The No-Cooking Cookout

During the upcoming swelter season, the least appreciated aspect of any picnic, patio party or country cookout will be the heat--either in food or from cooking equipment.

Yet for years the women's and home magazines have been pushing glorious color photos of grinning groups dressed for the hot season gathered around blazing charcoal fires or gas cookers, steak, chicken or hamburgers sizzling merrily, the host in chef's hat and Cook at Work apron, fork in hand. It's a cliché and a fraud.

It isn't necessary to herd along with it. I have had picnics, patio parties and cookouts with professionals, top chefs, and, to a man, they place pleasure first. To that end, they prepare ahead so the host and/or hostess can also enjoy alfresco summer entertaining. Less effort, more play is their design, guests helping themselves to the offerings, the friendship rather than the see-how-we've-been-working theme carrying the affair. Psychological advantages are remarkable, in comfort and camaraderie.

If the host isn't forced to do his fork-in-hand wobble before the hot fire, and his helpmate doesn't have to play the part of a freak eight-handed waitress, or whip-handed maître de, everyone is more relaxed--and so is the affair. It is also more civilized.

How do many professionals play this relaxed game? Simple: They don't cook. I realize this is akin to four-letter-wording the American way of life, especially summer dinning, when charcoal and chow are synonymous. But in my rambles about Europe and other places, I have been on the receiving end of several no-cooking cookouts that left me impressed. It was cool entertainment in the best sense of the word. So let's dip into various cultures for a no-cooking get-together that is limited only by the imagination.

Each of the recipes that follow serves eight; multiply or divide ingredients according to the size of your party.

First, there's the much-abused steak. Let's turn it around and eat it as a first course, raw with drinks when the party begins, as I have had it in Austria and (continued on page 187)no-Cooking Cookout(continued from page 145) Denmark. It has various names, but the most popular is beefsteak tartare.

[recipe_title]Beefsteak Tartare[/recipe_title]

The classic way to prepare beefsteak tartare is to use a slice of top round of beef and scrape it with a silver spoon. I have found, however, that putting it through the home grinder or having your butcher grind it no more than an hour before it is to be served is all right. If mechanically chopped, it must be ground twice. It must be fine and soft. Lean, top round steak is a must.

[recipe]3 lbs. top round steak, no fat, trimmed of sinews and gristle, ground twice[/recipe]

[recipe]8 small egg yolks[/recipe]

[recipe]2 1/2 cups minced white onion[/recipe]

[recipe]5 tablespoons drained capers[/recipe]

[recipe]14 flat anchovy fillets, drained, dried on paper towel, finely chopped[/recipe]

[recipe]5 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped[/recipe]

[recipe]5 tablespoons cold black caviar (optional)[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons paprika[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons caraway seed[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons salt[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons black pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]2 loaves party rye bread (small, thin slices, buttered)[/recipe]

Form ground round steak in eight thick, circular patties, with a depression in the center deep enough to hold an egg yolk. Place on a large platter, center with garnishes. Paprika, caraway seed, salt, pepper can be placed in small glass containers with spoons and spaced on the platter or beside it. A large spoon and fork for mixing are placed beside serving platter; also, you'll need individual plates (plasticized paper to be discarded or your best china), the quality depending upon your choice and whether it is a balcony, flagstoned patio or a woodland glen.

The host approaches the platter, mixes an egg yolk well into a round of beef, lifts it onto his plate, spoons in onion, capers, a bit of anchovy, parsley, caviar. This is mixed well. Now paprika, caraway seed, salt and pepper are sparingly sprinkled in and blended thoroughly. The beef is thickly spread upon a thin round of the bread. Guests, cocktails in hand, are urged to emulate.

The no-cooking spread can be attractively displayed on separate tables or on a converted barbecue cart: or, if the scene is country, arrange the whole eye-appealing business on a convertible table you lug along or on a tablecloth on the greensward.

After coctails with raw beef, the classic progression is to the fish course.

[recipe_title]Tuna with Italian Cannellini Beans[/recipe_title]

[recipe]4 7-oz. cans tuna, fancy, light, Italian style, packed in olive oil preferably; drained well, lightly sprinkled with lemon juice, refrigerated until chilled[/recipe]

[recipe]4 1-lb., 4-oz. cans cannellini beans[/recipe]

[recipe]8 tablespoons olive oil[/recipe]

[recipe]Juice of 4 lemons[/recipe]

[recipe]8 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons freshly milled black pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons salt[/recipe]

[recipe]8 cloves garlic, peeled, mashed (remove after taking beans from refrigerator)[/recipe]

Drain beans well: place in large bowl, add olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, pepper, salt, garlic. Toss well with two wooden spoons, but gently, so that you do not break the beans. Refrigerate until chilled.

[recipe_title]Iceland Brook Trout with Mustard Sauce[/recipe_title]

This is superb fish, packed only by Ora of Iceland. Pink-fleshed and delicate. I suspect that it is arctic charr that I have savored several times in the far reaches of Norway. If you can't get this tinned trout, try one of the several brands of American smoked rainbow.

[recipe]2 10-oz. cans Iceland brook trout. 4 baby trout per can, drained, left whole, refrigerated until chilled[/recipe]

[recipe]6 tablespoons quality mayonnaise[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons Dijon mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]8 slices lemon[/recipe]

[recipe]8 leaves Boston lettuce[/recipe]

Blend mayonnaise very well with mustard. Refrigerate until set and chilled.

Arrange one baby trout, a dollop of mustard sauce and a slice of lemon on each leaf of well-washed, crisp lettuce, fresh from the refrigerator.

Ring a large platter with the trout on lettuce; center it with a mound of cannellini beans and one of flaky, cold tuna.

Plates, knives and forks should be abundant: self-service without searching for utensils is the get-across idea.

Fish finished, everything else is up for grabs.

Now is the time to begin pouring wine. Beaujolais, a jolly, small wine, is the traditional picnic or cookout drink. It should be served young, a year old is best, never more than two years. It is the only French red wine classically served chilled. Refrigerate it for an hour before serving. Of course, champagne will do very nicely for any and all occasions.

You'll find that bread is not the staff to lean on that it used to be. Many calorie counters shun it: but for those who couldn't care less or who can't count, you might have a variety of sliced breads at hand. Make them interesting: mix white and dark, hard and hearty, but none of the soft, doughy horrors.

[recipe_title]Cold Chicken in Sauces Méridionale and Circassian[/recipe_title]

The variety of quality fowl that roost in cans these days is surprising. If your budget will permit, try pheasant, chukar partridge or guinea hen. If it will not, don't downgrade chicken. It remains the most versatile of our foods. Chickens are cooked in the can in their natural juices. Their taste is good, not great, a little bland. The trick is to jazz up the taste and still keep the flavor of the bird. Sauces solve this, I do it with two. One, méridionale, is courtesy of my friend the great French chef Antoine Gilly.

[recipe_title]Sauce Méridionale[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 tablespoon each, chopped, basil, sage, rosemary, chervil, tarragon, chives, flat-leaf parsley (all should be fresh)[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon chopped shallots[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon minced garlic[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup wine vinegar[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup olive oil[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons salt[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon Dijon mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon white pepper[/recipe]

Mix all herbs, shallots, garlic well: place in bowl, carefully blend in vinegar, olive oil, salt, mustard and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

[recipe_title]Sauce Circassian[/recipe_title]

[recipe]2 slices white bread, crusts removed[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup canned chicken broth[/recipe]

[recipe]2 cups walnut meats[/recipe]

[recipe]2 small white onions, chopped[/recipe]

[recipe]1 1/2 teaspoons salt[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon paprika[/recipe]

[recipe]Liquid and jelly from 1 can chicken[/recipe]

Soak bread in chicken broth: squeeze out the moisture. Place bread, walnuts, onions, salt, paprika, liquid and jelly from canned chicken in electric blender. Blend into a smooth sauce.

[recipe_title]Canned Chicken[/recipe_title]

[recipe]2 whole chickens, canned[/recipe]

Decan chickens, remove skin and bones and cut into serving pieces. Dribble 1 teaspoon méridionale over each piece of one chicken. Liberally cover the pieces of the remaining chicken with Circassian.

[recipe_title]Danish Hams in Alcohol Jelly[/recipe_title]

The ingenious Danes have come up with a couple of beauties: ham in Scotch whisky and ham in French champagne. Buy a 1-lb., 8-oz. can of each. Decan them. Leave them in their jelly and refrigerate until well chilled.

Slice the hams thinly (not wafer thin but thin) and serve the slices surrounded by the tasty jelly.

Hours ahead, you'll have run up these two simple salads that will appear on the table as anything but simple.

[recipe_title]Tomatoes with Mixed Vegetables[/recipe_title]

[recipe]8 dead-ripe tomatoes[/recipe]

[recipe]2 1-lb. cans mixed vegetables[/recipe]

[recipe]5 tablespoons quality mayonnaise[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons olive oil[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon salt[/recipe]

Wash tomatoes: core them and remove pulp from centers. Drain the mixed vegetables in strainer. Place them in bowl: add mayonnaise, olive oil, pepper and salt. Blend well.

Fill the hollowed tomatoes with the vegetable mixture. Refrigerate until well chilled.

[recipe_title]Baby Zucchini and Cucumbers in Yoghurt[/recipe_title]

It is very important to get small zuchini and cucumbers, no larger than twice the size of your thumb.

[recipe]8 small zucchini[/recipe]

[recipe]8 small cucumbers[/recipe]

[recipe]4 cups plain yoghurt[/recipe]

[recipe]Juice of 2 lemons[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped[/recipe]

[recipe]1/3 cup scallions, minced[/recipe]

Wash zucchini well; do not peel: slice wafer thin. Peel cucumbers: slice wafer thin. Place in bowl: add yoghurt, lemon juice, dill and scallions and mix well. Refrigerate until well chilled.

[recipe_title]Serving Main Course and Salads[/recipe_title]

Buy, rent or borrow an especially large serving platter. Center it with sauced cold chicken. Border it with jellied whisky ham on one side, champagne ham on the other. Arrange between ham (and chicken, if you need the room) whole tomatoes filled with mixed vegetables.

You'll need small bowls in which to serve the yoghurt salad.

Before you signal that the scene is near curtain by serving brandy and liqueurs, trot out two final offerings, one for the savvy, one for the sweet-toothers.

[recipe_title]French Bread and Cheese[/recipe_title]

[recipe]2 long loaves French bread[/recipe]

[recipe]1 piece each of the following, or any of the 100 imported French cheeses of your choice[/recipe]

[recipe]Chevre[/recipe]

[recipe]Boursault[/recipe]

[recipe]Pont l'Eveque[/recipe]

[recipe]Gourmandise[/recipe]

[recipe]Beau Pasteur[/recipe]

Slice the bread, butter slices, then reassemble as a loaf. Place one loaf on each side of the table, center with the cheeses.

To do justice to its character, cheese must be served at room temperature. Take it out of the refrigerator at least five hours before guests arrive. Cut one piece from each cheese to hint to guests how it should be done. Let them cut it and serve themselves, placing wedges on slices of bread and washing them down with the soft, chilled Beaujolais, which by this time has become the most popular personality at the party.

[recipe_title]Fresh Soused Strawberries[/recipe_title]

This one isn't practical for away-from-home cookouts unless you have a portable refrigerator-freezer.

[recipe]2 quarts strawberries, cleaned[/recipe]

[recipe]2-1/2 ozs. Grand Marnier[/recipe]

[recipe]2-1/2 ozs. Armagnac[/recipe]

[recipe]1 pint raspberry sherbet[/recipe]

[recipe]1 pint strawberry ice cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 pint heavy cream, whipped[/recipe]

Place strawberries in bowl, pour Grand Marnier and Armagnac over them. Spoon in sherbet and ice cream, blending quickly so mixture does not become soupy. Stir in whipped cream. Serve immediately.

Now go ahead--and keep your cool.