As the end of summer approaches, the juicy, ripe nectarines and peaches are fast disappearing from the farmer’s market. The heat wave, however, is still here; so this week I decided to celebrate the passing of the summer produce season with a cold chicken salad and caramelized nectarines. To be fair, I must credit the idea of caramelizing nectarines with onion to the folks at Christine’s. The nectarines at said restaurant were plated with a fish entrée, and at the time I thought to myself, “This would be great with a salad.” So here’s the breakdown of my procedure:

Breaded Chicken
chicken breasts, 3 lbs
leftover panko breading from the freezer (see my article on the ono)
egg
vegetable oil
cayenne pepper

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Bobby really delivers two more winners with his Bulgur Salad and Tandoori Spiced Chicken Breasts with Grilled Tomato Jam and Herbed Yogurt. The bulgur salad packed a punch with the acidity of lime juice and the brightness of the serrano chile; the grilled tomato jam with balsamic vinegar and saffron took an ordinary dish to above-ordinary levels. The only real flaws were ones of my own making:

• Use canola oil or a good (but not extra virgin) olive oil! The olive oil should not impart much flavor to the dish.
• Store the dressing in a separate bottle and apply as necessary. Do not drizzle all the dressing over the bulgur salad or you will turn a fluffy bulgur salad with crisp fresh veggies into a soggy mess.
• I doubled the tandoori spices, which turned out to be a mistake. Way too much for 4 lbs of chicken!

The Crab

3 live Santa Barbara Rock crabs from Quality Seafood
2 12 oz bottles of Red Stripe Jamaican lager
2 12 oz bottles of hot water
12 oz white vinegar
Penzey’s Shrimp and Crab Boil
Old Bay Seasoning

1. Fill the yellow stockpot with ice, layer a bit of plastic on top, then drop in the bag of live crabs. Put the lid on but leave it slightly ajar so the crabs can breathe.
2. In the red stock pot, place the steam basket upside-down and add lager, water, vinegar, and crab boil spices. Cover and bring to a boil.

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