SUMMER ENTERTAINING, Part II: Planning The Menu

S U M M E R   E N T E R T A I N I N G

Part II: Planning The Menu

                              

A few weeks ago I invited a few of my friends, a group of amazing, creative, entrepreneurial women, for a summer garden dinner. Gathering around the table, around good food, good conversation, good laughs… in my opinion, it doesn’t get better than that. We had such a lovely evening in each other’s company and I am so grateful for this community of ladies. Let me introduce them to you…

THE GUESTS
Alyssa Hoppe – Hoppe Shoppe
Nicole Neu – Nik Nik Studio
Sara Gray – Grayhaus Interiors
Kristie Carter – Soon to be released, Monui Beauty
Jolyn Chen – Co-owner of Xiao Ye restaurant
Alexandra Ulmer – Au Baby

Hosting friends makes me come alive. Cooking for others is undeniably one of the ways I show love and I find sitting down at the table together and enjoying the result of my efforts to create and cook a meal so rewarding. The menu I served that night was lovely. 

THE MENU
Grilled lamb over a bed of fresh, sliced tomatoes
Braised lima beans with olive oil
Salsa verde: parsley, chives, mint, capers, garlic, lemon
Green salad with thinly sliced cucumber and radish, dressed with lemon, shallot, chives, mint
Sheep’s feta, olive oil, Aleppo, and lemon zest
Olive sourdough loaf 
Gingersnap Strawberry Tart

As you may have read in my previous post, I basically have a formula for setting the table. First, put down a tablecloth, then a selection of dishes and serving pieces in a limited color story, next add flowers, light some candles, and let the food and company take center stage. This doesn’t change much from winter to summer, but what does change is the menu and whether indoors or outdoors.

In this post I’d like to give a rough framework of how I put together a summer dinner party menu. The considerations that go through my head when planning and how it all shapes up into a beautiful, achievable evening. Because I tend to wax poetic this post got long. If you are interested in the recipes you can find them in a forthcoming post. 

-Kira

 

#01: Fresh Flavors… 

In summer I want to avoid turning on the oven if possible. Don’t want to heat up the house or be cooking in a stuffy kitchen. Whereas in the winter I might simmer something slowly on the stove all day to offer a hearty, warming meal, in the summer I want to eat fresh flavors. Which brings me to the next thought…

#02: Work Backwards… 

I like to work backwards. I basically want to eat vegetables five different ways, with lots of herbs piled on top. The bounty of summer produce is so wonderful! So creatively stimulating to prepare and rewarding to eat. And it’s only with us for a few short months. Whereas some people might think “I want to grill a steak, what can I serve with it?” In the summer I usually look to the farmers market or my garden for the most tempting vegetables and build my menu from there. 

Having first sourced the veggies I then have to figure out how to turn them into a meal. I’ll brainstorm through a few ways to prepare them- What would they go well with? What type of spice profile? How to cook- grilled? Or yummy raw? What is a nice presentation or experience of the veggies, large chunks? Julienned? Pureed? - and as I do that a concept for a meal starts to come into focus. The direction helps me decide what anchor elements make sense to pull it all together, often a grilled protein (more time outside) and a grain or bean.

A protein + a grain or bean + one or many veggie dishes = an easy formula for a great meal.

 

#03: Modular Meals… 

I like to make my meals sort of modular. Instead of one or two main dishes with all of the flavors mixed in, I break those flavors out into several individual dishes with more limited ingredients. The idea is for the flavors to all stand well on their own, but overlap and combine in complementary ways. Plus, more dishes on the table feels more abundant. Building a menu this way provides a master plan but allows guests to choose their own adventure. This can also be a strategic way to separate out sensitive ingredients allowing guests to mix and match their plate not only to their preference but also to their dietary needs. 

 To give an example, I could have chopped up the feta and added it to the salad, combining those flavors and making one less dish on the table. But, one of my guests doesn’t eat dairy, which would have meant she also wouldn’t have been able to eat the salad. But, because the feta was presented by itself she could easily avoid it. And people cut small hunks of the cheese to spread on slices of bread or mixed pieces into their beans, which they may not have thought to do had it been served in such a predetermined kind of way. Choose your own adventure!

#04: Do Ahead… 

I believe in making ahead as much as possible. Cooking when people are there is too hectic. I can’t focus entirely on the food, leading sometimes to less than ideal results, and I’m distracted in conversation, not fully paying attention to my guests, because I’m cooking. Kind of a lose-lose. 

The win-win is cooking or prepping everything earlier in the day. When guests get there you have time to say hello, pour a glass of wine, get to chatting, and then when everyone is ready to sit down and eat, you just assemble and set things out. Toss the prewashed and already sliced veggies with the premixed vinaigrette into a salad. Spoon the already cooked and seasoned beans into a bowl, and drizzle with olive oil. Besides the lamb, I prepared my whole menu midday and then went about my business until dinnertime.

#05: Definitely Dessert… 

I always make a dessert! It makes it more of a special occasion and spoils your guests. I allow myself to make an exception to the turning-on-the-oven rule for dessert preparation.

 

 

#06: Drinks Are Part Of The Menu… 

I always offer non-alcoholic drinks, people deserve options and may not drink or feel like drinking. Everyone feels pampered by bottles of fancy bubbly water and I also put out a pitcher of tap water. Bonus points for slicing up some lemons for guests to add to their glasses. 

For wine I keep it easy on myself and ask for a recommendation from the wine shop. I am not an expert but they are. I’ll tell them what I’m cooking and what vibe I want. For this menu I was really feeling a rosé and they led me to a delicious one. I buy a few bottles so we can keep the wine consistent throughout the meal.

 

Photography by Scott Rounds