Hello October, is that really you? And what’s with the 95+ degree weather last week?

Well that heat wave was no joke, but I was able to score a nice trip to the beach to celebrate the summer-esq weather in October. But now it has cooled off significantly, I suppose it’s time to bid adieu to summer, and properly embrace fall. But before that, one more barbeque with some of summer’s quintessential food – hot dogs and corn!

In September 2011, we spent a gourmet-packed long weekend in Seattle and Vancouver, and the one thing the boys all fell in love with, was the Japanese-style hot dogs from JapaDog stand. These were just regular hot dogs on regular buns, but with some Japanese style condiments, these dogs were elevated to a whole new level.

This can be easily recreated with some simple ingredients for the toppings and condiments. If you don’t have an Asian grocery store near you, some of these can be found in the ethnic aisle in major supermarkets.

*Bonito fish flakes, aka Katsuobushi
*Toasted seaweed sheets for sushi, aka Yaki Nori
*Caramelized onion
*Scallion, lots of scallion
*Bacon (or you can wrap the dogs with bacon like I did)
*Grated Daikon (white radish)
*Tonkatsu sauce  (Kikkoman and Bull-Dog make good ones)
*Rriracha hot sauce
*Toasted white sesame seeds
*Kewpie mayonnaise (it’s eggier and less sour than regular mayo)

I used the mayonnaise and made a few different flavored variations –

miso mayo
2 part mayo to 1 part miso

teriyaki mayo
4 part mayo to 1 part teriyaki sauce

wasabi mayo
1 cup mayo with 1-2 tbsp of wasabi paste

Of course I did. Bacon makes everything better.

To spiral the hot dogs – Skewer the dogs, cut at a diagonal while turning the dogs, don’t cut all the way through. Remove the skewers and they are ready to be grilled!
My favorite combo – Smear one side of bun with teriyaki mayo, the other with wasabi mayo. Add the bacon wrapped hot dog. Top with caramelized onion, bonito flakes, lots of scallion, some seaweed pieces, and a drizzle of kewpie mayo.

A simple crunchy salad that features some in-season vegetables. I blanched the green beans and carrots before hand, and grilled the eggplant.

The dressing:

*1 Tbsp lemon juice
*1-2 Tbsp of minced shallots
*1/2 tsp of Dijon mustard
*1 glove garlic, minced
* 1/2 tsp of sugar
*2 tsp olive oil
* salt, pepper to season

Whisk everything together and pour over vegetables.

Instead of our usual grilled corn slathered with barbecue sauce, I wanted to make some Mexican-style grilled corn, aka elote. These babies were 6 for a dollar during peak season!!

I followed the recipe from Saveur loosely. I put all the spices in a jar to ensure even sprinkling. And if a guest wanted more spices on the corn, I can just hand them the jar.

Mexican-Style Grilled Corn

adapted from Saveur

4 large ears corn, with husks still attached
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup crumbled cotija cheese
1/2 cup of grated parmesan
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp. dried oregano
4 tsp. ancho chile powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lime, cut into four wedges

To wash these all down, I made a non-alcoholic passion fruit mojito.

muddle, muddle, muddle. And I usually don’t middle with the whole lime, I don’t know what I was thinking that day.

This recipe serves about two people, I tripled it for the BBQ.

6 mint Leaves
2 Tbsp turbinado sugar
Juice from 1 lime
1 Tbsp Passion fruit puree
1 cup sparkling water
* Optional: add a splash of orange juice or pineapple juice

Muddle mint, sugar, lime juice together until the sugar dissolves. Add ice, puree, and water. Stir and enjoy!

You can buy passion fruit puree in the frozen section of fine supermarkets. You can also substitute with passion fruit juice, just use it in place of water and sugar. Here is an old post on how to extract passion fruit pulp.

I know summer is over and I haven’t even finished posting about my trips from July and August…(slacker!) I also have quite a few recipe posts lined up too. Stay tuned 🙂