SB HOME MATTERS
BY SCOTT ANDERSON
entertaining AT HOME
T
he calendar says September. It’s time once again for a changing of the seasons.
I’m not talking about fall. Or back-to-school. Or even Pumpkin Spice season. No, this is the season that every host and hostess looks forward to. It’s the season for entertaining. It’s time to have family and friends over for football games and Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas parties. But wait, we haven’t gathered in months. Not to worry. If your hospitality skills are rusty and your turkey platter is dusty, there’s still time to break them out and polish them off. Food is the heartbeat of any great get-together. The key to serving a great spread is variety, according to Chef Blake Jackson, owner of Drake Catering and Whisk Dessert Bar. “A good, simple rule of thumb is to make sure you have a protein — meat or seafood — a veggie and something cheesy,” he said. “Those things, plus sweets, and you have a pretty good spread.” The hottest thing in party food today is charcuterie boards. Don’t worry if you can’t pronounce it. It’s a French word that translate to “the products of a fancy pork butch-
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er.” If that still doesn’t clarify things for you, then think of it this way — it’s an adult Lunchable. “That’s absolutely what it is,” Jackson said. “It’s a great phrase, and it’s 100 percent accurate.” A charcuterie board offers an open palette for any host or hostess to mix and match flavors that satisfy any palate. “Keep in mind it doesn’t always have to be the fancy, outrageous cheeses,” he said. “In fact, it doesn’t even have to be all cheese. Here we use a lot of smoked sausage and pimento cheeses.” With the charcuterie laid out, it’s time to turn our attention to the meat of the issue. “Any sort of larger, carved meat is good,” Jackson said. “It’s easy to make sandwiches with. And those can sit out and rest. I’m talking about a sliced pork tenderloin, a brisket, or maybe a smoked salmon. Those can sit out for a while without having to stay piping hot.” Jackson said you want to serve “things that are easy to eat and walk around while snacking.” In this post-COVID environment, the trend has turned from community dips to more individual items, like mini tart shells and shooter cups for things like individual shrimp cocktails or brie and pepper jelly.
