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Tag: Bbq

Summer Eats and Treats

by Siobhan
Food & Drink / June 24, 2010

Summer has been slow-moving out here in Vancouver. I don't mean "slow-moving" that "languid, lazy days of summer" kind of way. I mean, "Summer, hurry up and get here already. Seriously."

Along with the usual summertime activities -- swimming, hiking, camping, general lazing about in the sunshine -- I cannot wait for BBQs, picnics, drinks on patios...

In that spirit (ie. wishful thinking), here are some summer cookbooks to beckon the beginning of summer (whenever the heck it gets here). Enjoy!

Farmer's Market Desserts
Gorgeous Fruit Recipes from First Prize Peach Pie to Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

This collection of tempting desserts inspired by those markets and the farmers who share their produce there satisfies the sustainable shopper's sweet tooth with more than 50 recipes for tarts, crisps, cupcakes, puddings, and more.

Sample Recipes:

• Read an interview with author Jennie Schacht on Grist.org, along with recipes for Strawberries and Cream Cake Roll and Chilled Plum Soup with Sour Cream.
• Summer Hibiscus Cooler and Rhubarb, Blueberry & Cream Parfait on the Chronicle blog.
• Goat Yogurt Panna Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries on the Fete a Fete blog.
• Black & Blue Buckle, Aprium Almond Tart and Berry Sauce for Lemon Verbena Buttermilk Ice Cream as part of NPR's "Top 10 Summer Cookbooks" feature.

More Treats:

• Join Farmer's Market Desserts on Facebook
• View an excerpt from the book on Scribd
   

Porch Parties
Cocktail Recipes and Easy Ideas for Outdoor Entertaining

A charming guide to casual outdoor entertaining, including 50 recipes for everything from punches to cocktails including several nonalcoholic sippers and 10 uncomplicated snacks.

Sample Recipes:

• Pomegranate Pimm's Cup and Minted Raspberry Ice Tea as part of NPR's "Top 10 Summer Cookbooks" feature.
• Michelada on Ladies' Home Journal

Latin Grill
Sultry and Simple Food for Red-Hot Dinners and Parties

Bold flavors, minimal ingredients, and a passion for flame! Discover a new spin on grilling, Latin-style, with more than 70 recipes by renowned chef Rafael Palomino, a pioneer of the fresh culinary territory known as Nuevo Latino. A little bit French, a little bit South American, this cuisine is huge on flavor!

Sample Recipe:

• Grilled Palomino Burger with Manchego Cheese and Avocado on the Chronicle blog.

More Treats:

• View an excerpt from the book on Scribd

Super-Charged Smoothies
More Than 60 Recipes for Energizing Smoothies

Super-Charged Smoothies is packed with all-new recipes for delicious elixirs rich with the nutrient-packed, disease-fighting, life-changing superfoods that promote energy and vitality.

Sample Recipes:

• "Kombucha, Baby!" Smoothie and "Strawberries All the Whey" Smoothie on the Chronicle blog.

More Treats:

• Video: Authors (and twin sisters!) Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford talk about the book -- and smoothies!
• Mary and Sara on Facebook
• View an excerpt from the book on Scribd

Stonewall Kitchen Grilling
Fired Up Recipes for Cooking Outdoors All Year Long

Try something new and different on the grill with 50 of Stonewall Kitchen's favorite recipes for grilling everything from steak and chops to lobster, tuna, vegetables, and fruit, including such gastronomic delights as Grilled Prosciutto-Wrapped Figs Stuffed with Blue Cheese and tasty little Lamb-Mint Sliders. Learn how to grill-roast a whole turkey or cook a pizza over a fire!

Sample Recipe:

• “Meatball” Sliders on the Chronicle blog.

Fast, Fresh and Green
More Than 90 Delicious Recipes for Veggie Lovers

This new bible for all things vegetable from Susie Middleton, Fine Cooking's Vegetable Queen. More than 100 recipes for appetizers, snacks, entrees, and side dishes, many of them vegan, make Fast, Fresh & Green an excellent resource for vegetarians and omnivores.

Sample Recipes:

• Author Susie Middleton writes about the book on her blog -- and shares a recipe for Sweet Potato “Mini-Fries” with Limey Dipping Sauce.
• Peas with Lemon and Mint, Squash Linguine, and Tomato and Peach Salad on Fine Cooking.
• Warm Parmesan Fava Beans with Shallots and Mint and Sesame-Ginger Marinated Grilled Shiitakes as part of NPR's "Top 10 Summer Cookbooks" feature.

More Treats:

• Join Fast, Fresh and Green on Facebook
• View an excerpt from the book on Scribd

Rum Drinks
50 Caribbean Cocktails from Cuba Libre to Rum Daisy

More than a cocktail book, Rum Drinks is your ultimate rum resource, including recipes for classic and contemporary cocktails and traditional snacks to accompany them, plus salty tales from a history of the sugar trade to the sparkly heydey of the Cuba Libre, an island-by-island listing of Caribbean rums, and a guide to great rum bars all over the world.

Sample Recipes:

• Mojito a Mi Manera on the Chronicle blog.
• Punch a la Noix de Coco on Epicurious.com

More Treats:

• View an excerpt from the book on Scribd

Mastering the Grill for the August Long Weekend

by Siobhan
Food & Drink / July 25, 2007

The August long weekend is coming up fast. Are you ready? More importantly, is your GRILL ready?

If you want to do more than just BBQ, then pick up one of our most popular cookbooks this summer: MASTERING THE GRILL, published by Chronicle Books. It contains more than 300 delicious recipes, plus tips and techniques for the BBQ - from how various grills, pit barbecues, and smokers work, to the science of heat transference, and how different fuels affect this fundamental process.

You'll be a Master of the Grill in no time. To get you started, here are the author's top 5 tips on grilling:

* Never walk away from a grill, unless you're cooking with indirect heat. Since all grills have hotspots, you need to be there to rotate the meat to make sure it cooks evenly.

* Use a spice rub for instant flavor. Marinades don't penetrate deeply into the meat and often cook off. A rub will adhere to the meat and ensure great taste.

* When meat is ground, its juices escape. For juicy burgers, add water, ketchup, steak sauce, or any other flavored liquid.

* To give your meat a great crust, first sear the meat with high heat on all sides, then move it to lower heat to finish cooking. This helps your meat develop a crust and prevents burning.

* When grilling barbecued chicken, don't add the sauce until the last five minutes. The high sugar content of the sauce will cause it to burn if left on too long.

Is your mouth watering yet? Well, this will do it: check out some of the recipes for Herb Cheese-Stuffed Garlic Burgers, Grilled Corn and Crab Salad with Raspberries, and Smoked Chorizo Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Arugula. (Who knew you could make pizza on the grill? Obviously, I need this book.)

Get more info on MASTERING THE GRILL here and on the book's site.