Summer. Dinner party. Simple elegance. These words evoke images of a tablecloth blowing in the breeze on an outdoor table set with seafood, grilled meats, fresh summer vegetables, fine wine and ice cold cocktails to be enjoyed by tanned, relaxed friends savoring every drop of their beach vacation. Fire Island, New York is one of the quintessential locations people dream of when picturing their fantasy beach getaway, and it is the perfect backdrop for Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen’s brand new cookbook filled with menus for elegant-yet-casual dinner parties for every weekend of the summer!
The Fire Island Cookbook exudes the laid-back “beachy” feel we all hope to experience every summer, enhanced by influences from the authors’ travels to places such as Italy, France, Greece, Mexico, Cape Cod and, of course, Fire Island. With menus like Mykonos by Torchlight and Paella Beach Party, and even Rainy Day French Menu (featuring the most fabulous presentation of Beef Bourguignon I have ever seen!) to brighten up a rainy summer weekend, there is a perfect meal for everyone and every occasion! After reading this cookbook through from cover to cover, I just had to talk to Mike and Jeff and find out how simple-but-perfect elegance seems to be so natural for them.
RC: I have to tell you, your book is gorgeous! Your recipes seem to follow a theme of “simple elegance.” What are the key elements that take a dish from blah-and-basic to simple elegance?
M&J: Thank you - we were very excited when we got our first full-color copy! It’s all about presentation—use a round biscuit cutter to “ring” mashed potatoes or rice, and use fresh herbs for garnish. Change plates and silver between courses, and use a variety of dish styles. This sounds super obvious, but plate food carefully, and wipe the rims before bringing your plates to the table. We visit markets wherever we travel, and are always picking up small decorative plates that are perfect for appetizers or dessert. Little touches on the table like individual salt and pepper shakers or miniature salt bowls make your guests feel like they are at a fancy restaurant.
RC: Do you tend to design your menus around wine you’ve preselected, or select wine after you have planned out a menu?
M&J: A little of both, but we always start with a theme. If the theme is Spanish, the food and wine will be Spanish, or if we’re doing Mediterranean, we’ll skip around France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Croatia, Morocco, and Israel for both food and wine inspiration. Sometimes we pick a type of wine, such as Syrah or Grenache from the Rhone Valley or crisp, cold whites and let the menu build from there.
RC: You designed the menus in The Fire Island Cookbook for beach house dinner parties – do you have any tips for those who are landlocked for creating a beach house feel in their own home?
M&J: Music sets a mood—we love the Hotel del Mar and Ibiza Chill Out collections playing in the background. Color helps as well; soft blue and turquoise mixed with sandy earth tones and a couple of bright accents make your guests think they’re at the beach the second they see the table. Turn off the television, and as soon as all your guests have arrived, turn the ringer off on your phone, so that your dinner party becomes an unplugged mini-vacation.
RC: Summer is so close! What do you cook during the spring months to jump-start that breezy summer feeling?
M&J: We definitely start grilling as soon as we can, and eating simple grilled meats and vegetables, and cold seafood dishes. There are a couple of grilled salad courses in the book: Grilled Endive with Romesco, and Grilled Romaine B.L.T. Salad, and we’ve started making those already. We’ve also gotten hooked on the Spanish Rubbed Steak, which is a year-round favorite. The Tapas Bar Seafood Salad brings you to the beach before you’re even done mixing it all together!
Mike and Jeff’s menu introductions and recipe descriptions in The Fire Island Cookbook are like mini pep talks – once you read them, you are convinced the meal will be a breeze to put together, and will leave you plenty of time to enjoy the company of your dinner guests. And you know what? The recipes really ARE that simple to prepare! Mike and Jeff even provide advice on wine pairings and plating ideas to help you bring the whole meal together. They have perfected simple, breezy elegance – Gazpacho is just a matter of chopping up peak-of-freshness summer vegetables and putting them in a food processor with a few key ingredients to add just the right amount of flavor but still allow the seasonal vegetables to shine through. Tapas Bar Seafood Salad requires only a few simple steps before tossing shrimp, crabmeat and octopus with a few fresh ingredients, and then can sit in the refrigerator all day until you are ready to serve it. And the Peppercorn-Brined Pork Chops with Grilled Sweet Peaches can be made in minutes after a leisurely day on the beach!
If you live in the Monmouth County, New Jersey area and want to meet Mike and Jeff, they will be signing copies of The Fire Island Cookbook at the Barnes & Noble on Route 9 in Freehold this Sunday, April 22, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. (Check out Barnes & Noble’s website for more information.) If you would like a sneak peek of what The Fire Island Cookbook has to offer, check out the Pistachio Frozen Greek Yogurt I made from the Mykonos by Torchlight menu:
Trust me – it tastes as rich and creamy as it looks, and is beyond simple to prepare! The Greek yogurt is a bit healthier than ice cream, and the pistachios (I used salted, roasted pistachios) make this creamy concoction completely addictive! But I think the true genius behind this recipe is the almond extract – it offsets a little of the “funk” of the Greek yogurt, and gives the frozen yogurt a luxurious flavor. With permission, here is the recipe for what I am sure you will be eating for dessert all summer!
Pistachio Frozen Greek Yogurt (From The Fire Island Cookbook by Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen. Copyright © 2012. Published by Emily Bestler Books/Atria Books. All Rights Reserved.)
Makes 8 servings
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 cups good-quality Greek Yogurt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
- 1/4 cup chopped pistachio nuts plus 1/4 cup whole pistachios
1. Whisk the sugar into the yogurt in a glass bowl. Add the almond extract and the chopped and whole pistachios, and mix well. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. Transfer the mixture to the canister of an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Serve immediately, or return to the freezer until ready to serve.
