Product Description

Wherever you are, summer is a time to savor longer days and lazy weekends. Fresh produce abounds, and life moves at a more relaxed pace. Anna Pump, proprietor of the iconic Loaves & Fishes store on Long Island, has catered to a devoted clientele of Hamptons weekenders for more than twenty-five years and understands summer's rhythms. She knows that while you may want to enjoy a picnic on the beach or a late supper on the porch, you don't want to spend the entire day in the kitchen, painstakingly preparing elaborate dishes. In Summer on a Plate she shares more than 120 recipes for delicious, no-fuss, memorable meals that celebrate the bounty of summer.

Anna never confuses simple with ordinary. A distinctive first course of Avocado Mousse and Shrimp on Tortilla Chips comes together in a flash. Chilled Tomato and Cucumber Soup with Seasoned Croutons makes a light and refreshing midday meal, and Spicy Corn Fritters with Salmon Caviar Dip are just the thing to set out for your weekend guests when a sunny Saturday on the beach turns into breezy evening on the deck.

Many dishes can go straight from the grill to the table, like Grilled Tenderloin of Beef with Fresh Herb Sauce or Perfect Whole Grilled Chicken with Plum Chutney. In the mood for seafood? Halibut Baked with Olives, Lemons, and Fresh Basil is a snap to prepare and full of fresh flavors. And what would summer be without salads? Serve Black Mission Figs with Goat Cheese and Upland Cress to begin a dinner party, while the Magret of Duck and Wild Rice Salad or the Asian-Flavor Beef, Pepper, and Spinach Salad are meals in themselves.

If your favorite part of the meal is dessert (like Anna!) you won't be disappointed. Chocolate Chunk Orange Cake is a sweet ending to any meal (or even a sweet breakfast) and is just as satisfying with a cup of midafternoon coffee. Rhubarb Blueberry Pie or a Peach Tart with Almond Topping and a Cookie Crust take advantage of the best of summer fruits. The Coconut Lemon Layer Cake is a showstopper, or you can opt for a simple dish of dead-ripe berries lavished with a dollop of Crème Fraîche.

Put summer on your plate and enjoy everything the season has to offer.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #212396 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781416542858
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Booklist
Pump, the renowned chef-owner of the Hamptons-located specialty food store Loaves and Fishes, has put together another book of her signature recipes, this one a celebration of summer. Pump wants cooks to spend less time in the kitchen in the summer so she has created recipes for luscious dishes that can be prepared relatively quickly. The book also gives instructions for what Pump believes are the staples of any good pantry/fridge: herb-infused oils, made-from-scratch vanilla extract, premade pie shells, and a homemade grainy mustard sauce. These items, as well as a bounty of foods available in the summertime, are used in surprising combinations in her recipes, such as toasted Israeli couscous, creamy asparagus soup, grilled pork tenderloin with rhubarb sauce, and decadent chocolate-chocolate cake. Enough aspects of summer meals are covered—from easy starters, to satisfying grilled meals, to delectable desserts—to turn any home cook into a summer chef. Eight pages of color photographs and a section on metric equivalencies for standard measurements are included. --Jerry Eberle

Review
"Every one of Anna's recipes is a showstopper! I couldn't wait to see this book all summer long while I was feasting on the food from Loaves & Fishes. You'll love it as much as I do." -- Sheila Lukins, coauthor, The Silver Palate Cookbooks, and food editor at Parade Magazine

Review
"We continue to be devout customers of the wonderful Loaves & Fishes, and now we have an added bonus...a book with Anna's mouthwatering recipes." -- Julie Andrews

"We look forward to the arrival of spring because it means, after a long winter, that Loaves & Fishes will soon reopen. What a treat it is, in the meanwhile, to have our most delicious recipes in this wonderful book." -- Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder

"Every one of Anna's recipes is a showstopper! I couldn't wait to see this book all summer long while I was feasting on the food from Loaves & Fishes. You'll love it as much as I do." -- Sheila Lukins, coauthor, The Silver Palate Cookbooks, and food editor at Parade Magazine

Customer Reviews

Summer on a Plate
Everyone in our family has chosen one and sometimes two recipes out of this book (at the same time)to prepare for dinner parties this summer. Anna Pump has done it again. I have all of her books and this one is right up there.

The layers of flavors in the dishes are marvelous. Recently our guests raved about her Creamed Carrot soup with Ginger and Lime. Her Citrus-Marinated Salmon is fantastic as well as her Blueberry Crumble and her Blueberry-Rhubarb Pie.

Enjoy! It would make a great house gift!

Julie S.

Over 100 gourmet dishes for non-fuss, hot-weather meals
Summer is a time for lazy weekends and longer days - and cooking should be the same. A catering proprietor provides easy yet unique dishes in SUMMER ON A PLATE: over 100 gourmet dishes for non-fuss, hot-weather meals. From Grilled Beef with Herb Sauce to Warm Tuna Sandwich with Ginger-Lemon Sauce, it's packed with unusual dishes not to be found elsewhere. No color photos - but the easy dishes don't need embellishment to appeal to any cookbook fan or lending library focusing on unique recipe collections.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Beautiful Flavors, Fresh Ingredients
I found out about Anna Pump and The Loaves and Fishes through Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa). Ina dedicated her latest cookbook to Anna and also showcased Anna's marmalade on her cooking show.

On this recommendation alone, I purchased "Summer on a Plate." This is a fantastic book full of mouth-watering recipes that utilize fresh ingredients and simple, clean flavors. Recipes such as a chilled Strawberry Soup use citrus and sour cream to really bring home the wondrous flavors of fresh berries.

I am sorry to say that the book is not as beautiful as its written content. The pages are thin and, honestly, somewhat cheap looking. There is a slim insert of color pictures (which look nice), but I can only imagine how this book would look full of vibrant pictures and crisp pages.

The layout in no way affects the recipes, but I think the recipes deserve better! In fact, I recently spotted this book in a bargain section of the bookstore...which is a crime! It is one of my simplest (and yet most appetizing) cookbook purchases in recent memory.

Don't be fooled by any discount you see...or judge this book by its look. Take a peek at the recipes and you'll see why Anna Pump and "Summer on a Plate" deserve five stars!

Highly recommended to fans of Ina Garten and those who champion fresh ingredients and clean flavors.