Entertaining Summer

from The Journal Early Summer 2023

From Bensonhurst to Broadway to…Milford Harvey Fierstein

Ifyou want to slay all summer, you gotta start right about now. The longest days of the year are upon us, and they don’t last forever. It’s time to celebrate!

These long days extend tantalizingly before us, with the expansive feeling that the sunshine brings. It is important to welcome summer and the extra hours of daylight, which seem to imply that there is enough time for everything, that there is less pressure, less stress, and more possibilities for fun. It’s a time for serendipitous adventures and languorous nights outdoors, listening to the frogs and chatting over a cold beverage.

This is the signal to ﬁre up the grill and invite your favorite people over to share a magical evening. Generally, it doesn’t take much coaxing to host a party and still have fun. Most friends and family are delighted to be invited anywhere. They will show up with a favorite dish or dessert to contribute to a shared meal.

At my home, we often call friends at the last minute for an impromptu barbecue, with a large table of salads, sausages, meats, cheeses, grilled vegetables, and desserts. The spread is basically a giant charcuterie board, showcasing the bounty of the season. It is, in effect, a launch party for summer.

To make the celebration fun for everyone, including the host (ahem), I start with a signature summer cocktail. In my case, this is the Wheeler Whiskey Sour. I have a tray of them, at the ready, when guests arrive.

This beloved libation was introduced by my brother-inlaw, Bob Wheeler, and quickly became an integral (and sometimes necessary) part of every family gathering. It is a brilliantly simple and devilishly effective version of the classic cocktail. It involves just three ingredients, and one of them is ice. This is why my freezer holds multiple cans of lemonade concentrate, in case of an emergency party opportunity.

Here is the not-so-secret recipe for Wheeler Whiskey Sours. Take one can of frozen lemonade, add a can of cheapish whiskey, and place in a blender with ice. Pulse until frothy. Serve in short glasses for frequent icy reﬁlls. Buzz alert: they do sneak up on you, in a very pleasurable way, lending further credence to Oscar Wilde’s saying, “Alcohol, taken in sufﬁcient quantities, may produce all the effects of drunkenness.” To slow this process down, or to acclimate those unused to this amazing libation, water can be added to the mixture in the blender. But why?

I like to hit the farmstand the day before the party for the best and ripest produce available. Back home, I survey my haul and make some homemade green goddess dressing with herbs from the garden. Then I whip up a double batch of feta dip. From past experience, this easy and addictive mixture disappears with alarming rapidity. A double batch is not too much. For good measure, I throw a quick pan of brownies in the oven and call it a day.

On the appointed day, most of the food preparation is completed outdoors, early in the afternoon. This is a serious boss move, in that at the end of the evening, no one is faced with a chaotic mess to clean up in the kitchen.

A combination of zucchini, peppers, yellow squash, eggplant, and romaine lettuce are cut up into thick chunks or strips to be grilled without falling through grates. Grilled vegetables require minimal tending. Place them on the rack over medium heat, and keep an eye on them, brushing occasionally with garlic infused olive oil. Flip them once or twice. It is crucial not to get too bored and wander away for an extended period, or you will end up with a burned batch.

Arrange the veggies on platters, sprinkle with salt and a few cranks of the pepper mill. If you’re feeling fancy, garnish the platters with fresh herbs. Serve with whipped feta dip. Next, compose a salad of tender lettuces, tomatoes, and cucumbers, add any other baby summer vegetables, cover and set aside. It is ready to be tossed with green goddess dressing.

I usually blend a ﬁrst batch of whiskey sours to make sure they are as good as I remembered and test them out while I grill sweet and spicy sausages. Every time, I overbuy and think it’s too many sausages, and every time, they are all eaten with gusto. As the guests saunter in, the combination of sun, food, and sours creates an elixir of enjoyment and appreciation of the day. We graze, snack, and sip as we all catch up on each other’s lives.

The kids scatter and roam free range around the yard. After dinner, they gather around the firepit. This is the moment when the students celebrate the end of the school year by making s’mores and burning their now useless homework papers. Notebooks are ripped apart, handouts set aflame, essays, term papers, and book reports are all consigned to the firepit for a controlled burn. Proclamations, such as “I never have to take geometry again!” are followed by cheers. Whoops of victory waft happily from the direction of orange glow.

Meanwhile on the deck, the grownups savor grilled peaches, a singular summer luxury. Grilling peaches or other freestone fruit is a joyful meditation for me. I arrange the halved peaches in neat rows, skin side up, and brush them with a heady mixture of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves infused in butter. When they soften and brown at the edges, I ﬂip them and brush the insides.

Grilling the fruit releases their sugars while retaining the sumptuous shape to create a juicy caramelized treat. Coupled with vanilla ice cream and a brownie, this dessert touches on all the notes of summer.

Hosting an outdoor party does not have to be a big deal or require a lot of preparation. It just requires embracing a relaxed approach to entertaining. This could be anything from burgers on the grill, to a picnic on the lawn or a tea party under a canopy of trees. It can be as simple as sharing a cold beer out on the deck. It can be whatever you choose.

In my view, summertime entertaining is more of an attitude and a state of mind than an assembly of foods and drinks. It is a celebration of a time to gather together and renew friendships. Summer is a season to create happy memories with family and friends at a communal table.

However you choose to gather, it’s just another way of saying, “Summer is here, and all’s right with the world.”

Whipped Feta Dip

8 ounce block of feta cheese

2 ounces cream cheese

¼ cup plain Greek yogurt

1 clove garlic

⅓ cup (approximately) olive oil

Zest of 1 lemon, about 1 teaspoon

Juice of 1 lemon, about 1 tablespoon

• In the bowl of a Cuisinart, pulse the garlic clove with a little olive oil.

• Break the feta cheese into the bowl and pulse until crumbled.

• Add the cream cheese, yogurt, lemon zest and juice, and process until smooth. Drizzle in olive oil as needed to make it light and ﬂuffy.

• May be made in advance. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Green Goddess Dressing

½ cup sour cream

½ cup full-fat yogurt

1 avocado

1½ cups fresh herbs, including parsley, and any combination of basil, dill, tarragon, mint, cilantro, or other garden herb

1 scallion

1 shallot

2 teaspoons capers, drained

1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

• Blend the herbs in a food processor. Add the scallion, shallot, capers, lemon juice, and mustard, and blend until smooth. Add the sour cream, yogurt, and avocado, and pulse until mixed. Adjust with salt and pepper to taste.

• Oil and more lemon juice may be added for a thinner salad dressing.

Grilled Peaches with Sugar & Spice Sauce

12 freestone peaches, ripe but ﬁrm, cut in half with the pits removed Olive oil for brushing the grill and peach halves

• Brush a medium hot grill with oil. Brush the peaches with a light coat of oil. Place them cut side down for about 4 minutes, or until there are grill marks. Gently ﬂip them over using tongs and cook until tender, about 5 minutes more.

• Place on a shallow dish or pan, and cover evenly with sauce. Let sit for 10 minutes. Serve the peaches with their juices accompanied by ice cream, crème fraiche and/or whipped cream. Garnish with fresh mint and a brownie.

• Serves 8 gluttons easily