Good Morning.
Several years ago, a new restaurant was about to open in my city and I was driving by with a seven-year-old granddaughter. The sign was being put up and the word Grille immediately captured her attention. "Oh look," she said. "They're going to call it Grillie. After that the place was always Grillie for me, but for our purposes today, we will return to the original version and do a French barbecue. Even the French step out of the kitchen during the summer, most notably into charming cafes that
everyone tries in vain to duplicate.
If you desire an aperitif, have a glass of wine or the following cocktail, Grand Marnier and Soda:
1 1/2 oz. Grand Marnier
3 oz. club soda
A squeeze of lemon
Pour the Grand Marnier into a glass filled with ice, add the club soda, top with a squeeze of lemon and stir. Be aware that a bottle of Grand Marnier costs more than it does to get the lawn mowed so it may be wiser to get the wine.
Have your beverage with an assortment of crudites, the upscale word for a mess of cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, radishes,
carrots, and celery. Slice the cucumbers and carrots into sticks rather than rounds, cut the celery into manageable lengths, and stick the tomatoes and radishes with toothpicks. Serve with a Roquefort dipping sauce.
2 oz. Roquefort
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup creme fraiche
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine in a bowl well ahead of serving time to allow the ingredients to blend.
The entree is a scrumptious Barbecued Coq Au Vin with a few variations from the classic indoor dish.
4 chicken quarters
2 cups red wine
4 strips of bacon
1/2 medium white onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup porcini mushrooms
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tbsp. fresh chopped thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
In a skillet, cook the bacon until just starting to get done, add the chopped onion, and cook for two or three minutes. Add the garlic for the last half a minute. Add the wine and mushrooms and bring to a boil. Add the tomato paste, mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, chopped thyme, and a shake of salt and pepper. Reduce heat and cook over low heat until the sauce is thickened. Remove from the heat and process in a blender until smooth. Get your grill ready. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, and toss in a third of the sauce, keeping the rest of it warm. Cook the chicken for about 35 to 40 minutes, turning once. Use a meat thermometer - it needs to register 165 when inserted into the meatiest part of the chicken. Baste with a little more sauce for the last five minutes of the cooking and serve any remaining on the side.
Serve the chicken with Grilled Romaine.
3 romaine hearts, cleaned and washed
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground pepper
Dry the romaine hearts with a paper towel. Cut them in half lengthwise, leaving the cores intact. Brush them with olive oil.
Grill the hearts, cut side down, over medium heat for just two minutes on each side until grill marks appear and the romaine begins to wilt. To serve, drizzle with white wine vinegar and sprinkle with Parmesan, preferably freshly grated.
Our other side is French Potato Salad, rather different than the usual item made with mayonnaise.
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped shallots
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
2 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Scrub the potatoes and put them in a pot with enough water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, and cook the potatoes until they are just tender and not overdone. Drain them and cool on the counter. Peel the skins when they can be handled but are still warm. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Add the green onions and shallots and saute for a minute or so over medium heat. Add the garlic for the last 45 seconds or so. Remove the pan from the heat. Cut the potatoes into half-inch sliced. Put these pieces into a mixing bowl, pour the wine and another three tablespoons of olive oil over them and toss carefully. Add the mixture from the skillet, then the mustard, chives, chopped tarragon, and a good shake of salt and pepper. Toss carefully so you don't smush up the potatoes. Serve the potato salad at room temperature.
Since the salad can't be made ahead of time, you will need to enlist the assistance of a grillmaster to do the chicken and romaine. The sauce can be made ahead of time but this person needs to be attentive and reasonably experienced.
The dessert requires little effort, however, and must be done hours or even days before the dinner. It is a Lime and Basil Sorbet, fresh, light, and most importantly, cold. Nobody needs a chocolate souffle heating up the oven during the summer.
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3/4 cup fresh lime juice, not the bottled item
15 to 20 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
Make a simple syrup with the sugar and water by bringing them to a boil in a saucepan. Boil for a minute and remove from the heat. Mix this syrup with the lime juice and minced basil in a blender and process until smooth. Pour into a container with a lid and store in the freezer until frozen solid. Now remove chop up the frozen sorbet into pieces, return to the blender, and process again until smooth. Place into the container again and store in your freezer until needed. Easily multiplied. For
a whimsical touch, pour the final mixture into popsicle molds.
I grew up on a variety of desserts but nobody used any kind of seasoning except cinnamon, nutmeg, and maybe a dash of salt. Now herbs are added to nearly everything, including sweet dishes as long as the herbs are on the sweeter side. For example, chives would not work with this sorbet and lavender would not be my choice in an omelet.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
P.S. I went to Grillie on my birthday. I always get the tenderloin tips with a Gorgonzola sauce because they remind me of a place a friend and I visited during college when her father was in town and could pick up the tab. I've never fully recovered.
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