In theory, barbecued chicken kebabs sound pretty great: char-streaked chunks of juicy meat lacquered with sweet and tangy barbecue sauce. But without an insulating layer of skin, even the fattiest thigh meat can dry out and toughen when exposed to the blazing heat of the grill—and forget about ultra-lean skinless breast meat.
Brownies are controversial territory to chart: Some like them cakey and light in flavour—more of a snack than a rich dessert; some like them moist and chewy; and others, the biggest chocoholics, like them to be purely decadent—almost as dense as fudge and deliciously dark.
Portobello mushroom burgers are no longer just a sad substitute for beef burgers; they are -legitimately delicious choices on their own.
For charry grilled portobellos that wouldn’t leak moisture and make the buns soggy, we decided to try scoring them, a technique that works well with oven-roasted mushrooms. It worked like a charm on the grill.
While raw and roasted vegetables certainly have their place, braising is a great technique for cooking even the most delicate vegetables.
You may think braising would turn verdant spring vegetables drab and watery but, in fact, braising can maximize their freshness and make them taste more like themselves.
Simple, rich almond cake makes a sophisticated and delicately sweet dessert, but traditional European versions tend to be heavy and dense. For a slightly cakier version with plenty of nutty flavour, we swapped out the usual almond paste for toasted blanched sliced almonds (we disliked the slight bitterness imparted by skin-on almonds) and added a bit of almond extract for extra depth.
To make grilled cauliflower with a tender interior and a flavourful, nicely browned exterior, we first microwaved it until it was cooked through and then briefly grilled it to pick up colour and flavour.
To ensure that the cauliflower held up on the grill without falling through the grate and to provide sufficient surface area for browning, we cut the head into wedges.
With their built-in handles and small size, economical chicken drumsticks are tailor-made for a cookout. So we decided to devise a foolproof way to roast them on the grill to ultra-tender perfection with nicely browned skin and wonderfully juicy meat.
More than 25 years ago, Chicken Marbella was the signature dish of the famous Silver Palate gourmet shop in Manhattan and the cookbook it later inspired. And it’s no wonder this chicken dish caught fire—marinated in a pungent mix of capers, olives and prunes, it boasted big and, for the era, unusual flavours.
A veggie burger sounds good in theory. So why do so many taste like hockey pucks, fall apart in the pan, or require a hodgepodge of ingredients? Well, not this burger.
Soaking chicken in seasoned buttermilk guarantees that your crispy chicken will come out of the oven moist and juicy on the inside.
Salt doesn’t just enhance flavour—when you soak meat in a salty solution (a brine), the salt reshapes protein molecules and helps them hold onto moisture when the meat is cooked.
