Easy Summer Entertaining

Recently I gave two dinner parties for friends. One was a buffet, the other a sit down 4-course meal. Both were for 10 guests and both parties were executed almost effortlessly. It made me wonder, “What is it about meal preparation that makes some meals--even if only for one or two--a complete hassle, leaving the kitchen a disaster, while others, even with guests milling about, seem to flow with the ease of a catered event?” It’s easy to say it’s all in the planning, but what are the secrets to entertaining like a pro?

Being a professional chef, I sometimes take the planning for granted. I naturally analyze the guest list, the availability of seasonal ingredients and the flavor of the occasion. Whether the party is formal or casual, the food fancy or simple, easy entertaining boils down to menu planning, prep work and timing.

The buffet consisted of six different platters: tomato with mozzarella; pasta salad with tubetini; pine nut crusted salmon surrounded by a fruit salsa; Caesar salad with homemade dressing; marinated eggplant; and sausage, peppers and onions. All except for the sausage dish could be made ahead of time and poured into platters. The sausage was par boiled the night before and while the platters were being filled by a helpful guest or two, I sautéed the sausage, peppers and onions in a large wok that later served as a pretty bowl left on the stovetop from which guests served themselves. I got to mingle with my friends and they got to partake in helping to set-up the meal. The result: a fun time for all.

The next dinner party was a bit more formal and took a bit more skill, yet it resulted in the same seemingly effortless meal. This time the menu consisted of not only dishes that could make ahead, but also ones, which could be made in minutes during the meal. The first course was grilled vegetables (made ahead) arranged on individual plates and topped with mixed greens from the garden, tossed in simple balsamic vinaigrette. The next course was linguini in a putanesca sauce, made in minutes while the first course was being eaten. The next course was tilapia--which was put in the oven while dining on the pasta--topped with a white wine sauce, pulled from the freezer and added to sautéed fresh fennel and capers. The final course was a blueberry/peach cobbler topped with a polenta crust, which was made in advance and put in the oven during the tilapia course and served warm with vanilla ice cream. Dinner was relaxed, impressive but relatively easy to execute. The only tricky part was the timing, which was made easy by choosing simple dishes that took minutes to cook with little fuss.

I’m convinced that anyone can entertain like a pro by planning a menu with dishes that are made in advance--think picnic--combined with dishes that can be cooked on the spot in minutes. What better time than summer, when a bounty of seafood and garden fruits and vegetables offers an almost endless variety of choices to make entertaining, easy, fun and scrumptious. Even when it’s prepared far from the grill--it’s still hot