The Complete Summer Cookbook: Beat The Heat With 500 Recipes That Make The Most Of Summer's Bounty (America's Test Kitchen 2020) is by the cooks and chefs at America's Test Kitchen, that great PBS TV show. As with any of the America's Test Kitchen cookbook it has great advice, suggestions and tips scattered throughout. It starts with how to cook, drink and eat when the weather gets steamy along with a complete pictorial of summertime cooking equipment. Everything from strawberry hullers to grill gloves. A plus, and hallmark of the show is the different menus you can choose from. Overworked home chefs can try the No Cook Light Dinner which has absolutely no cooking in it whatsoever to Kebabs On The Grill for those who love a dinner out in the backyard. Again, as with their other books the editors don't have definitive chapters. There are Small Bites for those who want nibbles and Keep Cool with Countertop Cooking where the food is cooked in either a slow cooker or electric pressure cooker.Of course there are also desserts, namely Summer Fruit Desserts that feature the season's best bounty and Icebox and Frozen Treats which even features a sundae bar with homemade toppings. Anyone want a frosty drink will enjoy the chapter on drinks. An unusual one is all about canning and preserving along with one on Farmer's Markets and the bounty it offers.All the recipes are broken down into calories and carbs along with sodium and cholesterol amounts.
I love this book and plan on making many of the recipes. Their gazpacho recipe is intriguing because it has tomato juice and hot sauce added in. There's also a variation with avocado and crab. The summer vegetable gratin , a casserole loaded with all kinds of veggies, from zucchini to tomatoes and topped with herbed white bread and Parmesan cheese is perfect for those rainy days inside. There is even a recipe for the perfect tomato sandwich that everyone should try. Barbecue enthusiasts will love the recipes for barbecued baby back ribs and grilled Mojo marinated skirt steaks. For those who love using their smokers , there is the smoked London Broil which would go well with any of the salads or foolproof boiled corn. The pickle and canning recipes are definitely worth trying especially the chow chow and tomatoes.The drink recipes are must tries also. want the perfect ice tea. Then try theirs, made with room temperature instead of boiling hot water. America's Test Kitchen offers variations such as mint and fruit flavored ones. Of course there is old fashioned lemonade but there's also agua fresca made with watermelon and lime along with the centuries old switchel , drunk by Amish farmers. There's also the boozy aperol made with the fizzy Italian wine Prosecco olives and orange peels.There is baking from on the grill pizza to a tomato galette that just might replace it. Fruit galettes and cobblers are also part of the sweet treats. Yet it is the homemade vegan and dairy ice creams that really catch the eye.I also want to try their dark chocolate avocado pudding , a perfect end to an outdoor Sunday lunch.
The Complete Summer Cookbook :Beat The Heat With 500 Recipes That Make The Most of Summer's Harvest is the book to have this summer. There's a wide variety of different recipes perfect for the grill or the kitchen. Best of all they're a snap to make and bake, especially during these hot days.
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