Summer is for being social! So I’m gently offering up notes on entertaining. These are not so much a menu, as highly opinionated and personal thoughts on some things that have recently worked, and some that have not. Party on.
Do what my friend Allie does. If you’re throwing a dinner party, I suggest you do what my friend Allie does (one of my favorite hostesses, who hails (of course) from the genteel south): she skips heavy appetizers altogether before dinner. She puts out nuts, serves cocktails and pretty much gets everybody to the dinner table about 15 minutes after the last (timely) guest arrives. Let the games begin, I say! Everybody loves that point when you get seated and a conversation that can include everyone begins. She then, of course, serves plenty of food on large platters, which allows for self service and includes enough options for those who are vegans, have allergies, etc. I love how her dinner parties roll to a start. She’s my idol.
They are exquisite displays, but ditch the cheeseboard. Nobody is eating cheese right now. At one recent cocktail party, as I headed out toward the end of the evening I walked by a glorious, intricately-created exhibit of fromage straight out of a still life. Only it wasn’t a painting. It just hadn’t been touched in the over two hours it had been out. I sliced some off in a rare departure from my own strictly enforced summer diet out of sympathy for the host. But nobody wants to be guilt-eating your aromatic Robiola. Is this the moment where hosts need to just admit that Peter Attia and all the longevity influencers have won? I think perhaps, yes.
This is not new (and impossible to rationalize with the untouched cheeseboard) but absolutely everybody ate this zucchini goat cheese tart. For a recent cocktail party where I knew many folks would be running off to the “Major Charitable GALA of that Particular Night”) I wanted to offer something beautiful with sustenance. I served this tart; it’s an Ina Garten recipe, which means it takes ten times longer to prepare than her estimated one hour and 55 minutes, but it also means it was elegant and tasty. For those who were moving on (to no doubt bad food they weren’t going to eat) a slice of this gorgeous tart was sustaining enough to get you through a night of small talk. Anyway, it got quickly eaten up, as well as the back-up I had made (just in case). And got a lot of compliments. Plus, did I say it’s pretty?
PS: I've made it a couple of times and I add more fresh lemon juice than what the recipe calls for.
The cocktail that you won’t keep in stock. I noticed a couple of years ago that everybody started drinking tequila on ice with a squeeze of lime (no carbs, way less calories). But for the second summer in a row, Texas Ranch Water is the winner. I made pitcher after pitcher for a recent gathering. It’s a simple three-ingredient cocktail of two parts tequila blanco to one part freshly squeezed lime juice, topped with sparkling water (Topo Chico is my favorite for this). Over ice. But it’s very forgiving, so take those measurements in stride. Cool, crisp, refreshing, enjoyed by everyone eager to take an edge off without putting calories on.
This Lemon-Basil Granita was *such a winner* for dessert at a recent dinner party and *so easy* to make. I don’t typically read the WSJ to get recipes (does anyone?) but ever since my first taste of pistachio gelato in Florence, I have loved frozen Italian desserts. So I was a sucker when I read This Frozen Italian Dessert Is Shockingly Simple to Make. I served it, and it was a unanimous winner. Raves, Crushes. So light and fresh.
In short, you make a lemon-basil syrup by combining 2C water, ¾ C granulated sugar and 1/2t salt and bringing to a simmer. Turn off the heat and add 1C fresh basil. Let sit for 10 min. Strain in order to remove the basil and add 1C fresh lemon juice. Pour the syrup into a 9-by-9 cake pan and let freeze for 1 hour. Use a fork to break up the crystals. Repeat every hour or so for about four hours. Voila!
The Crush Letter
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