Is there a symbol of the summer? Is it a shimmering
pool surface about to be broken by the wild screaming cannonballs of children, or a
cold glass of ice tea sweating in your warm hand? My summer always starts with an ice cold
margarita and ends with some sweet and smoky goodness from my grill.
Every one of my summers has had a theme. Whether it is
a song that we played all the time, a drink we always made or an activity we
always were participating in, every summer has been unique. Last summer
was my "M" summer, Margaritas, Mojitos, and Mint Juleps. My
roommate and I would throw pool parties every Friday, Fiesta Friday if you
will, and have all the components for the drinks laid out across our bar.
For those with limited mixology training we had recipes hanging on the wall.
I would make beef and chicken tacos with all the toppings, queso fresco,
pickled jalapenos, guacamole, salsa, fresh flour and corn tortillas. We
would drink, swim and eat till the sun went down then do it all again next
week.
This summer's theme is centered around my grill. I
wanted to take some classic dishes and twist them into something new.
Isn't that what it's all about?
The first creation actually came about because of one of my
co-workers named Jessie. Jessie loves chicken. I cannot say that
enough, that boy eats chicken every single day! Whether it's fried,
grilled, smoked, or baked he is eatin' him some chicken! So one day he
comes up to me with a case of chicken leg quarters and told me to do something
new to them, something that he has never had before. Challenge
accepted. We rubbed the legs down with a spiced chamoula rub (cayenne,
paprika, and cumin) mixed with our good friend David Peaks seasoning salt,
(Salt, rosemary, pepper, onion powder, granulated garlic, and thyme) then added
a bit of brown sugar to sweeten the pot. We then smoked the chicken for
four hours low and slow, then as they walked out of the smoked we placed them
on a hot grill just to crispen the skin and a nice char to the spices.
After the grill we drizzled the chicken with extra virgin olive oil, chopped
cilantro and fresh lime juice. The smoke and the heat were in perfect
harmony while the light fresh flavor of the lime and cilantro kept the flavor
roller coaster rolling! Jessie was pleased, so much so that he bought
another case of leg quarters and asked me to do the whole case!
This one’s for all the gluten free people out there, taco
pasta! Arrowhead meat company now sells corn pasta that tastes very much
like a corn tortilla. So that got us all thinking, why couldn't we take a
traditional street taco and create a fun and different pasta?! We started
with a wonderful herbed olive oil marinated tenderloin taco with sautéed red
onions tossed with lime juice and fresh cilantro. We marinated the tenderloin
overnight a mixture of sautéd garlic, red chili flake, oregano,
black pepper, and a pinch of salt in olive oil. Then it was grilled adding bits
of char and smoke to the meat. We tossed the meat and onions with the
corn pasta then topped everything with queso fresco and some more fresh
cilantro. The pasta was the perfect stand in for the traditional corn
tortilla, adding both a rich corn flavor and a wonderful pasta texture.
This might become my new summer treat!
But how can we all celebrate summer without a cool
refreshing beverage to help beat the heat! So we decided to take on of
our favorites, the margarita, and make it a bit more interesting.
Introducing the Grilled and Smoked Margarita. We started by smoking the
salt, this added a fun and deep dimension to the salt. To get the flavor
of the grill all the way through this cocktail we grilled limes and used the
juice in the margarita mix. The margarita is then complete with a smoked
salt rim and a grilled lime wedge garnish. Perfect for those hot summer
days and nights! Cheers!
Stay tuned for more inspired dishes from Lon Lane's Inspired
Occasions Research and Development Department!
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