By Chef Saul Bolton

MENU

Chilled Red Pepper Soup

Summer herbs, coconut milk, peekytoe crab 

Salad of Shaved Broccoli & Summer Greens

toasted pepitas, lemon juice, oil

 

Oven Roasted Local Black Bass

ray’s tomatoes, summer squash, garlic, toasted breadcrumbs

 

Peaches with Amaretti Cookies

lightly whipped cream, crushed amaretti cookies

DO AHEAD

Two Days Before

• Purchase beverages and all ingredients for your dishes. Keep in mind how many you’re cooking for and don’t forget the basics (e.g., olive oil). Also, note the ripening time of peaches and tomatoes – you don’t want under ripe or over ripe fruit.

• Put everything away except soup ingredients.

• Prepare the soup, chill, and refrigerate.

One Day Before

• Clean and prep all your vegetables for the salad and the bass dish. This includes picking your herbs, wrapping them in damp paper towels before placing in a bag, then refrigerate.

• Trim your bass filets and remove any bones or scales. Evenly cut the filets into the proper number of portions, place them on a chilled plate, cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

• Prepare the crab, removing any pieces of shell.

• Toast your breadcrumbs to a golden brown – don’t be shy with seasoning or with olive oil. Store in an airtight container.

• Toast pepitas until they’re fragrant. Store in an airtight container.

• Crush your amaretti cookies into roughly, odd-sized crumbs. Cover and reserve.

 

DAY OF THE MEAL

Before Your Guests Arrive

1. Double-check the dining area, living area, and kitchen are clean

2. Place any remaining beverages to be chilled in the fridge (if you don’t have enough room, a cooler of ice water will do the trick)

3. Chill your salad plates and soup bowls

4. Preheat your oven

5. Prepare your salad: and dress with lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well then refrigerate

6. Prepare the bass: Layer your thinly slices tomatoes, summer squash, garlic, and lemon on the bottom of a baking dish. Season and douse with olive oil. Lightly coat the bass with olive oil then season with salt. Arrange in the baking dish, cover, and place in the fridge

7. Whip the cream and sweeten it to your liking. Mound in a bowl, cover, and place in the fridge.

8. Slice your ripe peaches and let them rest, covered, at room temperature.

9. Prepare the crab: Squeeze dry the peekytoe crab and season with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.

10. Clean as you go – make sure you always have a bowl of warm, soapy water waiting.

11. Shower, change and put on some music.

After Your Guests Arrive

1. Welcome your guests! Enjoy a toast and some conversation.

2. As folks sit, pour some more beverages, and take a moment to relax and enjoy each other’s company. No rush now….

3. Time for soup: remove the bowls from the fridge. Place some prepared crab in each bowl. Mix the red pepper soup well, season if needed, and ladle into prepared bowls. Garnish with crab and a shower of herbs as you see fit. Stop to enjoy the music playing and the laughter of your guests. Drizzle some olive oil on the soup and serve.

4. Chill with your friends enjoying the soup. Talk. This is why we exist.

5. Clear the soup and put the bowls into soapy water.

6. Plate the salad (healthy, but oh-so-tasty this time of year!), garnish with the pepitas, and perhaps grab a little Parmesan and shave onto each salad. Serve.

7. Steal into the kitchen and slip the bass into the 300F oven. Sit and enjoy the salad. More beverages? Yes, of course.

8. Clear the salad plates and take the bass out of the oven (it’s not quite done) and sprinkle each fillet with the toasted, seasoned breadcrumbs. Put the bass back in the oven for 5 minutes more.

9. Wash the soup bowls and salad plates.

10. Remove the bass from the oven and turn off the oven. Gently plate the tomato, squash, and bass. Drizzle with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice and serve! Blessed.

11. Relax and enjoy the entrée – people are feeling happy, conversation and beverages are flowing freely, and your kitchen is close to clean. More beverages and conversation as you linger. Clear the plates.

12. Pull out some glasses for the dessert. Layer the whipped cream, sliced peaches, and crushed amaretti cookies. Done.

13. Folks hang out. You’re chilling. It’s been the perfect meal.

OVEN ROASTED LOCAL BLACK BASS

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

PROCEDURE

• 3 pounds black bass, divided into 6 ½-pound filets

• 1 medium yellow squash, thinly sliced

• 2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced

• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• 1 lemon, thinly sliced

• Olive oil

• Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees

2. Layer thinly sliced squash, tomatoes, garlic, and lemon on the bottom of a seasoned and oiled baking dish. Season again and drizzle with olive oil. Lightly coat bass with olive oil and season with salt. Place in a baking dish and bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes or until done. The fish is done when it flakes when pressed.

3. Divide among six plates and serve.

PEACHES WITH AMARETTI COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

PROCEDURE

• 3 ripe peaches, sliced

• 6 ounces amaretti cookies

• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped

• 1 tbsp sugar (or to taste)

• 1 tsp vanilla

1. Crush amaretti cookies into rough, odd-sized crumbs.

2. Whip cream to soft mounds, adding vanilla and sugar to taste.

3. Layer cream, peaches, and amaretti peaches into dessert glasses, reserving some crushed cookies for garnish. Refrigerate until ready to serve, then garnish with remaining crushed cookies.

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By Chef Saul Bolton

When I think about “the perfect meal”, it really rests in knowing your guests. After all, a perfect meal, like beauty, lies within the eye of the beholder. It starts with listening to and observing your friends and loved ones and using that information to come up with a menu and a plan.

The success of the perfect meal is largely predicated on the preparation before. I think this holds true for any event.

Information Gathering

It seems boring, but it’s a critical component of planning a perfect meal. You want all of your guests not only to be able to eat the food you prepare, but to delight in it and to be satiated.

1. How many people are coming? Ensure you have enough space, seats, and place settings for all of your guests and that you prepare enough food for everyone to be satiated.

2. Who is coming? You want a mix of guests who will get along with and be comfortable with each other.

3. What are their tastes, dietary preferences, and any potential allergies? You want everyone to be able to enjoy all aspects of the meal and not be afraid of an allergic reaction.

4. Know what’s good now – think local, seasonal foods. This is the first step to ensuring delicious dishes as better ingredients more locally sourced and in-season tend to have better flavor.

5. What style of the meal will you have? Is it a formal or informal meal? Will you have courses? Will you be serving family-style? Is there a theme? This step helps ensure a cohesive meal.

6. Are you eating inside or outside? This will help determine the timing, temperature considerations, and meal format.

Once you’ve answered those questions, give yourself time to be inspired! Perhaps there’s a specific dish that captures your imagination. You can then build the rest of the menu around it. Or if there’s a theme, using local and seasonal foods can help inform specific dishes you’d like to prepare.

Prep Plan

Once you’ve built your menu, it’s time to plan your prep.

3 or More Days in Advance

• Clean your dining, living, and eating areas – vacuum, dust, and wipe down surfaces to make sure your guests are comfortable.

• Prepare your kitchen – make sure it’s clean and organized and ready for your meal

• Assemble your plates, glasses and silverware and make sure everything is clean and in good condition

• Prepare your cooking equipment and ensure you have the tools you’ll need

• Review your menu and break out timing of each dish. Identify items that can be prepared in advance. It can help to prepare a day-of timeline along with cooking temperatures

1-2 Days in Advance

• Soups, sauces, vinaigrettes and marinades – these can typically be prepared a day or more in advance. Store in air-tight containers, label (to avoid day-of confusion) and keep refrigerated.

• Desserts – review your dessert and see which elements can be made in advance.

1 Day in Advance

• Proteins – clean and portion your proteins

• Vegetables – wash and properly dry lettuce, herbs, and vegetables. Store carefully to prevent wilting or drying out

The Guest Experience

It’s important to make sure you do as much as possible to make your guests feel the love when they walk in the door.

1. Smell – it should smell great as your guests walk in the door. It could be flowers, garlic, or something roasting. Whatever you think would stimulate your guests’ senses.

2. Sound – music is very important. It should reflect you, be appropriate to the theme of the meal, but it should not be too obtrusive.

3. Sight – the dining area should be cared for, clean, homey, and fresh without looking as if too much energy has been exerted. It should feel natural. Flowers, produce, plants, and herbs make great accents.

4. Touch – I love a special tablecloth and napkins. They add a textural as well as a visual component to the room.

5. Prepare a drink – a toast and a little conversation are always great before dinner. Prepare an aperitif (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) and some light snacks for guests to enjoy while you prepare the first course.

Planning these things in advance make it possible not only to cook a great meal and to create a great ambiance for your friends, but it enables you to participate in the evening and enjoy yourself. Which brings me to the execution of the meal without sweating.

THE PERFECT MEAL

Chilled Red Pepper Soup

Summer herbs, coconut milk, peekytoe crab

Salad of Shaved Broccoli & Summer Greens

toasted pepitas, lemon juice, oil

Oven Roasted Local Black Bass

ray’s tomatoes, summer squash, garlic, toasted breadcrumbs

 

Peaches with Amaretti Cookies

lightly whipped cream, crushed amaretti cookies

Click here for how I prepare my perfect meal.

By Great Performances

This month we’re celebrating bell peppers. Now reaching their peak season, they are the perfect addition to your favorite summer—or early fall—dishes. They can be found in a rainbow of colors: red, orange, yellow, green and purple, and add both color and flavor to dishes. Peppers are low in calories and rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants, making them an excellent addition to a balanced and healthy diet. They’re also incredible versatile and can be roasted, sautéed, eaten raw, or added into your favorite cocktail.

For best results, store peppers in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and use within a week.

Enjoy our favorite pepper dishes at our venues and be sure to try our recipes below or check out the Katchkie Farm recipe archive.

Celebrate Bell Peppers at our Cafés

September 15-21

• THE NORM AT BROOKLYN MUSEUM

  • Red Pepper Bisque – peekytoe crab salad

By Sous Chef Jhonattan Jordan, Great Performances

Ingredients

• 8 red bell peppers

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 fresh or fresh frozen kaffir lime leaves

• 24 fl oz vegetable broth

• 8 oz coconut milk

• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro (plus 6 nice leaves for garnish)

• 8 oz peekytoe crabmeat, cleaned with excess moisture squeezed out

• 1 lime for seasoning crab meat

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 2 tbsp olive oil

Procedure

1. In a large saucepan place red bell pepper, onion, kaffir lime leaves and minced garlic sauté on medium heat until tender.

2. Add vegetable broth, stirring well. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Transfer contents to a blender and puree until smooth. Run the soup through a strainer and stir in coconut milk. Taste for seasoning.

4. Pour soup into a container and refrigerate until chilled. Prepare 6 soup bowls and place in the refrigerator to chill.

5. Mix peekytoe crab with lime juice, 2 tbsp chopped cilantro, salt and pepper. Place the 1 ounce of dressed peekytoe crab in each bowl, reserving remainder for garnish.

6. Divide chilled soup between the 6 chilled soup bowls with crab meat, and garnish with remaining crab. Top with a cilantro leaf and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

It’s been a hot summer and we’ve rounded up our favorite summer cocktails to help you—and your guests—beat the heat. Best of all, they’re equal parts easy and impressive.

Lemonade

A sweet, tart citrus blast, lemonade epitomizes summer. We’ve upped the game with the Fashionable Astronaut at The Norm. Created by Loriana Sanabria for our latest menu at Maxim’s at The Norm, it’s the perfect summer refresher. Fresh summer fruit like raspberries or, in this case, blackberries, punches up the color and the flavor of a traditional lemonade. To make Loriana’s version at home, add your concentrated blackberry lemonade base to a glass, add the ice cubes, and then slowly pour in chilled seltzer water to get the beautiful ombre effect.

For an adults-only version, add your favorite clear spirit (vodka, gin, or tequila will all work) after the blackberry lemonade and ice, then top with chilled seltzer. It’s sure to be a hit!

Batch Cocktails

Keep your guests hydrated throughout the party—without lifting a finger. Prepare a batch cocktail (also known as a punch or a pitcher cocktail) in advance and let your guests help themselves. Use clear beverage dispensers and layer in fruits, vegetables, and herbs to add color and flavor.

One cocktail we love right now is Loriana’s Tailor’s White Sangria on the Maxim’s at The Norm menu and an homage to Pierre Cardin’s job as a tailor at House of Dior. Two days before your event, mix white grape juice, pomegranate vodka, orange liqueur, honey, and pinot grigio. Add mint and let it steep, refrigerated. One day before your party, cut up strawberries, lemons, limes, and oranges and soak in pinot grigio.

When you’re ready to serve, combine everything in a large pitcher or dispenser and top with sparkling wine. The mint gives an underlying crisp, refreshing taste, and the sangria is just the right amount of boozy and sweet. Try it today at The Norm at Brooklyn Museum!

Popsicle Cocktails

Popsicles help guests beat the heat during outdoor parties—and they can serve double duty by keeping drinks chilled. You can add popsicles to everything from sparkling wines to vodka sodas to margaritas. Look for popsicle flavors that will complement your drinks. We’ve

paired sparkling wines pair beautifully with homemade mango, strawberry basil or watermelon mint popsicles.

By Chef Saul Bolton

When cooking at home, we often are more focused on the process and getting the food out in time than on the final presentation. Great Performances’ chef and Michelin-star winner Saul Bolton shares his tips for beautiful presentation.

1. Choose your plates. Before you even begin to cook, make sure you have the plates you’ll need on hand. Consider form, function, color and size. Make sure the plates are clean and ready to use.

2. Keep your work area clean. A clean area promotes clean plating. Make sure you clean your work area and you organize your prepared ingredients prior to plating.

3. Less is more. If it doesn’t fit, don’t force it. Choose a dish that will allow for a ½-inch border between the food and the plate. You want your plate to look full, but not overflowing. The white space will help frame your food.

4. Let your ingredients shine. Make sure not to cover up important ingredients; everything should be seen, even if it’s just peeking out.

5. Shoot for natural symmetry. Your dishes shouldn’t be overly precise and symmetrical. You want order, but natural order

6. Consider dimension. Try adding some extra height to your food by twirling pasta or zoodles so they mound in the plate. Allow foods to rest on each other, such as resting a piece of fish on some greens or on a root vegetable puree.

7. Invest in tools. Adding textures and shapes by using graters, zesters and squeeze bottles provide extra touches that can elevate the appearance of a dish.

8. Garnish wisely. Garnishes can add extra color and texture. Drizzles of oil, dollops of purees and circles of sauces add visual interest to a dish.

9. Clean again. Wipe your plates and serve. Your guests are sure to appreciate your efforts!

Image Credits: ©Georgi Richardson, ©Chip Klose, ©Amanda Gentile, ©Ben Hider

By Great Performances

We’re delighted to introduce Jon Ronsani as our new farmer at Katchkie Farm, our 60-acre organic farm in Columbia County, NY. A New York native, Jon brings nearly 15 years of Hudson Valley farming experience to Katchkie, including the stewardship of his own 45-acre Lineage Farm from 2011 to 2017.

“Jon’s love of farming is palpable and his background in small scale produce-oriented farming is the perfect fit for Katchkie,” notes Liz Neumark, the founder and CEO of Great Performances, who bought the then unfarmed land in 2006 and has been “growing” a farm on it  ever since. “His experience is also a great fit for The Sylvia Center, whose teaching garden on the farm he will oversee.  We look forward to Jon further integrating the farm’s yield into Great Performances’ kitchens by working closely with the culinary team to tailor the farm’s production to their always evolving menus.”*

About taking over the helm of Katchkie Farm, Ronsani enthuses, “It’s very gratifying to be working with someone like Liz, who is so emotionally invested in farming, and with the people at Great Performances in general, who are so passionate about what they do.”

A graduate of Bard College, Jon studied music performance with the goal of being a musician. After graduating from college, Jon Ronsani volunteered for Hudson, NY’s Threshold Farm’s CSA program where he discovered that his lifelong love of food gave him a deep-seated connection to farming. When his fellow volunteers returned to school that autumn, he was offered a full-time farming job that provided him with a diverse journeyman’s education in the business of farming from mechanics and marketing to soil nutrition and dealing with customers.

He started a CSA at his Lineage Farm, which he folded into Liberty Farm’s business when he joined that operation in the interests of more stability for his growing family in 2017. He and his wife, Jen, who is his farming partner, are the parents of two young boys.

By Great Performances

This month we’re celebrating tomatoes. Currently at their peak, tomatoes are a true sign of summer. From pastas to salads to soups, they serve as the perfect ingredient for your favorite summer dish; and with over 15,000 variations and multiple color varieties, tomatoes are not only delicious but extremely versatile. They are also loaded with vitamins and antioxidants such as lycopene, Vitamin A, C and K, which promote heart, immune and skin health.

Enjoy our favorite tomato dishes at our venues, and be sure to try our recipe below or check out the Katchkie Farm recipe archive.

Celebrate Tomatoes at our Cafés

August 12-18

• THE NORM AT BROOKLYN MUSEUM

  • Penne Pasta – cherry tomato pesto, parmesan

Yes! Tomato Tartine, Goat Cheese, Blueberry & Basil

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 6 slices sour dough

• 6 oz fresh local goat cheese

• 1 bunch fresh basil

• 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries

• 1 lb tomatoes

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 lemon

• 3 sprigs fresh thyme

• Olive oil

Procedure

1. Toast each slice of bread until golden brown. Gently rub each slice with the fresh garlic & fresh thyme sprigs, then brush lightly with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and set aside in warm spot.

2. Slice the tomatoes into sizes you believe will sit nicely on top of the toast. Toss the tomatoes in a small bowl with a little olive oil, salt, & pepper. Set aside.

3. Spread each warm piece of toast with the fresh goat cheese. With your fingers gently tear the basil leaves into small pieces and press into goat cheese on toast.

4. Carefully distribute the tomatoes and blueberries. Season again with salt and pepper, garnish with basil and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve immediately

By Carina Hayek

We’ve scoured social media, consulted clients and assessed articles to identify the top trends for weddings and events.

Vegetables are taking center stage. Vegetarian dishes are no longer an afterthought – more and more hosts are relying on plant-based dishes to feed all of their guests. From our Eggplant Chermoula with Cauliflower Couscous to our Za’atar Roasted Portobello Steak and Spring Roots, we’ve got a variety of tastes to satisfy even the most meat-loving guest.

Be sensitive to food sensitivities. People with food sensitivities should know which foods they can enjoy

and which they can’t. Consult with your planner to ensure you have a variety of dishes, including ones that are free of some or all of the eight major allergens (eggs, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, shellfish, and fish).

Source local, eat global. Locally sourced produce tastes better, helps preserve the environment, and contributes to the local economy. But that doesn’t mean our flavors need to remain local. We’re seeing hosts looking for an international experience from their hors d’oeuvres through their desserts. We use spices and cooking techniques from Asia, North and South America and Europe in dishes like our Pulled Chicken; King Trumpet Oyster Mushroom Carpaccio; and Five-Spice Beluga Lentils and Roast Butternut Squash; and Soft and Chewy S’mores.

Have fun with food. Finger foods, sharing plates and a unique spin on cocktails can help set a relaxed, fun tone for an event. Keep guests moving – and guessing – with a variety of hors oeuvres and snacks. From passed English Pea Blini to Pretzel Trees, providing guests with different food presentations can help make your event even more memorable. And don’t forget the cocktails! We kept our guests cool with these ice pops in sparkling wine, a refreshing and fun way to kick off an outdoor gala.

Waste not, want not. Whether you call it zero-waste, frond-to-root, or nose-to-tail cooking, it all boils down to using the entire ingredient. We call it tradition, cooking the way our grandparents cooked to ensure nothing was wasted. Look for dishes that incorporate some of the less-often used parts of plants like carrot tops, pea tendrils and kale stems. These are delicious, nutritious, and ensure we honor our ingredients.