Cookbooks offer solutions for summer entertaining

Summer entertaining can mean anything from an informal barbecue in the back yard to a pool party to cooking over an open flame while camping. Whichever way, the goal is to keep the planning and preparation simple in order to enjoy the atmosphere. Several new cookbooks offer a variety of ideas for original summer soirees.

"Icebox Pies" (Harvard Common Press, $16.95) by Lauren Chattman. Preparing a summer dessert doesn't have to mean spending time in a hot kitchen. Chattman offers 100 recipes for preparing "icebox pies," pies that use the freezer or refrigerator as part of the baking process. Intrepid chefs can try their hand at making new creations such as a caramel and cinnamon ice cream pie, a pistachio and orange ice cream pie or even a mango and coconut ice cream pie.

"Lemonade" and "Ice Tea" (Harvard Common, $10.95 each) by Fred Thompson. Thompson took basic ingredients, lemonade and ice tea, and spawned over 100 recipes for exotic drinks and potions off of them. His experiments yielded daring recipes like vanilla-bean lemonade, beach bourbon slush and a green tea martini.

"Dip It!" (Morrow, $14.95) by Rick Rodgers. No party is complete without dips for snacking, and Rodgers turns the side dish into a conversation piece with 95 new recipes.

Included in the mix are favorites like onion dip and hummus and builds up to exciting varieties like Hell's Kitchen Taramasalata, Dilled Shrimp Spread and Spicy Radish and Red Pepper Dip. Rodger offers a guide to picking the perfect ingredients for dips, such as how to spot the perfect avocado to estimating how much dip is needed for your party.

"Recipes For Roughing it Easy" (The Dian Thomas Co., $14.99) by Dian Thomas. Thomas offers suggestions for those wanting to take on the great outdoors with ease and flair. She offers recipes that let campers try a more creative way of cooking their favorite dishes like hamburgers on a shovel, pudding in cones and chicken prepared in a backpack or on the manifold of a car engine. For the beginner outdoorsman, she goes through all the basic equipment for the optimum nature cooking experience.

"The Official Know-It-All Guide to Easy Entertaining" (Fell's $16.95) by Edith Gilbert. The summer heat can sap entertaining ideas from even the best host, so Edith Gilbert's book hopes to spark ideas for throwing a fabulous soiree. Gilbert offers ideas for everything from brunch to causal cocktail buffets, complete with recipes seating suggestions.

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One recipe for a quick summer dessert suggested in "Icebox Pies" is for lime cream and strawberry pie. It is a sweet mixture of two fruits that don't often come together but work wonderfully in this cool dessert.

Lime Cream and Strawberry Pie

4 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon grated lime zest

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled

1 prepared crumb crust

2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced.

Combine the eggs, sugar and lime zest in a heavy saucepan and whisk until smooth. Add the lime juice and butter and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture is thickened, about 7 to 9 minutes. Do not allow the mixture to come to a boil.

Pour the hot lime curd through a fine strainer into a glass bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the lime curd. Refrigerate lime curd until it is cold and thick at least 3 hours or up to 3 days.

In a medium-size mixing bowl using an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the lime curd and then scrape the filling into the prepared pie shell. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until the filling is completely set, at least 6 hours or up to one day.

Just before serving, arrange the strawberry slices on concentric circles on top of the filling.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.