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Outdoor Cooking From Tide's Table By Ross and Willa Mavis Goose Lane Editions - 256 pages Cost: $19.95 Softcover ISBN 0-86492-296-5 "Gourmet Grilling" reviewed by Ronnie Scullion
Outdoor Cooking from Tide’s Table will appeal to the aspiring backyard gourmet, the outdoor adventurer who wants to learn how to make his own beef jerky or anyone who takes pleasure preparing a meal. While some of the recipes are adaptations from ones prepared in the traditional kitchen and given renewed zest in their barbequed incarnations, many are reserved for the exclusive domain of the backyard chef. The secrets of the "Black Arts" are revealed. Both the Mavis' are accomplished cooks and hosts. Together they run the Inn on the Cove, a B&B just minutes from Saint John, New Brunswick and host a television cooking show "Tide’s Table" from which this book has taken its title, recipes and lively presentation. Ross and Willa take turns introducing the book, engaging in a lighthearted debate of gender roles with respect to barbequing. Ross talks about how grilling lets men feel they can "vanquish mighty foes and provide food for [their] ... families" and follows with a quip about Willa "reclining on the chaise lounge with an iced tea..." as he, apparently, is tending steaks on the outdoor grill. Without mincing words, Willa sets the reader straight. We find out that not only do Ross and Willa do the barbequing together, but also that Willa has been cooking outdoors for more than thirty years. The book begins with the basics: what type of grill to choose; grilling techniques and tips; a temperature guide and handy cooking charts for meat, fish and seafood. The chapters that follow are organized by type of fare: fish and shellfish, beef, lamb, pork, and poultry; and additional sections devoted to sauces, vegetable dishes, and desserts. The recipes range from ordinary barbeque meals to gourmet specialties and other challenging dinners for outdoor cooks. In the section on beef, for instance, there are the "Old Faithful" beef burgers that we have come to associate with backyard barbeques, seasoned with a little bit of Worcestershire Sauce and salt and pepper. There are also recipes that will tantalize the most discriminating palettes: wine-marinated London Broil, Cranberry Glazed Short Ribs and an unexpected -- Filet Mignon Stroganoff! For the committed outdoor adventurer -- detailed instructions are given for a Beef Pit Barbeque. Ross recommends trying it when you have some friends on hand to muscle in and dig the needed three-foot deep pit. A large fire is built in the pit, kept hot for a few hours, then left to die down to coal and embers. Two large burlap-wrapped beef roasts are set on the glowing embers, the pit -- sealed and covered. Six hours later -- voilà, the cook can bask in the glowing admiration of the 20 - 30 guests who enjoy the feast. The book's definitive Maritime essence is captured in the chapter on fish and shellfish. When I first leafed through the pages I couldn't wait to sample the Spicy Maple Salmon. A maple-glazed salmon is gently smoked on the grill and as the book claims "provides the wonderful flavour of maple-smoked salmon" without the smokehouse. Other mouth-watering treats I discovered: Skewered Haddock with Zesty Mayonnaise, Ginger Shrimp Kebabs, Seafood Pizza and Barbequed Oysters. The last two intrigued me -- for starters, barbequed pizza?! While the pizza is "grilling" start with the oysters -- makes a scrumptious appetizer! Creative cooks will want to try the Clay Baked Trout -- a whole sea trout is baked encased in clay -- ordinary potter's clay, unless there is a local supply as the authors experienced growing up near the banks of the St. John River. The chapter on Marinades, Glazes and Sauces include recipes to enhance and accompany the meals. From the exotic: Moshe’s Marinating Oil, to the mundane: Maritime Barbeque Sauce, a saucy concoction of beer and molasses -- all are truly sublime. To complete the outdoor table, flip to the chapter on nibbles and desserts. Display your pioneering spirit by preparing Bannock on the grill or your flare for haûte cuisine by serving Spicy Grilled Camembert -- deliciously easy to prepare. Some of these outdoor recipes, will invariably find their way indoors, though weather permitting barbequing is so much more fun!
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maintained by Outdoor Nova Scotia, Liverpool, N.S. BOT 1KO |
Be
prepared: the neighbours will rush into your backyard like the incoming
tide when you prepare some of the awesome meals following the recipes in
this cookbook.
