No-Fuss Summer Recipes to Try This Weekend
Drinks, dinners, desserts and even a brunch dish that are easy and taste like summer.
By Lynn Andriani
Photo: Kingsford Charcoal
Grilled Lemonade
To give this classic summer refresher an edge, cut lemons in two and dip the cut halves in sugar; then grill them over hot coals that have a few rosemary sprigs scattered on top. The lemons will have a slightly smoky, woodsy taste and—bonus!—be easier to juice when they're warm. Finish with honey-rosemary syrup, water and bourbon.
Get the recipe: Grilled Lemonade
Your Grandmother's Lasagna, Alfresco
Greek chef
Maria Loi's grilled take on the quintessential Italian comfort food is ridiculously easy to make: Just place parboiled sheets of lasagna on the grill until they blister like flatbread or naan; then remove and layer on a platter, alternating with spoonfuls of tomato sauce and handfuls of cheese. It's so simple we may never go back to a 350° oven.
Get the recipe: Greek Grilled Lasagna
Corn on the Cob Without a Huge Pot of Water
If you've ever had corn chips with a "hint of lime," you know how well the two go together; add the fiery flavor from the grill, and the result is heaven. The chefs at
Num Pang, a Cambodian sandwich shop with two New York City locations, combine the three in a wildly popular, grilled, tangy corn on the cob, made with spicy chili mayo, a sprinkling of coconut flakes and fresh lime wedges.
Get the recipe: Grilled Coconut Corn with Chili Mayo
The Nonboring Salad
It's easy to overlook a bowl full of wilted greens at a barbecue where there are so many other dishes vying for your attention. Not if you sear the romaine, though. Cut a head in half lengthwise, season with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil, and grill until it's lightly blackened but still raw inside, and suddenly a Caesar-like salad is the most interesting item on the buffet table.
Get the recipe: Grilled Romaine Salad with Asparagus, Romesco and Farm Egg
Pickles Everyone Will Be Talking About
Chef Tim Love of
Woodshed Smokehouse in Forth Worth, Texas, loves to grill just about anything, from rib eyes to cauliflower. But one of his favorite foods to cook over the coals is pickles. He finds charring the spears just a bit prior to canning them in spiced vinegar gives them grilled flavor and keeps them crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
Get the recipe: Grilled Pickles
A Very Good Reason to Fire Up the Grill Before Noon
If the words "grilled banana bread French toast" don't get you going, how about "maple bacon butter"? You bake the bread the night before and refrigerate it, so all you have to do in the morning is lay chilled slices over a lightly greased grill. Spread them with butter you've mixed with cooked bacon and some maple syrup, and you know it's going to be a good day.
Get the recipe: Grilled Banana Bread with Maple Bacon Butter
Photo: Kingsford Charcoal
Peach Pie the Easy Way
Caramelized peaches wrapped in a buttery crust and then cooked over a charcoal grill until crispy and golden brown? Yes, please. These half-moon pies aren't just delicious; they're also the neatest way to eat a gooey, oozy fruit pocket, since you don't have to worry about cutting slices (just let people pick theirs up and eat with their hands).
Get the recipe: Old-Fashioned Grilled Peach Pie
Next: 30 recipes for great summer grilling
Published 06/04/2012
