Beer Chicken and Potatoes with Salsa Verde

 
I've never liked the taste of beer. I have a high school friend who deemed it was like drinking “carbonated piss”, but ever since last summer, I found myself slowly enjoying the bubblyness and developed a newfound respect for pee beer.

A few weeks ago, we got a taste of summer—in March. It was sunny, blue skies, I even drove to work with the window all the way down, letting the warm air blast through my hair. As the temperature continued to rise, I switched on the air-con at home, which would have been effective if I didn’t cook coconut lentil soup for dinner. Apparently burning hot dishes are better left for a cold winter’s night.

I still don’t know the difference between the various families of beer/ale/lagers/pilsners and always look up each one on Wikipedia when curiosity strikes, but I do know one thing’s for sure, beer makes food, both sweet and savoury, taste freaking awesome. 
 

This beer chicken, adapted loosely from Laura Calder’s French Food at Home, is a fine example of how an ordinary can of an everyday beverage can convert you. It’s a simple recipe, so simple in fact, I bet you can do it blindfolded. All you need is chicken pieces (I used chicken thighs—I’m a dark meat kinda girl), wash and pat them dry, then tuck in some bacon and plenty (and I mean plenty) of garlic cloves between the skin and scatter it over the roasting pan. Pour beer over the pan and stick it in the oven for about forty-five minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. 
 
Trust me, fifteen minutes in, your home will smell like a garlicky bacony microbrewery. You will wonder what took you so long to make this dish. You will find it hard, excruciatingly painful even, to wait for the chicken to cook, because at this point, it will smell so damn good. The good news (I promise there’s always good news) is you can crack open the same beer and lounge on your balcony, enjoying the beautiful sunset while your dinner bubbles away in the oven. 




If you’ve ever had drunk chicken, this is what the meat tastes like with a distinct bitter flavour. The chicken is exactly how it should be, moist, tender, juicy, laced with sharp garlic and smoky bacon. I highly recommend you eat this double-fisted, with your elbows on the table, chewing loudly and with a second (or third, or fourth, why stop there?) glass of cold beer on the side--it's the only way.

The words salsa verde have always allured me, its fancy name slides off the tongue like a slick dance move. I used Molly’s recipe which is a slurry of lime juice, cilantro, olive oil, jalapeno and lots of raw garlic, drizzled over plain baby potatoes to give it a kick. It’s not only pretty, but the acidity brings out the brightness in the beer chicken. In other words: try it. If were like me and think beer tastes like fizzy piss, this might just change your mind.

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Recipe here!

Iced Nougat Cubes

My dad, like me, can’t live without sweets. I can’t imagine a week a day without chocolate, cakes or cookies, the sheer thought of it chills me to the bone. In addition to our insatiable sweet tooth, we like foods with texture, say dark chocolate with raisins and almonds or crunchy peanut butter. Life is just more interesting with some crunch.

My dad frequently eats something before bedtime while lounging on the couch (a major culprit to his rotund belly), a typical snack would be milky scoops of ice cream sprinkled with toasted hazelnuts or broken bits of chocolate chip cookies. As he’s digging into the dessert bowl, he looks like a 5 year old ripping through Christmas gift wrap on Boxing Day, in other words, hilarious and charming. I prefer something less rich, say a square of Lindt dark chocolate in either the sea salt or intense mint flavour. I slowly nibble off each corner and let it melt on my tongue, prolonging the pleasure and I swear, I sleep much more soundly with a little extra sugar running through my veins.

I’ve owned French Food at Home for a number of years and still, I’m always intrigued by Laura Calder’s delicious ideas whenever I flip through her book for inspiration. Armed with a mandatory post-it dispenser, I frantically bookmark all the recipes that jump to my attention, which is to say, quite a few. 

One particular recipe that stood out for me were these Ice Nougat Cubes. Doesn't it sound like it belongs on the Queen's dinner menu every night? Its name practically beckons you to dash to the grocery store and buy all the ingredients so you can have it ready to eat the following day (you know, in case the Queen stops by for a visit). These nougats are more of a frozen dessert than candy, they are fluffier than ice cream and the flurry of dried fruits, almond brittle and nuts make it fun to eat as the various chewy and nutty textures jostle for attention in your mouth. The best part is its not cloying sweet, so you won’t feel guilty for lying on your bed and mistakenly whiz through three or four of these jewelled cubes. 

It’s a shame it took me more than four years to make these nougats, but like that old saying, good things come to those who wait.  

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Recipe here!