kitchen rap

• in the spotlight… Summer Fun
• Kathleen Sloan-McIntosh's Eat Out!
• from Kathleen's recipe box… Grilled Kashmir Leg of Lamb
• from Kathleen's recipe box… French Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs
• from Kathleen's recipe box… Cucumber & Strawberry Salad
• from the Robin Hood recipe box… Strawberry Cheesecake Squares
• publishing and subscription information

Summer Fun

On the go...
Enjoy a leisurely picnic lunch at the beach or in the park. Cuisena's picnic bags and backpacks contain everything you need for your picnic ... just add your favourite foods and wine. The bags come equipped with a picnic service for four, including plates, utensils, wine glasses, napkins, table cloth, cutting board, corkscrew, and even a salt and pepper shaker. Insulated pockets help keep foods at a safe temperature. Roll-up picnic blankets are also available.		For refreshment during a leisurely walk in the country, Cuisena's wine totes have everything you need. The insulated wine bottle totes keep your chilled white wine or champagne cool and include corkscrews and bottle stoppers. The wine tote bag also includes two acrylic wine glasses and cloth napkins.
For the table...
Brighten your breakfast or patio table this summer with bold, 100% cotton plaid tablecloths, napkins, and coordinating solid-coloured ribbed placemats. The tablecloths are available in 55" square or 60×90 rectangular sizes to fit both round and rectangular patio sets. The napkins and placemats are packaged in 8 piece sets, consisting of 4 napkins and 4 placemats. Choose from three colour collections: hacienda (left), spa (upper right), and loft (lower right).		What would a lunch on the backyard deck be without bugs? Invite them along on these durable melamine plates and acrylic glasses. The blue dinner and green luncheon plates feature a red ladybug and green bee, respectively. The white serving tray and frosted highball and double old fashioned glasses are imprinted with colour blocks with the ladybug, bee, and orange firefly designs. All of the pieces are dishwasher safe for easy clean up.
Frozen treats...
When it comes to ice cream, everyone has a favourite flavour. Delight family and friends with fresh batches of sorbets between courses, or incredibly rich homemade ice creams as a finish to the meal. Cuisinart's frozen yogurt, ice cream, and sorbet makers prepare fresh frozen desserts or sumptuous frozen drinks in 20 - 30 minutes. You just add the ingredients to the double insulated freezer bowl and the multi-talented dessert makers will do the rest for you, automatically. Available with a single 1-1/2 quart bowl or two 1 quart bowls, so you can prepare two different flavours at the same time.		Turn your backyard into an old-fashioned soda fountain counter! Waring's classic drink mixer makes it easy to prepare rich, creamy milkshakes, fresh fruit smoothies, and delicious healthy drinks, like yogurt shakes with wheat germ and fresh fruit. It will also froth eggs for fluffy omelettes and blend pancake batter, too. Top off your milkshake or ice cream sundae with fresh whipped cream. Fill iSi's whipped cream dispenser with heavy cream, twist in a charger cartridge and shake, and press the handle to dispense. For a special treat, add your favourite syrup or liqueur to create a delicious flavoured whipped cream. Two dispensing nozzles allow you to create a variety of decorative effects for topping off your sundae.
For the grill...
All the tools you need for a successful season of grilling. A set of four barbecue tools (left) includes a spatula turner for flipping burgers and fish, barbecue tongs, fork, and a basting brush, all with long rosewood handles. Skewers for kabobs (right) are oval to ensure that foods are turned evenly, and have matching rosewood handles. Brushed stainless steel grill and wok toppers (bottom left and right) have round perforations which allow even the smallest of vegetables to be grilled on the barbecue, without having to worry about them falling through the grate. The sloped sides of the wok topper enable you to stir-grill your vegetables. Grilling baskets make it easy to grill and turn even the most delicate of foods. The jumbo basket (centre) is large enough to accommodate a dozen hamburgers and is depth-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of foods. The fish basket (right) can be used for grilling a whole fish or several pieces.		An important concern when grilling is ensuring that foods are cooked to the proper minimum internal temperature. For roasts and other large pieces of meat placed on the grill, the digital cooking thermometer and timer (top left) has a stainless steel food probe which you insert into the roast. The probe's 4 foot cord connects it to the thermometer base which continually displays the internal temperature and can be set so that it sounds a tone once the meat has reached the desired internal temperature. For smaller cuts of meat, such as steaks, pork chops, and chicken, the fork thermometer (bottom left) can be used to lift and turn foods, as well as displaying the internal temperature when its prongs are inserted into the meats. The three reusable temperature sensors (right) -- one each for beef, poultry, and fish -- change colours to indicate when beef is rare, medium, or well done and when chicken or fish are almost ready or fully cooked.
Whether you are a novice cook or an experienced gourmet chef, your dishes can burst with delicious new flavours and culinary innovation. Wildly Delicious' spice rubs are a unique blend of all-natural ingredients and are available in 9 different varieties to suit any taste. Simply rub the spices onto the surface of meats, chicken, or seafood before grilling, or mix with liquid ingredients for marinating. Rubs are available for grilling vegetables, chicken, steaks & barbecue, and seafood; for Asian, Italian, Indian, or Cuban cooking; and herbes de provence.		Safety when grilling is always an important consideration. Long, flame retardant oven mitts (at rear in photo) protect your hands and forearms from flare-ups while barbecuing or when removing hot pans from the oven. Available in black, blue, or green, these mitts are sold singly (not in pairs).

There are those -- and my Mum was one -- who maintain that any and every food eaten outdoors tastes better. Appetites are piqued by the fresh air, the soft breezes play around us, the greenness and the temperate weather in general provide the perpetual delights of summer as hot, lazy weather prevails, all of which encourages us to spend as much time outside as possible. Easy weekend afternoons that wind into balmy evenings are spent with friends and family while barbecuing in backyards, on patios and decks. Informality rules as the pretty wipe-clean tablecloth replaces the damask, the disposable cutlery, plates and even colourful stemware takes the place of silverware and fine china, and everything is lit with strands of patio lanterns and candles to keep the bugs at bay.

Part of it, too, I think, is the gathering together and anticipation of food enjoyed in a non-traditional setting -- which pretty well sums up the charm of the picnic. The origins of the picnic are hazy, but it is safe to say that as an entertainment it has been indulged in at least as early as the 16th century when the upper crusties saw it as a social divertissement where each person contributed a share of the fare. (One wonders what was used to transport dishes in those pre-plastic, cold pack and cooler days!) It wasn't until the late 1800s that it became something of an English institution when it was regarded as an opportunity for refined gentry to enjoy an excursion to the country and dine on an elaborate arrangement of hot and cold dishes.

Eating outside more often than not is defined with casual fare, but it seems to me that if our appetites and taste buds are sharpened when out of doors, the food should be up to the challenge. So, if the extent of your picnic and outdoor eating up to now has been cold chicken sandwiches, potato chips and burgers, it's time to rise to the occasion. Here's a selection of recipes guaranteed to make your summer eating better than ever.

Until next month, cook and eat with love,

Kathleen Sloan-McIntosh

Kathleen Sloan-McIntosh is a Toronto-born food writer whose work has appeared in major Canadian newspapers and magazines. Author of four cookbooks -- Rustic Italian Cooking, The Global Grill, The Sticks & Stones Cookbook (with Ted Reader) and The Wine Lover Cooks (with Tony Aspler) -- with two more on the way, she lives with her beau and their black lab and assorted children who come and go, in Niagara wine country.

Grilled Kashmir Leg of Lamb

An electric coffee grinder can be used to grind the whole spices to make the fragrant spice mixture known as garam masala. Make sure to allow enough time for the marinade to work its magic.

1. One day in advance, assemble ingredients for the garam masala. In a small pan, roast separately the cardamom seeds, peppercorns, cloves, and broken cinnamon sticks. Finely grind roasted spices in an electric coffee grinder, a blender or by hand using a mortar and pestle. In a small bowl combine them with the ground cumin, turmeric and nutmeg, blending well.
2. Trim any excess fat from the lamb and place in a glass or ceramic dish large enough to hold the butterflied leg of lamb. Use a sharp knife to make shallow incisions in the lamb.
3. Blend the garam masala with the salt, ginger and lemon juice and rub this mixture well into the lamb, making sure to push it down into the slits. Now, combine the garlic, yogurt, honey and cilantro in a blender or food processor and pour over the lamb.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to marinate overnight or 8 hours.
5. When you are ready to cook the lamb, preheat the grill to high. Take the lamb from the marinade (reserve any collected marinade) and place on the rack. Grill the lamb, turning it at 15-20 minute intervals, until it is medium-rare pink, basting with the reserved marinade for about 40-45 minutes, or to the desired level of doneness. Let stand for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Serves 6 - 8

French Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs

No one can dispute the goodness of traditional potato salad consisting of new potatoes with real mayonnaise and finely chopped green onion and celery, but try this stylish version that combines new spuds with bacon, good olive oil, Dijon and fresh herbs.

1. Steam the whole potatoes in a vegetable steamer until tender, about 25 minutes.
2. While they are cooking, whisk together the oil with the lemon juice, wine, salt, mustard. Once it has thickened, stir in the onion, parsley and basil and give it a few good grinds of black pepper.
3. Drain potatoes and let cool slightly in a large bowl. Cover the potatoes with the dressing, stir together carefully to completely coat the potatoes with the dressing.
4. Separate the head of lettuce, wash and dry leaves. Use as many of the leaves as you need to line a salad bowl. Add the potato mixture and scatter the crumbled bacon over the potatoes before serving.

Serves 6

Cucumber & Strawberry Salad

I know this may sound a strange combination to some, but it is actually an old-fashioned English preparation that works well on a warm June day. Great for a picnic, but make sure to chill it well beforehand. Very good with a spicy entrée, like the grilled lamb.

Place the cucumber and strawberry slices in a large bowl. Whisk the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl, making sure the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour over the strawberries and cucumbers, toss gently and chill well before serving.

Serves 6

Strawberry Cheesecake Squares

These squares are a delicious new dessert to take to a family gathering, brunch or picnic. Beneath a crunchy layer of finely chopped almonds you’ll find a creamy strawberry-cheese filling that tastes too good to be true.

1. Combine all ingredients for crust until crumbly. Reserve 3/4 cup (175 mL) for topping. Press remainder into 9" × 13" (23 x 33 cm) cake pan sprayed with a non-stick spray. Bake at 350°F/180C for 12-15 minutes, or until edges are golden.
2. Beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and extract until smooth. Spread evenly over hot crust. Bake 15 minutes longer.
3. Stir jam until smooth. Spread over filling. Stir sliced almonds into reserved crumble mixture. Sprinkle over jam. Bake 15 minutes longer.
4. Cool completely on wire rack. Chill 3 hours or overnight before cutting into squares. Store in refrigerator.

Makes about 36 squares

Recipe © 2002, Robin Hood Multifoods Inc. Reprinted with permission.