Something For The Weekend #3
My JUICIEST EVER brined, barbecued, butter-basted chicken with jam jar mayo: the easiest homemade mayo you’ll ever make, plus Claire Ptak's halva brownies
Well hello my friends (and newcomers, of which there are many, so great to have you here!), it’s me again - I know - thrice in a week - and hot off the back of my Deal guide and Greens’n’beanz - and that’s because, first, I bloody love being here with you, and second, I’m bringing you my third instalment of ‘Something For the Weekend’ a little early this month, thanks to the looming holiday that we’re setting off on this weekend (woo!). Of course I didn’t want to leave you high and dry with no monthly weekend recipe goodness, so instead, I’m coming at you a week early with the juiciest chicken you’ll cook all summer. Where last month’s SFTW was all the spring salads, this edition is All About The Chicken. And The Mayo, actually, which is well worth making as a dip for asparagus, Jerseys, radishes or chips, even if you don’t want chicken.
Paid subscribers will be unlocking the key to this belter of a barbecue recipe, and if you happen to be reading this and are not yet a paid subscriber, perhaps it’s time to treat yourself to a membership to what I can only describe as my seasonally-shifting, interactive, ever-evolving cookbook. If you do, you’ll be able to enjoy the tried and tested recipes in this post, join in our wonderful A Lot On Her Plate community of joy-seeking, food-loving peeps, have access to our chats, my travel guides and ENTIRE recipe archive, but more importantly, you’ll be encouraging and supporting the work that I do developing recipes and writing these recipes and newsletters. You’ll be a legend in my eyes. And all for less than a pound a week, if you subscribe for the year (though monthly subs are available).
I’m so VERY excited about sharing this set of recipes with you, because it is - in my view - a rather perfect Maytime meal in the making: my very best whole barbecued chicken (which is dry brined, basted in a charred lemon and tarragon butter and barbecued), the easiest, most delicious homemade mayo recipe EVER (seriously, this is gold); and a gooey, marbled chocolate dessert from one of the most incredible bakers on the planet - Claire Ptak of Violet bakery, who has kindly provided her tahini halva brownies from her enchanting new book ‘Love is a Pink Cake’.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve found myself increasingly drawn to my barbecue over the past couple of weeks, and now it’s that little bit warmer, I’m really trying to cook outside as much as possible. Having a barbecue set up just outside my kitchen’s back door has really helped it to feel like an extension of my kitchen, and I really just love the immediacy and simplicity of barbecuing: the fact everything seems to be improved with a lick of smoke and flame, the intense heat offered to us by this way of cooking, and the time spent outside, under the sky. It’s one of the things I love most about summer, and May is the perfect time to dust it down, or in my case, fire it up and burn off last year’s grime - and start barbecuing, if you haven’t already.
This chicken recipe is the one. I hate that chicken can sometimes be the neglected protein of the barbecue, as people are fearful of either overcooking and drying it out, or burning it on the outside and undercooking within. Not on my watch guys. The spatchcocking means it cooks quicker than usual, but still retains the benefits of being a whole chicken, cooked on the bone (increased crispy skin, succulence and juiciness within). The dry brine is so simple, but it makes a HUGE difference to the tastiness of the bird, seasoning it superbly, but also ensuring the moistest meat, and, thanks to the butter-basting, the crispiest, most flavourful skin. This meat, dragged through the thick, glossy, chilli-flecked homemade mayo is my idea of utter heaven. Because the chicken involves a few, albeit straightforward steps: the brine; the barbecue; the mayo (essentially three recipes in one), I’m keeping the sides as suggestions, because I don’t want to overwhelm. But I had it with grilled asparagus and minted peas dressed in the excess tarragon butter, and pre-boiled Jerseys I threw in a pan under the chicken to roast in her juices. I think it would also be lovely just with a simple green salad or charred, split baby gem.
Then for dessert, we have Claire’s famously irresistible tahini halva brownie recipe (I was addicted to these when I lived in London), from her beautiful new book ‘Love is A Pink Cake’, which I can’t recommend enough for gorgeous, unique baking recipes and inspiration - you need this on your shelves. The book brings together Claire’s two homes and their respective ingredients: her native California and its peach orchards, and London’s East End and its foraged blackberries. Claire is someone who I’ve known for years - she was one of the few bakers we featured in East London Food - my book about the great food of East London (also one for the shelves), and when I interviewed her for that, I was struck by her seasonal approach to baking, and her dedication to sourcing the best quality ingredients, unusual flours and the highest possible standard of dairy, along with foraged ingredients and peak season fruits. Her ethos has definitely had a huge impact and influence on the way I personally approach baking, and helped ignite a love of baking which I never knew I had, as I could never get excited about super sweet icings and dried out sponge…
Anyway, enough of the preamble. To the food! Recipes are below, and please let me know in the comments below how you get on with them. I’ll see you on the other side, refreshed and ready to go with, I’m sure, some summer recipe inspiration from our trip. As always, thanks for reading.
Brined, spatchcocked, barbecued chicken with charred lemon and tarragon butter and jam jar mayo
Serves 4
