Hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend! I went to visit my sister and nieces and nephews in Lavalette, NJ. Sunday we had the usual hot dogs, burgers and steaks, and Monday I really wanted to keep the grill going but eat lighter and not spend too much time in the kitchen. I bought some fresh burrata cheese, a specialty cheese from Puglia that's like a "creamy purse of mozzarella," and made a huge antipasto platter with that and beautiful thick slices of tomatoes, ripe creamy wedges of avocado and sliced red onion. I drizzled it with a little extra virgin olive oil and finished with some sea salt and fresh pepper. It was divine and required no cooking.

I also went to the local fishmonger and purchased these glorious langostines (about 4 per person) for the entree. Here's how I did it: Once the barbecue was hot, I removed the langoustines from the fridge, brushed with extra virgin olive oil and just threw them on the grill, cooking them for 1 minute on each side. I served them with some thick wedges of lemon and a little sea salt and some great ears of corn (with some added Old Bay seasoning and butter for a little extra zing). My brother-in-law, Frank, insisted on making his famous garlic bread as well. As a rule of thumb the better the quality of ingredient, the less you have to do to it. And as for dessert? That's what ice cream trucks are for!

--Donatella

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