An Elegant Early Summer Cookout

Taming the Flame: 20 Meals from the Grill by Elizabeth Karmel

In this weekly column, grilling expert Elizabeth Karmel shares menus for full meals cooked on the grill (with occasional allowances for a no-cook or make-ahead dish that's not grilled). In this column, she shares her recipes for Grilled Antipasto with Soprano Sauce, Cedar-Planked Barbecue Salmon and Maple-Rum with Toasted Coconut Ice Cream.

About this Light Summer Menu

It's summertime and the farmers' markets are bursting! Even this early in the season, it is exciting to go to the market and see what the farmers have brought in this week. During this peak time for vegetables, I make a grilled antipasto platter, a.k.a. a grilled veggie platter, every week. I pick up whatever the local farmers are offering and I supplement those veggies with my favorite year 'round fare, such as mushrooms, scallions and sweet potatoes.

The Secret to Great Grilled Vegetables

The trick to my Grilled Antipasto with Soprano Sauce is in the sauce. I grill my favorite vegetables simply using the "Grilling Trilogy" of olive oil, salt and pepper and lay them on a platter. While they are still warm, I brush them with my "secret" Soprano sauce. The salty-savory sauce soaks into the veggies infusing them with loads of flavor (the "secret" ingredient are the anchovy fillets). I love setting the platter out before my guests arrive because it is so colorful and beautiful. I serve it as an appetizer or as my vegetable side dish, depending on what kind of party it is. The vegetables change with my whim and with the season but the all-purpose sauce of pureed olive oil, anchovies, garlic and capers never varies. It goes with everything.

Sometimes I make a whole meal of the grilled antipasto served with grilled hearty Ciabatta bread, which I also brush with the sauce. Veggies, bread and wine make a perfect picnic or light summer supper. The best part is that you can grill everything early in the day while you are getting your house together, arrange the veggies on a platter, sauce them up and they are party perfect.

Make the Maple-Rum Pineapple Dessert Before Dinner

Grill the pineapple slices for the Maple-Rum Pineapple with Toasted Coconut Ice Cream while you are grilling the veggies. Make sure you grill the pineapple over very clean cooking grates or the sugar might burn and stick. Take the pineapple slices off the grill, brush a final time with the maple-rum glaze and they'll be ready for dessert when you are.

Barbecued Salmon is Surprisingly Easy to Make

When its time to grill your dinner, you'll only have one thing left to do: Make the Cedar-Planked Barbecued Salmon, which is a snap to prepare. The hardest thing about this dish is making sure you soak the cedar plank for 20-30 minutes before it's time to cook the fish. You want to buy a 2-pound fillet of salmon instead of salmon steaks for this recipe. Place the seasoned fish skin-side down on the soaked plank, put it on the grill, and let it cook without turning. Easy Peasy!

I generally brush the fish lightly with my favorite barbecue sauce during the final ten minutes of cooking to give it a shiny glaze and a burst of flavor. You can use any kind of sauce you like; Teriyaki is great, as is pesto or Dijon mustard vinaigrette. Salmon is a chameleon and works well with almost any global flavor profile. The cedar plank scents the fish with a delicate woodsy flavor and provides a serving platter. I love serving the fish on the rustic, slightly charred plank -- it makes me feel like I'm camping, even in my own backyard!

More from KitchenDaily:
Learn how to peel and cut a pineapple
Get additional information on plank grilling.
Get Elizabeth Karmel's Steakhouse at Home menu.
Learn more about how to grill and barbecue.
Browse all barbecue and grilling recipes.