Bacon-Wrapped Chicken and Peach Mini-Brochettes
Preparation: 20 minutes
Marinating: 15 minutes
Cooking: 25 minutes
Servings: 24 bites
Marinade
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp (28 g) butter
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) honey
- 1 green onion, chopped
Mini-Brochettes
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, each cut into 6 pieces
- 2 peaches, pitted and each cut into 12 wedges
- 12 slices bacon, halved
- 24 large toothpicks, soaked in water for 15 minutes
- Salt and pepper
Marinade
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring all the ingredients to a boil and simmer for about 1 minute. Let cool.
Mini-Brochettes
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Wrap a piece of chicken and a peach wedge with a half slice of bacon. Skewer with a toothpick. Place the skewers in a glass dish and coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the grill, setting the burners to high. Oil the grate.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Grill the skewers for about 5 minutes on each side. Turn off the burner on one side of the grill and place the skewers on the unlit section for about 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
NOTE
These mini-brochettes can also be made with pork tenderloin.
Indian-Style Veal Brochettes
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 6 minutes
Servings: 4 to 6
Green Onion Yogurt
- 1 cup (250 ml) plain 10% yogurt
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lime juice
Curry Paste
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup (11 g) chopped cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tbsp peeled and sliced ginger
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
Brochettes
- 1 ½ lb (675 g) lean ground veal
- Olive oil
- 8 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes, or metal skewers
- 8 pita breads
- Iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced
- Salt and pepper
Green Onion Yogurt
- In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate.
Curry Paste
- In a small food processor, finely chop all the ingredients. Set aside.
Brochettes
- Preheat the grill, setting the burners to high. Oil the grate.
- In a large bowl, combine the veal and the curry paste. Season with salt and pepper.
- For each skewer, shape of the meat mixture into a 7-inch (18 cm) sausage and thread onto the skewer, pressing the meat firmly. Brush with olive oil.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Grill the skewers for about 4 minutes on each side, or until the meat is cooked through.
- For each serving, top a pita bread with lettuce and a brochette. Garnish with green onion yogurt.
Fully-Loaded Baked Potatoes
Preparation: 40 minutes
Cooking: 1 hour
Servings: 4 to 8 (see note)
- 4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed clean
- 4 slices bacon
- 2 green onions
- ¼ cup (57 g) butter, softened
- 1 cup (250 ml) sour cream
- 1 ½ cups (150 g) shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper
- Preheat the grill, setting the burners to high. Oil the grate.
- Individually wrap each potato in aluminum foil. Place on the grill, close the lid and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tender. Let cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, grill the bacon slices for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Chop finely.
- Chop the whites of the green onions, then thinly slice the green part. Set aside separately.
- Lay the potatoes horizontally on a work surface and slice a thin layer off of each. Scoop out the potato flesh, leaving about ½ inch (1 cm) of flesh all around. Set the hollowed-out potatoes aside.
- In a bowl, lightly mash the potato flesh. Add the butter, sour cream, onion whites, 1 cup of cheese and half the bacon. Combine well. Season with salt and pepper.
- Generously stuff the hollowed potatoes. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese, bacon and onion greens.
- Reduce the grill heat to medium. Place the stuffed potatoes directly on the grate and continue cooking for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
NOTES
For smaller portions, instead of simply cutting off the top of the potato (after the first baking), cut them in half to make eight servings rather than four.
For a spicy kick, add finely chopped pickled jalapeno pepper to the mashed potato stuffing.
Grilled Pineapple with Coconut Milk
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 10 minutes
Servings: 6 to 8
- 1 can (14 oz/398 ml) coconut milk
- 1 cup (240 g) brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 pineapple, peeled and cut into ½-inch (1 cm) thick slices
- 1 cup (70 g) sweetened shredded coconut, toasted (optional)
- Vanilla ice cream
- Preheat the grill, setting the burners to high. Oil the grate.
- Pour the coconut milk into a bowl. On a plate, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Dip a pineapple slice in the coconut milk, allow the excess to drip off, and press into the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Repeat with the remaining pineapple slices.
- Grill the slices for 4 or 5 minutes on each side, or until the sugar has caramelized. Serve hot or cold. Sprinkle with shredded coconut if desired. Serve with ice cream or Rum and Coconut Pannacotta (recipe p. 136).
NOTE
On request, some grocery stores will peel and core a whole pineapple for you. Or, at home, using a good chef’s knife or serrated bread knife, simply slice off the top and the bottom of the pineapple. Stand the pineapple upright, then trim the skin by sliding the knife blade from top to bottom. Core, slice and serve.
