American 4th of July BBQ meets Italian taste

Preheat grill to medium heat and cover.

For rollatina, trim top of eggplant. Cut into 1/4-inch thick lengthwise slices. Brush slices with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Grill eggplant slices 1 to 2 minutes per side, until eggplant has grill marks and has cooked halfway. Lay eggplant slices on work surface lengthwise away from you. Lay a thin slice of prosciutto lengthwise over eggplant, repeat with mozzarella and then 3 or 4 basil leaves on top of cheese.

Roll up and keep in place by inserting two skewers on either side, so rolls do not spin around.

Grill the eggplant rollatinas, until evenly brown on both sides and somewhat crispy, or until mozzarella begins to melt in center of rolls. Place on a platter, remove skewers, brush with extra virgin olive oil and serve.

Scampi Butter
Preheat grill to medium heat and leave covered. Mix soft butter in a bowl with all ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Foil Pouch
Cut two sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil, each 14 x 8 inches in size. Place the sheet of foil shiny-side down, narrow edge toward you, on work surface. Smear butter in the center of the rectangle, arrange half of shrimp in a single layer and distribute a little more butter over top of shrimp.

Fold the top half of the foil over shrimp and bring the bottom and top edges together. Fold the edges over several times and repeat with both sides of foil pouch the same way, folding edges toward center at least two to three folds. Repeat this with two more pieces of foil to create a second pouch.

When ready to cook, place foil packages in center of grill, cover grill and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, or until pouches have puffed up. Serve immediately. Slice pouches open, spoon scampi onto a plate or serve right in pouch.

Salsa Cruda
Combine all ingredients and mix well. It is important to use either lime or lemon juice, so that avocado does not turn brown. Refrigerate for two hours to let flavors combine. Check salt and pepper before serving, add more to taste.

Soft Shell Crabs
The crabs should be alive when you buy them. Ask your fishmonger to clean them for you. Always cook them the same day you buy them.

Preheat grill to high heat. Combine melted butter and olive oil in bowl with rest of ingredients. Brush crabs on both sides and season with salt and pepper.

Arrange crabs on the hot grill and cook, turning with tongs, until the shells are bright red, about 3 to 6 minutes per side. Brush crabs with remaining butter while they are cooking. Transfer crabs to serving platter, accompanied by salsa cruda.

Marinade
Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until ingredients are finely chopped or pureed. Spread seasoning mixture over tenderloins and let marinate in refrigerator for at least four hours, turning the meat twice.

Preheat the grill to medium high. When ready to grill, oil the grate and wipe down to remove any residue so grates are clean. Remove pork from marinade and arrange on grill.

Brown on all sides and cook through (firm to the touch), 8 to 12 minutes in all, or until internal temperature in center is 150 degrees. Let meat rest for five minutes. Brush with barbecue sauce, slice and brush with barbecue sauce again. Serve extra barbecue sauce on the side.

Balsamic Barbecue Sauce
Heat oil in large nonreactive sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until soft.

Stir in all other ingredients, bring to a slight boil, reduce heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, taste for seasoning if necessary. Sauce should be sweet, sour and spicy.

Peach Layer
Melt 1/2 cup butter in 10-inch cake pan. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Arrange peach slices over butter-sugar coating.

Cake Layer
Cream 1 cup butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, while mixing well.

Sift together dry ingredients, and add, alternately with sour cream. Mix in almond extract.

Pour on top of peaches in prepared pan and bake, at 325 degrees for 45 minutes (or until a wooden toothpick stuck into the center of the cake comes out clean).

Remove from oven and invert cake pan onto plate. Leave pan there for a few minutes, so brown sugar-butter can run out of pan onto the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.