BBQ Bistro: Simple, Sophisticated French Recipes for Your Grill

Adler and Fertig (The BBQ Queens’ Big Book of Barbecue) have made careers out of making barbecue and grilling more accessible, offering recipes that are approachable enough for novices to get their aprons stained, with just enough variety to allow for growth. Rather than going the obvious route and recommending that readers simply throw everything on the grill, the authors use the grill to impart a smoky flavor to classics like steak au poivre, croque-monsieur, and beef daube. The latter is a fine example of Adler and Fertig’s approach: the meat is grilled to add flavor, then the rest of the dish is assembled and finished in a Dutch oven indoors. The book includes some predictable dishes, such ratatouille and onion soup, but it also has some interesting riffs: Vermouth-smoked salmon with juniper berries; grilled figs and pears with brown sugar crème fraiche; and venison tenderloin with blackberry brandy beurre blanc. The truffled brioche grilled-cheese sandwich with goat cheese, Camembert, cream cheese, spinach, chives, and truffle oil are criminally indulgent. Though Adler and Fertig may not be breaking new ground, avid grillers interested in broadening their repertoire are sure to pick up a few new recipes here. (May)