CHARLOTTE, N.C. — New Years Eve is coming up and it’s always a great time for food and fun. It’s also the best time to fire up the grill for some great appetizers for your New Year’s Eve celebration because we all know that the grill is a flavor factory making everything taste better. Finger foods and heavy appetizers are perfect when you’re having people over for the evening but not a formal sit down dinner. Here to show us how its done is the grill master Ernie Adler.
First up are some grilled stuffed peppers with brie and jam. Preheat your grill to 450 degrees. Next cut off the top of mini sweet peppers,and cut in half lengthwise. Now clean out the seeds and inside, put some brie cheese, sprinkle a little seasoning like Cajun, and place on the grill for a few minutes until the peppers start to soften. Finally, plate and top with some of your favorite jam.
Next up some Cajun seasoned shrimp and pineapple skewers. Season your shrimp an hour or two ahead of time, then heat your grill to 425 degrees. Put a toothpick size skewer through one end of the shrimp, then a chunk of pineapple in the middle, then through the other end. Grill on each side for about 2-3 minutes per side until the shrimp are firm but not hard. Serve immediately.
Finally, some delicious beef rumaki. Prepare the beef 24 hours ahead of time. When ready preheat your grill to 400 degrees and note that you will be grilling these on indirect heat (not directly over a lit burner). Take a beef tenderloin and slice into thin strips and season with Asian marinade and seasonings. Cut red, orange, and yellow peppers into strips wide enough for the beef to sit on. Cut regular cut bacon in half lengthwise. Place a slice of the pepper onto the bacon, then the beef, and roll up pressing to close the seam. Put a toothpick through the ends and place on the grill the seam side down. After 10 minutes turn over, and after another 10 minutes turn again and baste with extra sauce until the bacon is crispy. For more recipes visit Erniesbbq.com.
