WHAT: barbecue

WHEN: summer

WHERE: backyard

WHY: great food, good times

HOW: keep it easy by preparing some dishes ahead, buying some and grilling only quick-cooking meats such as hot dogs, bratwurst and other sausages.

MENU

Assorted dips and casual appetizers

Barbecue beef sandwiches

Grilled sausages

Potato salad

Corn pudding, corn on the cob or baked beans

Cole slaw

Sliced watermelon

Brownies, cookies and cupcakes

BARBECUE BEEF BRISKET

Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

1 (5 to 6 pounds) beef brisket, well trimmed

1-1/2 cups chili sauce

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons hot-pepper sauce

2 (12 ounces each) beers

2 tablespoons liquid smoke

1 cup barbecue sauce (optional)

Hamburger buns

Put brisket in a roasting pan. Combine chili sauce, sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire, hot-pepper sauce, beer and liquid smoke in a medium-size mixing bowl; stir until sugar dissolves. Pour mixture over beef. Cover pan, refrigerate and let beef marinate several hours to overnight, turning occasionally. Set pan in a preheated 300°F oven and roast until beef easily pulls apart in shreds, about 4 hours.

Remove pan from oven. Remove beef from pan. Drain sauce in pan into a 3-quart saucepan. Skim fat from sauce. Set saucepan over high heat and bring sauce to a boil. Boil until sauce is reduced to 3 cups. Taste sauce and, if desired, add 1 cup commercial barbecue sauce.

While sauce reduces, cut all fat from beef (discard fat). Pull beef into shreds with a fork.

Mix beef shreds and with sauce.

You can serve the beef immediately, or you can cool the beef at room temperature and refrigerated it in a covered container for several days. It also freezes well (thaw before reheating).

Re-heat in covered roasting pan, in a 350°F oven until hot.

Serve beef hot on hamburger buns.

Both:

French-connected,

white and creamy,

luxuriously rich

and

beautifully versatile (can be served hot or cold, summer or winter, with any number of garnishes changing the flavor).

I developed the Cream of Brie Soup for Food and Wines from France to serve at a convention. The organization wanted a dish that would showcase the rich, subtle flavor of Brie, yet have personality of its own and multiple uses. The soup was perfect, as garnishes contribute to flavor and change the nature of the dish, allowing it to enhance a variety of meals. I love to serve this soup at formal dinner parties garnished with seasonal fruits, and consider it sumptuous enough for Christmas brunch, especially if I can get my hands on white truffles for garnish.

Chef Rene Pianetti

The Cream of Bean Soup comes from Le Chef Coq Restaurant in Nuits-Saint-Georges, where Chef René Pianetti presides over the kitchen and serves food that is both contemporary and original. I found the soup on a summer luncheon menu disguised under the name “Gaspacho.”  The custard-smooth bean soup had nothing to do with gaspacho, except it was chilled, but it offered extraordinay flavor that was unique and distinquished. I like this soup best at casual seated dinners on chilly evenings and I sometimes serve it at Thanksgiving, garnishing with prosciutto, country ham, assorted grilled and diced sausages and even sautéed-slivered fennel, if smoked duck is not available.

TWO GREAT SOUPS

Each:

lusciously unique,

dramatically different

and

extravagantly delicious.

Bon Appétit!

CREAM OF BRIE SOUP

Yield: About 4 servings.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 leek, trimmed and chopped (use white part only)

1 celery rib, trimmed and chopped

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

2 black peppercorns

Pinch ground cloves

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup whole milk

1 cup light cream

1/2 pound Brie, rind removed

Garnish suggestions:

Cognac

Crumbled Roquefort

Crumbled Roquefort and diced pears

Fresh berries (perfect for a chilled brunch soup)

Julienne strips of steamed root vegetables

Sautéed apples

Sauteed mushrooms

Shaved white truffles

Toasted nuts and brown sugar (a dessert garnish)

Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan. Add leek, celery, thyme, bay, peppercorns and cloves; stir well. Cover pot and “steam” ingredients until they are soft, about 15 minutes.

Sprinkle flour over ingredients and stir until flour is absorbed. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in broth, milk and cream. Simmer 30 minutes. Cut Brie into chucks and stir into soup. Continue to simmer, stirring constantly, until Brie completely melts. Strain soup.

Serve immediately, garnished as desired. Or if serving chilled, cool soup at room temperature and refrigerate until well chilled. Serve chilled with appropriate garnish.

CREAM OF WHITE BEAN SOUP

Yield: About 4 servings.

2-1/2 cups dry white beans (about 1 pound 2 ounces)

Water

6 to 7 cups rich flavorful chicken broth

1 thick slice smoked bacon

1 carrot, peeled and halved

Several sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

1 large garlic clove, peeled and halved

1 cup heavy cream

About 3/4 cup buttery croutons

Hazelnut oil (optional)

Garnish suggestions

Thin strips of smoked duck

Thin strips of prosciutto

Thin strips of country ham

Sautéed sausage, diced

Cover the beans with cold water and let soak overnight.

Drain beans and put in a 4-quart saucepan. Add chicken broth, bacon, carrot, thyme, bay leaf, garlic. Gently simmer the beans until they are tender, about 3 hours. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Drain beans reserving broth. Discard bacon, carrot, garlic, thyme and bay. Mash beans. Stir in cream and enough (2 to 3 cups) reserved broth to make a thick soup. Pass soup through a food mill or strainer.

Serve immediately, garnished with croutons, a drizzle of oil and duck, country ham, prosciutto or sausage. Or if serving chilled, cool soup at room temperature and refrigerate until well chilled. Serve chilled, garnished with croutons, a drizzle of oil and duck, country ham or prosciutto.

TOASTING FOR THE

FOURTH OF JULY

FRENCH CANADIAN KISS

From the bar in Panache restaurant at the Auberge Saint-Antoine, Quebec City, Canada

Combine in a cocktail shaker:

1-1/2 ounce pineapple juice

1 ounce vanilla Smirnoff vodka

1/2 ounce Ricaneux Framboise or raspberry liqueur

Add ice. Shake. Pour into a martini glass.

Garnish with fresh raspberries and cherries.

SOURSOP MARTINI

From Rosewood Little Dix Bay, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

Combine in a cocktail shaker:

1-1/2 ounces Kettle One Vodka

2 ounces soursop juice (see note)

Ice

Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass.

Note: Soursop (also know as guanabana) is a fruit native to the Caribbean and parts of South America. Wikipedia says, “Its flavor is described as a combination of strawberry and pineapple with sour citrus flavor notes contrasting with an underlying creamy flavor reminiscent of coconut or banana.” Soursop juice may be available in canned form from a specialized supermarket.

SIAM@SIAM COCKTAIL

From Siam @ Siam Design Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand

Combine in a tall glass:

1-1/2  ounces Bacardi rum

1 ounce Blue Curacao liqueur

1-1/2 ounces fresh coconut juice

1-1/2 ounces pineapple juice

1/2 ounce sweet and sour mix

Add ice and stir.

Garnish with a slice of lemon.

FAMILY CELEBRATION DINNER

Lets run the numbers:

94 glasses

89 plates and platters

32 guests

9 bottles of wine

7 roasted chickens

6 patchwork quilts (to cover the folding tables set end to end making one long table)

Sweet Leisure Cake

4 fragrant flowers in centerpieces

3 times the recipe for FAMILY-FAVORITE PARTY SALAD

2 great desserts (Sweet Leisure Cake and

decorated cookies

1 happy family

DRESSING

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

cheese

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced or pressed

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

SALAD

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup unseasoned fine dry bread crumbs

1 pound romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces and chilled

1/2 head cauliflower, trimmed

Combine dressing ingredients in a small mixing bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bread crumbs and sauté, stirring constantly, until crumbs are lightly browned. Set crumbs aside to cool.

Put lettuce in a large salad bowl. Pour dressing over lettuce and toss gently until dressing evenly coats the lettuce pieces.

Pour crumbs over top of lettuce: don’t toss. Coarsely grate cauliflower and sprinkle over bread crumbs; don’t toss.  Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve salad without tossing.

Makes 6 servings.

Michaël Dessimiroff gave me the recipe many years ago, when he was chef on the Horizon II, a hotel barge floating the canals of France. Trained as a pastry chef before joining the barge staff, Michaël baked particularly marvelous quiches, one for every day of the trip.  He said that the secret to a great crust is to not overwork the dough and to refrigerate the dough after each handling. He also said that cooks can make a variety of different quiches by using one basic recipe and altering a few flavoring ingredients.

Although it can be done, I can’t imagine altering Michaël’s Pear and Roquefort Quiche as to me it was the pièce de résistance of his entire quiche repertoire, offering a flawless balance of delicate flavors and a perfect ratio of rich buttery crust to soft custard filling. Also I can’t imagine any real man refusing this quiche—although, mon dieu, I do keep trying to find one.

PEAR AND ROQUEFORT QUICHE

2-1/2 ounces (about 1/3 cup) Roquefort cheese (or good quality blue cheese)

1/2 cup whipping cream

3 eggs

1/4 cup sour cream

1-1/2 cups whole milk 

Pinch each: nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ginger

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon fine, dry bread crumbs

1 partly baked 10-inch pastry shell (recipe follows)

1 small pear, peeled, cored and thickly sliced

1 to 2 teaspoons honey

On a plate, using a fork, mash cheese with some of the cream to form a smooth paste; transfer to a medium bowl. Gently beat in remaining cream. Add eggs and beat until mixture is blended, but not foamy. Whisk in sour cream, milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, salt and pepper; set aside.

Sprinkle bread crumbs in center of pastry shell. Arrange pear slices in a circular pattern over crumbs and drizzle with honey. Set pan on a baking sheet. Stir egg mixture and pour into shell. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven until quiche has puffed slightly and top has lightly browned, 30 to 35 minutes.

Cool slightly on a rack. Release side and bottom of pan and slide quiche onto a serving platter. Serve quiche warm or at room temperature.

Yield: About 8 servings.

PASTRY SHELL

2 cups all-purpose flour plus additional flour for rolling dough

12 tablespoons chilled salted butter, cut into pieces

1 egg, beaten

Pinch salt

Sift 2 cups flour into a mixing bowl. Add butter. With fingertips, rapidly rub butter and flour together until mixture is in small crumbs. Make a well in center; add egg and salt. Stir gently with a fork to incorporate egg, then gather ingredients into a rough ball and knead gently and quickly to form a dough. Put dough on a flat surface and, with the heel of your hand, smear about three tablespoons of the dough into a thin streak; repeat until all dough has been smeared once. Gather dough into a smooth ball, flatten ball, wrap with plastic or foil, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to an 11- to 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 10-inch, false-bottomed quiche pan and gently maneuver dough to line pan. Turn excess overhang into pan and press to make double-thick sides to the pastry case. Trim off excess dough. Prick at 1/4-inch intervals with the tines of a fork. Place a sheet of foil, shiny side down, in pan and smooth over dough. (The foil should be large enough to come about 2 inches above rim of pan on all sides.) Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Fill foil lining with pastry weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake in preheated 425°F oven until bottom of shell is set and sides are beginning to brown, 14 to 16 minutes. Remove foil and weights. Return shell to oven and bake 2 minutes. Remove pan from oven and put on a rack to cool.

Yield: One 10-inch pastry shell, partly baked.

RED’S BACON OLD FASHIONED

1 thin slice orange

1 maraschino cherry

1/4 ounce maple syrup

2 dashes Angostura bitters

2 ounces bacon-infused Jack Daniel’s

Ice

Splash club soda

Squeeze orange and put in an old-fashioned glass. Add cherry and maple syrup. Muddle lightly. Add bacon infused bourbon. Fill glass with ice and top with club soda.

TO INFUSE BOURBON WITH BACON

Fry 3 to 4 slices of bacon to render fat. Reserve or eat bacon (you won’t need it) and strain the bacon fat into a non-porous container. Pour a 750ml bottle of Jack Daniel’s over fat in container and set aside for 6 hours at room temperature. Refrigerate mixture for about 12 hours or until fat solidifies, then remove fat from bourbon and strain the bourbon back into the bottle.

1. Friends invited.
2. TVs set up.
3. Snacks bought and deli platters arranged.
4. Beer chilling.
5. Dill mustard made.

Done!

DILL MUSTARD

(A sweet spicy mustard that adds wonderful kick to sandwiches.)

1 can (2 ounces) Colman’s dry mustard

1 cup cider vinegar

4 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons dried dill

Mix mustard and vinegar in a glass bowl and set aide for 3 hours to overnight.

Place eggs, sugar and dill in the jar of a blender and blend on high speed for one minute. Add mustard-vinegar mixture and blend until thoroughly combined. Transfer mixture to a heavy saucepan. Set over low heat and cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens, 5 to 10 minutes.

Cool completely and refrigerate in a covered container.

Yield: about 2-1/2 cups.

The recipe comes from the Smithfield Inn, a charming B & B in Smithfield, Virginia.

Everything about this historic property represents the best of genteel Southern comfort, including the graciously appointed rooms, the soft-spoken well-mannered staff and the deeply delicious Southern specialties served in the dining rooms.

As good as the food is, the undoubted jewel in the crown of the menu’s tasty treats has to be lemon chess pie.

It’s hard to imagine more butter or sugar baked into one pie, and the Inn adds to the calories by serving the pie with whipped cream. Because it is so rich, a thin sliver should suffice for a serving. Of course a second and third thin sliver would be even better. When it comes to this pie, to paraphrase Mark Twain, too much is barely enough.

SMITHFIELD INN LEMON CHESS PIE

Yield: 1 (9-inch) pie; 8 servings.

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter

2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 eggs

Zest and juice from 3 lemons

1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust (recipe follows)

Whipped cream (optional garnish)

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Beat in flour and salt. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Gradually beat in zest and juice.

Spoon batter into pie shell. Bake until pie’s top is golden brown and filling is set, 45 to 65 minutes. Set pie on a rack and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic or foil and refrigerate until firm enough to cut, several hours to overnight. Serve garnished with a dollop of whipped cream if desired.

PIE CRUST

Yield: 1 (9-inch) pie shell.

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

7 tablespoons shortening

3 tablespoons ice water

Additional all-purpose flour for rolling dough

Mix flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Put each tablespoon shortening in a different place on top of flour. Mix lightly with fingers to form coarse crumbs. Sprinkle water over top of crumbs. Mix with a fork until dough begins to hold together. Turn dough out of bowl onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly and quickly until smooth. Form dough into a ball, flatten slightly with palm of hand, wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes or until ready to use.

Roll dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin to an 11-inch circle. Carefully transfer circle to a 9-inch pie plate. Fold overlap under at edge of plate and crimp decoratively. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

BRIE AND GORGONZOLA TORTE

This recipe makes enough spread for a huge crowd, but the recipe can be halved and even quartered.

8 ounces Brie cheese

32 ounces cream cheese, divided

16 ounces (unsalted) butter, divided

About 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

About 2 tablespoons chopped scallions

8 ounces Gorgonzola, Roquefort or other blue-veined cheese

Sprigs of fresh herbs for garnish

Line an 8- or 9-inch springform pan with plastic wrap (Use two long sheets of wrap so that bottom and sides of pan are covered and about 8 to 9 inches of wrap extends on all sides of pan); set pan aside. (If you are halving the recipe use an appropriate smaller pan to mold the cheese—it doesn’t have to be a springform pan—even a souffle dish will do.)

Cut outer white rind from Brie; discard rind. Cut remaining Brie into small pieces and put pieces in a large mixing bowl. Add 16 ounces cream cheese and 8 ounces butter. Beat with electric beaters until mixture is smooth and well blended. Spread mixture in bottom of prepared pan, pressing firmly so that mixture is evenly packed in pan. Sprinkle parsley and scallions over mixture; set aside.

Cut Gorgonzola into small pieces and put in mixing bowl with remaining cream cheese and remaining butter. Beat until smooth and well blended. Smooth mixture over top of herbs in pan, again pressing to insure mixture is tightly and evenly packed in pan.

Pull plastic over hang over top of mixture in pan, pressing top to smooth cheese mixture. (If necessary to completely cover cheese mixture, cover top of pan with plastic wrap or aluminum foil). Refrigerate overnight.

Before serving, remove plastic or foil from top of cheese mixture. Invert pan on a serving platter (so that gorgonzola mixture is at the base). Remove pan and all plastic wrap. Garnish torte with fresh herbs. Serve chilled, as an appetizer with cheese crackers or French bread.

Yield: One 4-pound torte.

The following cheese condiment recipes come from The American Club in Kohler, Wisconsin. This AAA Five Diamond resort hotel is famous not only for golf, but also for its Immigrant Restaurant & Winery, which prides itself on serving the best artisanal Wisconsin cheeses found in the United States. Cheese does not stand alone at the Immigrant, but is offered with a variety of condiments, adding flavor and flair to the already wonderful.

Busy hosts and hostesses are going to love these recipes, as they are multitaskers.

Beat Fig Rum Conserve into Mascarpone for a knock-out cheese spread; stir a touch of Port Wine Sauce into a vinaigrette for a distinctive salad dressing; and top vanilla ice cream with Preserved Kumquats for a sophisticated holiday sundae. But of course, don’t forget the original concept: group the condiments together and add panache and pizzazz to any party cheese platter.

CONDIMENTS TO SERVE WITH CHEESE

FIG RUM CONSERVE

Yield: About 3 cups.

12 ounces dried figs

About 1-1/2 cups dark spiced rum

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Water

Put figs in a 2-quart saucepan. Pour enough rum into pan to come to top of figs. Let soak until figs are softened, 1 to 2 hours. Sprinkle sugar over figs. Add enough water to cover figs by one inch. Set saucepan over medium heat and bring liquid to a gentle boil. Gently boil until figs are very tender, 30 to 45 minutes.  Let mixture cool slightly then puree in a blender. Cool completely at room temperature then refrigerate in a covered container.

PORT WINE SAUCE

Yield: About 2 cups.

6 cups port wine

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Bring port to a boil in a medium saucepan set over high heat. Boil until port is reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Stir sugar into port and continue boiling until mixture is slightly syrupy and lightly coats a spoon, about 20 minutes (sauce will become more syrupy as it cools). Cool completely at room temperature then refrigerate in a covered container.

PRESERVED KUMQUATS

Yield: About 2 cups.

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

Water

1 pound (about 3-1/2 cups) kumquats

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine sugar and 1-1/2 cups water in a medium saucepan and set over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Without stirring, boil mixture 3 minutes. Set aside.

Cut kumquats in half and remove all seeds. Put halves in a medium saucepan, add salt and enough water to cover generously (about 6 cups) and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 15 minutes.

Drain kumquats and place in saucepan with sugar syrup. Cover and simmer until kumquats are translucent, about 1 hour.

Set saucepan aside, keep covered, and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate in a covered container.