Cornell Chicken Marinade

It is getting hot outside here in Atlanta. Time to start using the grill to keep the kitchen from getting too hot. This is a wonderful summertime treat is made using Cornell University Professor Robert C. Baker's recipe for grilled chicken which was published in the Cornell Extension Bulletin under the title Barbecued Chicken and Other Meats. For about 50 years, it has been served at "Baker's Chicken Coop" at the New York State Fair in Syracuse, NY which is still operated by the professor's family to this day.

1 egg

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Crack the egg into a medium bowl and whisk until beaten. Slowly whisk in the oil until fully blended. Then whisk in the vinegar, salt, poultry seasoning, and ground black pepper.

If you plan to baste with this sauce, as well as marinade in it, set some aside. It Is not a good idea to use marinade that has had chicken soaking in it. Please do not serve any unused sauce as it contains raw egg.

Place chicken in a large zipper-style freezer bag and coat with sauce. close tightly and marinate in the refrigerator for no less than 2 hours up to 24 hours. Rotate the bag periodically to ensure even distribution of  the marinade.

Prepare your charcoal in grill and heat until the coals are starting to turn white, then evenly distribute coals throughout base of grill.  Place an oiled rack on the grill, then arrange the marinated chicken on the grill and barbecue on each side 20 to 30 minutes, depending on heat of coals and thickness of the chicken pieces. If chicken is cut up into breasts, thighs, wings, and legs, start off by grilling the breasts and thighs as they will take longer than the smaller pieces.

The chicken will require constant attention while grilling due to the oil dripping on the coals. It is a good idea to have a glass or a spray bottle of water available while grilling to squelch flames from hot coals.Turn frequently to avoid burning. Grill to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F or until juices run clear when cut with tip of knife.

When done, remove chicken pieces from the grill and serve with plenty of napkins!

Brimstone & Treacle

I got the best Mother’s Day gift ever today! My guys made me a wonderful brunch and then got all dressed up to take me to see the Broadway Musical, “Mary Poppins” at the Fox Theater. It was an incredible performance and we all left singing and dancing. One of the most memorable numbers was “Brimstone and Treacle.” Since treacle tart is also Harry Potter’s favorite dessert, we all wondered what it was. Here is what we learned:

Treacle is another name for the syrup made during the refining of sugar cane. In the United Kingdom, golden syrup is a common household ingredient and is served on porridge in place of brown sugar or maple syrup. Have you ever noticed that Mary Poppins always pours her "spoonfuls of sugar" from a bottle rather than serving the granulated sugar we Americans are accustomed to? She is probably pouring treacle from the bottle!

Golden syrup can be hold in the international food section of grocery stores, but if you can’t find it, honey is a close substitute. Treacle tart has a consistency similar to pecan pie without the pecans. It is a little less gelatinous, slightly stickier, and very very sweet. It is usually served warm with whipped cream, or ice cream.

Brimstone is a sulphur ore from which pure sulphur is refined. The mixture of brimstone and treacle was thought to have positive medicinal effects and is mentioned in Charles Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby as a remedy for hunger.