Grilled Chicken on French

Crusty bread, melted cheese, and grilled chicken. What could be better?!?  Well...  Adding some of Sarah's Caribbean Sea Salt definitely brought it all up a notch tonight!

As a rule, I don't use flavored salts because...  well...  they're salty.  I don't mind salt, I have a bowl of kosher salt on the counter right next to the stove that I dip my fingers into while cooking all the time.  But I can control that salt - I can't control the salt mixed with whatever spices or flavorings.  What I found out about the Sarah-Salt, though, is the spices are powerful, so a minimal amount is needed for maximum flavor.  It worked well going onto a chicken breast going onto the grill without being over-salty.

We have house-guests {{YEAH DORRIE!!}} coming down from Boston for the holiday weekend, so we've been busy working out what to eat for the next three days.  Minor panic and running around like crazy before people show up makes everything just look so spontaneous and simple.  It really is an art form...

Fortunately, Dorrie's a 30-year-friend so we only have to dust a little bit.    There's nothing worse than actually having to clean for people.

So right now, the plan is burgers on the barbie tomorrow, potato salad, baked beans, all that sort of stuff.....  Victor will do an Italian Feast on Saturday and I'll bake some bread when I get home from work, and Sunday will be our Chinese Fourth of July.  We're doing Chinese food in honor of the Chinese inventing fireworks.

Perfectly planned spontaneity!

I love holidays!


Chicken Sandwiches

This right here pretty much sums up why I went from charcoal back to propane.  Grilling small things outside in minutes.  Trying to do small things with charcoal - without a really small grill - just isn't practical.  Or economical.  A quick bbq chicken sandwich - and it was quick - was perfect for lunch today.

I used the Gates Kansas City BBQ Sauce on the chicken and on the rolls - and a healthy helping of fried hot peppers.

Simple and delicious.  Or...  simply delicious, as the case may be.

I still have the charcoal grill.  It ain't goin' anywhere any time soon.

But for quick and easy?!?  The gas grill, for sure.


BBQ Tri-Tip Sandwiches

Ahhhh... the tri-tip.  One of my most favorite parts of the cow.  It's still relatively unknown on the east coast, but it's been a west coast favorite for decades.

It's part of the bottom sirloin, usually weighs in between 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 pounds, is lean, tender, and really, really flavorful.  Besides roasting and grilling whole, it's also excellent cut into steaks, and even better cut into cubes for brochettes.  (Which is something I haven't made in a long time...)

Tonight, I made a dry rub of chipotle powder, garlic powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.  I cut the roast into thirds for easier grilling, and liberally rubbed in the spices.  Onto the barbie it went.

I hand-cut a potato and drizzled with a bit of oil and put it all onto a sheet pan and into a hot oven for about 20 minutes.  Perfect shoestring fries.

A couple of tablespoons of the Memphis BBQ Sauce on the mini sandwiches did the trick.

The Memphis sauce came through tonight on the sandwiches.  It's sweetness was offset by the smoky-spiciness of the dry rub on the beef.

I'm really looking forward to getting some Gates Kansas City BBQ Sauce from a friend, soon.  I've never had it before, but understand it is the Gold Standard of Kansas City Barbecue!  I can't wait!  I'm thinkin' another tri-tip, probably.  Maybe I'll do brochettes.  There are just so many possibilities!

I was planning on making Peach ice cream for dessert tonight, and Victor even went as far as top peel and chop a couple of peaches.

Then, as he was watching some food show, he mentioned how he'd love a Boston Cream Pie one of these days.

Well...  Let us just say that there is now a Boston Cream Pie in the 'fridge for later...

Ice cream can wait for another day.


Just Like Lobster Rolls

I told Victor I was making Shrimp Rolls for dinner.  He thought I was making Chinese Spring Rolls. SURPRISE!

Actually, the surprise was on me.  I bought hot dog buns and somehow they didn't make it home with me.  I mean...  what's a shrimp roll without split-top hot dog buns?!?  A Shrimp Bun, that's what!

I used to love lobster rolls when I lived up in Boston.  And they were cheap, too!  A couple of bucks from any number of old shacks along the water.  Last one I had was a few years ago.  Eight bucks - and I think they waved the lobster over it.  (Okay...  I just checked the menu of one of my more favorite places, Woodman's in Essex, MA, and their Lobster Roll is now $18.95.  I'm definitely getting old...)

To be honest, we didn't have shrimp or lobster rolls - we had Langostino Rolls.  Langostino are neither shrimp nor lobster, but,  in the USA, at least,  are usually a squat lobster  - which is a relative of the crab.  And herein ends your crustacean lesson for the day.

I made the basic salad - onion, celery, pickle, mayonnaise, a grating of lemon zest, and a pinch of tarragon.  Perfect summer flavors.

Oven roasted teeny potatoes finished it off.  They were just like french fries - I even dipped them in ketchup!


Burgers and Downpours

It's 84° outside.  Thunderstorms with torrential downpours.  Perfect for throwing a couple of burgers on the grill.  And then quickly getting back inside the air conditioned house.  (How it can actually get hotter outside while it's raining is beyond me, but...  such is life in the Mid-Atlantic states, I guess.)

I usually judge a burger by the number of napkins needed while eating one.  The more napkins - the better the burger.  This was a three-napkin burger.  Definitely a good one.

When we went down to get the new coffee pot, we saw Kenmore gas grills on sale for $199.  Nice ones, too.  Tempting.  I probably would grill even more with a new gas grill.  But... I'm not quite ready to give up my charcoal.  It's entirely possible that one day in the future I'll bite the bullet and switch back, again.  But in the meantime, I'm still enjoying the unpredictability of the open flame.

And there is a flourless chocolate cake cooling on the counter...

It is pouring outside.  I am so glad we got the roof done!


Meatloaf Sandwiches

I dreamt of this all day long.  A fresh baguette, slices of French Rustic Meatloaf, and a triple cream brie with just a hint of mayonnaise.  It was a dream come true.

Sometimes the most simple of things can be the best - and this is definitely one of those times.

I just can't get over how good this meatloaf is!  I mean, I knew it was going to be good when I first read the recipe.  I just underestimated how much I was going to enjoy it.

This one is a keeper.


Panini

The experiment with the brioche dough to make buns worked!  I patted out the dough on a floured counter and cut them out with a big biscuit cutter.  I let them rise for about 45 minutes and then baked at 350° for about 25 minutes.

They made excellent panini!

Mayo and dijon mustard, sliced ham, roasted red peppers, and fresh mozzarella.

Simplicity.


Brioche and Beef

 

I've been thinking that the no-knead brioche dough would make great hamburger buns so tonight I did a bit of an experiment...

Using over-sized muffin tins, I made some rolls.  Fantastic tasting.  A wee bit too big!  Definitely no way they could be used as a bun, although I did make sandwiches with them tonight with grilled london broil.  Did I say a wee bit too big?!?  Let me rephrase that...  really too big!  But dayum, were they good!

I made the dough last night using the basic recipe.  I didn't weigh them when I made them today, but I have a pretty good idea of how big they were - a little larger than a jumbo egg.  I'll need to cut the size in half, at least.  I see another experiment in a day or so!

In the meantime, here's what I did for dinner tonight.  Sliced grilled london broil with a chipotle powder rub on the rolls with a green chili mayonnaise.  And fries.

I didn't even try to pick it up.  I made it open-faced and ate it with a knife and fork.

This recipe is direct from the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day website.  I have now made it twice and it's completely foolproof!

Brioche dough

(makes about 4 loaves)

  • 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 8 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup honey (this is my all time favorite!)
  • 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
  • 7 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Mix the yeast, salt, eggs honey and melted butter with the water in a 5-quart bowl, or lidded (not airtight) food container.

Mix in the flour, using a spoon until all of the flour is incorporated.

Cover (not airtight), and allow to sit at room temperature for about two hours.

The dough can be used as soon as it is chilled. This dough is way too sticky to use after the initial rise, but once it is chilled it is very easy to handle. It can be used to create the Tatin or any of these brioche recipes: caramel sticky buns, grilled fruit tart, Fresh Fruit Muffins, Brioche à tête, apricot pastries and fabulous doughnuts! The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. After that you can freeze the dough.

It's gonna make an awesome burger bun!


Burgers and Fauxllinis

It's about 80 degrees outside.  Wind is blowing at 25+ mph.  Windows open.  Perfect weather to light up the grill!  And to mix up a fauxllini.

What's a fauxllini, you ask?!?  Pureed peaches and seltzer, of course!  Over ice.  Perfectly refreshing.  What I didn't know was where the Bellini got its name...

This drink was created 1943 at Harry's Bar in Venice, Italy in honor of the painter Geovani Bellini. Giuseppi Cipriani was the inventor. The original recipe was made with fresh pureed white peaches with a bit of raspberry or cherry juice to give the drink a pink glow.

How 'bout that.

Yesterday - sans Bellinis - we ended up turning on the air conditioning.  I don't care what the calendar says - when the thermometer inside says 89°, the date is immaterial.  All the real Bellinis in the world wouldn't have made it any cooler.  (Okay, maybe I wouldn't have cared what the temperature was, but it wouldn't have made it cooler!)  But I digress...

I had a hankerin' for a burger on the barbie all day long.  And I got me one.

Charred to perfection with mayo, mustard, catsup, pickles, onions, tomatoes, avocado, and cheese.  On a whole wheat bun, of course.  With fries.

It was a mess to eat.  Even cutting it in half didn't help.  Everything was just sliding everywhere.  I used half-a-dozen napkins.  The perfect burger.

It's supposed to rain like hell tonight and then be a mere 40 degrees cooler tomorrow.

Practically casserole weather!  I think I'll make salads, anyway.

Gotta love it.


Diner Dinner

Since we actually had to leave the house this afternoon, we decided dinner at the diner was in order.  Considering how seldom we actually eat out, this was almost a big deal.

I kept tossing greasy cheeseburger and club house sandwich back and forth.  Either would have been fine, but I finally decided I can make a pretty good greasy cheeseburger at home any time.  I seldom make a club.  As the picture attests, the club won.

It didn't disappoint.  Three slices of rye toast with turkey, bacon, iceberg lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise.  Thick steak fries, cole slaw, and a pickle.  And coffee.  Ya gotta have coffee at the diner.

Victor opted for this weird east coast concoction called a Corned Beef Special. It's a hot corned beef sandwich on rye, with cole slaw and dressing on it.  Not grilled, cold cabbage.  I don't get it.   Then again, I wasn't eating it.  I don't have to.

I was a good boy and didn't finish it all.  Weigh-in tomorrow.

And we still have madeleines.....


Chipotle Chicken Sandwich

I feel like such a slacker.  I didn't bake the bread or hand-cut the french fries tonight.  Sometimes ya just gotta go with the flow.

I had taken chicken out of the freezer this morning with no clear idea of what I was going to do with it.  This is a perfect example of why I don't plan or shop for meals in advance.  I just don't know on Monday what I'm going to want on Friday - or any other day of the week.  I keep plenty of ingredients in the house and let my taste buds take me where they want to go.  I would much rather open the 'fridge and see something and think "Gee, I need to use this - let me think of something" rather than opening the 'fridge and seeing the ingredients for chicken pot pie - and it's an unexpected 70° outside!  It may be pure delusion on my part, but it seems like I have more creative control this way.

So...  I had chicken and no clear idea of what I was going to do.

At some point this afternoon, I started thinking crepes, which lead to tortillas which lead to melted cheese and Mexican which lead to tonight's Mexican spiced chicken with chipotle mayonnaise sandwich on a baguette.  See how linear that thought process was?!?  From crepe to sandwich in mere seconds!

I sliced the chicken breasts into medallions and seasoned them with cumin, chili powder, garlic, salt, and pepper.  I fried them in a splash of olive oil.

I made chipotle mayonnaise by adding a heaping teaspoon of adobo sauce (from a can of chipotles in adobo) to 1/4 cup of mayo.

I generously slathered the mayo on the baguette, added pequillo peppers, sliced avocado, the chicken, and jack and cheddar cheeses.  Under the broiler it went to melt the cheese, and dinner was served.

The fries were frozen bagged fries.  They were pretty good.  No nasty ingredients.

I know dinner was good because halfway through the meal, I had to get up and wash my hands - the napkins just weren't enough.

It was worth it.


Cheese Frenchee

Patty Dineen Reynolds

  • 6 slices sandwich bread
  • 6 slices American cheese
  • Mayonnaise
  • 1 egg, well beaten
  • 1/2 C milk
  • 3/4 C flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Corn flakes, crushed finely
  • Oil for deep frying

Prepare three sandwiches, using mayonnaise as desired. Cut off crusts off sandwiches and slice diagonally into quarters.

Beat together egg, milk, flour, and salt. Dip sandwiches into batter and roll in crushed cornflakes. Freeze. When ready to prepare, deep fry frozen sandwiches until golden brown.