Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

Grilling season has begun on our deck.  What better way to mark the event than with this special spatchcocked chicken cooked under a brick.  The weight of the brick serves two purposes; to hold the chicken in its flattened state and to keep all of the surfaces in contact with the grill to ensure crispy skin.

The inspiration for this dish came from an image that I saw on a rental place in the Loire Valley of France.

During our third week in France we will be staying in this 18th Century restored barn in the area of Lerne.

What attracted me to the property was not only the beautiful countryside and proximity to historic chateaux and wineries, but the stone walls and exceptional kitchen.

The hosts are former restaurant owners from San Francisco and are available for catered meals and food and wine tours of the region.  If you would like to see more about this property go to this link.

So in honor of our upcoming trip, I am trying to cook meals with a French influence.  Stay with me this month if you like French food because that will be my focus.

Julia Child in her book The Way to Cook talks about butterflying chicken for a handsome presentation.  Whether you call it butterflying or spatchcocking, it involves removing the backbone and flattening the bird.  It allows for more even cooking.

The exception to the French influence in this particular recipe are the seasonings and sauce.  I found the recipe in an issue of Food and Wine.   It is spiced with smoked paprika, garlic and oregano and then served with a Chimicurri Sauce.

It would be equally delicious with herbes de Provence and a sauce with rosemary and tarragon.  Bon appetit!

CHICKEN GRILLED UNDER A BRICK

For 2 small chickens:
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 3-pound chickens, backbones cut out

CHIMICHURRI

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Marinate the Chicken:  In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients except the chickens.  Set the chickens breast sides up on a rimmed baking sheet.  Flatten the birds, fold the wing tips under and arrange the thighs next to the breasts.  Make 2 slashes in the breasts and 1 slash in the legs and thighs.  Rub with the marinade, cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.  Bring to room temperature before grilling.

Make the Chimichurri:  In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients.

Light a grill.  Cover 2 bricks with foil.  Grill the chickens breast sides down, pressed with the bricks, over moderate heat until browned, 15 minutes.  Flip and grill over low heat until the juices run clear when a thigh is pierced, about 25 minutes longer.  Transfer the chickens to a carving board to rest for 10 minutes.  Carve and serve, passing the chimichurri at the table.

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One of the most popular blog posts I have ever had was my recipe for Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken.  I am still counting, but at last count it had received 20,000 hits on Pinterest and has garnered 66 comments on my post.  That tells me that there are many people out there who love their crock pots and enjoy recipes that require very little work.

This recipe for barbecued chicken falls into that category.  Ironically I found it on Pinterest, but  changed it somewhat to suit my taste.  I had a package of three large chicken breasts in the freezer.  I put them in my crock pot frozen, mixed up the sauce ingredients and cooked them on low for 6 hours.  We liked them but the flavor seemed a little intense to me.

One of the good things about the crock pot is that it turns any meat into a shreddable consistency.  By adding a little water or chicken broth to the shredded chicken I was able to achieve a most delicious BBQ chicken to serve on hamburger buns.  We enjoyed them for lunch several times.

I will be making this again in my crock pot.

CROCK POT BBQ CHICKEN

3 large chicken breasts (can be frozen)
1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1 tablespoon grainy mustard

Place chicken breasts in crock pot.  Mix together the sauce ingredients.  Pour over chicken.  Cook on low 4 to 6 hours, checking occasionally for doneness.  Remove chicken and shred.  If sauce is too thick add a little water or chicken broth to it.  Return chicken to sauce.  Spoon onto warmed hamburger buns and serve.

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We love Thai restaurants.  We have a favorite in Hendersonville, NC when we are staying at the lake.  We also have a favorite in Jacksonville, Fl.  I have attempted to cook Thai food at home, but it never seems to have the complex flavors of the curries that I have eaten in restaurants.  The lemongrass, fish sauce and Thai basil all contribute to the complex nuances.

While I was getting my hair cut last month I was talking to my hairdresser about food.  Duh . . . What else do I talk about with such authority?  I was lamenting the lack of alternative food markets in the area.  She said, ” I don’t know what you are looking for, but you really ought to check out the Asian Market up the road”  I had no idea it existed as it is in a small strip mall set back off the main road going through town.

It is a wonderful place.  The parking spaces are usually all full and the small market buzzes with people roaming its crowded aisles.  There before me were sheaves of lemongrass and packages of purple stemmed Thai basil for $1.00 a package.  There were so many Asian inspired sauces and fruits and vegetables that I was in a fog of shopping bliss.

The variety of peppers was astounding and the packages of unusual herbs for $1.00 each made me very happy.

After shopping I came home with what I needed to put together a red curry chicken.

The basil you see in this picture is not the Thai basil.  Thai basil has purple stems and has more of an anise flavor than regular basil.  They were out of it when I returned for more ingredients.  The lemongrass stalks are woody and have to be treated right so that they are not stringy.  They have a lemon flavor.  If you can’t find them you can use lemon zest and lemon juice.  I use lite coconut milk and red curry paste.  I decided to leave out the fish sauce.

I combined the Thai ingredients with chicken breast cubes, red and green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers and red onions.  We loved it.  Now we don’t have to jump in the car and go to a restaurant when we need our Thai curry fix.

They say you should photograph your food on plain white plates but I love pretty plates.  I think my curry looks special on one of my Paris Royal black and white plates.

THAI RED CURRY CHICKEN

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 to 2 jalepeno peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic
1 stalk of lemongrass (peeled and sliced thinly) or zest of one lemon
3 to 4 tablespoons red curry paste (More if you like it hotter)
1/2 cup Thai basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 can of coconut milk or lite coconut milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Jasmine or brown rice as an accompaniment

Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Add the chicken breast pieces and cook until all sides are browned.  Remove chicken to a plate.  Add the peppers and onions and cook until wilted.  Add the garlic and lemongrass if you are using.  (My lemongrass was too woody and I substituted the lemon zest).

Return chicken to skillet and add the red curry paste, coconut milk and Thai basil leaves.  Stir the ingredients and cook over low heat until the flavors come together (about 20 minutes).

Serve over rice.  Makes 4 servings.

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Food beautiful food.  What is not to love about this colorful plate of Chicken Paillards with Orange Salsa as shown above.  For me, that love would not have been possible last week.  I was sure that I was doomed to live on saltine crackers and gatorade for the rest of my life.

The background:  We traveled to Cary, NC to spend time with our Son, DIL and two Grandkids before driving to Emerald Isle for Grandson Camerons’s 1st birthday party with the extended family.  All four of them had had the flu before we arrived, but were over it.  We arrived on Wednesday.  Thursday we dropped GD Rachel off at her art class and killed time at a local brewery just down the street from her studio.  Son Michael ordered onion rings and “fried pickles” to go with a glass of the local brew.  I said ” I don’t think I can eat all of that greasy food”.  “Not to worry Mom”, he said.   “OK” I said.  I ate it.

Later that night:  Heartburn, or so I thought.  Wrong!  Full blown flu gripped me and stayed with me all night.  David and I decided that we could not leave with them to go to the beach.  I was too weak and did not want to expose the rest of the family to the bug.  Michael, Kristen and the kids headed for the beach on Friday.  That night David got the flu too.

As I lay in bed feeling the worst misery I had felt in a long time, these were the thoughts running through my mind:

I will never, ever, eat fried pickles again.  Don’t even think about them!

How can I continue to blog about food?  I hate food.  Maybe I could blog about bread, but only if it’s toasted.

We are going to Paris in June.  I can’t even think about fromage, charcuterie, or wine.  No picnics for me.  What a waste.  Too late to cancel.

My life of loving food is over.  Just give my some thin gruel and I will survive.  Maybe.

As David and I nursed our stomachs with crackers and gatorade at the kids house, word started filtering back from the beach. The cousins were starting to get sick.  Then Kristen’s Mom got sick.  Then her brother-in-law was laid low.  Before the weekend was over, everyone at the beach was stricken with the flu.  It turned out that we were all exposed to the Norovirus ( Cruise ship virus ).  This flu is virulent and highly contagious.  There is no vaccine for it and those exposed are contagious long after the symptoms subside.

It has been a week and we are back in Florida, still weak but on the mend.  This was the first real meal I have made in a long time.

The love for food is coming back.  I was drawn to the produce aisle of the supermarket for some reason.  They had a box of little cutie mandarin oranges that looked health giving in their vitamin C rich orange skins.  I made a salsa with them to go with pounded chicken breasts.  With cherry tomatoes, celery, red onion and jalapeno peppers it made a vibrant topping.  With the dish I served healthy quinoa and fresh sauteed kale.

I think I will survive to cook again and make the trip to Paris.  But I will never have another fried pickle again, even if it had nothing to do with what happened.

CHICKEN PAILLARDS WITH ORANGE SALSA ( Bon Appetit )

4 chicken breast halves
4 clementines, mandarin oranges or oranges, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
1 cup cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and cut into thin rings
1/2 to 2/3 cup juice from clementines or oranges (about 6 clementines)

2 tablespoons oil for sauteing chicken

Place chicken breast halves between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or waxed paper and pound to about 1/4 inch thickness.

Mix oranges and next 8 ingredients in medium bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and cook until slightly browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.  Transfer chicken to platter.  Add clementine juice to skillet, boil until reduced to about 1/4 cup, stirring often, about 2 minutes.  Drizzle sauce over chicken.  Spoon salsa over and serve.

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I have tried very hard not to sound the January “diet” drum on this blog.  But “ta dum”, it has been happening.  One of us has been doing a better job than the other, but we both have been more conscious of what we are putting in our mouths.  My way to lose weight is portion control.  I keep eating most all of the foods I always eat, but just less of them.  Sweets are limited but not eliminated.  I feel like we eat a pretty healthy diet anyway, so just cutting down a bit is my solution.  Also I have added a weekly weigh-in at Weight Watchers.  That is all of the motivation I need.  And a five pound weight loss, so far, is my reward.

This recipe for maple-mustard glazed chicken was in the latest issue of Cooking Light.  Everyone gets tired of skinless, boneless chicken breasts when you are on a diet.  This issue of the magazine is dedicated to 25 healthy chicken dinners and there are several great recipes that improve the ho-hum chicken breast.  I chose to make this recipe because I love the ingredients.  Stone-ground mustard, pure maple syrup, lots of garlic and chicken broth combine to make a beautiful glaze.  What could be more beautiful?

MAPLE-MUSTARD GLAZED CHICKEN

2 teaspoons olive oil
4 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.  Add oil; swirl to coat.  Sprinkle chicken with pepper and salt.  Add chicken to pan; saute 2 minutes on each side or until browned.  Remove chicken from pan.  Add broth, syrup, thyme, and garlic to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.  Cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add vinegar and mustard; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Return chicken to pan, and spoon mustard mixture over chicken.  Bake at 400 degrees F. for 10 minutes or until the chicken is done.  Remove chicken from pan; let stand 5 minutes.  Place pan over medium heat; cook mustard mixture 2 minutes or until liquid is syrupy, stirring frequently.  Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.

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