Time: Summer
Livin':Easy
Catfish: Jumpin'
Cotton: High

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES,COME ON...

Summer is a time for outdoor dining and backyard celebrations, starting with the biggest of all, the 4th of July. Even outdoor dining can be done in high style. All you need is some good friends, a barbeque and Woodhouse Chocolate! So what chocolate would we recommend for a warm summer evening when the chocolate is likely to melt? S'Mores of course, the chocolate is supposed to melt! We have taken this childhood treat to another level with handmade graham crackers, handmade marshmallows and the finest chocolate all perfectly sized to work together and create the greatest S'more you have ever tasted. Whether you are making these at the campsite with a stick, by the fireplace with a coathanger or in the well-equiped kitchen with a blowtorch you won't believe the results.

If you are looking for something that requires no effort at all, but is still gooey and crunchy, why not try our new Coco Caramel Mac Nut Bar in either dark or milk chocolate? The chocolate shell is stuffed with runny coconut milk caramel laced with toasted coconut, then topped with a more than generous supply of the finest macadamia nuts. All is then drizzled with more chocolate. Our neighbor to the south has for years said that we should change the name of our shop to "Better Than Sex" and while we have never really taken the suggestion seriously the Coco Caramel Mac Nut Bar just may be the tipping point. It is simply that good.

When the evening comes to an end, I know you are dying for a fine cigar and a little whiskey. (At least you probably like the idea of a fine cigar.) Well, if smoking is not your thing, why not reach for a Woodhouse chocolate cigar? The milk chocolate shell is filled with a ganache made with a nice, peaty 10 year old single malt Scotch Whiskey from Islay. (We just got back from Scotland and have begun a love affair with their whiskies - there is hardly anything better with chocolate.) So if you are in the mood for chocolate this summer (and who isn't?) we are ready and willing to help.

John and Tracy Wood Anderson

Last month we brought you a wine made in such small quantities that I am certain that few of you had ever heard of the winery. This month you will have a much easier time locating your prey. Robert Mondavi Winery is one of the best known wineries in the world and for good reason, Robert is one of the main founders of the modern California wine business as we find it today. He was always a great supporter of wine education and the winery continues those efforts today. They even offer a moderated tasting involving the pairing of wine and chocolate. That would be Woodhouse Chocolate of course! For a moderate fee, a Mondavi representative will lead you through a tasting of eleven different chocolates and four of their wonderful wines (including their superb reserve cabernet) as you discuss the pluses and minuses of the pairing combinations. At the end you will take home a three piece box to enjoy. You can sign up by calling (707)968-2000 or writing to reservations@robertmondaviwinery.com. No we wouldn't be doing our job (hard as it is!) if we didn't taste a little wine and make our own judgements. We tasted the 2005 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon ($45). An interesting side note, 79% of the grapes came from the To Kalon vineyard. The MX wine from last month was of course 100% To Kalon fruit. The Mondavi is purply/inky in the glass and opens with a bouquet of raspberry and anise with hints of tobacco and black pepper. On the palate it is fruit driven with dark plum, blackberry, subtle tannins and a lingering finish. So what to pair with this special wine, well the hands down winner was Wild Cherry (brings out the fruit in the wine), followed by Mocha, Praline Cream, Espresso, Champagne Truffle, and Milk Del Lago. Other chocolates to try are Cinnamon and Amaretto Almond.
www.robertmondaviwinery.com

CHICKEN ON A THRONE

Serves 4

. Summer is here and it's time for grilling in the great outdoors. We finally succumbed to a gas grill, and I have to say, we have enjoyed it excessively. I haven't cooked anything indoors for weeks. (I'm only sort of kidding.) Here is one of our favorites that has become a delicious standby for just about any occasion. It looks a little funny, but hey, I'm sure we could all use a laugh. Don't be afraid to try it- it's easy and couldn't be more yummy.

1 5-6 pound chicken (It needs to be big to accomodate the jar or can)
1 can of the best beer you can find in a can (it's a little difficult to find good beer in a can - we use Guinness)
OR, use a 12-ounce jelly jar and fill it halfway with good beer (wine works too)

Dry Rub:
1 Tablespoon each:
onion powder
garlic powder
smoked paprika
ground coriander
sugar
chili powder
cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

The very first thing you should do after removing the innards from your chicken is to try to fit the can or jar in the cavity of the chicken to make sure it will fit. You don't want to find this out after the chicken is covered in rub. A little practice ahead eliminates a lot of problems later. Mix the dry rub ingredients together. Use about half of it on the chicken, inside and out, getting as much as you can under the skin. It helps to put the chicken on a piece of plastic wrap and use that to apply the rub to the outside, otherwise you will end up with alot of the rub caked on your hands, when you really want it on the chicken. It is a little like working with a greased pig, but you can do it.

Next, if you are using a beer can, you will want to use a can opener to carefully remove the top. This can be a little tricky, but it can be done. You can just pop the top, but there will not be as much flavor in the finished product. Don't be afraid to use a glass jelly jar, I haven't had one break. It can withstand the heat fine. Just don't drop it. Stir the remaining rub into the beer. Fit your chicken over the can or jar, making sure the feet go all the way to the counter, you will need them to touch the grill for stability. You should have a sort of tripod of can and chicken feet. Now heat your grill - oh another thing to make sure of is that the lid of your grill is tall enough to fit over the chicken. Okay, heat your grill. You want indirect heat and a low fire. The chicken should cook at 300-325 degrees for 2 to 3 hours. A gas grill makes this easy, otherwise, you will need a low fire at the edge of your grill and the ability to add coals every now and then as necessary. (This whole thing can always be done in the oven, but that's not nearly as exciting.) Put a little drip pan under the chicken and carefully place on the grill. Cover and let her cook for 2 or 3 hours, until a thermometer registers 170 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh. When she is done, don some heavy rubber gloves and take her off with your hands. Any other way is too risky. Let the chicken cool about 10 minutes, then carefully remove the jar from the cavity. It will be hot, so have the appropriate gloves ready. I like to dump the liquid into a small pan and reduce it a little to use as a sauce. Carve your chicken how you like it, pour a little of the juice over it and dig in!

We were celebrating our youngest daughter's graduation from high school at one of our favorite haunts when it occured to us that we have have never shared it with you; Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen. I know what some of you are saying, famous chef, lots of press, it has been there six years, take us somewhere new. Well, it is truly one of our favorite restaurants, and proprietor Cindy Pawlcyn is a wonderful chef who makes sure that Cindy's reinvents itself all the time by changing up the menu, freshening old favorites and running a good selection of specials everyday. Even if you haven't yet eaten at her namesake restaurant you may have eaten at Mustards Grill or Go Fish (both of which she owns) or perhaps you've eaten at one of the half dozen or more restaurants in Northern California where she designed the original menu. The mark of a Cindy Pawlcyn restaurant, like Cindy's, is simply delicious food full of flavor She quite often adds a little latin or asian influence to great comfort food. It is too difficult to pick one or two dishes to highlight - they are all good. You really can't go wrong with a thing. (They also have great bartenders - Mojitos and Thai-tinis are favorites of ours - you can't drink wine all the time!) So give it a try if you haven't already, you will not be disappointed. www.cindysbackstreetkitchen.com