The World's Fanciest Chicken Salad-7/17/09

When I think of chicken salad, I traditionally think of something with chicken, mayonnaise, and another ingredient to add crunch, like celery or apples. Tonight, I made the menu from July's Gourmet titled 'Blue Skies Ahead". The centerpiece of this menu is the most amazingly complex chicken salad I have ever made. I should have figured that out when the start to finish time was identical to the active work time, an hour and a half. It was actually 6 smaller salads in one. That's some chicken salad!
I found this menu a bit odd. Usually it's quite easy to understand the theme that brought together a menu, usually focusing on either a regional or cultural subject. Other than each is universally appropriate for dining al fresco, these recipes were a bit disjointed as a menu in my opinion. Each component was good by themselves but didn't complement each other in flavor. The spicy Buffalo Grilled Shrimp with Blue Cheese Dip and Celery overwhelmed the other accompaniment, the yeasty Garlic Herb Bread Twists. The Grilled Chicken Summer Salad was so complex, it was almost a meal of its own. The drink recommended with the menu was a rather heavy choice, the Guinness-based Black and Tan. The dessert dish was the most versatile recipe of the menu and was a perfect match for a summer night, a Blueberry Streusel Cake.
As I mentioned above, I enjoyed the recipes for this menu, even if I didn't think they went particularly well together. I have been to Ireland 3 times, and though the drink is called a Half and Half in the Republic, the Black and Tan is a classic there. The reason for the name difference is political. The Black and Tans were the name given the occupying British soldiers at the time of the Irish Revolution. For obvious reason, those in the Republic of Ireland would rather not call a favorite drink the name of a hated occupying force that brings back bitter memories.
The Buffalo Grilled Shrimp were much like the bar food fav, Buffalo chicken wings. These shrimp even had the familiar red tint of hot sauce that stains the Blue Cheese sauce at each dip. This was a simple recipe to save for sporting events, perfect for a Super Bowl party.
The Grilled Chicken Summer Salad was excellent but as I mentioned the amount of time it took to make was pretty unrealistic for a regular meal. I actually overcooked the chicken because I'd gotten involved in another component of the salad. With this recipe, that is easy to do. The different flavors balanced each other well, though. The crunch of beans and chickpeas contrasted well with the tart braised cucumbers and radish. The earthy mushrooms cut the bite of the charred chicken and tasted great with the fresh tomatoes and mint.
The Garlic Herb Bread Twists were easy to make for a yeast breads. Like the recipe states, the dough is very wet, and needed a lot of flour to stop sticking, but these rose well and baked up deliciously crusty but still soft.
The Blueberry Streusel Cake was an excellent choice for any summer menu. Blueberries were on sale at the grocery store, another sign that this recipe is perfect for the season and the abundance of fresh blueberries. The blueberries at the bottom and the sweet cinnamon streusel on top were a perfect compliment to each other. Eyrleigh was literally shaking with excitement when she saw this cake.

Black and Tan-A

Buffalo Grilled Shrimp with Blue Cheese Dip and Celery- A

Grilled Chicken Summer Salad- B

Garlic Herb Bread Twists-A-
(Pizza Dough-A)

Blueberry Streusel Cake-A

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