GRILLED FRENCH TOAST

This hearty French toast is a cinch to prepare. Serve it with butter, maple syrup and fresh berries, and it’s a sure bet that everybody will be talking about breakfast for the rest of the day.

Makes: 4 servings

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups whole milk

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon almond extract or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon table salt

8 (3/4-inch-thick) slices challah

4 teaspoons sugar

1. Lightly beat eggs in shallow dish. Whisk in milk, melted butter, almond extract, cinnamon and salt (butter will clump slightly).

2. For a charcoal grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter half filled with charcoal briquettes (3 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high; cover and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium.

For a flat-top grill: Turn all burners to medium-high and heat griddle until hot, about 10 minutes. Turn all burners to medium.

Open fire: Prepare medium-hot single-level fire in open-fire grill. Set cooking grate at least 6 inches from coals and flames and heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

3. Clean and oil cooking grate (or griddle). Place bread on grill and toast until light golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Working with 1 bread slice at a time, soak in egg mixture until saturated but not falling apart, 10 seconds per side. Using firm slotted spatula, pick up bread slice, allowing excess egg mixture to drip off, and transfer to rimmed baking sheet.

4. Using spatula, transfer soaked bread to grill and cook (covered if using gas) until bread is deep golden brown on first side and releases easily from cooking grate, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle top of each toast with ½ teaspoon sugar, then flip and cook until deep golden brown on second side and sugar begins to caramelize, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve.

— Recipe from “The Outdoor Cook: How to Cook Anything Outside” by America’s Test Kitchen

GRILLED CABBAGE SALAD

The humble cabbage is having a moment and gets the star treatment in “The BBQ Companion” by Oscar Smith, a handy 50-recipe deck that covers everything from seafoods to sides with vegan options, too. Its portability — a little bigger than a deck of cards — makes it easy to keep in the cabin or camper or to pack up to go wherever the barbecue winds take you.

Makes: 4 servings

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup lime juice

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 green cabbage, cut into thin wedges

1/4 red cabbage, cut into thin wedges

2 tablespoons peanut oil, plus more for greasing grill plate

2 red Asian shallots, finely diced

1 long red chile, thinly sliced

1. Heat grill to medium and lightly grease a grill plate with oil.

2. Combine brown sugar, lime juice, fish sauce and garlic in a small saucepan over low heat. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has reduced by a third. Remove from the heat.

3. Brush the cabbage wedges with the peanut oil and cook on the grill plate for 6 to 8 minutes on each side, allowing the edges to blacken slightly.

4. Transfer to a chopping board and remove most of the core from each wedge, leaving a sliver behind so that wedges still hold together. Place cabbage wedges in a serving bowl and pour dressing over them.

5. Garnish with the shallots and chile.

DRY-RUBBED PORK BLADE STEAKS

You’ll need to give the pork steaks at least four hours to marinate, so plan accordingly.

Makes: 4 servings

1/4 cup cumin

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup sweet paprika

1/4 cup chili powder

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup kosher salt

2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

4 pork blade steaks

1. Prepare the dry rub by whisking together cumin, brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, cayenne, nutmeg, salt and pepper until well incorporated.

2. Thoroughly rub the pork steaks with the spice mixture, coating well. Place meat in a zip-top plastic bag or a glass bowl with a tightfitting lid. Refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours.

3. Prepare the grill to medium heat and cook pork steaks, turning frequently, until well-grilled on the outside (be careful not to burn the sugar, only char it a bit). Transfer pork steaks to a cooler part of the grill to finish cooking; cook until tender when pierced with a skewer or thin-bladed knife.

— Recipe from chef Wyatt Evans of P.S. Steak in Minneapolis