 She’s one of our longtime contributors, and her recipes are perennial favorites, but Melanie Barnard admits that cooking isn’t her only passion. She’s also a volunteer emergency medical technician in New Canaan, Connecticut.
“As much as I love the food world and cooking,” she says, “the real balance in my life still is working with and offering direct service to others. This is the very fabric of what I believe is truly important and the example that I want to set for my children and grandchildren.”
Melanie has also set a great example in the culinary world. Her decades-long career has produced an impressive culinary resume, from cookbook author and magazine columnist to restaurant critic and television personality.
In “Sweet and Easy” (August/September 2008, pg. 36), Melanie gives a yummy array of laid-back desserts, perfect for a casual take on warm-weather entertaining. She’s something of an expert on the subject: Her summer gatherings have become much-loved traditions among family, friends and co-workers. Here she shares some tips for keeping parties low-key and fun.
Tasty traditions
Preparing great food is a custom in Melanie’s family, and she entertains nearly every weekend throughout the summer. Usually the events are cookouts for all 17 family members, but she also hosts an annual neighborhood party. Her husband grills, her daughters-in-law help out and even her grandchildren are learning to cook.
“That's my job as grandma—to pass on the recipes and the cooking,” she says. “The oldest has inherited the ‘pie gene,’ meaning she instinctively knows how to make and roll a good pie crust.”
While the grill gets a good workout with Melanie’s grilled corn and grilled clams from the nearby beach, her family also uses their two large smokers for brisket, pulled pork and ribs. For appetizers, she often serves smoked trout on crackers and bruschetta with garden-fresh tomatoes and basil. Macaroni salad is the complementary side dish. “Not upscale pasta salad—it doesn’t go with pork or brisket—just good macaroni salad,” she says.
Entertaining a crowd
Hosting a large gathering can sometimes feel intimidating, but Melanie offers suggestions to reduce the stress: “Take it easy, don't try anything complicated, go to the farmers market and get good corn or other produce, then do very little to it.”
And when someone else wants to help out or bring a dish, accept the offer. “Everything tastes good in the backyard,” she points out.
What to make
Both grilled foods and chilled salads are good choices, but don’t prepare any dishes too far ahead of time. “Freshness should be easy and last-minute,” Melanie says.
She also avoids anything heavy, preferring recipes like those featured in “Sweet and Easy.” “Fried chicken is the exception,” she admits, adding that she loves to make it and serve it at room temperature with coleslaw.
How to serve it
Outdoor entertaining doesn’t have to be complicated. At Melanie’s gatherings, food is usually served family-style or as a buffet. “I have an outdoor kitchen on the patio, so we really stay outside most of the time.” The only time she needs to be indoors is to bake.
To accompany casual dishes, Melanie serves equally casual and refreshing summer beverages, such as homemade lemonade, ice tea and sangria.
And when hosting a simple neighborhood affair, even the invitations can be less than formal. “Shout over the back fence,” she humorously suggests.
It’s pie season!
Melanie’s favorite and most requested summer dish is pie. Every August, she hosts a pie party for her local ambulance corps. “I make about 30 pies, and that's what we have for dinner—just pie—and we love it.”
Sometimes she also serves homemade ice cream, but always separate from the pies. “We don’t do pie à la mode,” she says. “It takes away from the pure pie experience.” The ice cream, however, is a worthy dessert by itself. Melanie usually makes vanilla and then mixes in peaches, strawberries or other seasonal fruit.
If you don’t want to bring pie and ice cream to your next potluck, you have other options. Simple, unfrosted cakes like pound cake or angel food cake hold up well in the summer heat. Oversized sugar cookies are another sweet, carefree treat.
Outdoor strategies
“There are no real tricks to serving food outside in the summer—it’s more about the people,” Melanie says. One good idea, however, is to employ a little mosquito netting or inverted net umbrellas to keep flies off the dishes. Another idea is to use flowers from the garden as effortless and beautiful table decorations. And keep food safety in mind: Don’t let it sit out too long.
Simply put
“Keep it really simple,” Melanie tells beginning cooks. “Invite the people you love and serve the food you love. That's pretty much it for any meal, anytime, anywhere.”
Try Melanie's recipes from "Sweet & Easy."
Black and Whites
Blondie Cupcakes with Cocoa Frosting
Caramel-Pecan Brownies
Oatmeal Trail Mix Cookies
Peanut Butter-Banana Fluffernutter Bars
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