Having lived most of my adult life near a beach - Pacific Ocean, Long Island Sound, and now a huge Texas lake, I've often cooked at the beach and find it a great way to entertain friends. Most of the preparation is done at home and the meal packed into coolers to be cooked at the beach. Pre-plan the equipment you'll need and keep everything simple - like using paper pates and napkins and sturdy plastic (throw-away) eating utensils. After a long day of building sandcastles, playing beach volleyball, swimming, boating, or just lazing and listening to the sounds of nature, who needs linen, china, and crystal? I'd rather concentrate on exceptional food, the idyllic surroundings, and great conversation with good friends.
So with that in mind, I decided that this month, I'd throw a boat christening party for our son and daughter-in-law who recently took procession of a new Bayliner ski boat, treating them and several of their friends to a Seafood Supper at the Beach on the shores of a large lake that we all live nearby. I needed to use our son's truck to port everything needed for the cookout, but the same menu can be scaled down to be accommodated on a small portable grill. I borrowed a five-foot long Big John grill so that I would have plenty of room to cook the entrée, enough beach chairs for those who wouldn't like sitting on the ground, and packed plenty of beach towels and beach mats for those who did. A couple of portable canopies to ward off the hot late afternoon sun, a portable CD player with suitable CDs for the age groups involved, and several bug repellent tiki torches to stick into the sand, completed my equipment list. One wicker basket held colorful paper plates, while a second basket was used for the color coordinated plastic silverware that was wrapped in large paper napkins. Later, another basket would appear with bowls, spoons, and more napkins to accommodate the dessert. Chests filled with ice held individual bottles of water, cans of iced tea, and lemonade.
Now, the menu. Since the boat only accommodates 6 passengers, nibbles for those on shore were put out while people were taking rides around the lake. I decided to make my Roasted Eggplant Dip with Garlic Pita Chips. I've been making this eggplant dip for years, but my friend Carole Peck, chef/owner of the Good News Café in Woodbury, CT, suggested that I'd get the same creamy texture without any added olive oil if I included some tofu. She was right; it's wonderful. Carole's one of the 100 super-star chefs from all over the world that worked with us on our soon-to-be published The Joslin Diabetes Great Chefs Cook Healthy Cookbook (Simon & Schuster), available in book stores in October.
The main course was a simplified version of cioppino, the fabulous shellfish stew of San Francisco. The foil packets were assembled, assembly line fashion, back home in my kitchen and stacked in iced chests until I was ready to grill, which only takes 10 to 15 minutes. The packets are a complete meal of seafood and vegetables for one person. The only eating utensils needed are a fork and spoon so everyone can easily handle their meal without sitting at a table. Pass a basket of crusty sourdough bread so everyone can sop up the scrumptious cooking broth.
After everyone finished eating and tossed their trash in the carry-away bags I'd provided, we all took a walk along the shore. When we returned to our picnic site for dessert, there was a still-warm cobbler made with blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, and thermos bottles of hot coffee and brewed tea. Most people don't like the taste of coffee or tea in a paper cup, so I toted a large basket of assorted pottery mugs to the site. As the western sky filled with a brilliant sunset as it often does here in Texas, we all agreed this had, indeed, been a great way to celebrate the launching of Kevin and Kim's new boat, christened the Comfort Zone.
(for the recipes, click on the individual recipe above)
FTG
