How I make my weeknight meals feel like little parties
Easy breezy al fresco dining or bust.
The parade of spring vegetables—ramps, peas, rhubarb, asparagus!—that strut onto the scene this time of year is my cue to brighten up the palette of my dinner parties. Or maybe the credit goes to the tulips and lilac bushes start blooming. Other contenders: this brilliant NYC rooftop garden, Olive Ateliers’ divine outdoor furniture, and this Martha’s Vineyard home, where you enter through the greenhouse. There’s even more in my saved folder, which is full of products and ideas to kick the cold-weather doldrums. —Samantha Weiss-Hills, managing editor
On Board
I ate dinner outside last night with my husband and best friend. It was nothing fancy, just hot dogs on the grill and potato salad. But proper flatware, some Hellerware, and cloth napkins made it feel like more than an average Wednesday meal. It was a good reminder that going a little over the top is always better than not.
Here’s a slice of the inspiration I’ve saved for future al fresco fêtes:
Being a bit of a basket head, I love the idea of a woven bowl on the table filled to the brim with herbs, ready to garnish salads, grilled vegetables, and pasta.
Next Shabbat I’m going to tie up my challah in big, flouncy bows like the Out of Use Berlin founders did here.
An enchanting line of tableware designed by prolific stylist Kira Corbin is debuting next week, and I want to serve summer tomatoes on the recycled clay plates all season long.
This scene from our Heather Taylor Home collaboration is like drinking a big glass of refreshing lemonade. I love the monochrome look, complete with our striped table runner, napkins, and placemats; Georg Jensen flatware; Nickey Kehoe glasses; and circa-2020 Domino x Pomelo Casa plates.
Here’s to more handwritten menus, even if your penmanship is questionable. The quirkier, the better. I would just order these without all the extra text.
No need to stick to classic floral arrangements for a centerpiece, nor linen for a tablecloth. Try a textured spread like the one in this sweet scene, topped with assorted fruit, candles, and potted plants. A twin-size coverlet or quilt is perfect for a regular table.
I like that the first book by Rebecca Gardner, founder of the irreverent party brand and studio Houses & Parties, calls itself more of a “why not” instead of a “how-to” manual. Pump up the volume for the reason of living life and nothing else.
My move when it’s too hot to turn on the stove is le grand aioli. I’m ready to gather a cheer squad on a vintage bread board: raw and steamed vegetables, chilled seafood, boiled eggs, and pickles, all around a dish of mayo, their champion.
I’ve been saving oodles of napkin-folding inspiration. I’m currently feeling this super-simple notepad style, which looks so nice in pink on pink.
Good Buys
We’re in a golden age of cookbooks. This year, Salt & Straw is giving us their ice cream recipes, there’s an entire ode to salsa from Rick Martinez coming, and the endearing, lovable Samin Nosrat introduces her second title this fall. Below are a few books I can’t wait to cook from this summer.
Clockwise from top left:
Galette!: Sweet and Savory Recipes as Easy as Pie
Recipe tester and developer Rebecca Firkser zeroed in on the freeform tart for her debut cookbook. With a joyful cover like this, I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t want to immediately have a galette party.
What Can I Bring?: Recipes to Help You Live Your Guest Life
When I’m not the host and a cookout is on the calendar, I’m usually coming with some sort of side. Casey Elsass’s new book helps you go beyond a bag of chips. I love the section dedicated to the moments when someone tells you to just “bring yourself”—he has a few homemade treat ideas to present as gifts.
Sesame: Global Recipes + Stories of an Ancient Seed
Seed+Mill founder Rachel Simons showcases the sweet and savory sides of this diminutive ingredient. Another new sesame-driven book: Tahini Baby by the effusive Top Chef Canada host Eden Grinshpan. Peep her Toronto kitchen here.
Kwéyòl / Creole: Recipes, Stories, and Tings from a St. Lucian Chef's Journey
One glance at James Beard Award–winning chef Nina Compton’s cookbook, co-written by fellow winner and writer Osayi Endolyn, puts me on island time. The soursop mousse, grilled lobster, and chilled crawfish and corn soup are made to be eaten outside.
Side Notes
I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, so it’s kind of confusing that my Instagram Explore page is all desserts right now. But, in case you do, here are the prettiest cakes, pavolovas, and souffles I’ve seen—and that I’d actually make for guests.
I would be very happy to place this pistachio olive oil cake by Substacker Saweeeties on the table at the end of a meal.
This fanciful brown sugar pavlova with poached rhubarb was dreamed up by one of my favorite GBBO bakers, Benjamina. Come to mama.
Two words: Coconut. Cake. Pastry chef Caroline Schiff doesn’t share her recipe here, but I know Ina would never steer me wrong. (And can someone get Stissing House’s recipe, please!)
Watching Jacques Pepin make souffle makes me want to make souffle. This is the year I will perfect the dish, thanks to David Lebovitz.
Carrot cake never misses, and certainly not Zaynab Issa’s viral version. Here’s the recipe; I would make it with the most tender spring carrots you can find.
requested 'what can I bring' for my local library to purchase :)
This has lots of good ideas for setting a proper table with know-how; thank you for sharing, as I am very gauche, not one to be invited anywhere. Sorry!