Bobby Flay's Grilling For Life

April 11, 2005
Even though each recipe in Flay's new guide to grilling is accompanied by an analysis provided by nutritionist Joy Bauer (including number of calories and grams of carbs, sugar, fat, sodium and fiber), the Food Network star insists this is not a diet cookbook. Flay's goal, he says, is not to encourage high-protein living, but rather to give readers the nutritional information they need to support a healthy diet. Written with the help of Stephanie Banyas and Sally Jackson, the introduction and headnotes capture Flay's tone and provide clear direction and interesting tips. It's easy to make grilled food healthy, and therein lies Flay's test: he must make this book necessary—otherwise readers could just throw some chicken and veggies on the grill and call it a day. He rises to the challenge by skipping fake, processed foods like Splenda and bottled barbecue sauce, instead favoring fresh herbs, spices and "good carbs" such as multigrains and vegetables and "good fats" like olive oil and salmon. Flay is an advocate of moderation, and his trademark use of bold flavors in dishes like Grilled Red Snapper with Grapefruit-Thyme Mojo, and (skinless) Grilled Duck Breast with Black Pepper-Sweet Mustard Sauce bring out appealing contrasts and result in food that's satisfying even if it's reduced in calories, carbs or fat.

April 15, 2005
Spring is coming -and so are the barbecue books! "BBQ Queens" Adler and Fertig like to wear tiaras when they grill. They are members of an all-women barbecue team that competes on the national barbecue circuit, and they give cooking classes and demonstrations throughout the country. In their latest book, they provide hundreds of recipes, including a big "A to Z of Grilled and Smoked Veggies, Cheeses, and Pizzas," along with tips, stories, and profiles of other "Grill Gals." Some readers may find the tone a bit precious (e.g., "this is really a girly-girl recipe, with ruffles and ribbons -&"), but the recipes are easy and appealing. For larger collections. The idea of New York City chef/Food Network personality Flay writing a healthy-eating cookbook, complete with nutritional analysis for each recipe, seems somewhat incongruous. Perhaps it has something to do with his recent 40th birthday -or maybe it was the number of carbphobic customers holding forth in his restaurant dining rooms. In this follow-up to "Bobby Flay's Boy Gets Grill", Flay offers mostly simple recipes (including some based on "good carbs," as he refers to complex carbohydrates), from Zucchini Succotash to Beef Filet with Arugula and Parmesan to Grilled Apricots with Bittersweet Chocolate. He seems somewhat subdued in his latest effort, with the bold, lusty flavors that usually characterize his cooking style less in evidence. Nevertheless, this is sure to be in demand. The Jamisons are veteran cookbook authors and grilling aficionados (see "Chicken on the Grill" and "Born To Grill", among others). This time, they offer easy recipes for casual backyard entertaining. The first chapter, "Spontaneous Combustion," provides tips for successful parties, and their flavorful recipes, from Butterflied Thai Pork Tenderloin to Shrimp with Lemon Chive Sauce, should keep both guests and hosts happy. For most collections.Karmel is another barbecue queen, a former spokesperson for Weber grills who's well known on the circuit (she's a member of a team called Swine and Dine, and she's frequently a judge at barbecue competitions). Her big book is packed with information and mouth-watering recipes. A thorough introductory section offers invaluable tips and techniques for all types of grilling and barbecuing, and each recipe chapter opens with a primer on the basic ingredient and a handy chart on cooking times and recommended grilling methods. Karmel refers to her "culinary schizophrenia" -the result of her "love [for both] down-home Southern cooking and traditional French cuisines" -but inspiration for her recipes comes from all over the world: Lamb Tenderloin with Hazelnut Butter, Gingered Tuna with Wasabi Dipping Sauce, and Smoked Oysters with Fresh Cranberry Horseradish Relish. Useful as both a reference and a source of delectable recipes, Karmel's book is highly recommended. Negrin ("Rustico: Regional Italian Country Co" "oking") has a decidedly different perspective, as her early grilling experiences were at her family's weekend house in northern Italy. A food writer and cooking teacher, she now lives in New York City but leads cooking tours in Italy. Her appealing new book offers fresh, vibrant, and simple but sophisticated recipes for outdoor cooking, from Lobster, Lemon, and Mint Salad to Peppery Rosemary-Rubbed Rib-Eye Steak. Full-page color photographs illustrate many of the recipes, and, despite the book's small size, Negrin includes a vast amount of information on ingredients and techniques, along with other helpful culinary tips. Highly recommended. Sinnes's book is an updated edition of his gas-grilling book, originally published in 1996. He has revised the text and added 100 new recipes, but...

May 15, 2005
Just in time for a new season of outdoor cooking, television food-maven Flay (with coauthors) brings out another compilation of grilling recipes. This time Flay jumps on the carbohydrate-control bandwagon and designs recipes that reduce simple sugars without eliminating the complex carbohydrates that are less nutritionally negative. For those who think of grilling as a carnivorous endeavor, Flay begins with recipes that show how much vegetables profit from contact with a hot grill. Asparagus, fennel, mushrooms, and zucchini all gain additional taste and texture and combine perfectly with assorted herb and cheese vinaigrettes. Thanks to their relatively low-fat content, fish and shellfish make for healthful eating. Flay loves to season them with bits of mango or citrus fruits, whose acidity enhances what might be flat flavors. Hot peppers play a significant role here, in seasoning both seafood and red-meat choices. To wash down all these items, Flay includes some recipes for cocktails and nonalcoholic drinks. Grilled fruits, imaginatively dressed, make appropriately healthy dessert offerings.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)