Our Celebrity Chefs Share Their Perfect Summer Recipes

Bookmark this page because we’ve got your 2024 go-to summer recipes, created and recommended by some of our favourite celebrity chefs — Matt Basile, David Rocco, Anna Olson, and Rodney Bowers. Whether you’re looking for a new recipe to fire up your grill, the perfect summer dessert, or the ultimate summer side dish to compliment any meal, this collection of summer recipes will not disappoint. 

Charcoal Grilled Chicken Legs with Alabama White Sauce

Chef Matt Basile is a grill master. He is the former owner and operator of Toronto’s most recognizable food truck brand, Fidel Gastro’s, and popular gastropub, Lisa Marie, and is currently the co-founder of Alchemy Grills, the first simultaneous live-fire barbeque and smoker for home chefs.

Matt shared one of his favourite BBQ recipes that’s perfect for family and friends — grilled chicken legs with charred corn and balsamic green beans, served with a tangy Alabama BBQ sauce. It’s the ultimate summer feast. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3 whole chicken legs (skin on, bone in)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 lemon
• 2 cobs of corn (blanched in boiled water for 7-10 minutes)
• 1 cup French green beans (blanched in boiling water for 5 minutes)
• 1/2 red or white onion, finely shaved
• 2 cloves garlic, finely shaved
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Alabama Sauce

• 2 cups mayo
• 3 tbsp yellow mustard
• 2 tbsp horseradish
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 3 tbsp white vinegar
• Juice from ½ lemon
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• Salt and pepper

1. Mix the mayo, mustard, horseradish, hot sauce, vinegar, and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Grate in the garlic, season with salt and pepper, and mix. Let set in the fridge.
2. Lightly season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place your hot charcoal in one corner of the BBQ. If you don’t have a charcoal grill, use a gas grill but only turn on half of the BBQ. Place chicken on indirect heat (not directly on any heat source) and close the lid. Let chicken slowly roast for about 45 minutes until it reaches an internal temp of 160F. Finish the chicken skin side down directly over hot charcoal (or source of heat) for 4-5 minutes to get skin crispy and fat rendered. Remove from grill and squeeze fresh lemon over top while resting.
3. After the chicken is cooked, add the blanched corn on the once hot grill and cook for a few minutes on each side to get nice char marks. Break the cobs in half to serve.
4. Toss the beans in balsamic vinegar with the garlic and lightly season with salt and pepper. Let the vinegar get soaked up by the beans for 10 minutes then add olive oil. Matt used some parsley infused olive oil to give his beans that herbaceous glow.
5. On a large platter, place the beans down first. Then add your chicken legs on top, followed by the grilled corn. Spoon your Alabama BBQ sauce over the chicken legs, and garnish with fresh chives and more black pepper. Serve with half a grilled lemon.

Potato and String Bean Salad

Easy, delicious, and fresh — this bright and crunchy potato salad is David Rocco’s go-to summer dish for a family BBQ or picnic. It pairs perfectly with any protein and can be eaten warm or out of the fridge.

David is an internationally recognized celebrity chef who brings his passion for food, travel, and adventure to millions of homes through his worldwide hit television programs, David Rocco’s Dolce Vita, Dolce India, Dolce Africa, Dolce Southeast Asia, and David Rocco’s Dolce HomeMade. He is also the author of three internationally bestselling cookbooks and an avid content creator who regularly shares his favourite Italian recipes across his social platforms — including his tangy potato and string bean salad.

Ingredients

• 6 potatoes
• 1lb string beans, trimmed
• 1 red onion
• 1 cup olives, sliced
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 tsp chilli flakes

Dressing

• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 8 basil leaves
• 8 mint leaves
• 1 lemon, juiced

1. Boil the potatoes until tender. Drain potatoes, then peel and dice them.
2. Boil the string beans until barely tender and bright green, 2-3 minutes. Remove and transfer to a bowl of ice water. Drain and pat dry.
3. In a large bowl, add the string beans, potatoes, red onion, olives, lemon zest, and chilli flakes.
4. In a separate bowl, use a hand blender to whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. Add the dressing to the salad and gently toss. Enjoy!

Blueberry and Greek Yogurt Galette

Anna Olson is one of Canada’s most recognizable television chefs. She was the host of Food Network’s hit television series, Bake with Anna Olson, Fresh with Anna Olson, and Sugar. She is also the bestselling author of several cookbooks, with her latest, Anna Olson’s Baking Wisdom, having just been shortlisted for the 2024 Taste Canada Cookbook Awards!

Anna shared one of her favourite summer dessert recipes — blueberry and Greek yogurt galette. This rustic fruit pie makes a delicious dessert, but she especially enjoys serving it as a breakfast or brunch pastry.

Ingredients

• ½ recipe Classic Pie Dough, chilled
• ½ cup (125 mL) plain Greek yogurt (any fat content)
• 2 tbsp (37 g) liquid honey, plus extra for drizzling
• 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1½ cups (190 g) fresh blueberries
• 1 egg whisked with 1 tbsp cool water, for brushing

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Pull the pie dough from the fridge 30 minutes before rolling. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Dust a work surface with flour.
2. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a circle just less than ¼ inch (6 mm) thick and about 16 inches (41 cm) across. Carefully lift the pastry onto the prepared baking tray and leave it untrimmed.
3. Fill the galette. Combine the Greek yogurt with the honey and lemon zest, then whisk in the egg. Dollop the yogurt in the centre of the dough and spread it out to about 6 inches (15 cm) across. Sprinkle the blueberries over the yogurt. Fold the edges of the pastry over the filling in five to six folds. Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash.
4. Bake the galette for about 40 minutes, until the pastry is a rich golden brown.
5. Cool the galette on a rack for at least 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, drizzled with honey.

This recipe originally appeared in Anna Olson’s Baking Wisdom: The Complete Guide, published by Random House in 2023.

Sweet Summer Garden Tomato and Bread Salad with Salsa Verde

Rodney Bowers has catapulted to the forefront of Canada’s culinary scene having worked in some of Toronto’s most renowned kitchens, including North 44, Canoe, the Four Seasons Hotel with chef Lynn Crawford, and Massimo Capra’s Mistura.

Rodney was previously the go-to cooking expert on The Marilyn Denis Show and is currently a regular guest on Breakfast Television. You may also recognize him as the co-host of CTV’s Double Your Dish, where viewers joined him and his partner, Meredith Shaw, in their home kitchen to create two very different recipes from the same base ingredients.

When Rodney is looking for a fresh summer recipe, his go-to is this medley of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and delicious sourdough bread tossed in a zesty garden salsa verde that guarantees to refresh everyone’s palate on a hot summer day.

Ingredients

• 2 slices good sourdough or rye bread
• Good olive oil for drizzling
• 1 cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and cut in half
• 2 pounds of ripe but firm tomatoes sliced and cut to grill
• Bunch of green onions, bottom half only (tops trimmed)
• 1 cup of greens (arugula) or herbs for garnish
• 1 cup salsa verde
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper to taste

Garden Salsa Verde

• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1 lemon washed and zested
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, finely sliced
• 1/4 cup green onion chive, thinly chopped
• 1/4 cup basil, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp capers, minced
• Sat and pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for green salsa verde and stir to combine. 
2. In a large bowl, add the tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers. Drizzle with olive oil and seasoning.
3. Lightly grill or toast the bread separately, just enough to get colour. Cut and add to the vegetables and then fold in half the salsa verde.
4. Add the vinegar, mayo, and greens and gently toss together.
5. Serve with the rest of the salsa verde.

Our celebrity chefs love nothing more than to share their passion for food with others. Their engaging cooking demonstrations are a fun, unique way to add some additional flavour to your event, whether in-person or virtual.

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