Just Puttin' Around on Father's Day
Published June 20, 2020
Father’s Day had always been celebrated with a large gathering at my Aunt and Uncle's house full of family members and friends from near and far, many of which I would only see once a year. It was a time to honor those very admired fathers we love in addition to celebrating my Grandfather’s birthday. The day was full of lots of laughter, the aroma of BBQ sauce on the hot grill and an abundant spread of amazing home-made salads and sides.
A few years ago, I took over the tradition of holding the Father’s Day BBQ at our home. Each year since, it has been my goal to give the children and adults in our family a fun day full of new tastes and culinary experiences. The profound love of golf that runs in the family was the base to my meal this year.
FROZEN BOOZY ARNOLD PALMER
Arnold Palmer - admired by both my father and Mark, for quite different reasons! Growing up, my father would have a fresh batch of each iced tea and lemonade ready in the fridge on hot summer days. He would serve them up in a glass mixed in equal portions for a refreshing sweet drink. Little did I know then that there was a name for this genius concoction...the one and only, Arnold Palmer, who's drink carries his name, and who happens to like it heavier on the tea side than equal.
As for Mark, Arnold Palmer was not just a beverage, but a golf legend as well with a personality that popularized and commercialized his favorite sport. So, it only seemed fitting that I incorporated a little bit of Arnold Palmer into our golf themed day.
I was intrigued by this boozy frozen version. I doubled the recipe, adding vodka to only half, keeping the other half alcohol free. It made the perfect poolside beverage just as I remembered growing up.
BIRDIE BITES
- Root Beer Pulled Pork Sliders
Root beer floats are one of my father's favorite summer treats, so I knew this sweet root beer flavored pulled pork would be enjoyed. It can be served on a roll or piled high on top of your favorite mac and cheese. It’s incredibly tender and flavorful. Reducing some of the sauce with the pork together at the end allows the root beer flavor to infuse into the pork and the sugar to caramelize around each piece. If you prefer more spice with your sweet, add a few dashes of hot pepper sauce before reducing or serve on the side.
3 lb Pork Sirloin Roast
Salt and Pepper
Vegetable Oil
2 Onions – Sliced
3 Cloves Garlic Crushed
5 Cans Root Beer
2 Btls Chili Sauce
Mini Potato Rolls
Cole Slaw
Cole Slaw Dressing
In a large pan, heat drizzle of oil over medium high heat. Season pork with salt and pepper. Brown meat on all sides. Transfer meat to slow cooker. Cover with 1 can of root beer, onion slices and garlic. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high 4-5 hours until pork is fork tender.
While pork is cooking, combine 4 cans of root beer and 2 btls of chili sauce in a medium saucepan. Reduce by half. Set aside. When pork is done, transfer to cutting board and shred with a fork. Discard cooking liquids. Set chili sauce back on the stove top in a large pan over medium heat. Add pork to sauce and reduce slightly until thickened.
Mix coleslaw and dressing in large mixing bowl. Add pork to bottom half of potato roll. Top with coleslaw and serve.
- Pebble Beach Szechuan Skewers
A place Mark speaks of fondly, and home to a well-known golf course we hope to visit later this year, Pebble Beach Golf Resort offers an assortment of award winning restaurants, including the famous Hawaiian inspired “Roy’s” pioneered by celebrity chef Roy Yamaguchi. I was fortunate enough to find his delicious Szechuan Marinade recipe (below) from a Rib course off his dinner menu. I used it to marinate chicken and steak tips, which I skewered and cooked on the grill.
2 lbs Chicken Tenders cut into 1.5" pieces
2 lbs Top Sirloin or Tenderloin Beef cut into 1.5" pieces
Sesame Seeds
Scallions Thinly Sliced
Wooden or Metal Grill Skewers
Marinade:
5 Tbl White Miso (shiro miso paste)
2/3 cups Hoisin Sauce
1 ½ Tbl Ginger Minced
1 ½ Tbl Garlic Minced
1 ½ Tbl Sake
1 ½ Tbl Soy Sauce
2 tsp Sugar
1 Tbl Chili Paste with Garlic (preferably Lan Chi brand)
I doubled the marinade recipe above to serve 8. Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate overnight. In a medium bowl add chicken and steak and half of the marinade mixture. Let it sit one hour in the fridge. Meanwhile, soak wooden skewers in water for 15 minutes before threading to prevent burning or use metal skewers. Heat grill to med-high heat. Thread meat evenly on skewers and grill until cooked throughout, about 2 minutes per side for both steak and chicken. Let sit 5 minutes under tented foil. Brush with reserved marinade and serve the leftover sauce on the side. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chives. I served these with a side of rice.
EMERALD GREENS Of Marbled Fondant and Golf Leaf
VANILLA CAKE LAYERED WITH TIRAMISU BUTTERCREAM AND BITTERSWEET GANACHE FILLING
Mark’s Father, Dennis, and I share a common passion - that of cooking, entertaining and nurturing the soul with food. Our time together consists of exchanging family recipes, learning new cooking tips and tricks, and laughing over some of our biggest baking mistakes. Dennis loves unique desserts, tiramisu and golf, so the Emerald Greens Cake was made with him in mind. The recipe for the Vanilla Layer Cake, Tiramisu Buttercream and Bittersweet Ganache Filling was found at Love and Olive Oil.
To create the marbled fondant, I used 5 parts of Wedding White fondant to 2 parts emerald green fondant, which I colored using Leaf Green, Blue Green and Black colors from the Nomeca Vibrant Icing Color Pack. Twisting the fondant together a few times prior to rolling it out creates the marble effect as shown in this tutorial video. I decided to stack a smaller cake covered in a matching emerald green fondant to anchor the look of the cake. It was quite bare looking, though. A little edible gold leaf I had on hand made it sparkle.
GOLF LOVER GIFT IDEAS
Need gift ideas for the ultimate golf lover? Check out these fun items I gifted to Mark for Father's Day:
Floating Pool Golf Green from FloatingGolfGreen.com
Monogrammed Golf Balls from ManCrates.com
Enjoy!
Renée Meuse Lovley