The Summertime Anytime Cookbook: Recipes from Shutters on the Beach

Woven together with lifestyle and entertaining tips, this cookbook by Slatkin, a Culinary Institute of America–trained chef, was inspired by her family’s hotel, Shutters on the Beach, a 200-room beachfront luxury resort in Santa Monica, Calif. The recipes are appealing enough and easy to follow, but aren’t particularly inspiring, beach-worthy or portable, with the notable exception of Peanut-Butterscotch Crunch Bars and Iced Nougat with Honey and Figs. By dividing the recipes into different types of weather—Sunny Days, Cloudy Days, Balmy Nights, Stormy Nights, Misty Mornings—the author seems to be trying to squeeze the four seasons into a temperate climate in an attempt to broaden the book’s demographic reach. But the distinctions seem somewhat arbitrary: why is a lemon tart for a cloudy not sunny day? Cucumber Gazpacho might be nice for a hot day at the shore, but a Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich with bacon and mayonnaise probably wouldn’t be a good idea in the heat. The lifestyle tips, while sometimes obvious, are more on target. “Pool Perfect” includes suggestions for how to make your home pool seem like one at a fancy resort with thoughtful amenities such as scented towels and undiluted iced drinks, while “Six Uses for a Bucket of Sand” offers creative suggestions for bringing the beach indoors when the weather outside is uncooperative. Photos. (May)