14 oz (400 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1 Tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup (75 mL) fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup (60 mL) combination of diced fresh basil, oregano, and rosemary
Place olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and fresh diced herbs in a resealable plastic bag or in an 8 x 8 in (2 L) nonmetallic baking dish. Add chicken, ensuring that the marinade coats the chicken. If using a bag, reseal; if using the baking dish, cover. Store in fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours.
When ready to cook, preheat outdoor barbecue.
Remove chicken from fridge and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade and place on hot grill. Discard marinade.
Cook chicken on medium direct heat, flipping often to reduce burning and until internal temperature reaches 165 F (74 C), approximately 6 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken.
Remove from grill and place on clean plate. Let sit covered for 5 minutes. Divide chicken evenly among 4 servings.
Serves 4.
Each serving contains:
150 calories; 28 g protein; 2.6 g fat (0.5 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat); 0 g carbs; 0 g fibre; 65 mg sodium
source: "BBQ 101", alive #308, June 2008
Tourtière is, for me, the dish that best represents Québec. It can be traced back to the 1600s, and there’s no master recipe; every family has their own twist. Originally, it was made with game birds or game meat, like rabbit, pheasant, or moose; that’s one of the reasons why I prefer it with venison instead of beef or pork. Variation: If you prefer to make single servings, follow our lead at the restaurant, where we make individual tourtières in the form of a dome (pithivier) and fill them with 5 ounces (160 g) of the ground venison mixture. Variation: You can also use a food processor to make the dough. Place the flour, salt, and butter in the food processor and pulse about ten times, until the butter is incorporated—don’t overmix. It should look like wet sand, and a few little pieces of butter here and there is okay. With the motor running, through the feed tube, slowly add ice water until the dough forms a ball—again don’t overmix. Wrap, chill, and roll out as directed above.
My love of artichokes continues with this classic recipe, one of the best ways to eat this interesting, underrated, and strange vegetable. Frozen artichoke hearts are a time-saving substitute, though the flavour and texture of fresh artichokes are, by far, much superior and definitely preferred.
Cervelle de canut is basically the Boursin of France, an herbed fresh farmer’s cheese spread that’s a speciality of Lyon. The name is kind of weird, as it literally means “silk worker’s brain,” named after nineteenth-century Lyonnaise silk workers, who were called canuts. Sadly, the name reflects the low opinion of the people towards these workers. Happily for us, though, it’s delicious—creamy, fragrant, and fresh at the same time. Cervelle de canut is one of my family’s favourite dishes. It’s a great make-ahead appetizer that you can pop out of the fridge once your guests arrive. Use a full-fat cream cheese for the dish, or it will be too runny and less delicious.