Tag Archives: Home entertaining

The Lost Art of the Thank You Note

August 24, 2019 Fran Comment

Or, “Do I really have to write that?”

I always talk about entertaining at home but what about when you’ve been invited to someone else’s home for a dinner party or an afternoon in the back yard? Do you need to send a Thank You note (I’ll get to email later) or is just saying ‘thank you’ as you leave enough? Expressing your gratitude at the end of the day or evening is critical but so is taking the time to actually write a thank you note later and here’s why.

Think about how much time you put into planning and executing a gathering at your own home. It doesn’t matter if it’s just family, business colleagues or your best friends who are the ones on the invite list. You expend effort and energy on the planning of the guest list, the menu, cooking or picking up from your favorite restaurant, décor, setting your table (al fresco or even at your breakfast table), and then making sure everyone is having a great time during the party.

And, your host has spent just as much effort on their event as well. So, when you take the time to send a personal thank-you note it’s simply a lovely reminder for the host that you appreciate everything they did and that you’re glad you were included.

Send it as soon afterward as possible – don’t wait a week. Just that small gesture of writing a short thank-you note will be remembered. Try to make it as personal as you can, say ‘thank you’ at the beginning of the note and add a detail or two from the evening. It will show you put some thought into the message. Even if you didn’t like the food or the group, find something positive to say – maybe you loved the way the table was set. It does not have to be a novel; a short note is perfectly acceptable.

I promised a note on sending an email thank-you and here it is:

Email thank-you notes don’t carry as much weight as ones that are hand-written. When you write one by hand it shows that you have taken the time to express how much your host’s invitation meant to you. I know it seems a bit old-fashioned to actually put a stamp on an envelope and use snail mail, especially in these tech heavy times, but it will impress.

However, email notes are more likely to get written AND, more importantly, actually sent. And, it’s much better to send an email thank-you than no thank-you note at all. If you are ‘hand-writing challenged’ and you can’t even read your own writing, then an email is preferred! They may not be as nice to receive but at least it will be legible! Depending on who is receiving the note, they may appreciate that an email is ‘greener’ than pen, paper, and stamp.

Having said that, write a thank you and you’ll get on the next invite list for sure!

In the picture:

Home Entertaining, Lifestyle

Sophisticated Living – What is it?

July 27, 2019 Fran Comment

More important, how to I obtain it?

I often talk about sophisticated living and how everyone can live their lives that way. But, I think many people are confused about what I mean and how to achieve it in their daily routines.

Most people assume that to live a sophisticated lifestyle you have to have a lot of money and spend it lavishly. I’m here to tell you that sophisticated living has absolutely nothing to do with how rich you are or your spending habits. Instead, it has everything to do with putting effort into what you choose to surround yourself with – the items you touch on a daily basis, the things that you use not only with your family but also with your friends and colleagues when you entertain. It has to do with everything that lives behind the cabinet doors in your home.

Your cabinets should be filled with things you enjoy touching and using, the feel of them, the weight and balance of a favorite kitchen knife or dining fork, even the casual water glass you use on a daily basis. They don’t have to be silver or cut crystal – they just have to be something you love to use. That’s not to say that I don’t love beautiful silver and crystal (because I do!) but everything doesn’t have to be formal and it definitely doesn’t have to belong to only one manufacturer or only one pattern.

The things that we surround ourselves with and use are a reflection of ourselves and should be items that we love to share with others. Whether it’s because they have a great story to tell or are handed down from someone we loved or because we simply happened upon them on a trip! They could be the silliest BBQ plates that were found in a second-hand shop on a road trip that turn a casual afternoon barbecue into a long night of laughter. All of these contribute to sophisticated living.

The photo includes some of my most cherished items – the one piece of silver my mother had (the simple Revere Bowl), the first champagne glasses I ever purchased when I was 21, the beautiful Baccarat Mille Nuits champagne flutes that were a gift from my best friend that started my collection, the box of salt cellars that are clearly missing one little dish and two spoons but were so sweet I had to buy them from an antique dealer, various silver serving pieces bought at flea markets all over the world – even my cherished wooden cooking spoon (burn marks and all) that I’ve moved from home to home over the last 40 years. All of these items are a reflection of me, who I am and what I want to share.

The joy has been in the collecting of these things and it continues every time I reach for one of them to use.

Food, Lifestyle

What’s the Best Summer Beverage in this Heat?

July 6, 2019 Fran Comment

The simplest spritzer to help keep you cool in this heat.

It’s summer. It’s hot, even in the evening. You have friends coming over and no one wants red wine. Even rosé just doesn’t seem cold enough. What to do? What to serve?

Spritzers are a great summer beverage for a group at any time of year but when the temperatures rise they are especially good. Depending upon who you ask there are as many variations and nuances as the number of people in the conversation.

Some who are more cocktail aficionados might have definite opinions as to what is a ‘real’ spritzer. They could say that it is a combination of any Prosecco with the addition of an aperitivo (think Aperol or Campari), served over a lot of ice with a dash of club soda and a twist of some citrus or perhaps an olive. There’s even one that would be better for when the weather cools down that uses a very dry Spanish style hard cider instead of the Prosecco and Amaro instead of the aperitivo. Of course, there is the option of serving an Aperol Spritz (found all over Italy and for some the only way to drink them) which is 3oz of Prosecco/2oz of Aperol and a splash of club soda all served over a glass filled with ice. There are even recipes using super chilled white wine and club soda or ginger ale or any lemon-lime soda (which of course will completely change the taste of the wine – which might actually be your goal).

You can use sparkling water (water that is naturally carbonated and comes from springs or wells with all the bubbles already in it) or seltzer (plain water than has been artificially carbonated and contains no added minerals to enhance the flavor) or club soda which does contain added minerals which gives it a slightly saltier taste with a bit more tang. But, do NOT use tonic water for a spritzer. Tonic water is artificially carbonated and contains minerals like club soda but with one very big difference. Tonic water contains quinine which changes the flavor and makes it the perfect partner for gin-friendly cocktails. Also, tonic water does contain sugar which means it will add calories to your beverage.

I guess you’d say my tastes for a summer beverage in the heat run to simplicity. When it’s this hot outside and an ice-cold glass of rosé sounds like it would be almost right, I know just the recipe to make that glass perfect. I simply fill my wine glass about 2/3 the way up with ice, pour in my favorite rosé about 2/3 the way up the glass and then top it all off with a fun club soda I just picked up at the market. This drink is perfect for a serve yourself bar and the little glass bottles of club soda look fabulous on your beverage station!

So, for your next get together for a group this summer or even just for yourself after a long work day try my simple recipe for a spritzer – you won’t be disappointed!

In the picture

Home Entertaining, Lifestyle

Pre-party Check: Favorite soap in the powder room?

March 2, 2019 Fran Comment

Often overlooked by you, but not by your guests.

As my mom used to say, “A little soap goes a long way.” I’m not sure this was what she was thinking of but the sentiment is good. Checking for that little bar in the powder room isn’t usually the first thing you think of when you’re hosting a group but it definitely needs to be on the last-minute checklist.

I prefer small bar soaps for the powder room because they can be changed frequently and will always look fresh. They don’t drip like liquid soap dispensers often do – making a complete mess, and they’re not as clumsy as large soap bars. That’s why I don’t like to use them no matter how pretty they are. I’ve even seen a clever dispenser that dropped little flakes of soap on your hand. The soap flake idea is novel, but the flakes get everywhere.

The big secret to those little bars of soap, and the one thing that makes them so ideal for home entertaining, is that they can add a lovely scent to the ‘room of necessity.’ They’re compact and can be intensely saturated with whatever types of perfume, oils, or minerals that you like. For that reason, they’re the one exception to my “no scented _______” rule.

The exception, of course, is the powder room.

This is the one room that I break the rule for when it comes to scented candles as well. A candle casts some beautiful light. But stay away from the scented sprays – they can be very ‘heavy handed’. Wetting a small favorite soap bar releases just enough scent.

“Guest” soap bars can be found almost anywhere and everything from unscented to herbal to floral of all types, in every imaginable shape. You can even look up novelty companies that will make ones monogrammed with your name or a personal message. A friend of mine, who was a writer for the Star Trek television franchise, had ones that featured the shape of a ‘communicator’ with the message, “Clean me up, Scotty!” It was perfect for his home.

Here’s a tip for having just the right little dish for those small bars of soaps. On your travels, look for small ornamental dishes or shallow bowls to hold the soap. Sometimes the same place that sells the soap will have soap dishes. But you never know what clever little dish you will find in the most unusual places. So, keep an eye out!

One more tip, make sure that you check it after a party or after your guests leave. If the bar has lost its shape, become very small, or become nicked or broken be sure to replace it with a fresh one.

And don’t forget to check out my video where you can see more guest soap ideas!

Home Entertaining, Table Top, Lifestyle

Home Entertaining in Style: The best way to build a collection of fine silver and crystal

September 1, 2018 Fran Comment

The secret: estate sales, flea markets, thrift stores. And they’re fun!

For some folks, having the perfect set of home entertaining “ware” is a matter of inheritance. If you are one of the lucky ones to have inherited crystal, china, and silver–family heirlooms–then you have my envy.

Not me, not my mother. She didn’t want anything that my grandmother had. To be honest, I have no idea what my mother passed up and certainly don’t know what happened to those pieces. My parents preferred a very casual form of home entertaining, so the thought of polishing silver and washing crystal and fine china was just too much of a hassle.

I get it. I have great friends who love to entertain like that – no silver, crystal, etc. and they throw some of the best parties around! One couple not far from me—celebrity film writers—own the biggest collection of mismatched vintage Melmac ware I’ve ever seen. It’s really something to behold. They even have some pieces that date back to the 1940’s. It’s very cool and is completely their style.

I love to mix and match items on a dining table or buffet as well—but my style is more along the lines of silver, crystal, and fine china – sometimes mixed in with more casual items when the mood strikes! They don’t all match and they’re not all from the same time period. But, that mix of different styles, patterns, and materials creates lots of interest for my guests, so they’re great conversation starters. You never know when someone will point out an item that they love and want to know all about it. Even if I don’t know the exact story of that particular piece I do know where I got it and that starts the fun.

So, if you like finery or really any particular entertaining style, and if you’re like me with no family heirlooms, there’s the joy in finding different pieces while building a collection, adding to what you have, and replacing what gets broken (it happens). And, there’s no better way to do that than going to estate sales, flea markets and second-hand resale shops.

Estate sales can be found by simply googling – you will come up with a great website like Estatesales.net.

This site is convenient. You can search by state and then zip code for estate sales that are happening in your area.

There’s also Hughes Estate Sales here in Southern California where you get into whole collections of great pieces provided in a controlled environment.

They start on Fridays but I really like to go there on Sundays when the discounts are the biggest! This is where I found my Lalique juice glasses that you can see on my recent video.

Flea Markets can also be fun. I recommend checking Google for the best ones in your area. In Southern California, the one I like best is the Rose Bowl Flea Market, which happens on the 2nd Sunday of every month. Flea markets are hit and miss— so, don’t be sad if you go and you don’t find anything that day – there’s always next time. Bring along a friend and plan to spend some time looking around and having some fun while you’re at it.

Here are some basic collector tips that I’ve picked up along the way.

For either estate sales, flea markets or second-hand shops, be willing to take your time going through what’s there. Understand that just because on one day you find nothing doesn’t mean that the next week there won’t be a treasure waiting to be discovered.

Don’t go out looking for a perfect set of 8 or 12. In these venues, items are very often odd numbers in a set. For instance, I found a really nice set of nine etched crystal goblets at a Denver second-hand shop. That’s okay with me—my table only seats 6!

It helps to set goals. Think about what you need to build your collections. Maybe look at patterns, designs, and styles ahead of your outing: so easy to do with the Internet. Get familiar with types of things that you like and price ranges that you’re willing to pay so that you don’t spend a lot of time with dead ends.

And, always remember, silver turns black if not kept polished–so don’t be afraid even if the item is blackened. Pay closer attention to the overall quality of the article in terms of damage (dents, missing parts, and so on). If you find a tray you love, but the silver plate is worn out in some areas–don’t worry- you can always have silverware re-plated at a fraction of the cost of new.

Most of all, make it fun and bring your found treasures home with great stories to tell your guests.

Home Entertaining, Food, Lifestyle

Two Drink Recipes, for a Nice Summer Afternoon Spritz

August 25, 2018 Fran Comment

Bringing you 2 fabulous spritz drinks to help you keep cool during California’s dog days of summer-early fall.

It’s not the end of summer in California until we endure those final “dog days” through early fall. It’ll be boiling here until Halloween! Sad for most kids because they’ve started school by now. Nice for us adults because we can sneak a dip into the pool with a nice spritzer before the kids get home from school!

When entertaining at home, we look for smooth, refreshing adult beverages for our guests. The easiest and most refreshing are the spritzes; a simple combination of wine (sparkling or not) and soda. You can add liquors or bitters to alter the flavors. They’re really the easiest of cocktails to mix. You can watch me mix the Aperol Spritz here on my video.

Fun fact: Why are the last of the hottest days of the year called “dog days”?

Answer: Because at that time of the year, the constellation Canis Major (the big dog) starts appearing in the sky. The brightest star in that constellation is Sirius, which in Latin means dog – thus, the star is known as the dog star.

And I thought that it was just because dogs tend to lay about and snooze during the day when it’s hottest. I’ll figure out how to work this bit of trivia into my next cocktail patio party when I serve these simple and refreshing drinks. As always, use the largest ice cubes you can to avoid diluting the drinks.

I’ll start with the Aperol spritz I found on Epicurious.com.

If you love the taste of grapefruit and are excited about a drink that blends the taste of orange and some bubbly, then you’ll really enjoy this drink. It’s become one of my most favorite—especially during those hot “dog days.”

Pour into a large wine glass filled with large rocks of ice, and stir:

2 ounces of Aperol (an Italian apéritif with a complex orange flavor).
2 ounces of sparkling white wine (I use Valdo Prosecco, extra dry in my video)
1 ounce of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (prefer “ruby red” variety).
A “splash” of soda water to taste.
½ Grapefruit wheel as garnish (also “ruby red”).

Maybe citrus isn’t your flavor. That’s okay. Here’s another recipe from Epicurious that’s a bit sweeter. The base is the French liqueur St. Germain, made from elderflower. So, prepare for some floral brightness from this spritz.

Pour into a large wine glass filled with large rocks of ice, stir gently:

4 ounces of sparkling white wine (again, I suggest Valdo Prosecco, extra dry)
1½ ounces St. Germain liqueur
Splash of club soda to taste
A sprig of fresh cut lavender to garnish

Serving tip: I prefer serving these drinks in large stemless wine glasses. There’s a lot of liquid and ice here, and the drink might be a little top heavy if you try to mix and serve these spritzes in stemware. Either drink goes well with cold cut fruit to fight off the heat of the afternoon. Makes me think of sitting back on a balcony, enjoying a sunset overlooking the Grand Canal in Venice with friends.

Enjoy!

Home Entertaining, Food

A Quick and Easy Weeknight Dinner Recipe for Tomato Feta Galette

August 18, 2018 Fran Comment

Nothing fancy and so very easy; you can even serve this recipe at room temperature!

A long time ago I learned that the tomato is a fruit and not a vegetable. So, for years now I have been enjoying the expressions I get when someone asks me to name my favorite fruit and I say “tomato.”

Okay, so I’m siding with the botanists here because nutritionists still categorize it as a vegetable. Maybe it’s both! Uh oh, now I’ve just triggered a new conversation that’ll take at least an hour or so for people to Google on their phones. You know me and how much I love triggering conversations! It’s an art!

Seriously, though – fruit or veggie – the tomato is lovely to behold and sweet to eat no matter the variety – especially when it’s in season like it is now. I love them on anything – pasta, salads, and savory dishes. I’ll even eat one like an apple with a pinch of sea salt!

No surprise, I will try just about any recipe where tomatoes are the attore principale or ‘main actor’ in a dish like this quick and easy Tomato Feta Galette I found on one of my favorite recipe sources: The Kitchn (www.thekitchn.com).

The recipe involves just a bit of quick and easy preparation. Check out my video where I show you how it’s done. Don’t be intimidated – everything you need is found at the store. The pie crust is even found in the refrigerated section of your grocery store (you can make it from scratch but it’s definitely NOT necessary).

The wonderful thing about this recipe is that it comes during the last weeks of summer where tomatoes are still in season (through September) and the patio beckons us to dine al fresco. Make this, add a simple salad and a glass of pinot grigio (if you like) and I guarantee a lovely informal evening with friends and a few more wonderful food memories.

You’ll need:

1 pie crust; make one yourself if you really feel adventurous, but I used a store-bought pie crust and it tasted great.
6 ounces of feta cheese.
1 medium-sized shallot, sliced and separated into ‘rings’
1 TBS fresh thyme leaves (just slide your fingers down the stalk – and pull the leaves off) plus a couple of sprigs of thyme for decoration
1 TBS basil leaves, chopped
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
3 medium-sized tomatoes (about 1 pound), sliced about ¼” thick.
A large baking sheet (at least 12” wide).
Parchment paper, or a Silpat nonstick baking mat if you have one for the baking sheet

Preparation:

Be sure to preheat your oven to 400°F and position the rack in about the middle of the oven.
Lightly flour a flat surface and use a floured rolling pin to roll out the pie crust dough to about 12” diameter. It doesn’t have to be perfectly round. The pie crust will end up about 1/8” thick.
When you’re done, gently roll up the pie crust dough around the rolling pin and lay it out onto the prepared baking sheet. You’ll want that parchment paper or silpat to make sure the galette won’t stick to the pan.
Sprinkle the feta evenly onto the dough. Leave about a 2” margin from the edge, then add the shallots, thyme leaves, basil, salt, and pepper. Lay the tomatoes over the cheese and herbs.
Fold the edges of the dough over the top of the tomatoes. Pleat the dough every so often by pinching it. My video will show you how that’s done. Don’t sweat perfection – the more ‘lumpy’ it looks, the better.
Top it off with the sprigs of thyme.
Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until the crust is golden-brown and the tomatoes are soft. Remove from the oven and let it sit for about 5 minutes, then transfer it to a wire baker’s rack to chill out for another 10-15 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature for a party of six with good-sized portions.

A tip about the tomatoes in this recipe: tomatoes are super juicy and full of water. Avoid ending up with a soggy crust bottom by making sure that you use enough feta to cover the pie crust dough entirely. This will keep tomato juices from soaking into the crust while baking.

That’s about it. Enjoy the last days of summer!

Home Entertaining, Lifestyle

How will you pick the perfect wine glasses for your home?

August 11, 2018 Fran Comment

With so many options, designs, and ideas sometimes it’s hard to settle on a choice – unless you have some professional help.

They say that if you really know what you want in life, making decisions is easy. But, that theory doesn’t always apply evenly to all things.

Picture this: you move to a new home, and you want everything fresh. So, you start with wine glasses. Seems simple enough, right? You go to a store where you know the selection will be excellent, and suddenly you realize – oh my gosh, there are so many! How do I choose?

The problem for all of us is that we can’t always picture in our mind what kind of dishes we want for daily use, what style of silverware, table service, or even shape of wine glasses! How about those wine glasses? Go to your favorite store and you will find dozens of different styles and designs – all for the same purpose – drinking wine. Some are based on different types of wines you can serve, but most are focused on functionality and the style you want to add to your home entertaining experiences. That’s where it gets even more complicated.

I know, it may seem sometimes like I have all the time in the world, traveling, going to really great restaurants, writing blogs and producing videos. The fact is I’m a home entertaining consultant. What that means is that I work with my clients to help them make those difficult choices so that they can entertain with ease and grace. I interview them about their tastes, habits, preferences, and dreams. I bring together every detail about what they envision for their home and how they want to feel when they sit down with friends and family around a table. I use my years of experience in the restaurant business and home entertaining to guide them through all of the dozens and dozens of options.

Which is exactly what I did for a client recently.

She was a little overwhelmed, but she easily articulated to me her goals. For instance, she told me how she and her family like to eat at home and how she likes to entertain casually. We talked some more, and she shared that they also love to drink wine with their dinner every night. So wine glasses were essential, however, she wasn’t so picky about separate glasses for red and white wines. I narrowed it down for her – simplified her choices to a ‘universal’ wine glass in a style that she loved that could work for both types of wine for everyday use.

Based on what I learned from my client, I had a sense of what she wanted for everything else – from the kitchen to the dining room. Then I discovered that she and her family also like to dine al fresco, weather permitting, but didn’t like the idea of “ugly plastic stuff” in her home. Who says outdoor plastic glasses and plates have to be ugly? I found a selection of beautiful plates, serving pieces and fabulous durable glasses that will hold up well, look great on her patio and that she could love.

Yes, life is all about making choices. Some are worth spending hours to make. But some choices are a lot easier than you think and should be more fun. Maybe all you need is a little help.

Kitchen Hacks, Food

5 Minute Recipe for Parmesan Crisps – for salad or snacking

August 4, 2018 Fran Comment

A quick recipe for Parmesan Crisps that will also introduce you to the Silpat non-stick baking mat.

Here’s a recipe that you can literally use for anything – add to a salad, as a topping for a dish, or just for snacking. One very nice benefit of this recipe, if you haven’t been already introduced to the “Silpat,” here’s your opportunity because they will make your cooking/baking life so much easier.

Silpats are made from fiberglass and food-grade silicone. Use them with a high-quality baking sheet, and NOTHING will stick to them. They can be washed and reused thousands of times. They’re approved by every international agency that watches out for food safety, and they’re Kosher certified. Every professional kitchen has been using these products for years. In fact, they’re so commonplace among chefs and bakers that saying the name ‘Silpat’ is like saying “Kleenex” or “Xerox”. There’s nothing else like it.

One more thing about Silpats – they do save lots of time, but they can also make a whole world of difference on the final taste of your dish. Just think: no more after-taste from whatever greasy non-stick oil or spray you usually use on your baking sheet. You can learn more about them from the Silpat company website. And, the best thing is you can buy them just about anywhere. I got mine from Sur La Table – you can see it in my recent video.

Aside from the Silpat, you’ll need finely grated Parmesan cheese. For the best flavor, I highly recommend cheese from Parmigiano-Reggiano. This cheese comes directly from the Parma region of Emilia Romagna in Tuscany, Italy. It’s the original, it’s the best, and you’ll love the nutty taste. Unfortunately, if you try this with a standard parmesan cheese you may end up with a ‘bitter’ tasting crisp!

Before you do anything, preheat your oven to 400F degrees. I can’t stress this enough. You want to put your baking sheet into a hot oven or the cheese won’t melt well.
Place a Silpat baking pan liner directly on your cookie sheet.
Spoon out piles of the grated cheese directly on the Silpat. Your piles can be as big or small as you like. Then gently press the cheese piles into a round shape – they don’t have to be perfectly flat. When the grated cheese melts, the rounds will end up whatever size you flatten them to. They won’t spread, but don’t crowd them on the Silpat – leave a bit of space in between.
Bake for about 4-5 minutes until they are golden and crisp. Be sure to watch them because they can turn too crispy quickly.
Allow the rounds to cool for a couple of minutes and then gently transfer to parchment paper to hold for your party. Serve them at room temperature.

They can be stored in an airtight container for no more than 3 days. Be sure to place parchment paper between the layers of the crisps, so they don’t stick to each other.

You could ‘float’ small crisps in tomato soup or sprinkle them on top of a Caesar salad or even break up larger ones as a quick appetizer with wine. Serve them with just about any light crisp white wine or even a light red like a Syrah.

Have fun and enjoy!

Home Entertaining, Table Top, Lifestyle

8 Must-Have Items for your Home Bar

July 21, 2018 Fran Comment

Spare yourself the last-minute run-around – get these 8 handy home bar tools now.

Next to food, drinks are a main hospitality ‘go-to’ especially if you plan to get serious with home entertaining. Of course, I’m talking specifically about adult mixed drinks. Whether you plan to mix something as complex as a Commonwealth (with 71 different ingredients!) or as simple as a Negroni (equal parts, 3 ingredients), you need some essential bar tools.

Before you wave me off and say, “Fran – I’ll improvise,” think about all the tools you have for preparing and serving food. As my dad always said, “You’ve got to have the right tools for the right job.” You wouldn’t forget spoons or forks, would you? Serving plates and bowls? How about cookware and a set of wooden cooking spoons? We all have our ‘must haves’ in our kitchens.

So, why is it any different for the home bar? If all you have today is a bottle opener, one rusty cork puller, and a single shot glass, it’s time. Intimidated? Don’t be. Just about every mix recipe you find online and in books comes with careful step-by-step instructions on what to use, how, and when. You’ll be mixing like a pro in absolutely no time at all. The best part, your mixed drinks will actually taste better, they’ll look more appetizing, and you’ll have more fun mixing them!

Here’s your list of the 8 ‘must-have’ bartending tools for your home bar:

A high-quality stainless steel jigger is basically two measuring cups stuck together to form a kind of hour-glass shape. Typically, the bigger end measures 1½ ounce (or “one jigger”), and the other measures ¾ ounces (or a “half jigger”) – the most common measurements for drink ingredients. Pay attention to the jigger that you buy as some of them are 1 ounce and ½ ounce. The OXO has measurements inside each cup so you can use it for ANY drink recipe. This is an indispensable tool for mixing up perfect drinks every time. No conversion with cups or measuring spoons, and no clumsy messing around with shot glasses.
Good ice cube molds are much better than the regular ice trays you have for daily use. First, you want larger cubes for your drink as they melt slower than normal or smaller cubes and keep drinks colder longer without diluting it. Secondly, there are all sorts of fun shapes and sizes – ones that will fill a standard highball glass with a big cube or a single sphere. You can find very nice “ice molds” from Tovolo, Rabbit Wine, and W&P Design.
Muddlers are extremely handy for extracting the oils and flavor from mint leaves or other herbs – even fruit. With fruit, you can ‘muddle’ with gusto, but with herbs and citrus peels, I suggest a gentler touch because over-muddling can produce a bitter taste. Use muddlers for mixing mojitos, mint juleps, and caipiroska (a tasty vodka drink with lime wedges and sugar muddled together).
There’s nothing more indispensable than a two-piece cocktail shaker. When you shake a drink, it not only chills it properly but also creates the proper dilution and aeration (adding air) for the beverage. Get a separate strainer if yours doesn’t come with one – you don’t want the errant bits of ice poured into your glass.
You’ll need a bar spoon – for stirred cocktails – Manhattan or Martini (if you’re not James Bond) or mixes with floating layers. They’re long handled and narrow (teaspoons are too short and too wide). This one from OXO can spin while you stir, which is kinda fun!
A fresh fruit juicer is important for many, many cocktails – lemons, limes, oranges or even pomegranates. Buy one large enough that can handle most citrus.
Good garnishes are important for great mixed drinks, so don’t skimp. Use fresh fruit, herbs, and high-quality cherries and onions. Absolutely avoid neon colored cherries – they look bad and taste terrible. I recommend Luxardo maraschino cherries and Reese sour cocktail onions.
Cocktail books are also important to have around, even if you have some experience. Don’t go crazy and get a “masters” level ‘mixology’ book unless you have master-level skills. Start easy and simple, like “The Bartender’s Black Book” – 150 easy-to-read, simple to mix recipes, along with useful mixing tips.

There are lots of places to go for bar tools. I like the selection and quality of OXO. You can also find some great tools from Crate&Barrel and Sur la Table. Happy mixing!

Kitchen Hacks, Food

4th of July Party? How about a tasty recipe for marinated olives and feta?

June 30, 2018 Fran Comment

Sophisticated but incredibly easy: smash some olives, crush a bit of garlic, shred some bread, and you’re good to go!

Want to bring something different to your 4th of July party that DOESN’T need refrigeration or special care? A while back, I found something genuinely fabulous in my favorite place to find fabulous things – Bon Appétit Magazine. It’s a perfect recipe for things like 4th of July parties where light, savory snacks with friends really hit the spot.

There’s only one part of this recipe that needs a bit more explanation – smashing olives and crushing the garlic. I know that there are all sorts of ways to do this, but my video gives you some easy ways that work for me. The rest is that simple.

Ingredients:

4-5 ounces of drained green (I prefer Castelvetranos for their flavor) unpitted olives
3 medium-sized cloves of garlic
1 lemon
½ cup extra virgin olive oil – essential to get the “good stuff” for this recipe.
½ tsp red pepper flakes
3-4 ounces of crumbly feta cheese. I use President Cheese.
1 loaf of crusty bread

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400-degrees F
Rip up your bread into bite-sized pieces and place them on a baking sheet. When the oven is ready, bake the pieces of bread for 5-8 minutes, or just long enough to make the them a bit crispy and golden.
Lightly smash (by pressing the side of the knife blade directly on top) the olives to just break apart the skin and flatten slightly.
Smash (using the same technique as for the olives – you don’t want them completely flat!) and peel 3 cloves of garlic.
Use a vegetable peeler (this will give you nice wide strips) to peel the zest from the lemon. Remember – only the yellow, not the white which will be bitter.
Place lemon peel, smashed olives, crushed garlic, ½ cup of good Extra Virgin olive oil, and ½ tsp of red pepper flakes into a small saucepan over med-low heat. Swirl every so often and cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until the garlic is golden around the edges.
Crumble feta cheese into a shallow serving bowl.
Pour the olive oil mixture over the feta and let it sit at least 10 minutes. Longer if possible, perhaps an hour or more, before serving.
Serve together with your crisped bread pieces.

You can always double or treble this recipe for a larger crowd.

Some last DO’s and DON’Ts – DO remind your guests that the olives are unpitted, but DON’T worry about letting this sit out for as long as your guests are nibbling. It will go fast! A Negroni is the perfect adult beverage to accompany this appetizer.

Happy 4th of July, America!

Home Entertaining, Food

Home Entertaining Tip – How to speed-chill a bottle of white wine

May 19, 2018 Fran Comment

Guests on the way? Forgot to chill the wine? Here’s an old restaurant trick that will get you chilled wine in 15 minutes FLAT.

A restaurant – an excellent restaurant – will never have a shortage of good wine chilled to the correct temperature dictated by decades of tradition and agreement among experts. The sommelier (someone educated in all things “wine” and the person in charge of the wine ‘vault’) will know that red wine should be chilled to 55°F (12°C) and white chilled to 45°F (7°C). Unofficially, the sommelier knows a bottle must be chilled to the customer’s taste. On rare occasions, a customer may say, “I’d like this bottle chilled more.” As we say in the restaurant business, the customer is always right.

But, let’s pause here.

There are several calculations we keep in the back of our minds when we open a restaurant for business. One of them is that it takes about 2 hours for a bottle of wine to reach its ideal temperature in a standard restaurant refrigerator. You can shave off about an hour in the freezer. That’s it – no way to change the laws of thermodynamics when chilling a bottle in ambient air temperature. Given that the average customer is usually done with their meal in about 1.5 hours, sticking a bottle into a refrigerator or freezer won’t work. Worse yet, bottles that have already been chilled will get cooler, but at a significantly slower rate. I’m told that also has something to do with thermodynamics.

So, what do you do?

This is such a simple trick, it’s amazing. On those rare moments when a bottle has to be chilled more – or let’s say that you have guests coming and you forgot to put that bottle in the fridge! What do you do?

Just add salt to your bucket of ice water!

You think I’m joking, right? I’m not! You probably already know that putting wine in a bucket of ice and cold water, rather than just ice, will chill the bottle faster. But did you know that adding salt to the mix further speeds up the cooling time? Salt reduces the freezing point of water and allows the water to get to a lower temperature or colder without turning into ice, which in turn chills your wine more quickly.

Next, be sure to spin the bottle!

Maybe you didn’t expect that one either, but spinning the bottle occasionally will help the water/ice/salt method work more efficiently. Place your precious Sauv Blanc into the water so that you cover most of the ‘shoulder’ (where the bottle narrows to the ‘neck’) of the bottle. Keep the bucket nearby and gently spin the bottle in the ice water mixture every couple of minutes.

Why does this work? First, the cold water/ice is far more efficient than cold air. Direct contact with the entire surface of the glass bottle helps the wine chill. Also, by turning the bottle, you move around the contents inside, allowing more wine to come into contact with the cold glass, chilling it faster. From room temp to a good “chill” – this method takes about 15 minutes to work. See? I told you this was simple.

Keep in mind that this method works best for non-sparkling wines. If you try this method with a bottle of Champagne, don’t spin the bottle (you can GENTLY turn it) or you and your guests will be in for a little shock when you pop open the bottle!

Enjoy!