Fresh Sheet: Book presents useful tips on outdoor cooking

Summer weather is fading fast, but there’s still plenty of time to fire up the grill for easy backyard fare.

Spokane authors Bonnie Clark and William Maltese’s new book, “Back of the Boat Gourmet Cooking: Afloat, Poolside and Backyard,” will help cooks take the menu beyond burgers and dogs without too much fuss.

The authors include lots of ideas for making the best meals possible whether sailing on a yacht, whipping up dinner during a day of play on Lake Coeur d’Alene or in the backyard.

Inspiration for the book was easy, Clark says: “We have a swimming pool and when we got the pool I would always be in the house cooking and everybody would be outside having fun.”

She shares tips for making the best of limited grill space and tiny (or nonexistent) kitchens.

Clark wrote the book with her cousin, Maltese, who has written some 171 books. His latest release, “William Maltese’s Wine Taster’s Diary,” focuses on wineries in the Spokane and Pullman regions.

The recipes include dishes from salads and pasta, to steak and pizza. Many offer recommendations for wine pairings, most of which are local or regional.

Clark will sign copies of the book between 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday at Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main Ave.

Riedel wine tasting

Eleventh-generation glassmaker Maximilian Riedel of Riedel Crystal will be in Spokane next Wednesday for a comparative wine tasting that is open to the public.

Riedel, who oversees the company’s North American operations, will lead tasters through a comparison of conventional restaurant wine glasses and Riedel glassware starting at 6:15 p.m. at the Spokane Club, 1002 W. Riverside Ave. The tasting is $65 per person and is expected to last about an hour and a half.

Participants will take home four “Vinum XL” glasses worth about $122. Space is limited and reservations are required.

Call Vino! A Wine Shop at (509) 838-1229 for more information or reservations.