4th Annual Minnesota Monthly Grillfest Kicks Off

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – It's called Grillfest, but there's a lot more than just barbequed meats on the menu!

The 4th annual Minnesota Monthly Grillfest takes place from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 16 and  Sunday, May 17.

Laurie Crowell, owner of Golden Fig Fine Foods, visited WCCO This Morning on Friday to show off recipes for steak but also for a grilled dessert!

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Grilled Strawberry Shortcake with Basil Scented Cream
Recipe Courtesy of Golden Fig Fine Foods

Ingredients:
1 quart fresh strawberries hulled and gently rinsed
2 tbsp. Golden Fig Vanilla Sugar
Wooden skewers
Baking Powder Biscuits *Store bought work, or a homemade recipe is below
Heavy Whipping Cream
Vanilla Sugar to taste
A few basil leaves, finely chopped
Fresh lime zest

Directions:
Preheat grill to medium heat
Shake vanilla sugar over cleaned strawberries, place sugared strawberries on skewer and let sit for 10 minutes before grilling.
Whip heavy cream with a tsp. or two of vanilla sugar. Add a pinch of fresh chopped basil and a few zests of lime. Taste, add more basil and lime if desired. Add basil sparingly, the idea is to have just a hint of basil in your whipped cream.
When grill is hot, place strawberries on top rack and grill a few minutes per side until nice grill marks appear.
Remove from grill and slide strawberries off skewers into a bowl. Gently mash them (do leave larger pieces) and add few zests of lime.
Slice baking powder biscuit in half and place one half on each plate.
Spoon strawberries and juice on top, dollop a nice amount of basil whipped cream. Top with other half of biscuit.

Note: Angel food cake is also a nice substitution for the baking powder biscuit. You could also grill the angel food slices!

Baking Powder Biscuit Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/3 tsp. salt
2.5 tbsp. cold butter
1/3 cup milk (or more if needed)
1 tbsp. Golden Fig Vanilla Sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
In bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. In small pieces work in cold butter. When mixed add milk a little at a time, until it forms into a ball.
On floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-1/2 inch thickness. Cut into round and dip into melted butter.
Bake on parchment paper 12-15 minutes.

Flat Iron Steak with Grilled Asparagus and Morels
Recipe Courtesy of Golden Fig Fine Foods

Ingredients:
1 flat iron steak
1 tbsp. BBQ Herbs (or your favorite beef rub)
1/2 lb. fresh asparagus, sliced
1/4 lb. fresh morel mushrooms, rinsed well and sliced
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Foil + parchment

Directions:
Preheat grill to medium high.
Place parchment on foil. Place asparagus, morels, salt, pepper balsamic and butter on parchment. Close up and tightly roll edges of foil so mushrooms and asparagus stay inside. Place on grill. Let cook for 15 minutes, turning packet frequently. Move to cooler side of grill to cook steak.
Rub steak with seasonings.
Place on hot grill and sear one minute on each side.
Move to cooler part of the grill and cook an additional 4 minutes per side (depending on thickness)
Remove from grill and cover. Let rest 5 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain.
Place asparagus and morels on plate. Add flat iron slices. Top with a finishing drizzle of balsamic.