Desideria wrote:
> Y'all know I'm a grilling newbie, and I purchased Steven Raichlen's
> "How to Grill" book because it was my impression that his books are
> highly recommended.
>
> I'll agree that his how-to techniques are helpful. But does anyone
> else find his recipes a bit over-fussed-with?
>
> For instance, the first thing I made with his recipes was hamburgers
> with garlic butter inside, so you've got a fat burger with something
> in the center. Admittedly, my garlic butter was only about
> half-frozen, but when I put them on the grill I had terrible flareups,
> to the point where the outsides were black and the insides were still
> raw--and that was quite a bit after the time that Steven said to cook
> them on each side.
>
> Today I tried his basic (?) chicken breast recipe. Calls for
> sprinkling sea or kosher salt, cracked peppercorns and hot pepper
> flakes on both sides of each breast, then pressing chopped garlic and
> chopped rosemary onto each, then marinating them for 30 to 60 minutes
> in lemon juice and olive oil.
>
> Again, I made a mistake in cooking them today instead of yesterday, so
> they marinated for a bit less than 24 hours--but until now, I always
> found that the more marinating, the better. I grilled the breasts and
> tried some, and I can't even taste the chicken, much less the
> smoke!!!! The flavor is so intense that I have to eat slices of the
> breasts in salad to be able to handle them.
>
> What's the opinion here? Am I causing these problems myself, or are
> Raichlen's recipes too zesty for even a zest-lover like myself?


I think those cookbook writing chefs have to make fussy recipes because
their publishers don't think anyone will buy the books if the recipes
aren't fussy.

One of the most flavorful ways to grill a chicken breast is to shake a
bit of granulated garlic on it and paint it up with some good quality
Dijon mustard. Grill it over medium heat, slice and eat. It can't get
much simpler than that, but who would pay for a recipe like that in a
fancy cookbook written by a so-called grilling guru?

Get the picture? Good. Now go grill something simple and enjoy yourself.

JMTCW

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.