A cool way to look at food, in a glossy cookbook

If your inclination in the last steamy days of summer is not to cook, then rinse off some salad and fruit, get out cold cuts and cheese, and fill a pitcher with iced tea. Then spend a cool afternoon in the shade with a lusciously illustrated cookbook, the kind that in indoor weather you’d leave open on the coffee table.

Two such volumes have recently been published, both from the same source: the photographer professionally known as Battman (Alan Batt). His latest large-format books have New York in the title, but their visuals are mouthwatering beyond geography.

Battman says that 10 percent of the proceeds of the books’ sales are being donated to the Children’s Storefront, a tuition-free school in Harlem.

•”Summer in New York” (Battman Studios, 2005, $39.95) contains a selection of seasonal recipes from some 90 top chefs at New York City, Chicago and Miami restaurants and culinary institutes, including Charlie Palmer and Eric Ripert. Each dish is shown in a brilliantly colored and composed full-page photo.

Some dishes are madly complicated concoctions, others not. One recipe lists nine ingredients with one line of instruction: “Arrange the plate according to the picture.” The recipes are for salads, appetizers or main courses, with plenty of fish and vegetables.

•”New York Sweets” (Battman Studios, 2005, $39.95) offers desserts and pastries, again from a roster of about 70 nationally famous restaurant and cooking school chefs.

Berries and ice cream recipes are well represented, visually appealing for summer days. But there are other recipes, including tropical sticky carrot cake, tempura chocolate cheesecake, and ricotta fritters, to serve warm, for chillier times in other seasons.

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A Taste of Summer

Here’s a recipe full of fresh flavor, from “Summer in New York” (Battman Studios, 2005, $39.95).

Scallops with a Corn, Peach and Almond Salad

1 pound large sea scallops, patted dry

Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

3 tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil

4 ears sweet corn, cut off the cob

2 large, ripe peaches, cut into small dice

1/2 cup almonds, toasted and roughly chopped

8 basil leaves, cut into chiffonade

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons light-tasting oil

Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet on high heat, with canola oil. Blanch corn in boiling water for 30 seconds, then drain. Sear scallops in oil until golden on one side and then turn and cook 1 more minute on the other side. Toss corn with remaining ingredients and place on plates. Top with scallops and serve.

•Makes 4 servings as an entree, or 6 as an appetizer.

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Fragrant Way to Savor

An “Aromatic Weekend,” focusing on the role played by the nose in the appreciation of the finer things in life, has been arranged for Sept. 16 to Sept. 18 at the Sofitel Lafayette Square hotel, Washington, D.C.

The organizers say this two-night weekend stay at the hotel will include instruction from master sommelier Evan Goldstein on “nosing” and tasting wine. Cooking aficionados will spend time in the kitchen with Antoine Westerman, a three-Michelin-star chef, learning how cooking with fresh herbs and spices can add flavor and aroma to different foods. A professional perfume “nose” will teach amateurs how to identify different scents in perfumes and colognes.

The weekend includes accommodations, a four-course dinner prepared by Westerman, and a Sunday brunch, for $800 a person or $1,400 a couple.

•Information: (202) 730-8446.

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Weekend of Wine, Awards

Wine tastings and taste-offs, seminars, panel discussions, awards, a charity auction and a gala dinner are highlights of the Bacchus Weekend, set for Sept. 17-18, at Copia, The American Center for Wine, Food and The Arts, in Napa, Calif.

Organizers say the Saturday evening gala is themed to honor Thomas Jefferson, patriot and connoisseur who is sometimes dubbed the father of American winemaking. The dinner will be prepared by chef John Ash, followed by outdoor dancing and jazz.

•Information: (707) 265-5846

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Taste Evolution Overlaps with Tennis

Restaurant Associates, caterers at the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, says that over the years they have responded to the evolution of taste in Americans’ food preferences by adapting what they serve at the event.

Changes in menus reflect changes in what people want to eat, or are prepared to try, according to Restaurant Associates. Examples of menu items from past to present underline the changes:

•About 30 years ago (1976), they first offered quiches (not a food associated with sports events); hot dogs with a rye-flour bun and Grey Poupon mustard; choices of bratwurst, knockwurst, weisswurst, bauerwurst; and, in 1978, salad from a large salad bar.

•About 20 years ago (1982-1983) along came croissant sandwiches with Brie and Black Forest ham; hand-scooped ice cream; gourmet lemonade and pretzels; tacos, nachos, and burritos. Also, the first “white tablecloth” restaurant, with dishes ranging from seafood to steaks.

•Some 10 years ago, Italian selections were offered, including pasta and marinara sauce; more healthful foods; artisanal breads for all sandwiches.

•In 2000, new catering included a creperie with stuffed ham, vegetable, Suzette and traditional sugar and cinnamon choices; a lobster club sandwich; a vodka chocolatini; raw bars, grilled fish and key lime pie in corporate dining suites.

•This year, Restaurant Associates says, menu choices include glatt kosher selections; grilled panini; chipotle-barbecue tostadas; crab-cake sandwiches; Indian cuisine; sushi and sake; falafel; made-to-order served salads.