"WHAT CAN I BRING?"
Tasty treats to take to your next get together
Happy Thursday, W4D friends! There are two kinds of home entertainers: those who love to have guests contribute to the meal, and those who detest it.
We happen to have many friends in the later camp, probably because they want to have control over the menu, which we totally understand. In fact, most of our friends answer the question, “What may I bring?” with, “Nothing. Just bring yourself!” and we have to admit that we are also in that camp.
But the reality is people don’t want to arrive empty handed! So this week we’re giving you two great options the next time you’re invited to someone’s house for a Summer Soiree… Plus, some tips to make you THE FAVORITE GUEST at anyone’s table (and a guarantee that you’ll be invited back!).
BRING DESSERT: ATLANTIC BEACH PIE BARS
EK: I am often asked to bring dessert and I am always happy to do so! In the Summer, my go-to is Atlantic Beach Pie Bars. It’s my version of my friend, Bill Smith’s, legendary lemon-flavored Atlantic Beach Pie.
EK: Bill Smith is a North Carolina culinary treasure. He was the long-time chef of Chapel Hill’s legendary Crook’s Corner*. His predecessor, Bill Neal’s legacy was shrimp and grits, and Bill Smith’s legacy is Atlantic Beach Pie. He grew up in New Bern, NC, which is on the shoreline and 36 miles from Atlantic Beach, the namesake of his beloved pie. *Bill Smith retired after 25 years as the chef of Crook’s Corner and the restaurant closed in June 2021.
AU: I saw a recipe for Atlantic Beach Pie recently, and realized I had never eaten it. But I’m not a North Carolina girl like you…
EK: Because he has popularized this simple regional pie, it is no longer just a recipe written on a faded index card or in an old community cookbook. It has become such a “thing” that Ohio-based Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream created an Atlantic Beach Pie flavor a few years ago.
One of my favorite memories of Bill Smith was visiting him at his restaurant, Crook’s Corner, on a day that the restaurant was closed. But that’s not to say that the kitchen was—Bill himself was making dozens of Atlantic Beach Pies for a special event that he was hosting. As we spoke, he took sheet trays full of 9-inch pies in and out of the oven, gracefully, like he was dancing. He has made these pies so many times that he didn’t miss a beat, continuing our conversation as if we were sitting next to each other chatting at leisure. It was as routine as breathing.
EK: Like Bill, I also grew up with this thick, creamy, tart-and-sweet lemon pie. I remember it mostly from the fish joints in Morehead City which is across the bridge from Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. It was also one of the easiest and most foolproof Girl Scout recipes that our troop baked with ready-made mini graham-cracker pie shells.
AU: Wow! So this pie is part of your DNA, huh? I love that.
EK: In researching this recipe, the filling was almost always the same; lemon juice, lime and lemon juice, or sometimes key lime juice; sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks. Occasionally, lemon zest and a pinch of salt were added, but it is essentially three ingredients. It was often served bare on the plate where you could see the jiggle of the filling, or sometimes a meringue— made from the leftover egg whites—topped the pie.
As far as I can recall, it was mostly made with a pre-made graham cracker crust which was good, but not great. When I researched the pie in community cookbooks, I discovered that vanilla wafers and Ritz crackers were also used to make the crust.
AU: Well this all sounds amazing, but is it more like a Key Lime Pie or a Lemon Meringue Pie??
EK: Most often, the pie was listed simply as Lemon Pie. You can also find the recipe entitled Lemon Icebox Pie, Down East Lemon Pie, or even Lemon-Milk Pie but everyone knew that it was the cold creamy sweetened condensed-milk lemon pie so that makes it more like the NC version of a Key Lime Pie.
Bill Smith re-named the pie Atlantic Beach Pie in honor of the fish houses and the tradition of eating this tart lemon pie after a seafood dinner. He says that his mother taught him that “any other dessert after seafood would render one ill.” Whether that is true or not, it is true in North Carolina that a lemon dessert was the preferred “choice” after a menu of seafood.
EK: Bill does not claim to have created the pie, but he certainly popularized it and I personally think he improved it. The genius of Bill Smith’s Atlantic Beach Pie is the buttery saltine crust and the real whipped cream on top. The perfect bite is a bit of the crunchy slightly sweet and salty crackers filled with the milky sweet tart jiggly pie and soft pillowy whipped cream. It really is OMG good!
There are embellished recipes out there that use egg white or corn syrup to bind the crust, but you don’t need to add them. If you wish, you can add a little more butter so the crumbs bake solidly.
I’ve adapted Bill’s recipe to use a disposable 8-inch square pan with lid so that the dessert is easy to transport and you can get 12 squares out of the “pie.” I like my whipped cream plain—with no sugar—so it balances out the sweet of the condensed milk, but if you like things on the sweeter side, add a bit of sugar to the cream.
However you serve it, it is a terrific dessert to bring to any event or meal, with or without seafood. We have Bill to thank for bringing “that pie” back to our Summer table!
BRING A SIDE: GRILLED ZUCCHINI SALAD
AU: To be honest, there are very few zucchini recipes that excite me. One is Julia Child’s “Zucchini Gratin” from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and the other is Jimmy Bradley’s “Quick Sauté of Zucchini” at the legendary Red Cat in NYC, a restaurant near and dear to our hearts!
EK: I loved the Red Cat and I loved that zucchini dish! As you know, The Red Cat was right around the corner from my apartment in Chelsea and it was my home away from home. I don’t think that I went a single time and didn’t order “that Zucchini” or the Tempura-Fried Green Beans!
AU: I loved the Red Cat, too. It was one of those magical, NYC restaurants that was nice enough to celebrate special occasions, but casual enough for a Wednesday night of martinis and Tempura-Fried Green Beans at the bar. As we mentioned, the mandatory order at every table was the Quick Sauté of Zucchini.
It’s a dish that was so bare bones and simple; a perfect example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Barely-cooked zucchini cut into match sticks, toasty almonds, and large thin sheets of pecorino cheese. I would lick the plate every time!
I tried to marry the simplicity of that famous dish with the idea of a marinated zucchini antipasto you’d have at a great Italian restaurant. Something that would travel well, and pair with chicken, pork, or seafood as well as it would with grilled beef or lamb.
The first thing about zucchini is it’s very, very WET. Like Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion would write a song about it wet. We want to avoid a soggy mess as much as possible by doing—or rather NOT doing—two things: One, we are not going to cook it very long (the same way the Red Cat served barely-cooked zucchini), and two, we’re not going to season with salt & pepper until right before it’s time to eat. (Because we know salt draws moisture out of things). These two approaches will avoid a WAZ.
AU: Coat the zucchini planks with the thinnest layer of oil. If you have an olive oil spray or a Misto, this is the time to use it. Preheat your grill ‘til it’s screaming hot, and lay the zucchini down. You just want to get grill marks on them. By the time you’ve arranged all the planks on the grill, it’s probably time to flip them. Give ‘em another minute on the other side, and remove them to a paper-towel-lined sheet pan. This will soak up any moisture that may start to leach from the veg. If the zucchini seems really dry, don’t worry. It’s going to soak up a simple vinaigrette.
While they cool, make your vinaigrette in a large salad bowl. I let some minced shallot and garlic sit in white wine vinegar and lemon juice/zest for about 10 mins (to soften the sharpness) before I stirred in some olive oil. It will not be emulsified, but it doesn’t matter, the zucchini is going to soak it all up.
Once the grilled zucchini and corn are cooled, I sliced the corn off the cob and cut the zucchini planks into 1.5” sections (on the bias, because we’re fancy). Add the corn, zucchini, and tomatoes to the bowl with the vinaigrette, and toss to coat everything. Remember: we have not added any salt or pepper yet. Throw in your toasted pistachios, crumbled Ricotta Salata or Feta cheese, and gently toss.
This is where you should stop if you’re taking the dish to someone’s house. You can even refrigerate it for a day, if you want (though the zucchini’s color will fade). When you arrive at your destination, sprinkle torn mint leaves all over, give it a season with S&P, toss, and serve to great Summery fanfare!
THE “WHAT SHOULD I BRING?” GUIDE
Here are some quick guidelines that will make sure you don’t just show up to someone’s house, but that you SHOW OFF, too!
IF YOU’RE INVITED…
AU: There are a few things you can do to make sure you’re invited back! First, arrive 15 minutes late from the “start” of the dinner party. These 15 minutes are the crucial crunch time, where I’m usually running around screaming “I need you to rinse those platters!” or troubleshooting a recipe that’s not working, and putting the final touches on the appetizers/drinks/etc. These are also the 15 minutes where one may threaten to divorce their spouse, and no one needs to bear witness to that.
Here are some of my fave things to bring to someone’s house when I’m invited as a guest and they say “Just bring yourself”:
Dessert - If you’re communicating with the host beforehand, and they don’t have a dessert plan, volunteer it! “I can take care of dessert, if you’d like.” Then grab some of your favorite goodies from a local bakery, or better yet, make Elizabeth’s recipe above!
A Favorite Candle - Scent can be very personal, so know your audience before showing up with this, but a bougie candle from your favorite shop in your neighborhood is always appreciated by the host. Do not show up to someone’s house with a drugstore candle, or you will not be asked back.
Peak Produce - If you’ve got a green thumb, bring some spoils from your own garden! Who wouldn’t want peak heirloom tomatoes, or a pint or two of gorgeous berries? Or if you have access to a particularly great farmer’s market or roadside stand, bring some produce treasures to your hosts’ house.
Flowers - I’m going to sound like the biggest bitch ever, but listen to me carefully: DO NOT TAKE FLOWERS TO SOMEONE’S HOME WITHOUT A VASE. Remember that 15-minute period of time before guests arrive I mentioned earlier? The last thing a host needs is to drop everything and find a f@*#ing vase to put your flowers into. Show up with them already in a vessel—if you need an idea, a white orchid is always welcome and pre-potted. Even better, send an arrangement ahead of time with a note that says “Can’t wait to celebrate with you tonight!” Talk about CLASS!
Part of the Meal - While we’re on the subject, if you are asked by the host to bring a side dish, dessert, or appetizer/charcuterie/etc, do everything in your power to show up with that food FINISHED, PLATED, AND ON ITS SERVING PLATTER unless the host specifically asks otherwise. There are exceptions, but hearing a guest say, “I just need a knife, a cutting board, and the oven on 375ºF for 30 minutes” is the stuff of nightmares. Most kitchen real estate—and certainly oven real estate—has already been spoken for by the time guests arrive. So if you’re asked to bring something, show up with it finished. Your host will gladly wash the platter and return it to you at the end of the evening or the next day.
Tomorrow’s breakfast - If you’ve ever eaten at a fancy restaurant, you know there’s nothing more delightful than going home with the blueberry muffins or granola they give you to enjoy in the morning (once you’ve paid the pricey bill). Take a page from fine dining’s book and bring your hosts a breakfast treat! They’ll think of you, and what a wonderful friend you are, while they enjoy their morning treats the following day.
Kitchen finds - Got a pepper grinder you think everyone should own? A stunning tea towel? Fancy barware? Or a fancy vinegar you would never buy for yourself? Give it to your host! I love getting useful kitchen items from friends, because I think of them every time I use them. Who doesn’t love a gift with purpose??
IF YOU’RE HOSTING…
AU: At the very least, I always like to make sure people have an idea of the general menu for the event. Is it casual? If you’re at my house it is!! Are we doing pizza and pool snacks or will it be a sit-down meal? This convo not only helps alert you (the host) about any guests with dietary restrictions/allergies, but can also help steer guests in the direction of the vibe you’re trying to create…
EK: I like to ask people to bring something specific, so they’re not left to guess. For example, ask for your favorite rosé wine or olive oil, or the ice cream that you’d like to serve for dessert. There is no shame in telling them exactly what to bring (this is where you can specify your favorites): Think Whispering Angel rosé, or an Argentinian malbec blend like Achaval-Ferrer's Quimera to go with grilled meat or the Graza “Drizzle” Olive Oil that you can buy on Amazon for less than $15.00. You get the picture!
AU: Smart! Nobody wants 6 bottles of orange wine, if they despise orange wine (I LOATHE ORANGE WINE, BTW). I think you’ve hit the nail on the head, Elizabeth. It’s always better to be specific with your guests. And before you all call me a micro-manager, I think it can be as simple as “I’m grilling flank steak, so maybe you could bring a medium-bodied red that we could serve chilled.” Hopefully your guests will pickup what you’re putting down and arrive with pre-chilled wine. :)
Let us know what your favorite tips are! OR ask us a question—we’re always happy to help! xoxo