by Anna Post
* Bring a trash bag and be responsible for your own trash. Some picnic areas offer trash cans, but if they’re full, take your trash with you and dispose of it later.
* Never leave a fire unattended and be absolutely sure it’s out before you leave.
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Chapter Twelve
Traditions and Special Occasions
When we look back at our calendars, we see celebrations not just of official holidays, but also of personal milestones like birthdays and anniversaries, and the traditions we establish ourselves—an annual trip to the lake with friends or our Aunt Sara’s annual lobster party. As we peruse these calendars, over and over we see good food as the cornerstone of any celebration. For instance, Anna hosts an early Thanksgiving every year to celebrate with friends, and Lizzie always celebrates Mardi Gras with cocktails, beads, and hors d’oeuvres. Choose a reason to celebrate that has meaning for you, and then turn it into a tradition.
Sunday Dinner: An Old Tradition in a New Light
Our parents like to regale us with stories of the Sunday family dinner “back in the day.” Our mom, wearing her Sunday best, went to her grandparents’ after church for a sit-down meal with a roast-something that her grandfather carved perfectly at the table. At our dad’s, the 2:00 P.M. Sunday family dinner was followed by a second ritual, as the family piled into the station wagon and drove to the city for a New York Rangers hockey game. The Sunday dinner table was where you really learned about your family—their history, hopes and worries, stories, jokes, and personalities. The meal was pretty special, too—something that had been cooking all morning while the family was at church, food that was delicious, comforting, and made with love.
We’re happy to see that Sunday dinner is making a comeback. When you think about it, it’s an ideal way to entertain: long, lazy afternoons with friends and relatives gathered together around the table. Think uncomplicated comfort food like roasts, braises, and casseroles. The event doesn’t have the formality of a Saturday night dinner party—it’s more of a community effort and a chance to decompress. Since Sunday night is a “school night,” an afternoon or early evening meal covers both lunch and dinner and lets everyone get home in time to prepare for the upcoming week. And like the Sunday dinner of old, it’s an opportunity to bring multiple generations of friends and family together around the table.
tips for a successful sunday dinner
Keep the atmosphere casual, warm, and relaxing: You want the focus to be more on spending time with your guests than on an elaborate menu.
Invite as many people as you can comfortably fit around your table.
Be open to guests who ask if they can bring someone.
Invite guests to arrive between one and four in the afternoon.
Keep the menu simple and seasonal, but have plenty of everything.
Say yes to help—with the prep, the food, the cleanup, the works.
Serve the food family style, buffet style, or a combination of both: You could sit everyone down to a plated first course, then serve family-style platters. Or enlist helpers to plate each course. It’s all about lingering.
Have an activity available before or after the meal: Play board games, do Sunday crossword puzzles, take a walk, play croquet or bocce, watch a movie or a ball game, or just plain chat.
Consider hosting Sunday dinners on a regular basis. You’ll be surprised at how easily the idea catches on.
The Communal Table
Having everyone at one table creates a sense of family, so make the table your focal point. It’s up to you how you set your table but for this occasion, simple is best. Unless it’s the dark of winter, candles aren’t really necessary. Instead, a simple arrangement of fresh flowers, fruit, or greens is inviting without being too formal. Since this is a cozy group, place cards aren’t needed either—but do have a seating plan in mind if you’ve invited more than six guests.
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A Word on Blessings
When everyone is served and seated, the host may raise his glass in welcome—a nice way to put the focus on the meal and the company around the table. On certain occasions, such as Thanksgiving, or in certain traditions, it’s customary to offer a blessing before the meal. As host, you may invite your guests to say grace, a prayer, or a blessing with you. However, you can’t demand and should never put a guest who doesn’t wish to participate on the spot. As a guest, if you choose to refrain, simply sit quietly and respectfully until the blessing is finished. You don’t have to fold your hands in prayer. If everyone holds hands around the table, join the circle as a courtesy to the others.
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The Sunday Dinner Menu
This is one time when you can skip the hors d’oeuvres if you choose, or offer just a few olives or something simple like radishes, butter, and salt; or pickled vegetables, toasted nuts, and a few slices of salami, like sopressata, along with a welcome glass of wine, beer, dry sherry, or a nonalcoholic drink.
SPANISH-INSPIRED SUNDAY DINNER MENU
Start with some roasted Marcona almonds and a glass of sparkling Cava or Manzanilla sherry.
Green Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette and Shaved Manchego
Basque Chicken Ragout with Sausages and Sweet Peppers
(opposite)
Rustic Bread
Rice Pudding or Flan
TRADITIONAL SUNDAY DINNER MENU
Crab or Shrimp Cocktail with Scallions, Avocado, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Chicken Cobbler with Cheddar-Dill Biscuits
(page 179)
Peppery Greens and Golden Beets with Grainy Mustard Vinaigrette
Apple Tart Tatin
Basque Chicken Ragout with Sausages and Sweet Peppers
Cider, sweet or hard, makes an especially good pairing. Serves 8
¼ cup fruity, good-quality olive oil
1 pound cooked spicy sausage, such as Spanish chorizo or andouille, angle-cut into ¼-inch slices
1 medium-large yellow onion (about ¾ pound), peeled and thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2½ pounds (6 to 8) large sweet peppers, preferably a mixture of red and yellow, stemmed, cored, and cut into ½-inch-wide strips
1 cup dry white wine
1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes with their juices
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons hot Spanish pimentón or Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon sugar
6 cups All-Purpose Shredded Roast Chicken (page 178)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
In a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the sausage and cook, stirring once or twice, until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove and reserve. Do not discard the oil or clean the skillet.
Set the skillet over low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and are beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the peppers, raise the heat to high, and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the peppers begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Stir in the wine and bring to a simmer, scraping the browned deposits from the bottom of the skillet. Lower the heat. Add the tomatoes, thoroughly breaking them up with the side of a metal spoon, and their juices. Stir in 2 teaspoons of salt, the pimentón, black pepper, and sugar, then the chicken and chorizo and simmer 10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning.
The ragout can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and refrigerate, rewarming it over low heat until steaming. Serve hot in soup plates or bowls, topped with a generous sprinkling of parsley, with rustic crusty bread.
All-Purpose Shredded Roast Chicken
This is an easy way to prepare chicken for casseroles such as the Basque Chicken Ragout with Sausages and Sweet Peppers (page 177) and the Chicken Cobbler with Cheddar-Dill Biscuits (opposite). It’s a completely unattended method (no basting required), which is great when you’re cooking in v
olume, and the moist, tasty meat it produces is always a pleasure. While so simple a process can hardly be considered a chore, and extra meat freezes well for future meals, for a small home quantity you might prefer instead to roast a couple of on-the-bone chicken quarters—a combination of light and dark meat makes for the best flavor. Makes 4 cups
1 roasting-frying chicken, about 4 pounds, preferably organic or at least free range (see Note)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried crumbled thyme
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F.
Remove the giblets and reserve them for another use (except for the livers, giblets can go into the chicken stock). Set the chicken up on its tail end and with a long, sharp knife, cut downward along both sides of the backbone, through the ribs. (Save the backbone for stock, too.) Make a shallow cut in the breastbone from inside the chicken, then press hard with both hands to crack the breastbone and flatten or butterfly the bird (this enables the meat to cook more evenly).
Lay the chicken, skin side up, on a half-sheet baking pan (lined with parchment paper if you like, for easier cleanup). Sprinkle with the thyme, plus salt and pepper to taste.
Set the pan in the oven and bake until the chicken thighs, when pricked at their thickest, yield clear yellow juices, about 1 hour. Cool to room temperature. Remove and discard the skin. Pull all the meat from the bones and shred it with your fingers. Save the bones, if desired for stock. The shredded chicken can be used immediately, wrapped well and refrigerated for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 1 month.
Note: Chickens have gotten huge these days, and if all you find is a 6- or 7-pounder (or you just like the idea of having plenty of cooked chicken on hand), merely extend the roasting time, about 10 minutes for each pound over 4 pounds.
Chicken Cobbler with Cheddar-Dill Biscuits
When we were growing up, creamy chicken served over biscuits or cornbread was our idea of perfect comfort food. Here’s Carrie Brown’s grown-up version, sure to be a hit for Sunday supper. When making this with Thanksgiving leftovers, Carrie calls it Gobbler Cobbler.
Serves 8
1 (10 ounce) basket white pearl onions
Kosher salt
¾ pound (2 or 3 medium) red-skinned potatoes
1½ sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup chopped yellow onion
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
5 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium canned chicken broth, preferably organic
3 carrots, peeled and angle-cut into 1-inch pieces
3 celery ribs, trimmed and angle-cut into 1-inch pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups heavy cream
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
5 cups All-Purpose Shredded Roast Chicken (opposite)
1 cup fresh or thawed tiny peas
1 cup fresh or thawed corn kernels
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
½ teaspoon crumbled dried thyme
½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 recipe (about 24) unbaked Cheddar-Dill Biscuits (recipe follows)
¼ cup buttermilk, for brushing biscuits
With a sharp paring knife, mark a small X in the bottom of each onion. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the onions, salt the water, and cook for 2 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and cool. Peel the onions.
In a medium saucepan, cover the potatoes with lightly salted cold water. Set over medium heat and bring to a brisk simmer. Cook, uncovered, stirring once or twice, until the potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and cool. Cut the potatoes into ½-inch pieces.
In a large pot over medium heat, melt ½ stick of the butter. Add the onion and garlic, cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add the stock, carrots, celery, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat, and cook, partially covered, for 15 minutes. Stir in the cream, raise the heat slightly, and cook, uncovered, stirring once or twice, until the vegetables are tender, another 10 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mash together the remaining 1 stick of butter and the flour to form a smooth paste. Lower the heat slightly and whisk the flour paste into the vegetable mixture bit by bit. Stir in the chicken, potatoes, onions, peas, corn, dill, thyme, pepper sauce, and nutmeg. Partially cover and simmer until thick, about 10 minutes. The filling can be prepared to this point up to 1 day ahead. Remove from the heat, cool, cover, and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat just until hot before proceeding.
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F. (If your oven is very fast or hot, set the temperature to 425°F.) Butter a rectangular 9- by 13-inch glass baking dish or any attractive ovenproof serving dish with a 3-quart capacity.
Spoon the hot chicken mixture into the prepared dish. Arrange the biscuits over the chicken mixture, spacing them evenly. Brush the chilled biscuits with the buttermilk. Set the pan on the baking rack (with a parchment- or foil-lined sheet pan on the rack below to catch drips).
Bake until the biscuits are puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Let the cobbler rest on a rack for 5 minutes. Serve hot.
Cheddar-Dill Biscuits
Though they make the perfect topping for Chicken Cobbler, these biscuits are also good on their own. Serve them piping hot with eggs and bacon at breakfast or enjoy them at supper. Mini biscuits can be split while still hot, filled with a sliver of good ham and a dollop of honey mustard and passed as a terrific country hors d’oeuvre.
Makes about twenty-four 1½-inch biscuits
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus flour for the work surface
4¾ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons sugar
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
4½ tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons chilled shortening, cut into small pieces
11/3 cups buttermilk, plus extra for brushing the tops (see Note)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F.
Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. With a pastry cutter blend in the butter and shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and dill and stir until the dough just begins to come together. Stir in the cheese. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead it 10 or 15 strokes, until the surface is smooth. Pat the dough out ¾ inch thick. With a 1½-inch round cutter, form as many biscuits as possible, spacing them 2 inches apart on 2 half-sheet baking pans. Gather and reroll the scraps and cut them out as well. Refrigerate the biscuits on their pans for 30 minutes.
Bake the biscuits, exchanging the position of the pans on the racks from top to bottom and front to back at the halfway point, until they are puffed and golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve hot or warm.
Note: For biscuits with pretty golden tops, brush them with about ¼ cup buttermilk after they have been cut out. The biscuits can be prepared up to 1 week ahead and frozen. Arrange unbaked biscuits on a sheet pan and freeze. Store the frozen biscuits in a plastic freezer bag. Two hours before baking, remove the biscuits from the freezer, arrange them on a sheet pan, and thaw them in the refrigerator. You can bake them frozen—they just might take a little longer. Use the thawed biscuits to top the Chicken Cobbler.
Birthdays for Grown-ups
Funny, we all loved our birthdays...until a certain age. Then it somehow became more fun to celebrate someone else’s birthday instead. No matter someone’s age, birthdays are a great excuse for a party, so celebrate every birthday you can! The big ones—the 5s
and the 0s—get the most attention, usually with a cocktail party or dinner party. But we like celebrating the not-so-important years, too, usually by going out to brunch, lunch, or dinner with a group of friends and treating the birthday boy or girl.
birthday party hosting tips
Consult the honoree about the guest list.
It’s understood that guests are supposed to bring gifts to a birthday party unless you specify “No gifts, please” on your invitation.
Phone, e-mail, or mail invitations at least 2 to 3 weeks ahead.
Bake or order a cake or cupcakes (or other cakeworthy equivalent) and buy birthday candles.
Have Champagne, sparkling wine, and sparkling water on hand for toasts.
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Surprise!
There’s nothing like a successful surprise party. There’s a shared sense of purpose— and fun—between guests and host that brings people together long before the event. To plan one you have to be a little devious at heart, as well as quick on your feet if the “surprisee” starts to get suspicious. A few guidelines for would-be surprisers:
*Make sure you have a willing victim—some people just don’t like being surprised.
*Send the surprisee a fake invite for a similar event in the same time slot so she knows what to wear.
*Hold the party a week or more ahead of the surprisee’s actual birthday.
*Ask guests to arrive a half-hour before the honoree is due to show and make sure they know it’s a surprise!
*Park cars on another block.
*Try to act normally and casually and, whatever you do, don’t spill the beans.
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Anna’s birthday lunch
Anna’s birthday is in June, when the garden is a riot of peonies and local strawberries are just appearing. If it’s nice weather, we’ll dine in the garden. Otherwise, we re-create the garden indoors, with peonies on the table and throughout the house.