Disbrowe Paula - Food52 any night grilling: 60 ways to fire up dinner (& more) any day of the week

Thank Yous

Thanks to my intrepid agent, Janis Donnaud, for always having my back and connecting me with the best projects.

Heartfelt gratitude to my friend Amanda Hesser and her copilot Merrill Stubbs for thinking of me for this book and charging me with the lucky task of several months of backyard cooking, and to the team at Food52 for embracing the idea. Its been a pleasure to volley ideas and one-liners, and to work within your abundantly talented hive mind.

I feel so fortunate to have worked with book editor Ali Slagle, who made this journey impossibly fun, diffused stress at every turn, and elevated this project with her whip-smart suggestions, fearless grilling, and gorgeous food styling. And that box of homemade cookies, at the eleventh hour, to fuel me to the finish line? Raising the bar on every level, Ali!

Thanks to the dream team at Ten Speed Press for enthusiastically embracing a new perspective on grilling and improving it with their sharp filter. I hope theres an ice luge in your future, Julie Bennett.

Thanks to the stellar photo shoot team who made the book in your hands such a stunner, including photographer James Ransom, creative director Kristen Miglore, art director Alexis Anthony, stylist Sarah Jampel, shoot producer Amanda Widis, and cooks Josh Cohen, Allison Buford, Caroline Lange, and Paige Reinis.

Thanks to the team at PK Grills, especially Scott Moody. My PK360 truly is the best and last grill Ill ever own, and I know ours is the beginning of a beautiful, smoke-infused friendship. Thanks to Dennis Powell at Butter Pat Industries for making our meals more beautiful with the worlds sexiest cast-iron skillet.

Thanks to Aaron Franklin, my mentor for cooking over fire, for indulging my many texts, questions, and food photos, and for generously sharing your expertise. Thanks to Stacy and Vivian Franklin for enthusiastic hot dog condiment feedback, and for always making me laugh.

Thanks to chef friends who shared their expertise via recipes and/or tips, including Susan Spicer, Todd Duplechan and Jessica Maher, Tim Byres, Johnny Hernandez, and Drew and Mary Catherine Curren. Thanks to Gabrielle Hamilton for sharing wisecracks, grill smarts, and cocktail musings while I was hanging out back cooking dinner.

Thanks to friends who came over for meals on the back porch to offer feedback and moral support, and to those who test-drove my recipes, including Amy Brotman, Greg Lane, Pat Sharpe, Charles Lohrmann, Nancy Mims and Rodney Gibbs, Jen Moreno, Brandi Nelson, Ashley Hawkins, Elizabeth and Thomas Winslow, Amanda Eyre Ward and Tip Meckel, Claiborne Smith, Tomas Rivera, Veronica Koltuniak, Annette Patterson, Abigail King, Clayton Maxwell, Joshua and Jamie LaRue, and Rachel Zindler and Paul Newman. Thanks to my friends at Foodways Texas (hi Marvin Bendele and Robb Walsh) for inviting me to Barbecue Boot Camp.

Thanks to my parents, Mike and Julie Disbrowe, for always cheering me on, and for enduring the endless roller coaster of recipe testing (and hours spent in coffee shops chasing deadlines) that my crazy profession requires. Thanks to my brothers, Tim and Tyler Disbrowe, for finding it perfectly normal to spend endless hours discussing smoked pork shoulder and spareribs.

Thanks to Fran Norman, Jana Norman, and Paul Turley for love and support from Pensacola and Adelaide. Theres a heap of grilled Gulf shrimp and grouper on our horizon.

Deepest gratitude to my family: My wonderful children, Flannery and Wyatt, for being so cool about all the time that Mom spent racing through grocery stores, schlepping charcoal and firing up dinner, and for rolling with the schedule when dinners went a bit late. Thanks for moving music lessons and playtime outdoors to so we could spend time together throughout the process. Finally, thanks to my husband, David Norman, for being my constant sounding board, making those last-minute runs for charcoal and propane, and for letting me take over the backyard shift. I still think you make the best chicken thighs. The moment when the three of you pull up a seat to our dinner table will always be the best part of any day.

THE SMOKY-SWEET CHARM OF GRILLED DESSERTS

Grilled desserts dont really require a recipethey just call for a bit of resourcefulness. Like an oven, the heat of a grill can toast and deepen the flavor of day-old bread and baked goods and caramelize natural sugars in fruit. And perhaps best of all, grilled desserts are easy to assemble, so when it comes to dessert, why not make the most of the fire that cooked your dinner to lend a smoky sweetness to whatever you have on hand? Follow this formula as a general guide:

START WITH A GRILLED BASE: Breads, baked items, or fruit.

GRILL FRUIT: Heat a grill to medium-high heat. Slice the fruit as desired for presentation, being mindful of its density and how it will hold up on the grill. For instance, juicy plums, peaches, figs, and apricots will soften quickly; I halve them so they hold together and theyre easier to remove from the grill. Slice firmer fruits that benefit from a sear on two sides, like pineapple or star fruit, into slices or long spears. In general, lean toward larger piecessmall, bite-size chunks tend to break down. In a bowl, toss fruit with enough olive oil to lightly coat (or brush the fruit slices to coat if youre worried about them breaking down). Grill until charred in spots (anywhere from 3 to 8 minutes). To limit the amount of crumble between the grates or your luscious peach tasting like the steak you just grilled, use an oiled and preheated grill basket set over direct heat (or even a grill pan) to grill your dessert components.

ADD SOMETHING CREAMY & SWEET: Ice cream, crme frache, whipped cream, and so on, and/or a spoonful of something sweet and/or acidic (jam or a honeyed vinegar).

FINISH WITH A CRUNCHY TOPPING: Mix and match from the ideas following to find your favorite combinations, and see some of mine on .

A FEW FAVORITE COMBINATIONS

Luscious grilled desserts usually begin with whatevers on hand (gingersnaps?) and then follow the whim of a current craving (salted caramel!). However, the confluence of certain textures and flavors (like the ones that follow) are hard to beat.

THIN SLICES OF GRILLED RYE + BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE (shaved for quick melting) + FLAKY SALT

GRILLED CHOCOLATE QUICK BREAD + CRME FRACHE + RASPBERRIES

GRILLED POUND CAKE (citrus or vanilla) + GRILLED PEACHES + GINGER OR VANILLA ICE CREAM

GRILLED BUTTERMILK BISCUITS + SLICED STRAWBERRIES + MARSHMALLOW CREAM + DARK CHOCOLATE SHAVINGS

GRILLED FIGS + COFFEE ICE CREAM + BOURBON