Two barbecues celebrated the Fourth. One with smoky ribs and lots of side dishes. The other with chicken, grilled vegetables and potato salad.
Appetizers for the chicken dinner included thin-sliced cured pork and paprika-coated Spanish goat cheese. Afterward came homemade cherry ice cream and cherry clafoutis (the contributors had picked the cherries themselves) and French vanilla with caramel-passion fruit sauce.
As an appreciative guest, I did very little--other than to clean my assorted plates. For the chicken barbecue, I brought a bottle of Côtes du Rhône rosé. For the ribs, I roasted corn kernels with garlic and fresh basil from the garden.
This is the perfect dish to take to a party, because it's good at room temperature, so you don't have to fuss about reheating it in someone else's kitchen.
The proportions are flexible. Put in as much garlic and basil as you like.
ROASTED CORN WITH GARLIC AND BASIL
9 ears corn (choose corn with large kernels)
Olive oil
6 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
9 to 10 large leaves basil, shredded
With a sharp knife, slice the kernels off the cobs.
Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add enough olive oil to lightly film the surface.
Add 1/3 of the corn kernels and 2 garlic cloves. Sprinkle with salt to taste and a few grinds black pepper. Roast, tossing often, until the corn is lightly flecked with brown but not burned. Stir in 1/3 of the basil. Remove to a serving bowl.
Repeat twice, adding 1/3 of the ingredients each time. The corn should be in as thin a layer as possible to avoid steaming.
Serve hot or at room temperature.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
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