classic.”

Marinade
1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon freshly ground
black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 pounds beef sirloin, trimmed of
excess fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
16 mushroom caps
1 small red bell pepper, cut
into 1 1/2-inch squares
1 small yellow bell pepper, cut
into 1 1/2-inch squares
1 small white onion, cut into
1 1/2-inch pieces
8 cherry tomatoes
8 long metal skewers, or
8 wooden skewers soaked
in water for at least 1 hour

1. Prepare the marinade: Whisk together the oil, soy
sauce, lemon juice, mustard, black pepper, and garlic
in a large bowl.
2. Add the cubed meat and mushroom caps to the bowl
and toss to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate
for 4 to 6 hours.
3. Prepare a charcoal grill or preheat the broiler.
4. Evenly divide the marinated meat, mushrooms, and
all of the remaining vegetables among the 8 skewers.
Transfer the marinade to a saucepan and bring to a
boil for 1 minute. Reserve the marinade.
5. Grill the kabobs over a solid bed of glowing coals,
turning frequently and basting with the reserved
marinade, for 5 to 8 minutes for medium- rare.
To broil the kabobs, set them a few inches from
the broiler and turn frequently for 8 to 10 minutes.
Serve hot. (Chicken, turkey, swordfish or shrimp
can be substituted for the beef. Adjust the cooking
times as necessary.)

Tangy Six-Vegetable Slaw
(Makes about 2 quarts; serves 8)

3/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
1 teaspoon aniseed
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and grated
2 cups (1/2 pound) thinly
sliced red cabbage
2 cups (1/2 pound) thinly
sliced white cabbage
4 scallions, thinly sliced

1. Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard powder,
aniseed, celery seed, and cayenne pepper in a bowl
and whisk together. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.
Reserve.
2. Combine the bell peppers, carrot, red cabbage, white
cabbage and scallions in a large bowl and toss together
to combine well. Pour the  reserved dressing over the
vegetables and toss well. Allow the slaw to sit at room
temperature for 30 minutes before serving to allow
the vegetables to absorb the flavors of the dressing.
3. Taste for seasoning and serve, or cover and refrigerate
for up to 2 days.

Nana’s Strawberry Pie
(serves 6 to 8)

3 pints (6 cups) strawberries, rinsed,
hulled and stemmed
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 prebaked single pie crust
Whipped cream, for serving

1. Reserve 1 pint of the best-looking strawberries.
2. Place the remaining berries in a bowl and crush with a
pastry blender, potato masher, or strong wire whip.
Combine the crushed berries, sugar, cornstarch, butter,
and lemon juice in a nonreactive saucepan set over
medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until thick
and uncloudy, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool to room
temperature.
3. Pour the filling into the prebaked pie shell. Arrange
the reserved whole berries, stem side down, in
concentric circles over the top of the filling. Chill
for at least 2 hours or overnight. Serve with lots of
freshly whipped cream.

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Foolproof Grilled Chicken
Gigi's Master Shish Kabob Recipe
Mouthwatering Melons
Strawberry Margarita Pie
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