SUMMER
PLEASURES

PHOTOS BY CHRI S IVEY

SCENTS OF SUMMER

Create a picnic
on a table where
grilled foods take
center stage at
this outing.

Fire up the grill and enjoy carefree summer entertaining.

ANNABEL COHEN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

It is the month of June
The month of leaves and roses
When pleasant sights salute the eyes
And pleasant scents the noses.

—Nathaniel Parker Willis

W

hen these words
were written,
Willis probably
wasn't thinking
about the deli-

Annabel Cohen, of Bloomfield
Hills, is a food writer, stylist
and excellent cook.

cious scents of summer foods. But
without question the best aromas
of summer come from the grills
and barbecues that signal warm
weather.
Summer entertaining is the
most effortless of all. When the
weather gets warm, people in-
stinctively wander outside. The
entire out-of-doors is your ban-
quet hall when mother nature co-
operates.
Do a lot of your cooking outside
and you're almost guaranteed
tasty results. Grilling brings out

our pioneer spirit of cooking over
an open flame. And, undoubted-
ly, fish, fowl and meats taste bet-
ter grilled with juices dripping
into the fire and coming back as
smoke to permeate the food. Best
of all, the lusty aromas of grill-
cooking remind hungry guests
that dinner is just minutes away.
Grilling foods is an out-and-out
cinch. Most often, thick sauces
and marinades relinquish their
duties in favor of a quick brush
of olive oil and a sprinkling of
Kosher salt and fresh ground

pepper. Food is left undisguised
and tasting of what it really is, be
it a porterhouse or a potato.
What's more, produce stands
and markets are chock-full of
earthly delights just waiting for
a quick rinse and grill to bring
out natural flavor.
For table decoration, your buf-
fet table can be as casual as the
rest of your party. Casual doesn't
necessarily mean disposable
plates and paper napkins (al-
though with all the great colgrs
and patterns available, why not?).

What it does mean is that
linen napkins and cut lace table-
cloths should remain in the linen
closet. Look for alternative table
coverings. Clean sisal area rugs
look natural and earthy. A color-
ful quilt suggests a picnic. Flat
cotton dishtowels in every pat-
tern and color (except terry cloth)
are just plain fun and can even
work as combination napkins
and placemats. Wrap napkins
with multi-color cut strips of cloth
or raffia instead of ribbon.
A bread centerpiece includes