Volume 8, Issue 089 - May 5, 2005

Hello Recipe Club,

How to tell if your chicken is fully cooked.

Please do not rely on those silly little red pop up things. Bad idea in my opinion. To test birds for doneness the USDA recommends that you cook the bird to an internal temperature of 180°F. I disagree. I remove my bird from the oven when an instant read thermometer inserted into the inside of the meatiest part of the thigh reads 155°F. Remember that bird will still be cooking for a while once you take it out of the oven. And always remember to allow the bird to rest for 2 minutes per pound before carving it. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat instead of pouring out all over your cutting board.

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Sesame Grilled Trout

Ingredients:

1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons margarine, melted
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 fresh trout, about 1 pound each

Preparation:

In shallow baking dish, combine all ingredients except trou, mix well. Pierce skin of fish in several places with tines of fork. Roll fish in juice mixture to coat inside and out. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove fish from marinade; reserving marinade.

Place fish on a well oiled grill, brush fish with reserved marinade. Cook about 4 inch from hot coals 5 to 6 minutes. Turn, brush with marinade, cook 5 to 6 minutes longer. Fish is done when it flakes easily with fork.

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Grilled Ham Slice with Plum Glaze

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 fully-cooked ham center slice, cut 1-inch thick, about 2 pounds
1/4 cup plum preserves
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation:

For glaze, in a small saucepan combine plum preserves, mustard, lemon juice and cinnamon. Cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes or until preserves melt. Keep warm.

Grill ham slice over medium coals about 10 minutes. Turn ham and grill 10 minutes more. Brush ham with glaze during the last 5 minutes of grilling.

Source: otherwhitemeat.com

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Grilled Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken and Pepper Skewers

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

Marinade:

2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1/3 cup Viansa Balsamic Vinegar
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Chicken Skewers:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 ounces each), cut into four equal pieces
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 2-inch squares
2 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into 2-inch squares
1 small bulb fennel, trimmed and cut into eight wedges
16 thin slices prosciutto
4 wooden skewers (10 to 12 inches long)

Preparation:

In a small bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients. Divide the marinade in half. In a medium-sized glass bowl, toss the chicken pieces with half of the marinade. In another medium-sized glass bowl, toss the peppers and fennel with the other half of the marinade. Cover both bowls tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate a minimum of 3 hours, tossing occasionally. (The longer the chicken and vegetables marinate, the more flavor they acquire. 8 to 12 hours is even better.)

Rub the skewers against each other on all surfaces to remove any splinters and immerse in cold water to soak for as long as the chicken marinates.

Preheat grill to medium heat.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and wrap a slice of prosciutto around each piece. Thread each piece onto the skewers, alternating the chicken with pieces of pepper and fennel, until all the ingredients are used. Reserve the vegetable marinade for basting. Season skewers with salt and pepper and grill over moderate heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, rotating frequently and basting with reserved marinade.

Source: Vicki Sebastiani