Grilled Nectarines with Blueberry Sauce

What to do with all of that leftover blueberry sauce? I bought some beautiful nectarines at the Urbana Farmer's Market, and had always wanted to try grilled peaches. Yes, I know that nectarines aren't peaches, but we'll just pretend they are. This recipe comes from captain smugface, Bobby Flay from the Food Network, with modifications made by me. When I made this sauce, my husband proclaimed, "Clare, you are a freakin' genius".

                                                               Make this immediately!


Grilled Nectarines with Blueberry Sauce:

• 3 almost ripe nectarines (I used a mix of yellow and white)
• 3-4 Tbs butter
• 1/4 C sugar (recipe called for brown, I was out)
• 1/4 C vanilla rum
• 3 pods cardamom
• 1/2 tsp cinammon
• 1/3 C blueberry sauce 

1. Cut the nectarines into eights
2. Place on skewers
3. Combine butter, sugar, rum, cardamom and cinnamon in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, get nice and foamy, cook for 5 mins.
4. Pour some of the sauce on the nectarines
5. On oiled grill on high heat, grill the nectarines til slightly brown, basting with extra sauce.
6. Serve with blueberry sauce and vanilla ice cream.  

                                    Almost a shame to grill them....so yummy by themselves


Verdict? Make this immediately. This was freakin' delicious, and as far as desserts go, relatively nutritious. Seriously yummy. I'm already thinking about modifications: amaretto instead of rum with toasted almonds on top, malibu instead of rum with shredded coconut, or honey instead of sugar with cloves. I'm also thinking about adding ginger or cayenne. 

Ingredient Elimination: Greek Yogurt & Tandoori Chick'n*

We had a large container of Cabot plain Greek yogurt in the fridge. The 3/4 C left in the container was taking up precious real estate in the fridge. Wanting to grill, I decided on a tandoori chicken recipe from one of my absolute favorite cooking blogs, Closet Cooking . Click on the link for the original recipe. I love this blog. I admire his persistence, he posts a new recipe nearly every day, and his ability to transform leftovers.

With many recipes, I don't believe in providing exact amounts with spices. If you need more specifics, just ask. The recipe here is by Kevin Lynch, of Closet Cooking, with modifications by me. Because I'm vegetarian, I used Quorn chicken substitute, however, I am sure conventional chicken would be delicious, shrimp, even better.

                                              The Challenge: the orphan 3/4 C yogurt 

                                                       

 Tandoori Chicken

• 3/4 C plain Greek yogurt
• 1-2 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 onion finely diced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Tbs grated ginger
• 1 generous tsp grainy mustard
• garam masala to taste
• turmeric to taste
• paprika to taste
• cumin, toasted & ground, to taste
• coriander, toasted & ground, to taste
• salt to taste 
• 4 Quorn naked cutlets or 1 lb boneless & skinless chicken cut into 1-inch pieces 

1. Mix all ingredients together except chicken, taste, adjust seasonings as needed.
2. Allow to marinate in fridge for at least 1 hour. 
3. If using Quorn: grill over medium-high heat for ~5 mins on each side til lightly charred. If using chicken, skewer and grill for 3-4 minutes or until done. I don't mess with cooking chicken so you'll have to figure that one out yourself. 




I served this with grilled zucchini and orange saffron rice with onion relish. The recipes for the orange saffron rice and onion relish are forthcoming. See picture below:

Verdict? I get tired using the same marinades repeatedly in the summer. This one is outstanding--a welcome addition to the rotation. The chick'n didn't become dry at all, and the flavor of the marinade was nicely concentrated. I highly recommend this recipe, and welcome any variations of it!

*Ingredient Elimination posts include an ingredient that I have way too much of, one that's on the verge of expiring, or an ingredient that has been hanging out unused in my pantry far too long. They are personal challenges of using the ingredient in a way that discourages waste.