Here’s a Grill-Focused Menu for Your Fourth of July Feast – Orange County Register

Life, liberty and the pursuit of grilled happiness. These are some of our undeniable culinary rights on the 4th of July. There are three Independence Day dishes that I always include on the holiday menu: a perfectly grilled protein (beef or chicken), delicious potatoes, and seasonal fruit served with ice cream.

The game plan titled “Summer and Grilling is Easy,” found in “Gatherings: Casual-Fancy Meals to Share” from America’s Test Kitchen made me hungry. Just reading it made my stomach growl. And the recipes fit my cooking comfort zone.

The menu and recipes were developed by America’s Test Kitchen Books Editor Dan Zuccarello.

“I especially like grilling when I have guests over so everyone can mingle,” Zuccarello writes. “And I serve the dishes family style as much as possible: the dishes presented on plates are really impressive and easy to serve. »

Happy 4th of July. Grill happily.

Advice

• An instant-read thermometer is especially useful when cooking proteins, as it helps prevent overcooking or undercooking.
• Look for potatoes that are 1 to 2 inches in diameter. If your potatoes are larger, cut them in half.
• Instead of serving lemon wedges, you can cut the lemons in half and grill them on the grill rack, cut side down, for a few minutes.
• Threading two wooden skewers through the breasts and drumsticks helps keep the chicken intact while cooking.

Grilled Lemon Garlic Chicken with Potatoes

The term “spatchcock” seems a bit risky. But it’s simply a technique for preparing a whole bird to flatten it so it grills easily and quickly. Some call it “butterfly”. Whatever term you use, it is necessary to prepare the chicken for this delicious lemon-garlic grill. You’ll need a pair of kitchen scissors to cut out the spine, but the flattening process isn’t difficult.

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

6 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon of sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest and lemon wedges to serve; see cook’s notes

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon of ground pepper

1 chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), giblets discarded

2 wooden skewers (12 inches)

1 pound small Yukon potatoes (about 1 to 2 inches in diameter), unpeeled

Cook’s Notes: Instead of using lemon wedges, if desired, you can use lemon halves and char them cut side down on the grill. This gives the lemons a slightly caramelized flavor.

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the garlic, oil, salt, sugar, zest, coriander and pepper in a bowl and stir until a paste forms.

2. With the chicken breast side down, use kitchen scissors to cut along both sides of the spine. Discard the backbone or save it for making stock if desired. Discard excess fat or skin from the neck area. Turn the chicken over and use the heel of your hand to flatten the breastbone. Tuck the wing tips behind your back. Poke holes all over the chicken with a skewer. Insert a skewer along the length of the chicken into the thickest part of the breast and into and through the drumstick. Repeat with the second skewer on the other half of the chicken.

3. Rub the paste evenly over the skin side of the chicken. Transfer the chicken skin-side up to a plate and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

4. For charcoal grilling: Fully open the bottom vent. Large rounded light fireplace with charcoal briquettes (7 liters). When the top coals are partially covered with ashes, pour them evenly over half of the grill. Place the cooking grid in place, cover. and open the lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes. For a gas grill: Turn all burners on high, cover and heat until grill is hot, about 15 minutes. Leave the main burner on and turn off the other burners. (Adjust the main burner or, if using a three-burner grill, the main burner and secondary burner, as needed, to keep the grill temperature around 400 degrees.)

5. Clean and oil the cooking grid. Place the chicken, skin side up, on the cooler side of the grill with the skewers parallel to the rack. Arrange the potatoes around the chicken on the cooler side of the grill. Cover (position lid on chicken if using charcoal) and cook until potatoes are tender and chicken breasts reach 160 degrees and thighs 175 degrees, about 1 hour, rotating the chicken halfway cooked.

6. Transfer the potatoes to a plate and the chicken to a cutting board. Cover the chicken with foil and let rest for 15 minutes. Cut the chicken and serve with potatoes and lemon wedges.

Source: “Gatherings: Casual and Fine Meals to Share” by America’s Test Kitchen

Creamy Herb Dip

The flavors of this savory dip benefit from being made in advance, at least an hour, or better yet, up to 2 days in advance. Don’t be afraid to use lots of fresh herbs. Basil, dill, parsley and tarragon all work well, in any combination. Accompany the dip with raw vegetables and, if you wish, slices of crusty bread that are quickly grilled on the barbecue.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup fresh basil, dill, parsley and/or tarragon, in any combination

2 green onions, trimmed and chopped (including dark green stems)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down the sides as necessary. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate until the flavors blend, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Source: “Gatherings: Casual and Fine Meals to Share” by America’s Test Kitchen

Summer tomato salad

The Fourth of July seems like the perfect time to showcase summer’s vine-ripened tomatoes in a mouth-watering salad. It’s not complicated; the simple vinaigrette combines a mixture of oil, vinegar, shallots and parsley which mix on the plate with the juice of the cut tomatoes.

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 pound mixed ripe tomatoes, cored

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves

1 shallot, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut the small tomatoes in half or quarters; cut medium tomatoes into 1/2-inch wedges; slice large tomatoes 1/4 inch thick. Arrange the tomatoes on a serving dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and shallot. Drizzle with oil and vinegar. Serve.

Source: “Gatherings: Casual and Fine Meals to Share” by America’s Test Kitchen

Grilled Peaches with Butter Cookies and Ice Cream

Grilling peaches enhances the natural sweetness of the fruit. Decorated with grill marks, this tasty fruit is accompanied by store-bought ice cream and crumbled butter cookies. Grill peaches up to 2 days in advance if desired; bring them to room temperature before serving.

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds fresh peaches or nectarines, ripe but slightly firm, halved and pitted

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 cups crumbled butter cookies

1 pint of vanilla ice cream

DIRECTIONS

1. For charcoal grilling: Open the bottom vent completely. Large, lightweight fireplace half filled with charcoal briquettes (3 liters). When the top coals are partially covered with ashes, pour them evenly over half of the grill. Place the cooking rack in place, cover and open the lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes. For a gas grill: Turn all burners on high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn the main burner to medium heat and turn off the other burners.

2. Clean and oil the cooking grill. Brush cut side of peaches with melted butter. Arrange the cut peaches side down on the hottest side of the grill and cook until grill marks form, 5 to 7 minutes, moving the fruit as necessary to ensure even cooking.