Hosting outdoor parties and firing up the grill? If you’re in search of a few new dishes to add to your repertoire, we’ve got you. Whether it’s a new twist on an old time favorite or something completely new, these cookbooks have it covered. Our ace correspondent Julie Chang Murphy is sharing a list of 12 favorite cookbooks with some of the best food and road-tested recipes perfect for summer entertaining, including grilling, vegetarian dishes and desserts.
time for summertime favorite foods!
I’ve heard more than a few people proclaim that they naturally eat less or have no appetite during the summer time. It’s too hot to cook, they say. They’re too busy swimming or playing tennis, they say.
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I struggle to make sense of those words”no appetite” . . . because no change in the weather could ever stifle my love of eating.
The best cookbooks for summer food and entertaining, including grilling, vegetarian dishes and desserts.
And, in fact, the summer is so rich in bounty of colorful fruits and vegetables, smoky grilled meats, and icy and creamy treats that are perfect for sharing and entertaining. How could anyone skip over these three months of deliciousness?
While they’re off perfecting that stroke on the golf course, that just means there’s more for you and I to enjoy! But first, here are the 12 best cookbooks that encapsulate what we love best about summer-inspired meals and entertaining. From authentic Southern style barbecue to creative picnic grazing feasts to juicy pies with the perfect ratio of crust to filling – we’re all in.
The best cookbooks for summer food and entertaining right now. Courtesy Photos.
what are the best cookbooks for summer entertaining?
For meat lovers
1.
If your go-to grilling recipe is slathering bottled sauce on top of a piece of meat, check out Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto by Aaron Franklin and Jordan MacKay to up your game this summer.
For the uninitiated, Austin’s Franklin Barbecue has grown into the most popular and critically acclaimed barbecue joint in the country. In this debut, Aaron Franklin shares his hard-won knowledge on everything from building your own smoker to sourcing top-quality meat and course, delicious barbecue.
If you’re so inclined, you can even take an online cooking class with Franklin at the helm.
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2.
This unbeatable title, The South’s Best Butts: Pitmaster Secrets for Southern Barbecue Perfection by Matt Moore is included here for more than our own childish sense of humor. A food writer, Moore investigates the tried-and-true techniques for achieving that meltingly tender meat, passed down through generations. And as everyone knows, no barbecue is complete without “all-the-fixin’s” so expect some Fried Green Tomatoes, Bacon + Corn Hush Puppies and Root Beer Baked Beans too.
3.
While most associate grilling with Southern traditions, it has also been a centerpiece of Japanese cooking for centuries. In The Japanese Grill: From Classic Yakitori to Steak, Seafood, and Vegetables, chef Tadashi Ono of Matsuri and writer Harris Salat share fast-and-easy recipes, versatile marinades, and step-by-step techniques for traditional favorites like Skirt Steak with Red Miso, Garlic-Soy Sauce Porterhouse, and Yuzu Kosho Scallops.
The best cookbooks for summer food and entertaining, including grilling, vegetarian dishes and desserts. Courtesy Photos.
For veggie lovers
4.
Proving vegetable can be the main event is Andrea Chesman’s New Vegetarian Grill: 250 Flame-Kissed Recipes for Fresh, Inspired Meals. Included in the book are 250 recipes that demonstrate the scope and versatility of grilled vegetarian meals. With recipes ranging from Brie, Cranberry, and Pistachio Quesadillas to Grilled Eggplant Steak Sandwiches and Tandoori-Style Vegetable Kabob, the scope and versatility of grilled vegetarian meals is on full display.
5.
OK, we’ll admit that eating lighter in the summer does have its merits and appeal. The editors of Food52 present sixty filling salad recipes in Food52 Mighty Salads: 60 New Ways to Turn Salad Into Dinner. It will help you rethink what a salad can be- Shrimp and Radicchio tossed in Bacon Vinaigrette or Slow-Roasted Duck and Apples with Spicy Greens. If you prefer to wing it, they also offer plenty of tips and genius tricks for improving any old salad like fixing too-salty dressing, keeping an avocado from browning, and even sprouting your own grains.
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For outdoorsy omnivores
6.
The Outdoor Kitchen: Live-Fire Cooking from the Grill by Eric Werner and Nils Bernstein celebrates the art of cooking over a wood fire. The award-winning chef of Hartwood in Tulum, Mexico shares the secrets to and recipes for simple outdoor cooking in a way that reimagines the way you cook at home. Think Grilled Lamb Chops and Burnt Cherries, Salmon and Almond-Tarragon Salsa Verde, Grilled and Pickled Zucchini and even Burnt Strawberry Ice Cream.
The best cookbooks for summer food and entertaining, including grilling, vegetarian dishes and desserts.
7.
The pastoral picnic is a rite of summer passage. Take the stress out of planning and prepping with food historian, Laura Mason’s The Picnic Cookbook: Outdoor Feasts for All Occasions. The recipes here range from simple afternoon tea concoctions to be sipped in the garden, to a packed lunch consumed on a hilltop, to mussels wrapped in seaweed to be cooked on the embers of a campfire. Tips on transporting and cooking food outdoors included too!
8.
Grazing seems made for the summer. Small plates to wholesome spreads on the counter that the family and guests can snack on all day long as they come in and out. For more compelling ideas than the standard fruit salad and cheese board, check out Graze: Inspiration for Small Plates and Meandering Meals by Suzanne Lenzer. As a food stylist, you can expect to find some inspiring and gorgeous food photography as well.
For the sweet tooth
9.
Cherry Pie. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. Blueberry Pie. We’ve been known to just dig in with a fork and forego the genteel slicing process. Lisa Ludwinski’s Sister Pie: The Recipes and Stories of a Big-Hearted Bakery in Detroit includes inspired combos like Apricot-Raspberry-Rose, Strawberry-Pistachio and Blueberry Plum Balsamic pie. And careful, detailed directions to achieve the elusive, perfectly flaky pie crust. If you can’t make it to Detroit, this is the next best thing.
The best cookbooks for summer food and entertaining, including grilling, vegetarian dishes and desserts.
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10.
No summer is complete without ice cream. And ice cream snobs, in particular, need this book- Salt & Straw Ice Cream Cookbook by cousins Tyler and Kim Malek, who own Portland’s Salt & Straw. One base recipe is all you need to create dozens of Salt & Straw’s most beloved flavors. Think Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons, Roasted Strawberry and Toasted White Chocolate, and the controversial, Buttered Mashed Potatoes and Gravy. By the end of the book, you’ll be empowered to invent your own signature flavors.
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11.
For a most indulgent summer meal or celebration? Try New York’s Hill Country Barbecue and Hill Country Chicken executive chef, Elizabeth Karmel’s Steak and Cake: More Than 100 Recipes to Make Any Meal a Smash Hit. The rich and satisfying recipes of Cowboy Steak with Whiskey Butter followed by a Whiskey Buttermilk Bundt Cake or a Porterhouse for Two with My Mother’s Freshly Grated Coconut Cake will have you swooning with your belly and spirits full. Get a hammock ready!
For the thirsty
12.
Watching the sun set on the porch with an early evening cocktail is one of our favorite micro-luxuries. Consider Spritz: Italy’s Most Iconic Aperitivo Cocktail, with recipes by Talia Baiocchi and Leslie Pariseau. From regional classics to modern variations of this bitter and bubbly cocktail, you’ll be living la dolce vita all summer long.
The best cookbooks for summer food and entertaining, including grilling, vegetarian dishes and desserts. Courtesy Photos.
what are the best cookbooks for summer entertaining?
There you have it- our 12 favorite summer food cookbooks – whether you’re entertaining or intend to eat it all by yourself. And who could blame you? Bon appetit!
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For access to insider ideas and information on the world of luxury, sign up for our Dandelion Chandelier Newsletter here. And see luxury in a new light.
Crediting her training as a cultural anthropologist at Wellesley College, Julie has immersed herself in various industries in the last 15 years including fashion design, event planning, and fitness. Julie lives in New York where she loves trying every ramen and dumpling restaurant with her husband and three children. She finds joy in bold prints, biographies of fierce women, kickboxing. And spending way too long finding the perfect polish color to express her mood.
