I’ve been quite the jetsetter lately: first, Washington, D.C., then Nashville… Seriously, Hillary Clinton has nothing on me – except, I’m sure, a highly dedicated staff that keeps her blog churning merrily along as she reviews reports, eats peanuts, etc. My own dedicated staff (hi Mom and Dad!) was stuck with the always-glamorous tasks of shopping and cooking. They handled this with aplomb, quickly shattering any fantasies I’d entertained of my domestic indispensability. I think I’m still the only one in the house who knows how to use the ice-cream maker, and to this accomplishment I must now cling.
So anyway, I’m back. We’ve transitioned into summer, which, frankly, is a lot like the rest of the year, only with better tomatoes.
Extensive published sociological research (“magazines,” you might call it) suggests that people like to grill in the summer. Since conventional wisdom has never steered me wrong, I also like to grill in the summer – and I have had quite the grilling extravaganza over the last week! My concept of success, as it applies to cooking and many other things, is pretty liberal (i.e. no one was poisoned), but these meals could be considered successes even by more exacting standards. I’m looking at you Cook’s Illustrated!
Grilled Turkey Breast
This one started as a great idea, took a sudden turn for the truly awful, and then rose, phoenix-like, from the (literal?) ashes. Inspired by my “Best Make-Ahead Recipes” cookbook, I made a spicy, citrusy, tomato-y marinade recommended for poultry. I thought a large turkey breast would make for a more dramatic presentation than four small chicken breasts. Was I right, or was I right?
My first inkling that this was not my best laid plan came when I couldn’t find a single recipe for grilling a whole turkey breast in any of my cookbooks. Undeterred, I turned to the internet, that vessel of reliable information. “Preheat grill to high. Place the breast on the grill, skin-side down. Close cover and grill until golden brown and a crust has formed, about four to five minutes.” I’m paraphrasing. But watch: if I remove the words “close cover,” (a) it is no longer a paraphrase, and (b) I would not have had a blackened football sitting on the grill after that crucial “four to five minutes.”
All was not lost! Some enthusiastic scraping and sawing revealed a lovely brown, if still carcinogenic, exterior and surprisingly moist meat. My brother likened the remaining marinade – set aside at the start to serve with the meal – to Taco Bell hot sauce, and I think we can all agree that no higher praise could have been bestowed.
Hamburgers with Tomato Salad
This meal lacked the spectacle that made our previous entry so very thrilling, but I think reliability is an underrated virtue. Burgers are a mainstay at my house, and it was with caution that I stepped away from the beaten path this time around. For reasons long forgotten but, no doubt, completely valid, I always use ground sirloin, which dries out at the mere suggestion of heat. Switch to chuck, you suggest? Well, I just said I always use sirloin! What I suggest is this: mix in a handful grated cheddar cheese! It looks disgusting and sounds not at all original, but it was a revelation of epic, finickity-is-not-a-real-word proportion to me.
If you have suddenly found yourself with an unnervingly fruitful crop of tomatoes, only so many meals in a week, and coworkers who are nervous about produce that didn’t come from a store, have I got a recipe for you! I can hardly even call it a recipe: chop up some tomatoes and a seedless cucumber (which will still need to be seeded, naturally), slice half a red onion, and dice some feta. Add the salad dressing or vinaigrette of your choice, photograph, and post enjoy! I have yet to find a meal this didn’t compliment. Now, don’t go trying to find one – I haven’t thought about it that hard.
And finally, a gratuitous picture of my charming sister, who probably has not had time to garden since this photo was taken two months ago. Sweetie darling, if the doctor thing doesn’t work out, we’ll make you into a new-media superstar!
Love the Whitney picture. Very Grace Kelly.