Cooks' Books by Lisa Messinger

"The Best Barbecue on Earth: Grilling Across 6 Continents and 25 Countries, with 170 Recipes" by Rick Browne (Ten Speed, $22.95; and available used at varying prices starting at .01 cent).

To some, barbecue is the best food in the world. Rick Browne takes that literally. The host of PBS's "Barbecue America" traveled to six continents and 25 countries with both his palate and camera ready.

He returned with one gorgeous scrapbook. "The Best Barbecue on Earth" emerges every barbecue season at my home as my favorite grill book of all. It is a delicious diary that makes you feel like you're tagging along with Browne and his companions. Thanks to Browne's hundreds of photos of people, places and food, you'll see close-up the succulent clam you would have grilled on a little heated stone in Japan, the stuffed basted chicken in a bread shell you would have feasted on in the French countryside and the spring lamb chops with fresh mint chutney, onion sauce and red currant sauce that would have greeted you in Ireland.

Browne broke bread with celebrity chefs like Ireland's Darina Allen, who is responsible for the chops, as well as street vendors, home cooks and tribesman, like those he photographed in Fiji. Other meetings were at arm's length, like the rhinos he captured on film frolicking in South Africa.

Much of the book reads like a journal and even includes tasty emails that were sent along the way. Although lots of the general travel experience is captured, Browne always has his eyes open for mouthwatering sights not to be missed by food lovers, like the Food Hall at Harrods department store in London.

"The tour of the Food Hall captivated my imagination, appetite and wallet," Browne wrote. "I would rank it as one of the top sights in Britain, or perhaps the world, when it comes to displays of food: twenty-eight restaurants, one hall just for chocolates, another for pastries, a huge charcuterie, another hall for fresh produce, additional halls for tea and coffee, a huge ice cream store, a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop, a hall dedicated to hard candies, pates and prepared foods. In addition, the art nouveau 'rooms' are works of art themselves with incredible tile murals that rival those in Vienna, Barcelona or Paris. Leave two or three hours for your tour; you'll need it."

You'll need more time than that to fully enjoy Browne's epic work.

He divides the book alphabetically by country — including our own Texas Beef Brisket, Carolina-style Pulled Pork Butt and other gems.

And leave room for the world's best sides and desserts, too, since Browne included plenty of those, as well.

BRAZILIAN BACON-WRAPPED BEEF SKEWERS

1 pound beef tenderloin

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced parsley

1 tablespoon minced onion

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/2 pound bacon

Yields 4 to 6 appetizer servings.

Cut beef tenderloin into 1-inch slices, and then into cubes about 1-inch square. Place beef in large resealable plastic bag, and then add olive oil, lemon juice, parsley and onion, and season with salt and pepper. Seal bag, pressing out any air. Let stand in refrigerator for at least 4 hours and no longer than 12 hours.

Preheat charcoal or gas grill to 375 F. Cut bacon slices in 1/2 crosswise and wrap each piece of beef with 1 piece bacon. Thread meat onto steel skewers, spacing them 1/2 inch apart.

Carefully transfer skewers to barbecue and cook, carefully turning often, for 3 to 5 minutes, until browned on all sides and completely cooked through.

ENGLISH GRILLED STILTON-STUFFED MUSHROOMS

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

5 shallots, chopped

6 slices white bread, torn

4 ounces Stilton cheese, crumbled

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 cloves garlic, minced

12 large open cap mushrooms, such as shiitake or Portobello, stems removed

Paprika, for garnish

Yields 4 appetizer servings.

Prepare charcoal or gas grill for indirect grilling (it is not necessary to use a drip pan with this recipe). Cover grill rack with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Preheat to 375 F.

Melt butter in saucepan, add shallots and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes.

Place bread in food processor and reduce to crumbs. Add shallots, Stilton, sage, parsley and garlic. Process briefly until well combined.

Press stuffing lightly into mushroom caps. Carefully transfer mushrooms to prepared grill, cover, and cook over indirect heat until mushrooms wilt and stuffing begins to brown, 14 to 18 minutes.

Remove mushrooms from foil with spatula, sprinkle paprika and serve.

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including "Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook" and "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." She also writes the Creators News Service "After-Work Gourmet" column. To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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