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Dashboard Dining, Part II |
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Being that today was another
fine moderate day (with a high of only 114 predicted, later
revised to 116, those big cheaters), the urge overcame me to
blow off today's entirely inconsequential errands and focus
instead on more warm-weather entertainment, i.e. the second
installment of Dashboard Dining.
Following the success of the dashboard egg, I determined to move on to something bigger: Car-Cooked Chicken En Papillote Today's adventure in automotive cuisine starts with chicken breast tenders.  The tenders are placed on foil, seasoned with Cavender's Greek Seasoning and a few spoonfuls of herb and garlic marinade, and topped with a little vegetation to add color, moisture and flavor.  The foil is folded over, and the edges carefully sealed with a quarter-inch trifold to keep all the steam and flavor in.  According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, most slow cookers utilize temperatures between 170° and 280° F. At 11:30am, I figure the FPOGE's (Fine Piece of German Engineering's) internal temp of 190° F means we're good to go  and the papillotes go onto the dashboard next to the thermometer probe.  The hard part is waiting. I figured I'd give them four or five hours, or pull them when the temperature starts to drop, whichever. At 2:30 I went out to check on them, and the thermometer display unit had gone all deranged from the heat. I opened the door to fetch it out, and I have to say it smelled pretty good in there. At 4:30 I imagined it had got to be done, and went to fetch the papillotes. Such a shame I forgot to take a potholder so I could open the #$%&@!! car door. Once opened, the papillotes gave off some crazy steam, and the fragrance brought little Dammit clamoring into the kitchen for a taste.  The verdict: Tender, juicy, full of flavor. Dinner is served -- and don't forget to tip your valet parking attendant.  Where's dessert? You
know subsequent adventures include
a
coffeecake, |