The Book of Grilling and Barbecuing

Seven years ago my husband Dub and I sailed into Wangarai Harbour in New Zealand. On our way in I spied some friends or ours, Gayle and John, who we'd met in Tahiti. They were Kiwis and they were ending their five year circumnavigation, home at last. We anchored close to their boat and later dinghied over for sundowners (usually Coke and Rum). That evening, as usual, we told tall tales of our adventures at sea and we congratulated ourselves on being in this wonderful place at this wonderful time. Later, as we were saying our goodbyes, Gayle gave me her set of the Salamandar Book of Series Cookbooks. They are sold by HP Books in the States as paperbacks. Gayle carried these books around the planet and now she was giving them to me, complete with her notes (written in the books) on the recipes, how well she and John liked certain dishes, which were their favorites, how hard they were to prepare. She knew I was a cook and she thought I'd appreciate them. She was right. Like all the books in the series "The Book of Grilling & Barbecuing" is about five inches wide and about a foot tall, making them kind of unique among cookbooks. But one should not be put off because of the odd shape, these are real books and you can find mighty darned good recipes in them and if you like to barbecue than this is really a book for you, as it gives new meaning to the phrase, "I'll put a shrimp on the barbie for you," because the Mediterranean Shrimp on Page 24 is simply divine and it's very easy, peasy to make. Do you do chicken? Well both the Tandoori and Mandarin chicken are delicious. And who knew you could do delicious desserts on the barbie. You can. How does Vodka Soused Pineapple sound? Or Peaches and Butterscotch Sauce? These are just two of the several mouth watering desserts. With this book your barbecue will really come to life. Review Submitted by Captain Katie Osborne

In its almost 50 parts, all written by experienced cooks and cook book writers, HP Books' "The Book of ... Cooking" series takes you to the cuisines of various regions of the U.S. and around the world; all in easy to follow, well-explained recipes. This installment, the Book of Grilling and Barbecuing, starts with a brief introduction into the basic grilling techniques, the necessary equipment and utensils, and recipes for marinades and basting sauces, then presents recipe suggestions for all major types of barbecue recipes, from fish and shellfish to vegetarian dishes, accompaniments and even desserts, and closes with a number of suggestions for grilling menus. Special chapters are dedicated to (red) meat, poultry, vegetables and vegetarian dishes. Lots of different varieties of steaks, satays, burgers, brochettes, kebabs, garlic bread, potato skins, teriyaki, drumsticks, Franks, pork and lamb chops, scampi, spare ribs, corn on the cob and souvlakia appear next to unique dishes such as broccoli pancake rolls, ginger and apricot chicken, ham steaks with plum sauce, mackerel with rhubarb sauce, orange rice salad, pink grapefruit trout, red mullet with fennel seeds, rum and raisin persimmons, roast duck with cherry sauce, trout in saffron fumet, and vodka soused pineapple. From applejack duck to zucchini with garden herbs, this collection of recipes is a great introduction to the endless possibilities of preparing food by placing it on a griddle, whether skewered or not. Also recommended: Around the World Cookbook Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant (Cookery) Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian: More Than 650 Meatless Recipes from Around the World On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals (4th Edition) Textbook only Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006