Char, Matey!

We are still in possession of the barbecue, so I'm going to utilize that until it's torn away from me. I've never especially liked rosemary, finding it similar to taking a bite out of a pine tree, but I've discovered (like many before me) it's true mate; grilled meat. I skeptically made Grilled Lemon Rosemary Chicken, expecting to despise it as I have previously, but to my surprise it was actually very good. I used drumlets and wings and while they look quite charred, they were actually quite juicy and tender. More importantly though the rosemary actually enhanced the flavor instead of made me loathe it and the grilled lemon drizzled over top didn't hurt, either.

I also made Charred New Potatoes, which are exactly what they sound like. I blackened them on the grill and then finished them in the oven. Originally this seemed like a very good idea, and while the results looked pretty much like I expected, I was a bit leery about trying them. These were good, too! The potato char was quite dissimilar from the pasty ash I've grown accustomed to. I may have to do more experimenting with charred starches to see if this actually holds true or if only lightly charring the outside made it somewhat concealed to my palette. I used some of my flimsy chives from my herb garden, but firmer, developed chives would've been a lot better.

Looking for something green to add to the plate, I found a recipe for French Peas. Apparently the French have taken a liking to adding lettuce to their peas. Aside from that, there's not a whole lot different from how I would normally cook peas, but it's a definite reminder of why I love white pepper (because it tastes so good).