Chef’s Notes ODE TO CHARCOAL

I used a real charcoal grill for the first time eight years ago, and I was hooked right away. Learning to light charcoal, playing with heat and angles and two-level fires, tasting the final result – it so was exciting . . . and it still is!

Sure, a charcoal grill is finicky to use, but it’s such a satisfying process and produces a rich smoky flavour unmatched by propane. I get to sink into the feeling of coaxing fire and ash to behave the way I want, a connected dance of give and take, much more gratifying than turning a knob.

I sometimes feel like more of a chef learning to manage a live charcoal grill than I do cooking on a fancy commercial kitchen range.

All this may sound grandiose, but I encourage you to try working with hardwood charcoal if you ever get the chance. You may just fall in love with the process.

As the weather has been heating up, I’ve been turning to outdoor grilling more and more, partly for the joy of being outside, mostly for the fun of playing with fire.

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So of course my trusty Napoleon featured in this issue’s recipes, for both the Spice-Rubbed Chicken (grilled to charred tender perfection on a two-stage charcoal fire), and in the fresh corn (cooked slowly over the dying embers until its kernels were sweet and slightly smoky), which I used in the Southwest Salad. The salad was dressed with one of my feature recipes, a knock-your-socks-off Roasted

Jalapeno Ranch Dressing.

Never fear, these recipes can be made (almost) equally well on a propane grill, and I have included instructions for both.

My third feature recipe is for a cooling, slightly sweet finish: icy-cold Watermelon Lime Slushies. These use frozen watermelon chunks to achieve that slushy texture without watering down the flavour with ice.

Using frozen fruit is a favourite kitchen hack of mine for all kinds of slushies and smoothies. Watermelon cubes freeze in about 30 minutes because of their high water content. You can chop up the melon and place in the freezer in the afternoon, or just before dinner, and then whip up the slushies for an after-dinner treat.

Or you can pop the frozen chunks of watermelon into freezer bags for use any time.

The slushy mixture also works well in popsicle moulds, for a delicious, bright pink, sweet-and-sour treat, always welcome in the hot days of summer.

For the last few months, I have been busy filming the next season of Cookin’ on the Coast, which will air in September on CHEKTV and their streaming app, CHEK+. We’ve wrapped up studio filming and are now working on the location shoots and field trips, where I get to showcase food producers, vendors and farms local to our beautiful Island.

Much like last season, the show will be celebration of Vancouver Island, with a focus on learning the key techniques that make for delicious food at home… because the more you learn, the better it tastes!