Issue #173: Recipe for a (Political) Party
Dipping Our Toes in NH Politics, Last-Minute Party Planning, The Best Brownies
I picked up Nate after work last Friday, as I do most days. But our ride home that evening was a little different. Nate said that he’d received an email from someone he met the other day asking if we might host a meet-and-greet house party—a New Hampshire pollical tradition— for the new Democratic nominee for Congress from our district, Maggie Goodlander…MONDAY NIGHT! Just three days away.
Nate had been on panel with Maggie the week before and he was totally taken by her. Since then, she won the primary. Sharp, honest, genuine, she made such an impression that he mentioned it to someone in her entourage, the person who reached out to us to see if we could host.
We’d contemplated having a party to meet our neighbors and welcome them to our home. But we still don’t have any of our furniture—it remains in Manhattan to stage our apartment, which is still for sale, btw, if you know anyone looking for a beautiful three bedroom, two bath, two terrace in Gramercy—and we had an unexpectedly busy summer. So, we hadn’t yet managed to pull anything together. This seemed like the right excuse, a party for a purpose. No time to worry. And for the estimated 25 to 40 people who might respond positively to an invitation received just a couple of days in advance, not having any furniture would be a plus.
We said yes.
Later that Friday night, after some back and forth with members of Maggie’s campaign, we finalized the invitation. We were co-hosting with a couple from Orford, New Hampshire, and we started sending the invite out to neighbors, colleagues, people I had met through the Plainfield Democratic Committee, our friends at the farm stand down the road, and anyone we could think of who might be interested in learning more about this new candidate.
RSVPs came pouring in.
Of course, the first thing on my mind after saying yes was, What would I serve?
The party was called for 6 to 7:30 pm, dinner time in my book. And we wouldn’t know until the last minute how many people to expect. (We ended up north of 60!) I started to think of dishes I could make with ingredients I had on hand, things I didn’t have to think much about that could morph into finger food.
What I came up with was a menu based almost exclusively on recipes that I’ve shared with you in this newsletter—lest you think I’m not telling the truth when I say how often I use the recipes I write about.
I made a seasonal quiche (Issue #56) filled with fresh corn, bacon, garlic chives, cherry tomatoes and Gruyère. I lined a quarter sheet pan with my flaky pie dough (Issue # 11), filled it quite shallow with the custard mixture, pumping up the cheese and baking it firm so I could cut it into neat little squares people could eat with their hands in just one bite or two.
I made a batch of pimento cheese (Issue #92) using local Vermont cheddar and some piquillo peppers from Spain I had in the cupboard. I served the pimento cheese with sourdough rye crackers and gluten-free almond-chive crackers (both from Issue #16).
I sliced hard-boiled eggs (see my steaming technique, Issue #17) and arranged them on buttered Danish rye bread I brought back from Copenhagen earlier this year, topping the egg with a dollop of homemade mayonnaise (Issue #6), and a spoonful of trout roe I smuggled from Sweden.
In order to use up a totally tasteless, flaccid cantaloupe I couldn’t in good conscience toss, I made up a recipe on the spot for a savory chilled soup. Into the blender went the melon with some fresh mint, yogurt, a little dashi, some lemon juice, a dash of Tabasco, and a pinch of salt—it was the hit of the party. Maggie called out the soup in her remarks. #wastenot
Some homemade sourdough bread, a little cheese, and crudités of local vegetables from down the road with a roasted onion dip based on that homemade mayo rounded out the savory options.
For dessert, another recipe I’ve shared with you adapted for the moment. Using late-harvest raspberries I was surprised to find at the farmstand, I made a raspberry crumb cake, subbing out the plums from the recipe in Issue #73. That cake fits perfectly into a quarter sheet pan. If you chill it to make slicing easier, you can cut it into small, bite-sized squares. (Bring it back to room temperature before serving.)
A batch of our favorite brownies from a recipe by our friend Kate Krader, see below, and some local watermelon was all it took to round out the menu. Everyone was happy, sated. We met a lot of our new neighbors. Now we just have to get Maggie elected to Congress.
Don’t Hesitate…Throw a Party
The reason I’m sharing this story—in addition to hoping that you get political and help get out the vote—is that I hope to inspire you to entertain with simple recipes you know and love. Food doesn’t have to be fancy to impress. Just think creatively about how you can transform your favorite dishes into party food. Change the shape of the pan, cut them into smaller or bigger pieces, use wings instead of drumsticks, you get the idea.
Serve foods in combination with other things you like to eat and chances are, your guests will like them, too. Though I know it is easier to say than to feel, don’t be anxious. Stick to what you know. Pay attention to your guests. People will feel a sense of hospitality, which is what they will remember most. You’d be surprised how easy it is to impress and entertain if you don’t worry too much about doing either.
RECIPE: One-Pot Fudgy, Salty Brownies
Kate Krader is a longtime friend. But I didn’t know she was famous for an easy, fudgy, savory recipe for brownies until I read about them in an article in Food & Wine (a magazine for which she used to work). Nate is always interested in me trying new brownie recipes. This one stuck in our rotation because it is simple and totally delicious.
Makes 1 to 5 dozen, depending on how big or small you slice ‘em
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2 ounces unsweetened (100%) chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa, any type, sifted
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Pinch fine sea salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon flaked sea salt, either Maldon or Falksalt
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil so that it comes up over the sides. Grease the foil with pan spray.
In a large saucepan, combine the butter with the unsweetened chocolate and set over a low heat to melt slowly while stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cocoa until smooth. Whisk in the sugar—the mixture will be grainy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until each is fully incorporated. Beat in the vanilla and the pinch of salt. Switch to a wooden spoon or rubber spatula and stir in the flour, just until mixed.
Transfer the mixture into the prepared pan and, using the back of a spoon or an offset spatula, even it out all the way to each corner. Sprinkle the flaked salt evenly over the top of the batter and, using the point of a knife or that offset spatula, swirl the salt into the batter.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges have pulled away from the pan and you see hairline cracks in the surface. The center may still be ever-so-slightly soft, which is okay. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for at least an hour. Transfer the brownies in the pan to a refrigerator and chill thoroughly for at least an hour and preferably more.
Using the aluminum overhang, lift the brownies out of the pan onto a cutting board. Pull down the foil sides. Using a long knife, cut into desired size. Serve at room temperature.
About that watermelon….
Knowing that Edgewater Farm has a surfeit of watermelon right now, one of the first things I suggested to Nate was that we serve some at the party. When we stopped by the stand to pick up a few last-minute things, they encouraged us to participate in their “Watermelon Challenge”: all you can carry (to the car in one go) for $10. Nate managed to maneuver five watermelons (!), which we thought we would be able to serve. It turns out, one watermelon, even a small one, slices up to more than you imagine. Just one and a half melons was enough for this party of 60 people. So that left us with three extra melons, plus the one we had from our weekly CSA. All of which explains why three people left our party with a door prize of a fresh, local watermelon. Don’t let anyone tell you politics doesn’t pay.
Wow! Perfect choices as always and so politically correct.
Lucky attendees!