Taming the Flame

If you only owned one cookbook, Elizabeth Karmel would recommend her first cookbook, Taming the Flame. It’s her love letter to grilling and barbecue, and because she grew up in the South, it has a Southern flavor mixed into a global palate.

The book features techniques, tips, and savory foods. It includes homemade baked goods because her family always had two to three desserts: One was never enough, two were seldom enough, and three always seemed like the right number! My Mother's Fresh-Grated Coconut Cake is Karmel’s favorite dessert of all time! Light and moist, it’s a transcendent experience. Her sister's World's Best Apple Pie is the hands-down family favorite, and once you make it, it will be your family’s favorite too.

The book proves Karmel’s adage of “If you can eat it, you can grill it” with recipes for everything imaginable. Best of all, it’s real food and information: the secrets of a working chef and pitmaster that you can quickly learn and apply to your own cooking, indoors and out! The recipes are sophisticated, yet simple to prepare. They make a big impression on your friends and family, but they’re easy for you to cook!