Thrilling Grilling!

If you think meat has to be high in fat to grill to succulent perfection, you haven't seen New York chefs work their wonders. During a recent cooking class at De Gustibus at Macy's, Frank Cardoz impressed his audience with a flank steak that had all of the rich flavor and little of the fat of a typical piece of grilled meat. "One of the ways I like to cook is not to use a lot of butter or cream to enhance flavor.

I use spices and fresh ingredients for flavor," said Cardoz, the chef at Tabla in New York City. Cooks have to make adjustments when they switch to lower-fat meat cuts, said Cardoz. Instead of relying on a well-marbled prime beef tenderloin with 23 grams of fat, he chooses leaner cuts, such as flank steak at 7.5 grams of fat for the same 3.5 ounce serving. And he marinates the flank steak to tenderize it. His choice of curry leaves, cumin, dried chile, ginger and garlic reflects his Indian background.

"My cooking is American, with Indian and other spices and with French technique," said Cardoz who grew up in Bombay. "Curry leaves are a seasoning we use in the south of India. It's very aromatic and adds an exotic spiciness to food. Cooks can use Thai basil instead if they can't find curry leaves," said Cardoz. Frank Lima, who teaches cooking at the New York Restaurant School, shared what might be the easiest grill recipe for summer chefs -- pork tenderloin marinated in pineapple juice.

"It's one of the best things you can do with pork," said Lima. "The flavor of the pineapple and the acid in the juice really works with the pork. You don't have to baste the pork when you grill it, but a low-sugar applesauce would be great," Lima said. He suggested making applesauce by cooking Granny Smith apples with a little chopped onion and crushed red pepper flakes, but unsweetened, commercially made applesauce with a little cayenne for heat will work as well.

As an accompaniment, Lima recommended marinating portobella mushrooms in pineapple juice and adding them to the grill. A tossed salad and sliced melons sprinkled with fresh lime juice round out his meal. Cardoz likes outdoor cooking so much he has two grills -- one gas and one charcoal -- in his backyard. That way he can cook corn on the charcoal grill while his flank steak is sizzling on the second one. His method is to cook corn in the husks until they steam, about 10 minutes. Then he strips the husks and grills the corn until each kernel gets blackish and caramelizes. "I sprinkle the corn with lime juice, salt and pepper and maybe cayenne. My kids love it," said Cardoz. Here are adaptations of the chefs' recipes. Either one would be delicious with grilled corn, grilled sliced potatoes or even mashed potatoes lightened with buttermilk.

PINEAPPLE PORK TENDERLOIN

1 and 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin 6 to 10 ounces pineapple juice Trim off any excess fat from pork. If you need 2 tenderloins to equal 1 and 1/2 pounds, tie the two together with string.

Place pork in shallow bowl; pour on pineapple juice to cover. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. To cook, place pork tenderloin on oiled grid of heated grill. Grill tenderloin until thoroughly cooked, about 40 minutes.

(Meat thermometer should reach 155 degrees and will rise about 5 degrees off the grill to 160 degrees.) Remove from grill. Let meat rest 5 minutes, then slice 1/4-inch thick. Serves 6. Each serving has: 180 calories; 5 grams fat; 30 grams protein, 1 gram carbohydrate; 100 milligrams cholesterol; 70 milligrams sodium and no dietary fiber.

CUMIN AND CHILE FLANK STEAK

1 flank steak, about 1 1/2 pounds 8 sprigs curry leaves 2 teaspoons black pepper, finely ground 1 tablespoon cumin, finely ground 1 dried chile, finely ground 1 (1 and 1/2-inch) piece ginger, minced 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon canola oil 3 ounces soy sauce Remove any fat from steak. Combine remaining ingredients in blender container and blend until smooth.

Rub over flank steak. Place on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Marinate in refrigerator at least 4 hours, but no more than 7 hours. Grill over medium-high heat to desired degree of doneness, about 6 to 8 minutes per side for medium over ash-covered coals. Remove from grill, let rest 10 minutes and thinly slice against the grain. Serves 6. Each serving has: 170 calories; 7.5 grams fat; 20 grams protein; 50 milligrams cholesterol and 250 milligrams sodium. This dish contains no carbohydrates or dietary fiber.

(Bev Bennett is co-author of "The Dictionary of Healthful Food Terms" (Barron's, 1997).) (c) 2000, Bev Bennett. Distributed by Los Angeles Times Syndicate.