Summer Dinner Party Fantasy Spread

    The days are officially long and lazy! It's summertime. All this late evening sunshine draws me into a fantasy of a dinner party lit by the setting sun. Let's start with the basics: the table. No tablecloth, but plenty of boisterous yet casual floral arrangements, like these, spilling out of their vases all over the room and into the kitchen.

    Then, the place settings. Again, casual. These dishes are stacked at the head of the table. Grab one and serve yourself!

    Of course, we're having appetizers, maybe a little cheeseboard, along with a pitcher of a tangy, fruity cocktail. Maybe something with mint, or grapefruit juice? It will depend on what's in season, of course. Then for dinner we'll have some weird, vegetable-laden pasta salad that's vibrant and satisfying. If not pasta salad (or maybe in addition to? Is that too ambitious??), then herby roasted chicken and asparagus.

     Then comes the linchpin of the evening: A communal dessert. Specifically, NYT's strawberry spoon cake, which is just what it sounds like. A shallow, fruity cake served warm and straight from the dish. Everyone gets a big spoon and digs in (naturally, we are all vaccinated). I also buy a pint of local ice cream from my town's butcher, and everyone can spoon themselves a little ice cream into a little bowl. 

    After dessert we sit and joke around and enjoy our cocktails until the sun has fully set at around 9 o'clock. Stomachs full, everyone heads home and I put out all the candles, wash the dishes and head to bed. And this, in my fantasy, is only the first of many dinner parties this summer. Stay tuned for dim sum night, bucatini night (it's just a lot of bucatini in a cold tomato sauce), and cookbook-specific nights (All Alison Roman, all GBBO alumni baked goods, etc.). We're eating good this summer!