In the age of the 32-ounce (or larger) Big Gulps and the like, a small drink may not necessarily seem fashionable. But large quantity is not always related to good quality, as is attested by those mammoth margaritas, laced as they are with artificially flavored sweet-and-sour mix. This margarita is the real thing: purity and refreshing freshness that's strained into martini glasses after a vigorous rumble with ice cubes in a cocktail shaker. Just before your guests arrive, combine the tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice in a pitcher, and you'll be poised for the shaking to begin.
Real lemonade is the lemonade that sends a shiver down your back when you take that first sip. It’s a perfect balance of sweet, tart and cool. This recipe is based on the idea of one medium lemon per person. Adjustments are easily made depending on your love of sweetness. We like to make a simple syrup and keep it in our fridges during the summer months as it dissolves immediately in cool drinks, but any sweetener can step in — stevia, agave or even a big scoop from the sugar bowl.
We had the good fortune to spend a week in Mexico City a few years back, and while we ate killer food like madwomen, we were both entirely won over by the fruit waters, or aguas frescas that Mexicans routinely drink. Made daily with puréed fresh, ripe fruit, water and sugar, they are utterly enchanting and perfect for summertime sipping. You won’t miss the alcohol, we promise.
These generous wedges of red onion marinate in wine, olive oil and herbs, then turn crusty on the grill. Outstanding as a side dish, they could also be a meal unto themselves. We always make enough for leftovers because the onions make such a good lunch the next day with bread and cheese.
This is a summer essential: sticky, crispy barbecued chicken that comes together in less than 20 minutes. An ideal lazy-man’s recipe, here’s a technique that puts to rest once and for all the ornery side of grilling cutup chicken: one piece is raw at the center while another piece is turning to cinders. Instead, oven-roast the chicken ahead, so when it hits the grill all it needs is warming and anointing with a good BBQ sauce. While any will do, we recommend you give our Sweet-Tart BBQ Sauce a try. It is well worth the additional effort. Serve this chicken with Tijuana Cole Slaw and a pile of napkins.
Here’s our new summer burger, packed with a ton of flavor and so juicy you could skip the ketchup.
The crusty char of grilled beef dressed with a mince of bright fresh herbs and a little good-tasting olive oil is a natural for summer. Even if those herbs aren’t growing on your windowsill or in the yard, they’re selling for next to nothing at a farmers’ market. This is a simplified version of Italy’s gremolata (there, it’s made with a mince of lemon peel, herbs, and garlic). Since summer eating is all about simplicity, use whatever combination of herbs you have around, and add a squeeze of fresh lemon to heighten flavors even more.
A dry rub is the fast solution to flavoring virtually everything you cook — from seafood, to steak, to chicken, to veggies and tofu. Even ten minutes of letting a rub settle into a piece of fish before it’s grilled can take it into a new realm. And the spice rub doubles as a seasoning blend for anything else you’re cooking. Add it to salad dressings, soups, dips, sautés — you get the idea.
My kids cannot resist these tender, juicy Asian-inspired chicken skewers. The combination of ginger, cardamom, and curry, sweetened by brown sugar, is sweet, savory, and bold! Serve them with a side of peanut coconut sauce and your taste buds will thank you.
If there were ever a recipe that represented the whole Adam Perry Lang Playbook, this is it: active and aggressive with scruffing, mucho basting, tempering, the Maillard reaction, board dressing. I split the bones apart a bit to create more surface area for the heat to penetrate. Then I pound the meat. It has a similar effect to pounding a veal cutlet or a chicken breast, except in this case my goal is not to flatten a rib roast to a 2 1/2-inch scaloppine. My intention in pounding is to compress the meat, adding density and creating more surface area for the crust to develop and incorporate flavor. When I demonstrated this technique to the guys in my butcher shop, they thought I was crazy -- that is, until they shared one with me.