Many of us at Flower are avid entertainers, having been exposed to parties and their planning since we were quite young by helping Mother set the table, gathering flowers from the garden, and polishing the silver. We’ll often share our plans before the weekend, then report on our successes (more often than not) on Monday mornings with photos of floral arrangements and a discussion of what our guests liked most on the menu. So we get excited when a new entertaining book arrives at the office, especially when the ideas are pretty and doable, such as those in Entertaining in the Country by Joan Osofsky and Abby Adams (Rizzoli New York, 2017).
The pair takes us on a culinary jaunt to the homes of 12 tastemakers, including Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge; James Beard–nominated chef Erin French of The Lost Kitchen in Freedom, Maine; Vogue fashion editor Virginia Smith and her husband, fashion designer Patrick Robinson; and Dana Cowin, former editor-in-chief of Food & Wine magazine.
Inside, you’ll find a potluck mixer for a crowd, a simple breakfast menu with just two recipes and some sautéed mushrooms, a neighborhood get-together where chicken potpie is the star, ideas for a gourmet picnic, and delicious hors d’oeuvres for a cocktail party. Along with all the recipes are helpful instructions for setting up the bar, buying and serving wine, and keeping a stocked pantry, plus inventive tablescapes and simple floral arrangements. With these ideas to inspire us, I predict even more Monday morning success stories for me and rest of the Flower staff.
By Alice Welsh Doyle | Principal Photography by John Gruen
Entertaining In The Country, by Joan Osofsky and Abby Adams (Rizzoli New York, 2017) is available in bookstores now.