With the summer in full swing and lots of warm weather and friends to catch up with, I am back at the barbeque. In New York, we have a shorter season for this so I try and use it as often as possible. This means lots of variety and homemade condiments to take the ordinary to extraordinary. Try these but also check your grocery store for interesting sauces like spicy mayonnaise (from the sushi guy), or smoked cheese for the top of a veggie burger, or homemade guacamole with beans on a turkey burger.

These are some fun favorites that dress up an ordinary barbeque and make a buffet look a little more gourmet.

Bourbon and Brown Sugar Barbeque Sauce
Balsamic Roasted Onions
Bourbon Baked Beans
Homemade Butter Pickles
Curry Slider Sauce

1 cup ketchup
½ cup bourbon
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons mild molasses
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons (fish-free) Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1½ teaspoons liquid smoke
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer until sauce is reduced to 2 cups, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Can be made up to two weeks in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Use on chicken, meat, brisket or ribs.

3 red onions, sliced
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Preheat into 375ºF
. Cut the onions in half and slice ¼-inch think, place on a baking sheet and toss with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, until the onions are tender.

2 (16-ounce) cans baked beans, drained
½ cup chili sauce
¼ cup bourbon
1 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Directions
Combine all ingredients in medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to medium and continue boiling for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

5 pickling cucumbers (about 4 inches long)
4 slices fresh horseradish, peeled and cut into ½-inch slices
4 sprigs fresh dill weed
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup sugar
3 cups water
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons pickling spice
2 teaspoons turmeric
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Special equipment: 1 (1-quart) mason jar, sterilized by boiling in water
Wash cucumbers, slice into ¼-inch thick rounds, and place in a heated, sterilized mason jar with horseradish and fresh dill weed.
Set a large pot over medium heat and add vinegar, sugar, water, garlic and pickling spices. Bring the brine to a boil then pour over cucumbers and horseradish in still-hot mason jar and seal lid. Allow to cool to room temperature before refrigerating. You can serve once chilled, but for best flavor serve after the pickles have been left overnight.

¾ cup mayonnaise
2¼ teaspoons curry powder
1½ tablespoons plain tofutti sour cream

1½ tablespoons ketchup

1 garlic clove, minced

Mix mayonnaise, curry powder, tofutti sour cream, ketchup, and garlic in small bowl for sauce. Let stand at room temperature while preparing sliders.

Coconut

Coconut – you either love it or you hate it. I happen to love it (which is why I have a secret stash of Mounds bars hidden in the closet). I like it in cookies, in cakes, mixed with chocolate, mixed with oatmeal. I like the sweetened flaked kind, not the healthier (drier) version. So if you’re like me, read on. Here are some of my favorite recipes. And if you’re not, in the spirit of adventure, try some of these. Or wait for next week’s blog!

Coconut Pound Cake

1 cup margarine, softened
¾ cup shortening
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup nondairy creamer
2 teaspoons coconut extract
½ cup flaked sweetened coconut (the best kind!)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream together shortening, margarine and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Combine dry ingredients and add to batter alternatively with the nondairy creamer, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir in extract and coconut. Pour into greased 10-inch Bundt pan and bake for 1 hour 25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, loosen sides and invert onto wire rack to finish cooling.

Seven Layer Magic Cookie Bars

This milchig dessert is the classic use of coconut. These are really good and need to be saved for special occasions – and when no one in the family is watching their weight!

1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
½ cup butter, melted
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup butterscotch-flavored chips (I usually leave these out)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1-1/3 cups coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together graham cracker crumbs and butter and press into the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with remaining ingredients. Bake 25 to 30 minutes – until lightly browned. Cut into bars when cool. Store in the refrigerator and take out a few minutes early to soften before serving.

Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

1 cup margarine, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together margarine and sugars. Beat in eggs, one at a time and mix in vanilla. On a low speed, beat in flour, baking soda and baking powder. Then add oats and coconut. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on sheets for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

The Nine Days isn’t a big deal around my home – culinary-wise that is. With a female-dominated household and living in southern California, we don’t have meat that often on weekdays. We are used to fish, pastas, quiches and other dairy dishes. In that respect the nine days are not noticeably different from the rest of the year. Except that human nature is to rebel. If I can’t have it, then I really want it. We promise that these recipes will make you forget your craving for meat. They are so good, however, that they may not reinforce the proper spirit of mourning!

Baked Salmon With Blackberry Ginger Glaze
Tarragon Salmon
Seared Tuna with Mustard and Soy Sauce
Caramelized Onion and Boursin Cheese Pizza
Greek Salad
White Chocolate Pound Cake
Chocolate Yogurt Snack Cakes

Start with the Baked Salmon with Blackberry Ginger Glaze. It’s the perfect sweet and savory sauce for salmon. I add ¼ cup sugar to the extra glaze and drizzle it over ice cream for dessert. And don’t forget to try all the other fish and dairy recipes in our index as well as the Nine Days Recipes.