Wisconsin Chefs Celebrate Labor Day With An Outdoor Cookout

At Labor Day parties friends and family gather to celebrate the beginning of fall, the resumption of football, and kids going back to school. To mark the season's change, gourmet chefs look for signature foods for summer's last cookout. Here are some culinary choices that Wisconsin gourmets are considering.
First, chefs are deciding whether to serve brats or steaks. Their choice depends on the crowd. Who's coming to the party? Will it be casual or fancy? Are kids coming too? If so, it's best to serve some applewood-smoked wieners beside the fancier meats. The flavor of the sausage buns matters more than their shape. In Sheboygan, Wisconsinites serve brats and wieners on fresh Sheboygan hard rolls. Only to outsiders does a Sheboygan brat look funny sticking out of a Sheboygan hard roll.
Next, the chefs match the meats to complimentary side dishes and salads. Some good choices are German potato salad, or an endive salad with smoked ham, or an out-of-the ordinary, lentil salad. Use fresh peppers and spinach in a cheesy spinach and roasted peppers gratin for a true Wisconsin taste treat.
For dessert, the options are nearly endless. Ice cream is always a favorite summer send-off, especially if the extra creamy, Wisconsin ice cream is loaded on top of fresh fruit pies or cakes. Special-occasion cookies mark the season's change. Out go the day-at-the-beach cookies, in come the Green Bay Packers. Yes, this Labor Day Weekend, everyone will kick off the fall season with great, gourmet, Wisconsin food.