Grill

As this decade nears a close, and as readers continue to request best-ofs, The Herald-Mail has compiled its list of its favorite recipes from the biweekly column, In The Kitchen, from the past few years. In The Kitchen is a Sunday feature that profiles local, nonprofessional chefs who are "nominated" by friends, family and colleagues. The Herald-Mail interviews these local Top Chefs and runs articles with recipes in the paper. Know someone you'd like to see featured? Call 301-791-7372 or e-mail tiffanya@herald-mail.

This dish came about when I was really wanting a bright, fresh, flavorful, spicy chicken on the grill. I just received a new infrared grill and wanted to see what it could do in the way of mouthwatering grilling. I put mango in the sauce for its rich, not-too-overpowering taste and blended it with the chili and General Tso's sauce for that spicy orange bite. It's then smoothed out with the addition of the plum sauce to deepen the fruit flavors and really give the chicken a nice, crispy, grilled skin with loads of flavor through the meat.

Ask someone from the West Virginia Panhandle about Habanero Mexican Grill in Martinsburg at 100 N. Queen St. and the answer will probably include the word, "fresh. " Habanero's disclaimer states, "Everything made fresh, from scratch everyday. We have no freezer, no microwave and no can opener. We use no MSG. Just fresh and healthy, the way it should be. " I would add this: "And so, the food at Habanero is delicious. " Habanero has a straightforward menu that is Mexican: burritos, tacos, salsa, taco salad, nachos, fajitas, empanadas.

Dear Lynne: Detroit was my home and I used to get this eggplant pure in a Middle Eastern restaurant. You dipped pita bread into it. It was outrageously fine. I was told roasted eggplant is the basis of it, but when I roast and pure eggplant, it's bitter. What am I doing wrong? -- Displaced in New York State Dear Displaced: The dip you are thinking of is called baba ghanoush. Whole, unpeeled eggplant roasts on a grill or in the oven until it collapses in on itself and its flesh is totally softened.

With the summer heat finally beating down upon us, it seems fitting to fire up the grill and get some savory scents rolling through the air. This recipe can be adapted by utilizing any firm fish such as mahi-mahi, mako or even monk fish. The secret is to keep the vegetables and fish approximately the same size so one does not cook faster than the other. Another secret is tenting; where you take a piece of aluminum foil and fold it as a tent over the grilled item to retain heat and finish the cooking process.

The Board of License Commissioners for Washington County, known as the liquor board, met Wednesday with the owner of the Corner Grill at 503 Jefferson St. in Hagerstown to discuss an accusation that the business allegedly sold alcohol to an underage liquor agent. The alleged sale occurred June 24, according to the Hagerstown Police Department. Liquor board chairman Robert L. Everhart said the Corner Grill could lose its liquor license and be ordered to pay a $2,500 fine. Those penalties, which are the maximum, rarely are imposed, he said.

READY-FOR-THE GRILL BURGERS AND SLIDERS (Tested by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) 8 slices cooked bacon, chopped fine 1-1/2 pounds 90 percent lean ground beef 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 4 teaspoons yellow mustard 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper Break the beef into small pieces in a bowl, then add the cooked bacon, cheese, mustard, Worcestershire, salt and pepper....

Dear Lynne: An Italian restaurant in New York had these vegetables waiting on a side table, not refrigerated. They were served before the meal and with bread to soak up their juices. Our kids treat vegetables like poison, but these they liked. Tastes were like halfway between pickled and marinated, especially the carrots (which I never think of as an Italian vegetable) and the zucchini. Was this a New York specialty, or was it authentic Italian? Do you have recipes? -- Thanks, Lucy from Winona, Minn.

Schula's Grill and Crab House is an authentic seafood restaurant. It was like seafood restaurants we loved in San Francisco, Boston, the Bronx and Hawaii. Yet, Schula's is in Rosewood Commons east of Hagerstown, over the mountains from Chesapeake Bay. On a recent visit to Schula's, my companion, the Professor, and I ordered soup, appetizer and entrées, then reminisced about seafood restaurants we had known and loved. Our soups arrived first. The Professor ordered New England clam chowder which had carrots and celery and clams and a hint of bacon in its creamy broth.

When the burgers and frankfurters are done, keep the grill going for dessert. The heat helps caramelize the sugars in fruit, as in this recipe for grilled strawberries and bananas. Pineapple, plums, peaches and mango are other great options for grilled fruit. Alternatively, skip the ice cream and serve these berries and bananas over pound or angel food cake dusted with powdered sugar. GRILLED STRAWBERRIES AND BANANAS WITH ICE CREAM Start to finish: 15 minutes Servings: 4 2 tablespoons lime juice 2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon canola oil Pinch salt Pinch cinnamon 1 pint strawberries, hulled and halved 1 banana, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch rounds 1 pint vanilla ice cream Whipped cream, to serve Heat a grill to medium.