Rooftop Gourmet

Even though I will most likely be using the grill all winter long, I felt the Fall weather coming and decided to make one of my favorite summer staples before it’s too late. Back in college was the first time I had ever attempted the “Beer Can Chicken”, and let me tell you, it takes a few trial and error periods to get it just right. The bull chested bird standing proudly atop the grill is not just for show, but actually serves a purpose for squatting on a beer can. As seen in the pictures below, I cut the top of the beer can off before I insert it into the cavity. As the bird slowly cooks on the grill, the beer simmers and keeps the entire inside of the cavity moist throughout the entire cooking process. As long as you don’t completely torch the chicken, your meat will be perfectly moist and tender.

In the past, I have rubbed the outside of the chicken in butter, fresh herbs, lemon, garlic, you name it… but this time I wanted to spice it up a bit and try out some new flavors. I have been experimenting with a lot of Indian flavors so I created my own spice rub consisting of Cumin, Corriander, Cayenne Pepper, Ginger, Tumeric, and Paprika.

Typical combinations of these spices are used to flavor all types of meats inside what is called a Tangine; a clay cooking vessel. Generously cover the entire bird with the rub and let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours if possible. Since most of these flavors are incredibly intense (hot, spicy, smoky), I made a Greek Yogurt sauce with diced cucumbers and fresh dill to cool down the chicken.

The hardest part of assembling the whole bird is getting it to fit onto the beer can and still be stable. Sometimes snipping the skin in between the legs helps, especially if you use a 22oz. Fosters can like I did. Depending on the size of the bird, it takes about 45 minutes on the grill so this is a great meal to serve at a party because people can socialize while the bird is cooking and admire the way it stands up straight and watches everybody while it roasts. Make sure the bird is not sitting over direct high heat, or else certain parts of the bird will burn and cook unevenly. Typically eating food with intense spice, heat, or other bold flavors such as Thai, or Chinese food requires a fruiter white wine. The tannins in most red wines will clash with the food and give off an unpleasant taste and even make spicier foods burn longer. I recommend Caymus Conundrum with this Indian Spiced Beer Can chicken because it is a blend of a few different white grape varietals which are all relatively fruity and very aromatic such as Muscat.

If you cannot find Conundrum near you, try a Gewurztraminer or Riesling from the Alsace Region of France. I would recommend going out and purchasing a meat thermometer, which comes in handy for a lot of different things, but specifically this recipe. If you insert the tip into the thickest part of the thigh, the internal temperature should read 160 to 165 degrees before taking the chicken off the grill to rest. After about ten minutes of resting, slice the bird, and serve with a cool cucumber/yogurt sauce.

I signed up for a service recently called Boston Organics (www.bostonorganics.com). This company delivers organic food from local farmers markets right to your door in the city. All I do is request a certain size box, and the specific proportion of fruits to vegetables (I chose 75% veggie 25% fruit) and once a week I come home from work and there is a giant box of produce sitting in my apartment. I figured this would be fun because I have no idea what is coming in the box until it arrives; whatever is fresh that week is what I get. The box came this past tuesday evening and I was somewhat overwhelmed at first but managed to wash and sort everything. It is exciting trying to come up with new dishes based around what comes in the mystery box. Here is the breakdown of what arrived…$39 2/3 vegetable

2 lbs Fair Trade Bananas (Ecuador)

3 Fuji Apples (Chile)

2 Pluots (CA)

1 Red Grapefruit (CA)

3 Valencia Oranges (CA)

3 Yellow Nectarines (CA)

1 bunch Broccoli (CO)

1 head Celery (CA)

1 bunch Collard Greens (MA)

1 Cucumbers (MA)

1 Green Bell Peppers (PA)

1 bunch Kale (MA)

1 lbs Mixed Summer Squash (MA)

1 2oz Pea Shoots (MA)

1 head Romaine Lettuce (MA)

1.5 lbs Sweet Potatoes (NC)

1 lbs Vidalia Onions (GA)

Tuesday night, I made a grilled summer squash and mint salad with Valencia orange zest and supremes along side a grilled salmon and roasted sweet potatoes. With this dish we opened the 2007 Laetitia Pinot Noir which was lush and elegant. Tons of ripe plum and other dark fruits layered with a perfect balance of earth and spice; excellent with the grilled salmon.

Last night I was in the mood for some comfort food. I made braised chicken legs and thighs with some wilted garlic kale and rosemary fingling potatoes. The chicken was braised in the reduction of an entire bottle of northern Italian white, fresh thyme, lemon, chicken stock, and some other aromatics. After about an hour and half, crispy skin on the outside, fall off the bone tender and juicy on the inside. I strained and reduced the braising liquid and turned it into a rich and velvety sauce (with the help of a little butter) to drizzle over the chicken. If you have never braised or slow cooked chicken legs/thighs before I highly reccomend it. The slow cooking brings out such rich flavors of the dark meat and the texture is tremendous. This dish screamed White Burgundy so I turned to one of our “go-to” wines, the 2006 Vincent Girardin Emotion de Terroirs. Perfect balance between tropical fruit and oak. Creamy, buttery on the palate but not over powering. This wine over delivers everytime; like a baby Puligny Montrachet.

For dessert, I halved a few of the nectarines and pluots, rubbed them in some granulated sugar and grilled them for about 4-5 minutes. The grill really brings out the natural sweetness of the fruit; I don’t even think that the extra sugar was necessary. I drizzled some syrupy balsamic reduction over the warm stone fruits. Vanilla ice cream would have been nice but I didn’t have any. Try this quick and easy dessert at your next BBQ.