Alice Waters in Training

On the menu for last night's Sunday dinner: A Chez Panisse inspired meal of citrus-herb marinated whole chicken, brined overnight, slow roasted and smoked on the grill. We also had a golden and red beet salad w/ goat cheese and fennel salt.



I was a bit nervous since I had never smoked anything on the grill before, but the chicken turned out fantastic!!! The meat was so moist and flavorful, and it didn't hurt that I got a fresh & organic bird from Whole Foods. The brine I used was a simple salt brine. I then marinated it in a mixture of lemon & orange juice and their rinds, herbs (rosemary, sage & thyme), garlic, honey & olive oil. I roasted the chicken on the grill for about 2.5 hours, keeping the temperature a constant 200 degrees. I put mesquite wood chips wrapped in aluminum foil next to the one burner I had on, for the smoky flavor. It was a long process, yet so easy to make.


I heard an interview a few months ago with my all time (s)hero, Alice Waters, where she chided President Obama for saying that he doesn't like beets. I couldn't agree more with Ms. Waters! He obviously has never had my roasted beet salad with mixed greens, goat cheese, and fennel salt, drizzled with olive oil and lemon. Yum! Beets, though really a winter root vegetable, are available locally in Utah year-round, and are relatively easy to grow in a backyard garden. While they do take a while to roast (about 1.5 hours), they are well worth the wait. We are growing both golden and red beets in our garden, as well as an heirloom variety, the Chiogga beet, which is red and white, like a peppermint candy. Can't wait to harvest those!