taste2taste

July 5, 2015

Hiver Honey Beer Grilled Chicken Skewers – it’s the bee’s knees!

I love it when the sun shines and here in London we have been enjoying a great week of weather and events including Wimbledon tennis – well done Heather, you pushed Serena hard but she is number 1 & supreme. Also the RHS Hampton Court Flower show -beautiful & inspirational with lots of purple flowers, my favourite colour. I love to discover new craft food & drink, the story behind their creation and then think up recipes to use them in the best way.

I was lucky to meet Hannah Rhodes, founder of Hiver beers brewed with English blossom & heather honey sourced from rooftop urban beehives, some near The Shard, UK’s tallest building in Southwark, London. Honey beer is a traditional beer style in the UK and Hannah has worked hard to perfect the recipe. All the ingredients & packaging are sourced from the UK & 10% profits are donated to pollinator charities – so important to look after our bees. I am not generally a beer drinker but the blonde style of beer brewed with honey is refreshing with a subtle blend of citrus, hops and honey sweetness- thirst quenchingly delicious.

Ingredients for marinade

I use chicken thighs for this recipe as they are juicier than chicken breast, especially when grilled or barbecued.

Ingredients for marinade:

12 tablespoons Hiver honey beer (unpasteurised, 5% ABV).

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

1 large garlic clove grated

Honey beer marinade

1/2 red onion chopped

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

salt & black pepper

few sprigs of fresh thyme & rosemary – wash, remove leaves & discard stalks

Preparation:

Chicken marinading

Combine marinade ingredients.

Add chunks of chicken thighs & marinade for 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.

Skewer, grill/ BBQ & serve with wedges of lime – the bees knees!

Hiver Honey Beer Grilled chicken skewers with a squeeze of lime

July 4, 2015

comment 1

July 4 – Time for a Barbecue but with a Twist and Taste of the Levant

Well July 4 has arrived at last. Here is the first of my BBQ recommendations, Yummy Middle Eastern spiced Chicken!

taste2taste

The biggest holiday of the American Summer approaches.

The charcoal alight!

In just over a week, the Stars & Stripes will be decorating everything that doesn’t move and some things that do. The scent of gunpowder from fireworks and outdoor grilling will fill the warm seasonal air, as America celebrates its independence from us Brits.

So, what more apt at this time of the year than to share some of my family’s favorite recipes for barbecues with you (meat, sides and booze) and I promise, hand on heart, this will be a burger and hot dog free zone. But, if not these mainstays of BBQ land, what? My preference is for something spicy, fresh and ethnic and in this, my first post for the big day, I will explore an easy to prepare recipe of Middle Eastern origin which deliver this in spades.

With a wonderful blend of dusky exotic spices and a taste of the Levant, it is the delicious and savory:

Middle Eastern Chicken

View original post 189 more words

July 2, 2015

comment 0

July 4 – Why not try THE drink of the English Summer at the Birthday Party of the former Colonies of New England?

If there was ever a more ubiquitous drink of the British Summertime, quaffed at places as posh as the Queen’s Garden Parties at Buckingham Palace in London, the Boating Regatta at Henley upon Thames and the All England Lawn Tennis Championship now being played on the grass Courts of Wimbledon, it is this quintessentially British Summer drink

Pimms No.1 – What a beautiful bottle!

When I first moved to the US, it was a little harder to come by but now most Liquor stores carry Pimms No.1 (or, Pimms Cup)

Pimms is a wonderful beverage, the perfect summer mixer which makes a great Punch type drink. For those tired of chilled wine, Sangria and the ubiquitous IPAs, this drink, where you control the ‘punch’ of the Punch is a must

It’s incredibly easy to prepare and my other half and nearly all our American friends to whom I’ve introduced Pimms over the years now insist I bring a bottle when I’m invited to their BBQs!

Ingredients

1/4 to 1/3 of the bottle of Pimms (assuming it’s a 750ml one)
3/4 to 2/3 Lemonade – Unfortunately there’s no exact equivalent to British Lemonade here in the US. It’s a mind boggling $30+ to ship 1 bottle of it. So I suggest you use Sprite, or 7-Up as an alternative. Sorry US style Cloudy lemonade, or fresh lemonade does not work well
Half a jug of ice cubes
Half a Cucumber quartered lengthwise
Half a Lemon, orange and apple (cored) diced in 1/4 inch pieces
A handful of strawberries quartered
A dozen mint leaves
The Fruit chopped and soaking in the Pimms

Preparation

Put all the fruit and mint leaves in a large jug
Pour in the Pimms and swirl around
Let the Pimms soak into the fruit for 1/2 hr +
Pour in the ice and mix
Slowly pour in the ‘lemonade’ (if you pour to quickly it will be all fizz and no Pimms!)
Serve in tall glasses spooning in the fruit and ice