Chicken Recipes: Chicken Beer Can

1 (3 1/2 to 4 pounds) whole chicken*
1 (12-ounce) can beer (cut off top with a can opener)
1 cup butter or olive oil
2 tablespoons garlic salt or 4 to 5 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper or to taste
Fresh or dried herbs of your choice
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

* Fruit juice, soda (not diet) or wine can be used in place of beer, but beer is the tastiest option (the beer vaporizes and soaks into the meat making it very moist and very tasty).

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, as well as food agencies in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, advises against washing poultry. Rinsing chicken will not remove or kill much bacteria, and the splashing of water around the sink can spread the bacteria found in raw chicken. Cooking poultry to 165 degrees Fahrenheit effectively destroys the most common culprits behind food-borne illness.

Preheat barbecue grill (spray grill with vegetable-oil cooking spray). Drink (or pour out) 1/4 of the beer from the can.

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter or heat olive oil. Mix in garlic salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, herbs, salt, and pepper; set aside.
NOTE: You can substitute any favorite chicken rub.

Cut off all the fat from the body and neck openings as you want the cavity free and clear; remove the giblets and discard. Rub the inside and outside of the chicken with butter/seasoning mixture (this seals the chicken and also ensures that the skin will be brown and crispy when done).

Slide the top of the beer can deep inside the chicken cavity (the head end). Lightly oil the exterior of the can with salad oil. If the opening is especially wide, a carrot or slice of potato can be slid in beside the can to seal off the cavity. Push until the can is almost fully inside the bird. The bottom of the can and the two legs bent slightly downward form a tripod which keeps the chicken upright on the grill.

Cover barbecue with lid, open any vents, and cook over low to medium heat for approximately 2 to 3 hours (depending on your heat source) or until a meat thermometer registers an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (juices will run clear when cut with the tip of a knife). Check the chicken every 20 minutes or so and brush on more of the butter/seasoning mixture or olive oil as needed. If the chicken is browning too fast, cover the chicken with aluminum foil.

When the chicken is done, remove from the grill and let the chicken cool for 15 minutes before cutting and serving (meat temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees after it is removed from the oven).
NOTE: When removing the chicken from the grill, be especially careful as the aluminum can (and the liquid in it) will be very hot and you could burn yourself.

One chicken makes approximately 4 servings.

Christmas Cookie - Almond Bars

INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter (no substitutes), melted
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
confectioners' sugar
DIRECTIONS
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until lemon-colored. Add the butter, flour and extract; mix well. spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar

APPLE TOFFEE Dessert

Ingredients
3 medium size cooking apple
1 egg
2/3 cup cold water
1 cup plain flour
peanut oil for deep frying
glaze
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold water
2 tsp black sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS
Quarter the apples, Peel and core the pieces, than cut each quarter into 2 thick slices, 3 if the apple are large. Set aside. Step II: Beat the egg in a medium size bowl, add the water and beat again until combined, than tip in all flour at once and beat vigorously with rotary beater until batter is smooth. Do not over beat.

Let batter stand while preparing glaze.As sugar cook stsart to heat oil for deep frying. Try to have oil for frying and sugar glaze ready at the same time. if oil is not put over too high a heat this should not be difficult.

When the haze begins to rise from the surface of the oil drop pieces of apple into the batter, turn to code them completely, then take one piece at time with fork and drop it into the oil. Do not cook too many at one time.

Deep fry until the batter is golden. Then lift out with a slotted spoon and put straight into the sauce pan containing the glaze.

Turn piece of apple in the glaze to coat the entire surface, then lift out and drop into a bowl containing cold water and ice cubes. The glaze will harden and become brittle almost at once. Lift them out quickly and put on a lightly oiled serving plate.

GLAZE: Put sugar and water into a small saucepan and place over medium high heat. Do not stir at all. Let sugar mixture bubble until it starts to turn faintly golden around the edge of the pan. Stir in sesame seeds and turn heat as low as it will go

Cake for Christmas

Ingredients
7 eggs
500g castor sugar
250g semolina
375g raw cashews - chopped
2 tbsp rose water
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp lemon rind grated
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp almond essence

DIRECTIONS
Grease and line a 20cm (8 inch) square tin with 2 thicknesses of greaseproof Paper. Brush inner paper with melted butter.

Beat the egg yolks and caster sugar until light and creamy. Stir in a semolina, cashews, rose water, honey, lemon rind, spices and almond essence. Beat egg whites until they hold firm peaks and fold into the mixture, turn into prepare tin and bake in moderately slow oven until cake is evenly golden brows on top and feels firm to the touch. if cake starts to brown too quickly, cover top with paper or foil.

When cooked the centre of the cake should still be somewhat moist so the skewer test is not recommended.

Remove from the oven and leave in the tin to get quite cold before cutting. Do not attempt to turn out this cake. Cut into small squares and lift each one separately on to serving plate

FRUIT CRUMBLER Dessert

Ingredients
For the fruit
2 apricots - stoned and sliced
1 pear - cored and thickly sliced
1 punnet of black berries
½ apple - grated
5 tbsp sugar
balsamic vinegar

For the topping:
170 gm butter - chilled
225 gm self raising flour
70 gm sugar
pinch of salt
130 ml butter milk
sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 190 C. Put the fruit into a pan with sugar and the balsamic vinegar, put the pan over the heat, and cook gently until the juices begin to run from the berries. Pour into an oven proof dish.

Meanwhile make the topping. Rub the cold butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and salt stir well, then add the butter-milk to form a loose scone-type mixture.

Spoon this over the hot fruit (to get a cobbled effect, flick balls of dough randomly over the fruit), sprinkle with a little caster sugar, and bake in your preheated oven for 30 mins until golden brown.

Serve with vanilla ice cream

Christmas Cookie - Almond Bars

INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter (no substitutes), melted
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
confectioners' sugar
DIRECTIONS
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until lemon-colored. Add the butter, flour and extract; mix well. spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar