Barbados

I picked Barbados for several reasons. For one thing, I was still in an island mood after my amazing vacation in Puerto Rico. But for another, I was in the mood to grill some chicken and I was caught by note in the Barbecue Bible above this recipe that said it's for people who aren't into the spiciness of jerk chicken. DONE. Add an easy and fun looking fruit salad, and you've got yourself a meal (especially with some leftover garlic bread that's just pleading for the grill).

Here's what went wrong:

• The papaya was not ripe. Grilling it did not help.
• I didn't have as much time to marinate the meat as I'd hoped.
• I gave myself a papercut on the bag of charcoal.
• I burned my thumb on some actual charcoal.
• The chicken spent most of its time on the grill aflame.
• My computer got a virus from the about.com article on starfruit.

That being said, it was a pretty tasty meal, and even my charcoal-encrusted leftover chicken incited envy in my officemates. If I did it again, I'd let the meat marinate overnight, and I'd try to get some inside the skin (possibly with the flavor injector I've used all of once). Or I might just poke the other side with a fork to help the flavor penetrate. I'd also add a lot more salt and lime to the marinade. Finally, I'd grill it over indirect heat for longer to prevent the charred coating. The important fruit lesson here was that ripe papayas will give a little bit, which I guess should have been intuitive. But I was in a hurry.



Baxter Road Grilled Chicken

1 chicken, quartered
4 cloves garlic, peeled
3 shallots, coarsely chopped
1 bunch of chives or scallions, both white and green parts, trimmed
1 green bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 rib celery, coarsely chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
parsley
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp fresh lime juice or more to taste
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Put in a zip lock bag or nonreactive baking dish. Combine the other ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth. The mixture should be highly seasoned. Pour over the chicken and turn to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 4-12 hours (I did 4 - not enough).

Remove the chicken from the marinade and grill about 8-12 minutes per side, longer if over indirect heat, until chicken is done. You can brush it with the marinade during the first ten minutes of grilling only. Serve immediately.

All Inclusive Salad

1 cup mango, chopped
1 cup pineapple, chopped
1 cup papaya, chopped
1 cup melon, chopped
1 cup grapefruit, chopped
1 cup cucumber, chopped
1 cup guava, chopped (I couldn't find this but it was fine)
1 starfruit, sliced*
1/2 small onion, minced
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup honey

Combine last three ingredients and whisk together. Combine fruit except starfruit in a bowl. Pour dressing over. Decorate with starfruit slices.

*So you don't have to go look it up, starfruit is ripe when it starts to get yellow and the ridges start to turn light brown. Rinse it well but don't peel or worry about seeds, and simply slice to make the star shape.

Mmmmm, how appetizing does that look?

Grilling the fruit didn't make a huge difference in flavor (except the pineapple), but don't they look pretty?

The chicken's on fire!!!