AL FRESCO SEASON PART II
A recipe for a good time
Hi Friends!
It was my birthday yesterday and we celebrated the only way we know how… Al Fresco! Al Fresco Season coincides with Gemini season! We cooked for a few friends and family in my hometown of St Helena and it was a grand old time! As promised, here is Part II of my guide to Al Fresco Season including my favorite food and drinks to serve at your next dinner party. And if you missed Part I, it’s a nice lil roundup of platters, tablecloths and glassware to spruce up your table this summer. This post is a little long, so you may need to open in browser to read the whole thing.
DRINK:
More often than not, I serve our house wine, Lorenza - the wine company I founded with my mom. We make food-friendly Mediterranean style wines like Rosé, Picpoul Blanc and Cinsaut from old vineyards in Northern California. In our 16 years of business, I haven’t found a meal it doesn’t work with! We’re in the midst of my annual Birthday Sale, use code BDAY20 through Sunday if you want to give it a try!
If I’m really organized, I love creating a welcome cocktail for friends to enjoy upon arrival before switching to wine for the meal. These Mandarin Margaritas by Justine’s Table look incredible. Freezer martini’s are excellent. I also like the idea of a build-your-own-spritz station stocked with different amaro. As much as I love Campari, I think we’re all trying to avoid red #40 and why not support some smaller producers! Veso Strawberry Solstice is heavenly, Mommenpop nails it every time, or try this delicious one we discovered at the River Cafe. Set out an ice bucket, tongs, glassware, a variety of sliced citrus like kumquats, Bearss limes, or Meyer lemon along with a bottle of sparkling wine and very bubbly water like Topo Chico. Also, I love to throw a couple castelvetrano olives into my spritzes. Cin Cin!
My other warm weather fave is a Michelada! Here’s how I like to do it… Prepare a large glass with a tajin rim, fill with ice, pour a shot of freshly squeezed lime juice in, followed by Clamato or tomato juice, a dash or two of hot sauce, top with Modelo and be in heaven. You can also omit the Clamato and hot sauce and and you have a Chelada, which is one of my favorite things to drink in Mexico City. So refreshing.
It’s nice to have more great NA options these days too. My favorite is the lime and salt spritz from Ghia. I also plan on serving a beautiful pitcher of iced tea with slices of lemon and mint. Have you ever tried Sportea? It’s a St Helena classic. You’re welcome. And having a case of Pellegrino on hand at all times is never a bad idea.
Nice ice is a very lovely touch. You can make your own fun cubes at home with some citrus or edible flowers. Or for some proper clarified cubes buy from somewhere like Pennypound. Or really splash out and have the ice queen herself, Leslie from Disco Cubes make you some custom ones! OR you can always get an ice sculpture! I did this for NYE and now want one for every occasion. (I have declared 2024 the year of the ice sculpture.)
SNACK:
Gilda’s - The perfect Basque snack, served on a toothpick or something cuter. Pierce a manzanilla olive, a guindilla pepper, a Cantabrian anchovy, and finish with another olive or pepper. It’s a salty, spicy, briney flavor bomb!
Last summer in a teeny town on the Danish seaside, we stumbled upon a cafe serving the most delightful afternoon snack anyone could ever ask for. It was sliced comté cheese, a bowl of tomato confit, the most amazing Scandi toast and butter, a slice of lemon and boquerones. Yes, more anchovies again. Not sorry about it! This is really easy to recreate with the exception of the setting. Sigh.
A couple weeks ago in Ojai, we planned on making a tinned fish board for pre-dinner snacks, but didn’t have an extra cutting board! Instead I used a baking sheet and thought it looked really nice, a fun improvisation that I will be doing intentionally again. Some of my favorite tinned fish are Siesta tuna in yuzu kosho, squid in ink, cockles in brine, Fishwife spicy smoked salmon, but part of the fun is trying new things, so be adventurous! I like to accessorize the platter with olives, pickles, Marcona almonds, spicy mustard, butter, lemon and of course a baguette. Another great companion to tinned fish (or even caviar) is Ritz crackers. Literally divine. It’s also a nice idea to have some fresh GF options like sliced cucumber, radish and endive.
Another big hit at our parties is shrimp cocktail. Fun, festive and pretty easy to do! I quickly poach the prawns in boiling water with lemon then chill them down. Serve in cute metal coupes with Molly Baz’s Dilly Horseradish sauce.
SERVE:
Here are some ideas to spark your inspiration for your next Al Fresco dinner party, not necessarily all at the same meal. Just options for you to build around.
This shiso leaf sashimi starter is a bit of a signature dish around our place and kicks the night off in a gorgeous way. On a platter, arrange shiso leaves, then on each leaf put a dab of wasabi, then top with uni or sashimi grade fish of your choosing. You could top it with a drop of ponzu or lemon or a spoonful of salmon roe or just go au natural! Scoop the whole bite up with the shiso leaf and enjoy!
A homemade Caesar is quite easy to do and is a big crowd pleaser. Practice your skills and you can even put on a show and prepare it tableside! Another nice salad is torn radicchio, sliced heirloom tomatoes, avocados and grilled halloumi topped with parsley and a simple dijon vinaigrette. Or this gorgeous snap pea and mint salad from Chloe Cooks.
In my opinion, pasta is the perfect summer supper. And tomato season is right around the corner! The most simple dishes can be the most special if you use high quality ingredients. I’m a big pomodoro gal and love this version Spicy Golden Tomato Pasta topped with very nice parm and a handful of basil. This pairs so well with a chilled bottle of red like our Old Vine Carignan. I also love making Grossy Pelosi’s Summer Corn Tomato Pasta. Also an all-time fave is Spaghetti Vongole! It takes a bit more effort and precise timing, so better for smaller parties, but is always a hit!
I love making this salmon dinner when it gets really, really hot out!! Create a lush platter with butter lettuce cups, grilled salmon, pickled onions and fresno chilis, an abundance of dill, cilantro, parsley, mint, lemon slices, cucumber, avocado. Create your perfect bites and top with a scoop of Sunny’s Tahini! Could be made vegetarian by swapping mushrooms for salmon. Serve along a side of herby rice… yum!
DESSERT:
I’ve always been more of a salty girl than sweet, but I think I’m in the minority here so it’s time to step up my dessert game! It’s also a very kind gesture to bring to your hosts who may have left sweets as an afterthought. I am drawn to the beauty of desserts and have started to dabble! It’s really fun and the result can be WOW! A chef friend of mine told me that no other dish gets people excited like a dessert.
My first bake was Olivia Muniak’s Chocolate Flourless Cake and I haven’t looked back! Serve with freshly whipped cream and berries. My cooking goal of last year was to make a pavlova and I waited until New Year’s Eve to do it lol. Luckily, it turned out very well! Covered with passion fruit, berries, cream, and edible flowers. This is the dessert of the moment and for good reason! I want to do another with peeled mandarins. (This year’s dessert goal is an ice cream cake! Will report back.)
A recent banger was Allison Roman’s Salted Lemon Cream Pie from her book Sweet Enough and I couldn’t recommend it more. Once high summer kicks in and stone fruit is peaking, I love making the legendary Marion Burros Plum Torte.
If it's way too hot to turn on the oven, macerate some lychees in liquor and serve on a chilled plate. Borrowing that one from the legendary Mr Chow, so you know it's chic. Or do like we did last weekend, and throw some cherries n berries on the rocks. The perfect finale to a meal.
I hope this inspires you to invite some friends over and eat something delicious outdoors. No occasion is needed but all are welcome! This time of year is so perfect and soon it will be hot hot hot. I couldn’t help myself so I added a few more beautiful things for your table below:
Alex and Trahanas footed aperitif bowl…. I need! Always great to have a piece to add some height to your table. Also LOVE their ceramic wine bucket.
Heather Taylor Home’s new Nantucket Plaid collection will def add some pizzaz to your life! The napkins would be nice on their own as well.
Stackable wine glasses these are fun, durable and perfect for serving a chilled red.
This cute shop Sommer based in San Francisco has a beautiful selection and I love their photography.
If you want a little more inspo, check out party queen Annie Campbell on IG. She can do no wrong!
Have a great weekend!
xo
Michèle
Oh I love the idea of using a baking sheet instead of a board! So many beautiful and delicious ideas.
So many beautiful tablescapes and recommendations (those desserts!). I’m definitely inspired to invite some people over and eat outdoors. Thank you!