BBQ'ed Chicken on Caesar Salad

The heat is overwhelming on the second day of a heat advisory: 29 degrees, feels like 37. Even a brief thunderstorm fails to clear the humidity and only the dog ventures out on the balcony to bask in the sun until staggering in panting to shove his entire head and paws into the water dish. The air conditioner is installed and is turned on but it is taking time to cool the sweltering atmosphere.

No-one is hungry, except for the dog, but nourishment is required before heading out for the evening (hopefully it will be cooler when the sun goes down) and heat-induced lethargy is not an excuse for eating poorly or dining without taste. Drew douses the herbs on the balcony with water - they seem to dry out every few hours - and decides on bbq'ed chicken. It is too hot to turn on the oven or even elements. Of course that still means Raul will still have to brave the heat briefly, and he is suffering the most from the barometric pressure. Fortunately he is a good, if melodramatic, sport and agrees.

Drew whips up a marinade of chopped basil, coriander, chives and garlic stirred into coconut water with a bit of red cider vinegar. The chicken breasts are cross-hatched, dropped into the liquid, sealed tight and placed in the fridge for four hours. Drew gives the breasts a good shake whenever he remembers to do so. The bed of salad is simple: romaine lettuce, chopped tomatoes, Caesar dressing and grated Parmagiana-Reggiano.

The chicken breasts have absorbed a good quantity of the marinade so they are plump, tender and flavourful. Straggling herb pieces crisp over the flames to accentuate the grill marks and crunch. Eight minutes on the bbq and they are done to perfection. Raul wipes his brow, dreams of a mint julep but settles for a cold Coke, and digs in. The dog dances with excitement but the high level of garlic renders his portion negligible. He pouts but is soon asleep in the sun again. R&D stay inside on either side of the humming air conditioner.