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Grilling While the Grilling is Good

(post, John Dryzga)

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A funny thing happened about a month ago. While the city of Hoboken slumbered, someone up and moved it lock, stock and barrel to Seattle. It has rained cats, dogs, monkeys and the rest of the critters for the past month, putting a huge damper on grilling season.

I was glumly riding the bus home, watching yet another rain storm deluge our fair city when a miracle occurred. The sun actually came out! There it was, in all its nuclear fusion glory, lighting up the still cloudy sky. I knew I had to take advantage of this break in the weather, put down "Ark Building for Dummies" and get my grill on.

I grabbed a chicken out of the fridge and quickly mimiced Bobby Flay's recipe for butterflied chicken marinaded in lemon, thyme, and garlic. While the chicken marinaded away, I whipped up a cauliflower gratin. I quickly blanched the cauliflower, made a Bechamel sauce, and grated some cheddar. These ingredients soon found a home in a baking dish and were popped in the oven. This gave me the opportunity to get the bird on the grill.

Since the chicken was butterflied, it cooked up really quick. About 35 minutes in total yielded a perfectly cooked bird with a nicely browned skin. The cauliflower was nicely creamy and cheesy. I managed to actually get something cooked on the grill without wearing a poncho and hip boots.