KNOCKABOUT Aussie Ben O'Donoghue, best known on home turf for presenting food and travel show Surfing the Menu, has compiled a cheerful cooking book for your barbie.
As the name suggests, this is no snags and sauce affair.
- Outdoor: Grill Your Way Round the World, by Ben O'Donoghue. Hardie Grant, rrp $49.95
Flip through the pages and you'll find Moreton Bay bugs delicately laced onto kebab sticks with figs and pancetta, braised pillowy squid stuffed with fennel and black pudding, Mexican tortillas with portions of juicy suckling pig and ochre-skinned Chinese duck in a char sui marinade.
The dessert section is equally exotic, featuring grilled pineapple with rum, ginger and lemongrass syrup, plus damper doughnuts with marshmallows for an Australian touch.
It sounds tricky, but really it's not: Ben gives each recipe a brief, conversational rundown on its history and grilling tips before listing its consistently small team of ingredients.
He says the culinary creations can be cooked on any outdoor grilling contraption, from a simple wire rack over an open fire to a gas-fired hotplate with all the bells and whistles.
With comprehensive segments on sublime sauces and rubs, breads, salads and vegetables, this barbecuing book is clearly designed to impress the guests.
