Eckerle Tom - Around the table: easy menus for cozy entertaining at home

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Copyright 2003 by Ellen Wright
Photographs copyright 2003 by Tom Eckerle

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Printed in China
Printed on acid-free paper

The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wright, Ellen.
Around the table : easy menus for cozy entertaining at home / Ellen Wright ; photography by
Tom Eckerle.
p. cm.
ISBN 1-55832-252-3 (hc: alk. paper)
1. Entertaining. 2. Cookery. 3. Menus. I. Title.
TX731.W732 2003
642'.4dc21 2003002443

ISBN 978-1-55832-741-2 (pbk)

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BOOK DESIGN BY DEBORAH KERNER / DANCING BEARS DESIGN

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

DEDICATED TO
MY MOTHER,
ALWAYS SMART
AND CAPABLE,
WITH THE HIGHEST STANDARDS

Special Thanks to:

• Jessica Benjamin, my niece and friend and editor, who extracted more information than I ever knew I had and without whom I couldn't have written this book
• My wonderful husband, Joe
• My loving children, Claudia and Andrew, Alexis and Bill, David and Celine
• My grandchildren, Julia, Allie, Jonny, Kelsey, Charlotte, and Cate
• Carla Glasser, my agent, who always "gets it"
• Pam Hoenig, my editor, who is always supportive
• Tom Eckerle, my good friend and fantastic photographer
• Rena, Roscoe, and their style
• All my testers: Jessica Benjamin, Meg Bloom, Julie Coburn, Joslyn Hills, Gerri Jansen, Carla Jegan, Mike Klecan, Gerda McDonough, Claudia Plepler, Alexis Proceller, Monika Rozek, Theresa Viellecazes, and Joe Wright
• All the contributors, who are mentioned for each and every recipe, changed or unchanged

When it comes to really enjoying a meal, there's no place like home. When people come to my house to eat, I always try to make sure they feel welcome, are in a comfortable setting, and are entertained with lively conversation and, of course, memorable food. It's not about impressing my guests; in fact, almost the opposite is true. It's about making them feel at home.

The first thing people see when they come through my front door is my "welcome kitty." In Asia, it is traditional to have one of these waving cats greet anyone who arrives and, conversely, wish them well when they leave and remind them to come back. I love my little welcome kitty. It puts a smile on everyone's face.

I always have a dish filled with lemon drops by the front door so people can help themselves. My little grandchildren and nieces and nephews ask where the candy is if they don't see any. The grownups do, too, so I am careful to keep the dish well stocked. It's become my signature, like wearing a particular perfume.

Home is where the kitty and the lemon drops are, you could say, but home is also where you invite friends and family in for a meal. One of my favorite places to entertain is the kitchen. No matter how big or beautiful your house is, everyone seems to gravitate to the kitchen. Even if it's tiny, friends manage to squeeze in while you are cooking. It is the hub of the house. I think it makes people feel part of the family, part of the "doing." If you have an eat-in kitchen, you know how wonderful it is to cook and talk to your guests while you are preparing food or clearing the table and cleaning up. The host used to be more isolated; now she or he is an integral part of the party. No one expects you to cook behind a "curtain" anymore, to present a meal out of nowhere on a silver platter.

I have found that the more involved guests are, the more at home they feel. People don't mind pitching in family styletossing the salad or helping to serve the dessert. It not only helps me out, but it makes them feel as if this is "our" meal.

The most important rule I have found about entertaining at home is to be yourself. If you are comfortable in your own skin, your guests will be relaxed as well. That doesn't mean you need to shy away from trying new recipes or cooking dishes that challenge you. It does mean that you should plan your meal and be in controlalthough, goodness knows, we are all human and mistakes do happen. But if you don't let littleor even disastrousmishaps bother you, they won't bother your guests. The important thing is, no matter the situation, that you do the best you can. The rest is about getting people together and having fun.

It can be frightening to invite a group of people whom you want to impress, or at least stay friends with, into your home. But it is important to keep calm and let your own style come through.

I am not a restaurant chef, a caterer, or a professional party-giver, but I have been cooking and entertaining for more than 40 years. I started in my early 20s, as an art student in California, when I was studying painting and pottery at Mills College. Working with my hands gave me the confidence to work with any and all recipes, including difficult pastry dough. I watched one demonstration by Julia Child, then bought cookbooks and food magazines, trying any recipe that caught my eye. Probably youthful arrogance was as much the key to my training as anything else, because I didn't think twice about inviting friends over to try my first go at a souffl or puff pastry or French crepes. I had no fear and gained confidence by cooking and entertaining. I made mistakes but never felt beaten by them. It always made me try the dish again.

Having moved many times16 to be exactI have learned to be flexible. I also have learned what's important, and I have decided that ease and friendship are it. I know how to set up a comfortable home and begin entertaining for new friends because I have had to do it time after time.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, I entertained a great deal for fundraising purposes. For several years, I had formal sit-down dinners once a month for 22 people. At the end of six months, I had cooked for more than 130 people. By this time, I had three young children at home. It didn't faze me. I loved to cook and bake, and I had lots of energy. I organized my time so that I could do everything.

During the early 1970s, I met the great James Beard at a dinner party. Sitting across from each other, we talked during the meal about everything to do with food: where he bought his eggs and butter, his favorite recipes, ways of entertaining and cooking. The meal we were eating was terrible in every way: too complicated, too fancy, too pretentious, and not at all tasty. At the end of the evening, as we were leaving, I invited him to dinner. He looked stunned, saying, "No one ever invites me to dinner." It struck me then that famous people, and particularly good cooks or chefs, intimidate others and tend to be left out. People are afraid to invite them to their homes.