Can you believe summer is almost over? As the days get shorter, I know my grilling time is limited. I love to get on the grill and finish out the season with a splashy barbeque. These recipes are great for impressing your dinner guests with a simple and delicious meal inspired by all the best things summer has to offer. My flavorful and healthy cajun-style seafood boil packets on the grill are great for a lunch or dinner gathering. Finishing off with ice cream parfaits by the pool and watching a beautiful summer sunset is the perfect end to an evening.
Inspired by a traditional southern shrimp boil, these packets make everything so much easier by adding all the ingredients to individual servings that cook up on the grill in only ten minutes. The prep work comes before the grilling but is so simple…. cleaning the clams, boiling the potatoes, and slicing the sausage, onions, and corn make this dish as quick and easy as it is tasty. Finished off with a little bit of butter and a lot of cajun seasoning, these packets have everything you want in summer eating… spicy shrimp, crunchy corn, creamy potatoes, and flavorful onions.
My summer berry pavlova is great for a large crowd, but if you are looking for a dessert that can be made ahead or for a smaller group, my ice cream parfaits with chocolate chip meringue cookies, salted chocolate sauce, fresh berries, and cherry jam are a perfect alternative. All the ingredients here can be store-bought and just put together quickly before serving. You can also make as many or as few of the ingredients as you like at home. For my version, I used homemade meringue cookies and salted chocolate sauce, strawberry and vanilla ice creams, raspberries and blueberries, and organic cherry jam. You can also swap out any of these flavors to make it your own like a sinfully chocolate version with chocolate ice cream, cocoa meringue cookies, and blackberries.
These recipes were both stand-out hits when I served them to my family and I’m sure you will feel the same. Both the cajun-style seafood boil packets and ice cream parfaits can be made the way I did or ingredients can be swapped or left out based on your preference. Either way, you will end up with a unique and delicious barbeque feast that will make any summer day feel special.
Ingredients
- 1 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 pound clams well cleaned (soak in cold water with 1 tablespoon baking soda, at least 1 hour)
- 3 stalks corn husked and cut into quarters
- 12 ounces andouille sausage sliced into rounds
- 1/2 pound baby red potatoes
- 2 onions thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons old bay seasoning or Cajun seasoning we used Paul Prudhomme seafood seasoning
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to 400 degrees.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil on high heat.
- Drop potatoes into boiling water. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until a fork can go through easily. Then, drain and let coolslightly.
- Place corn, potatoes, onions, and shrimp in alarge mixing bowl. Toss with olive oil, old bay seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Add andouille sausage slices and clams, mix to combine.
- Tear 4 large pieces of heavy duty foil (at least10x10 inches). Place seafood mixture in the center of each piece of foil.
- Add ½ tablespoon of butter to each foil packet.
- Then, pinch together sides of the foil until itis sealed.
- Place packets on the grill and cook for 10 minutes with the hood closed.
- Serve with lemon wedges on the side!
Ingredients
- 2 cups strawberry ice cream
- 2 cups vanilla ice cream
- ½ cup cherry jam
- 4 ounces raspberries
- 4 ounces blueberries
- 1 box chocolate chip meringue cookies store bought or recipe below
- 1 cup salted chocolate sauce store bought (stonewall kitchen) or recipe below
- Fresh strawberries for serving
Instructions
Ice Cream Parfaits
- To assemble, start with a layer of crushed meringue cookies. Then, add some berries, a scoop of strawberry ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. Next, another layer of crushed meringue cookies, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and a spoonful of cherry jam.
- Continue to alternate strawberry and vanilla layers until you reach the top of your cup. Top with a fresh strawberry and serve!
- Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips
Salted Chocolate Sauce
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon salt
Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
- In a stand mixer, add egg whites and whip with the whisk attachment on high for 2-3 minutes, until frothy and foamy.
- Then, lower to medium speed and slowly pour in the sugar until completely combined.
- Turn the mixer back on high and whip until the egg whites have reached stiff peaks. Add in vanilla and whip for another 2 minutes.
- Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
- Use the meringue mixture and place dots on all four corners of a baking sheet. Then, place parchment paper on the baking sheet using the meringue dots to glue it in place.
- Scoop about 1 tablespoon of the meringue for each cookie. Bake for 40-55 minutes, until completely crunchy. Set aside and let cool completely.
Salted Chocolate Sauce
- Add all ingredients to a sauce pan and cook over medium heat while continuously whisking. Cook until chocolate is completely melted, then immediately remove it from the heat. Set aside to cool.
