Grill School: 150+ Recipes & Essential Lessons for Cooking on Fire - Hardcover

David Joachim has authored, edited, or collaborated on more than 40 cookbooks, including the IACP Award-winning reference books, The Food Substitutions Bible and The Science of Good Food, which also won a World Gourmand Award for Best Food Literature Book, a Cordon d'Or Award for Best Culinary Reference Book, and was a finalist for both a World Food Media Award and a James Beard Award. He wrote A Man, A Can, A Plan and A Man, A Can, A Grill, a New York Times bestseller, which combined have sold more than 1 million copies.

Andrew Schloss is the author of 22 cookbooks including: Mastering the Grill (winner of a World Gourmand Award and a New York Times bestseller) and The Science of Good Food (winner of an IACP Cookbook Award, a James Beard finalist, nominated by Le Cordon Bleu Food Media Awards as Best Food Book in the World), both co-authored with David Joachim; and Fifty Ways to Cook Most Everything (a main selection for Book of the Month Home Style Club). Schloss is currently the co-owner of Chef Salt, a small-batch artisan seasoning company manufacturing seasoning blends made with unrefined salts. He is the former president of The International Association of Culinary Professionals and the former Director of the Culinary Curriculum for The Restaurant School in Philadelphia. His critically acclaimed restaurant, In Season, was instrumental in the creation of Philadelphia's restaurant renaissance. Mr. Schloss is a well-known culinary instructor and was nominated for “Cooking Teacher of the Year” by the International Association of Culinary Professionals in 2005. He has taught cooking classes to professional and avocational cooks all over the United States.

Grilled Eggplants With Tahini & Pomegranate Seeds
 
1/2 cup (4 oz/125 g) tahini
1/2 cup (4 fl oz/125 ml) lukewarm water, plus more as needed
1 large clove garlic
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
4 Japanese eggplants
1/4 cup (l1/2 oz/45 g) pomegranate seeds
 
*Makes 4 Servings
 
1. Heat the grill for medium-high direct heat (400°-450° F/200°-230°C).
 
2. In a food processor. combine the tahini, water, garlic, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1'2 teaspoon of the salt, and the cumin and process until a very smooth puree forms, 1-2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add more water and/or lemon juice 1 tablespoon at a time if needed to make a thick, yet pourable sauce.
 
3. Starting at the blossom end, cut each eggplant lengthwise into slices 1/4-1/2 inch (6-12 mm) thick, cutting all the way down into the stem end but not through it, so the slices can be fanned out from the stem. Place the eggplants on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush all of the cut sides and the outsides with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and then sprinkle all of the cut sides and the outsides with the remaining 1'2 teaspoon salt.

4. Brush the grill grate and coat with oil. Using tongs, fan out the eggplants on the grate and cook, turning once. until tender and grill marked. 3-4 minutes per side (see Extra Credit). The eggplants will fan out more easily as they cook and soften. Remove the eggplants from the grill.  5 Spread a generous amount of the tahini sauce on the bottom of a platter. Arrange the fanned eggplants over the sauce and drizzle with a little more sauce. Garnish with the pomegranate seeds and serve with the remaining sauce.
 
Extra Credit:
For deeper grill marks, top the fanned-out eggplants with a heavy cast-iron or other heavy pan as
they cook.  If you like it spicy, dust the grilled eggplant with ground Aleppo pepper or cayenne pepper.
For even more flavor, sprinkle the grilled eggplants with za'atar.
Za'atar: Mix together 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon ground sumac, ¾ teaspoon dried lemon peel, ¾ teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon dried savory, ½ teaspoon dried marjoram, and ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt.
The tahini sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Drizzle any extra sauce on grilled fish, lamb, or vegetables.