Photography by Vince Lupo
ANTIPASTO
Mary Giolitti, owner, Giolitti Delicatessen, Annapolis
“When I entertain at home, I always serve antipasto. I start with some really excellent sliced salami and fresh cheese from our deli. Then I add an assortment of imported green and black marinated olives, marinated artichoke hearts, and roasted red peppers. I enjoy roasting my own peppers on my gas stove. They’re so easy to make: I place them directly on the flame until they’re black all over. Then I put the charred peppers into a paper bag to cool before I peel the skin off under water. I slice them up and sauté them very briefly with garlic and olive oil. Then I put everything in colorful bowls and dishes; it’s all very eclectic looking. It’s fun for people to take little bits of everything, and it’s a good conversation starter. I always have some fine Italian olive oil and crusty Italian bread nearby.”
BLUEFISH
Brian Schmidt, owner, Garden & Garnish catering, Trappe, Md.
“I love the bluefish at Captain’s Ketch in Easton. It’s a wonderful fillet that’s smoked and topped with cracked pepper. I like to serve it alongside a roasted garlic vodka mayonnaise with pumpernickel rounds. I typically serve it at cocktail parties. People have this thing about bluefish, they think it’s too strong, but after they try it, they say, ‘Hey, this is really great.’ With four kids, we don’t do a whole lot of entertaining, but this is at the top of our list.”
Roasted Garlic Vodka Mayonnaise
CHILI MEXICALI
Kitty Higgins, Annapolis
“In the winter, I like to serve big bowls of chili Mexicali; I’ve made this recipe for years. I think it originally came from the Washington Post food section. It works for a crowd or a small group gathered around the fire. And it’s always better the second day. I always serve it with warm corn bread and a big green salad. It freezes beautifully.”
DESSERT PARTY
Caroline Reutter, owner/chef, Caroline’s Cakes, Annapolis
“The ultimate entertaining idea is a decadent dessert party. I like to serve champagne and, of course, my caramel cake as well as my coconut cake with raspberry sauce and lemon sherbet. I also make nutty lady fingers, wonderful little shortbread cookies that are rolled in powdered sugar, and something lemony, like little meringue shells with lemon filling covered with whipped cream and piled high with strawberries. And, of course I’d need my flourless chocolate cake—and pecan pie, too. And it’s always nice to have a few little pick-me-ups, like salted praline pecans, roasted slightly, salted, and covered with a clear caramel glaze. And finally, I make a big bowl of fresh fruit with a little mint scattered throughout the mixture and serve it with some sauce anglaise. Now that’s what I call a party!”
EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA
Barbara Ripani, owner, Potato Valley Café, Annapolis
“I love to make eggplant Parmigiana for family and friends. Honestly, its one thing that everyone loves. My grandparents were from a small town in Sicily, Fondachelli, which I visited this year. The people are so great at making vegetarian food. It’s okay to say ‘Solo Vegetariana.’ The secret to this recipe is not to overload the cheese or drench it in sauce. Think of it as a casserole dish. I serve it with cappellini or vermicelli tossed with olive oil and garlic on the side.”
FLOWERS
Ingrid Blanton, owner, Fabulous Flowers, Oxford, Md.
“I love color, and use lots of colorful flowers on my table when entertaining. I either make one central arrangement for the center of my round table, or I use little individual glass or china vases that I’ve picked up here and there over the years and put one at each place setting. Even though I have access to any flower I want, whenever possible, I use a variety of roses and hydrangeas from my garden—I have them in blue, pink, purple, white, and green. If I’m not doing one large arrangement, I like to create a dramatic table by scattering lots of rose petals around small vases and candles, and I use lots of greens, whatever is available: eucalyptus, lemon leaves, hydrangea leaves. I use whatever I have in my garden—trees, bushes, herbs. I don’t go buy stuff—I like to clip whatever is around.”
GORGONZOLA PEAR SALAD
Susan Zellers, executive director, Marine Trade Association of Maryland, Annapolis
“This time of year when pears are so beautiful and plentiful, I like to make gorgonzola salad. I use it as a first course when serving a roast, or it’s also great with pork tenderloin or flank steak. The sharpness of the cheese is a great contrast to the delicate taste of pears. I like to use food as a table decoration, too, and all the different colored pears make a great centerpiece when piled into a beautiful wooden bowl in the center of my table.”
HOUSTON REDEEMER BREAD
Karen Smith, chief operating officer, National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, Annapolis
“Houston Redeemer Bread has been a family favorite for years. My mother-in-law sampled it while visiting her brother in Houston, where it was a staple at church suppers. She brought the recipe back with her to Ohio where I grew up, and we have shared it with friends and family across the country ever since. It’s a really yummy moist and sweet bread, great warmed and served as a side for stew or any winter meal.”
ICELANDIC FOODS
Nunna Spikes, Annapolis
“I am half Icelandic on my mother’s side. I lived in Iceland for a while and attended school there for three years. When people come to visit, I like to serve several Icelandic foods. One of my favorites is Skyr, a skim-milk product that is naturally fat free and high in protein. I like to serve it at breakfast or any time instead of yogurt. When it comes to dinners, I like to serve Icelandic salmon poached with dill and melted butter. I also like to sauté a lightly floured Icelandic cod and serve it with potatoes and sautéed onions. And everyone who tries Icelandic lamb says it’s the best they’ve tasted. And when looking for a good first course, sometimes I can find Icelandic caviar, either red or black, which I serve with crackers or toast points. There is no pollution in Iceland and all foods are organic.”
JALAPEÑO SQUARES
David V. Evans, co-owner, Votivo Candles, Annapolis
“Three years ago, I spent the better part of four months living in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, with my closest friend and business partner. I returned with a real love for Mexican food. At cocktail parties, in addition to serving Mexican varieties of guacamole and salsa, I also like to serve something with which guests might not be familiar. I love to serve jalapeño squares. They’re wonderfully easy to prepare, and I must admit, I’m always disappointed when they’re so popular that I have none to nibble on the next day.”
Jalapeño Squares
KUMQUAT TOPIARIES
Stacey L. Zier, president/owner, Tastings Gourmet Market, Annapolis
“I love creating edible kumquat topiaries as table centerpieces. They’re beautiful as well as delicious. I like to have a bowl of melted dark chocolate nearby so guests can dip the kumquats. I think they’re little jewels. It’s the only citrus you can eat without peeling. Everyone is used to strawberries and chocolate, but this is a nice variation. Plus, your centerpiece becomes your dessert!”
Kumquat Topiary
Chocolate Ganache
LINENS
Merritt Butts, realtor, Annapolis
“Fine linens are a soft spot for me. I have a lot that I inherited. I don’t think I ever used a paper napkin in my life, no matter how casual. And even if people eat on their laps, nice linens make a difference. Most of my beautiful linens were my grandmothers’, and I’ve taken good care of them. Because most of my tablecloths are white and go with everything, I fill in with colorful napkins and napkin rings. I’m always on the lookout for colorful table accents. Over the years, I’ve found fabulous linens at estate sales or a department store sale rack or, of course, Yves de Lorme in Annapolis; they have gorgeous things. But I’m happiest to find an interesting piece of cloth at an old hardware store.”
MUSIC
Rob Levit, musician, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Annapolis
“When I’m giving a dinner party at my home, I choose music people normally wouldn’t hear, like Wes Montgomery, a great jazz guitarist who’s very laid back, or I’ll play some music from a different part of the world; I have very eclectic taste. I like Rokia Traore’s album Bowmboi; she is a female African singer with a voice that is very nice and mellow, or Julian Bream, a famous Spanish classical guitarist who has a wonderful compilation of music for evening meditation. Around our house it gets pretty crazy, so I like to put on calming music.”
NAPKIN RINGS
Maxine Millar, volunteer, Oxford, Md.
“I started my antique silver napkin ring collection at least thirty years ago, and I always use them when I entertain. All are monogrammed, and it’s amazing how many I have with the same names of friends. So, whenever possible, I place the one with that person’s name at his or her place setting. I also collect silver baby cups and like to incorporate them into my dinner parties by placing one at each place setting with a nosegay instead of doing a centerpiece. I especially like the ones with engravings that say things like ‘Presented to Little Beatrice from her Grandpa Mayher.’”
OSSO BUCO
Pat Edwards, board member, Annapolis Symphony, Annapolis
“What I serve when entertaining always depends on the season, what’s fresh and the weather. I have stacks of cookbooks, and I take them out, along with recipes I clip and collect from The New York Times and The Washington Post. Often, what I make for company is the first time I’ve made the dish. I know you are not supposed to make your friends guinea pigs, but it makes it more fun. In the winter, I think stews, especially osso buco. It’s easy to make, and the house smells so good. I use a Marcella Hazan recipe; it’s a favorite and one I repeat. When you see the recipe in her cookbook, you might think it’s difficult because it’s three pages long, but she gives precise instructions so you can’t make a mistake. I like this recipe because it’s authentic, the real thing. I serve it with flat noodles lightly tossed with butter and grated cheese and for color, some steamed green beans. You can order the veal shank at Graul’s, but Whole Foods usually has them. This dish is always a crowd pleaser.” (See recipe in Marcella Hazan’s book, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.)
PASTRY
Pam Cicetti, Annapolis
“I’m a trained pastry chef. The pastry that makes everyone crazy is Mille Feiulle, which means one thousand leaves. It’s three layers of puff pastry filled with cream and sliced mangos, raspberries, or other fruit. I make my pastry from scratch, but you can buy it ready-made at any good grocery store. But you have to make the pastry cream yourself, you can’t buy that in stores. The cream is easy to make, but the puff pastry is a challenge. My favorite recipe for decadent vanilla cream is from Lenotre’s Desserts and Pastries by the great French pastry chef, Gaston Lenotre.”
Vanilla Pastry Cream for Mille Feiulle
QUALITY
Phillip Bernot, Easton, Md.
“Ninety percent of good cooking is good shopping for quality food. I shop at many different places, from Whole Foods to Internet sources, including Penzeys Spices and US Wellness Meats. I am one of those ‘always on the lookout’ types; usually that means hitting the Easton and St. Michaels farmers’ markets for better, fresher produce whenever possible. I find it essential to keep a well-stocked pantry, and hit Trader Joe’s every couple of months to stock up. I also love ethnic food stores for their exotic fare and always keep my eye out for interesting stores wherever I go. When wine shopping, I look for interesting inexpensive wines from Italy, France, and South America. In the last ten years, California has made great strides making wines that complement and not overpower food. The average California chardonnay is often the worst choice for showing off food. If the food, wine, and music are all good quality, the only variable left is the company!”
RUGS
Sylvia Onder, co-owner, Caravan Treasures from Turkey, Annapolis
“We often like to have a Middle Eastern-style dinner and use rugs as the focal point. We tell everyone we invite that it will be Middle Eastern-style dining, so they know that they will be in their socks, and we’ll be dining on the floor. A Middle Eastern-style party is visually gorgeous. The rugs are so colorful, and we use them not only on the floor but on the walls or as table runners. Sometimes, we’ll use one rug for a stage and have a belly dancer perform. Even if you don’t have access to all the rugs like we do, you can still have a party like this with one or two rugs. We arrange several low tables on the rugs for the food. If you have pillows, guests can stretch out between courses. If we are having twelve people, we arrange three tables close together with all the food—cocktail tables are the right height. In the summer, we throw a rug on the grass and have a great party focal point or use it as a stage for dancing. A rug is a really nice thing to have for dancing barefoot.”
SHORT RIBS PROVENÇAL
Ann Pierson, sales executive, Haworth, Annapolis
“In the winter, I love to serve short ribs Provençal. The ribs are hard to find; the only place I can usually find them is at Whole Foods. First, I braise the short ribs before adding tomatoes and a whole bottle of Zinfandel. (I like Zinfandel because it’s a good, full-bodied wine.) I cook the ribs for a couple of hours—the more they cook the better they get. In fact, they’re often better the next day—they seem to mature and come to life. At the last minute, I add black olives. It’s kind of a European dish that I like to serve with mashed potatoes and a wonderful salad with gorgonzola cheese. I serve this dish by a roaring fire with lots of wine.”
TABLE SETTINGS
John Jelich, real estate broker, Trappe, Md.
“When entertaining, we insist on casual dress, but our table is always very formal. My wife, Anne, and I collect china, silver, and crystal. We love to pick up pieces at antique shops and mix them all together. At any place setting there could be three or four different silver patterns, creating an interesting table. We must have 400 different napkins. We serve cocktails before dinner, a first course with white wine, second with red, and champagne with dessert. Even if we’re having ten people, we must use at least fifty glasses.”
UKULELE MUSIC
Jeff Holland, musician, Them Eastport Oyster Boys, Annapolis
“When Kevin Brooks and I walk into a party, before we even start to play our fun sing-a-long songs, we’ve already set the mood, we’re here to have fun. It’s hard to take us seriously, and that fits right in with our repertoire. Most of what we do has a sense of humor behind it. Sometimes we make fun of power boaters, and we get the audience to participate. People hire us to play on their yachts or in their homes. It’s hard not to sing along to the music even if you don’t know all the words. The ukulele is a great ice breaker.”
VOTIVE CANDLES
Connie DelSignore, president & CEO, Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Conference & Visitors Bureau
“I like to place a votive candle at each place setting instead of using taller candles as part of a table centerpiece. Lighting and fragrance are very important to making guests feel special, so I fill the room with scented candles early in the day. From the moment my guests walk in the door, the scented candles set a special mood for the evening before they’ve even had one bite of food or sip one drop of wine.”
WHOLE FOODS
Louisa-Marie Shapiro, Annapolis
“Occasionally I like to cook for guests, but since I have limited patience in the kitchen, I’m delighted with the quality of the ready-made foods at Whole Foods. Their sushi case is my biggest draw. I love to serve their edamame and vegetable dumplings. I also have a real weakness for their marinated clams as well as their marinated meats, especially the kabobs and ‘meat sticks.’ And Margaret’s Artisan Flatbread will blow away the best crackers anywhere.”
GRAVLAX
Myriam Norris, artist, Edgewater, Md.
“I love to entertain people from various backgrounds, bring them together and make something that’s special, easy, and that can be made well in advance. That’s why I love to serve gravlax. It’s delicious with sour cream, onions, capers, lemon, and a variety of dark breads. If I have a lot of people—maybe forty for a sit-down dinner—I make it on individual plates and serve it as a first course. It’s delicious, but most people don’t know the difference between gravlax and smoked salmon.”
YAOURTI
Tom and Joanne Sfakiyanudis, owners, Kyma restaurant
“Yaourti, a delicious Greek style yogurt parfait, is a family favorite of ours. We gave our chef, Jose Picazo, the recipe to share with our customers. He serves it beautifully in an elegant martini glass. Smooth creamy Greek yogurt is layered with crunchy hazelnuts and sweet, sticky honey, creating an interesting, complex texture that’s a little bit of sweet with a little bit of bite. We make the dessert for special occasions, holidays, and celebrations. We welcomed a child in December, and enjoyed the dessert at that celebration too!”
ZINFANDEL
Patrick Bouculat, owner, Wine Cellars of Annapolis
“Most people don’t realize that Zinfandel is a fantastic premium red wine, they usually think of white Zinfandel, which is actually pink and a little sweet. We often recommend that choice for new wine drinkers. Red Zinfandel is very different—it’s a big, bold world-class wine from California with a lot of body. It has a real richness without being heavy. I love to serve, and highly recommend, the 2004 Alexander Valley Zinfandel from Rusina Vineyards in Sonoma, California. It has rich fruit tones on the palate and hints of wood and spice on a long, velvety finish. It’s great with barbecue in the summer or roasted game in the winter.”
Annapolitan Mary Ann Treger loves to entertain.
