Susan Spungen knows how to throw a great summer fete. She is food editor of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and collaborator on her inimitable boss’ new book, “Martha Stewart’s Hors D’Oeuvres Handbook” (Clarkson Potter, $35). We asked Spungen to share the essential details–the good things for which the Martha folks are so well known–on summer entertaining:
Should menus be different in summer versus other seasons?
Food should be more casual, quicker to prepare. . . . The idea is to minimize kitchen time. Produce is so fresh, you want to focus on that and do as little to the food as possible. A platter of beefsteak tomatoes makes a great presentation, and it takes five minutes.
What are some ideas other than the standard barbecue or dinner party?
Have a potluck picnic and ask people to bring different room-temperature dishes. If you want to go to a park or beach (for a gathering), ask people to bring food, with you responsible for bringing all the other things: a table, plates, forks. That way, no one person has to bring everything. I like to go to another place–outside–and have everybody meet there. The party comes together magically. Another alternative is a cocktail party before it gets too dark and buggy. Have people over at 6 or 6:30 p.m.
How do you convey cocktails and not dinner when inviting people?
Simply tell people–if you are not writing invitations–“Please come for cocktails from 6 to 8.” That should pretty much do it. . . . Inviting guests for a cocktail party at 8 p.m. is a mistake. Even if you call it a cocktail party, people will assume it’s more than that.
Do you set up a complete bar for a cocktail party?
Keep it simple. Unless you are having a wedding, you don’t want a full bar. It’s nice to do wine or sangria–it depends on the hour, how many people and how casual it is. If you want a mixed drink, it’s nice to do one thing in pitchers–Cosmopolitans or martinis. Then do soft drinks and wine in bottles.
Give us some ideas for hors d’oeuvres.
Make different kinds of skewers and have people grill the food themselves. Leave platters of skewered food–chicken, vegetables, beef–next to the grill. Little ribs are just as good at room temperature as hot. Or a bunch of crostini at room temperature. Crostini has become the modern canape.
Or gazpacho served in cucumber cups. You don’t have to make the cucumber cups. (Laughs) Use shot glasses or tea cups. Or fill a punch bowl with gazpacho and serve it in the punch cups.
Are paper plates taboo?
I don’t think so. I might get into trouble for saying that. I think it depends on how many people you have, and how many plates you have and what kind of occasion it is. If you are holding a barbecue or clambake, people aren’t going to expect fine china. If I have a choice between using real plates or real silverware, I would choose real silverware. It affects the taste and experience of the food.
Do you have any other party ideas?
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A seated luncheon is a nice thing to do on a weekday. I have been wanting to do that. I have a big maple tree in the yard. I have a fantasy of putting a long table under there. I would make it decadent–put a tablecloth on the table and bring dishes outside.
The food can be very simple–you can get away with cold food for lunch. It could be something you grilled the night before and serve cold. Or it could be a chilled lobster or shrimp salad. Cold soup is very nice for a lunch, especially if the day is warm.