Fourth of July Recipes

Independence day is fast approaching. If you’ve got a small bbq planned, a picnic or a backyard campfire with the family and friends, you’re likely in search of some great summer recipes! This season is all about freshness and bright, vibrant flavors. Fourth of July is the culmination of the season, almost the ultimate celebration of it! Make your Fourth of July event memorable by getting the family excited with some cute matching Fourth of July outfits, take some pics, fire up the grill and get going on these tasty fourth of July recipes. 

Sweet Recipes

S’mores

Literally nothing says Summer like a s’more. This is the classic midsummer treat that tastes like a campfire, great stories and memories in the making. The best part is it’s super simple to make! All you need for this recipe is a campfire, some wooden shish kabob skewers, and the following: 

Ingredients:

1)Marshmallows

2)Hershey’s chocolate ( Hershey’s is the classic go-to, but you can use any chocolate bar)

3)Graham Crackers

Directions: 

1)Skewer a marshmallow and roast it over the open campfire, rotating it slightly until it’s golden all around and melting inside. Some people prefer a little char on the marshmallow, that’s completely up to you.

2)  Once the marshmallow is sufficiently toasted, put it on a graham cracker. 

3) Place 1 piece of chocolate on top of that and then add another graham cracker on top like a sandwich. 

Pro tip: You can stick to the classics or get creative! Add banana slices, peanut butter, caramel syrup, add some cinnamon powder, or add whatever you like in combination with those flavors! 

Lemon Meringue

Sweet yet tart and tangy make for the perfect summertime flavors. You can’t really grill this one, since it’s more of a pie and should be baked, but will look great on the picnic table or bench and will satisfy any sweet tooth without being overly rich. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 frozen pie crust 

Lemon filling:

• 5 large egg yolks
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/3 cup (266 g) sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons butter

Meringue:

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (128 g) white granulated sugar
• 5 large egg whites (room temperature)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1 Pre-bake pie shell: For packaged frozen pie crust, follow the directions on the package to pre-bake. 

2) Make lemon filling: Whisk egg yolks in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a medium-sized saucepan, add 6 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/2 cups water, and whisk to combine. Boil on medium heat, whisking constantly. Let simmer for a minute or two until the mixture begins to thicken.

When the cornstarch mixture has thickened to the same consistency as Cream of Wheat, remove from heat. Take a spoonful of the cornstarch mixture and whisk it into the beaten egg yolks to temper the yolks. Keep whisking in spoonfuls of the cornstarch mixture until you've used half of the cornstarch mixture.

After this, add the egg yolk mixture back to the pot with the cornstarch. Return to a boil, on medium to medium high heat, stirring constantly. Cook 3 - 4 minutes. (Starch keeps the eggs from curdling.)

Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and butter.

3) Pre-heat oven to 325°F.

4) Make the cornstarch mixture for the meringue: In a small saucepan, whisk together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1/3 cup of cold water until the cornstarch dissolves. Heat on medium heat and whisk until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove from the heat and set aside.

5) Whisk together the sugar and cream of tartar: Whisk together 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar, set aside. Should you not have cream of tartar, you can substitute with white vinegar to the egg whites with the vanilla in the next step.

6) Make the meringue: Place egg whites and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in the bowl of your mixer. Start beating the egg whites on low speed and gradually increase the speed to medium.

Once the egg whites are frothy, slowly add in the sugar and cream of tartar, a spoonful at a time. Beat until the egg whites form soft peaks.

Add the cornstarch water mixture - should look like a gel. Keep beating the egg whites. Beat faster and continue to beat until the egg whites have formed stiff peaks. Do not over-beat, or your meringue will end up grainy.

7) Fill pie shell with filling: Heat the lemon filling again, until it is bubbling hot.

Scoop the steaming hot filling into the pre-baked pie shell and spread evenly.

8) Top with meringue: Use a rubber spatula to spread the meringue mixture evenly around the edge of the pie quickly. 

Be sure that there are no gaps as the mixture attaches to the crust. The crust helps anchor the meringue and helps keep it from shrinking.

Fill in the center with more meringue mixture. Use the back of a spoon to create peaks all over the meringue.

9) Bake the pie for 20 minutes at 325°F, until the meringue is golden brown.

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely to room temperature. If the pie is even slightly warm when you cut into it, the lemon base may be runny. To help firm up the base, after the pie has cooled down, place the pie on top of a cooling pack covered with a tea towel.

Savory Recipes

Teriyaki Burgers with Pineapple

Savory meets sweet in the best way! This flavor packed recipe is the perfect seasonal entree that is worthy of firing up the grill. Vegetarians, it is simple to adapt this recipe when using meat alternatives such as Beyond Meat. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound ground chuck beef (80% lean)
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 6 tablespoons Teriyaki Sauce, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 slices fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced 1/8-inch thick
• 2 tablespoons kewpie mayonnaise
• 1 cup shredded lettuce or spring greens 
• 4 potato or Hawaiian hamburger buns

Directions: 

1. Preheat grill for medium heat. 
2. Mix ground beef, bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce in a medium bowl. Shape into 4 even patties; season with salt and pepper. Place patties on the grill. Grill 5 minutes, turn, baste tops with teriyaki sauce, and keep cooking for another 5 to 7 minutes until cooked through (160°F).
3. Baste pineapple slices with remaining teriyaki sauce; keep grilling until they are lightly charred, about 3 minutes per side.
4. Spread kewpie mayonnaise evenly on bottom buns. Top with burger, lettuce, pineapple slice and top bun. Serve right away.

BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches + Avocado slaw

Super easy and very flavorful. Also, it’s Vegetarian! 

Ingredients 

• 2 20 oz cans of young, green jackfruit - not jackfruit in brine or syrup or it will throw off the flavor
• ¾ cup barbecue sauce 
• ¼ cup barbecue seasoning
• Burger buns 
• ½ ripe Avocado
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup 
• 1 lemon or lime
• oil
• Salt + pepper
• Water
• 2 cups shredded cabbage + carrots 
• ½ cup roasted salted cashews

Directions

1. Rinse, drain, and dry jackfruit. Chop off the core part of the fruit and discard. Put in a mixing bowl and set aside. 
2. Mix BBQ seasoning and add to jackfruit. Toss to coat.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. After it’s hot, add 1-2 Tbsp oil and seasoned jackfruit (use more oil, as needed, if increasing batch size). Toss to coat and cook for 2-3 minutes to achieve some color.
4. Add BBQ sauce and use water to thin into a sauce. Stir and reduce heat to low- medium. Cook for around 20 minutes (obtain a better flavor by cooking it for 35 minutes).
5. Remove the lid and stir occasionally. For a finer texture, use two forks to shred the jackfruit as it cooks down.
6. As this cooks, make slaw by adding all ingredients except vegetables to a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Use water to thin until a thick sauce is achieved, then add veggies and toss to coat. Set in the refrigerator until serving.
7. When jackfruit has been properly simmered, turn up the heat to medium-high and cook for 2-3 more minutes to reach a little extra color/texture. Then remove from heat.
8. Place generous portions of slaw on the bottom buns, top with generous serving of BBQ jackfruit, and cashews. Serve with extra BBQ sauce and chips on the side.