The Big Book of Backyard Cooking (14 page)

Mound the shrimp on a warm serving platter. Garnish with the lemon wedges. Pour the sauce into 6 individual ramekins, then sprinkle remaining chopped parsley and reserved green onions over the sauce. Serve immediately.

VARIATION:
For a smoked flavor, add to the prepared grill eight 2-inch

hickory chunks, soaked in water for 15 minutes and then drained.

NOTE:
Here’s a guideline for unshelled shrimp sizes:

Medium—31 to 40 per pound

Large—21 to 30 per pound

Extra large—10 to 15 per pound

Tabasco sauce is named after a state called Tabasco in southeastern Mexico.

MIXED SEAFOOD GRILL WITH SESAME

DIPPING SAUCE

Skewered shrimp and scallops, grilled quickly and served with a delectable Asian-accented
dipping sauce, are a treat for seafood lovers. The sauce can be prepared a day ahead and the fresh
herbs and sesame seeds stirred into it at serving time. The seafood needs only a few minutes on the
grill.

SERVES 4

SESAME DIPPING SAUCE

6
tablespoons honey

6
tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

1
tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

1
tablespoon soy sauce

1
tablespoon chili garlic sauce (see note)

1½
teaspoons dark roasted sesame oil

1½
teaspoons grated orange zest

2
tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2
tablespoons chopped fresh mint

2
tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
(see page 15)

Salt

Vegetable oil for oiling grill rack

4
metal or wooden skewers (which have been soaked in water 30 minutes before using and patted dry)

12
sea scallops, side muscles trimmed

12
large shrimp, shelled and deveined but with tails intact

2
tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2
tablespoons chopped fresh mint

TO MAKE THE SESAME DIPPING SAUCE:
Whisk together the honey, rice vinegar, ginger, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, sesame oil, and orange zest in a medium nonreactive bowl to blend well. (The sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.) When ready to use, remove 2 tablespoons of the sauce and reserve. Stir cilantro, mint, and sesame seeds into remaining sauce. Season with salt if needed.

Oil a grill rack and arrange 4 to 5 inches from heat source. Prepare grill for a hot fire (high temperature).

Thread each of 4 skewers alternately with 3 scallops and 3 shrimp. Brush the reserved 2

tablespoons of sauce over the fish.

Grill the skewers until scallops and shrimp are both cooked through, turning several times, about 4 to 5 minutes total. When done, the scallops will be opaque and the shrimp pink and curled.

To serve, arrange skewers on a serving plate and salt them lightly. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and mint. Pour reserved dipping sauce into 4 small bowls. Serve each skewer with a bowl of the dipping sauce.

NOTE:
Hot chili sauce with garlic can be found in the Asian section of many supermarkets and in Asian specialty food stores. Kame is a readily available

brand that works well in this recipe.

FRIED CHICKEN, BOILED LOBSTERS,

GREAT SANDWICHES, AND MORE

Many mouth-watering dishes that find their way to the backyard table are not cooked on the grill. Instead, they are prepared—often well in advance—in the kitchen, then transported outside. Such classics make up this chapter. Sesame Fried Chicken and Baked Ham with a Red Currant Mustard Glaze, each served cool rather than piping hot, are both great make-ahead entrées for outdoors. Steamed mussels accompanied by Saffron Mayonnaise and boiled lobsters set out with several dipping sauces are also temptations for a backyard crowd. Such dishes as Spicy Crab Cakes, Habanero Chicken Wings, and Golden Fried Clam Cakes can play dual roles, as appetizers or as a main course.

And, we can’t forget about sandwiches—the ultimate picnic comfort food. Americans, the world’s best sandwich makers, appreciate originality between their slices of bread, and have been the inventors of countless creations. On the following pages you’ll find a dozen tempting combinations, from corned beef and coleslaw po’ boys to egg salad clubs and New England lobster rolls.

SESAME FRIED CHICKEN WITH HONEY

GLAZE

Growing up in the South, I remember that fried chicken was a staple at our table. My mother, who
never thought of herself as a talented cook, was an expert at one thing—turning out golden
morsels of chicken. She always followed two rules. First, she insisted that the floured pieces had
to be placed into piping hot oil, preferably sizzling in a cast-iron skillet, so that the skin would
brown immediately and form a crust. Second, she covered the browned chicken with a lid set
slightly ajar, and cooked it for several minutes more to insure moist and tender meat. I used these
same tried and true guidelines to produce crispy sesame-scented fried chicken. Drizzled with a
delectable honey glaze, the chicken can be served warm or at room temperature.

SERVES 4 TO 6

1
3-pound frying chicken cut into 2 breasts, 2 wings, 2 thighs, and 2 legs (with backbone saved for another use)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Canola oil for frying chicken

2
large eggs

½
cup milk

1
tablespoon toasted sesame oil

¼
teaspoon Tabasco sauce

½
cup all-purpose flour

2/3
cup unflavored dried bread crumbs

⅓
cup toasted sesame seeds
(see page 15)

HONEY GLAZE

¼
cup honey

4
teaspoons rice vinegar

2
teaspoons toasted sesame oil

¼
teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1
bunch watercress for garnish (optional)

Season chicken pieces on all sides very generously with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Add enough canola oil to a large, heavy skillet, which will hold the chicken pieces in a single layer, to come 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Place skillet over high heat and watch carefully while you prepare the chicken.

In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs to blend. Then whisk in milk, sesame oil, and Tabasco sauce. Spread flour on a dinner plate. Mix together bread crumbs and sesame seeds and spread on another dinner plate. Dredge each piece of chicken in flour, then dip in egg mixture, then coat with sesame–bread crumb mixture.

When oil is very hot, but not smoking, add all the chicken to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat until golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Turn and cook on the other side until golden, 6 to 7

minutes more. Reduce heat to low and place a lid slightly ajar on the skillet. Cook 12 minutes more, turning several times. This additional cooking will make chicken more tender. Remove and drain on paper towels.

TO MAKE THE GLAZE:
Whisk together honey, vinegar, sesame oil, and Tabasco sauce in a small bowl.

Arrange chicken on a serving platter and drizzle with some honey glaze. Serve extra sauce in a small bowl. Garnish platter with two clusters of watercress, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Favorite backyard games include croquet, badminton, frisbee, touch football, and the
increasingly popular Italian ball game of
bocce
.

HABANERO CHICKEN WINGS

Eastern European Jewish cooking meets the hot accents of Latin America in this dish. An assistant,
Lesley Abrams-Schwartz, shared with me her Polish grandmother’s recipe for oven-baked chicken
wings coated with matzo meal. After devouring several batches of the crispy wings one day, we
tried a variation, marinating the wings in hot habanero sauce before baking them. We loved the
results. The pepper added an extra dimension of flavor (a decidedly hot, though not fiery, taste) to
the chicken. You could offer these wings as a substantial appetizer or make them a main course.

Either way, you might consider doubling the recipe, since they disappear quickly.

MAKES 12 WINGS

12
(2½ to 3 pounds) chicken wings

3
tablespoons habanero sauce (see note)

3
tablespoons vegetable oil, plus extra for coating baking pan

6
tablespoons unsalted matzo meal or flour

2
teaspoons kosher salt

1
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¾
to
1
teaspoon cayenne pepper

Place chicken wings in a large, shallow nonreactive pan. In a small bowl, whisk together habanero sauce and 3 tablespoons oil. Brush the habanero mixture over all surfaces of the wings.

Cover wings with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 hours. Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before baking.

When ready to cook wings, arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 350

degrees F. Use a large, heavy roasting pan or 2 cast-iron skillets to cook the wings. Pour enough oil into the roasting pan or the skillets to coat the bottom(s) generously.

Place matzo meal, salt, and pepper in a plastic bag and shake to combine. Add wings, close bag, and shake until wings are coated with mixture. Arrange wings in a single layer in roasting pan or skillets, and sprinkle generously with cayenne. Bake wings 1 hour, then, using tongs or a fork, turn the wings and bake another 30 minutes. When done, wings should be crispy and a deep golden brown on both sides.

Remove from oven and arrange wings on a serving plate. Serve warm.

NOTE:
You can find habanero sauce in the condiments section of the

supermarket. Mcllhenny’s Tabasco Brand Habanero Sauce is my favorite to use

in this recipe. Matzo meal can be found in most supermarkets.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH MUSTARD AND

ROSEMARY

These golden roasted Cornish hens accompanied by a delectable apricot and mustard–scented
mayonnaise are served at room temperature. That means that all the preparation–both the
roasting of the hens and the assembly of the sauce–can be done completely in advance. Serve the
hens with the Orzo Salad with Vegetables and Herbs
(page 206)
and with some crusty French or
Italian bread, and you won’t need to bother with any last-minute cooking.

SERVES 6

6
tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

⅓
cup finely chopped prosciutto, divided

2½
teaspoons Dijon mustard, divided

5
teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, divided

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3
1½-pound Cornish game hens

1½
cups chicken broth

1
cup regular or reduced-fat (not nonfat) mayonnaise

3
tablespoons apricot preserves

1
bunch watercress

Arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine butter, half of the prosciutto, 1½ teaspoons of the mustard, and half of the rosemary in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Run your fingers under breast skin of each game hen to loosen skin from flesh. Rub 1 tablespoon of the seasoned butter under the breast skin of each hen. Sprinkle hens inside and out with salt and pepper, and place 1 teaspoon of seasoned butter in each cavity.

Place hens on a rack in a large roasting pan. Pour ⅓ cup stock over hens. Dot each hen with 1

teaspoon of seasoned butter. Roast 30 minutes, basting with remaining broth and butter every 10

minutes. Continue roasting without basting until juices run clear when thigh is pierced at thickest part, about 30 minutes more. (Internal temperature should be 180 degrees F when a thermometer is inserted in the inner part of the hens’ thighs.) Remove hens and let rest. Prepare the mayonnaise. Reserve ¼

cup of the pan juices.

In a small bowl, mix together reserved pan juices, mayonnaise, apricot preserves, and remaining prosciutto, mustard, and rosemary. Let hens cool to room temperature and cut in half. (Hens and sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring hens and sauce to room temperature 30 minutes before serving.)

Arrange hens on a large platter and garnish with several bouquets of watercress. Place sauce in a serving bowl.

BAKED HAM WITH A RED CURRANT

MUSTARD GLAZE

Glazed baked ham, served at room temperature, is a fabulous make-ahead main course to serve a
crowd. Sliced and arranged on a bed of watercress accompanied by a bowl of spicy Plum Chutney,
this attractive ham does not require any last-minute attention. Scalloped Potatoes with Crème
Fraîche and Gruyère
(page 158)
and a mixed greens salad tossed in a vinaigrette dressing could
complete the menu.