BOSTON -- A great way to celebrate the summer season is to have a picnic or barbecue, especially on the July Fourth holiday.
"When it gets to be warm weather, I like to cook everything outside. I like to grill the whole dinner when I do it. You can grill veggies, pork chops, chicken, tuna, salmon or swordfish," Chris Douglass, the chef at Icarus in Boston, said.
Douglass suggests using a hardwood grill while Lisa Martel, owner of On The Park in Boston's South End, says she uses a Weber grill.
"My favorite is a rib eye steak for plain old barbecuing. I just put kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper on the steak. I'm a purist, I don't put a lot of stuff on my food," Martel said. "During the summer, I grill everything from my potato to my corn on the cob. I'll put anything on the grill that can be grilled because it's a great way not to do dishes."
Douglass said that buying quality ingredients could make or break a grilled meal. "You should go to a good butcher. Bread and Circus also has really good quality. Don't get over involved in the process and not pay attention to the simple grilling technique. A wonderfully grilled piece of fresh bluefish or salmon is much more delicious than something with a prepared sauce," he said.
When grilling meat, fish or chicken, Martel suggests letting it sit in brine for a day or two. "It creates a lot more moisture and flavor and it's easy. I use lots of different things equal parts kosher salt to brown sugar, juniper berries, fresh herbs, fresh garlic and even orange juice. You don't want it to be too overpowering to the meat," she said.
Both Douglass and Martel suggest adding a bit of a flare to your summer cooking by using fruits and vegetables that are in season or by trying out different recipes.
"Good summer recipes include a lot of salad and things that you can prepare in a casual way and then eat a little bit later. One thing I like to say is 'Cook once, eat multiple times,'" Douglass said.
Martel said that some meats are also good to cook in advance. "A great item is barbecue ribs. You can grill them a few days prior and eat them cold. My favorite food in the world is fried chicken, which you can also eat cold. Potato salad or coleslaw are also great for a barbecue and are perfect for picnics."
Dessert is always an integral part of any meal, and summer is a great time to incorporate fruits into the grand finale. Douglass advises to pay attention to what fruits are in season.
"The local strawberries are just coming in now. Eat as many strawberries when it hits July as you can. In August, blueberries will be in season and then a little bit later it will be peaches," Douglass said. "Strawberry shortcake is my favorite summer dessert. You can also make simple things like cobblers and crisps, things you can prepare for a bunch of people."
Watermelon is Martel's fruit of choice. "I always freeze watermelon and use them as ice cubes. Then, when you make a mixed drink like a margarita, it cuts back on ice that you use and makes the drink that much nicer." She said that this drink idea is especially good for holiday parties.
Martel offered this advice for those planning holiday get-togethers -- always make sure you cook enough food. "You should determine the difference between men and women and what time of night or day your guests are coming. If they are coming at 5:30 or 6 at night, they are going to eat heavy, but if they are coming at 3 in the afternoon, they already had lunch or snack. You have to figure, on average, that women eat about 4 ounces of meat per item, either chicken or steak. For men, I figure about 8 ounces each per item."
"Make sure you trust yourself when you' re cooking. Don't over cook, there's nothing worse. Everyone is so afraid of E. coli and all the different disease that you can get, but if you are clean and sanitary and everything is fresh and you cook it to at least medium rare, you'll be fine," Martel said.
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