Light up the Grilling Season

ST. LOUIS (June 15, 2006) -- Grilling isn't just about brats and burgers anymore. The fresh aromas and mouth-watering flavors of summer vegetables, fruits and even seafood are turning grilling into a unique dining experience. From using the grill to create an artichoke and asparagus salad to making a grilled pineapple barbecued Budweiser dip, the distinctive flavors of these eclectic foods redefine the meaning of outdoor grilling and are a perfect twist for this year's summer celebrations.

"This summer we want to bring the kitchen outdoors and offer some new and interesting recipes we believe home cooks will enjoy," said Brent Wertz, executive chef for Anheuser Busch's Kingsmill Resort & Spa in Williamsburg, Va. "With the growing popularity in cooking shows and outdoor grilling there's a renewed interest in alternatives to traditional grilling fare. Basically, there's a new world of grilling that's just beginning to be explored. The old rules don't apply and we want to encourage home cooks to have fun and stretch the boundaries beyond their wildest imaginations."

To help home cooks expand their horizons, Chef Wertz created the following eclectic grilling recipes using spices and sauces that enhance the flavors of grilling fare. All recipes incorporate the new Budweiser sauces, which include a baste, wing, barbecue and beechwood barbecue flavors and were created with grilling in mind.

Grilled Barbecued Brie Yields 2 Portions Ingredients:

4 ounces Brie cheese (small wheel)

¼ cup Budweiser Barbecue Sauce

½ ounce slivered almonds

Procedure:

Coat Brie with Budweiser Barbecue Sauce and place on medium heated grill, cook until sauce caramelizes on the first side and then flip to opposite side and caramelize. Sprinkle with slivered almonds and serve with your favorite bread, crisps or crackers.

Grilled Artichoke and Asparagus Salad Yields 4 Portions Ingredients:

12 artichoke heart halves

1 bunch asparagus spears

2 yellow peppers, cut into strips

4 ounces Budweiser Baste Sauce

4 ounces Budweiser

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half

2 ounces feta cheese, crumbles

1 lemon (zest entire lemon peel)

2 tablespoons herb vinaigrette dressing of your choosing

Procedure:

In a bowl combine the Budweiser Baste Sauce with the Budweiser. Add the artichoke hearts, asparagus spears and peppers and marinate for 30 minutes. Grill vegetables until tender, let cool. Combine grilled vegetables, tomatoes, lemon zest and feta cheese with your favorite vinaigrette dressing for a tasty and interesting barbecue salad. Grilled Pineapple with Barbecued Budweiser Dip

Ingredients:

1 Hawaiian golden pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced in dipping-size slices

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 ounces Budweiser Barbecue Sauce

8 ounces cream cheese

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bunch scallions, sliced

¼ bunch fresh tarragon, chopped

Lightly coat the pineapple in olive oil and grill both sides until slightly caramelized. For the dip, combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Serve room temperature. The Budweiser sauce recipes were created by a team of chefs led by Certified Executive Chef Brent Wertz at Anheuser-Busch's Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va., in conjunction with Anheuser-Busch brewmasters. The new line of Budweiser-branded sauces are being created and distributed through a licensing agreement with Vita Foods Inc. and will hit store shelves on July 1. The Budweiser-branded sauces will be available in major grocery and club stores in addition to restaurants nationwide. In addition, the sauces will be sold on www.budshop.com and available at all Anheuser-Busch tour center gift shop locations. Descriptions of the sauce flavors are below.

Procedure:

• The Budweiser Basting Sauce is a perfect fit for fish, chicken, pork and beef. This sauce has a distinct mustard flavor that's enhanced with a blend of fresh garden vegetables, herbs and a nice hint of caramelized sweetness. A touch of soy and citrus rounds out this great baste.
• The Budweiser Wing Sauce is built for, what else, a Budweiser! The wing sauce is nicely balanced with the right amount of heat, a hint of sweetness, a nice intermingling of butter and garlic with a pallet-cleansing burst of vinegar. This sauce is comfortably mild and can be kicked up for those who love hot and spicy.
• The Budweiser Barbecue Sauce is what barbecue wants to be. Using the best ingredients available, we've created a sauce that's full-flavored and unique -- it'll make you wonder how it can be so good! This sauce holds the perfect blend of heat, vinegar, fresh herbs and garden vegetables with subtle notes of hops, malts and rice that only a smooth, distinct Budweiser can add.
• The Beechwood Smoked Budweiser Barbecue Sauce offers traditional barbecue flavor with subtle smokiness and a slightly tart and sweet balance that has a caramelized sugar finish. This sauce is complex enough to work with both lighter meats such as chicken, while holding true to bigger flavors like beef and ribs. The special beechwood chips, made famous in the crafting of our world-famous Budweiser, are used in creating this sauce and the result is a flavor like no other with a finish that is subtly smoky with hints of hops and malt.

Budweiser is a key ingredient used to create the sauces and Vita Food Products has confirmed the alcohol content after production meets all government requirements to be classified as a non-beverage food product. At retail, the Budweiser Barbecue and Beechwood Smoked Barbecue sauces are available in 19-ounce bottles. The Budweiser Wing and Baste sauces are available in 14-ounce bottles.