Sea Breezes

Last Wednesday we catered Manomet 's "Summerfest". It was a truly lovely event (even with Mother Nature kicking up her heels and dumping some rain on us towards the end of the evening:-) full of smiling faces, beautiful music, inspiring speakers and ---of course---delicious food. The meal was made especially "local" with the addition of gorgeous produce from Holmes Farm and ocean fresh cherrystones and oysters from Island Creek Oysters. I took some photos of the event so you could see the beautiful location and the amazing culinary feast Chef Dan and his team created. If you are interested, please take a moment to check out Manomet's Facebook page or their website www.manomet.org to learn about all the wonderful work they do.

Summer time…and the grilling is easy.

         The art of roasting the perfect chicken is so simple and straightforward in the summer, or as I like to call it, grilling season. All you need for this recipe is a free-range organic chicken, cooking oil, Herbs de Provence, half a lemon, quarter onion and a Webber grill or any grill that has a lid that allows you to cover the top.

         As with any bird all the fat/flavor lies in the skin. So one of the most important things to get right; is a crispy, dark brown skin. If you follow the instructions below, a golden brown, slightly smoky, juicy chicken is in your future.  Get you coals going and lay a bed of them down on one side of the grill  (preferably lump charcoal, but briquettes work as well). As you look at the bottom of the grill, imagine a line splitting it in half. On one side, your hot coals, on the other, nothing.

               While your coals are heating up, get you chicken ready by tossing it in oil, salt and pepper and Herbs de Provence (or any combo of your favorite herbs; basil, tarragon, thyme are all good options). Be sure to season the inside the cavity of the chicken as well, and then stuff with half a lemon and a quarter onion. If you are feeling fancy you can zest the lemon and add rub the bird with it.

              Give the grill grate a good scrub with a grill brush. Place the chicken, back side down on the cold side (the side without coals) and cover with the lid. Make sure the vents at the top and bottom of the grill are left completely open.

    So you now have 45 minutes to do important stuff, like drink beer, maybe play whiffle ball, mow the lawn..whatever. Just set a timer on your smart phone for 45 minutes and when it chimes take the lid off the grill and you will discover a crispy succulent golden brown bird. To test for doneness lift the bird up (carefully, you don’t want to damage that lovely crispy skin) and the juices that run out of the bird’s cavity should run clear. If you have a handy thermometer insert it in to the thigh and test for an internal temperature of 165 degrees. If it’s not there yet, then check back in 10 minutes.

     Once the chicken is done, it needs to rest/cool at least 10 minutes. Cut in to 8ths by taking a sharp chef knife and cutting first through the center of the rib cage between the two breasts. Once you are into the cavity of the bird open it up and cut on either side of the back bone (save this for stock). Now cut the thigh/leg away from the breast and then bifurcate the beast and leg/thigh. If somehow your coals were not hot enough or your smart phone is actually a stupid phone that does not know how to tell time and the chicken does not appear to be cooked through, don’t panic.  Simply place the chicken parts back on the grill and cook until done.

     Now you are ready to serve. Place the chicken parts on a platter. While you can enjoy it with no sauce, I love to serve it with any number of condiments; Dijon mustard mixed with chopped tarragon and honey, BBQ Sauce, Siracha, Red Pepper Jelly or whatever you have handy in the fridge. Stay tuned for summer sides recipes to serve with your grill roasted chicken!