Barbecuing for the weekend

I know you'll be firing up the grill sometime this weekend and if you're looking for some new recipes, consider a few that ran in the Life section yesterday.

The theme was red, white and blue foods - but we're not talking about kitschy blue Jell-o and the like.

One of my favorite recipes is for Thai barbecued chicken that gets it heady aroma from a combination of coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice, onion, garlic, ginger and cilantro. It's so different than the usual run-of-the-mill barbecue sauce. I made it last weekend - definitely let it soak for at least 4 hours - and it was a winner.

(One quibble, I slightly burned the chicken thighs. My gas grill gets scorching hot and I need to embrace the indirect cooking method more often.)

THAI BARBECUED CHICKEN

Adapted from Barbara Scott-Goodman's "The Beach House Cookbook" (Chronicle Books, 2005.)

1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup Asian fish sauce
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 shallots or 1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 chicken (2 1/2 to 3 pounds), cut into 10 pieces or 8 chicken thighs (bones in)
6 scallions, trimmed and minced, and lime wedges for garnish

Combine the coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger, shallots (or onion), hot sauce and red pepper flakes, sugar, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste in a blender and blend until smooth. Put the chicken in a large nonreactive bowl or baking dish. Pour the mixture over the chicken and marinate for 4 hours in the refrigerator, turning the chicken occasionally.

Prepare a gas or charcoal grill. When the fire is medium-hot, and the coals are covered with a light coating of ash and glow deep red, put the chicken on the grill, bone side down. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes. Turn and cook, skin side down, covered, until the juices run clear, 12 to 15 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a platter, garnish with the scallions and limes, and serve at once. Makes 6 servings.

Since I'll be shopping at the Lewes Farmers Market this weekend, I plan to pick up some berries and make this dessert on Saturday. Happy Fourth of July!

MIXED BERRY SLUMP

This dessert from Rick Rodgers' "Summer Gatherings" (William Morrow, 2008) is made on the stove.

4 pints berries, such as blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and hulled, sliced strawberries
3/4 cup sugar, or more to taste
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved into 1/4 cup water
Dumplings
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and thinly sliced
2/3 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla ice cream

Combine the berries, sugar, orange juice and butter in a nonreactive, heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cook until the berries give off their juices, about 5 minutes. Stir in the dissolved cornstarch and return to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low.

Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add the butter, and using a pastry blender or a large fork, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture looks crumbly with a few pea-size pieces of butter. Mix the milk and vanilla in a measuring cup and stir into the flour mixture.

Drop the dough by heaping teaspoons into the simmering berries to make 16 dumplings. Cover the saucepan and simmer until the dumplings are cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, with the lid ajar, to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Serve the berries warm in individual bowls, each serving with 2 dumplings and a scoop of ice cream. Makes 8 servings.