Grilled Sweet Corn with Orange Harissa Butter

 Traditionally used as a flavoring for couscous and a rub for meats, harissa is most commonly found in Tunisia and the Saharan desert region where its flavor is prized for adding oomph to stews.


Lo happened upon her first taste of this delicious condiment during a trip to Tunisia, where the locals ate the peppery paste spread simply atop slices of crusty fresh French bread. 


It took her years to stumble upon one of the best flavor pairings ever -- harissa and orange (see our Orange and harissa roasted chicken recipe). But, once she discovered it, we couldn't get enough.

The sweet acidity of orange juice marries incredibly with the smoky, rich flavor of the harissa, and even (dare we say?) tames its sharp heat into something quite manageable.

During the winter, this flavor combination is a delicious flavoring for crisp, comforting roasted chicken.  It's also a great combination to complement simple vegetables. But, we love it equally as much captured in a delicious compound butter that’s perfect for summer grilling.


Try the butter over a flaky filet of grilled fish.
Experiment with it as a delicious finish for your next steak.
Spread leftover butter on bread for a different take on ordinary grilled cheese.

Or do as this delicious recipe suggests and spread a generous pat of that smoky, citrusy butter atop a cob of succulently sweet grilled summer corn. You won’t be sorry.

Grilled Sweet Corn with Orange Harissa Butter

©BURP! Where Food Happens

Lazy Weekends: Baked Orange Dream French Toast

 We all dream of waking up on a sunshiney, springtime Sunday morning to the smell of coffee and breakfast baking in the oven.  But, very few of us ever seem to have that sort of experience. 


Rather, we find ourselves jarred from sleep (far too early) by the alarm clock, our hungry (and impatient) children, or our demanding pets.  We stumble out of bed, bleary-eyed and disgruntled, fumble for our glasses and head down the stairs to hit the morning grindstone.


Trust me. I understand. Our lives have been an absolute blur lately. Seems we get up each day, head off to work, and barely have time to eat dinner together. 


Weeknights are spent conducting interviews for freelance projects, writing up articles, or attending events.  And we've been getting up at the crack of dawn on weekends to capture as many daylight hours as we can in the kitchen, experimenting with new recipes and taking pictures of our creations.  


Sometimes it seems as though we never have time for a leisurely breakfast.

But, it pays to remember that mornings don't have to be all work and no play.  In fact, a little bit of advance preparation goes a long way when it comes to breakfast -- which means you can have your lazy Sunday brunch and eat it too.


This particular dish makes use of canned (or fresh) mandarin oranges -- a sweet treat that's available all year round, but is especially cheerful during the dark winter months or during the dreary, rainy weekend days of spring.  Add a bit of cream cheese and some vanilla spiked custard, leave in the fridge overnight, and you're well on your way to a delicious breakfast with very little effort.

Whether you want something you can quickly and easily pop into the oven for your family on a lazy Saturday morning, or a delicious springtime dish to serve to company, this delicious take on baked French toast is sure to brighten even the dreariest of mornings.

Baked Orange Dream French Toast

©BURP! Where Food Happens

Orange Harissa Chicken

Now, I couldn't just go on and on about my love for that delectable condiment, harissa, without giving you something more to gnaw upon. Could I?

Of course not.

It took me years to stumble upon one of the best flavor pairings ever -- harissa and orange. But, once I discovered it, I couldn't get enough. The sweet acidity of orange juice pairs so incredibly with the sharp heat of the harissa... I can't think of a more pleasant way to give my tastebuds a bit of a kick in the pants.

The flavor combination would probably be great all on its own. But, it's even better used as a marinade for a roasted chicken. The concept is fairly simple -- though you'll want to think ahead with this recipe, since the chicken is best when it's allowed to marinate for about 24 hours.

If you can, start off by making a bit of your own harissa paste. I generally start with a liberal handful of the harissa spice blend from World Spice Merchants.
I grind the spices roughly -- which expedites the rehydration process significantly, and gives you a smoother product to work with. I like my harissa just a bit chunky. But, you can grind as finely as you like, depending on your own tastes.
Add a bit of water -- a few tablespoons at a time -- until the spices rehydrate and begin to form a paste. Then, add a couple of cloves of fresh garlic to the mix.
Add a bit of olive oil to the harissa paste -- both to give it a bit of sexy mouth-feel AND to offer the oils in the spices yet another vehicle by which they can transport their memorable flavor. Once you have the paste together, you can store it in a jar in the fridge, topped with a light film of olive oil. for... quite a long time. A month or more, based on my experience.
Now, all you need is a 3-4 pound roasting chicken to get started.

Begin by mixing the harissa paste with some orange juice, orange zest, apple cider vinegar, and cinnamon. The mixture will be soupy, but that's not a bad thing. You'll loosen the skin of the chicken and pour that marinade right down underneath. Also pour some in the cavity... and pour the remaining "sauce" over the top. Marinate overnight.

When you take the chicken out after marination, you'll want to cut up an orange to stuff into the cavity. This offers some VERY lovely aromatics, as well as ensuring that you'll have an extraordinarily tender bird.

Roast at 350º until the bird reaches an internal temperature of 170º when tested in the deepest part of the thigh.

To prevent the chicken from over-browning, you can actually take the time to baste your chicken... but for the lazy among us, leaving the bird without a bit of extra attention works just fine. You'll note that OUR chicken got a bit dark around the edges. But, don't be fooled. The crisp skin encloses a succulent interior -- redolant with the flavors of the orange and chile, and backed up by the sweet kick of the cinnamon.

If you haven't already planned your own Valentine's Day feast, allow me to recommend you try a bit of orange harissa chicken. If this doesn't perk you up, there's really no hope!

Orange Harissa Chicken


©BURP! Where Food Happens