I’m back!
I know, I know, I disappeared for 4 months. It’s called second semester senior year. Now, I’m officially graduated, have a bachelor’s in English Literature, and I’m back in the Bay Area for the next 6 months to save up money before I leave to go travel around the world. This presumes I can find a job, but in the meantime, I’m reveling in the fact that my parents pay for food and I get to cook it.
For those of you who have never lived the magic that is June in the San Francisco Bay Area, you are missing out on one of the greatest experiences ever. The weather is perpetually sunny and in the 70’s (excepting this week, when it’s in the upper 80’s, but still), the farmers markets and grocery stores are overflowing with fresh, organic fruits and veggies, and all you want to do is lie outside with a book. If you’re me, that’s what you do, and in the evenings, you have dinner parties on your parents’ patio.
In celebration of this, one of my first experiments upon getting home was opening up the grill, which I’d never actually used before. I decided to go with fabulous fresh chicken and peaches. Strange combination, I know, but wonderfully tasty in the end. I actually marinated both, though the chicken should soak in the marinade for a few hours. I just rolled the peaches in it shortly before putting them on the grill, and then poured the rest over them afterwards, but I’m sure if you wanted to let them soak longer, that would be good too.
I’d like to say my marinade was something fancy and exciting, but it really was nothing more than a twist on my favorite salad dressing:
Lemon-Mustard Grilled Chicken and Peaches
salt
pepper
lemon- and herb-infused olive oil (this was my secret ingredient)
balsamic vinegar (aged is best, for better flavor)
a little bit of dijon mustard (approx. 3/4 teaspoon)
fresh, chopped basil
For the peaches, I left out the mustard, to really let the sweetness come out there. I do this all by eyeballing it and tasting it: add more or less as you like, until you get a consistency and flavor that makes you happy. I prefer it to be relatively thick and just the right tangy-ness. The balsamic adds a nice sweetness to it, too.
I grilled them all together, but didn’t marinate them together, which you might try to get the peachy flavor more in the chicken. Another idea is to put them on skewers, like kabobs, to infuse flavors.
Let me know if you try it and what twists you add! So glad to be back, and more posts to come!
Kate Thorman 