The Fire Island Cookbook

The Fire Island Cookbook

A treasure trove of recipes, wine pairings and dinner menus, perfect for anyone who dreams of throwing an elegant yet casual dinner party with friends and family—in the inimitable Fire Island style. Elegant summer meals for any day of the year In The Fire Island Cookbook, food, wine, and travel writers Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen have put together a mouthwatering collection of meals using seasonal produce, one for each weekend from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Each of the fourteen menus is influenced by the authors’ travels in Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Mexico, and Hungary, and includes course-by-course wine pairings. Every chapter features recipes for a full menu from appetizer to dessert, with wines to match. While some dishes are designed to be prepped in the morning, ignored all day while the cooks are at the beach, and then grilled and arranged as guests arrive, others are a little more elaborate, perfect for the weekend that would otherwise be ruined by rain. Meals can be prepared by one or two dedicated chefs, or divided up among everyone, with each person contributing a course. Wherever your dream vacation house, occasional weekend destination, or home, and whatever time of year, you are sure to enjoy this fantastic collection of recipes. So slip away, feel the cool spray against your skin, taste the salt in the air, and dream of a delicious, beautiful, and relaxing dinner with friends and family. “Easy, effortless entertaining with delicious, user friendly recipes.” --Daisy Martinez “No matter what the season, there is always a perfect reason to turn to this cookbook again and again.” --Al Roker, Today Show host and bestselling cookbook author “A must for any gourmand with a taste for the best in wine and food.” --Susan Kostrzewa, Executive Editor, Wine Enthusiast “The refreshing recipes are as breezy as a June afternoon at the beach, but the results are as impressive as a July fireworks display. With menus uniquely arranged by summer weekend, this book is bursting with fun, fresh, fabulous memories waiting to happen.” --Josh & Brent, "The Beekman Boys," Beekman 1802 Farm “From Maine to Malibu and everywhere in between, this is the perfect summer cookbook. Easy ingredients and easy recipes make for easy entertaining.” --Lulu Power, cookbook author and entertaining designer Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen , also known as the World Wine Guys, are wine, spirits, food, and travel writers. When not traversing the globe, they divide their time between their homes in New York City and southern Spain. They are the Entertaining and Lifestyle Editors for Wine Enthusiast Magazine and their articles and photographs have appeared in Wine Enthusiast , Wine Spectator , and Saveur . Mike and Jeff have been guests on Martha Stewart’s Hallmark Channel Show and Martha Stewart Living Radio . Visit their website at WorldWineGuys.com. 1 NOCHE CALIENTE SPANISH DINNER This menu brings together the briny taste of the sea with the juicy pleasure of a well-aged steak. Perfectly spiced gazpacho, crafted from ripe tomatoes and locally grown peppers, stimulates the appetite in anticipation of courses to follow. We came back from Spain with the inspiration for this dinner, but the combination of flavors and textures is right at home anywhere there’s a cooling body of water and a stretch of shore. Summertime dinners in Spain start around 10 p.m., when the sun finally sets and the air grows deliciously cool—even cool enough for you to enjoy a glass of red wine pulled from your own cellar. We often dine on the terrace of our house in Spain until well past three in the morning, and we always make sure there’s plenty of extra wine on hand in case we’re keeping the neighbors awake. Conversation flows back and forth in English and Spanish, and although verb tenses are always a challenge, our friends tell us that when it comes to our cooking, nothing is lost in translation. GAZPACHO WINE: Burgáns Albariño GAMBAS PIL PIL WINE: Vivanco Rosé SPANISH RUBBED STEAK WINE: Marqués de Riscal Reserva or Roda Reserva HELADO MALAGUEÑO (RUM RAISIN ICE CREAM) WINE: Jorge Ordoñez, Victoria Number 2