Food

If you celebrate Memorial Day -- and the unofficial arrival of summer -- with a big cookout or picnic, you're going to need something to drink with all that grilled deliciousness. Aside from a pitcher of iced tea or lemonade, you could just pick up any old beer or box of wine and be done with it. But with just a little bit more effort, and a few guidelines for finding a suitable match, you can make that brisket you've been lovingly tending for the last 12 hours taste even better.

Without getting too detailed (it's summer -- who wants complicated?):
- Delicate foods are natural partners with lighter style beers and wines; the opposite is true as well.
- Bubbles are great palate cleansers and are terrific with fatty foods.
- Beverages with a hint of sweetness tend to go well with spicier foods.
- Bitterness can be refreshing and is a good foil for rich foods.

Related: 4 Easy Ways to Keep Beer from Going Flat

Of course, if you know you love drinking champagne with everything fro

...Read More »

By Food & Wine

Grilling gives foods a great smoky flavor, but for even more of that flavor, turn to wood-fired ingredients like smoked paprika and chipotle chiles. Best Grilled Chicken Recipes

Harissa Chicken with Green-Chile-and-Tomato Salad
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 chipotle in adobo, minced, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground caraway
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, lightly pounded
2 mild green chiles, such as Italian frying peppers
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 pound grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS
1. In a mortar, combine the paprika, chipotle, adobo sauce, garlic, cumin, caraway and olive oil and pound until a paste forms. Season with salt and pepper. Spread half of the harissa all over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overn

...Read More »

By Food & Wine

This spicy fresh-corn salad, with grilled sweet Vidalia onions and tart lime juice, has been a summertime picnic staple for F&W's Grace Parisi ever since she discovered canned chipotles in adobo sauce years ago at her neighborhood Latin grocery store. Now these chipotles are available in the Latin section of big supermarkets all around the country as well. Grilled Vegetable Recipes

Chipotle-Corn Salad
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and finely chopped
1 scallion, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 ears of corn
1/2 medium Vidalia or Walla Walla onion, thickly sliced crosswise
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS
1. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Brush the corn and onion slices with the olive oil and grill over moderately high heat until charred in spots but still slightly crisp, about 7 minutes. Let cool slightly, then cut the kernels from

...Read More »

The National Restaurant Association crowned a new cocktail king this week, naming New York-based bartender Steve Schneider their 2013 Star of the Bar at the International Wine, Spirits, and Beer event in Chicago on Monday.

Also on Shine: 3 Ingredient Cocktails

Schneider and five other finalists mixed their best drinks for some expert judges, including celebrity chef and author Anthony Bourdain. Schneider's creation, dubbed "The Dean," earned him top honors and a $5,000 prize. For his contest entry, he also served up a video of himself mixing the drink while sporting a (really bad) Howard Dean wig and doing a (pretty good) Howard Dean impression.

"I was watching reruns of Dave Chappelle's show when the text came in about the contest," he told Yahoo! Shine in an interview on Tuesday. Rather than submit a run-of-the-mill video of himself making a single drink, he decided to have a little fun. "That's what bartending is, you know? Having a great time."

Also on Shine: 7 Refreshing Cocktails Ju

...Read More »

Rethink your burger: Tomatoes and fragrant pesto give this sandwich a delicious twist.

Related: 34 Reasons to Eat a Burger Everyday

Pesto Chicken Burgers

1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 cup baby spinach (1 ounce)
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/4 cup walnuts
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for grilling
Coarse salt and pepper
1 pound ground white-meat chicken
2 large tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch slices
3 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
4 pieces focaccia, halved

Related: Hands Down, The 20 Grilling Recipes You Must Try This Summer

1. In a food processor, puree basil, spinach, garlic, walnuts, oil, and 1 tablespoon water. Season pesto with salt and pepper.

2. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Combine 1 tablespoon pesto, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and chicken and form into 4 patties. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. Brush tomatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill patties, covered, 4 minut

...Read More »