With the adage “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade” in mind, Phish will perform three full sets this New Year’s Eve, live from the Ninth Cube. Phish will take the stage promptly at 8:30PM ET on December 31st for a show that will be performed without an audience and webcast for free on Phish’s YouTube channel and LivePhish.com, with a simulcast on Phish Radio on SiriusXM.
For the dinner part of this Dinner And A Movie, four recipes are included, all with lemon as a key ingredient. Instead of sucking on a lemon, dive into the recipes below, which include Trey Anastasio’s own recipe for Lemonade, a Whole Roasted Chicken with Lemon, a Lemon Pasta vegetarian entrée, and for dessert, Lemon Bars.
Always a charitable affair, the Dinner and a Movie series has distributed nearly $900,000 in donations via the WaterWheel Foundation since the start of the pandemic to help non-profits around the country (and beyond). SiriusXM has generously underwritten production costs to make this webcast free, and donations will be raised during the evening to support those in need. The WaterWheel Foundation will be raising money for a handful of non-profits close to the Phish community. Donate at anytime at phish.com/waterwheel.
There will also be three limited edition posters available from the originally slated shows for the Madison Square Garden run for sale beginning Thursday, December 30 via Phish Dry Goods, along with additional event merch. Proceeds from these poster sales will be donated to The WaterWheel Foundation and more details will be shared soon via Dry Goods.
Shortly after New Year’s Eve, video of this performance will be available on the SXM app.
Giant Bowl of Lemonade
1. Get handed lemons
2. Make lemonade
2b. For “electric lemonade”, add desired ingredients
3. Enjoy!
Whole Roasted Lemon and Herb Chicken – Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 lemons
1 bulb of garlic
2 yellow onions
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 whole chicken (3.5-4 lbs)
½ tsp minced fresh rosemary (plus an extra sprig or two)*
½ tsp minced fresh thyme (plus an extra sprig or two)*
⅓ cup chicken stock
2-3 whole carrots
2-3 potatoes (preferably Yukon Gold)
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
*You can use dry herbs in replace of fresh, or omit
if you prefer things simple.
Instructions:
Take chicken out of the refrigerator. Remove giblets if there are any in the cavity (we won’t be using them, but you can cook for your dog!). Rinse the chicken in water, and pat thoroughly dry. Leave out while you prepare the lemon-herby goodness to bring the chicken close to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees with the rack in the lower third of the oven. Set out a roasting pan or large cast iron skillet that can hold your whole chicken.
Mince 3 garlic cloves, and mix with the herbs and 3 TBSP of olive oil and 2 hearty pinches of salt. Make sure the chicken skin is well dried. Push one finger under the skin on the breast of the chicken to separate, and spoon half of the herb mixture in between the meat and the skin. Rub the remainder on the outside of the chicken. Season the outside generously with additional salt and pepper. (Using chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken? Do the same thing, but they will take less time to cook).
Cut the rest of the bulb of garlic in half horizontally (so each clove is cut in half), and rub with olive oil. Slice the whole lemons in half. Peel the onions and cut into quarters. Put half a lemon inside the chicken, then put the other lemon halves, onion, garlic and remaining herb sprigs in the bottom of the roasting pan, and put the whole chicken on top (either on a rack, or sitting on top of the lemon, onion and garlic). Cut carrots and potatoes into large bite sized chunks. Toss with a little olive oil and scatter around the chicken. Pour chicken stock into the bottom of the pan.
Roast for approximately 45 minutes. The skin should be golden brown and the juices should run clear when you poke a knife into the leg joint. If the juices are rosy pink, roast for another 5-10 minutes and check again. Or, if you have a meat thermometer, when the inner thigh registered 175 degrees.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Tip the chicken to drain any juices from the cavity into the pan. Carve chicken on a cutting board and transfer to a platter. Then pour all the juices, roasted vegetables and tasty bits over the chicken or serve the jus alongside for those who want it. Squeeze the roasted garlic from the bulbs over the vegetables, or just serve the halved bulbs on the side of the platter.
Lemon Pasta Serves 6
Ingredients:
12 ounces wide egg noodles
Juice and zest of 2 small/medium lemons (wash lemons before squeezing)
1 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt, to taste
Lots of freshly ground black pepper.
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles, and stir to separate. Cook according to package or until tender. Drain, then return to the cooking pot.
2. Just before noodles are done, in a small saucepan combine the lemon zest, cream, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until cream comes to a boil.
3. Pour cream mixture over drained noodles, and add the lemon juice. Stir to coat. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until all the liquid is absorbed, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with additional pepper, if desired.
Note: the pasta is delicious on its own, but feel free to add green vegetables to the pasta at the end if you like: a handful of baby arugula, broccoli or broccolini – chopped and doused with olive oil and roasted at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, steamed or sautéed asparagus, chopped parsley, chives, etc.
Optional variation: if you’d like, add freshly grated parmesan.
Lemon Bars
Makes 16-20 squares in an 8×8 or 9×13 baking dish for squares, rectangles or triangles (or 9” pie pan or tart pan for wedges).
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 cup cold unsalted butter
2 cups all purpose flour
¼ cup powdered sugar (plus more for sprinkling on top at the end)
½ cup sweetened, shredded coconut (or unsweetened coconut, plus add ¼ cup more sugar)
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
Filling:
5 eggs
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 2-3 washed lemons)
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (hint: zest lemons first, then squeeze them)
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8×8 (for thicker squares) or 9×13 (for thinner squares) baking pan. To make them easier to remove, lay a piece of parchment paper inside the pan, and then butter the parchment paper too.
In a food processor (or stand mixer) combine all of the crust ingredients. Pulse and mix until well combined and the mixture begins to clump together. Put the dough into the buttered pan and gently press it to cover the bottom. (If using a tart or pie pan, push dough to cover the sides too.)
Bake the crust until just golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven but leave it on.
While the crust is baking, prepare the lemon filling. Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and beat on low or whisk until smooth. Pour the filling into the hot crust and bake again until the filling is just set, about 20-35 minutes. Check them at 15 minutes.
When you shake the pan slightly, the filling should be mostly set, but still quiver in the center a bit. If not set, bake a few minutes more. (If using a 8×8 pan with a thicker layer of filling it may take longer). Do not over bake.
Let cool completely in the pan. You may refrigerate to help them set and cook quicker. Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar, then cut into squares or triangles. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. If powdered sugar has been absorbed into the lemon filling, dust again with more powdered sugar just before serving.
