Lightly Salted by rubycolwell

November dinthe issu ner e

01. preparation 3 It’s Not Entertaining, It’s Having People Over 9 The Best Cookbooks 11 How To Buy Groceries

21. presentation 23 The Affordable Platters You Need 25 How To Arrange Flowers 31 How To Set A Table 39 Make Your Own Name Tags

41.

imbibe

43 11 Natural Wines 45 Cocktails, My Oh My! 47 Homeade Cordial

49. finale

51 What’s For Dessert 61 Get Rid Of Baking Anxiety 67 Apple Concord Pie Recipe 71 Pavlova Recipe 73 How To Say Goodbye 76 7 Tips For Table Talk

THE DINNER ISSUE

preparation PART ONE

You want to make dinner. Either to treat your friends, or yourself. But where do you even start? Let the journey to your meal begin here.

THE DINNER ISSUE

IT EN AI ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PE O 3

PREPARATION

T’S NOT NTERTINING. S HAVING EOPLE OVER. Alison Roman’s philosophy of cooking for others: Make it about unfussy food and unfussy vibes. 4

THE DINNER ISSUE

“Roasting a nice chicken for people is such a good way to say ‘I love you.’” I recently found this note to myself scrawled on the back of an electric bill I had probably forgotten to pay, written one night after a dinner party. There was most likely a lot of wine that night (the best ideas always come from a lot of wine), which explains my poor penmanship and well-intentioned but fragmented deep chicken thought. Not exactly poetry, but it does articulate my general feelings about having people over: Using your time and resources to cook for those you care about is the ultimate expression of love. And love is about expressing joy, not producing anxiety, so the other thing I want you to know is this: You can do this. I have always been allergic to the word “entertaining,” which to me implies there’s a show, something performative at best and inauthentic at worst. But having people over? Well, that’s just making dinner, but with more people. Unfussy food, unfussy vibes and the permission to be imperfect, no occasion necessary (other than to eat, of course). For anyone looking for tips on how to fold linen napkins or create floral arrangements, I am not your girl. I don’t have any clever hosting tips, and I will not teach you the secrets to mood lighting. But I will give you low-stress and high-impact recipes and ideas intended to make your life easier when you’re cooking for others. I don’t love rules (mostly because I can’t seem to stick to any, even my

own), but when I’m planning what to serve, I generally start by making sure I have something from each of these categories represented: snacks, salads, sides, mains and sweet things. Not all of these things must be present in order to have a complete experience, but using that general framework is a good place to start. Here, we have four out of five, which I think we can still call a complete meal (but I think being a few minutes late is still punctual, so what do I know). For snack time, there’s an easy-to-love dip that tastes a little like ranch dressing and is good with everything, whether it’s paired with raw vegetables (don’t call them crudités) or crackers or swooshed under roasted vegetables. Moving on to the main event, we’ve got a salady side of almost spicy, anchovy-tossed white beans with lightly wilted escarole and a showering of Parm. It goes with just about anything, but is especially nice with my all-time favorite roast chicken: slow-roasted oregano chicken with buttered tomatoes. I don’t believe in perfect roast chickens, but this one comes as close as I’ve encountered. Dessert is not essential, but it is nice to end the meal with a little sweet something, even if it takes 10 minutes to throw together using mostly pantry ingredients. Luckily, these tiny, salty, chocolaty cookies fit the bill. This is not about living an aspirational life; it’s about living an attainable one. You know, the one that comes with not really having enough time to braise a whole pot of short ribs before

PREPARATION

people arrive (but you try anyway), accidentally burned cakes (just cut those parts off), and not enough chairs to seat everyone at once (sit on the floor?). It’s the life we live, it’s little bit messy, it’s nothing fancy — I’m sure you wouldn’t want it any other way. This article is an excerpt from “Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over” by Alison Roman.

Labneh Dip with Sizzled Scallions and Chile INGREDIENTS: 1/3 cup olive oil 4 scallions (or green garlic), white and light green parts, thinly sliced 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro (leaves and tender stems) or chives, plus more for garnish Flaky sea salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 cups labneh, full-fat Greek yogurt or sour cream 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice DIRECTIONS: 1. Heat the olive oil, scallions, red-pepper flakes and cilantro in a small pot over medium-low heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, until the scallions and red-pepper flakes start to visually and audibly sizzle and frizzle and turn the oil a bright, fiery orange. Remove from the heat, and let cool enough to taste without burning your mouth, then season with salt and pepper. 2. Combine the labneh and lemon juice in a medium bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Spoon into a bowl and swirl in the sizzled scallion mixture. Top with extra cilantro, if you like. TIP: Sizzled scallion oil can be made up to a week ahead, wrapped tightly, and refrigerated. Labneh can also be seasoned a week ahead, wrapped tightly, and refrigerated. Combine the two just before serving.

Lemony White Beans With Anchovy and Parmesan INGREDIENTS: ¼ cup olive oil 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 4 anchovy fillets 2 tablespoons salted capers, rinsed, or 1 tablespoon brined capers 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes 2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini, Great Northern or navy, drained and rinsed Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 head of escarole or chard, trimmed and torn into large pieces ½ cup fresh mint leaves ½ cup fresh parsley leaves, leaves and tender stems A hunk of Parmesan or pecorino cheese, for serving 1 lemon, halved DIRECTIONS: 1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook, swirling the skillet occasionally until the garlic is pale golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. 2. Add the anchovies, capers and red-pepper flakes, swirling until the anchovies melt and sizzle, the capers pop slightly, and the red-pepper flakes toast and bleed into the oil, about 2 minutes. 3. Add the beans and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and toss to coat the beans in all the garlicky business. Let them cook until the flavors have melded and beans no longer taste like they came from a can, 8 to 10 minutes. 4. Add half the escarole and toss to coat, letting it wilt ever so slightly. Transfer the beans and wilted escarole to a large serving platter or bowl, and mix in the remaining escarole. Scatter with the mint and parsley. Use a peeler or box grater to shave some Parmesan over all. Squeeze the lemon over everything just before serving. TIP: This dish is really best prepared right before it’s going to be eaten; if you must make it ahead, you can do everything up until Step 3 a day before. When it’s time to eat, reheat the beans and continue with Step 4.

THE DINNER ISSUE

Slow-Roasted Oregano Chicken With Buttered Tomatoes INGREDIENTS: 1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) whole chicken Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup olive oil 1 ½ tablespoons fennel seeds, crushed in a mortar and pestle or spice mill, or chopped with a knife 1 bunch fresh oregano 1 ½ pounds small vine-ripened tomatoes (about 6), halved lengthwise 2 heads of garlic, halved crosswise (it’s fine to leave the skin on) 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar 4 to 6 (1-inch-thick) slices of good country bread, such as country loaf or sourdough, toasted (optional) DIRECTIONS: 1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. (If you can do this in advance, please do.) Drizzle it with the olive oil and sprinkle with the fennel seeds. 2. Stuff the cavity with half the oregano and place in a large baking dish. Scatter the tomatoes, garlic, butter and remaining oregano around the chicken. Roast until the chicken is golden brown and completely cooked through, and the tomatoes are nice and jammy, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Add the vinegar to the tomatoes and let the chicken rest in the baking dish for 10 minutes. 3. Place toast, if using, on serving platter and spoon the jammy tomatoes over or around the toast. Carve the chicken and place on top of the toast to catch the juices. TIP: The chicken can be roasted a few hours ahead; it’s very good at room temperature.

Tiny, Salty, Chocolaty Cookies INGREDIENTS: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick) 2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (it’s worth investing in high-quality cocoa powder, since that’s mostly what you’ll be tasting here) 1 teaspoon kosher salt 2 large egg whites 1 large egg 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (at least 67 percent cacao), chopped ½ cup finely chopped hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, pecans or walnuts (optional) Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon or Jacobsen

DIRECTIONS: 1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 2. Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat, swirling, until it’s starting to foam and brown, 3 to 4 minutes. (Whisk the butter from time to time so that the solids don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.) Let cool. 3. Whisk the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a medium bowl, ridding it of as many lumps as possible. (If you really want to, feel free to sift everything.) 4. Using a spatula, mix in the egg whites, whole egg and browned butter, stirring until you’ve got a good, smoothish mixture (any small lumps will take care of themselves), followed by the chocolate and any nuts you may want to add. 5. Using a spoon, drop quarter-size blobs of dough (the texture is really somewhere between a dough and a batter) onto the baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart (they spread a lot). Sprinkle with flaky salt and bake until the cookies have flattened considerably and look baked through and a little wrinkled, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool before eating so they can firm up. TIP: Cookies can be baked up to 2 days ahead, wrapped tightly, and stored at room temperature.

PREPARATION

the best co Tartine All Day Tartine cofounder Elisabeth Prueittâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gift to home cooks everywhere who crave an all-in-one repertoire of wholesome, straight-forward recipes for the way they want to eat morning, noon, and night.

By Elisabeth Prueitt $40 from Penguin Random House

Kachka: A Return to Russian Cooking Celebrated Portland chef Bonnie Frumkin Morales brings her acclaimed Portland restaurant Kachka into your home kitchen with a debut cookbook enlivening Russian cuisine with an emphasis on vibrant, locally sourced ingredients. By Bonnie Frumkin Morales $23.99 from Amazon

ookbooks Six Seasons McFadden channels both farmer and chef, highlighting the evolving attributes of vegetables throughout their growing seasons—an arc from spring to early summer to midsummer to the bursting harvest of late summer, then ebbing into autumn and, finally, the earthy, mellow sweetness of winter. By Joshua McFadden with Martha Holmberg

NIGHT + MARKET

$40 from Powell’s

If you love to eat Thai food, but don’t know how to cook it, Kris Yenbamroong wants to solve your problems. His brash style of spicy, sharp Thai party food is created, in part, by stripping down traditional recipes to wring maximum flavor out of minimum hassle. By Kris Yenbamroong and Garrett Snyder $35 from Penguin Random House

Salt Fat Acid Heat A visionary new master class in cooking that distills decades of professional experience into just four simple elements, from the woman declared “America’s next great cooking teacher” by Alice Waters. With charming narrative, illustrated walkthroughs, and a lighthearted approach to kitchen science, Samin demystifies the four elements of good cooking for everyone. By Samin Nosrat $20.98 from Amazon

THE DINNER ISSUE

PREPARATION

HOW TO BUY GROCERIES: SUPERMARKET SHOPPING 101 We take you from the front door to the checkout aisle of the typical supermarket to help you buy (and not buy) food the right way. BY MICHAEL Y. PARK 12

THE DINNER ISSUE

SUPERMARKETS ARE OVERWHELMING AND INTIMIDATING. You're in a rush and you pop into a supermarket for some basics, and you end up spending $200 (and making some bad shopping decisions along the way). But we've all got to eat. How do you win at shopping at the supermarket? What sort of shopping decisions would make us healthier, wealthier, and wiser? We asked five experts who could help us break down a typical shopping trip: Bon Appétit senior food editor Dawn Perry; environmental psychologist and author of ** What Women Want: The Science of Female Shopping ** Paco Underhill; architect and supermarket designer Kevin Kelley, of the firm Shook Kelley; the director of the graduate nutrition program at the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University, Sharon Akabas; and efficiency expert Gwynnae Byrd. They’ve agreed to help us lead you through the basics of getting the most out of your supermarket shopping, section by section, from the parking lot to checkout. But first, don’t forget your coupons! And you made a shopping list for the week, right? Because, as supermarket designer Kelley says: “If you go in there without a game plan, you’re at their mercy!” “The guy who goes in shopping for one meal at a time?" Akabas adds.

"That’s the guy buying all the candy bars.” Note: Don't be the guy buying all the candy bars. Be the guy (or gal) who grocery shops smart, like this:

PRODUCE “In general, look for firm, perky, heavy-for-its-size vegetables,” Perry says. “This doesn’t mean buy the biggest squash you see—the bigger the thing the more likely it is to be mostly water and fibrous flavorless matter. Avoid bruised or damaged produce unless you’re making applesauce or something. Pick through those avocados, bananas, and plums—there are perfect ones hiding, though they’re probably not at the bottom. And consider the structural integrity of those piles before you pull one fruit out. (We’ve all sent the lemons tumbling, right? No? Just me? Oh.)” If you’re trying to eat healthier, think in terms of deeper colors, Akabas suggests: “Leafy greens, kale, mustard greens, and collards are better than an iceberg lettuce.” Remember the most important thing about shopping for produce: You’re just wasting money and not making yourself any healthier if you buy a veggie that you’re not going to eat—you’re just ensuring that you’re that much less likely to buy vegetables next time. Indeed, in the produce section,

PREPARATION

Your ripe tomato will give slightly to the touch. It shouldn't be soft but rather a little tender. Because tomatoes ripen from the inside out, this is a good indicator that it's ready. Be careful, however, to not bruise the fruit.

THE DINNER ISSUE

the average shopper’s biggest problem is waste. Those rows of hearty greens, bright-red rhubarb, and juicy-looking fruits look great under the theatrical lighting of the produce section, but people often don’t give them a second look once they get them home. “One of the ironies of the American produce consumer is that 20 to 30 percent of the produce that we buy never gets consumed,” psychologist Underhill says. “One of the key aspects of better shopping is buying what you’re actually going to end up eating.” To that point, it’s sometimes better to buy frozen than fresh—but more on that over by the freezers.

D E L I / B A K E RY The manned counters at the supermarket are where brushing up on your people skills really pays off. “Talk to people! Ask questions! Make friends and get special treatment!” Perry says. “This is how the world works. The people behind all of those counters work hard and very likely know more about meat/fish/cake/astronomy than you do. I had a teacher in culinary school whose father quit being an astrophysicist to sell produce (so he would have ‘more time to read’). You never know.” At the deli, don’t be shy about asking to try something out: “Ask for samples!” Perry says. To save time, don’t be embarrassed to let the supermarket bak-

ery help you out. “Most supermarkets are finishing parbaked loaves in house so you still have a good chance of getting a ‘freshy’ without a trip downtown to the artisan bakery,” Perry says. And you may be tempted to stock up on meats, but getting greedy often leads to waste. “Think about how many sammies you’ll be making that week and for how many—two to four ounces is a nice ballpark amount of cold cuts per sandwich,” Perry says. “My mom will buy deli chicken in bulk when it’s on sale (you heard me, chicken not turkey) and freeze it for later. Great for when The War comes, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Just buy what you’ll use in the next four or five days, ‘cause after that it starts to get slimy and weird.”

BUTC HE R / SEAFOOD Just like at the deli or bakery, there’s usually a dedicated butcher or fishmonger behind the counter to answer your questions and get you cuts or seafood that aren’t prepackaged and already on the shelves. And just like at the deli or bakery, you can only benefit by making this guy or gal your friend. If your major concern is price and efficiency, though, then Byrd recommends you follow her lead and think about buying in bulk—if you have the freezer space for it, of course. “I’ll go to places like Cost-

PREPARATION

Make sure the gills are clean and a bright red. As a fish ages, its gills will dull and start to turn brown.

Touch the fish. The fish should be nice and firm, springing back from your touch (it should not be soft or squishy)

co and get a big thing of chicken breasts, bring it home, and immediately separate it out into two breasts at a time in Ziploc bags,” she says. “Then I’ll have things at the ready when I need them, saving money and time.” (She makes sure she dates each baggie with the date in Sharpie, of course, to ensure her meat isn’t sitting in the back of the freezer for five months.) And when it comes to fish, don’t turn your nose up at the frozen stuff, Perry says. “Where are you from? Near the sea, or other body of clean-ish water that produces things like crab, shrimp, or trout? If so, buy fresh local seafood,” she says. “Otherwise I advise to buy frozen. In the middle of the country so much is shipped frozen and defrosted you’ll have better luck doing that at home just be-

fore you’re ready to use it (most seafood defrosts fast under cold running water) than buying the stuff that who knows when it was pulled from the freezer.”

D A I RY / C H E E S E Remember what Paco Underhill told us? The dairy section in most supermarkets is in the back lefthand corner—farthest from the entrance—because almost everyone has to get something dairy-related when they go grocery shopping. With that in mind, remember that the store and food manufacturers know this as well, and that they’ve probably studded the area with products that are meant to suck you in, but aren’t necessarily a wise choice

THE DINNER ISSUE

KIDNEY BEANS

BLACK BEANS

GARBANZO BEANS

CANNELLINI BEANS

FAVA BEANS

Named for its visual resemblance in shape and â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for the red variety â&#x20AC;&#x201C; colour to a human kidney.

Like other legumes, such as peanuts, peas, and lentils, black beans are prized for their high protein and fiber content.

Ground chickpeas have been used as a coffee substitute since the 18th century and are still commonly used as a caffeine-free alternative today.

Many canned cannellini beans are processed with high amounts of sodium, so be sure to watch out for this on nutrition facts labels.

Fava beans are among the most beloved legumes - especially in vegetarian cooking - as an excellent substitute for meat in order to provide the necessary protein and balance out meals.

PREPARATION

for your diet or pocketbook—do you really think you’re going to save that much time by paying a premium for mediocre pre-made pudding? When she goes to the cheese section, Perry goes straight to whatever’s being showcased. “That center cheese display is where you’ll find the good stuff— fresh mozzarella, other cheeses of the world, and cheese balls,” she says.

CANNED / D RY G O O D S Canned and dry goods have their place in any kitchen, and offer an easy and affordable way to keep staples at the ready at all times. “Beans, tomatoes, coconut milk are all great to have on hand,” Perry says. “Great organic cans sell for 99 cents and make for meals in a flash. Just avoid the dented and bulging ones—why risk it?” The important thing is to try to limit your canned- and drygoods purchases to when you really need them, and to know what your family will actually eat. “Stock up once a month,” Perry says. “You know your family—are you potatoes or rice? Brown or white? Dried beans are delicious, nutritious, and cheap as hell. Keep a couple one-pound bags on hand for big winter pots that will feed you cheaply for a week.”

And don’t turn up your nose at the generic labels, either: “I prefer to buy organic, but if it looks wack and the generic looks great, or the price is exorbitant, then I’ll go generic or other,” Perry says. “I have no problem buying generic if it meets my above criteria. Sometimes the Kroger brand really is the most delicious and almost always the best value, but this requires some research. You may have to conduct your own taste test—or we can do it—to find your favorites.”

FROZEN Frozen foods get a bad rap, but you’d be surprised how many experts embrace them. Not only do they help you keep costs down (remember Byrd’s bulk chicken) and, ironically, fresher (remember Perry’s far-from-theocean frozen fish), they’re often actually healthier than the fresh stuff. “In general, frozen is fine,” Akabas says. “In fact, some of the labile frozen vegetables are healthier than fresh—broccoli, green beans, Brussels sprouts— and people can save time.” That said, there are some frozen goods that really are a waste of your time and money when you can make them better at home with little effort, Perry says. “Do not buy the frozen pie crust!” Perry says. “But I’m not opposed to having an organic frozen pizza in the freezer for real (drunk) emergencies.”

THE DINNER ISSUE

JUNK FOOD The soda and junk-food aisles are the Balkans of the supermarket—they’re not a terribly productive region, yet everyone seems to be fighting dirty over the space. “The center of the store is troubled,” Underhill says. “One of the things that we measure is the rate at which someone walks in the door compared to the rate at which someone walks down an aisle. From our database, we know that less than 10 percent of the people who walk in the door actually walk down the carbonated-beverage aisle, for example.” Not surprisingly, the more conscientious the person who buys for a family is, the less likely he or she is to buy soda pop, cookies, or crackers. And men are far more likely to buy carbonated beverages than women, who are more likely to avoid that aisle altogether. (By the way, experts who study supermarket-shopper behavior seem to agree that, on the whole, men are kind of idiots— far more likely to be distracted by flashy bells and whistles and walk home with a completely unnecessary corkscrew than women, whom supermarket designer Kelley called “shrewd” and thoughtful in comparison. “Women have an instinct,” he says. “They want to go down the beverage aisle too, but they

know it’ll make their kids’ teeth fall out.”) Of course, your relationship to certain supermarket aisles changes dramatically when you have kids, who have built-in sweet tooths. Akabas doesn’t sugarcoat the experience: “Going to the supermarket with kids is deadly.” And, as we discussed last time, food manufacturers, supermarkets, and marketers are not friends to a parent’s nerves, making sure that their brightly colored sugar bombs are strategically placed so that rugrats are inexorably drawn to them. You can try to avoid those aisles as long as you can, but sooner than you think, your wee one will be making a beeline for cartoon characters peddling corn syrup, and there’s not much you can do to avoid it. So at some point you’ll have to address it head on. “Think of it as an opportunity for a teachable moment for your family,” Akabas says. “But, of course, you’d rather do it on those shopping trips where you’ll be the least rushed.”

CHECK OUT The checkout lane is either the best or worst part of the supermarket experience. You’re almost free! And yet you’re never more a prisoner. And that’s why this is where the barrage of marketing for the things you really

PREPARATION

don’t need gets really intense: Polar-fresh minty gum! The latest details on that reality star’s crash wedding diet! Your last chance for a full day’s worth of salt and fat in one neon-orange dose! “The most profitable section of the store tends to be checkout,” Underhill says. “And the person who in general does the most shopping at checkout is the third person in line.” That’s the guy or gal who isn’t paying for groceries, or placing items on the conveyer belt, but who has nothing to do but wait and consider adding just one or two more items to his or her bill. And that includes magazines (even Bon Appétit!), which are among the supermarket’s biggest profit makers. “The margin on magazines tends to be very large,” Underhill says. “Of course, the typical magazine is handled by ten people before it ends up being purchased, which almost suggests the magazines should be sanitized.” So remember: The checkout aisle is where you’re at your weakest, and where it’s most important for you to stick to your plan. Sure, it’s only a buck to toss that sack of generic milk-chocolate turtles onto your pile, but if you’re making impulse purchases like that every time you go to the market, it adds up.

As for whether the old-fashioned checkout line or the self-checkout is more efficient, Underhill says that—at least for now—it’s not really about how much time you save, but the sense that you’re being active. “Going through self-checkout may actually take the same amount of time as if you stood in line, but you have the perception of being moved through faster because you’re actually doing something,” he says. And for lots of people, that’s worth something.

THINGS TO DIGEST Introducing a little variety into their meals is often one of the biggest challenges a family faces. And the tens of thousands of products on offer at your average supermarket ironically make it even harder, not easier. “Most consumers shop on autopilot. They’re not engaged. They come in a grocery store saying, ‘What I really want is variety,’” Kelley says. “And they leave with damn near the exact same thing as the last time. The store is just too overwhelming for the average person.” “If you go into the supermarket and get the things you actually wanted to for the first time, you’re already doing better,” Akabas says. “If you keep at it and make it every third time you shop, then you’re being more mindful and starting to be more in charge of what you buy. You’ll be doing it more consistently, coming in with a plan, knowing how the lighting, the smells, and the placement work to get you to buy things you didn’t intend to buy, and that as soon as you go in people are trying to separate you from your money. You’re finally the one at the wheel of the car.”

THE DINNER ISSUE

presentation PART TWO

Asking yourself, how should I set the table? Do I really need to buy flowers? Read on.

THE DINNER ISSUE

CANDLE HOLDERS Candle holders should really be called vibe holders. That’s what they do. They hold the vibes, especially when dinner is coming to a close and the after-dinner drinks are being poured. Whether you’re going for a short tea or votive candle or a tall tapered candle, having a set of matching holders makes the vibes glow even stronger. Buy It: Bronn Taper Candle Holder, $6 from CB2.

WATER PITCHER Hydration is key. For health. For life in general. But also for dinner parties. You don’t want people running to the kitchen every time they’re feeling thirsty. Keeping a pitcher of water on the table for easy access is the professional move. A simple glass pitcher is best. If anyone needs ice, they know where the ice bucket is. Buy It: Trap Water Pitcher, $14 from CB2.

SERVING SPOONS Serving spoons separate the children from the adults. Sure, you could just use the fork that was placed at your seat, but having a spoon that’s big enough to serve chicken thighs and scoop up the juices below will make everyone significantly happier. Plus, your friend is getting over a cold, so let’s keep our germs to ourselves, shall we? Buy It: Stainless Steel 3pc. Serving Set, $8 from Target.

PRESENTATION

The (Affordable!) Platters, Bowls, And Utensils You Need To Host A Proper Dinner Party A SALAD BOWL Yeah, you know about vegetables. Your friends know about vegetables. So you’re definitely going to serve a salad at your dinner party. Salads are easy! And a great way to get some brightness and color on the table. The salad bowl you’re serving out of should be big. You want enough room to dress the salad in the bowl before you serve it. We like a wooden bowl with a finish, which protects that beautiful wood grain from your acidic (but delicious) dressing.

Because food served from a proper platter just tastes better. BY ALEX DELANY

Buy It: Providence Wooden Salad Bowl, $49 from Williams Sonoma.

A DEEP SHALLOW PASTA BOWL And for the stuff that a platter can’t handle, there’s the serving bowl. We’re mostly talking about pasta here. People love pasta. And we like pleasing people, so you’ll catch us serving pasta at a dinner party pretty frequently, especially something with a simple sauce that comes together quickly. Buy It: White Serving Bowl, $14 from CB2.

THE DINNER ISSUE

How to Arra 6 DIY Floral A

PRESENTATION

ange Flowers: Arrangements

Nothing enhances a table like a beautiful floral arrangement. Discover how to arrange flowers and recreate bouquets by top florists. BY HADLEY KELLER

THE DINNER ISSUE

How to Arrange Flowers MATERIALS Flowers of choice Vase Shears Thorn stripper Water Preservative solution or bleach Tape (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS Select your flowers. In-season blooms will be less expensive and feel right for the time of year. Other varieties, such as roses and orchids, are available year-round. Create a mix of complementary colors and varieties or choose one shade or variety. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to add greenery for texture and color. Choose your vase based on the type of flowers you plan to use and the size and style of arrangement you want to create. Cut the stems at an angle about an inch from the bottom using garden shears. (You may need to cut them shorter depending on the vase.) Remove any leaves that will sit below the water level of the vase. Pour water into the vase. If your flowers came with a preservative solution, add it now. If your donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any, you can use a few drops of bleach to kill off any bacteria and keep the flowers fresh. Start by adding the largest flowers first, working in a circle and turning the vase as you go to make sure the arrangement is symmetrical. Layer in the next variety of flower and repeat until all flowers have been added. Finish the arrangement by adding greenery, grasses, or berries.

PRESENTATION

Simple Assorted Bouquet FLOWERS USED Purple dahlias White button poms Earl Grey roses Greenery: Ruscus

THE BOUQS’ TIPS: As a rule, make your bouquet about one and a half times taller than its container. You should also balance the width and the height. Remove any thorns or leaves from flowers. This will prevent harmful bacteria from entering the water and reducing their lifespan. To help roses open more quickly, blow into the center of the bud. This allows the rose to breathe and extends the width of the bloom. Keep flowers away from sunlight and heating vents. Recut the stems and add water daily.

Wild Beauty FLOWERS USED Spray roses Greenery

CHRISTINA’S TIPS: For a Farmgirl-esque arrangement, I recommend choosing one type of flower in either a single color or two complementary hues and two types of greenery, one that’s typically hardier and one that’s lighter and more whimsical. Make the greenery higher on one side and let it spill over on the other to give your arrangement a slight S-curve design, which will make you look like a pro! Arrange the greenery in the vase first. Though that may seem counterintuitive, it makes it easier to create a wild, asymmetrical bouquet. Add much more greenery than you probably think you should. In this arrangement, it becomes the foundation to hold the flowers in place, instead of floral foam, tape, or a frog. (We like greens so much, we often want to leave them naked without the flowers!) As flowers start to expire and turn brown, take them out of the arrangement to keep the other stems alive longer. Usually the greenery will last a couple of weeks more than the flowers, so you can just trade the flowers out on your next grocery trip.

TIP!

Choose a vase with a wide enough mouth, so that your flowers have room to spread out and don’t look cramped.

THE DINNER ISSUE

Bursting Summer Arrangement

Farm Stand Flora

FLOWERS USED Delphinium Viburnum Hydrangea Roses Jasmine

FLOWERS USED Celosia Miscanthus Zinnias Cosmos Branches

CAROLINE’S TIPS: While the vase is empty, arrange a large leaf around the inside of the container to conceal the stems. Make a grid out of tape—it’s one of the easiest ways to construct a perfect arrangement. It’s the best way to craft a bouquet with fewer flowers: It maintains a neat structure and prevents the drooping that can happen with long-stemmed flowers in wide-mouthed containers if they’re left to stand on their own. It’s also more budget-conscious. To create a grid: Stretch lines of tape in a simple grid pattern across the mouth of the vase. There’s no perfect number of lines to make; just consider the number of stems you’re using. Then arrange the flowers within the different squares.

MICHAELA’S TIPS: Stop by a farmstand for locally sourced seasonal blooms. If you’re being conservative in price but want to elevate your arrangement, go with a monochromatic and neutral palette. KALE

BRANCHES

BERRIES

Wrap a continuous length of tape around the upper perimeter of the vase, holding down the edges of the tape in the grid lines. Do this at least once or twice to make sure the grid will stay in place. Be careful to keep the tape from getting too wet (especially around the edges), as this may cause it to slip.

Vegetable Tablescape

FLOWERS USED

CAROLINE’S TIP

Cuban peonies Eggplants, purple kale, and berries (or fruits and vegetables of choice)

If you’re looking to add interest to your arrangements, stock up on some extra-colorful produce at the grocery store or farmers market. Use heavy-gauge floral wire to add the fruits and vegetables. You can also use bamboo skewers wrapped in floral tape.

PRESENTATION

Lush Bouqet FLOWERS USED Dahlias Chrysanthemums Grasses and greenery

BROOKEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TIPS: Be sure to add different types of grasses for texture. Contrast lighter-toned flowers with deeper reds and chocolates to create a striking centerpiece. To create a lush asymmetrical arrangement, layer in greenery and grasses.

THE DINNER ISSUE

HOW TO SET A TABLE FOR ANY OCCASION (PLUS, THE RULES TO BREAK)

The art, and science, behind it. BY KRISTY MUCCI

Is table-setting an art or a science? It's an answer we've been looking for (unsuccessfully) for years. Setting the table can be more than a little nerve-racking for most (don't worry, you're far from alone). There seem to be so many rules, it's hard to keep track of them. And then again, some rules can be broken—but which ones are those? Here are our maps for basic, casual, and formal place settings, so that you're covered for every occasion. First, the ABCs of table setting: 1. Place the plates on the center of the placemat. 2. Lay the napkin to the left of the plate. 3. Place flatware from the outside in, according to what you’ll be using first (anyone who’s seen Pretty Woman knows that one). 4. Knifes always sit to the right of the plates, and the blades always face in, toward the plate. 5. The water glass sits above the knife, sort of where 1 o’clock would be on a clock face. 6. The fork generally sits to the left of the plate, with, or placed on, the napkin. 7. Spoons always go to the right of knives.

PRESENTATION

“While these are the foundational guidelines for setting a table, it's important to remember to relax. Your table doesn't always need to look like it's jumped right off a Pinterest board. Often, we worry so much about getting every last detail right that we forget that when you invite guests over for a homecooked meal, the last thing they're probably complaining about is how you set your table.” 32

THE DINNER ISSUE

PRESENTATION

BASIC The basic table setting is what most of us would use for weeknight dinners (that don’t involve a TV dinner), or a weekend breakfast with the family. There’s really no need for frills in this case, unless you want them. If this is a casual weeknight affair, and you aren’t serving a dish that requires a spoon, you can happily leave it off your table. If you like the idea of using placemats, these could upgrade your Wednesday dinners without getting too fussy.

THIS TABLE SETTING INCLUDES A fork to the left, a knife, and a spoon to the right

A dinner plate

A drinking glass over the knife, and a napkin to the left of the plate, or on it 34

THE DINNER ISSUE

FOR M A L This is the setting for a holiday feast, or any other show-stopping meals you might want to serve. Let’s pretend, in this case, that we’re serving oysters, soup, salad, a fish course, and and entrée. Traditionally, formal settings also forgo placemats, but that’s up to you—some prefer to use a round placement under the charger. One of the big additions to this setting is the use of a charger, or presentation plate, which is essentially a plate that no one eats from. While the charger does feel very formal, and traditonal etiquette dictates that it’s a proper part of the formal table setting, we sometimes feel like it’s just another dish to wash (and like they make more sense if you have Downtown Abbey-style kitchen staff making and serving your meals). If you own chargers, though, and like using them, more power to you.

THIS TABLE SETTING INCLUDES A salad fork, a fish fork, and a dinner fork 35

A soup spoon, fish knife, and a dinner knife

Bread plate and butter knife above the forks,

A water glass, white wine glass, and a red wine glass

PRESENTATION

THE DINNER ISSUE

PRESENTATION

RO G UE There are some rules, like knife blades facing the plate or arranging cutlery outside-in, that we try not to break but we’re always open to new ideas that mix things up on the table-setting front. Here are some of ours:

1. Breaking out the fine china is great, but so is showing off your creativity by mixing—and matching—different sets of china—just make sure they complement each other in color or pattern. A simple trick is to have one style for your basic place settings and mix it up with the accent pieces such as the salad and dessert plates. 2. Throw in some colorful glassware instead of sticking with a colorless glass palette.

3. Mix antique with new serveware for added juxtaposition. 4. Add an elaborately folded napkin with a more traditional napkin ring, or wrap it with a seasonal material. Or do something fun and have it pop up out of the glass. Or hang it off the table. 5. Have fun with picking tablecloths and runners to add color and texture to your setting.

THE DINNER ISSUE

PRESENTATION

E NAMS TAG

Cut along the dashed lines

Write the name of guest on tag

Place tag on center of plate

THE DINNER ISSUE

PART THREE

imbibe Not sure what wine to serve? Have no idea how to make a cocktail? We are here to help.

THE DINNER ISSUE

11 Natural Wines That Taste as Good as They Look DOMAINE DE L’OCTAVIN, “BETTY BULLES” THE TASTE: This naturally fermented sparkling Gamay has a light and airy bouquet, but each sip packs a punch of savory cherries and ripe strawberries, with notes of wet gravel and a grenadine finish. It’s sweet enough to satisfy the kid inside us all, while being an interesting and intensely flavorful bubbly any winedrinking adult can appreciate.

LA VILLANA VINO ROSSO THE TASTE: This Italian-made blend of Grechetto, Montepulciano, Cilegiolo, and Canaiolois smells like a seaside breeze carrying wafts from a cranberry lemonade stand. It tastes likes a Vespa joy ride down Cypress-lined dirt roads that catapults you into brambles of raspberry and blackcurrant, with stray watermelons, and ripe, juicy red plums

These natural wines are beautiful, inside and out. BY MARISSA A. ROSS AND EMILY EISEN

PINARD ET FILLES “CHARDONNE

THE TASTE: This unfiltered Chard blend looks like sunshine piercing a dissipating Pacific marine laye smells like Granny Smiths doused squeezed lemon and honeysuckl a club soda float. As soon as it h lips, an energetic Meyer Lemon a drops like a beat that pulsates th each sip, as notes of green apple Asian pears reverberate.

ERET”

donnay g through er and d in fresh le with hits your acidity hrough es and

IMBIBE

JULIAN COURTOIS “ANCESTRAL” THE TASTE: This Gamay blend marries bright cranberry flavors with the weight of red currants and smoky umami notes. It still has the fresh flavors of a bright, gluggy Gamay—just with a little more substance.

RUTH LEWANDOWSKI “FEINTS” THE TASTE: This unusual blend of California-grown Italian grapes walks the line between light red and dark rosé. It starts out with juicy cherries and pomegranates and finishes dry, with a gravelly minerality that begs for another sip.

MICROBIO “NIEVA YORK” THE TASTE: Microbio’s “Nieva York” is like drinking a blend of grilled pineapple, ocean water, and papaya from a hollowed green melon with a fennel straw. Get yourself a bottle and a Hawaiian shirt, and boom, it’s a vacation in your living room.

THE DINNER ISSUE

Negroni Sour Yield: 4 servings

2 ounces Plymouth Navy Strength Gin 2 ounces Campari 2 ounces Cocchi Vermouth di Torino 2 ounces Batched Navy-Strength Negroni 1 ounce fresh juice from 1 lemon 1 large egg white 1/2 ounce rich simple syrup (see note) 1 drop orange flower water Orange twist 1. In a resealable container, mix together gin, Campari, and vermouth. Use immediately or refrigerate up to 5 days.

Rosemary Lemon Spritzer Yield: 4 servings

1 lemon 1/2 cup sugar 5 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish 1 liter bottle sparkling water 4 ounces ouzo or gin (optional) 1. Zest the lemon. Cut 4 slices out of the middle of the lemon and reserve for garnish. Squeeze out the juice and set aside. 2. In a small pan over medium-high heat, stir together the sugar with 1/2 cup water until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, and add the rosemary sprigs and lemon zest. Let cool to room temperature, strain into a clean jar, and refrigerate until ready to use, or up to 2 weeks. 3.

Fill 4 glasses with ice. Fill each glass three-quarters of the way up with sparkling water. Add splash of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of the flavored syrup. Top with ouzo or gin, if using. Garnish with a lemon slice and a small sprig of rosemary.

2. Add measured batched Negroni, lemon, egg white, simple syrup, and orange flower water (if using) to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake hard to emulsify and foam egg, about 40 times. Double-strain into a Martini glass or coupe. Twist orange zest over top to express oils and discard. Serve immediately.

COCKTAILS, MY OH MY!

IMBIBE

Paloma With Orange Yield: 3 servings

4 ounces fresh orange juice Splash of lemon or lime juice 2– 3.5 ounces tequila blanco/silver 2 tbsp agave nectar Coarse sea salt 10 to 14 oz sparkling citrus/flavored water Lemon slices to garnish Orange peel to garnish Fresh edible flowers to garnish 1. In a large container or bowl, juice your orange and lemon or lime juice. 2. Mix in agave and tequila. Set aside. 3. Take the sliced/cut lime or lemon wedge and moisten the rim with it. Then dip each glass in the coarse salt (if desired). Alternatively, you can also just add a splash of salt to the drink if you prefer not to dip the rim in salt. 4. Next Pour the tequila and juice mix evenly into the 2 glasses (with or without ice if you prefer) 5. Top each glass with 5-7 ounces of sparkling flavored water. 6. Garnish with a spritz of lemon juice and then garnish with a pinch of orange peel and/or herbs, flowers for festive look!

Floradora Yield: 1 serving

1 1/2 ounces gin 1/2 ounce lime juice (fresh) 1/2 ounce crème de framboise liqueur 4ounces ginger ale 1. Pour the gin, lime juice, and framboise into a highball glass filled with ice. 2. Top with ginger ale. 3. Garnish with a lime wedge.

THE DINNER ISSUE

IMBIBE

Homeade Cordial Making a batch of homemade fruit cordial should see you through a few weeks of a dryathlon. Try to use whatever is seasonal and for a basic mix, combine with just sugar and water. Elderflower works well and can often be foraged – just make sure you shake off the bugs – or try seasonal berries. Provided they’re stored in sterilised jars, cordials can last several months in the fridge.

Rhubarb

Rosehip

Elderflower

INREDIENTS 300g golden caster sugar zest and juice 1 orange zest and juice 1 lemon 450g rhubarb, chopped 1 slice fresh root ginger, peeled

INGREDIENTS 1kg wild rosehips , washed and roughly chopped 350g caster sugar

INGREDIENTS 2 ½ kg white sugar , either granulated or caster 2 unwaxed lemons 20 fresh elderflower heads, stalks trimmed 85g citric acid

STEP 1 Put the sugar in a large saucepan with 300ml water. Bring to a simmer then add the zest and juice of both the orange and the lemon along with the rhubarb and the ginger. STEP 2 Cook the mixture over a medium heat until the rhubarb is falling apart. STEP 3 Pour the mixture through a sieve lined with muslin into a clean heatproof jug then transfer to sterilised bottles. Keeps in the fridge for up to 1 month. STEP 4 Serve approx. 25ml of cordial per 100ml sparkling water, or to taste.

r you Add ial to cord kling r spa ter! wa

STEP 1 Put the rosehips in a big pan and pour on 2 litres of boiling water. Bring the water back to the boil, then turn off the heat and allow the rosehips to infuse for 15 mins. Strain the mixture through a jelly bag or a double layer of muslin, squeezing out as much liquid as you can, then set aside. STEP 2 Tip the pulp back into the pan, pour on 1.5 litres of water and bring to the boil. Then turn off the heat and allow to infuse for 10 mins. Repeat the straining process, then throw away the pulp that is left in the muslin. STEP 3 Pour all the strained rosehip liquid into a clean pan and boil rapidly until reduced to about 1 litre. Skim off any scum that comes to the surface, then stir in the sugar until dissolved. Pour the syrup into sterilised bottles, ready to serve. The cordial will keep for up to three months, stored in the fridge.

STEP 1 Put the sugar and 1.5 litres water into the largest saucepan you have. Gently heat, without boiling, until the sugar has dissolved. Give it a stir every now and again. Pare the zest from the lemons using a potato peeler, then slice the lemons into rounds. STEP 2 Once the sugar has dissolved, bring the pan of syrup to the boil, then turn off the heat. Fill a bowl with cold water. Give the flowers a gentle swish around to loosen any dirt or bugs. Lift flowers out, gently shake and transfer to the syrup along with the lemons, zest and citric acid, then stir well. Cover the pan and leave to infuse for 24 hrs. STEP 3 Line a colander with a tea towel, then sit it over a large bowl or pan. Ladle in the syrup – let it drip slowly through. Discard the bits left in the towel. Use a funnel and a ladle to fill sterilized bottles. The cordial is ready to drink straight away and will keep in the fridge for up to 6 weeks. Or freeze it in plastic containers or ice cube trays and defrost as needed.

THE DINNER ISSUE

PART FOUR

finale People are starting to get full. But, whats the last sweet bite going to be?

FINALE

THE DINNER ISSUE

AND FINALLY...

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FOR

at h t ts mile r e s s ss De put a guest l wil your e. on fac

FINALE

R DESSERT?

THE DINNER ISSUE

Buttermilk Marble Cake You get the best of both worlds with this tender and moist cake adapted from a version that was served at the 76th birthday of Edna Lewis, the legendary Southern chef. It is quite simple to put together as far as cakes go, and the cream cheese chocolate frosting is a revelation.

RECIPE ON PAGE 59

FINALE

Baked Alaska Baked alaska was once a restaurant show stopper. A layering of spongecake, ice cream and meringue, it was presented on a tray and flambeed at the table to heat the covering of meringue so you had both warm and cold sensations as you ate it. But some restaurants serve it in individual portions, relying on a blowtorch back in the kitchen to caramelize the meringue. When Amanda Hesser brought this recipe to The Times in 1998, the pastry chef Stacie Pierce of the Union Square Cafe used espresso caramel ice cream instead of vanilla or chocolate and served a big ball of it on top of a tender chocolate souffle cake, rather than the traditional spongecake. The warm and cold effect is the same, and the flavors, sharper and distinct, come across as more mature. RECIPE ON PAGE 59

THE DINNER ISSUE

Meyer Lemon Tart The Meyer lemon has always been something of a California secret, and every year when its brief growing season begins there, eager cooks sigh with relief. The Meyer is not as assertive as the common supermarket varieties, but it offers so much more in nuanced flavor that it is unforgettable. And these days, the Meyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s secret is finally out. A Meyer lemon contains about four times the sugar of a regular lemon, but it can be used almost interchangeably with the traditional varieties, adding a rounder edge to both sweet and savory dishes. And you can use the whole thing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from pulp to peel. This gorgeous tart is the ideal way to showcase its seductive fragrance and flavor.

RECIPE ON PAGE 59

FINALE

RECIPE ON PAGE 60

Cheese Plate Might you be close-minded to the thought of cheese for dessert? People tend to be pretty split on the matter: either they’re on board, or they’re not. For us believers, there’s nothing better than ending a meal with a hunk of cheese and a sweet accompaniment. All that could improve the scenario would be a pour of some delicious dessert wine or sherry. If you’re a skeptic, though, you may need some more convincing. 56

Stone Fruit Frangipane Toast

Juicy, late-summer fruits and rich almond frangipane do the hard work here. Consider making these toasts an exercise in generosity rather than technique: Spread frangipane thickly and all the way to the edges of the toast and err on the side of too much fruit, torn roughly and tossed with a pinch of salt, and some sugar to encourage caramelization. If serving this for an after-dinner dessert, add a splash of red wine to the fruit and serve with a dollop of mascarpone. If this is breakfast, you might prefer Greek yogurt as an accompaniment, or a glug of heavy cream. 57

THE DINNER ISSUE

RECIPE ON PAGE 60

FINALE

RECIPE ON PAGE 60

Angel Food Cake Ready for a slice of heaven? We are no stranger to decadent and rich cakes. But what about a cake recipe where butter, fat, and egg yolks run away in fright? Meet angel food cake. Angel food cake is a cake recipe made mostly from egg whites, cake flour, and sugar. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pristine white on the inside with a chewy light brown crumb around the exterior.

THE DINNER ISSUE

Buttermilk Marble Cake YIELD: 8 to 10 servings

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CAKE

¾ cup/170 grams unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened, plus more for greasing the pan 2 ½ cups/300 grams cake flour 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda, plus 1/4 teaspoon, divided ½ teaspoon salt 1 ½ cups/334 grams plus 1 tablespoon sugar 1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons/270 milliliters buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 eggs, lightly beaten 1 ounce/28 grams unsweetened chocolate

little soft in the middle, just barely bouncing back when touched. Remove from oven and let cool 30 minutes. Unmold onto a platter. 6. To make the icing: Melt the 2 ounces chocolate as described above. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and sugar and beat until fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Continue beating and add melted chocolate. If the mixture is too stiff, thin with milk, a tablespoon at a time, to bring it to a spreadable consistency. Spread the icing on the top and sides of the cooled cake. RECIPE FROM NEW YORK TIMES

Baked Alaska YIELD: 8 servings

FOR THE CHOCOLATE ICING

6 ounces/170 grams cream cheese, softened 2 ounces/57 grams unsweetened chocolate, melted 3 cups/360 grams confectioners’ sugar 2 to 3 tablespoons whole milk, as needed DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch tube pan with butter and dust with flour. 2. Make the cake: In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, the salt and 1 2/3 cups sugar. 3. Put the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until well blended; do not beat. Combine the buttermilk and vanilla and stir into the flour mixture, until just blended. Add the eggs and mix until just incorporated. Set aside. 4. Melt 1 ounce chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pot filled with a few inches of simmering water. Remove from the heat and add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon sugar and 2 tablespoons very hot water. Whisk together until just blended. Fold 1/4 of the batter (about 1 cup) into the chocolate mixture, to create chocolate batter. 5. Pour the batter into the prepared tube pan, alternating the yellow and chocolate batters (two layers of each, beginning with the vanilla batter and ending with the chocolate batter), then run a knife through the batter to marble it. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes. Start checking the cake after about 35 minutes; the cake should be a

INGREDIENTS 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate 16 large eggs ½ cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Salt 1 quart caramel or coffee ice cream 4 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted 2 tablespoons cream of tartar 2 cups plus 4 tablespoons superfine sugar DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt chocolate in a double boiler, and set aside. 2. Separate 4 eggs into two bowls. To the yolks add 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Using an electric mixer, beat until the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Set aside. Using the mixer, whisk the egg whites and a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar until the whites are stiff and shiny. 3. Using a rubber spatula, fold the melted chocolate into the yolk mixture; then, fold the chocolate mixture into the meringue. Do not overmix. Spread the batter in an even layer, about 1/2 inch thick, on the baking sheet. Bake until the cake is spongy and moist, and slightly crisp on top, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely. 4. Using a 3-inch round cutter, press eight circles of cake. Position circles on a large baking sheet lined with parchment. Place a large scoop of ice cream on each circle. Sprinkle with toasted nuts. Put baking sheet in freezer. 5. Separate the 12 remaining eggs,

reserving yolks for another use and placing whites in a large bowl. Add a pinch of salt and cream of tartar. Using an electric mixer, whisk until frothy; then, increase speed to high and mix until soft peaks form. Slowly add superfine sugar, whisking until meringue is very stiff. Add remaining teaspoon of vanilla; whisk until blended. 6. Fit a pastry bag with a large closed-star tip, and fill the bag with meringue. Remove baking sheet from the freezer. Starting at the base of each cake, pipe rosettes in a circular pattern until cake and ice cream are completely covered. Freeze at least 30 minutes. 7. When ready to serve, preheat the broiler. Place baked alaskas under the broiler for 10 to 15 seconds, until meringue is caramelized on the edges. (This may also be done with a kitchen blowtorch.) Transfer to plates, and serve immediately. RECIPE FROM NEW YORK TIMES

Meyer Lemon Tart YIELD: One 10 inch tart

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CRUST

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing pan ½ cup sugar 1 egg yolk ½ tablespoon milk 12 ounces (about 2 1/3 cups) all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon salt FOR THE LEMON CURD

1 ¼ pound (5 or 6) Meyer lemons 1 cup sugar 5 ½ ounces (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing pan 7 large egg yolks 5 large eggs Pinch of salt DIRECTIONS: 1. Make the crust: in the bowl of a mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add egg yolk and the milk, and beat to combine. In a medium bowl, combine the flour with salt. Slowly add the flour to the butter mixture, stirring until completely blended. Gather dough into two balls. Freeze one for future use, chill the other for at least 1 hour. 2. Heavily butter a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough into the pan and trim the edges. Prick the bottom with a fork, and place the shell in the freezer for 30 minutes.

FINALE 3. While shell is in freezer, prepare lemon curd. Grate zest of lemons. Squeeze lemons to extract 1 cup of juice. In a medium nonreactive saucepan, combine juice and zest. Add remaining sugar, butter and salt. Place over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted. 4. In bowl of a mixer, combine eggs and egg yolks until blended. Slowly add hot lemon mixture to eggs until blended. Return mixture to saucepan, and place over low heat. Whisk constantly until mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency; do not allow it to boil. Remove from heat, and continue to stir to stop the cooking. Strain lemon curd into a bowl. Adjust sugar to taste; the curd should be tart, but may need additional sugar if the lemons were unripe. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it right against the surface of the curd. Allow to cool. 5. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove tart shell from freezer, and bake until lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Spoon lemon curd into tart shell, and smooth the top. Bake until filling has puffed around the edges, about 30 minutes. Cover edges with foil, if necessary, to prevent over-browning. Cool to room temperature before serving. RECIPE FROM NEW YORK TIMES

Cheese Plate YIELD: One platter full

INGREDIENTS Aged Gouda - Find one that’s aged for longer than two years. You’ll get a cheese with a caramelly, sugary, taste and a bit of crunch.) Roquefort - Stingingly strong and salty, but if you find a nice one, the balance of these two traits can be incredibly harmonious and satisfying. Chevrot - A lightly aged goat cheese from the Loire, with just a mildly funky flavor profile. Petit Basque - A raw sheep milk cheese from the Basque country. DIRECTIONS: 1. Take cheese out of fridge 1 hour prior to serving, so that it can soften 2. Arrange in various positions on platter of choice and if wanted, add additional snacks such as fruits, nuts or pickled vegetables. 3. When serving the cheese platter, make sure to have one cheese knife per chunk of cheese. RECIPE FROM KITCHN

Stone Fruit Frangipane Toast YIELD: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS ½ cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), softened ½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon and 4 teaspoons 2 egg yolks ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon/90 grams almond flour Flaky sea salt 4 slices sourdough bread (each about 1/2-inch thick), from the middle of a large loaf 2 pounds ripe peaches, plums, apricots or other stone fruits Confectioners’ sugar, for garnish Heavy cream, whipped cream or Greek yogurt, for serving DIRECTIONS: 1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream 7 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup granulated sugar on medium speed until pale and creamy, then add each egg yolk one by one, mixing between additions to emulsify. And almond flour and a pinch of salt and mix to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl as needed. 2. Spread the remaining 1 tablespoon butter on one side of the bread slices. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons granulated sugar. Transfer to a baking sheet, buttered side down. Divide frangipane mixture among slices, spreading to coat the top of each slice. 3. Working over a bowl, tear the stone fruits off their pits into large bite-size pieces, dropping the fruit into the bowl as you go. Add 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and a pinch of salt and toss to coat. Pile the fruit onto the bread, some pieces facing up, some facing down, and gently press the fruit to adhere to the frangipane mixture. 4. Sprinkle the fruit with the remaining 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, pour any juices left in the bowl over the fruit, then bake until fruit is tender and juicy, the bottom of the bread is deep brown, and the edges of the toast are crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. 5. Broil the toasts until browned in spots, watching carefully so the fruit doesn’t burn, 1 to 2 minutes. 6. Top with confectioners’ sugar and serve with heavy cream, whipped cream, or yogurt, if you are virtuous! RECIPE FROM KITCHN

Angel Food Cake YIELD: 12 servings

INGREDIENTS 1 cup sifted cake or pastry flour 1 ¼ cups superfine sugar ¼ teaspoon salt 1 ½ cups/11 large egg whites, at room temperature 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon almond extract DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 10-inch tube pan with parchment. Do not grease pan or parchment. 2. Combine flour, 1/2 cup/100 grams sugar and the salt. Sift 3 times. Set aside. 3. Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer. Beat at low speed until egg whites begin to foam. Add 1 tablespoon water, the lemon juice, the cream of tartar and the vanilla and almond extracts, and beat to a soft, moist foam at medium speed, 3 to 5 minutes. Mixture should increase in volume 4- to 5-fold. Stop machine and lift beaters. The foam should hold a soft, moist shape. 4. Turn beater on at medium speed and gradually add remaining 3/4 cup/150 grams sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Beat 2 to 3 minutes until mixture forms medium, moist peaks that bend over when lifted. Foam should not be stiff. 5. Carefully transfer foam to a wide, 6-quart bowl. Sprinkle or sift 1/4 cup of the flour mixture over the foam. Using a wide rubber spatula, gently fold in flour until just incorporated. In 1/4-cup additions, continue to sprinkle on flour mixture and gently fold it into the foam, along with lemon zest if using. When you are done you should not see any traces of flour. 6. Pour the batter into the pan, scraping the last of it out of the bowl, and spread evenly, either with a spatula or by tipping or swirling pan. Run a table knife through the batter a few times to remove large bubbles. Place in oven and bake 40 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. There may be some crumbs on the tester but they should not be moist. 7. Remove from oven and invert pan immediately with tube set on a rack. Cool in the reversed pan for 1 1/2 hours. Unmold and serve! RECIPE FROM NEW YORK TIMES

THE DINNER ISSUE

FINALE

Claire Saffitz Wants You to Let Go of Your Baking Anxiety

By Nikita Richardson for Grub Street

When I walk into Claire Saffitz’s Upper West Side apartment on a rainy Wednesday morning, there are two restaurant-level dishes sitting on her counter: a concord grape and apple pie with a flawless, wavy crust and a galette filled to bursting and surrounded by buttery pastry. “That’s a mushroom and leek galette with olive-oil crust, and then underneath, I did a caramelized chicory tart, caramelized endive and onion, which, I think, is partly why it smells a little funky in here,” she says. The apartment does not, in fact, smell funky. It smells like butter and earth and more butter. Saffitz shares the apartment with her boyfriend Harris Mayer-Selinger. Through his job in the restaurant industry, Mayer-Selinger keeps Saffitz rich in all the things that keep a professional kitchen going: Industrial-size bottles of vanilla extract, boxes of heavy-duty plastic wrap and aluminum foil, plastic pint containers labeled with bright-green-yellow pieces of painter’s tape, and a sack of flour that one might otherwise find in a professional bakery, which the couple stores inside a rolling suitcase in a closet.

Earlier this year, they also had a range hood installed, giving their kitchen the veneer usually associated with aughtsera Food Network shows. It’s here that Saffitz is testing recipes for her debut cookbook, due next fall. Her jet black hair and gray bangs are still wet from a post-run shower and she’s dressed in jeans and a shirt that reads, “Strawberries.” She explains that she didn’t start baking until about 9 o’clock the night before, which is par for the course these days as she enters the homestretch of developing 120 to 150 recipes for the book while also hosting her viral Bon Appétit video series, “Gourmet Makes.” Today, she says, she wants to take a second run at a pear-chestnut cake. “I got really into them when I lived in France for a year, because they’re really big in Europe,” she says, a vague reference to her time at Paris’ École Grégoire Ferrandi, which counts at least six Michelin-starred chefs among its alumni. “You know how we have Nuts 4 Nuts?” she adds, “There, they have roasting chestnuts.” Saffitz pads across the room and sits down at a small table next to a book62

THE DINNER ISSUE

shelf filled with seemingly every notable cookbook of the past 25 years, opens her laptop, and begins adding notes to a spreadsheet of all the recipes she’s currently testing while also compiling a list of what she needs on our Whole Foods run. Between notes, she shoos away Felix, her boyfriend’s aggressively affectionate mustachioed tuxedo cat who has 101 followers on Instagram — significantly fewer than the 473,000 people who follow Saffitz on the site. “I don’t engage that much, and in fact, I’m actually trying to engage more,” she says about her social-media following, pausing between phrases to double-check her list. “So much of the feedback I get is so positive, and I want to participate in that, because it’s so gratifying. Harris pointed out to me this morning that I have a Wikipedia page now.” It’s unclear who made the Wikipedia page, but there’s a strong possibility that it was one of the hundreds of thousands of people who idolize Saffitz and never miss an episode of Gourmet Makes. The premise is simple: The 33-year-old painstakingly recreates upscale versions of popular snacks, like Cheetos, Poptarts, Almond Joys, Oreos, Skittles, and more without a guide other than her own knowledge of cooking and the occasional How It’s Made video. Saffitz’s dry wit and tendency to become incredibly anxious, even depressed, when things go awry, as they often do, makes for an eminently watchable 20 to 40 minutes of entertainment. “I really like following roadmaps,” she explains as we walk through a now-foggy stretch of the Upper West Side to the nearby Whole Foods. It’s a side of her personality that she can trace back to childhood, when a friend tried to convince her that they could make chocolate chip cookies without a recipe. “I remember, as an 11 year old, being like, ‘We definitely need a recipe, what are you talking about?’

Of course, the cookies were terrible.” Saffitz burns through her grocery store list, picking up endives, radicchio, pears, and half-and-half, which she will later realize is actually heavy cream, in her tote bag. She mentions that she loves to save a buck, even if it’s just ten cents off for bringing her own bag or giving all her personal data to a website that automatically applies discounts to online shopping carts. “The other day, scallops were half off, half off of $22 a pound,” she says breathlessly. “I saved so much money! I saved $11!”

“If you understand flavors, and you understand the transformation and alchemy of cooking, then you can bake.” Eight minutes later, we’re checking out and talking about the anxiety that comes with cooking for other people, specifically how when we worked together at Bon Appétit in 2017, I felt too nervous to bring anything for our co-workers, even though I loved baking. Since joining New York, I explain, that fear has melted away. “Yes, you give people an opportunity to judge you, but it’s helpful to keep in mind that people are just so grateful to be cooked for,” Saffitz says. “A place of inspiration for my book was this idea that people look at baking and cooking as very separate things. What I hear a lot from people is I’m a cook, I’m not a baker. I think the perception is that cooking is creative and improvisational, and this amazing, creative outlet, and baking is type-A, and rigid.” “If you understand flavors, and you understand the transformation and alchemy of cooking, then you can bake,” she continues. “It doesn’t need to be scary.”

FINALE

Saffitz in the test kitchen of Bon Appetit Magazine

Tri c

s an d

Use Room-Temperature Ingredients If you’re going to bake, you’ve got to either plan ahead or be patient.

Invest in Quality Bakeware Flimsy, thin pans and sheet trays won’t conduct heat efficiently, causing your cake, pie, cookies, or pastries to bake inefficiently.

Butter and Flour Your Pans Generously Flimsy, thin pans and sheet trays won’t conduct heat efficiently, causing your cake, pie, cookies, or pastries to bake inefficiently.

Weigh Ingredients Successful baking means eliminating as much potential for error as possible, and that means making sure your measurements are exact.

Toss the Old Stuff The majority of ingredients used in baked goods—like baking soda, baking powder, yeast, and, yes, flour—have a relatively short shelf life.

Use Salt Salt makes other ingredients, like vanilla, almond, lemon, and sugar “pop.”

Rotate Halfway Through Every oven has a hot spot, and if you don’t correct for it, you run the risk of unevenly cooked pastries— or worse, some that burn or wind up underbaked.

THE DINNER ISSUE

! ks

p ’s Ti e r ai

On the walk back to her apartment, we talk about how the overachievement attitude, which as a Harvard grad Saffitz is intimately aware of, ultimately makes people afraid to fail. “I somehow feel the need to always manage expectations,” Saffitz says. “I’m from the school of underpromise and overdeliver. I don’t want to present as overly confident and then to fail.” As we start making the cake, starting by creaming the chestnuts and a cup of sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, Saffitz explains that when “Gourmet Makes” was originally pitched by someone at Condé Nast Entertainment, she wasn’t the first to come to mind. But with Saffitz already on staff, they asked her. “I was skeptical,” she says of the first episode, which featured gourmet Twinkies. The episode is wonky, opening with interviews with Bon Appétit test-kitchen staff like an early Sex and the City episode. But the premise was sound: Who wouldn’t want to watch a professional chef reverse engineer one of the world’s most iconic desserts? The episode has 6.3 million views to date and the series overall has garnered more than 174 million views, or 20 percent of the Bon Appétit YouTube channels’ total views. “It’s hard for me to wrap my head around how popular they are,” Saffitz says, handing me some star anise for the cake batter. “It’s obviously changed my career, because I didn’t see myself pursuing this and doing this, but I am very happy to see where it goes and what opportunities it leads to.”

Opportunities like hosting a baking class and cocktail party at Bon Appétit’s flagship Best Week Ever event, where a ticket to each cost $400. Around Halloween, her Instagram was flooded with images of people cosplaying as her and Brad Leone, the outspoken, Jersey-born YouTube personality who started as a test-kitchen manager and now hosts a number of shows on Bon Appétit’s channel. For $25, anyone can buy The Iconic Claire Saffitz shirt, featuring a cartoon outline of Saffitz’s hair and the words “Gourmet Makes.” And this month, she and other Bon Appétit personalities, including Leone and deputy food editor Chris Morocco, appear on eight different covers as part of an 18-page Thanksgiving feature (with an accompanying video series), in a not-so-transparent attempt to remind YouTube viewers that Bon Appétit also makes a magazine. “Brad and I went to VidCon together earlier this year and a lot of people were young teenagers who came with their parents,” she says as I add the eggs to the batter one at a time. “One thing I heard from people is, ‘I didn’t know Bon Appétit had a magazine and now I subscribe.’” With or without Bon Appétit, where she’s currently under contract for an undisclosed amount, Saffitz has become an unlikely star in the Instagram and YouTube age, some combination of Julia Child and Hannah Hart.

FINALE

This is perfect for scraping the very last bit of something from a bowl or measuring cup, and for ice cream scoops of all sizes.

These are so prepping useful for cockta ils and ingredie I end up nts for a using the recipe. m in une xpected ways.

CLAIRE’S FAVORITE KITCHEN TOOLS

01. Norpro (Blue) Original Half Spatula purchase from amazon 02. Oxo tablespoon measuring cups purchase from sur la table ls towe chen sy way t i k a d ripe an e en. or st hey are ur kitch rful Colo e best! T un to yo ef th are dd som to a

03. Rösle Egg Topper purchase from williams sonoma 04. Striped Hand Towels purchase from crate & barrel 05. Dessert Person purchase from amazon

This is one of the most esoteric kitchen tools imaginable and certainly not a must-have. It was a gift, but I totally get a kick out of playing around with it and it allows me to eat my soft-boiled egg with maximum refinement.

k! boo ook ything c r d ase rt. Eve nyone ele ly r desse t for a w e t s . n My ll abou a mu aking a sb It’s It’s sert. o love des wh

THE DINNER ISSUE

Apple and Concord Grape Crumble Pie Concord grapes have one of the most piercing, intense flavors in the entire fruit kingdom, and until a genius invents a seedless variety, I will endure the tedium of peeling them. It’s more than worth it for this pie, which features apples and Concord grapes. Both are harbingers of fall at the farmers’ market, and like most fruit that grows in the same season and in the same climate, grapes and apples pair extremely well together. This pie, topped with an earthy buckwheat crumble, might be one of my favorite flavor combinations ever. Recipe By Claire Saffitz

INGREDIENTS

FLAKY ALL-BUTTER PIE DOUGH

2 1/2 LB Pink Lady or any sweet-tart, firm baking apples (about 6 medium), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced ¼ C packed light brown sugar 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice 2 TSP vanilla extract 2 TSP ground cinnamon ½ TSP Diamond Crystal kosher salt 1 LB Concord grapes (picked from about 1 quart on the stem) ¼ C granulated sugar 3 TBSP cornstarch

01. DO AHEAD The dough, wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated,

FLAKY ALL-BUTTER PIE DOUGH, PARBAKED IN A 9-INCH PIE PLATE AND COOLED 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled 1 ½ C all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out 1 TBSP sugar ¾ TSP Diamond Crystal kosher salt ALL-PURPOSE CRUMBLE TOPPING, BUCKWHEAT VARIATION 1 C all-purpose flour 1 C old-fashioned rolled oats ¼ C packed light brown sugar 1 TSP ground cinnamon ½ TSP Diamond Crystal kosher salt 10 TBSP unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces, chilled

will keep up to 3 days or can be frozen up to 2 months (place in a resealable plastic bag before freezing). Let the frozen dough thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using. The par- or fully baked crust, covered and stored at room temperature, will keep for 1 day.

02. Prepare the ice water and slice some of the butter: Fill a 1-cup liquid measure with ice water and refrigerate it while you assemble the pie dough. Cut a 5 tablespoon block of the butter crosswise into 8th-inchthick slices (so you have lots of thin butter squares) and refrigerate. Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt to combine.

03. Work the butter into the dry ingredients: Cut the remaining 5 tablespoons butter into ½-inch cubes and toss in the flour mixture to coat. Quickly and firmly use your fingertips to smash the butter pieces into the flour, flattening them and working into smaller bits until the largest pieces are no bigger than a pea. Remove the butter slices from the refrigerator, add them to the flour mixture, toss to coat, then flatten between your thumbs and fingertips into thin sheets, letting them break apart if that’s what they want to do. Once you’ve worked in all the butter, you should have a very coarse, slightly yellowed mixture filled with some larger pieces of butter and some very small bits.

04. Bring the dough together: Slowly drizzle 5 tablespoons of the ice water (avoiding any ice) into the mixture, tossing constantly with a fork to incorporate. Switch to your hands and toss the mixture several times until shaggy pieces of dough form, then knead the mixture inside the bowl a few times to bring it together (the dough will look very clumpy and dry, with loose bits). Line the work surface with a sheet of plastic wrap, then transfer any large clumps of dough to the plastic. Tossing again with a fork, drizzle more ice water 1 teaspoon at a time into the bowl with the remaining flour mixture until only a few dry spots remain, then knead with your hands to bring it together into a dough. Transfer the last bits of dough to the plastic wrap.

FINALE

THE DINNER ISSUE

05. Wrap and chill the dough: Pat the dough into a ¾-inch-thick square or rectangle. Wrap tightly in the plastic, pressing out any air, and press down on the dough with the heel of your hand to flatten it further and force it into the corners of the plastic. Refrigerate for 2 hours. The pie dough is technically ready to use at this point, but proceed through the next step, which will make it extra flaky. Roll out and fold the dough: Let the dough sit on the counter for 5 minutes to soften slightly.

06. Unwrap it and place on a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to beat the dough all across the surface to make it more pliable. Dust the top and underside of the dough with more flour, then roll it out, dusting with more flour as needed, into a rectangle that’s about three times longer than it is wide and between ¼ and ½ inch thick. Fold the dough in thirds like a letter (this makes more butter layers, which create a flaky texture), then wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate the dough until it’s relaxed, at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days. It’s now ready to use. If the recipe calls for a lined pie plate, a parbaked crust, or a fully baked crust, follow the directions below. If baking, preheat the oven and prepare a baking sheet: Arrange an oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside.

07. Line a 9-inch pie plate: Let the pie dough sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes to soften slightly, then beat it across the surface again with a rolling pin to make it more pliable. Dust the top and underside of the dough with more flour, then roll it out, dusting with more flour as needed, into a 13-inch round that’s about an 8th inch thick. Roll the pastry onto the rolling pin. Unroll the round onto a 9-inch pie plate, preferably glass, letting the pastry slump gently down the sides into the bottom. Firmly press the pastry into the bottom and up the sides of the plate, ensuring contact everywhere and taking care not to stretch it. Use scissors to trim around the edge of the pastry, leaving a ½-inch overhang (discard the scraps). Tuck the overhang underneath itself all the way around so you have a lip of double-thick pastry resting just around the rim of the pie plate.

08. Press down firmly around the rim to seal, then crimp the crust all the way around, using the thumb of one hand and the thumb and forefinger of the other, flouring your fingers if needed to prevent sticking. Instead of a crimp, you can also use the tines of a fork to create hash marks around the rim.

09. Bake the weighted crust: Freeze the lined pie plate until the dough is very firm, about 10 minutes, then prick the bottom of the pastry in several places with a fork to prevent the crust from puffing up. Line the inside of the pie plate with two pieces of foil, arranged perpendicularly, so the overhang of the foil completely covers the edge of the crust. Fill the pie plate with pie weights, dried beans, or rice and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the center of the oven until the edge of the crust is set and starting to turn golden when you peek under the foil, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the plate from the oven and carefully lift the foil and pie weights out of the crust. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.

10. To par- or fully bake the crust: Return the pan to the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown all over, another 20 to 25 minutes for a parbaked crust, or until deep golden brown all over, 10 to 15 minutes longer, for a fully baked crust. Set the crust aside to cool.

CRUMBLE 01. Make the crumble: In a medium bowl, toss together the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until combined. Add the butter and toss to coat, then use your fingertips to work the butter into the flour mixture until no visible pieces of butter or floury spots remain. It should naturally clump together and hold its shape when squeezed. Cover and refrigerate the crumble until ready to use.

APPLE AND CONCORD CRUMBLE PIE 01. Make the apple mixture: In a large bowl, toss together the apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until the apples are evenly coated. Set the mixture aside and allow the apples to release their juices while you prepare the grape mixture.

02. Peel and cook down the Concord grapes:*** Working over a small saucepan, grasp one grape at a time and squeeze it between your thumb and forefinger, stem end out, to pop the soft flesh into the saucepan, leaving the skin behind. Reserve the empty grape skins in a medium bowl. Place the saucepan of flesh over medium-low heat. Bring it to a simmer and cook, occasionally mashing the grapes against the side of the pan with the back of a wooden spoon, until the mixture is pulpy and broken down and the seeds are free-floating around the saucepan, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let cool slightly. *** Please don’t skip this part! It may seem unreasonably fussy to peel the grapes, but if you were to just cook down the whole grapes, you’d end up straining out the skins and therefore much of their flavor (not to mention all the color). I tested it this way to see if I could avoid peeling, and the result just doesn’t compare.

03. Strain the flesh and combine with the skins and sugar: Set a fine-mesh sieve over the bowl with the reserved grape skins. Add the pulp to the sieve and press and scrape with a flexible spatula to force the pulp into the bowl below, leaving only the seeds behind. Transfer the pulp and grape skin mixture back to the same saucepan (discard seeds). Add the granulated sugar.

FINALE

Reduce the apple juices: Pour any juices that have accumulated in the bowl with the apple mixture into the saucepan with the grape skin mixture and bring to a brisk simmer over medium heat. Cook, whisking occasionally, until the mixture starts to look syrupy and is reduced by about one-third, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

04. Make a slurry and activate the cornstarch: Place the cornstarch in a small bowl and spoon 3 tablespoons of the hot grape mixture into the bowl. Stir with a fork until smooth, then whisk into the saucepan. Return the saucepan to medium heat and bring to a simmer again. Cook, whisking often, until the mixture has thickened, about 1 minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

TO SERVE Cut the pie into slices and serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream.

05. Preheat the oven and prepare the pan: Arrange an oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 350Â°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside.

06. Mix the filling and fill the pie: Pour the warm grape mixture over the apples and fold with a flexible spatula until all the apples are coated. Transfer half the mixture to the pie crust, arranging the apple slices so they fill in all the nooks and crannies around the bottom of the crust, then scrape the remaining filling on top, mounding it in the center.

07. Pack on the crumble topping: Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the apples. It will seem like a lot, but really pack all of it onto the apples and press firmly so it stays in placeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;packing the topping not only helps compress the filling and reduce air pockets, but it also forms the crumble into a solid layer that bakes into a firm lid and slices cleanly.

08. Place the pie on the lined baking sheet and tent the top with a piece of foil. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil from the pie and continue to bake until the crumble topping is firm and browned and the juices are thick and bubbling around the sides, another 50 mins.

THE DINNER ISSUE

FOR THE MERINGUE

1 ¼ cups freeze-dried raspberries 6 large egg whites, at room temperature 1 ½ cups granulated sugar ½ teaspoon cream of tartar Pinch of fine sea salt 71

FOR THE TOPPING

½ cup Demerara sugar ½ vanilla bean, split 2 (1 1/2-inch) strips lemon zest 3 small (or 2 large) ripe peaches, pitted and sliced ½ pint raspberries (1 cup)

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

2 cups heavy cream ½ cup sour cream 1 ½ tablespoons confectioners’ sugar Tiny pinch of fine sea salt

FINALE

Raspberry Pavlova With Peaches and Cream STEP ONE Heat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a circle with a 9-inch diameter, then flip paper upside-down. STEP TWO Using a blender or food processor, blend the raspberries until you get a fine powder speckled with seeds. (The seeds won’t break down so don’t even try.) You should have about 1/3 cup. Set aside. STEP THREE Using the bowl from an electric mixer, whisk together egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Fill a medium pot with 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Set the mixing bowl with the egg white mixture into the pot, and whisk constantly by hand until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm, 3 to 5 minutes.

STEP FOUR Remove bowl from heat, transfer bowl back to the mixer, and beat with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 to 8 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the raspberry powder until combined but still very streaky. STEP FIVE Spoon mixture onto prepared parchment paper circle. Lightly drag a spatula along the outer edges of the mixture from bottom to top, to help build up the edges so there is a deep well in the center of the pavlova. Bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until dry and firm to the touch. Transfer to a rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.

STEP SIX A half-hour before serving, prepare the topping: Stir together 1/2 cup water, sugar, vanilla bean and lemon zest in a small pot over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved and syrup is thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. Put peaches in a bowl, stir in syrup and let cool. STEP SEVEN Whisk together cream, sour cream, confectioners’ sugar and salt until firm peaks form, about 3 to 4 minutes. STEP EIGHT Fill cooled pavlova with whipped cream; use a slotted spoon to top with peach mixture and raspberries, then drizzle with some of the syrup from bottom of the peach bowl. Serve at once.

Recipe By Melissa Clark for New York Times

Know Whe To Say Goodbye THE DINNER ISSUE

In the opening post of this series, I described an ideal dinner party scenario: After taking their fill of food, drink, and amusing conversation, host and guest alike parted ways with the most pleasant of tastes in their mouths—a nip of cognac or Grand Marnier and perhaps a bit of quality chocolate. That those flavors lingered on the palate instead of less savory ones—acrid awkwardness, bitter confusion and indigestion-inducing shame, for example—resulted from the successful execution of one of the most difficult moves in the choreography of entertaining: saying goodbye.

After we instructed you in the ways of the well-executed arrival, many of you wrote in expressing trepidation regarding the other end of the evening, that inevitable point (unless, perhaps, you are entertaining in Barcelona in your early 20s, in which case, feel free to pasar de todo) in the festivities, usually between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m., when it becomes time for them to end. As one of you so eloquently put it, how do you politely “tell people after a dinner party to get the fuck out if they won’t leave?”

By J. Bryan Lowder Well, speaking first of dinner parties, you might try that exact phrase; I actually often take a (less profane) jokey-honesty tack and announce, during a lull in the after-dinner conversation, that it is “time for you all to get out of my house. Goodnight!” And research shows that I am in good company, as this forum commenter demonstrates: “My stepfather holds up a needlepoint pillow (which my mother made a few years back) which says ‘Goodbye’ on it. Works like a treat.”

“Time for you all to get out of my house. Goodnight!” But, of course, such wryness is not appropriate for all occasions, nor do all hosts wish to be so brusque. Traditionally, a hostess gently signaled that it was time to collect your coat by remarking on the time, starting to

FINALE

ays eaky W The Sn Can Tell You rty ing Pa Linger That It’s Guests o Leave Time t

Music off, lights on. - CAMILLE STYLES

Start cleaning dishes, turn up the lights, and blow out the candles! - KATE ARENDS

“I just tell the truth and give them a big hug… out the door.” - DANNY SEO

“Easy. Don’t open that next bottle of wine!” - ROXY TE

“I put my PJ’s on.” - JOY CHO

THE DINNER ISSUE

clear the table, or inquiring about her guests’ transportation needs. The rituals of a standard dinner service also help keep everyone on schedule—if coffee and after-dinner drinks have been served, guests should expect to leave within an hour at most, ideally at the natural waning of the conversation. If these soft communiqués are ignored, more forceful gestures include serving cold water, turning on the mood-killing overhead lights and/or cutting the music. (Whatever you do, do not open more wine or liquor if you truly wish to bring things to a close; anecdotally speaking, this seems to be the single biggest mistake struggling hosts make, especially when tipsy guests request it. If you are trying to be firm, booze will never help.) These methods, along with suggesting that the group move to a public establishment or warning everyone that your building or neighborhood has noise restrictions, are also probably the most effective for a larger party situation in which it is difficult to communicate your desires to everyone at once. Unless they have already expired on your couch, your sticky guests should get the hint that you’d now like to retire to your own bedroom in peace.

“Your home is not a bar; if you find yourself having to expel guests at 4 a.m. like a common bouncer, you may need to make some adjustments to your contact book the following morning.” 75

You might also keep in mind this lesson that my partner and I have, as entertainers of diverse acquaintance, had to learn the hard way: There are some people who are not yet equipped for even informal civilized events, and it is OK to exclude them until they get it together. Your home is not a bar; if you find yourself having to expel guests at 4 a.m. like a common bouncer, you may need to make some adjustments to your contact book the following morning. Now, thus far, we’ve spoken of what a host can do to wind things down, but guests of dinner parties and larger gatherings obviously have their part to play as well. First, always keep in mind that your host has almost certainly been preparing for your visit for a solid few hours or even an entire day with cooking, cleaning, and decorating before you arrive. You may feel ready for a Big Night, but they will more likely be ready to call it one around the witching hour. Then, watch for the following cues: no more bottles are being opened or the hosts are putting the libations away; dishes are being cleared or light cleaning attempted; conversation is lagging and people are eyeing the clock; it is a weeknight (regardless of your personal routine, remember that most people like to get some sleep); you yourself are falling asleep, and have not been invited as an overnight guest; your hosts are holding open the door and screaming at you to please God go home. If any of these signals appear in the field of your senses, gracefully and with great gratitude take your leave. As with whipping cream, there is an ideal time to stop, and a point beyond which things curdle. But with a dash of attention, a sprinkle of forthrightness, and a dollop of self-control, all parties can come to that best of conclusions—a happy ending. This is article #10 from a series on Slate.com called “Entertaining.”

FINALE

7 Tips for Fascinating Table Talk at Your Next Dinner Party When it comes to dinner parties, the conversation is one thing that can’t be set up in advance. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be prepared. By Rico Gagliano and Brendan Francis Newnam

Warm Up The Crowd Small talk gives guests a chance to get to know one another, and to take one another’s measure, before the conversation turns to weightier matters — e.g., sex, the lonely meaninglessness of existence and Trump’s latest tweet. It’s like stretching before a jog.

Less Talking, More Listening The sad truth is, no one cares what you have to say; they care about what they have to say. Deep down, people want to feel they’ve been heard. They will if you let them talk.

Be a Conversation Conduit

Provocation With Style

Don’t leave some guests nodding their heads and pretending they know what’s going on. Often, clarification is required. If a guest is mumbling, restate a phrase for people who couldn’t hear what was said. If a guest makes an inside joke, go ahead and laugh — and then put it in context for everyone.

Don’t worry about dangerous conversational territory. The most memorable conversations are a product of guests who dare to provoke, titillate and argue. The trick is to create a permissive atmosphere with civility and style. The goal, Elaine Stritch once told us, is to be a “ladylike broad”: half civilized charmer, half wisecracking bomb-thrower.

Embrace Complicated Topics We all know what society says we’re not supposed to talk about at a dinner party. Religion. Politics. Salaries. And yet these topics should be fair game. What’s a dinner party if not a laboratory of ideas, plus permission to eat cheese?

Don’t Assume Personalize Your Politics Go for empathy when you talk politics. Showing how a political issue affects you intimately is more important than data and statistics. Try leading with a personal story.

Asking questions can get a guest to reveal something fascinating about herself. But a quick way to prevent that is to give her possible answers. “Why did you quit law school — was it too boring?” Leave out the guess. A short question is more likely to provoke details.